Chapter 89

Putting his confusion aside for the moment, Mo Yeonhoo switched to the alliance chat window, where the notification light was flashing red without pause.

(Alliance) ShinJadu: Whoa, why have food ingredients gotten so expensive??

(Alliance) ShinJadu: Guess we have to harvest every last spice now too...?

(Alliance) BBQ: Apparently new cooking recipes dropped today lol

(Alliance) KimFactory: Looking at the patch notes, the new recipes seem better than expected.

(Alliance) BBQ: Yeah, I still have to experiment with different combinations, but this might be the best update ever?? I’m ridiculously hyped lol

(Alliance) 1Poop1: Damn, these prices are brutal. Farming might actually be the road to riches lol

(Alliance) BBQ: Lol yeah, I’m excited.

(Alliance) BBQ: At last, cooks get their moment in the sun lol

(Alliance) GoodLuck: Farming is great~ Nothing clears your head like farming and building~

Just then, the alliance members were talking about the day’s update.

Looks like there was something cooking-related in it?

No wonder BBQ seemed especially happy. For someone who loved cooking, this update apparently had to be a delight.

(Alliance) BBQ: Since cooking got updated, anyone want to farm with me~

(Alliance) BBQ: I’ll give you something tasty if we do lol

Should I farm with BBQ? I can scope out his usual route a little, too.

It was not as though Yeonhoo had anything else to do, and he had found it surprisingly fun to follow the alliance members around and farm with them. Without much hesitation, he put his name down.

(Alliance) 0momo0: Me!!! Me!

(Alliance) BBQ: Oh!!?!?!?!

(Alliance) ShinJadu: Are you sure? Gathering spices is really, really boring...

(Alliance) 1Poop1: For real. Harvesting them has zero satisfying feel to it.

(Alliance) ShinJadu: It’s not about the satisfying feel. It’s stressful!

(Alliance) 0momo0: Huh? Why?

(Alliance) ShinJadu: Saffron? I went to gather it once, and the mini-game drove me insane...!

(Alliance) GoodLuck: Saffron is a nightmare~ You have to tap the pistil inside the flower exactly three times, right? It makes me lose my mind~

(Alliance) MouseTrap: Right... I tried cinnamon and got so mad I quit... I stared at nothing but tree bark for an hour. It was so delicate that I split every piece of bark apart lol.

(Alliance) BBQ: Seriously, can everyone stop?

No wonder no one else had volunteered. The spice-harvesting mini-games seemed to be incredibly difficult.

How hard could they be?

Yeonhoo was not especially good at mini-games. If anything, he was on the worse side. But hearing everyone talk about how awful they were only made him more curious.

(Alliance) 0momo0: It’s okay lol

(Alliance) 0momo0: I’ve never gathered spices before, so I want to try it! I’m not very good, but... please teach me!!

(Alliance) BBQ: Wow... Momo is the only one I have...

(Alliance) BBQ: Then let’s go to the alliance gathering site together lol! C Outer Wall entrance, go go.

(Alliance) 0momo0: Okay!!

He had just sent that reply when—

(CH03) Miu: Farming?

Apparently, Miu had seen the chat as soon as he came back from the bathroom. A private message popped up right away.

(CH03) 0momo0: Did you make it to the bathroom okay?

(CH03) Miu: Yes, haha.

(CH03) Miu: But what do you mean, farming?

(CH03) 0momo0: Ah... I just feel like doing some farming today.

(CH03) Miu: ?

(CH03) Miu: With BBQ?

(CH03) 0momo0: Yeah, yeah.

(CH03) Miu: Why?

(CH03) 0momo0: ?? BBQ was looking for someone to farm with...

(CH03) Miu: You saw in alliance chat that ShinJadu was looking for someone to gather dark-zombie materials with too. Why aren’t you going with them instead?

Had ShinJadu suggested gathering together? At Miu’s words, Yeonhoo scrolled up. There had been a few messages about it...

(CH03) 0momo0: Oh, you’re right... I guess I missed it. :(

(CH03) 0momo0: But I feel more like farming right now, so that’s what I’m going to do!! Haha.

(CH03) Miu: Why are you going with BBQ instead of me?

(CH03) 0momo0: ??? Were you planning on farming?

(CH03) Miu: Not exactly.

Then why was he asking why Yeonhoo was not going with him?

Miu’s next question was even stranger.

(CH03) Miu: Momo, you do know something, right?

(CH03) Miu: BBQ is a guy.

Yeonhoo tilted his head at the excessive °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° seriousness with which Miu was stating an obvious fact.

(CH03) 0momo0: Huh??? Of course I know!!

(CH03) 0momo0: I heard his voice last time!

(CH03) Miu: ?

(CH03) Miu: How?

(CH03) Miu: Why did you hear his voice??

He’s really being strange today...

(CH03) 0momo0: We did Siege War together before! I heard it then, haha. Why??

(CH03) Miu: Oh.

(CH03) 0momo0: Anyway, I’m heading out!

It was strange, but after thinking about yesterday, Yeonhoo figured it could happen.

He must be tired!

After telling Miu he was leaving, Yeonhoo moved his character. When he reached the agreed-upon outer wall, BBQ was waiting there with a huge gathering backpack strapped on.

(Alliance) 0momo0: I’m here.

(Alliance) 0momo0: Wow, that’s such a cool bag.

(Alliance) BBQ: Hehe, a cook has to be prepared to this degree lol

(Alliance) 0momo0: It’s pretty!

(Alliance) BBQ: Ah, don’t embarrass me lol

(Alliance) BBQ: Let’s go.

It was time to set off.

The gathering site where the spices had been planted was apparently quite far away, so BBQ summoned a mount. Just as Yeonhoo was about to summon his bike as well—

(Alliance) BBQ: But... what is this?

(Alliance) BBQ: Why can I see our leader behind Momo? lol

At BBQ’s message, Yeonhoo turned around and jolted in surprise.

He had heard soft footfalls behind him the entire way here, but there were countless alliance members and soldiers walking around the alliance territory, so he had not paid much attention to it.

(Alliance) 0momo0: ?? Huh?

(Alliance) Miu: Hello.

Miu was standing behind him before he knew it.

(Alliance) 0momo0: What are you doing here...?

Yeonhoo had almost spoken to him casually, but remembered that he had never shown the alliance members that he and Miu were on informal terms. Even though they had made up, it would be strange if they suddenly appeared far too close.

(Alliance) Miu: I thought I’d do some farming too, haha.

In the meantime, Miu was smiling naturally. Maybe he was curious about spice farming too because of the newly updated recipes.

(Alliance) ShinJadu: Huh??

(Alliance) BBQ: Uh?

(Alliance) 1Poop1: ???

(Alliance) 1Poop1: The leader... is going farming...?

(Alliance) ShinJadu: Miu is farming????

But every alliance member seemed shocked that Miu was going farming. Come to think of it, Yeonhoo did not think he had ever seen Miu farm before either.

Every now and then, he seemed to remember Miu saying he needed materials for a daily quest or gear. But even then, had he not simply bought them from the alliance members?

(Alliance) Miu: I’ve always liked farming, though lol.

(Alliance) Miu: Why is everyone acting like that?

(Alliance) Miu: Do you all have some objection...?

(Alliance) 1Poop1: No, sir;

(Alliance) ShinJadu: No, not at all;;

(Alliance) BBQ: Hehe... :(

(Alliance) Miu: Do you not like it, BBQ?

(Alliance) BBQ: No, I’m totally reassured;; lol

(Alliance) BBQ: Great;; bbb haha

(Alliance) Miu: Then why are you sweating so much if you’re happy?

(Alliance) Miu: Momo isn’t saying anything either.

Miu moved his character until he stood in front of BBQ. Then he looked back and forth between BBQ’s avatar and Yeonhoo’s before speaking.

(Alliance) Miu: Actually, the two of you wanted to go alone.

(Alliance) Miu: Did I get in the way?