The Spirit of Gourmet

Chapter 446 Parting and Reunion Are Inevitable

"The clothes are all packed away!"

"Put away your personal belongings!"

"Keep these sauces you might use in cooking safe!"

"And various local specialties from Lanqiu City..."

Closing his newly packed suitcase, Qin Lang turned to look out the window at the city where night-blooming orchids bloomed. "It's time to leave."

"The Azure Silver Pearl has been returned to its rightful owner, and Xiao Cai has left too. I actually feel a little lonely..."

Before he could finish speaking, Qin Lang felt two soft things pressed against his cheeks, one on each side.

He smiled and moved Danbao and Lala aside, "That's right, with you two and everyone else with me, how could I be lonely?"

"Let's go, they should already be waiting for us in the hotel lobby." As he spoke, Qin Lang couldn't help but yawn.

"We really stayed up really late last night."

After visiting Mr. Song Lichuan yesterday and unexpectedly receiving a limited-edition food recommender badge, Qin Lang and the others did not say goodbye. Instead, they continued to showcase their skills, creating dishes and exchanging ideas with each other.

Di You got his wish and faced Du Ziyan again. Although the result was not unexpected, Di You became more courageous after the setback and did not lose his fighting spirit at all. Instead, he decided to continue to work hard and fight again next time.

Even Cao Dongdong, Zhao Qian, Fatima, and Wei Shasha showed off their culinary skills one after another. Even Zuo Ge, who was not a spirit chef, was eager to try and made a snow-white red bean paste dish with Cao Dongdong for everyone to taste.

They didn't leave Song Lichuan's house until midnight, as they had indeed troubled the elderly Mr. Song.

Fortunately, Song Lichuan was also quite reluctant to leave Lanqiu City, so he simply spent the whole night having fun with these young people.

Soon, Qin Lang arrived at the hotel lobby with two food spirits. The other four had already packed their luggage and gathered together. Di You and Wei Shasha, as locals, had also arrived early to see them off on their final journey.

Even Du Ziyan came.

"Qin Lang, you've finally arrived!" Zhao Qian waved to Qin Lang with red eyes. "Come and persuade Fatima."

"Huh?" Qin Lang couldn't help but look at Fatima, who was silent to the side.

"what happened?"

“I’m going back to the Feli region.” Fatima pushed up her glasses and said calmly, “Actually, I wanted to tell you yesterday, but I didn’t know how to bring it up, so I put it off until today.”

"I have achieved all my goals in coming to the Dongyun region. Xiaocai previously told me about a clue about a legendary creature with healing abilities. That legendary creature is in the Feili region."

"So, it's time for me to leave."

"I see." Qin Lang showed an expression of understanding.

Fatima hadn't spoken much along the way, but she became noticeably more talkative after arriving in Lancho. This unusual behavior, combined with her purpose for coming here, clearly indicated that she was planning to leave.

Although reluctant, Qin Lang knew that returning to the Feli region to find the legendary creature that could heal was very important to Fatima.

"Go."

Qin Lang spoke softly, "The world is so big, perhaps one day I will travel to the Ferri region, and maybe we will meet again then."

"Zhao Qian, stop holding onto Fatima." He glanced helplessly at Zhao Qian, who was about to cry, and said, "This world is big, but it's also small. We'll meet again someday."

"Okay." Zhao Qian pouted, gave Fatima a big hug, and then gently released her. "Qin Lang, why don't you try to persuade Zuo Ge!" Cao Dongdong suddenly spoke up from the side, "This guy is going to abandon us too!"

“What do you mean by abandoning you…” Zoge couldn’t help but mutter, “I suddenly had some important research to do, so…”

Seeing Qin Lang looking at him, he shrugged and explained, "I originally planned to travel with you all from here on out."

“But this morning, I suddenly received a message from another legendary scholar…” As he said this, Zog’s eyes lit up with excitement.

"Are you all aware of the rumors about the Qili Bay Monster?"

Seeing everyone shake their heads, he continued his story without surprise, “Everyone knows about Qili Bay, right? It’s a bay area in the southern part of the Dongyun region, and its area is almost the same size as the entire Dongyun region.”

"Many islands of varying sizes are scattered throughout Qili Bay, and tourists often take cruise ships to visit them."

"The Qili Bay Monster is a mysterious creature that appears in the eastern part of Qili Bay. It only appears when the sea fog is thick, and it has a human-like upper body and a fish-like lower body."

"It can speak like a human and can also sing beautiful songs to attract tourists on the cruise ship."

“Most importantly!” Zoge paused abruptly, his tone becoming mysterious, “Legend has it that as long as you hear its song, after the fog at sea dissipates, the cruise ship will miraculously deviate significantly from its course and appear in an unexpected place!”

Upon hearing this, Qin Lang couldn't help but stroke his chin.

Why does this sound... a bit like The Little Mermaid from a past life?

"So, this is your next investigation target?"

“Of course!” Zoge nodded emphatically. “My colleague showed me some of the findings, and I’m almost 90 percent certain that the Qili Bay Monster is a legendary creature.”

"Moreover, it's the kind that's only been mentioned in legends and never recorded!"

At this point, Zuo Ge's eyes gleamed with fervor, "As long as I find it, I can start from scratch and write a completely new legend!"

"Although I'm very reluctant to part with everyone, I also can't refuse such a legendary research result!"

“So…” Zuo Ge looked embarrassed as he said this, “I’ve had a lot of fun with everyone these past few days, but I’m afraid I have to say goodbye to you all for now.”

“I understand what you’re thinking.” Qin Lang patted Zuo Ge on the shoulder.

This guy's fervor for studying legends left a deep impression on them from the very first time they met.

For a scholar of legends, such a legendary creature that has never appeared in any legendary records is indeed something hard to refuse.

Didn't you see how Fatima's expression changed as she prepared to leave the Shinonome region?
If it weren't for the fact that the legendary creatures with healing abilities were more important to her, Qin Lang had no doubt that Fatima would have followed Zog on the spot.

"All good things must come to an end." Qin Lang looked at Zuo Ge and Fatima and said softly, "Take care."

"Parting and reunion are inevitable, but we will meet again someday."

“Hmm…” Fatima responded, but her voice seemed to have a nasal tone that she hadn’t heard before.

"The plane is about to take off, I need to leave quickly."

"Everyone..." She slowly raised her head, her eyes behind her glasses slightly red, "Goodbye!"

After saying that, Fatima turned around abruptly, grabbed her suitcase, and quickly walked out of the hotel, getting into a taxi that was already waiting.

(End of this chapter)