Chapter 161: Tasty Food Magic

A little after nine in the morning, after over two hours of work, all the ashes were finally buried.

Bai Ya had made breakfast long ago. She had tried her best to make it a sumptuous meal, but alas, their food reserves, along with their seasonings, had all been used up the day before. In the end, all she could manage was a hodgepodge stew of wild ingredients.

It was, without a doubt, the worst meal Lu Wei had eaten in days.

“I thought we’d be going back yesterday, so I used up all the spices and salt.”

“I searched for a long time this morning but couldn’t find any plants to use as seasoning.”

“It hasn’t rained in the forest recently, so there are far fewer mushrooms.”

“I’m sorry. I’ll make you guys something delicious when we get back to town.”

“For now, let’s just fill our stomachs with this…”

Sitting by the stew pot, Bai Ya wore a guilty expression, feeling that her failure to make a delicious meal was a complete dereliction of her duties as the cook.

However, Lu Wei and Furen didn’t seem to mind, simply lowering their heads and eating.

‘What’s so great about planting vegetables, anyway?’

‘I just don’t get it…’

After downing more than half a bowl of soup, Furen couldn’t help but ponder this question again.

Meanwhile, Lu Wei was considering what would be good to plant in the vegetable patch.

‘Bok choy, tomatoes, onions… It’s a shame this world doesn’t seem to have green onions, ginger, or garlic.’

‘Hmm? Maybe I could raise some chickens, too?’

Gusts of mountain wind rustled the distant woods. Where the pile of bodies had been last night, only a dark, scorched patch of ground remained.

With their sleeves rolled up and wooden bowls in hand, the two men each mulled over the problem of planting vegetables, their brows furrowing from time to time. Neither said a word.

Seeing this, Bai Ya found it hard not to think they were complaining about breakfast.

‘Hey! How can you be like this!’

‘I already apologized!’

‘Besides, it’s not my fault! You said we were going back yesterday!’

‘You should be glad there’s anything to eat at all!’

‘And you’re still being picky!’

Puffing her cheeks, Bai Ya pressed her lips together. She felt the two of them were completely ungrateful and didn’t want to speak to them anymore.

But after sulking for a while, she started to feel that maybe the problem was more on her end.

‘So, what can I do to make the food delicious?’

‘Ah, I’ve got it!’

After thinking seriously for a moment, her eyes suddenly lit up, and she shot to her feet.

“Wait a minute!”

“…What’s wrong?”

Lu Wei and Furen both looked up at her, their faces blank with confusion.

Then, they saw Bai Ya pick up a small Wooden Stick from the ground and clear her throat with a serious expression.

“Ahem, let me tell you a secret.”

“I actually know a type of Magic that can make food delicious!”

“…”

‘Wait, you’re not going to…’

Lu Wei’s eyes widened as a bad feeling welled up inside him.

In the next second, his premonition came true.

Under his and Furen’s stunned gazes, Bai Ya waved the little Wooden Stick with a theatrical expression, staring at the stew pot and chanting loudly:

“O Divine Spirit who governs taste, ancient being who dwells in mushrooms and tangled roots!”

“Please grant us salt and spices! Let the ingredients in this pot be sublimated!”

“TA-DA-DA!”

“Food, oh food, please become—”

“Tastier!”

“…”

A gentle breeze stirred Bai Ya’s long hair. The Wooden Stick pointed straight at the stew pot, and time seemed to freeze at the final moment of her “Casting.”

After what felt like an eternity, Furen slowly turned his head to look at Lu Wei.

“Brother Lu Wei, what is she doing…”

“Don’t ask me.”

The corner of Lu Wei’s mouth twitched. He never would have expected Bai Ya to pull such a cringey stunt.

“But my guess is she’s using the Tasty Food Magic…”

“Huh? Really?”

Furen looked shocked. “There’s actually Magic like that?”

“Mhm, there is.”

Lu Wei nodded with a perfectly straight face.

“But you have to chant along with her for it to work.”

…

…

「The morning passed in a flash as white clouds drifted leisurely across the azure sky from east to west.」

All members of the Mushroom Squad, along with Anna and Zovir—five people in total—sat outside the general store, drinking tea and basking in the sun while they waited for Theodore’s construction team to return.

Even the ever-diligent Furen was slacking off for once.

The main reason was that he had expended too much energy last night and had spent another two hours handling the ashes this morning, so his stamina hadn’t fully recovered.

The secondary reason was that everyone was eager to get back and had no mind for work.

Furen was already anxious to return for his date with Clara. Now, with over 200 ears in his bag, he couldn’t help but want to show them off at the Adventurer Association. He was practically bouncing in his seat.

Bai Ya was desperate for a hot bath, and also to hit the books to prove that “Tasty Food Magic” really existed.

As for Lu Wei, he was worried about missing his appointment with Sebas tomorrow.

According to the time they had agreed upon last time, tomorrow was the day.

If all went well, Sebas would surely bring him two more Professional Skill Books.

Then, the promotion requirement of “Master three Professional Skills” would be fulfilled.

And after selling all the loot from this trip, he wouldn’t be far from the “Earn 100 Gold Coins” requirement either.

Then he would finally find out what the last promotion condition was.

‘It really is hard to guess.’

‘I have no clue at all.’

‘And why haven’t we had a single customer all morning?’

‘That’s not right, is it?’

At this thought, Lu Wei suddenly sat up straight and turned to look at Anna, who was tending the fire by the tea stove.

“Anna, are there usually no customers in the morning?”

“Ah, no, that’s not it.”

Anna quickly trotted over and answered honestly.

“There are usually some. On a slow day, two or three squads might come by. On a busy day, five or six.”

“Then what’s going on today? Why hasn’t anyone shown up?”

“I don’t know either.”

Anna shook her head, indicating that she was just a salesperson, not an all-knowing Divination Master.

“Alright, pour me another cup of tea.”

Lu Wei thought for a moment and concluded that it was probably just a coincidence.

After all, customer traffic in the forest was inherently unstable. It was possible for it to drop off suddenly for a day.

“I’ll be back again in a few days. You and Zovir can’t slack off, you hear?”

“If you perform well, I might give you some time off after a while. Even a raise isn’t out of the question.”

“In short, as long as you work hard, I will never treat you unfairly.”

Taking the teacup from Anna, Lu Wei found himself with nothing to do and was about to give her and Zovir another little motivational speech.

But just then, with a “RUSTLE RUSTLE RUSTLE,” a figure suddenly emerged from the nearby woods.

“Brother Lu Wei, we’ve got a customer… eh, wait, no!”

“It’s Uncle Theodore!”

Beside him, Furen recognized the newcomer and immediately shot to his feet, his expression excited.

Lu Wei, however, was a little surprised.

He hadn’t expected Theodore to be back so early.

After all, yesterday he had said it would be before nightfall.

‘So he set out first thing in the morning?’

‘But where are the others?’

“Uncle Theodore, how did you…”

He walked over to greet him, full of questions, and was just about to ask.

But he was only halfway through his sentence when Theodore, gasping for breath, cut him off.

“Wh-What’s going on? Wasn’t the general store burned down?”

“…Huh?”

Lu Wei froze, completely baffled. He had no idea where that question came from.

But in the next second, it clicked!

‘I get it!’

‘It must be another rumor!’

‘Right, right, right!’

‘Slandering me wasn’t enough, and now they’re straight up cursing me, are they!’

‘Business really is a battlefield!’

‘So vicious!’