The Thirteen Trials of the Deceptive Monk

"If ordinary customers prefer milder flavors, wouldn't this ingredient be wasted?"

Lu Wenjun brought out the radish strips as a side dish: "They can also be eaten with side dishes."

Huise sat down at the table and burst into laughter upon hearing this.

"Northeastern cuisine with radish dipping sauce, Cantonese cuisine with braised beef brisket, Sichuan cuisine with oil dipping sauce! Cabernet, look at this, Easterners really know how to cook. No matter how picky the customer is, they have a way to satisfy them."

Lu Wenjun was somewhat surprised; he hadn't expected his technique to be seen through so easily. Caboni clapped his hands a few times and said, "Lu, with your culinary skills, you'd definitely be better at Chinese food than Greek food. Why go through all that trouble to modify unfamiliar dishes?"

“After all, your restaurant is a Greek-style tavern, and I only put on an apron because I wanted to help out. If I served a stew from another cuisine, no matter how delicious it was, it would seem like I was ruining the place,” said Lü Wenjun.

Vilsa didn't bother to interrupt, instead devouring the freshly stewed beef brisket while everyone chatted. Huyser watched with a smile, shaking his head. "It seems I was wrong after all. Cabone, we can change the menu."

Cabone whistled, but Lü Wenjun shook his head and said seriously, "Madam, I think this is unnecessary."

"Oh?"

He stood up and said nostalgically, "In my hometown, there's a dish called 'cabbage and liver rolls,' have you ever heard of it?"

Even Huise shook her head this time, and Velsa replied, "Sounds delicious."

"Yes, that's a very delicious dish! It's made by wrapping foie gras in a layer of reticular fat between the pig's stomach and diaphragm, and deep-frying the pig's kidney into a long strip, then cutting it into pieces and serving it with a dipping sauce to cut through the richness. It was a very popular dish 30 to 40 years ago, but it's becoming increasingly rare now."

“Modern people’s tastes have changed; they don’t like eating such high-calorie, oily dishes,” Cabone said.

Lu Wenjun nodded: "But why were the old dishes so popular back then? Was it because the chefs of the past didn't understand aesthetics as well as the chefs of today? Or did culinary skills advance by leaps and bounds in just 40 years?"

No, changes in taste stem from changes in lifestyle. In the last century, meat was hard to come by, and spices were as precious as gold in the Middle Ages. In an era when ingredients were scarce, dishes that provided ample calories and aroma reflected the chef's dedication. Such chefs, with their customers' needs in mind and never cutting corners, were naturally very popular.

He looked at Huise and said gently, "It's just that times are changing too fast these days. No matter where you are, old brands have to keep up with the times, just like monsters have started to learn magic. But there are still customers who like the old flavors. If you like my changes, why not consider adding it as an option to the menu?"

"A dish can be prepared in both traditional and modern styles, and guests can choose whichever they prefer. What do you think?"

Hui Se picked up the wooden menu and pointed at it. The beef icon, which originally occupied a large portion of the menu, moved to the left, and the right half of the space was filled with a painting of braised beef brisket. It was Lu Wenjun's new redesign.

She glanced at the menu, her face lighting up. "Carberney, I think we need to find someone to help us. But they need to be as clever and charming as this child. Otherwise, my bad temper won't be able to handle it."

“In fact, we are currently hiring a kitchen helper…” Cabone said.

Lu Wenjun exclaimed with delight, "What a coincidence! I'm just short of money!"

卡伯尼闻言大笑：“一周2、4、6营业三天，帮厨每晚的工作时间约3小时，报酬是一个月4000魔币……”

“Don’t be so stingy! Are you poor?” Huther said.

"...If you're willing to work for a full semester, I'll throw in a copy of a different, original text as a year-end bonus." Cabone held out his hand. "What do you think?"

4000 Magic Coins = 4 months of basic living expenses = basic funds for sending letters to the outside world

A single original text equals at least one new technique not found in textbooks.

Without saying a word, Lü Wenjun shook hands: "Don't worry, I will definitely work hard!"

The employer and employee were both very satisfied with each other, and a pleasant work arrangement was thus finalized. It was already dark when Cabone picked up his backpack and clothes and handed them to the two men.

"The forest is colder at night than during the day, so pack your things and head back early."

Lu Wenjun thanked Wilsa, got dressed, and left. He stopped as he passed the old locust tree at the forest's exit.

“I said, Vilsa, we met here before, right?”

"Yes."

Lu Wenjun said slowly, "We put our clothes and schoolbags under the tree before entering the forest, right?"

Versa nodded.

"Then why did he just hand us the clothes so casually???"

After thinking for a long time, Versa said seriously, "I don't understand at all."

"Hey, this is really weird. I didn't feel anything was wrong at all in the tavern until I saw this tree, then I started to feel something was off." Lu Wenjun was a little nervous. "What kind of magic is that? Teleportation? Clothes summoning magic?"

"If you can't figure out the technique, consider their origins. They should both be of Greek origin, but they also have connections to Roman culture..."

"They disliked Christianity, which had existed for a long time...and even witnessed the fall of the Eastern Roman Empire..."

"There are chairs on the mountain in my hometown..."

The two walked and pondered, their expressions growing increasingly complex with each thought, until they both fell silent.

Vilsa also started to get nervous: "Huise... will be in a low mood in the second half of the year, which means her mood will improve in the spring..."

"Stop talking."

“Caberney… was one of her younger relatives who also liked alcohol…”

"Stop talking..."

"..."

The barbarians were truly sweating profusely.

Vilsa wiped her sweat: "You just taught them how to cook."

“You just said their food wasn’t good,” Lü Wenjun retorted.

"No, I really didn't expect that."

"I never expected this! Who could have imagined this?! It can't be! Absolutely impossible!!"

"Forget about what we just had. Immediately. Right now."

"Oh no, do that?! Absolutely not! Don't scare yourself!"

The young magicians silently kept their mouths shut.

That's right, you're just overthinking it, it's absolutely impossible.

The idea of ​​an ancient Greek god of wine opening a tavern next to a run-down university seems impossible... right?

Chapter 36 The Deadly Lingering Light

The next day, early morning.

The busy and chaotic first week of school has finally come to an end. The part-time job at the tavern will not officially start until the following Tuesday. Today is Lu Wenjun's first Saturday at the college.

It's free time—no classes, no assignments, no unexpected events, and certainly no overtime like working professionals or the matchmaking needs of older singles—that university students enjoy entirely at their own disposal. For Lü Wenjun, this is precisely—

It's a great time to have some fun!

Lu Wenjun pressed the back of his hand and said gently:

(Good morning, Miss Prophet! It's already 7:30, are you still lying in bed? It's me, your loyal agent, sneaking into your dreams to greet you.)

(Waaaaaahh ...

A small dog-like squeal echoed in his mind, and Lü Wenjun smiled happily.

It's really fun to tease this girl.

Sheen fired off a barrage of screams: (Are you out of your mind?! It's Saturday morning! You wake up at 7:30 on a weekend morning?!)

(I'm a secret agent, have you ever seen a secret agent who sleeps in?)

(Waaah!)

The prophet, still not fully awake, uttered a speechless sound. Lü Wenjun pressed his advantage: (And if I remember correctly, we're on a mission right now. As a liaison officer, maintaining constant communication should be a basic responsibility, right?)

(Waaaaah...) Sheen gritted his teeth. (Yes, that's true... I was careless just now. Do you have anything to report...?)

(It's nothing, I just wanted to tease you on a whim this morning.)

Lu Wenjun placed his hands over his chest in preparation for the impact. 0.5 seconds later, the Prophet's roar erupted from within him.

(Special Agent!!)

(Wow, that's amazing, even my chest is vibrating slightly.)

(I'm going to report you to Wang by my real name!)

(Are you sure you want to do this?) Lü Wenjun pondered. (Put yourself in Wang's shoes. On one side is a secret agent with a regular schedule, starting his planning for the organization early in the morning; on the other is a prophet who works day and night, still wearing his fluffy pajamas and nightcap, snuggled in his blankets, lost in his dreams as the sun rises. The latter reported the former for being too diligent... I feel like Wang's feelings will be very complicated...)

Sheen made a pillow-thumping sound: (Who would wear something so childish? I only need underwear to sleep!)

(This is truly valuable information; I've noted it down.)

(...)

(Our prophet is truly a mature and reliable woman (laughs))

(Ugh, oh my god!)

Lu Wenjun couldn't help but chuckle: (So, could it be that this time it's another open-ended chat like last time...?)

(Don't you dare imagine it! Stop before I've finished changing!!)

No, this kid is so funny. He's like a toad, jumping around when you poke him.

Lü Wenjun changed his tone: (Okay, now let's talk about something related to you.)

(I'm going to hang you, you piece of trash who makes fun of the younger generation.)

(From the perspective of your mission partner, Prophet, you currently have a significant weakness.)

Sheen sneered: (My most obvious weakness is that I can't punch you in the face across a secret realm.)

(That's a lack of control over one's emotions.) Lu Wenjun said calmly, (Making mistakes isn't a big problem; even the most experienced magician makes oversights. The quality of an expert lies in how to quickly recover from losses and make amends when problems are discovered. Let's take an example: if the knight had forgotten to turn off the camera last time, would she have panicked like you?)

(Sob...)

After making a cute gurgling sound, Sheen spoke: (If it's a knight, they'll start teasing you after they realize they've been exposed... It'll turn into a high-level contest between veterans...)

Lu Wenjun thought to himself, "High-level my foot! If that's the case, my boyish nature will be completely exposed in less than five minutes."

Thank goodness my liaison isn't a knight.

(But what about you? It's natural to feel shy and impatient, but it's a little worrying that it's lasted for so long. Let me tell you something else...)

Lu Wenjun lowered his voice: (I'm right behind you now.)

(What?!)

A series of clanging and clattering sounds. The sound of a foot slipping and hitting the bed. A scream of pain.

It's speculated that the little toe hit the bed leg.

Sheen unleashed his second roar of the day: (Agent Vess!!!!)

(Look, Miss Prophet's mental fortitude is worrying. What I just said was just a joke, but if an enemy were to infiltrate headquarters and get behind you, the success rate of fighting them with this mindset wouldn't be high.)

"(You...)" Sheen said reluctantly, "(You're right...)"

(As your partner, I feel it's my responsibility to train you.) Lü Wenjun patiently guided you. (I plan to launch surprise attacks on you from time to time starting today to cultivate an iron will in your mind. What do you think?)

Sheen was surprised: (Was it all for me...? I'm so touched... But is this just some high-sounding excuse to amuse someone...?)

(Haha, how could that be?)

(You, look me in the eyes and say it again.)

(No problem, turn on your camera.)

(Okay, wait for me... Hey you! I almost fell for it again!!)

You dug your own grave and jumped right into it.

(You still need to work harder, Prophet.) Lü Wenjun chuckled. (Now, let's get down to business.)

(What do you mean by "serious business"? There actually is something serious?)

(Currently, to conceal my identity, I am living with a powerful mage. If I were to initiate contact in person, she would likely detect it, which would be risky. Therefore, I will now initiate all contact myself, at least once a week.)

(That's fine, the on-site judgment will naturally be based on your assessment...) Sheen realized, (So that's why you said there would be a surprise attack? Was it to let me get used to it?)

(This method might be more effective for you.)

Sheen muttered: (This feeling of being tricked yet being taken care of... How come you've already hooked up with a powerful backer after only a few days of school? If you're going to be powerful, you should at least be a legendary figure in actual combat...)

(Putting aside her talent, she is a very beautiful girl.)

(His scumbag vibe is overflowing, it's terrifying.) Sheen shrank back. (Okay, that's settled then. Report back immediately if anything happens. But if I detect any emergency, I'll contact you right away.)

Lu Wenjun responded, ended the call, and lay back down on the bed with satisfaction.

Receiving random calls from Sheen every day isn't a good idea; just in case, it's best to keep control of the communication. If Sheen calls during class and a professor happens to glance over, his life would be in real turmoil.