"Looking for someone?" Shelley-jie (Sister Shelley) smiled, subtly sweeping the yule on the table into a drawer. "Guest, you've really come to the right person. Don't let our shop being just a restaurant fool you; we're just as well-informed when it comes to news."
"There are few people in the Common Realm I don't know. Who are you looking for?"
"His name is… Bai En Laikaisite."
"Hmm, Bai En Laikaisite… hmm? Bai En?"
Shelley-jie (Sister Shelley) paused at the familiar name, then looked up to face the person. Silver-white hair, delicate features—from a certain angle, he was indeed handsome. But… the three gems embedded in his forehead, these were not characteristics a citizen of the Clover Kingdom should possess.
She was not like those who hadn't seen the world. Years ago, she had traveled through various countries and understood the customs and characteristics of neighboring nations. Just from his attire and certain features, she guessed the newcomer was from the Diamond Kingdom.
'That magical power just now was not something an ordinary person could have.'
'Little Bai En, this time you owe your big sister a favor.'
Shelley-jie (Sister Shelley) maintained her polite smile, but her hand, which was reaching into the drawer to collect money, stopped. She even took out the portion of money that didn't belong to her from the drawer. "I'm sorry, guest, I've never heard of that name."
"It seems I can't help you."
"…If it's for a meal, we can still serve you, but if you still wish to continue looking for someone, then I'm afraid…" Shelley-jie (Sister Shelley) made a gesturing motion, pointing towards the door.
"Never heard of him?"
Mars, standing in front of the counter, felt a slight surprise. He glanced at the bustling crowd behind him and recalled the restaurant's name he had repeatedly confirmed upon entering. He remembered that guy saying it was this place, so he continued, "He told me to come here."
"Moli Restaurant… please try to recall carefully."
After a moment of silence, Shelley-jie (Sister Shelley) led Mars to a window seat. The previous table's guests had just finished eating, and the food scraps and trash had not yet been cleared. Shelley-jie (Sister Shelley) didn't bother with him, tidied up the kitchen waste, and left directly, leaving Mars alone at the table.
"Little Bai En ~ there's a foreigner looking for you. He looks fierce, not as friendly as you. Do you know him? Do you need your big sister to send him away?" Shelley-jie (Sister Shelley)'s long, jade-like fingers gently tapped the kitchen window as she spoke inwards.
"Oh, I know, Shelley-jie (Sister Shelley), that's a new friend I made." Bai En already knew a familiar face had arrived the moment Mars stepped into the restaurant and released his magical power.
Shelley-jie (Sister Shelley) nodded slightly: "Is that so ~"
"By the way, Shelley-jie (Sister Shelley), I've stir-fried a few dishes and will need to rest for a while later." Bai En looked at the alluringly fragrant food in the pot and sought permission from the proprietress.
"Then your salary will be deducted, you know?"
"Shelley-jie (Sister Shelley) runs such a large restaurant; would she really care about my small salary?"
"Eh ~ how boring." Shelley-jie (Sister Shelley) complained to the busy figure inside, "It's just a small restaurant; it can't compare to those in the Royal Capital at all. Your big sister also needs to live, and besides, your salary isn't 'a little bit'."
"Forget it, forget it. Let's just say my luck isn't good these past few days, and it's a loss-making venture."
"Thank you, Shelley-jie (Sister Shelley) ~"
"Go on, hurry up, don't keep your friend waiting. Go get whatever you want to drink; it's on me." Shelley-jie (Sister Shelley) tidied up the kitchen waste in the serving tray, turned, and left only a graceful silhouette.
"I don't know your preferences in the Diamond Kingdom, so I just casually made a few dishes. Give them a try."
Bai En carried the food to the seat by the window, wearing a tall white chef's hat, serving like a waiter: "This dish on the black rock plate is 'Stargazer Eel Sashimi,' made by chilling fresh stargazer eel, drizzled with high-temperature rendered fat and finely ground berry powder."
"Bell Pepper Seared Meat, roasted pork smeared with a hint of seasoned fruit jam. The key is the chili, chilled Frost Whisper Pepper. This is a rare ingredient I found in the Ito Orsky Mountains outside Hage Village, but I later successfully cultivated it."
"The last dish, which took a lot of effort—Creamy Core Tower. Ah, ah ~ although the name is strange, it's actually crocodile meat. Due to magic promoting the individual evolution of creatures, the cooked crocodile meat's fat has become rich and fragrant, with the creamy sauce… tsk, tsk…"
"These are all among Moli Restaurant's most popular dishes ~"
Looking at Bai En, who was smiling and happily introducing the dishes, Mars was stunned. Was this still the same Clover Magic Knight who barely spoke two words in the Magic Palace, coldly wielding a sword and injuring him?
Was being a chef this guy's real job?
Looking at Bai En, who sat opposite him, gesturing for him to try the food, Mars suppressed his urgent desire to ask about his childhood friend and used a fork to pick up the Stargazer Eel Sashimi, which was served first.
'Meat I've never seen before.'
Before the thin sashimi entered his mouth, he caught a strange scent, difficult to describe, as if smoked minerals and pure nectar were mixed together.
"Don't worry, that's the natural scent of the animal's flesh combined with the volatile balm that fills the air," Bai En explained, noticing his hesitation.
Mars paused, but finally, under that eager gaze, he put it in his mouth. It was surprisingly delicious, completely contrary to its strange smell.
It was cool on the palate, the meat melting into a rich, fresh jelly on his tongue. The berry flavor was deep, and the faint, sweet aftertaste of the rendered fat lingered.
"Uh… that…"
"We'll talk business after you finish eating."
Mars was interrupted by Bai En as soon as he opened his mouth. Thinking that the conditions were in the hands of the person opposite him, he said no more and focused on the food on the table.
The Diamond Kingdom has sparse vegetation and scarce resources, which naturally means its variety of food and cooking methods cannot compare to the Clover Kingdom, with its vast, fertile land and abundant resources.
Gradually, an expression of satisfaction appeared on Mars's face; he was just short of saying aloud, "How can it be so delicious?"
Inside Moli Restaurant, invisible threads of wish power from all directions flowed into Bai En's body like silk. The wish power threads generated from Mars, who was enjoying food for the first time, were much thicker, like ropes.
Under the effect of the magic "Blessing of the God of Cooking," the wish power continuously transformed into droplet-shaped magical power, flowing into the quietly flowing river of magical power within his body. The thickness of the river constantly solidified.
It vaguely took on the form of a vast sea.
"Ugh ~" Mars let out a loud burp. Only plates and sauce remained on the table. Bai En diligently offered fruit tea to the diner who had helped him increase his magical power.
Taking a light sip of the fruit tea, a sense of happiness blossomed.
"Delicious… the tea is also very good."
"Thank you for the compliment." Looking at the full and satisfied Mars, Bai En changed the subject and began to discuss business: "Just as I said in the Magic Palace, it's a trade. I'll tell you about your childhood friend, and in return, you'll provide me with some mineral materials."
"I believe that in the Diamond Kingdom, with your status, getting these minerals shouldn't be a problem."
"Okay." Mars put down his teacup and nodded: "But I need to confirm the authenticity of the information."
"Fana… she was clearly… killed by me that day. Why are you so certain she's still alive? I saw her fall in front of me with my own eyes."
"She was only on the verge of death…"
"You probably don't know that those who fell in your training base didn't die immediately but were centrally processed to excavate their potential. So, after their defeat, they underwent human experimentation. Your childhood friend's condition did not improve after the human experimentation, and she was thrown into a pile of dead bodies. Fortunately, she was later rescued by someone," Bai En answered straightforwardly.
'Training base… centralized processing… human experimentation…'
Mars confirmed that what Bai En said had a certain degree of truth, but he still had doubts: "You are a Mage of the Clover Kingdom. Why do you know so much about us?"
"That is not within the scope of our trade." Bai En coldly refused to answer.
"Sorry ~"
A slip of paper was handed to Mars, containing the mineral materials needed to temper the remaining cooking utensils. Mars frowned, somewhat silent.
"What's wrong?"
"The mineral materials on there are very rare. I haven't seen many of them. Some… perhaps even the Diamond Kingdom doesn't have them. If I were to find all of them…"
Bai En didn't expect Mars to find all the materials on the list at once: "Just finding one is enough."
"Deal!"
"The next trading location will still be here."
Mars stood up, preparing to leave. After taking a few steps, he turned back and said, "Regarding the Magic Palace incident, I am very sorry. Invading another country was not my original intention… If it's possible in the future, I will turn the Diamond Kingdom into a peaceful country, not like it is now."
As his words fell, he quickly turned again, pulled up his black hood, walked out of Moli Restaurant, and disappeared into the crowd.
"A peaceful country, that won't be easy… In the future, there's a big disaster waiting for you, the destruction of a nation… Work hard. You said next time we meet, if the trade goes smoothly, should I reveal it to you?"
Bai En muttered to himself, watching Mars's disappearing back, and walked into the kitchen.
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
Five days later, in the morning, when Mars reappeared at Moli Restaurant, the materials he provided surprised Bai En because these were the materials most useful for tempering the most crucial cooking utensil at the moment.
Bai En naturally revealed the information he knew without hesitation.
"The terrorist organization Eye of the Midnight Sun… one of the Three Eyes of Eye of the Midnight Sun, 'Hatred'?"
"How is that possible?" Mars murmured at what Bai En said: "It sounds too fantastical. How could Fana become like that?"
"Fana, who was rescued, had forbidden magic cast upon her. In a way, that cannot be considered Fana… And nothing is impossible."
"You don't believe me?" Bai En asked.
"No… I believe you." Mars looked directly into Bai En's eyes: "Because you don't seem to be lying."
...
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