The Spirit of Gourmet

Chapter 565 Island of Wishes
"It's been ten days."

Deep within the island, in a settlement of primitive houses, a man with a stern and serious expression sat cross-legged by a campfire, looking at the marks he had left on the ground, his face showing a solemn and anxious expression.

Just then, a hand patted his shoulder, and then another bearded man in a primitive grass skirt plopped down next to him.

"Hey Qu Dong, you haven't given up yet?" He pointed to the crowd singing, dancing, and laughing in the distance. "They're all used to it here."

"I need to go back." Qu Dong turned to look at the other person, his face filled with deep anxiety. "The restaurant I manage has encountered a huge problem, and I can't afford to delay any longer. Ten days have already passed, and heaven knows..."

"That's why I told you to relax," the man in the grass skirt laughed. "I'm asking you, no matter how big the problems are with your restaurant, what can the consequences be? Bankruptcy?"

Qu Dong nodded slightly. "If I don't go back, it's not impossible."

"So what if the restaurant closes down? We'll just make a little less money?" The man in the grass skirt shrugged. "You can get everything you want here!"

Qu Dong was silent for a moment, then shook his head.

"It's not about money."

That was the career he fought for, the traces of his hard work.

"Forget it, you wouldn't understand." Qu Dong shook his head and slapped away the hand the man in the grass skirt had placed on his shoulder. "You and I are different."

“Okay, all I know is that we’re the same – we get hungry if we don’t eat.” The man in the grass skirt shrugged and placed a beautiful cake in front of Qu Dong. “How about a vanilla, raspberry, and pistachio cake? It’ll cheer you up.”

“Newcomers like you who haven’t been here long enough to wish for such a special, hidden taste,” the grass-skirted man winked smugly.

"This is my unique wish-making technique, which I never show to anyone."

Qu Dong paused for a moment, then picked up the cake and spoon, scooped up a spoonful and put it in his mouth, then swallowed much faster.

"Slow down!" The man in the grass skirt laughed, then paused slightly, turned his head to look in a certain direction, and showed a surprised expression.

"It seems we're going to have a new member on our island."

With that, the man in the grass skirt stood up, patted his bottom, and said, "You can eat slowly. I'll go and greet our new member."

"We need to help them integrate into our big family as soon as possible!"

New member?
Qu Dong paused for a moment, then looked up in the direction the grass-skirted man had gone. Six figures were walking in through the newly opened entrance, two of whom were rather strange, having been carried in by others.

After confirming that he didn't recognize anyone among them, Qu Dong looked away, sighed slightly, and then continued swallowing the cake in his mouth.

"Hey, newbies, welcome to Wishing Island!"

With a burst of excited cheers, the man in the grass skirt strode up to Qin Lang and the others, saying, "I know you all have many questions right now."

"Don't worry, we'll have plenty of time to answer your questions."

Qin Lang and his companions walked past the man in the grass skirt and looked at the crowd singing and dancing behind him. Then, they turned their gaze to the person standing in front of them.

"Are you... a missing person, or someone who has always lived here?" Qiao Yu asked in a low voice, her eyes filled with wariness and scrutiny.

“Of course, the missing persons.” The man in the grass skirt laughed.

"Let me introduce myself. My name is Batu. Before coming here, I was a journalist in the Kilimanjaro."

“However, that was a long time ago,” the man in the grass skirt said, stroking his beard with an apologetic look.

"Sorry, I'm just used to being unkempt."

"It's really not right to treat guests like this." As he spoke, he put his hands together in front of his chest, making a wishing gesture. Then, as if by magic, a razor appeared in his hand, and he quickly shaved his beard, revealing a face that looked to be in his thirties.

Immediately afterwards, the razor turned into specks of light and disappeared from the spot.

Qin Lang and the others couldn't help but widen their eyes.

Neither of them saw how the razor appeared or disappeared; the grass-skirted man was shirtless, with nowhere to hide anything.

"Alright, that feels much better." Batu smiled and stroked his smooth chin. "We can continue our previous conversation."

"Where...where did you get your razor?" Cao Dongdong couldn't help but ask.

"This is what I wanted to introduce to you." Batu's smile widened even more. "This is the Island of Wishes."

“You can make a wish here and receive anything you want, and it will be granted.”

"There is only one wish that cannot be fulfilled, and that is to leave."

Upon hearing this, everyone was stunned.

You can wish for anything... but you can't wish to leave?

That sounds incredibly extraordinary.

"How do I make a wish?" Zhao Qian couldn't help but ask.

"Wait, Zhao Qian, have you forgotten that we're here to find someone?" Qin Lang couldn't help but remind her.

"Well... it wouldn't hurt to learn how to make a wish first! Maybe we can find the person we're looking for through making a wish?" Zhao Qian explained.

Zhao Qian's words made some sense, so Qin Lang and the others also looked at Batu.

"The method for making a wish is very simple." Batu smiled and clasped his hands together in front of his chest. "Look, it's just a simple gesture, then silently say what you want in your heart. The harder something is to obtain, the stronger your desire will be..."

"Look! This young man did a great job!" He smiled and pointed at Cao Dongdong, who was staring blankly at the egg yolk pastry that had appeared out of thin air in his hand.

"Crunch—" He took a bite in a daze, then couldn't help but mutter, "This is unbelievable, it tastes exactly the same as what I made."

"What did you wish for?" Qin Lang couldn't help but ask.

He had just made a wish as well, but his wish was to find Zuo Ge. For some reason, this wish was not answered, or perhaps he hadn't made it long enough for it to be fulfilled.

"I just wished for an egg yolk pastry." Cao Dongdong finished eating the egg yolk pastry in his hand, scratched his head, and said, "I was a little hungry."

"You know what, this stuff actually makes you feel full after eating it!"

"Haha, that's for sure." Batu laughed. "How do you think we've managed to survive on this deserted island with no food for so long?"

"All the food was obtained by making a wish!"

"Getting food by making a wish..." Qiao Yu looked at the dancing and singing crowd behind her again, her eyes narrowing slightly. "How long have you been here?"

Batu smiled.

"ten years."

(End of this chapter)