Fifth Spaceport, Entertainment District, Commerce Street.
Cargo robots carrying goods ordered by various spaceships hovered just above the street.
These square-shaped robots were packed so tightly together that from a distance, they looked like hundreds of silver ribbons dancing in the wind.
On the street, Shi Linglin, dressed in casual clothes, looked left and right.
Cute Cat Diner, Old Earth Malatang, Heaven Star…
She quickly scanned the signs of each shop, as if searching for something.
Soon.
Her eyes lit up, and she stopped in front of one store.
【Tatatuo Bakery】
The Tatatuo was a three-headed, cow-like animal that produced very sweet milk.
Drinking it straight was a bit cloying, but it worked wonderfully for baking.
Shi Linglin recalled this information she had just looked up, then pushed the door open.
A delightful, sweet aroma immediately washed over her.
Inside the small shop of less than a hundred square meters were six rows of display cases, filled with beautiful, colorful cakes.
A young woman wearing glasses sat behind the counter, holding a book-like electronic reader with flipping pages. She seemed to be the bakery’s owner.
Perhaps because cakes were unpopular among adventurers, or because cakes made with Tatatuo milk were too expensive, business was slow.
Despite the heavy foot traffic on Commerce Street, there wasn’t a single customer in the shop.
Shi Linglin didn’t disturb the reading owner. Instead, she walked to the counter, picked up a basket, and began selecting cakes herself.
“What kind of cake does that kid like? I remember it was mango flavor?”
‘Sigh!’
Shi Linglin sighed inwardly.
That poor little girl couldn’t even get a real cake.
She still remembered Ye Lan’s request from that day clearly.
It was one of the rare times Ye Lan had made a personal request driven by her own desire after being modified.
But Dr. Forefinger’s decision to fob Ye Lan off with a virtual cake was just too heartless.
What harm could a single cake do?
Ye Lan was out there every day fighting tooth and nail and completing missions.
So Shi Linglin thought, she might as well just buy some cakes and secretly let Ye Lan eat them.
That way, she’d fulfill the kid’s wish.
Of course, this might go against Dr. Forefinger’s wishes.
But no matter what, Shi Linglin couldn’t refuse Ye Lan’s request. She would always find a way to satisfy the kid…
Because she owed this little one that much!
Shi Linglin’s mind was a mess, both feeling sorry for Yun Ruoxi and feeling guilty for what she had done back then.
Mechanically, she picked up one cake after another and placed them in her basket.
Soon, the basket was half full.
Just as she was about to grab a blueberry cake, a pair of tongs reached in from the side, colliding exactly with hers.
The two tongs bounced apart in front of the blueberry cake.
The vibration in her hand snapped Shi Linglin out of her daze. She instinctively looked up and offered an apologetic smile.
“Sorry, you go first.”
“There’s only one blueberry one. It’s fine, take it.”
A crisp, youthful voice rang out.
Golden hair sparkled brilliantly under the lights.
A very pretty, tall girl in a white dress was smiling at Shi Linglin.
Beside her stood a muscular young man loaded with bags and packages, acting as a living cargo robot.
Aili and Anvil? Wow, a fateful encounter?
Just thinking about how they’re being polite now, only to fight to the death later, makes me laugh.
A tragedy triggered by a blueberry cake.
As the barrage said, the two Shi Linglin had met were Aili and Anvil, who had also rushed to the Fifth Spaceport to assemble.
If both had left from the Academy, they would have arrived at the spaceport half a day later than Lin Zhen.
But who told them to be out in other star systems “causing trouble”!
In the end, because they set off immediately, they were the first to arrive, several hours earlier than Lin Zhen.
Seeing they had arrived early, Aili decided to stock up on all the supplies needed for the upcoming mission.
As for the cake…
Her big sister’s favorite dessert from the group dinner—she naturally wouldn’t let it go.
Even if her big sister wasn’t around anymore…
Aili, I’m crying.
In protocol, do you cry first or die first?
Don’t throw me away after death; eat me while I’m hot.
Still thinking about Lao Xi to this day, refusing to watch the last episode.
She didn’t know what flavor Ye Lan liked, so she planned to take one of each and let the girl choose for herself.
As for why only one piece.
That was all the fault of the AI named 【Canary】.
“Thank you.”
Shi Linglin didn’t refuse Aili’s courtesy.
With Ye Lan outside and Dr. Forefinger unable to intervene directly, this AI was Ye Lan’s nominal owner.
Ye Lan’s eating, sleeping, virtual entertainment, training, and studying—all actions had to strictly follow the AI’s schedule.
Any deviation would trigger an alarm to Dr. Forefinger.
Taking advantage of the battleship’s maintenance at the port and Canary’s temporarily reduced monitoring inside the ship, Shi Linglin could at most find an opportunity to let Yun Ruoxi secretly eat one cake.
Eating two? Canary would catch her, no need to even think about it.
Shi Linglin placed the blueberry cake into her basket, her gaze landing on Anvil’s brawny arms. She smiled.
“Is this your boyfriend? He’s really built!”
“No, no!”
At being called Aili’s “boyfriend,” Anvil immediately blushed and wildly waved his big, fan-like hands.
“Just brother and sister.”
“Really?”
Shi Linglin looked at Aili suspiciously.
The latter nodded calmly.
“That’s right!”
Shi Linglin let out an “oh,” wondering if she had misread things just now.
She clearly felt a not-so-innocent affection in that guy’s eyes when he looked at the girl.
Anvil and Lao Ai as a couple, huh.
Feels like they match—one bulky, one tall.
Shi Linglin’s mind wandered as she brushed past them.
After taking one of every cake in the shop and placing them in her basket, she went to the counter to pay.
Just then, Aili also came over and asked the female owner if they had any babatou cake.
She seemed quite knowledgeable and familiar with cakes.
Seeing this, Shi Linglin, who had been worrying about whether Ye Lan would pick the best-tasting cake if left to choose herself, suddenly realized something.
Why not ask the owner or this girl?
After Aili finished talking with the owner, Shi Linglin smiled and asked them both.
“Excuse me, do you know which of these cakes is the most delicious?”
“The most delicious? Of course it’s the babatou cake!”
The owner laughed.
“Babatou is the most lavishly made among Tatatuo milk cakes. It’s very popular.”
Babatou cake…
Shi Linglin nodded in understanding and looked at Aili, who gave the opposite answer.
“Definitely the simplest mango cake!”
Aili clasped her hands behind her back and said with a full smile.
“That’s why mango cake is my favorite, too.”
“Why?”
Shi Linglin asked curiously.
“Because I have a big sister, and her favorite is mango cake.”