Chapter 149 Treasure Bead
Jigina and the others were still immersed in the aftertaste of the Spider Egg Roast Sand Dory, and without pausing for a moment, the onslaught of the Iron Plate Magma Worm hit them next.
This dish could be said to have brought out the charm of fat to the fullest, causing the faces of the Valkyrie People to blossom with smiles, and Liliem's little mouth was shiny with oil.
But the real highlight was the third dish.
Yan Wu was familiar with this dish because Ma Lu had previously tried to conquer him with the Flameheart Earth Dragon Orange Brew, in hopes of getting those two High-Dimensional Artifacts from him.
Although he did not succeed in the end, Yan Wu was still very impressed by the dish and had to admit it was truly delicious.
Moreover, the taste of the Flameheart Earth Dragon Orange Brew was relatively light, perfect for neutralizing the previous Iron Plate Magma Worm.
With a Deliciousness Index of ★★★★, it also launched a fierce attack on the taste buds of Jigina and the others.
Those Valkyrie People who farmed highland barley in the Himalayas had never seen such a spectacle and surrendered in no time.
Even though they were already feeling full, they still finished the dish with Yan Wu.
For the fourth and final dish, Old Wang used the Giant Horn Viper that Ma Lu had brought back last time, another 5-star ingredient.
However, this time he didn't make stir-fried noodles, but instead made a mixed soup with the ribs of the Seven-Toothed Giant Horn Viper.
The same was still true—you could smell the freshness of the meat without seeing it.
And this time, it was indeed without meat, considering the previous three dishes were all meat-based, Old Wang only used the broth made from the Giant Horn Viper, adding scallops, salted duck eggs, seasonal vegetables, and mushrooms.
When it was served, Jigina and the others were already full, but they couldn't help trying a few spoonfuls, and once they started, they couldn't stop.
You take a spoonful, and I take a spoonful... unconsciously, they finished off the soup with vegetables, and the bellies of these little people swelled up one by one.
At this point, they saw Ma Lu come out of the kitchen again, holding a large porcelain basin in his hands.
Upon seeing the basin, the Valkyrie People couldn't help but change color.
The size of that basin felt big enough for all of them to bathe in together, and most importantly, they really couldn't eat anymore, not even a single bite.
Although the last soup smelled good, with a faint citrus aroma.
Liliem rubbed her stomach, deciding to only stand on her tiptoes for a glance—just one look, and definitely no more eating.
But when Ma Lu ladled a spoonful in front of her, Liliem was defeated because the light orange liquid inside really looked appealing, and it seemed like there weren't any other stomach-filling foods.
Just so happened that Liliem was a bit thirsty at the time, so she filled her small kettle from her waist, and then took a couple of sips.
To call it a soup would be less apt than calling it fruit tea—sweet, within it Liliem tasted the flavors of dried tangerine peel, hawthorn, pear, and honey, and beyond that, a hidden delicate fragrance, somewhat like ambergris, that scent of amber mixed with the aroma of flowers.
But Liliem knew ambergris was used to make perfumes, and couldn't be eaten.
And it was after drinking this sweet liquid that a miraculous thing happened—she felt the bloating in her stomach decrease somewhat.
Liliem double-checked to confirm her discovery was real—after a few sips of the soup, she no longer felt as stuffed as before.
Liliem shared this finding with the others, and the remaining Valkyrie People also crowded around, pouring from kettle to kettle, and in no time, they finished off the sweet soup in the spoon.
So Ma Lu scooped another spoonful, and another... and in this way, all the little people got to drink the last bowl of soup.
After they finished drinking, they all felt much more comfortable in their stomachs, just like Liliem did, with the earlier drinkers already starting to ask where Yan Wu's restroom was.
After Yan Wu directed them, they rushed off in a hurry.
The Werewolf Boss also curiously tasted the soup left in the basin.
He closed his eyes and said, "You've added dried tangerine peel, snow pear, hawthorn, goji berries, honey, um, and there should also be japonica rice. These ingredients combined indeed have the effect of aiding digestion and soothing the stomach. But the effect shouldn't be this pronounced, did you add something else to it?"
"Correct."
"What is it?"
"A small spoonful of Flat Skull Giant Bat's gastric juice," Ma Lu said, "The Flat Skull Giant Bat is something I've just hunted recently. It has a diverse diet and eats almost anything with very strong digestive abilities. However, I only looked up the recipe to discover that its gastric juice was also an ingredient."
"Flat Skull Giant Bat!" Yan Wu realized, "No wonder. But I didn't specify any requests this time, and you've been quite generous. The dishes we had just now and this last pot of soup included ingredients that weren't cheap. And you've also put a lot of thought into these dishes themselves."
"Just consider it a repayment for helping me out in a fight before," Ma Lu said. "Moreover, my restaurant is about to open, so it's a good opportunity to try out some dishes and see how the market reacts."
After Ma Lu finished speaking, he asked Yan Wu, "Boss Yan, you've been to many places and tasted many dishes. How much do you think we should charge for these dishes in Star Currency?"
Yan Wu stroked his chin, "Let's leave the pricing for now. Do you only plan to serve customers from Different Dimensions in your restaurant in the future?"
"Of course not. We want to earn Star Currency to pay off the huge amount I owe you, and I'm also in need of the currency from our own dimension, so I will welcome regular customers as well."
"But why would people spend Star Currency in your restaurant instead of regular bills?"
"I've considered this issue as well. My preliminary plan is to have two menus, one regular menu for the general public and a hidden menu specifically for special customers."
"Dual menus, huh?" Yan Wu nodded, "That's a solution. Then once you've created your hidden menu, I can help you write a reference price list for it."
"That sounds good."
Ma Lu then talked to Yan Wu about some more details of opening the restaurant, including the hardware orders, while the Valkyrie People gradually came out of the restroom.
However, a sudden gust of wind blew the slightly ajar door of the restroom shut.
Although it wasn't locked, those remaining Valkyries inside couldn't reach the doorknob and were unable to come out.
When Ma Lu saw this, he went over to help them open the door and received their thanks.
The young Valkyrie who was saved jumped down from the steps and then, just like Jigina before, placed her hands on his hips, bent the right leg, rested it against the inside of the left leg, and spun around twice and a half on the ground, thanking Ma Lu in this manner.
Ma Lu thought it was over, but then Liliem pulled Jigina aside and they whispered together for a while.
Afterward, Jigina approached a Brown House Rat and opened the backpack it carried.
She took out a glass marble.
Holding the glass marble, Jigina stood before Ma Lu and spoke, "Respected big friend, please convey our gratitude to the chef of this luncheon. The dishes he cooked are the best we have ever tasted in our lives.
"That meal just now has already become many of our people's treasured memory, which will be passed down and savored by future generations.
"And according to the ancient tradition of the Valkyrie People, for the one who has given us such precious memories, we also return a Treasure Bead."
"Treasure Bead, what Treasure Bead?" Ma Lu asked curiously.