Here, Ai Sha led the Golden Lion Holy Alliance Squad in an orderly queue. Luckily, they were just at the end of the limited-purchase line. They had been tasked today with clearing low-level monsters on the outskirts of town. But since it was Ai Sha’s suggestion, the other two members were naturally very curious about the cooking skills of this new chef at the Sword Saint’s Mansion.
Looking ahead, a fox tribe girl with a veiled face stood in front of the stove, completely focused on cooking. Her sleeves were slightly rolled up, revealing a pale wrist. Though slender and delicate, she could toss out springy hand-pulled noodles, clearly showing great experience. Her movements were unhurried. Amidst the rising steam, her black fox tail swayed lightly behind her.
At that moment, Ai Sha’s heart tightened inexplicably. For no other reason, that figure ahead gave off a subtle sense of familiarity. But as she watched the fox tribe girl—the way she held the spatula, the way she chopped vegetables—it always reminded her of that fox tribe boy who had once been in her party, Ye Lian. But the girl in front was very steady, not as timid as Ye Lian. Why… even though the girl was veiled, one could tell she was an outstanding beauty, yet Ai Sha could think of someone of a different gender.
Yvette, standing beside Yelena, noticed Ai Sha’s gaze. Her intentions were also clear, and she met Ai Sha’s eyes. The two strong individuals locked gazes across the crowd—one as cold as frost, the other as fierce as flame. The noise of the backstreet was immediately subdued by the invisible sword qi they generated. Noticing the heavy atmosphere, the two temporarily set aside their aura until the queue finally reached the hero party.
Yvette watched Ai Sha finally step forward, a provocative smile hanging on her face. She gestured to Yelena, then deliberately took out two bowls of freshly mixed noodles, stood beside Yelena, and quickly finished them. Then she burped, looked at Ai Sha, and smiled in a very punchable way.
“Oh, so fragrant.”
Watching Yvette wolf down two bowls of the limited-edition noodles, Ai Sha looked troubled. Kate, whose emotions had been stirred up, finally couldn’t hold back.
“Ah!! Ai Sha, look at that nouveau riche, deliberately eating two portions of ours!”
“Oh dear~ Our chief mage of the Holy Church is indeed clever.” Yvette’s eyes were filled with mockery as she continued, “This is my family’s chef’s cooking. Leaving one bowl for you lackeys of the Holy Church is already doing you a favor.”
“Yvette, you!…” Seeing Kate getting riled up, Ai Sha quickly stepped forward to stop her.
“We just need one bowl, it’s fine. Don’t lower yourself.”
“Five gold coins.” Yvette gestured with the number five to Ai Sha.
“Uwaah… weren’t they just selling for three gold coins?” Sylvia protested timidly.
“Are you robbing us! Damn you, raising the price on the spot! I see you’re targeting us today!”
Kate was thoroughly angered; after all, Yvette had even insulted them as lackeys of the Holy Church, so she wasn’t going to hold back.
“If you don’t want it, forget it. For this last bowl, there are plenty of people behind.”
After saying that, Yvette turned to the fox chef and asked, “Do you know them?”
“…”
Ai Sha remained silent, but continued to look at Yelena beside Yvette. Though she couldn’t see Yelena’s eyes, she really wanted to know her answer.
Yelena lowered her eyes and said softly, “I don’t know her.”
[Ding, currently detected emotional fluctuation in one key person.]
[Anxiety, loss, doubt.]
[「Emotion Menu」full activation progress 35%]
Watching Ai Sha’s surprise and disappointment after those words, and the steady progress of the system functions, Yelena felt a surge of schadenfreude. Then Yvette looked at her lowered fox ears, suddenly reached out, and gently rubbed the top of her head.
“If you want to eat your food, you have to learn to lower your head first.”
Yelena was slightly startled, smiled contentedly behind her veil, then poured hot oil from the pot into the last bowl of noodles mixed with her special seasoning. Instantly, the aroma spread everywhere. The fragrance wrapped around them like an invisible hook, pulling them in deeper. The three members of the hero party suddenly felt that five gold coins for this bowl was not a loss.
Thinking this, Ai Sha said nothing, first handed the gold coins to Anna who was collecting payment, then brought the freshly cooked noodles to the party. The fragrance was even stronger up close. The rich scent of scallion oil, the savory saltiness of the special sauce, and the wheaty aroma of the noodles mixed into an overwhelmingly stimulating flavor, as if enchanted by some magic, making them unable to stop.
Everyone swallowed their saliva and quickly divided and finished the bowl of noodles. After eating, the three stood in place, stunned for a long time. The aftertaste of the noodles bounced between their teeth, then their vision suddenly blurred, and they seemed to return to many years ago. At that time, Kate was not the magical genius her family had high hopes for. Sylvia was not the Chosen of the Holy with great healing power. Ai Sha was not the Person of Destiny chosen by the Holy Sword. They were just little girls about to be sent to an academy to study.
Kate remembered the hot baked cake her father had left before she left. Sylvia remembered the mousse cake her uncle had brought before her departure. Ai Sha remembered her mother pulling open the carriage curtain for her and stuffing an apple pie wrapped in a napkin into her arms… All three remembered the sweetest taste of their childhood, and for a moment their eyes turned red.
[Ding, detected emotional fluctuation in three key persons.]
[Collected strong emotions: homesickness, sadness, shock.]
[「Emotion Menu」full activation progress 70%]
The three realized they had actually cried, a bit embarrassing, so they wiped their tears and blew their noses. Then Kate unashamedly used a wooden spoon to scrape the scallion oil from the bottom of the bowl and said seriously, “I now need to study whether there’s a mind-control magic in these noodles.”
“Thank the Lord for giving us such delicious food.” Beside her, Sylvia was praying.
As for Ai Sha, she did not speak excited words like her two teammates. She just quietly looked at the empty bowl. In her ice-blue eyes, it seemed like some reason was changing. The fox tribe chef in front had made a taste that felt familiar yet she dared not confirm; her cooking skills surpassed Ye Lian’s. She knew very clearly that this masked fox chef could truly make dishes that could break the composure of strong individuals. Then her value was absolutely more than just a chef. But beneath reason, she still wanted to eat more of the fox chef’s cooking. Not to judge any magical traces. She just wanted to take another bite, to know why that fragrance made her chest tighten.
She then approached Yelena, but Yvette still stood between them. Yelena was also responding to her approach. Behind the veil, her clear fox eyes were faintly visible, unafraid.
“Miss Fox, do you have any other dishes for sale?” Ai Sha asked politely out of aristocratic etiquette. Yvette was dismissive, but Yelena was the first to respond:
“I’m sorry, Hero, but we’re sold out for today.”
Her fingers holding the spatula unconsciously tightened, then slowly relaxed after a moment.
“If you want to eat, please come early another day. Also, please continue to follow our stall rules: first line up, then eat. Whether nobles, mercenaries, or heroes, it’s all the same.”
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