Elf: Seriously? You only get a cheat code when you're about to die?

Chapter 16 Lotus Root Feast

"Tianxi, could you go and tell them to come over for dinner tonight?" Angie asked.

"I'll go right away." Tianxi nodded.

"Remember to have Litwick and the others help notify the other Pokémon," Ange added.

If it were up to Diancie to notify them one by one, that would be quite a task.

"Okay."

With that, Diancie headed towards the direction where Candlelight Spirits lived, and soon disappeared from sight.

Anjie looked down at the little Snorlax and said, "Let's go home and take a hot bath first, and then start processing these lotus roots." Although they had already washed themselves in the river, there was still so much mud on their bodies that it was impossible to get them clean just by the river water.

As he spoke, he took the lotus root out of his system inventory and piled it in the corner by the door.

Where did "Gang~ Gang~" come from?

Seeing that Anjie had conjured lotus roots out of thin air again, the little Snorlax approached Anjie, tugged at his clothes, and touched him all over, trying to find the key.

"Alright, alright," Anjay said helplessly, removing the little Snorlax's hand. "Let's go home and take a bath."

"Gang~ Gang~"

Snorlax nodded, took Angel's hand, and led him to the bathroom on the second floor.

"Come on, Munchlax, sit down, I'll give you a bath first." Anjay filled the bathtub with hot water, then took a small stool and placed it in the middle of the bathroom, saying to Munchlax.

"Gang~ Gang~~~"

The little Snorlax nodded and obediently sat down on the stool.

Anjie first used the showerhead to wet the little Munchlax's body. The warm water flowed over its body, and the little Munchlax closed its eyes comfortably.

The Nibel Plateau was still quite chilly in autumn, and even Snorlax felt a bit cold after soaking in the water for a while.

Now, as soon as it was rinsed with hot water, it immediately felt the cold air inside its body being washed away.

As steam gradually filled the bathroom, Anjie felt her body warming up.

As Anjie gently stroked the little Snorlax's fur, she asked, "How is it? Is the water temperature right?"

"Gang~"

Snorlax gave Ange a thumbs-up in response.

After thoroughly wetting the little Snorlax's body, Anjay applied shampoo to it and then took out a brush to gently comb its fur.

It rolled around in the mud for a while, and its fur was almost matted.

"Gang~~"

The little Munchlax felt even more comfortable after being brushed like that.

After washing the little Munchlax clean, Anja used the showerhead to rinse off the bubbles, and then said to it, "Go take a bath in the bathtub. You worked hard digging lotus roots today. I put a medicine packet in the water to relieve fatigue. A bath will make you feel very comfortable."

This medicine was naturally purchased from the system store. It wasn't expensive; five happiness points could buy one pack, and each pack could be used once.

Anjie checked her happiness points balance; she had 14506 points left, finally exceeding 10,000.

Anjie hasn't spent much Happiness Points these days. Apart from buying some vegetable seeds when she opened the garden last time, she only bought medicine packets this time. Both the vegetable seeds and medicine packets are very cheap and don't cost many Happiness Points.

"Gang~ Gang~~"

After getting up from the stool, Munchlax didn't go to the bathtub, but instead went behind Angel and pushed him to sit on the stool.

"Are you going to scrub my back too?" Anjie asked.

"Gang~ Gangbi~"

The little Snorlax squinted and nodded.

An Jie sat down on the stool and laughed, "Then today I'll enjoy my apprentice's filial piety."

Although the little Snorlax didn't understand what "filial piety of an apprentice" meant, it still enthusiastically started rubbing Angie's back. Its chubby palms had soft pads underneath, which felt really comfortable on the body, but it was a bit too strong.

"Little Snorlax, go easy on me, go easy on me, you're going to crush me to pieces."

Is "Gang~ Gang~" okay?

Snorlax immediately adjusted its strength.

"That's it, that feels good."

Soon after, Anjie's continuous groans could be heard from the bathroom.

"Oh my, that's it, so comfortable."

"Yes, yes, right there~~~ massage it a couple more times."

……

"Gang~"

"Phew~"

After scrubbing themselves, the master and apprentice lay down in the bathtub together, immersing their bodies completely in the water except for their heads. They leaned against the edge of the tub, closed their eyes, and felt warm and cozy.

Anjie couldn't help but exclaim, "I definitely made the right choice buying this medicine kit; it's both effective and affordable."

After taking a medicinal bath, Anjie used a hairdryer to dry his hair and Munchlax's fur. The two of them immediately felt relaxed.

Because they had enjoyed the bath so much, the master and apprentice were now sprawled out on the sofa in the second-floor living room, looking completely boneless, and had no desire to get up and do any work.

"Gang~ Gang~~"

Even Snorlax's voice sounded a bit more languid than usual.

"Snorlax, be quiet, let me lie down a little longer, I'll get up and get to work soon," Anjay mumbled sleepily.

He and Munchlax lay there until sunset.

After some time, Anjie suddenly jumped up from the sofa. "What time is it?" He looked at the clock on the wall and realized it was already five o'clock in the afternoon.

"Oh no, oh no, we're going to be too late!" He quickly woke up Munchlax. "Mumplax, wake up, wake up, get up and get to work, or we'll be too late."

"Just?"

The little Snorlax opened its eyes groggily, then rubbed them again, looking like it hadn't had enough sleep.

"It's almost dark!"

"Just???"

Upon hearing this, the little Snorlax sprang up from the sofa as if its rear end was on fire, its action exactly the same as Ange's.

The master and apprentice changed their clothes as quickly as possible and rushed downstairs, only to find that everyone had already arrived.

In the hall, the Candle Spirit family, Trumpet Sparrow, Little Arrow Sparrow, Meow Meow, and Variegated Butterfly... all arrived. They gathered in twos and threes, chatting or playing and frolicking, making it very lively. Mud Loach and Catfish King also arrived as agreed.

When they saw Anja and Munchlax come down from upstairs, they waved and greeted them.

"Everyone's here? Wait a minute, I'll cook for you right away!"

As he spoke, Anjie took the little Snorlax and ran towards the door, intending to take the lotus root he had left there and wash it again, but the doorway was empty.

He didn't see lotus root, but he did see many Pokémon parents: Bellsprout's parents Victreebel and Bellsprout, Swabelle's parents two Altaria, Finch's parents Talonflame and Staraptor... (Note: In the game, a Pokémon's species follows its mother, but in the author's book, it's randomly determined by one of the parents.)

Clearly, they were worried about their children being left in a human's home so late, which is why they came to supervise them.

Upon seeing An Jie emerge, all the parents turned their attention to him simultaneously.

"H-Hello everyone!" Anjie suddenly felt immense pressure.

The parents quickly looked away.

Anjie didn't have time to pay attention to the indifferent parents and shouted loudly into the house, "Tianxi, where's the lotus root I left outside?"

Tianxi's voice came from inside the house, "I put them all in the kitchen!"

When Diancie returned, she found Angel and Munchlax sleeping soundly on the sofa. Not wanting to disturb them, she took the Pokémon that had already arrived and washed the lotus root, then put it in the kitchen.

Anja and Munchlax ran to the kitchen and, sure enough, saw the lotus root already washed and placed there. Anja smiled and said to Munchlax:

"Little Snorlax, let's get started. Can you take care of steaming the buns?"

These days, Anjax and Munchlax train together in the cooking room for one hour every day (outside of the day), and now Munchlax can make steamed buns on its own.

There were quite a few Pokémon invited to the lotus root feast, and if they were all served lotus root, it would definitely not be enough. So Anjai decided to use steamed buns as the main dish and lotus root as a side dish.

This way, everyone can eat their fill, enjoy the delicious taste of lotus root, and Anjie can also earn some happiness points along the way.

Pokémon don't earn Happiness Points from eating lotus root, but they do from eating steamed buns!

"Gang~~" Don't worry about it, Master!

The little Snorlax patted its chest confidently and said.

The master and apprentice then got to work.

Snorlax took a bag of flour from the cupboard, then took out yeast and other ingredients, and skillfully kneaded the dough.

Anjie then began processing the lotus root.

The first dish Anjie made was cold lotus root slices.

He quickly peeled the lotus root, then sliced ​​it thinly and soaked it in water for a while to prevent it from discoloring and looking unappetizing when stirred.

Next, put water into the pot, add a spoonful of vinegar, and once the water boils, add the lotus root slices. Blanch them and immediately remove them to a bowl.

Because there are many Pokémon eating, Ange makes a lot at once, so she can only use a bowl to hold it.

Next, prepare the dressing: chili peppers, chopped green onions, garlic, pour hot oil over them, and then add vinegar, sugar, cilantro, etc., and stir well.

An Jie's movements were fluid and seamless; in the blink of an eye, a cold lotus root salad was ready.

The recipe for cold lotus root slices is simple, but the taste is delicious. Anjie really likes this dish.

Seeing the little Munchlax kneading the dough while frequently glancing over, its nose twitching as if it were about to cry from craving, Anjay chuckled and asked, "Little Munchlax, can you taste it for me and tell me how it is?"

"Gang~~"

The little Snorlax's eyes lit up, and it immediately nodded excitedly.

"Ah~~"

It immediately opened its mouth wide.

Anjie used chopsticks to pick up a few slices and put them into the mouth of the little Munchlax. The little Munchlax was immediately won over by the crisp texture of the lotus root slices.

"Is it good?" Anjie asked with a smile.

"Gang~ Gang~"

The little Snorlax cupped its cheeks in its hands, its face filled with bliss.

From a chef's perspective, Anja's culinary skills are not particularly outstanding, far inferior to his grandfather's. Otherwise, he wouldn't have caused his grandfather's restaurant to go bankrupt in his previous life. But the little Munchlax didn't have much experience; in its eyes, Anja's food was already the ultimate delicacy.

"Alright, let's get back to work, or everyone will get impatient," Anjie said, patting the little Snorlax's belly.

"Gah~~" The little Snorlax nodded. Encouraged by the delicious food, it worked even harder.

After making the cold lotus root salad, Anjie continued to make stir-fried lotus root slices, fried lotus root sandwiches, sweet and sour lotus root cubes, and pan-fried lotus root cakes...

Soon, a rich aroma wafted from the kitchen, and the Pokémon playing in the living room immediately quieted down. They closed their eyes, sniffed, and inhaled deeply.

"Yay! Yay!" It smells so good!

The mischievous panda couldn't resist the aroma and followed the scent toward the kitchen. Headband Thug, Little Lion, Skunk Pu, and Waiter Cat all followed behind him.

Anjie had just finished cooking a pot of lotus root soup when she turned around and saw the little ones' heads pressed against the door frame, peeking into the kitchen like a human pyramid.

Anjie said, both amused and exasperated, "It'll be ready soon. Hurry back and wait. If anyone misbehaves, they won't get any food."

"Ya cha~"

"Meow~"

"Lion~"

……

Upon hearing this, the little ones immediately recoiled as if they had heard something terrifying.

"Gam~ cam~ cam~~" Hahaha~~~

Upon seeing this, the little Snorlax immediately burst into laughter, its round belly bulging out.

It was steaming buns while secretly eating them. While everyone else was still hungry, its belly was already round and full, and there was even a piece of scallion stuck to the corner of its mouth.

Anjie took out a handkerchief and wiped its greasy mouth. "Alright, go tell everyone it's time to eat."

"Gang~~"

With a cheer, the little Snorlax dashed off.

Anja, Diancie, and Snorlax first carried the steamed buns out and distributed them to each Pokémon's food bowl. After all the Pokémon had received their food, they each brought out a bowl of cold lotus root slices, fried lotus root sandwiches, and sweet and sour lotus root cubes from the kitchen and served them to the Pokémon one by one with spoons.

Two food bowls were placed in front of each Pokémon, one for the staple food (steamed buns) and the other for the vegetables. Angie felt that she and Diancie were now somewhat like the uncles and aunties serving food in the cafeteria during her school days in her previous life.

Once all the food was served, Anjie announced, "Everyone, let's eat!"

The Pokémon couldn't wait any longer, and upon hearing Ange's words, they immediately grabbed their food bowls and began to feast.

"Meow meow meow~~" It's so delicious!!!

The cheeky cat wagged its tail happily.

Anjie opened the system interface and was surprised to find that her happiness points were increasing exceptionally quickly.

+ 200

+ 200

+ 200

……

Watching the constantly changing amount, Anjie suddenly realized that eating non-system-recommended dishes for Pokémon did not provide him with happiness points, but steamed buns paired with lotus root were twice as delicious, and naturally, the happiness level would also double.

If a Pokémon's happiness level is high, then the happiness points it provides will naturally increase as well!

So there was such a loophole to exploit! Anjie couldn't stop smiling.

He walked over to the mudskipper and the catfish king with a smile, "How is it? Is our food delicious?"

The mud loach and the catfish king were eating intently. They had never tasted such delicious food before. It turned out that the lotus root they usually ate could become so delicious after being cooked.

Are they really not dreaming?

However, as soon as they looked up, they saw Anjie grinning at them.

The two Pokémon shrank their heads.

Mom, I'm scared. This human's smile is terrifying.

"Is it good?" Anjie asked again.

The mud loach and the catfish king nodded quickly.

(End of this chapter)