H39 Recipe of the Gods

Book Cover

**Recipe of the Gods**, the 39th book of The Golden Age of Adventures series, was published in March 2022. It is the English language edition of the original Chinese comic, **天帝的食谱**, which was published in December 2021.

## Synopsis

Aided by Lulu's mummified cats, Alex quickly tracks down Silver Wing and the stolen vase. When Silver Wing reveals that the vase is linked to a recipe belonging to the Greek gods, Alex agrees to join him on his search for the heavenly formula, but on their way, they encounter familiar adversaries.

## Cast

* Alex
* Lulu
* "Silver Wing" Harley
* Crowbone
* Nacho

## Plot

***Spoiler warning!** Plot and/or ending details follow.*

### Chapter 1: Food Hunters

Alex and co. find the box of World Adventure Union top secret files, but the Greek vase is missing. Silver Wing is a food hunter. They travel around the world in search of precious ingredients and recipes. Nacho is an adventurer and a food hunter. Silver Wing steals recipes from adventurers when they're not paying attention.

One of Lulu's cat mummies found where Silver Wing went. Batu will bring the box to the Global Alliance for Humanity HQ. Ling will bring Yang Qu He's flute and musical notation to Abbot Xuan Zhen's shaolin temple to be protected there. Alex has copied the slab's words that relate to Lulu's curse and will be checked after hunting Silver Wing. Smith lends his jeep to Alex.

From Mongolia, to Iran, and to Turkey, Alex, Lulu and the cat mummies arrive at Athens one month later.

### Chapter 2: Hunting the Hunter

Silver Wing studies the vase at a restaurant. Alex pretends to be blind and purposely hits Silver Wing's chair. Alex and Co. sit near him. Silver Wing runs away, jumping from building to building. He dodges Alex's electrocutor and runs across the road, but a driver drifts away from him. Silver Wing saves the boy that will be hit by the car. Alex and co. surround him, so Silver Wing surrenders.

### Chapter 3: Cooperation

Alex now has the vase, so he lets Silver Wing go. Silver Wing begs him to lend him the vase to know the location of a Recipe of the Gods. That's what food hunters call mysterious and rare ancient recipes that have been lost. Nacho has killed food hunters for Recipes and resorted to cannibalism. That made food hunters keep their identities a secret. Alex will help under two conditions: 1) stop stealing treasures from adventurers 2) help capture Nacho.

Silver Wing can't find a clue with the vase, so Alex uses a periscope if the clue is on the part inside that can't be seen. The clue is a drawing of a building with two birds beside a sphere on a mountain, which is Mount Lycabettus. Alex sees five birds of different species together on a tree. At the destination, Alex finds a drawing of the birds with a sphere. He puts the vase's mouth on the sphere, opening a secret doorway. In it are vases, pigeon statues and a puzzle.

### Chapter 4: Unexpected Visitors

The puzzle is a drawing of three steps inside a square and four candles must be put on each step inside the perimeter. Turn the drawing 180 degrees and there will be four steps. After the candles are lit and put, another door opens and the pigeon statues come to life. Silver Wing rides on one and Lulu and the cat mummies ride on Alex with his jetpack. The pigeons fly towards a magnificent location in a sea hole where there are statues of a woman and two pigeons.

More pigeons come with ingredients. There are even more, but they are actually Nacho and Crowbone. Before everyone could fight, they are bound by shackles by the statues because violence is forbidden in the Kitchen of the Gods.

### Chapter 5: Grease King's Weakness

Those with no murderous intent shall be allowed, so the shackles disappear when everyone stops. The test to please the gods is making a dish the even they praise and an unforgettable nectar. It must be completed before the Southern Cross appears in the night sky or else the gods will be offended and smite the participants with lightning. Those withdraw will be smitten too.

Silver Wing doesn't recognise Nacho. Nacho tells him, whose real name is Harley, that Robert and Jones could've defeated him if they had his help. Robert caught Harley ten years ago. Harley revealed Nacho's weakness on condition of being free. Alex, Lulu, the cat mummies and Harley will make the dish. Nacho and Crowbone will make the nectar.

The puzzle for Alex and co. is counting how many squares there are, which is eleven. In the kitchen, there is an abundance of ingredients and a recipe for ambrosia. There is an hourglass, so Harley chooses to wait for the last minute to make the dish to exploit Nacho's weakness. His metabolism and digestion rates are faster than an average person, causing him to get hungry faster.

### Chapter 6: Berserk

Alex and co. made the dish, fried chicken, fries and sauces, just in time. Nacho currently appears skinny. The woman statue tastes the meals the two teams prepared. She finds them incredible, so the meals teleport to the gods. The pigeons will now send everyone back before water covers the place.

As Crowbone was about to fight Lulu, Nacho plans to eat her to appease his hunger. Alex and co. hop on a pigeon and Crowbone slams Nacho's arm and flies away. Now covered by the ocean, Nacho feeds on the fishes. Crowbone destroys the pigeon. Lulu transforms...

### Chapter 7: Primordial Flame

...into her adult form, wearing the tissue of the cat mummies as clothing and wielding her sword and a cat mummy's knife. Crowbone is always bothering Lulu because they both have been chosen by the god of war. Unworthy ones will lose their humanity. Alex thinks about the Tomb Guardians. Worthy ones will kill each other to be closer to the war god. Crowbone has the wheel of the Ark as her weapon. After some fighting, Nacho grabs them to eat them. None of their attacks are effective. Alex latches himself to Nacho to use Luminus' flame...

### Chapter 8: Heat

...to boil his blood and fat. Alex takes Lulu, then Harley holds onto her. Crowbone flies away and Nacho will rip Harley and Alex to shreds. One week later on the Athens seaside, Hank can't find Nacho. Smith and Susie now have the vase. Alex apologizes for letting Harley escape. Since Crowbone is an airborne foe, Hank suggests Alex and Lulu to ask Marie Wright for assistance. Alex and Lulu deny, so Hank will be their bodyguard.

Later, Harley was actually let free by Alex. They both become allies. Harley tells Alex to wait because he remembered something about the god of war. Years ago, a woman told Harley that gods came to Earth and created beast warriors. These warriors will kill each other and the victor will emerge stronger. The gods sent the strongest to fight world-eating dragons. The mural under Egypt indicated the same thing. Harley gives Alex a paper to find the woman and maybe know more about Crowbone.

## Trivia

* Three food hunters that were pictured resembled the mascots of Burger King, Wendy's and McDonalds. Their colors are altered possibly to avoid copyright.
	+ However, in the Chinese version, they were in their original colors.
* Alex used Luminus' flame in the seventh chapter, "Primordial Flame". In the previous book, He used Tempesta's lightning in the seventh chapter, "Primordial Lightning".