A chef gets too damn good.


•all recipes are my own unless i state otherwise •

Top Warlord players did not hesitate to do whatever it took to bring out at least a little more of their potential. Their methods of doing so were called Doping Recipes.
Doping Recipes of Rankers even sold for money, and in-game doping potion recipes and materials sold for a rather high price. This was one reason why raids took an enormous sum of money.
An Jaehyun, of course, had his own Doping Recipe. However, he could never sell it for money.
Cling… Cling…
In front of An Jaehyun was a large cup the size of a glass of beer than a coffee mug. 2/3 of the glass was filled with coffee, while An Jaehyun dropped several mysterious white objects into it. These white objects weren't sugar cubes, but the glucose candy he often ate.
He continued to pour in glucose candy, so much so that he wasn't putting candy in his coffee, but his coffee soaked in candy. An Jaehyun did not stop until the coffee was on the brink of overflowing. Then, he lightly sipped his coffee. Tasting the mixture of cheap sweetness and cheap bitterness, An Jaehyun frowned.
The reason others didn't try An Jaehyun's Doping Recipe was obvious. Although caffeine and sugar were both great for energizing the brain, it was too barbaric.
'Ugh, too bitter.'
An Jaehyun himself knew how barbaric his method was. But as he had no money to work with, this was the best method, and its effect was clear. With just a sip, he woke up from his previously sleepy state and his mind became clear.
'Alright, let's see what new things happened while I was asleep.'
Now completely awake, An Jaehyun turned on his tablet PC and began to look through Warlord-related news.
[Hydra Guild, First to Discover Level 100 Monster. Preparing their Hunt.]
The first news to catch his attention was news about the Hydra Guild.
With the help of coffee and glucose candy, An Jaehyun quickly worked his brain.
'The first level 100 monster… Black Metal Warrior was it? Didn't they fail five or six times before they succeeded?'
An Jaehyun knew the future, but he didn't know everything. He only knew the general flow of it. The details, he would have to fill in by reading various news articles.
'I wish they'd fail more while they're at it.'
To Hyrkan, the entire Top 30 Guilds was his enemy. Getting revenge aside, to become the best in Warlord, he had to go beyond the Top 30 Guilds.
'The Black Metal Warrior is related to the Corrupt Count main scenario quest, so the Corrupt Count quest line should begin after this. Tsk. I need to get on this quest line to obtain the titles I need, but with my level… ugh, not a chance. If only I came back just 10 months earlier… I'd be the one killing that Black Metal Warrior. What a shame. Then I'd be getting the title for myself too…'
"Tsk."
In any case, An Jaehyun enjoyed reading these news articles and reaffirming the details of the future he knew.
"Well, no choice I guess. Looks like I'll have to make it up in The Immoral Prince, the next main scenario."
An Jaehyun felt as if he had become almighty being.
'The Immoral Prince… back then, I could only stay in the side lines and suck on my fingers. But now is different. Come to think of it, the Ares Guild that led The Immoral Prince main quest earned quite the money from it.'
An Jaehyun let out a light grin.
'Yep. Be it the Hydra Guild or the Ares Guild, doesn't matter! I'll be the last one to laugh, hahaha!'
But this light grin…
[Stormhunter Queen defeats Head Hunter!]
Became twisted as he read the next article.
"Fuck this."
Stormhunter Queen Choi Sulyeon.
An Jaehyun got a headache just reading her name on the paper. With her, he had an irreconcilable relationship.
"Tsk!"
He even clicked his tongue.
Of course, An Jaehyun didn't want to continue seeing this name, but he couldn't just avoid the name altogether.
'If anything, I'll do it for you, Choi Sulyeon.'
Turning off his tablet PC, An Jaehyun drank his coffee bottoms up as if it was a glass of beer. He threw the remaining candy in the cup in his mouth.
Then,
Crunch!
He bit down with all the anger he could muster.
★★★
Standing in front of a cave, Hyrkan turned on the flashlight app on his watch.
Pat!
A fist-sized sphere of light appeared from his watch. He grabbed a hold of the light sphere, and equipped it to the skull of the Skeleton Warrior next to him, making it look like he was wearing a miner's hat. Then, he smacked the Skeleton Warrior's head and yelled.
"Go forth!"
The Skeleton Warrior lightly touched the place he was hit, then walked into the cave.
As he watched the Skeleton Warrior go in, Hyrkan had a solemn expression.
'I'll finish this in one go.'
The Rising Star title wasn't something that could be so easily obtained. Most players would fail even if they were given the chance.
The reason?
One had to clear what would normally be at least a level 20 quest at level 15. The quest difficulty was just too high. But that's why it was called the Rising Star title. It was for someone who could do at level 15 what others could at level 20. Only someone of such caliber would be worthy of being called a Rising Star.
Plus, a 3-man party was the standard in Warlord. Quest difficulties were set with 3-man party being the standard. In other words, Hyrkan had to do alone what a 3-man party would find hard to do.
It was in no way easy.
'If I can't do this at level 15, it just means it's too difficult for me to do.'
That's why he got to level 15. Though everything would come to waste if he leveled up during the quest, it was a risk he had to take. As he didn't have the capital to plaster himself with unique-rank items, this was the best he could do.
Hyrkan pulled his sword out in advance, and lowered his stance. Concentrating on everything around himself and his Skeleton Warrior, he followed behind it. His concentration was now sharper than ever.
'Throw whatever you want at me.'
The smile beneath his hahoe mask was as frightening as a serial killer's. It demonstrated his confidence to catch whatever that's thrown at him.
But after just 10 minutes, his smile shattered.
With a snap of his finger, he yelled.
"End Camera!"
Then, irritated, he scratched his head.
"Garrggh!"
'Why isn't there a single monster?'
For 10 minutes, Hyrkan remained tense, as if he was walking on a mine field. But nothing came out to greet Hyrkan. There wasn't even a single split path, which was common in a cave like this. He had been walking through the same, long path continuously.
'My whole body's itching.'
These 10 minutes have been mentally taxing. Hyrkan wasn't just walking; he was walking while maintaining peak concentration and tension. Furthermore, the limited vision from the darkness, the one way path, the unchanging scenery, and the enclosed space all caused more stress. It was like staring at a clock on the wall in a white room.
Hyrkan hopped in spot and slashed in sword in thin air. It wasn't to warm-up his body, but rather his mind. Only after did the knot in his mind unravel. Hyrkan then reassessed his situation.
'Looks like there's something huge ahead.'
Hunting grounds had their own styles as well.
Even at the same difficulty, some were difficult because of the sheer amount of monsters, while some were difficult because there monsters were more-powerful in place of being fewer in number.
Anyone could tell that it was currently the latter.
'It's not so bad…'
Hyrkan thought it was better to fight against a few than multiple. This also lowered the chance of leveling up.
'But it's not necessarily good either…'
Even so, it was hard to find comfort in this situation. In the end, he would have to face a strong monster.
After organizing his thoughts, Hyrkan held his watch to his mouth.
"Start Camera."
He began walking.
★★★
The Skeleton Warrior suddenly stopped on his feet.
"Hm? Walk! Go forward! Why'd you stop?"
Even with Hyrkan's yelling, the Skeleton Warrior remained still in the darkness, turning around and staring at Hyrkan blankly.
What's this, a protest? The thought only glanced by before it quickly disappeared.
Hyrkan rejoiced.
'Could it be?'
He walked past the Skeleton Warrior, then stared at the empty space. He couldn't see a thing. Complete darkness blocked his sight, and not even the light on the Skeleton Warrior's head could shine light through it. Rather than darkness, it was as if there was a barrier made of darkness blocking their path.
Hyrkan reached his hands out into this darkness.
[Would you like to enter the stage?]
Immediately, he heard an alert.
'As I thought, an instance dungeon.'
The darkness came from an instance dungeon.
In Warlord, instance dungeons weren't too important. In fact, instance dungeons were often tied to quest. Once the quest was cleared, the instance dungeon would often disappear. This was why instance dungeons weren't too important. They couldn't be recycled.
"Hm."
Instance dungeons had their pros and cons.
The pro was that they were isolated from the outside. This prevented others from interfering and messing with whoever was inside. This was why guilds welcomed instance dungeons. They could do everything according to their plan. Furthermore, as instance dungeons required success on the first try, it served as a good symbol of achievement.
But it was not without flaws.
'I can't run…'
Though players were free to enter, they weren't free to leave.
If it was a field, Hyrkan could simply run if he went up against something he could not handle. It wouldn't be wrong to say that an all-strength necromancer like him was built to escape. If it came down to it, he could use his Skeleton Warrior as bait and run. But this didn't work in instance dungeons. He couldn't leave before killing the monsters inside. He couldn't expect any outside help either.
It was a true deathmatch.
Because of this, Hyrkan let out a short groan.
He didn't know what was inside. He couldn't escape either. He had no reinforcements. It was kill or be killed. With this in mind, the darkness in front of him was truly full of unfavorable conditions.
Danger.
Most players would choose to back out here. It was the logical thing to do.
'It's indeed dangerous.'
Hyrkan didn't deny this fact either. The risk was greater than he had expected.
'But there's more to obtain as well.'
The merit was bigger as well. Hyrkan organized the things he could obtain in his head.
'Kill the monsters inside the instance dungeon alone, then acquire the Rising Star title… now, quest-related instance dungeons have a high chance to giving a related title. Since there won't be any outside interference, I just have to deal with whatever's inside. I don't need to worry about other monsters either. It's not like I lost any strength on my way here, and I'm still in my top condition.'
He had a lot to lose.
However, more so than ever before, he was sure of his current intuition.
'If I can film this well, it'll pull in a good amount of views.'
His intuition told him that this battle video would turn out great. It wouldn't be wrong to say he had full assurance.
'The baits are in place. I'll at least get ten thousand within two weeks.'
The Rising Star title and solo-clearing an instance dungeon had great synergy as bait. Furthermore, anyone could tell it was something not everyone could do.
'I mean, what crazy bastard would do something like this?'
Something not everyone could do. To earn money in Warlord, this was what one had to do.
Far more people watched Warlord-related videos than did people play the game. What the viewers wanted to see was someone accomplishing something that was seemingly impossible. No one wanted to watch something that anyone could do.
To earn money, one had to capture these viewers. The money one could earn in-game through hunting and item crafting was incomparable to the money one could earn from pay-to-watch videos. It was why guilds and Rankers challenged unfathomably strong monsters.
Danger represented a chance to earn viewers!
'Once Skeleton Fragment cooldown ends, I'll go in.'
Hyrkan made his decision.

Year 2035. The Virtual reality game, Warlord, changed the world. An Jaehyun was one of the many who wished to change his life through the game. After dedicating his life to the game, he was met with a betrayal. A betrayal by his comrades. As a result, he lost everything. But a chance was given to him. A chance to redo everything again! "I won't play with others again. Whatever the outcome, I'll show that I can do it alone." Others rolled a dice to split the spoils of victory. An Jaehyun ate it all by himself. It was the start of An Jaehyun's solo game life.

Wen Xinya was not planning to give Xia Ruya the herbal recipes for free. Hence, she had intentionally copied a herbal recipe that would make the soup taste extremely strange and horrid. Not only would it taste bitter, but it would also have a pungent odor.
Wen Xinya was incredibly thrilled to see how happy Xia Ruya was when she drank the disgustingly bitter herbal soup that Mother Wang had made for her.
The tender expression on her face vanished as she grimaced in discomfort. She had also thrown up all of the porridge that she had this morning, nausea making her too repulsed to even eat.
Old Mrs. Wen thought that Wen Xinya had tampered with the recipes and even requested Doctor Wu to take a look at the recipes. After taking look at the recipes, Doctor Wu said that the recipe was miraculous and would aid in nourishing the spleen and stomach despite having a peculiar taste. It also had excellent benefits for one's health.
Hence… Old Mrs. Wen instructed the servants to make another bowl of herbal soup. This time, she also instructed them to serve some plum, snacks, and candy… 
Wen Xinya began to think that it was not that bad of a thing for Xia Ruya to move into the Wen Family home. At least, she could openly pull pranks on her.
She could not help but begin humming merrily.
Her crisp and clear voice distracted Si Yiyan, who was reading some documents in the living room. He shifted his gaze onto the French window to see that the Sun was shining brightly like it always did in March. Its golden rays were cast onto the flowers and greenery, creating a beautiful sight. The rose vines climbed onto the gazebo where there were a few butterflies and bees, gorgeous and unrestrained. 
Wen Xinya had always loved rose vines. Hence, he grew some for her. Yet, she said, "Roses only bloom in May and wither in September. Why don't you plant another cluster of Chinese roses? That way, we'll always have blooming ones."
Hence, she planted some Chinese roses beside the cluster of roses.
He then put the documents down.
"Are you done reading your documents?" Wen Xinya asked, clad in a floral apron. She was as busy as a bee and looked extremely happy like a joyful Mickey Mouse.
Si Yiyan answered truthfully, "The sun is shining brightly and the scenery is beautiful. You shouldn't be wasting your time on arduous work."
"What should I be spending my time on then?" Wen Xinya asked while giggling. She then grabbed a peeler and skinning a papaya, before dicing it into cubes and placing it inside some honey water.
Si Yiyan smirked and said, "For instance… romantic exchanges!" 
Staring at the vibrant Chinese roses, Si Yiyan felt like there were flowers blooming in his heart too. He could no longer focus on reading his documents. 
Wen Xinya burst into laughter, having already expected that Si Yiyan would say that. She said, "It's not gentlemanly to be obsessed with love and lust. Confucius says that in order to become noble, you will have to cut out lust. When you're young, your hormones rage and you're full of lust. Even when you're old, lust will still be present."
The sun seemed to have followed her and shone down on her bright and rosy cheeks, making her look like beautiful peach blossoms. "Ah! I'm a man, not a noble character!"
Wen Xinya snorted with laughter and said, "Si Yiyan, I didn't expect you to have that much self-awareness! Casanovas like you are insults to gentlemen and noble men."
One could only be deemed as a gentleman when he attained Zhong Rufeng's standards. However, she dared to express her opinion, for Si Yiyan had always been petty, tyrannical and overly possessive.
Si Yiyan smirked and said, "If I'm not gentlemanly, who is? Chu Jingnan? Or Zhong Rufeng?"
Wen Xinya instinctively took a step back and said smilingly, "Ah, I only have myself to blame for being in love with a lustful lecher."
Si Yiyan chuckled and said, "You beat around the bush just to insult me, huh?"
Wen Xinya guffawed again and placed a few almonds into the blender and ground them into almond powder, after which she added the grounded powder into the boiling milk. She stirred it continuously, soon after which the aroma of almond milk wafted up into their noses.
Si Yiyan asked curiously, "What are you doing?"
Lately, Wen Xinya had been feeding him consistently with herbal soups and tonics that were great for nourishing the brain, stomach, and liver.
"I'm making papaya almond milk. Not only is it a great beverage for beautifying, but it also has excellent health benefits as well. It dispels the heat and lowers the risks of cancer. It's the best time to take this now that the weather is hot." Wen Xinya then scooped the papaya milk and allowed it to cool in the refrigerator.
Papaya almond milk was good for nourishing the brain and aided in increasing the size of one's bosom. It was a great beverage that could be consumed all year round, which was also Wen Xinya's favorite. She felt that Si Yiyan would fancy it.
Si Yiyan shifted his gaze onto her well-endowed chest and said, "I heard that papaya aids in increasing the size of your bosom…"
Sensing that he was staring at her, Wen Xinya glowered at him and exclaimed, "What are you talking about… mine are natural, natural! They have nothing to do with papaya…" 
However, she would never admit that she had been consuming papayas for more than two years in order to achieve her full bosom. Her goal was to have a pair of 34Ds… 
Si Yiyan looked away slowly and continued smilingly, "You should have more papayas…" 
Wen Xinya flew into a rage and barked. "What do you mean? Are you complaining that I'm too flat-chested?"
She was clearly only eighteen and yet, she was already 34A. She was certain that they could grow up to 34D. I'm clearly developing well… 
Si Yiyan broke out into cold sweat and said cautiously, "The almond milk seems to have cooled."
Wen Xinya frantically proceeded to check on the almond milk that was at the perfect temperature for the papaya to be mixed in.
Si Yiyan heaved a sigh of relief and reminded himself never to crack such jokes again.
Wen Xinya grabbed two crystal bowls and filled them with the papaya almond milk. The papaya cubes and milk looked extremely appetizing in the crystal bowl.
Wen Xinya shifted her gaze onto Si Yiyan's chest and handed a bowl to him. "Papaya almond milk helps to increase one's bosom size. You have to eat more of it."
Si Yiyan grimaced and grabbed the bowl with trembling hands, causing the almond milk to almost spill out of the bowl.
"It tastes great!" The sweet aroma of the milk and papaya cubes was extremely appetizing and delicious. 
Wen Xinya smirked smugly and said, "Of course, I was the one who made it."
She had only decided to reward him with the beverage because Si Yiyan had been busy with organizing her coming-of-age ceremony.


Originally born from a wealthy family, she ends up leading a vagrant life for fifteen years. However, when she is eventually found by her family, she falls into another devious plot and eventually dies tragically. 

Fifteen years after her rebirth, ravenously raging for revenge, she tears down the hypocritical mask of the foster daughter who had taken her place, and reduces her greedy stepmother and stepsister back to their original sorry states. 

To the jerk's profession of his deep love for her, she only has one thing to say, "Get the hell out of my life. The love you speak of humiliates love!" 

Regardless of the appearances of you monsters, I’ll take in it my stride with my capability, building a business dynasty of my own, sitting in the depths of my riches, bathing in the glistening limelight of the world. 

A certain rich empire's CEO: "Don't mind me. I'm just leaving my mark here to declaring my possession rights; I’ll wait patiently for you to grow up!" The queen's mighty return with commercial warfare fully within her grasp, she navigates the power struggles with skill and verve. When it comes to scheming conspiracies, all she has to say is, "Who are you again? Don’t even bother!"

Years ago, in the Fang Clan's territory of the Blazing Sun City, a ragged youth stumbled onto the doorstep of the Fang Clan's Grand Elder. A sword wound ran down the youth's back as a sigil made from Metal Qi that empowered his body enough to move dispersed. The youth lay helplessly in front of the residence as his eyes were filled with despair. 

The memories of his family's slaughter and the silhouette of the ungrateful scum who poisoned them was still fresh in his mind as the innocence and naivety that came with young age slowly disappeared from his eyes, leaving behind a husk of his former self.

"Little brother, what's wrong?" A boy of similar age walked towards him while eating a desert off a stick. The food of the Azure Sky Continent was similar to the interventions of the Heavenly Sect known the Stone Mountain Turtle Sect.

Unlike the Arctic Ocean Dragon Sect that focused more on recruiting female talents, the Stone Mountain Turtle Sect in the North was more diverse in every conceivable way possible. The former earned their way of living through helping Dao Seeking Martial Artists reach the realm of Heaven Combatants before allowing those who were willing to give up their Colourless Bloods for more tangible and long lasting benefits while the latter made their living through refining Spiritual Medicines.

Other than that though, the Alchemists of the Stone Mountain Turtle Sect also cooked and recorded recipes as a way to relax and get away from the tedious nature of refining pills. The delicacies of the Azure Sky Continent's northern region quickly became one of the most well known attractions that made even those who weren't Alchemists to want to travel to become part of their Sect.

The desert stick the ordinary-looking boy held was called a Gem Candy, a warm but sweet delicacy that was hard for average people to afford. The ragged youth instantly knew the well-dressed youth wasn't of simple origins.

But the fact that the well-dressed youth had Gem Candy wasn't what annoyed him the most. What was most infuriating was that despite the ragged youth definitely looking older, the well-dressed youth still referred to him as 'Little Brother'. There was even a hint of shame on the well-dressed youth's face as he seemed unwilling to use any other form honourifics to refer to him.

"Seems like you're not quite the talkative type, are you? My name is Fang Yun, you can refer to me as Big Brother if you like." Even after the ragged youth ignored him, he still wasn't discouraged as he decided to introduce himself while sitting down next to him. To the talkative youth, the ragged youth was a strange one to lay down next his grandfather's residence.

"Just leave me alone." The ragged youth said tiredly as his eyes seemed to lost in despair. He felt like his existence was so insignificant when thinking about how he couldn't protect anyone...

When his father sacrificed himself to write a sigil on his back, all he could do was run and hope that he would one day return to seek justice for his murdered siblings and parents. But it was only after calming down did he start to feel that revenge wouldn't be able to bring back his loving family and that he would never see them again...

Fang Yun sighed as he looked at the ragged youth with innocent eyes. He didn't know what happened to the ragged youth, but he felt the 'Little Brother' in front of him was quite pitiful. Usually, when he go off calling others his 'Little Brother', the other person would at least try to defend themselves and give him some attention. However, the ragged youth seemed too sad to even bother arguing.

"Little Brother, I don't know what you've gone through but I can at least guarantee that nothing bad will happen to you from now on." Fang Yun tried to cheer him up before taking quickly one of the soft 'gems' of his candy stick and shoving it in the ragged youth's mouth.

The ragged youth had been running for an entire twenty-four hours with the empowerment of Metal Qi, so it was only natural that he wouldn't even try to resist when Fang Yun treated him to a delicious sweet. The 'gem' of candy melted in his mouth and warmed up his body that was being frozen by the cold weather surrounding them.

"Thank you." The ragged youth said in tears as he really didn't expect anyone to help him in darkest moments of his life. Fang Yun smiled as he didn't expect his one action could cause the ragged youth to have such an intense reaction. He started to like the feeling of being able to help others in need.

"You don't have to tell me what happened if you want to keep it a secret, but can you at least tell me your name?" Fang Yun spoke as he helped the youth up, yet was shocked to find the injury on his back. He panicked a little when saw the long wound which stiffened his back in empathy. Even though he didn't know how it feels to be cut in such a way, he could imagine the pain the youth must be feeling.

"My name is Lou Meng." The ragged youth wasn't surprised by his reaction and said while wincing a little from the searing pain he felt from being forcibly moved by Fang Yun. Lou Meng didn't even have strength to lift a finger after collapsing on Fang Yun's doorstep.

"I'm taking you inside to get you fixed up. Don't try to struggle, and remember... you owe me for this." Fang Yun said with a pale face. He had never experienced such situations where he would have to treat others yet and could only ask others to help him.

——————————————————

Ever since Lou Meng has been taken in by the supposed 'failure' of the Fang Clan, he had lived a stable life without many conflicts and watched as Fang Yun grew from an innocent child to a sixteen-year-old teenage physician.

Fang Yun had always been a somewhat arrogant but good-natured individual who acted older than he actually was. If it wasn't for Lou Meng knowing of his young master's true personality, even he'd have been tricked by how mature Fang Yun acted on the outside.

Whenever Fang Yun was treated like an outsider by the adults of the Fang Clan or looked down on in pity by his many cousins and relatives, he'd go back to his room to tantrum like a child. Lou Meng believed that if it wasn't for his young master being such a carefree individual, they both would have lived in a more depressing way considering Fang Yun's family history of tragedies.

"Young master, you're over-exerting yourself again. Go rest." Lou Meng spoke to his sleep-deprived young master who was still reading a book about different recipes to cure diseases.

Although the Azure Sky Continent was a place devoid of Heavenly Treasures that Cultivators would bet their lives to obtain, that didn't mean there wasn't any Mortal Treasures that could be used to various ways for many effects.

For one who treads the path of the Medical Dao, knowledge was something that took time and effort to learn. It may be less difficult than the Pill Dao, but the Medical Dao was also vast for those determined to learn it.

"I'm fine, just give me a few hours." He didn't even turn his head towards Lou Meng because he knew the dark-circles under his eyes would worry him...

A Physician needed vast resources to be nurtured. However, talent and effort was also a factor in how far one would walk on the Medical Dao. Fang Yun wasn't a genius nor was he a great talent when it came to the Medical Dao but the drive and determination he showed to study was exceptional.

"Go rest." Lou Meng repeated himself while forcefully closing Fang Yun's book. It was only then did his young master reluctantly give up to go sleep.

Lou Meng sighed as his young master had ceased to laugh the older they grew. Fang Yun may be intelligent but he knew that the incorruptible attitude his young master had towards the world would one day trip him up in life.

Most of the world consisted of Mortals whilst Cultivators were fewer. Only joined organisations that could accommodate them, meaning that the cynical mentality they induced from their way of handling certain matters didn't matter much to them currently.

However, Lou Meng still had an ominous feeling that things couldn't go on like this. When the old mortal servant named Old Qing asked for help the next night, he also didn't hold back his thoughts and informed Fang Yun that he felt something was off.

"You worry too much. No one would bite the hand that feeds them." Fang Yun said while not being able to believe Lou Meng's words. He was sheltered and spoiled by his grandfather due to his exceptional behaviour, plus it was mostly due to the fact that Fang Yang had no other grandchildren except him.

This decision to allow his young master to be as careless as he wanted became Lou Meng's biggest regret. If he could go back in time, he would do everything in his power to stop his young master from going through the trauma that practically changed Fang Yun's personality. He didn't know if it was the shock of betrayal or the Medical Dao that gave his young master's life meaning ended up leading to them almost being killed but he really missed the Fang Yun of the past.

He may call his young master 'Brother Yun' now but he hid the guilt he felt in his heart because he felt that Fang Yun's change was all his fault.

———————————————————

Fast forwarding to the current circumstances, Lou Meng paced around his young master in worry as he felt a more tangible regret from actually worsening Fang Yun's condition. At first he believed that a Spiritual Medicine like Colourless Blood was used for healing and irresponsibly thought that maybe it could help his young master wake up.

The results of his carelessness made everything worse as his young master struggled around in pain after the Colourless Blood was administered into him. He knew he wouldn't be able to help his young master due to being unfamiliar with the Medical Dao and knowing only basic knowledge of Spiritual Medicines, making him unable to think of a rational solution.

It was only after remembering the strange ice woman that gave him the Spiritual Medicine did he realise that the best way to help his young master was to beg her for help. Only Bai Lingyun, who had more knowledge regarding the Spiritual Medicine he was given, would know of a way to help his young master out in this situation.

'Damn it!  I messed up, the Spiritual Medicine she gave isn't of the healing category. I need to get her help!' He thought inwardly before deciding to put Fang Yun on his back and bringing him to Bai Lingyun. They both rested at the same in so it would be easier to ask where her room was located before bringing Fang Yun to be saved by her.

He wasn't the brightest when it came to handling things and was a little too impulsive sometimes, but he knew when to bow his head when asking other people for help. He let go of the animosity he had for her and braved himself to talk to the person who was even able to beat his young master.

————————————————————

Within sea of consciousness of Fang Yun and Alex Stuman, the face-off between the two split-personalities raged on with violent waves. Alex didn't want to take on Fang Yun the old-fashioned way and sinisterly used his Demonic Aura to trap his opponent in a world of illusions. Fang Yun could only see visions of his grandfather, his best friend and the love of his life leaving him due to his incompetence.

'You'll never be able to step out of my shadow.' A demon appeared before him as he looked at what he'd become.

He became vain and cowardly, twisting what he believed to be the influence of Alex's memories to protect himself. He remembered the fear Han Fenglin inspired within when he saw how vicious Martial Artists could be and how vain his efforts of becoming a Physician to help others actually was.

The day Fang Yun was almost killed by Old Qing was when his vision of the world took a great shift. He became as cynical as a regular Cultivator and even tried to rid himself of the responsibility by running away from his own Clan.

When Alex saw how Fang Yun was slowly falling into an abyss of total despair, he felt a little comfort. In his past life, he tried his best to become someone he wasn't. He tried to be 'good person' despite his upbringing as a tool for war but failed miserably.

Now, watching a 'good person' turned trash like Fang Yun be destroyed by his own hidden guilt, he felt like perhaps his decision to kill his 'father' wasn't a wrong decision. Right now, he believed that although people could change, the change only made people grow worse.

'I'm really a good person.' In Alex's distorted ideology, he could be considered worthy of a second chance at life for trying to be a good person despite his inclination to murder anything that was to block his path. He believed that the patience he showed towards John before his final moments was something others would definitely be unable to replicate in his shoes.

After dying by his master's hand, Alex crosses the void and finds himself in the body of the young master of the Fang Clan, also known as the waste of the Clan born with broken Spiritual Roots. Realising that the only reason he was able to survive was due to his extremely strong soul, he creates his own cultivation technique and returns to marry his fiancé despite how countless enemies lurk in the shadows.

Years ago, in the Fang Clan's territory of the Blazing Sun City, a ragged youth stumbled onto the doorstep of the Fang Clan's Grand Elder. A sword wound ran down the youth's back as a sigil made from Metal Qi that empowered his body enough to move dispersed. The youth lay helplessly in front of the residence as his eyes were filled with despair. 

The memories of his family's slaughter and the silhouette of the ungrateful scum who poisoned them was still fresh in his mind as the innocence and naivety that came with young age slowly disappeared from his eyes, leaving behind a husk of his former self.

"Little brother, what's wrong?" A boy of similar age walked towards him while eating a desert off a stick. The food of the Azure Sky Continent was similar to the interventions of the Heavenly Sect known the Stone Mountain Turtle Sect.

Unlike the Arctic Ocean Dragon Sect that focused more on recruiting female talents, the Stone Mountain Turtle Sect in the North was more diverse in every conceivable way possible. 

The former earned their way of living through helping Dao Seeking Martial Artists reach the realm of Heaven Combatants before allowing those who were willing to give up their Colourless Bloods for more tangible and long lasting benefits while the latter made their living through refining Spiritual Medicines.

Other than that though, the Alchemists of the Stone Mountain Turtle Sect also cooked and recorded recipes as a way to relax and get away from the tedious nature of refining pills. The delicacies of the Azure Sky Continent's northern region quickly became one of the most well known attractions that made even those who weren't Alchemists to want to travel to become part of their Sect.

The desert stick the ordinary-looking boy held was called a Gem Candy, a warm but sweet delicacy that was hard for average people to afford. The ragged youth instantly knew the well-dressed youth wasn't of simple origins.

But the fact that the well-dressed youth had Gem Candy wasn't what annoyed him the most. What was most infuriating was that despite the ragged youth definitely looking older, the well-dressed youth still referred to him as 'Little Brother'. There was even a hint of shame on the well-dressed youth's face as he seemed unwilling to use any other form honourifics to refer to him.

"Seems like you're not quite the talkative type, are you? My name is Fang Yun, you can refer to me as Big Brother if you like." Even after the ragged youth ignored him, he still wasn't discouraged as he decided to introduce himself while sitting down next to him. To the talkative youth, the ragged youth was a strange one to lay down next his grandfather's residence.

"Just leave me alone." The ragged youth said tiredly as his eyes seemed to lost in despair. He felt like his existence was so insignificant when thinking about how he couldn't protect anyone...

When his father sacrificed himself to write a sigil on his back, all he could do was run and hope that he would one day return to seek justice for his murdered siblings and parents. But it was only after calming down did he start to feel that revenge wouldn't be able to bring back his loving family and that he would never see them again...

Fang Yun sighed as he looked at the ragged youth with innocent eyes. He didn't know what happened to the ragged youth, but he felt the 'Little Brother' in front of him was quite pitiful. Usually, when he go off calling others his 'Little Brother', the other person would at least try to defend themselves and give him some attention. However, the ragged youth seemed too sad to even bother arguing.

"Little Brother, I don't know what you've gone through but I can at least guarantee that nothing bad will happen to you from now on." Fang Yun tried to cheer him up before taking quickly one of the soft 'gems' of his candy stick and shoving it in the ragged youth's mouth.

The ragged youth had been running for an entire twenty-four hours with the empowerment of Metal Qi, so it was only natural that he wouldn't even try to resist when Fang Yun treated him to a delicious sweet. The 'gem' of candy melted in his mouth and warmed up his body that was being frozen by the cold weather surrounding them.

"Thank you." The ragged youth said in tears as he really didn't expect anyone to help him in darkest moments of his life. Fang Yun smiled as he didn't expect his one action could cause the ragged youth to have such an intense reaction. He started to like the feeling of being able to help others in need.

"You don't have to tell me what happened if you want to keep it a secret, but can you at least tell me your name?" Fang Yun spoke as he helped the youth up, yet was shocked to find the injury on his back. He panicked a little when saw the long wound which stiffened his back in empathy. Even though he didn't know how it feels to be cut in such a way, he could imagine the pain the youth must be feeling.

"My name is Lou Meng." The ragged youth wasn't surprised by his reaction and said while wincing a little from the searing pain he felt from being forcibly moved by Fang Yun. Lou Meng didn't even have strength to lift a finger after collapsing on Fang Yun's doorstep.

"I'm taking you inside to get you fixed up. Don't try to struggle, and remember... you owe me for this." Fang Yun said with a pale face. He had never experienced such situations where he would have to treat others yet and could only ask others to help him.

——————————————————

Ever since Lou Meng has been taken in by the supposed 'failure' of the Fang Clan, he had lived a stable life without many conflicts and watched as Fang Yun grew from an innocent child to a sixteen-year-old teenage physician.

Fang Yun had always been a somewhat arrogant but good-natured individual who acted older than he actually was. If it wasn't for Lou Meng knowing of his young master's true personality, even he'd have been tricked by how mature Fang Yun acted on the outside.

Whenever Fang Yun was treated like an outsider by the adults of the Fang Clan or looked down on in pity by his many cousins and relatives, he'd go back to his room to tantrum like a child. Lou Meng believed that if it wasn't for his young master being such a carefree individual, they both would have lived in a more depressing way considering Fang Yun's family history of tragedies.

"Young master, you're over-exerting yourself again. Go rest." Lou Meng spoke to his sleep-deprived young master who was still reading a book about different recipes to cure diseases.

Although the Azure Sky Continent was a place devoid of Heavenly Treasures that Cultivators would bet their lives to obtain, that didn't mean there wasn't any Mortal Treasures that could be used to various ways for many effects.

For one who treads the path of the Medical Dao, knowledge was something that took time and effort to learn. It may be less difficult than the Pill Dao, but the Medical Dao was also vast for those determined to learn it.

"I'm fine, just give me a few hours." He didn't even turn his head towards Lou Meng because he knew the dark-circles under his eyes would worry him...

A Physician needed vast resources to be nurtured. However, talent and effort was also a factor in how far one would walk on the Medical Dao. Fang Yun wasn't a genius nor was he a great talent when it came to the Medical Dao but the drive and determination he showed to study was exceptional.

"Go rest." Lou Meng repeated himself while forcefully closing Fang Yun's book. It was only then did his young master reluctantly give up to go sleep.

Lou Meng sighed as his young master had ceased to laugh the older they grew. Fang Yun may be intelligent but he knew that the incorruptible attitude his young master had towards the world would one day trip him up in life.

Most of the world consisted of Mortals whilst Cultivators were fewer. Only joined organisations that could accommodate them, meaning that the cynical mentality they induced from their way of handling certain matters didn't matter much to them currently.

However, Lou Meng still had an ominous feeling that things couldn't go on like this. When the old mortal servant named Old Qing asked for help the next night, he also didn't hold back his thoughts and informed Fang Yun that he felt something was off.

"You worry too much. No one would bite the hand that feeds them." Fang Yun said while not being able to believe Lou Meng's words. He was sheltered and spoiled by his grandfather due to his exceptional behaviour, plus it was mostly due to the fact that Fang Yang had no other grandchildren except him.

This decision to allow his young master to be as careless as he wanted became Lou Meng's biggest regret. If he could go back in time, he would do everything in his power to stop his young master from going through the trauma that practically changed Fang Yun's personality. He didn't know if it was the shock of betrayal or the Medical Dao that gave his young master's life meaning ended up leading to them almost being killed but he really missed the Fang Yun of the past.

He may call his young master 'Brother Yun' now but he hid the guilt he felt in his heart because he felt that Fang Yun's change was all his fault.

———————————————————

Fast forwarding to the current circumstances, Lou Meng paced around his young master in worry as he felt a more tangible regret from actually worsening Fang Yun's condition. At first he believed that a Spiritual Medicine like Colourless Blood was used for healing and irresponsibly thought that maybe it could help his young master wake up.

The results of his carelessness made everything worse as his young master struggled around in pain after the Colourless Blood was administered into him. He knew he wouldn't be able to help his young master due to being unfamiliar with the Medical Dao and knowing only basic knowledge of Spiritual Medicines, making him unable to think of a rational solution.

It was only after remembering the strange ice woman that gave him the Spiritual Medicine did he realise that the best way to help his young master was to beg her for help. Only Bai Lingyun, who had more knowledge regarding the Spiritual Medicine he was given, would know of a way to help his young master out in this situation.

'Damn it!  I messed up, the Spiritual Medicine she gave isn't of the healing category. I need to get her help!' He thought inwardly before deciding to put Fang Yun on his back and bringing him to Bai Lingyun. They both rested at the same in so it would be easier to ask where her room was located before bringing Fang Yun to be saved by her.

He wasn't the brightest when it came to handling things and was a little too impulsive sometimes, but he knew when to bow his head when asking other people for help. He let go of the animosity he had for her and braved himself to talk to the person who was even able to beat his young master.

————————————————————

Within sea of consciousness of Fang Yun and Jordon Stuman, the face-off between the two split-personalities raged on with violent waves. 

Jordon didn't want to take on Fang Yun the old-fashioned way and sinisterly used his Demonic Aura to trap his opponent in a world of illusions. Fang Yun could only see visions of his grandfather, his best friend and the love of his life leaving him due to his incompetence.

'You'll never be able to step out of my shadow.' A demon appeared before him as he looked at what he'd become.

He became vain and cowardly, twisting what he believed to be the influence of Jordon's memories to protect himself. He remembered the fear Han Fenglin inspired within when he saw how vicious Martial Artists could be and how vain his efforts of becoming a Physician to help others actually was.

The day Fang Yun was almost killed by Old Qing was when his vision of the world took a great shift. He became as cynical as a regular Cultivator and even tried to rid himself of the responsibility by running away from his own Clan.

When Jordon saw how Fang Yun was slowly falling into an abyss of total despair, he felt a little comfort. In his past life, he tried his best to become someone he wasn't. He tried to be 'good person' despite his upbringing as a tool for war but failed miserably.

Now, watching a 'good person' turned trash like Fang Yun be destroyed by his own hidden guilt, he felt like perhaps his decision to kill his 'father' wasn't a wrong decision. Right now, he believed that although people could change, the change only made people grow worse.

'I'm really a good person.' In Jordon's distorted ideology, he could be considered worthy of a second chance at life for trying to be a good person despite his inclination to murder anything that was to block his path. He believed that the patience he showed towards John before his final moments was something others would definitely be unable to replicate in his shoes.

I’m Mu Long, the only Male of the Absolute Heavenly Ice Palace and Artificer extraordinaire! I received a mission from my Matriarch to find a place of retreat for the members of the Heavenly Sect to hide should its leader ever fall. After accepting the task, I decided to masquerade as a young master who knows how to intimidate and demand respect!

However, who could have known that he’d have a run in with a ‘protagonist’ type? Hey, why is my System awakening now of all times? I’m really not the bad guy alright? I’m a very ‘good’ Demon!

"Sure. You just need to push this button here." Looking at the two excited little things, Mag pressed the little button on the side of the box.
Suddenly, the edge of the music box was lit up by colorful light. After the light flickered twice, the elf girl started playing the violin. She opened her mouth and melody began pouring out.
"A little girl goes to collect mushrooms, she carries a big bamboo basket, and leaves in the early morning barefoot… sai luo luo li sai luo luo li sai…"
The familiar tune startled Mag. He had thought the system would use the songs from this world and never expected to hear "a little girl with mushrooms". It had been translated into the common language of this world. I was a lively song, pleasant to the ear.
This music box was truly ingenious. Not only could the little elf sing and play the violin, she could rotate. Her dress danced with her, and the whole thing looked very lovely.
"System, you are not worried that I may become a famous children's song singer here with these 50 songs?" Mag asked in his mind.
"You're not able to sing in tune, so it's out of the question for you," the system said calmly.
"…" Mag didn't know what to say. The system really knew a lot about him. Then he looked at his daughter and smiled again. "It doesn't matter. Maybe I can't, but my daughter can."
"There's a 50 percent chance that your daughter is just like you," the system retorted.
"You don't need to worry about that. She has clearly inherited all the good genes. She'll learn this song in less than three days. You'll see," Mag said confidently while looking at Amy.
Elves were very versatile. They were blessed with a long life, so they had a lot of leisure time to do things they liked. Most of them were good at singing, dancing, drawing…
The sudden sound scared the kitten. It jumped back with a cry. Mag deftly caught it; otherwise, it would have fallen down the counter.
Ugly Duckling hadn't fully recovered from the fright. It stared at the little elf for a while and slowly backed away, wariness written all over its face.
Amy's eyes were fixed on the music box and became brighter by the minute. After the song was over, she turned to Mag, and said excitedly, "This little elf is a great singer, Father! Is she for real? Can she sing other songs?"
Mag nodded, smiling. "She'll be Amy's little friend from now on. She's not a real person, but she can sing a lot of songs for you. Let's just stick to this song right now, and after you've learned this song, we'll hear the next one, okay?" He didn't want Amy to just listen to them; he wanted her to learn them.
He was pretty expectant to hear Amy sing. Mag Alex hadn't been able to sing in tune, either. Amy had heard Luna sing one or two songs before, and she could hum a little after she had heard it several times. Apparently, she liked to sing; she just didn't have any chance to learn.
Amy nodded delightedly. "Okay. Amy loves singing. I'll have Mushroom Fairy teach me." She touched the music box and felt very satisfied.
Mag raised an eyebrow. Mushroom Fairy… A strange name for such a cute elf girl.
"But, Dad, Mushroom Fairy just mentioned lollipop in the song. What's a lollipop? She said she would share it with other kids. Is it delicious?" she asked curiously.
Mag nodded. "Yes. It's pretty delicious. But I can't conjure one for you right now," he answered regretfully. There was one incredible fact about foodies: after they heard a song, they might not recall the lyrics or tune, but they would definitely remember the food in it.
The system had told him that it would not sell lollipops unless he unlocked new recipes.
Mag was aware that the system was very inflexible when it came to recipes. It might be because of the rules, so he gave up.
Nonetheless, there were candy-making shops on the Aden Square. If Amy wanted to eat lollipops, he could ask them to make some. Perhaps he could even cooperate with them and sell lollipops in this world. He might change the world dominated by soft sweets here.
"Oh." Amy was a little disappointed, but her smile returned when she saw the music box on the counter. She stood on a step of the long-legged chair, wrapped her arms around Mag's neck, and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you, Father, for this singing Mushroom Fairy. I like it so much," she said merrily.
Smiling, Mag gave Amy's head a stroke. "I'm glad you like it. I'll go clear the dishes and do some preparations. If you're tired, go upstairs with Ugly Duckling and sleep for a while." He was very satisfied because Amy liked his little gift.
Amy nodded meekly. "Okay. But I want to listen for a while longer."
Mag changed some settings so that the music box would play "a little girl with mushrooms" over and over again. He turned to clean the restaurant as Amy rested her chin in her hands, staring at the music box.
Customers had really increased these days, and so had his workload. He had to process ingredients, receive customers, take orders, cook, serve, and clear the table… all by himself. It was really hard for him.
To be sure, Yangzhou fried rice could nourish his body, but the repeated work had exhausted his mind. He had to find a diligent worker as soon as possible.
When Mag was done cleaning the restaurant, Amy was already asleep on the counter with the music on. The kitten was slowly moving towards the music box, staring at the elf with an alarmed look on its face. It was both curious and scared, trying to get a closer look.
"Sleep upstairs, or you'll catch a cold." Mag took a glance at the jumpy cat, dried off his hands, lifted Amy up softly, picked up the cat, and went up the stairs.
"Meow…" Ugly Duckling scratched Mag's hand with its little paw in discontentment, but its claws were not long enough, so its scratching was more like stroking. It looked at the music box, unhappy. It had mustered up all its nerve to get so close. Just before it could reach it, it got taken away by Mag…


In Chaos City on the Norland Continent, there is a strange restaurant.

Here, elves and dwarves share tables. Beastmen are prohibited from making a din, and giant dragons can only seat around the tiny square in front of the restaurant. Even demons have to bring their own stools…

But it is such a strange restaurant that has long lines outside every day.

Elves are stuffing kebabs, paying no mind to their manners; giant dragons are sitting around a hot pot, strainers in their hands; demons are eating nice-looking dango…

"There's no other place on this continent where you can find food like that! The boss here is a genius!" a customer provides such a review. Then, he gives a furtive look at the door. "Also, don't you think of kidnapping the boss away or dine-and-dashing, or you will suffer a tragic death."

"Eat, pay, or you will be beaten to death." says a cute little girl in her childish voice as she trots forward. A five-meter tall dragon shivers when it meets her eyes.

After concluding the transaction, Fe Nitaa formally entered into Ves' service. From now on, she was sworn to serve him as a loyal Kinner bondswoman.
The only way she would leave his service was if he crossed the few lines that shouldn't be crossed. Among them was deliberately driving Kinners to their deaths or harming their children.
Another notable rule that Ves needed to abide by in order to retain the loyalty of his Kinners that he could not make overt moves against the Kinner Tribe. Any action that harmed the interests of the state would be met with heavy disapproval from the Kinners in his service.
If the transgression happened to be severe enough, then the Kinner bondsmen had the right to set aside their oaths and pledges and leave his service!
This was a very impactful rule, because it tied the hands of many people!
How many people employed Kinner bondsmen? A lot. Once they bought out a Kinner, they effectively renounced any possibility of launching any attacks against the Kinner Tribe.
This single restriction was one of the most prevalent means of protecting the Kinner Tribe. As long as they kept selling their Kinners to every influential person in the star sector, hardly any state could muster up the support to attack the Kinner Tribe directly!
Although his move to buy out Fe Nitaa was partially a sham, the oaths she swore were very real.
If Ves ever forced her to choose between her loyalty to a Holy Son or her loyalty to the tribe, she would fall into an incredibly difficult dilemma.
It was best if Ves never pushed her to this point!
Ves, Gavin, Lucky and Kelandra waited for a half hour more for Nitaa to finish her business. Now that she sold herself to Ves, she needed to check out of Trinity Halls, pack her luggage, get her paperwork in order and bid farewell to her acquaintances.
During the wait, Kelandra wore a sour face. She did not seem pleased at Nitaa's abnormal reaction to Ves.
"I hope you don't mistreat Miss Nitaa, Mr. Larkinson. She is an unfortunate woman who has never been right in the head ever since the Fl'xixians kicked her out of the order."
What did Kelandra think he was, a slavedriver?!
"You don't have to be concerned. I plan to employ multiple Kinners, remember? They'll keep each other company and make sure that they're treated right!"
The excuse was enough to placate their guide.
Once Nitaa returned, she positioned herself behind Ves, making it abundantly clear that she had begun her duty.
"I think I've had enough for the moment." Ves spoke. "Let's take a break before I resume my search for other positions to fill."
"Where would you like to go?" Kelandra asked.
"I'm feeling a bit hungry. Is there a notable food market nearby?"
"There is one not too far away. Many clients and Kinners here at Trinity Halls frequent the stalls when they are hungry."
The group did not need to take an aircar this time as the distance was only a couple of minutes way on foot. As they exited the premises of Trinity Hall and neared the bustling food market, they looked no different from any other well-heeled tourists.
"We Kinners love food." Kelandra said as she guided them to a stall that sold candy made on the spot. "After many years of subsiding on nutrient packs and other cheap food in our distant past, we have developed a craving for real food."
An old Kinner smiled at them as he manipulated the controls of his machine to produce a unique blend of flavors into a single piece of solid hard candy.
"While Bloodstone offers many restaurants that offer fine dining experiences that are not too shabby, most Kinners like to eat out in the streets."
Their guide gestured her arm down the street, which was filled with rickety, dusty stalls. Various chefs and vendors cooked up authentic meals using simple ovens and furnaces.
Despite the somewhat shabby cooking progress, lots of Kinners happily sat on the cheap chairs as they ate their hearty meals.
A wonderful blend of aromas suffused the air. Ves' nose constantly twitched as his mouth started to leak saliva.
He quickly shook his head and wiped his mouth. This was not the time to give in to temptation! He was here for only one goal!
"Ahem. Let's tour the market. Perhaps I'll find something yummy enough to eat."
Though the market streets were rather tight and crowded at some places, giving Fe Nitaa an immediate problem in ensuring his safety, Ves liked the atmosphere. No pretentiousness could be found among the patrons as they each let down their guards and enjoyed their meals.
"Some of the food here is cooked with love." He said with a smile.
This spoke right to the heart of his own design philosophy. Although Ves was incomparable to a mere street chef, they both worked to satisfy their customers.
Some of the local Kinner chefs at the market were passionate about their craft. They cooked with a smile and prepared their meals with gusto.
Despite the effort they put into their cooking, they never charged excessive prices for their items. This was not a fancy market and the vast majority of patrons consisted of local residents.
Yet Kelandra was right that Kinners loved food. Aside from selling local Kinner staple foods, many vendors also served foreign delicacies.
Gavin bumped his elbow against Ves. "Hey, look at that stall! Isn't that our cloud rice?!"
The group drifted over to a stall that sold fried rice bowls. A steamy and oily aroma overcame their noses as they stared at the chef tossing his big, dented wok.
Ves and Gavin both shook their heads after a few seconds. "It's fake."
There was no way authentic cloud rice would be sold this cheap at a street stall. The true cloud rice was a premium staple that already cost a fair bit to eat on Bentheim, let alone import to a state on the other side of the star sector!
While Ves couldn't figure out what kind of rice the stall was using, he was familiar enough with the real thing that it couldn't be the same.
Neither of them made a fuss about it, though. That would only land themselves into trouble over a cause that neither of them cared about. The two turned away from the stall lest they developed a greater animosity towards the Kinner who thought it was a good idea to butcher one of their local specialty products.
"It's an unfortunate fact that many of the specialty foods sold here use adapted recipes." Nitaa spoke out on her own accord, relaying the results of her own prior research. "We Kinners have fallen in love with regional specialties, but that doesn't mean we are willing to pay half of our daily wages to enjoy a meal."
In order to meet the expanding palates of their customers, the enterprising Kinner chefs resorted to substitute ingredients.
For this reason, a lot of pricy specialties were sold at just a tenth or just a hundredth of their actual worth!
"Do all of these Kinners even know they're eating unauthentic versions?" Gavin frowned.
The deception taking place in this market went a bit too far even from him! Chefs could get into real trouble if they pulled something like this off in the Bright Republic!
"Our people are not very.. refined." Kelandra stated. "If we never tasted the authentic version, how would we know if we are eating fakes? Besides, plenty of chefs here state that they are using their own recipes instead of the classic ones."
Ves shook his head. "It's still a form of misrepresentation. Do the customers here even know they are eating imitation meals?"
"When I looked into it, I found out that they aren't particularly interested in finding out the truth." Nitaa spoke from behind. "Whenever I confronted someone with the facts, they took offence. It can be a very prickly matter to expose that they weren't consuming the real thing for many years."
"Then how do the authentic recipes even get sold here if all these fakes are undercutting their prices?"
Nitaa smiled and gestured at one of the less-frequented stalls. "There are certain Kinners and plenty of foreigners who can tell the real from the fake. Look at the chefs charging vastly more for their meals."
Though not a lot of customers frequented the stall, it nonetheless served a small handful of customers, which meant that it was doing good business.
As Ves looked around and spotted similar stalls around him, he noticed that most of them were frequented by better-dressed Kinners as well as foreigners.
"I see." Ves murmured. "It's kind of an open secret, then. Those who can't afford anything better can enjoy the illusion of eating foreign delicacies. Those who are more informed usually have the money to afford the meals cooked with authentic ingredients."
Something like this would never take place in the mech market on a wide scale. While counterfeit mechs did exist and sold at significant numbers in the underground markets, everyone who bought them knew what they were getting.
Buying a mech on the black market that was thirty to fifty percent cheaper than the legal version meant that the buyer certainly knew that some corners had been cut!
Instances where mech buyers got fooled into buying a counterfeit mech while paying the price of an authentic version happened very infrequently.
Any mech buyer knew that their mechs should come with MTA certification. Counterfeit mechs didn't come with this essential proof.
Ves didn't ask why the local Kinner authorities refused to crack down on the chefs that were lying to their customers. This kind of deception may not be entirely ethical, but it was largely harmless seeing that the customers all enjoyed their meals.
As the group slowly meandered through the varied food offerings, Ves began to engage in casual conversation with his bodyguard.
His decision to hire her was rather abrupt, after all. They barely knew each other for more than an hour!
"Where do you come from, Nitaa?"
"Bloodstone." The tall woman grunted. "Born and raised here all my life, Mr. Larkinson. I'm a vatter."
"That's the local slang for a Kinner born from a facility that houses thousands of artificial wombs." Kelandra added.
Ves found that to be rather remarkable. He also held a presumption that people who lived monotonous lives were less likely to develop spirituality.
Yet this rule was anything but set in stone. Despite Nitaa's low birth and basic upbringing, she nonetheless managed to develop a hint of spirituality with a quality that Ves hadn't seen before.
Ves had closely studied it during their initial meeting. Her small but vigorous pool of spiritual energy had interacted with her nose, which must have been the primary reason why she could tell he was someone unusual.
"There is not much to tell about my youth." Nitaa shrugged. "I grew up like any other young Kinner in one of the camps. I mostly played with my fellow yearmates back then. When I reached ten, I was disappointed to learn that I couldn't pilot mechs, but I kind of already assumed this outcome so I quickly got over it. I still wanted to become a fighter, though, so I applied for combat training."
Nitaa had actually been a good performer when she began her combat classes. So much so that the Order of Fl'xix took a liking for her for some reason and added her to the next batch of trainees.
As for what happened after that, Ves already knew. Her training results began to slip as the order kept demanding more out of their growing trainees.
Ves didn't ask why she failed to keep up. This must be a very sensitive topic for her and a busy market wasn't the place to air out something so personal.
At this time, Ves finally spotted what appeared to be a hot dog stand. However, what was different was that aside from selling regular buns with meat, it also sold various other variations as well, one of which happened to be the spicy Nyx dogs that he craved!
In fact, the tangy, hot smell of a fresh spicy Nyx dog happened to pass through his nose!
Strong! Spicy! Hot!
No wonder Nitaa suggested that it might be strong enough to overpower his 'System scent'!
"I don't know about you guys, but that smells great!"


Humanity has conquered half the galaxy and the Age of Mechs reigns supreme!

Ves Larkinson lacked the genetic aptitude to become a famed mech pilot. Fighting against his fate, he studied mech design in order to express his love for mechs as a builder instead of a soldier.

When Ves graduated from college, he returned to a new but empty boutique. Left with a small, newly founded mech workshop that his father painstakingly built with a mountain of debt, Ves somehow needs to make ends meet with the bank breathing down his neck.

In the midst of his despair, he found salvation from another legacy his father had left.

"Welcome to the Mech Designer System. Please design your new mech."

--Join The Mech Touch's unofficial Discord server: https://discord.gg/APB5KCU

307 Year, September 21 Evening

After I finished the lessons with my younger sister, I headed to my room, today I wanted to come up with some simple and easy recipes that I can very easily translate into reality, and which can be prepared tomorrow so that my family appreciates them .

- Hmmm, what can you easily cook at home? - Sitting at the table, I thought for a very long time about dishes that are worth making . - " I already have a yoghurt and cheese, which I made from milk residues - it can be used to prepare breakfast. " - Having written down recipes from cottage cheese, namely ordinary cheesecakes and a cottage cheese casserole on a piece of paper, I also figured out what can be made from cheese, and without thinking up anything, I decided to just serve it with tea.

- Then lunch ... Potatoes with meat and potato pancakes? - Remembering the dishes that I usually ate in my life, namely potato dishes, I immediately started thinking about my wife, who, despite the fact that we had a lot of kitchen utensils, did everything manually . - Haa, wondering how she was? - Thinking about her for a second, I immediately threw these thoughts aside and began to think about what can be done.

- Let's say there will be nothing new for lunch, well, except for potato pancakes with some kind of additive, or with the same soup, but what can be done for dinner? Spaghetti or Macaroni with tomato sauce, as an option, you can also make pizza and it will be nice to make curry.  - Having finished thinking about the menu for tomorrow, I immediately wrote down all the recipes on paper and bathed in the bathroom, immediately fell asleep, in anticipation of tomorrow.

***

307 Year, 22 September Early Morning

Today, I asked Aina to wake me up as early as possible, so that already in the morning, I could go to the kitchen and prepare my dishes, which would be new to this world. Getting up and getting dressed, I grabbed a sheet of painted recipes and went down to the first floor and headed to the kitchen.

Robert, the chief cook of our estate, met me in the kitchen , I decided to immediately turn to him and talk about this topic. Together with him, I think it will be very easy to create all the dishes that I painted yesterday on a piece of paper.

- Good day Young Master, did you want something? - asked Robert, who noticed how I entered the kitchen.

- Yes, Robert , today I want to slightly change our menu! And you will help me with this! - Having said this, I motioned for a closer call, and having opened the recipes for breakfast in front of him, I handed him the cottage cheese and cheese.

After reading my recipes, he called two of his assistants and set about doing everything exactly according to the recipe. First, he started making cheesecakes, taking about three hundred grams of cottage cheese, he poured it into a small bowl, first added a little oil to it, then added one egg and three large tablespoons of fresh flour to the cottage cheese, after which he began to mix it, gradually adding a little Sahara. As soon as a homogeneous mass came out, under my strict guidance, he quickly fried everything to a golden crust and I, having sacrificed a bit of my strawberry jam, shared with him to try our first cottage cheese dish .

- Tasty, but with sugar and flour you went a little too far, too dry ... - Having made a remark to him, I once again tried a simple cheesecake, without jam, and added. - Without jam it is very dry, without water or tea, it will be impossible to eat, you need to fix it. - Having finished speaking, I looked at Robert, who, having eaten his portion of two cheesecakes, began to give his mark.

- I agree, young master, they came out rather dry, but by the beginning of breakfast, I will redo everything and bring the best cheesecakes to the table! - Looking into my eyes, he blurted out, almost in the same breath. "However, what kind of cottage cheese is this?" Where did you get it? - Looking at the remains of cottage cheese, which were lying on the countertop, he asked.

- The secret of the company, I plan to do mass production later , so you will find out about this a little later . - Having answered, I ate my portion and looked at it, added. - A little later you will help me with this, for it will be difficult for me to find good cooks. - Having said this, I began to cook potato pancakes with him, for he would be able to cook potatoes with stewed meat himself.

After peeling and grating the potatoes, we mixed it with onions and adding a whisper of spices we set about frying them . Frying them to a golden crust on both sides, he removed pancakes from a small frying pan, which I made specially for them and putting them on a plate, we also tried them, like with cheesecakes.

- You salted them ... - Having tried the first potato pancake, I said, after which I opened the inventory, I took out a prototype of sour cream, which I have been making for about a month, and putting the container with it on the table, dipped the potato pancake into it. - Now, now it's perfect! - Having tried a potato pancake with sour cream, I said, moving the container with sour cream to Robert.

Having tried at first an ordinary potato pancake, he agreed with my words and dipped the second in sour cream, and tried the second. "Young master ... Where do you get all this from?" This is the first time I'm trying this! - He said, after he ate potato pancakes.

- Then I'll tell you, but now we need to prepare breakfast, I also wanted to give my family to try simple cottage cheese with fruits , pieces of cheese and tea. - Pulling the empty plate away from me, I took out about another half a kilogram of cottage cheese with cheese , and handing them to Robert, ordered him to do everything right.

Having solved the problem with breakfast and partly with lunch, I left the kitchen and headed to our dining room. Roxy and Emily were already sitting here, two sweet-tooths who always ask me for the sweets I came up with almost a year ago. As soon as I entered the hall, they looked at me with an imploring look, I looked at them with a grin and went up to them and spoke.

- Want some candy? - Having asked this, I sat down at a small table, at which we usually drank tea.

- Yes!!! They shouted in unison.

- After breakfast, I will probably give it, but now something else is waiting for you, I just was in the kitchen, and Robert and I came up with a new menu, I hope you enjoy it. - Having finished, I took a sip of tea, which one of the maidservants poured to me.

- Truth?! They asked in one voice, looking at me with eyes full of hope.

- True, breakfast will be very tasty and sweet, so don't get too full, or everything will not fit ! - Jokingly, I finished my tea, and at that time our parents came into the hall , who looked at us and invited us to the dinner table.

- Today there will be something new! - Sitting at the table, I announced to my family. - This dish I created a sutra with Robert, it is very nutritious and sweet! "When I finished speaking, I asked the maids to bring our breakfast, and as soon as they heard me , they immediately went to the kitchen, and when they returned, they set in front of us a plate with cheesecakes with strawberry jam, a saucer with a small amount of cottage cheese and various fruits, a plate with three pieces of cheese and black tea.

Having examined all, I immediately told them the name of the dishes. - Now you have three plates in front of you, on the largest there are cottage cheese pancakes made from cottage cheese and served as a side dish with strawberry jam, on a saucer, there is cottage cheese with fruits, it is sugar free, so if you want to sweeten it a little, then you are welcome I ask that on the last and smallest there are three pieces of cheese, it is better to eat it with tea . - Having finished speaking, I set an example of exactly how to eat cottage cheese pancakes with jam.

Taking the fork in my right hand, I broke the cheesecake in half and took one half dipped it in the jam, then put it in my mouth and worried , washed it with a small amount of tea.

- You tried Robert, but they are still a bit dry ...  - Having tried them, I realized that the time that he had was not enough for him to completely get rid of the main problem of this dish . - The next time he just happen. - Nodding to my conclusions, I looked around my family, my sisters already chewed cheesecakes on both cheeks, and my mother decided to start with cottage cheese, and as soon as she tried it ...

- Mmm, how delicious! - She declared, and quickly emptying a plate with cottage cheese, she asked the servant to bring more, but they could only shake their heads and apologize to say.

- Madam to ... - She did not have time to finish, because I interrupted her .

- Mom, they don't have him anymore . - Having said that, I pushed my plate to her and added. That's all I managed to do this morning.

"Although I lied, I had no choice, because according to my plan, I need to beg a decent amount from my father and mother so that I could open a full-scale production of dairy products. " - Following the reaction of my mother, who had already managed to empty my plate, she asked me the question I needed .

- Why? Is it hard to do? She asked, tasting the cheesecake, which she also liked.

- No, but it takes a lot of milk to produce, and about a week's time ... - After a short pause, I followed her reaction and decidedly added. - Cottage cheese, which was spent so that we could have breakfast, was made a week and about ten liters of milk were spent on its production. - I had to lie a little at the expense of milk, even I could not calculate the exact amount, because each time it comes out differently, so I decided to raise the bar a little.

- Ten liters for one breakfast ?? She asked with round eyes. "That's a lot for such a modest breakfast."

- No, mom, you don't understand ... - I shook my head. - This is only because I just came up with this recipe, if I refine it, then it will be possible to reduce the cost of milk for the manufacture of one kilogram. I believe that if we invest in this matter, it will be possible to create one kilogram of cottage cheese from five liters of milk. - Having expressed my idea, I followed the reaction of my father, who had already finished his portion and set to work on the cheese.

- Son, how much money do you need? - Doev his portion of the district took a sip of tea, and looked at me , asked his question .

Also, like him, I finished eating, and after drinking my tea, I began to speak.

- Do not know yet, but according to my conservative estimate, about three gold white gold on the building itself, and on the Equi ... - Do not letting me finish, he motioned for me to stop and began to speak himself .

- We will discuss this after breakfast in my office, the dining room is not suitable for this. - Getting up from the table, he left the hall and went to his office.

Following his example, I finished my tea and went to his office.

***

Sitting in my father's office, I began to examine his furniture while my father dealt with important messages from the city.

" Not bad... "  -  Thought about how it was arranged. A large number of bookshelves, on which there was a ton of literature, a fireplace, which on rare cold winter days, warmed up the room to acceptable temperatures, a black sword, which was cheerful above the fireplace, a sofa and several chairs for talking with a large number of people, which might be the last , but no less important is the table itself, at which my father sat.
Having finished reading the last letter, he wrote something on a piece of paper and looked at me and spoke.

- Now you can calmly discuss everything. - Looking into my eyes, he pulled out his notebook and began to listen to me carefully.

- Regarding the production of dairy products ... - Taking out a piece of paper from the pocket of my pants, or rather from my inventory, I began to read out what I had prepared the day before. - I need a plot of about half a hectare for the construction of the enterprise itself, as well as the placement on its territory of a place for administration and a retail outlet. - Having finished reading out the basic information, I handed my father a sheet of paper so that he would familiarize himself with all the details.

Quickly examining my modest calculations, which might have been decently understated, he took a pen and dipped it in ink, and began to correct some of my notes. Ten minutes of silence were successful, as soon as my father put down the pen to the side, he looked at me, and handed me a sheet with the changed calculations, he spoke.

- Today we'll go to the city administration, I personally will order you to allocate a place in the production area, and immediately went to the best carpenters and masons of the city, so that they would immediately begin planning the building according to your wishes . - Having finished speaking, he looked at me, waiting for him to finish reading about his amendments.

- Good. - I nodded and handing the paper back to my father, we changed clothes and went to the city administration.

***

308 Year May 15 , Day

"Here it is ready ..." my father said, inspecting the production that had been built in eight months. - Carpenters and masons have tried to fame when they built it ... They did everything you wanted. - He added, going into the office, which in theory should be the office of the Boss. - The building is ready, the equipment is located , so now, you can safely hire workers.

- I AM? - Surprised by his last phrase, I asked a question. - Why me?

- How why? You came up with this , and I just sponsored the construction, now all of this belongs to you. - Arms outstretched, he said. - In this building you are in charge! - Confidently he added. - Thanks to this, you will gain live experience in managing production and people, so in the future, it will be easier for you to inherit this whole city! - Having finished speaking, he came up to me and patted me on the shoulder, quietly telling l . - If you need advice, then you can always turn to me.

After the building was ready, I immediately turned to Robert and quickly hired about fifty workers to the workshop itself, and about ten accountants, traders, and I also did not forget about my personal assistant secretary, who was Robert's son, Henry Jauren .

***

3010 Year, August 1 , Day

- Young master, we are receiving more and more orders for our products from all over the Empire. - My personal secretary said, who finished familiarizing himself with all the reports.

- I understand, but we just do not have time to produce so much cottage cheese and cheese to satisfy demand ... It seems the time has come ... - Having said that, I got a plan to improve the building, namely to build two more production lines, which in the long run, were able to -to satisfy all demand , as well as bring me even more gold. - Today, I'll turn to the builders. - Having added this, I got up from the table and headed to the city center.

Erwin Gryffindor, head of the research laboratory. He saves the child at the cost of his life. But having accepted his fate, instead of the expected departure to hell or heaven, he woke up in a completely white room next to a stranger. She introduced herself as the Goddess of Creation - Aria and invited him to make a choice that will affect his future fate.

11th July 1574
"Sir, to pay so much money for something that most likely grows everywhere in those lands… Is this really wise?"
While I could understand the hesitation of this simple sailor, it was already the second time where he put his employer and lord decision into doubt! While it irked me quite a lot, especially with how he was rather a new worker for my businesses rather than being one of the core workers that stuck with me ever since my humble beginnings.
"Trust me, I have my reasons for doing so. While paying so much for those products is indeed quite unreasonable, as long as I will find a way to turn them into something even better, I could easily make this money back with a huge profit. Also, I don't think we will manage to depart today. Go and arrange for some men to bring the wares back to our ship."
As we were already reaching the city docks, there was no point for him accompanying me anymore. Since I never carried too much gold on me, most of my disposable treasury was hidden on the ship, hence the attention and dedication of the sailors to protect it from any kind of thievery or uninvited guests. 
The moment I boarded the ship, I could sense the look of the captain on my back. With how I departed from the ship the moment I saw him smoking the pipe, I really wished I could see what kind of face he made when he realised that my sudden action resulted in nothing else but me smoking my own pipe on my way back!
And at this point, while I was insanely happy that I could finally rejoice in the nicotine rush that calmed my thinking and slowly started routing itself in my body as addiction, I had to pour the still-hot leaves from my pipe back to the waters of the river. After all, I wouldn't like to introduce my pregnant wife to this toxic smoke!
"What happened, dear? You were out for quite a long time."
Despite how she protested against sitting down and resting back when I did my very best to convince that it would be for the best for both her and our child when I came back, she was obediently laying down on our bed!
"I happened to meet a merchant with… quite exotic wares. Give me a few moments, I will try to obtain a few more products and I might be able to prepare something good for you!"
Showing up on the boat mostly for the sake of calming down Elia and procuring my money, I took half of the guards with me and rushed back to the place where the important merchant was staying. Meeting with the thugs hired by the sailor on the way, it took only an additional hour for all of the bags with the products that I exchanged for a hefty sack with golden coins to find their way to the ship.
Yet rather than boarding it as well and leaving this damned city before the night, I couldn't allow myself to waste this opportunity. With the recipe for the dark cacao water stolen from the Aztecs, all the rough cacao powder that I received was already properly dried out, allowing me to turn it into the first bar of milk chocolate without any real problem.
While the quality of my product was bound to be inferior, I never intended to feed it to my beloved wife in the first place!
Leaving all the men carrying to goods to the ship, I hastened my steps towards the still open, food market. While the current time of the year still lacked most of the granary products that would appear only when the first harvests would be done, it didn't mean that there was any lack of dairy products!
After obtaining a small jar with clear butter, thick and thin milk and some a small bottle of a thick, fruity syrup. With those products in hand, I barged into the first Tavern that I could find, instantly depriving myself out of a single gold coin for the right to use their kitchen for a while.
Thinking about this, I couldn't help but laugh when imagining what kind of thoughts was going through their heads when a noble like me demanded them to rent him a simple kitchen used to prepare cheap food for masses!
Yet rather than plaguing my head with this thought, I used one of the knives to turn the crude cacao powder into something of a finer and smaller structure, before randomly mixing the ingredients only to obtain something that not only looked too awful to even consider ever eating it, but also had a smell soo sour and repulsive that I had to hurry up and throw it away!
But in the end, I did manage to achieve what I wanted!
"Confectioner level one unlocked!"
"Basic chocolate recipes unlocked"
"Basic candy recipes unlocked"
With those three messages appearing in the corner of my sight in quick succession, I once again recalled the fact that I wasn't your damned simple noble with a modern knowledge! I still had this fucking system to cheat my way through this world!
But rather than using it to obtain the crown of the country and aim for the world domination… I made sure to use the perfect ratios for all the ingredients before turning them into the product that I really wanted to present to Elia!
A long bar of proper chocolate!
While it pained me a bit, there was no way I could simply hold this precious piece of deliciousness in my hands, as it would simply melt on my way back to ship. With no other choice, I tore out a few pages from my personal notepad that I created all the way back when the private paper factory was first introduced and wrapped the candy with it. 
While for a moment I had the idea to just leave the ingredients outside of the cacao in the kitchen, but given how there was a small chance that it could be problematic to obtain them back in Tarnow, I still decided to act calmly and bring it all with me.
The road back to the ship was one of the greatest challenges I have ever faced. With the anticipation of presenting my dearest wife the ultimate form of candy, I couldn't help but imagine what kind of dreamy expression she would have while tasting the chocolate. 
In fact, even the awful cacao drink that the Spanish court already fell in love with was a drink that only rich could afford. But attempting to improve the taste of the brew made by mashing the cacao grains and boiling them in water, just by adding sugar or vanilla? It didn't even come close to the precious taste of the milk chocolate in the first place!
As soon as I finally managed to board the ship and leave all the leftover ingredients right on top of the pile with the wares bought for an exorbitant price from that merchant, I rushed towards the shed. 
Only to be met with a dire surprise.


Discord link: https://discord.gg/pJTVGZZ


Political marriage, war taxes, subsidies, a tribute... All those terms sound nice when one juggles them from behind the screen of his trusty computer! 

Junk food? Check. Sugary drinks that will cause me diabetes? Check. Two weeks of leave from the work? Check. A fresh copy of the newly released game finishing downloading as I'm going back from the grocery store? Check. 

Oops! My emotions got better to me, and I tripped on the stairs. I'm so silly!

Then...

Why the hell am I kneeling in a throne room, watching the marriage and coronation ceremony of the King, dressed in the noble robes with the game itself only flashing in the corner of my eyes?

Lai Fu who would be operating on the second floor of the Tiangong Tree Mall was quite satisfied with his instance. It was designed to be something similar to a kelong, an offshore platform built mostly with wood and little metal was involved.
By using ropes or rattan, tree trunks and wooden planks were held together within a kelong, but in the dimensional shop instance, the System used something stronger to keep them together. In a way, the kelongs that Lai Fu requested was to create a scene similar to an offshore sea community within his shop instance.
The temperature as per Jin's standard was just the right amount, and the sea waters were calm. Occasionally, there would be a wooden frigate which passed by and provided the kelong with supplies. Even the trucks of his personal suppliers came in via a wide wooden shipping platform. Lai Fu did not go for anything fanciful but something that reminded him of the sea.
All his goods were spread out in various open concept platforms, and these platforms were clearly labelled with large advertisement boards so the customers would know where their desired items were. For those refrigerated items, the bins and tables were filled with an automated cooling system aka a permanent cooling inscription which ensured their freshness.
Lai Fu also half jokingly requested a spot where he could fish a little inside the shop instance, and Jin fulfilled the request by placing albacore, red snapper and the occasional tuna within this Offshore Kelong Shop Instance.
It was an excuse for him to practice his fishing and act as an impromptu activity for the customers who had the time to waste. If they managed to catch any of the three fishes, Lai Fu would give the said customer a small discount on the most expensive item they wanted to purchase. All Jin asked in return was for Lai Fu to inform them about the Fishing instance within his Dungeons and Pandas.
That being said, it was not so easy catching those fish because Lai Fu would be able to adjust the difficulty level and the fishing rods they could use were basic ones, unless of course, someone brought in their own personal rod.
All in all, Lai Fu's store had been amongst the few easy ones Jin had to make. Still, the dungeon supplier did not spare any expense in creating the wooden frigate when Lai Fu listed that he wanted to use a frigate as the 'discount' ship. The idea was that whenever the frigate reached his shore, it would offer the items he had planned to discount.
Normally, it would require additional manpower to charter a frigate, but since this was an instance, it was not much of an issue. Jin employed the Deep Ones dressed pirates who fit right into this store instance.
Whenever the frigate arrived, Deep Ones would pop out from the water and onto the platforms helping the frigate dock. Afterwards, they would be bringing down some of the treasure chests containing the discounted items.
A Deep One Mage posing as the pirate captain would loudly announce that they had arrived wishing to trade their loot for doubloons with these landlubbers as his crew was in dire need of more booze!
Thus, Jin had designed the frigate to be a little more menacing while at the same time somewhat comical. It looked deathly with the aura and ship design it was having( Basically, the ship was modelled as Derpy's head), but Jin placed a banner at the portside stating "All Aboard the High Discount Ship!".
"Imagine those aunties trying to literally fight the Deep Ones for more of a discount. That would be one hell of a funny scene!" Lai Fu chuckled as he called out to the Deep Ones to help unpack the items which the general suppliers had offloaded.
---------
Right beside the still named 'Fresh Price General Store' was the bakery with Qian Qian in charge. Similar to Lai Fu, the middle aged female boss with two kids did not request much for the shop instance.
All she wanted was both modern and traditional bakery equipment which could not be found on the market. To her, it was a feat that was hard to achieve since the traditional equipment required a lot of space and they were near non existential as of this age.
However, the Bread Lady Boss shared that she was in possession of generations-old recipes that were based on the traditional baking method all left untouched because there was no one who would make such equipment anymore.
She firmly believed that the past held onto treasures which people might not be able to appreciate. That was why Qian Qian wanted to preserve those recipes and the knowledge to do so.
With the new dimensional instance, the System had simply scoured its past database on how to make those traditional oven kilns. (In the past the Panda Clan had amassed the knowledge from a variety of talents and the experience of an entire trade conglomerate at its disposal made it an easy feat.)
Because it was an instance, the oven kilns had been made extremely large and spacious enough to make a plenty amount of bread. Lynn's experience in this field was somewhat limited, and after trying a few of Qian Qian's past samples, she admitted that the Bakery Lady Boss was clearly superior to anything she could muster without a lot of studying.
On the other hand, the System managed to peek at a few of those recipes and found striking resemblances to the ones it had in its database. Surprisingly those recipes were seemingly at the rank of Royal Kitchen Grade, and they were basically national treasures.
However, the System kept quiet for now and decided to pass a proper judgement once Qian Qian revealed her whole series of traditional recipes.
Instance wise, Qian Qian's bakery shop was located on a hill with a large hut at the top of it. Surrounding the hut were acres worth of reef knolls filled with grown wheat plants which were something she did not ask for. Could it be that Boss Jin was seriously growing wheat in her shop instance?
Qian Qian could only ask him the next time round she saw him, but one thing was for sure, it naturally complemented the scenery of her bakery.
However, that giant hut was merely the storefront where she would place her bread for sale. Right behind it was the oven kilns and even a wheat mill. Qian Qian also was unaware whether it was really producing any wheat grains or just for aesthetic purposes.
Continuing with the surprise, Jin had assigned her a few additional helpers aside from her own trusted employees. A couple of Orcs who knew some form of farming and traditional baking, as well as two penguins which Lynn had purposely selected for the baking learning experience.
While he wanted to use the werejackals who had experience in farming, they were somewhat occupied and decided to use the next best alternative. Besides, even though the Orcs' experience differed from the humans according to the System, their foundational basics on baking were quite similar. Thus the System had enriched them with its own knowledge.
As usual, data collection was priority number one, and Jin told them those helpers were 'on the house' while hiding his true intentions. He was sure people might suspect it but at the same time, who could not say no to free, extra work hands?
--------
Despite the separate instances, everyone was still helping each other out. For example, Lai Fu's general store supplies usually stocked more than adequately for his sales as well as for the food store owners. There were times the food store owners might experience a shortage, and that was where Lai Fu sold his stocks at a 'friendly' price.
Even with the new instances, this thing did not change, and Jin hoped to take advantage of such inter-business relationships too..
Another example was Qian Qian's bakery, which was vital for Si Fang's café because she sold cakes and desserts to Si Fang as a side business. Her cakes and pies were the bomb, and many knew that she let Si Fang sell them because she could not afford to make them on a daily basis to be countered as regular sales. However, Qian Qian believed that perhaps with the additional helpers and new experiments; things could change for the better.
Speaking about Si Fang, his dimensional shop instance was also located on the second floor as the first floor had been assigned for the Food Court instance and the Panda Burger instance. His dimensional instance would be considered one of the more unique ones.
His instance was essentially a castle tower.
It made Jin remember the Candy Castle which he had built for the Halloween although the interior was not exactly designed to house a lot of customers. Nevertheless, since it was a castle tower, Jin chose to use the candy castle to save some time and effort to create the exterior portion of Si Fang's dream instance.
He did not expect Si Fang wanted a high class royal treatment kind of café as he thought Si Fang was more of the 'café on top of a large tree branch kind' of owner. The relaxed and homely feel, and until Si Fang told Jin more about his request, he then realised that was really what he wanted.
"Yes, I want a relaxed and homely feel kind of café. One that gives off the feeling of being away from everything else. That is why I want a castle tower being surrounded by a tranquil lake with only a tiny weeny bridge connected the isle." Si Fang said.
"I want the café to be something like an escape from reality, away from everything else. No pompous kind of feel at all. Something like Rapunzel in the tower."
"Si Fang, my friend. Are you okay? Do you have any fever?" His fellow cultivators Ke Ru and He Rong asked simultaneously during the brainstorming session, and Jin laughed when Si Fang declared that he was serious and Jin kind of understood what he was going for.
The Boss of Lele Café wished to offer a sanctuary for his customers, allowing them to get away from all the hectic work and bedazzling attractions. So Jin did fulfil that wish of his, and although he did save time in the exterior initially, he actually placed a lot of effort in changing the interior. In hindsight, the dungeon supplier believed that it had been one of the hardest few instances he ever made.
To make something homely and cosy was difficult because everyone had a different image and expectation of it. So the use of colour combinations was vital as well as the furniture that was placed in the castle tower could not make it appear too professional looking nor also unique. The use of warm lights, as well as the placing of the windows, was important.
Eventually, Jin also remodified the exterior to suit the interior by modelling it similar to those airport control towers because of its open windows concept while still retaining the design of a castle. He finished this off by placing greenery within the place and smoothing jazz background to ensure the right mood.
Unlike the food court instance or Panda Burger, Jin did not place anything that would increase the table limit or seating capacity because space played an essential part in the design. The couches and benches were placed in a certain way along with a few cushions including (panda and fox) plushie toys too.
He did inform Si Fang about the decision of limited seats, who thanked Jin to have not gone down the route of profit but instead towards tranquillity. However, that had been just a passing remark until Si Fang had truly witnessed it with his own eyes.
As soon as Si Fang entered his shop instance, his tears accumulated, slowly rolled down from his eyes as he saw how much love and effort was placed into his shop instance.


In a modern world where cultivators need a place to cultivate or vent their boredom, there are private businesses that set up instance dungeons with the aid of technology and cultivation magic to enable cultivators to train and commoners to experience the life of cultivation. They are called dungeon suppliers.

Xie Jin's one and only dream was to be a dungeon supplier and when his only relative passed away, the relative's inheritance gave him a plot of land and surprisingly, a 'System' Module which the relative had previously used. 

With the help of the system, Xie Jin decided to pursue his dream of becoming the number one dungeon supplier.

Glossary Page:
nodsglossary.wordpress.com


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