Academic gathering with Lich colleagues

The food street is located in the central area. Various stalls stand on both sides of a complete street. The black and white colors are clearly divided from the center. Without much thought, the darker colors naturally represent the dark area stalls on the chaotic side.

Although Xiaoming preferred the food in the Light Zone, Yanxin had already walked to a stall in the Dark Zone and started chatting with the owner.

The boss was also dressed as a human, perhaps a puppet or a magical doll.

Those who can withstand the intense heat of the Flame Demon are definitely not ordinary humans.

"Xiao Ming, come and see!" Hearing the girl's call, the paladin immediately went over.

The girl held a poorly presented cookie in her hand; its charred black exterior remained unchanged even within the realm of the Ice Stone. This meant that the shop's craftsmanship was fundamentally substandard.

"Xiaoming, these are cookies made by the shop manager, Mr. Baker. They look so cute!"

The paladin couldn't understand the Flame Demon Girl's aesthetic sense at all; that lump of coal-like food was hardly cute.

Mr. Baker's face remained cold, but his eyebrows had softened considerably in response to Rufus's praise.

"It's not a cookie, it should be 'Burning the Literary Society Cookies'."

What kind of weird name is that? Xiao Ming looked at his counter, which had five small boxes filled with similar cookies, all the same black color and the same shape. Xiao Ming even suspected that this guy was a despicable conman trying to scam people out of the food street, because of the ban on fighting, the city's scammers had become much more open about it.

Xiao Ming didn't like this kind of food, and he didn't want these cookies to ruin Rufus Flameheart's date.

“Rufuy, how about we go check out that over there?” The paladin pointed to a shop across the street with a sign that read “Sailor’s House.” “Sailor’s House is a long-established restaurant in the City of Wanderers. Their signature dish, ‘Old Sailor’s Pancakes,’ will absolutely make you fall in love with the taste of sea salt and orange marmalade. What do you say, shall we go check it out?”

Even in Xiaoming's description, the Flame Demon Girl's eyes were wide open, clearly showing her immense curiosity about the new food. "But the baker has already recommended his food to me. Shouldn't I try it? Wouldn't that be inappropriate?"

"Rufuy shouldn't try anything that looks unappetizing."

"Miss Flame Demon, there's no need to give this man, who looks like he has no brains, a second chance."

The same tone, similar sentences, different people, the same frown.

The shop manager, Mr. Baker, and Paladin Xiaoming exchanged glances, and the tense atmosphere began to escalate.

"I...I'm not planning to try it with Xiaoming right now..." Rufus covered her face, the sudden burst of fiery nova revealing the girl's shyness.

This also escalated the standoff between the two.

Xiao Ming looked at Mr. Baking, who was staring at him with a deadpan expression.

"Where are you from? Andre Culinary Studio? Never heard of that name. Then let me ask you, Mr. Baking, what makes you think your skills can surpass my favorite 'Old Sailor's Pancake'?"

Mr. Baker raised his head. “Because I can easily replicate any human dish. Just give me the recipe, no, just let me taste it, and I can recreate its original flavor. Even surpass it. The cookies I bake don’t turn into charcoal because I can’t make them look better; they’re charred because I want them to look this way.”

Looking into Baking's eyes, Xiao Ming was already somewhat convinced; a person's eyes can reveal a lot. But how could he show weakness in front of Rufus?

"You have no idea what 'Old Sailor's Pancakes' are!"

"I really don't know about it. You seem to be a regular customer of that seamen's house, right? Why don't you explain what 'old sailor's pancakes' are?"

Relying on his memory, Xiaoming began to introduce the famous dishes of Seamen's House.

As Mr. Baking explained, he stroked his chin, sometimes nodding, sometimes shaking his head. After Xiaoming finished speaking, he felt parched, but seeing the Flame Demon Girl's year-long adoration and anticipation made him feel much better.

Mr. Baking spoke.

So, is there really an old sailor in the old sailor's pancake?

"?" Xiao Ming picked at his ear. "What did you say?"

"I said, does the so-called 'Old Sailor Pancake' actually include an old sailor? Otherwise, why would it be called an 'Old Sailor Pancake'?"

Xiao Ming felt that this person was being unreasonable, so he retorted.

"Hehe, did you add the Literature Club to your Burning Literature Club cookies?"

"I've added it."

"Huh?" Xiaoming looked at the biscuits on the table, which looked like charcoal. "You added something?"

“I added it,” Mr. Baker said casually, pulling open a drawer and taking out a thigh bone that was only half intact. “I added bone meal made from the bones of members of the Literary Society. It’s in every single cookie.”

Paladin Xiaoming finally realized that Mr. Baker was a lich, an evil lich who would even burn his own companions to ashes. These cookies were bone ash cookies.

"This……"

"Amazing!" The Flame Demon Girl showed no discomfort whatsoever, excitedly looking at the cookies in her hand. "There really is a literature club inside!"

Those are cremation biscuits! Xiao Ming watched as Rufus took a bite of the biscuit and then grimaced in disbelief.

With her small lips making a simple chewing motion, the girl suddenly opened her eyes wide.

"Delicious!!!" Rufus Flameheart pulled Xiaoming's arm and jumped around on the spot. This kind of cookie seemed to suit her taste very well.

The Balrog doesn't have human funeral customs, so she doesn't have much aversion to ashes. Since she likes them, let's buy some.

Xiao Ming looked at the five small boxes of cookies on the table and casually picked up one of them.

How much is this?

"Ten Orioles".

"So expensive, it's just a box of cookies," Xiao Ming thought of his life as a paladin, living a life of asceticism and abstinence. When had he ever been so extravagant? "Well, as long as Rufus is happy, that's all that matters."

"Ten Oreos for a cookie."

You stupid lich! Why don't you just rob it yourself!

Xiao Ming roared inwardly that he had not inherited any family property upon his return; all his possessions consisted of the hundred-odd Oliviers he had saved during his time as a Paladin.

Let's look at the other cookies. There are still four boxes here.

result……

"Twenty Orioles, one dollar."

"Thirty Orioles, one dollar."

"Forty Orioles, one dollar."

"Fifty Orioles, one dollar."

Xiao Ming flew into a rage. He picked up a cookie and yelled at the bakery, "Are there diamonds in these cookies?! Why are they so expensive? Don't you know how to do business?! These cookies look the same, so why is there such a big price difference?!"

Mr. Baker straightened his chef's hat and said calmly.

"No diamonds were added; bone meal was added instead."

"I'm a chef by profession, I don't know how to do business."

"These cookies, arranged in different boxes, look the same, but they're essentially the same. As for the price, well, I was too lazy to get change, so I just grabbed whatever I could find."

Xiao Ming stared at the lich in shock.

"Isn't this fraud? Those who bought the expensive cookies are losing money hand over fist!"

Mr. Baking paused.

"Price and value are relative. There will always be someone who needs these cookies and will pay for them."

"I don't believe anyone would be that stupid."

Just as Xiaoming and Mr. Baker were arguing, two figures walked over. They were dressed in long robes, a mixture of luxury and decay, majesty and frailty.

Such a unique presence made the entire food street a bit calmer.

"Brother Morokui! The Literary Society is really wicked!" The green dragon priest waved his fist in the air, following closely behind the blue dragon priest.

"Sigh~" Moroki covered her face, not wanting to look at the clown behind her. "Of course, my sister, Irason, I've prepared everything."

The dragon priest, imbued with powerful magic, arrived at Mr. Baker's stall.

"Peace and happiness, scholar teacher." The baking gentleman bowed.

“Anle, Guy. Oh, no, Mr. Baking.” The scholar turned his head, saw the young man and woman standing to the side, and nodded slightly.

"Baking, I heard that you added..."

"The ashes of the literary society."

"I want it all."

Xiao Ming watched as the baker packaged everything and handed it to the dignified elder in front of him.

"A total of 100,000 Oreos, scholar teacher."

Huh? One hundred thousand? This shameless chef raised the price at the last minute, and it's even for his own teacher!

"Thank you, Baking, here's 100,000." The scholar took the cookie box and tossed a magic money bag onto the baking table.

The scholar then handed the biscuits to Irason.

"Here you go, my sister, cookies made from the ashes of the literary society. Is that enough to make you feel better?"

“Brother Moroki! You’re the best! I’ll take the cookies back right now and let Hines finish them. He’s been tormented by those lazybones for too long; let him vent his anger!”

"Cough cough cough... Irason, why don't you eat it for him? Hines will be very happy to see the elder personally stand up for him."

"Alright! I am the most reliable elder of the Dream Elf! I must indeed demonstrate my strength! Then, elder brother, I will return now! Goodbye!"

"Goodbye, my sister." The scholar watched the green dragon priestess's departing figure and breathed a sigh of relief. "Finally, she's gone. I can finally continue my research."

A portal appeared beneath the scholar's feet, and all was quiet again.

The two young people looked at each other. "Rufie, we're out of cookies."

"It's okay, there's still a little bit left." The girl held up a cookie with a tooth mark on it. "Xiaoming, do you want to try a bite?"

Before Xiaoming could refuse, Rufus Flameheart had already leaned against his chest, pressing her body close to his, and fed the cookie in her hand to Xiaoming's mouth.

After chewing unconsciously, Xiaoming opened his eyes wide.

"Delicious! How can it be so delicious!" Xiao Ming realized that he had misjudged Mr. Baking; he was a master cookie maker.

The blissful feeling of tasting the delicious food brought a smile to Xiaoming's face. Like Rufus, they looked at each other with joyful smiles.

Mr. Baker picked up his money bag and looked at the man and woman standing close together in front of his shop with a disgusted expression.

"You haven't paid for that cookie yet."

"Okay, Mr. Baking." Xiaoming was in a good mood now.

"100,000 Oreos".

"???" Xiaoming was in a bad mood. "What happened? Rufus clearly took the cookies from the Ten Gold Boxes."

"The price has gone up. I just made the decision."