Universe Infinite Canteen

Since the renovation began, Ma Lu felt his energy had significantly decreased; yawning became a frequent part of his daily routine, so much so that he no longer found the time to play with his newly bought Switch, often collapsing into bed as soon as he got home.

Only when he took out his phone and saw the balance in his bank account did he feel slightly more awake.

This week, the Earth Dragon Bone Spicy Hot Pot once again set a new record high in revenue for his food stall, with total earnings reaching 267,873 yuan.

Although it was less than 4,000 yuan more than the previous week, and the costs had risen quite a bit, the actual profit had not increased by much.

But the key point was that this time Ma Lu didn't use up all the ingredients he brought back, about forty percent was still frozen in the fridge.

That is to say, he only used about sixty percent of the ingredients, yet he achieved or even surpassed the previous profit margins.

And it was all because of the miraculous dish, the Earth Dragon Bone Spicy Hot Pot.

Ma Lu was willing to call it a divine recipe!

At first, when he saw this recipe, he didn't take it very seriously, as it called for a five-star ingredient like Earth Dragon bones, yet the dish it produced was only rated at ★★☆.

It was on the same level as Giant Lizard Grilled Sausage and Aromatic Brined Worms, but the issue was that those two dishes used only three-star ingredients.

To have a five-star ingredient for a dish that was comparable to the outcome using three-star ingredients seemed a bit incompetent.

However, when Ma Lu looked at the other ingredients for this dish, his eyes paused, and a bold idea began to form in his mind.

As everyone knows, the distinctive feature of spicy hot pot is that you can cook anything in it; as long as the soup and sauces are seasoned well, even leather shoes would taste delicious boiled in it.

Ma Lu confirmed after some testing that the Earth Dragon Bone Spicy Hot Pot adhered to this feature as well.

This meant that as long as the soulful broth maintained a certain concentration, he could freely adjust the items he put in the pot; he didn't need to use ingredients from a Different Dimension to create a perfect spicy hot pot that had people licking their fingers and craving more!

This discovery invigorated Ma Lu, giving him the sensation of exploiting a bug in a video game.

Of course, as a merchant with morals, pursuit, and conscience, he couldn't stoop to such dishonest acts like charging customers twenty to thirty yuan for swishing some potatoes, vermicelli, and instant noodles in the broth.

So he chose to suffer a loss rather than forgo adding an extra meatball and a slice of blood tofu for everyone.

Additionally, after testing in the past few days, Ma Lu discovered that broth made from twelve or thirteen pounds of bones could only last two days at most; by the third day, the flavor would dilute, so he maintained a schedule of changing the broth every two days.

He was determined to ensure that everyone could savor a spicy hot pot with a Deliciousness Index of at least ★★☆.

And in a society becoming ever more restless, such commitment was increasingly precious.

In the end, Ma Lu tearfully noted an income of over 180,000 yuan for the week, successfully increasing his bank balance from 325,431.7 to 511,033.6 yuan.

The reason it was 180,000 rather than the total profit of 260,000 was that, besides paying the final instalment for the construction work, the main reason was the significantly higher electricity bill for the week.

Ma Lu glanced at the socket beside the sofa, which was originally where Old Wang and Bug Egg recharged.

But this week, Bug Egg almost exclusively occupied it, forcing Old Wang to charge by the TV stand, and Bug Egg charged for a full six days.

According to Old Wang, this was because Bug Egg was opening up a New Route and needed to replenish a huge amount of energy.

Fortunately, it had completed its upgrade before Ma Lu set off on his journey this week.

Although it seemed no different from the outside, Ma Lu placed it on top of his head again.

As he shouted the phrase, "Universe all eggs, smooth passage through eggs!"

The white egg atop his head jumped slightly, and in the next moment, Ma Lu's mind was filled with various eggs, suddenly appearing.

These familiar and unfamiliar eggs gathered together, forming a magnificent and gorgeous egg map that began to revolve around the white egg on top of his head.

Ma Lu noticed that this time two lines lit up. One of them was the route that had taken him to Boggy's dimension, and on the right side of this route, there was an unfamiliar new line.

Ma Lu hesitated for a moment. If all went well, Universe Infinite Canteen could open as soon as next week, and it was always good to stock up on more ingredients at such a time.

Returning to Giant Curtain was the most prudent option, as it would not only fill up the Collection Bag but also replenish the tabletop farm.

But the allure of the new dimension was irresistible to Ma Lu. Not knowing was one thing, but now that the route was opened, it didn't make sense not to take a look.

Thinking of the seven travel rules he had written for traveling to different dimensions, especially the last one about maintaining a good mood, Ma Lu decided not to fret any longer. He resolved to follow his inner desire and visit the new dimension.

After all, the worst-case scenario was merely having to return once, and if necessary, he could just sell Earth Dragon Bone Spicy Hot Pot for another week. It was no big deal.

Just as Ma Lu made up his mind, his body lightened, and he was pulled by a mysterious force along the second beam of light, accelerating constantly until he crashed into a strange green egg entwined with vines.

Ma Lu opened his eyes to find himself standing in a dense forest, a far better reception than his first travel to a different dimension.

The air, fresh with a mix of earthy and plant fragrances, seemed worth the price of the journey, and the fatigue he had accumulated from previous renovations dissipated significantly.

Wherever he looked, there was vibrant life, as if he had walked into a plant kingdom, with both familiar and unfamiliar plants all around him.

The most miraculous part was that the forest contained not only trees and flowers, various fungi, but also plants from different climatic zones in another dimension, all inexplicably growing together here.

For instance, Ma Lu saw plants commonly found in tropical rainforest climates like banana trees, Buddha belly plants, and lotus flowers. Surrounding them, there were violet, daisy, and lily-of-the-valley, which typically grow in temperate climates.

Even more absurdly, the forest even hosted alpine plants like gentian and snow lotus, as well as cacti from tropical desert climates.

Ma Lu felt the geographic knowledge he had learned in high school was completely invalidated in this dimension, and the abnormal scene made him wary.

This time, Ma Lu didn't wait for danger to present itself but immediately took out the token from his pocket.

He tossed the protective charm into the air and, timing it just right, slapped it onto the back of his left hand.

When he moved his palm away, a series of numbers had appeared where there had been nothing before.

Ma Lu now knew that this series of somewhat mysterious numbers represented a law that could alter the rules governing this universe.

To be honest, he found the Meat Pigeon Ability ... quite handy and wouldn't mind continuing to use it here. However, the unpredictable fate clearly did not want him to step into the same river twice.

So this time, the number that appeared was not 29, but 73.