“It was just on a whim.”
At the time, he had only done it because he was interested in the system. It truly had been done on a whim.
“Hmph! What a perfunctory answer,” Loviki grumbled, rolling her eyes as she helped clear away the nearby gravel.
“Then how about this answer: it was to get closer to you?”
Loviki's hand paused, and she didn't say anything for a long while.
Flora squatted beside her backpack, tilting her head to look at Loviki with a smile on her face.
“Liar. When I first joined the guild, you had already finished registering and were about to leave.” Loviki took off the backpack on her shoulders.
“Yeah, I was lying to you,” Chen Mian admitted readily.
Loviki looked up and glared at him, but her gaze carried no bite whatsoever.
Flora finally let out a soft chuckle and continued what she was doing, pulling out the red mushrooms she had picked on the way from her backpack. Each was about the size of a palm.
“Flora, are we eating these mushrooms tonight?”
“Yes, these are called Honey-Crystal Mushrooms. They only grow in cold places with abundant mana,” Flora explained, holding up one of the mushrooms to show her.
“Are they delicious?”
“Yes! Both the elf recipes and Keyins's logs mention that this mushroom is perfect for grilling. It's very tender and incredibly juicy.” After taking out the necessary items from her backpack, Flora used larger pieces of gravel to build a simple grill. “Loviki, could you help look outside to see if there's any usable firewood?”
“Sure. We're not using magic to heat it?” Loviki asked as she rummaged through her backpack, finally pulling out a ruby pendant and casually hanging it around her neck.
“Grilling them over charcoal makes them taste much more fragrant.”
“What are you doing?”
“I'm putting on another valuable gem before going out, just in case they decide not to show up.”
“You're really not afraid of being outmatched when the time comes?” Chen Mian looked up, a smile playing on his lips.
“Im! Pos! Sible! I'm going to look for firewood.” With that, Loviki pushed the door open and walked out without looking back.
“Alright, stay safe~”
...
Once the firewood Loviki brought back was lit, the entire room warmed up significantly.
Flora used a small knife to separate the washed caps and stems of the Honey-Crystal Mushrooms, placing them in different containers. “The caps of the Honey-Crystal Mushrooms can be grilled. Once cooked, they'll hold a lot of juice, and their texture will become exceptionally tender and smooth, with a floral aroma. The stems have much less juice and a crunchier texture, which are great for pan-searing with honey and butter.”
Flora sliced the stems into thin pieces and added a pat of butter to the pan. Before long, the rich aroma of butter filled the air. She neatly arranged the sliced stems in the pan one by one, pan-searing them over low heat. Once both sides of the mushroom slices turned slightly golden, she added two spoonfuls of honey. Soon, the honey-butter pan-seared Honey-Crystal Mushrooms were ready.
The campfire crackled and danced in the center of the stone chamber. The three of them sat close together, circling the fire.
Holding a pair of chopsticks, Loviki picked up a slice of the pan-seared mushroom stem and took small bites. The juices seeped from the edges of the mushroom slice, shimmering slightly in the firelight.
On the makeshift grill next to the campfire, four palm-sized mushroom caps were placed upside down on a thin, perforated stone slab, with red-hot charcoal beneath them. By now, a generous amount of juice had welled up inside the mushroom caps. Heated by the charcoal, the liquid bubbled gently, releasing a rich, savory aroma.
Flora picked up a grilled cap with her tongs and placed it on a clean stone slab. “Here you go, Mr. Chen Mian! It tastes best while it's hot.”
“This one is for Loviki.” She picked up another grilled cap.
Loviki took the stone slab, bowed her head, and took a bite of the grilled mushroom, sipping some of the broth along with it. “So savory! It's way more tender than the stem just now, and the taste is different too. It has a floral fragrance and the natural sweetness of mushrooms!”
“The caps of Honey-Crystal Mushrooms store a lot of liquid. Once grilled, their sweetness and internal juices are fully unlocked.” Flora took a bite herself. “I only added a pinch of salt this time.”
“Can we plant some of these next to the apartment? The recipe is so simple, I could grill them for snacks whenever I want,” Loviki asked expectantly.
Chen Mian looked at the juicy mushroom in his hand, then turned to Flora. “Will they grow as long as there is enough mana and the environment is cold enough?”
“Yes!”
“Then let's save some to bring back and plant.”
“Okay~”
“Chen Mian, you really are a great landlord!”
“Even if you praise me, you still have to pay the rent you owe.”
“I'll give you this ruby pendant as compensation!”
“No, thanks.”
“Do you think they'll come?” Loviki stuffed the last bite of the mushroom cap into her mouth and asked casually.
“Even if they don't show up here, they might have already targeted you. If they don't make a move on the third floor, they might follow us to the fourth,” Chen Mian said.
As the three of them chatted, the topic drifted from the criminal organization in the dungeon to Wigtan's Ice and Fire Festival, then to the grapes that should have already borne fruit in the garden, the unfinished games on the console back in their rooms, and what they wanted to do once they returned to the apartment.
After chatting for who knew how long, Loviki's voice gradually grew softer, and her eyelids began to droop.
Since entering the dungeon, Loviki had undoubtedly been the most exhausted one. She had been walking all day and had fought several battles; once she relaxed, sleepiness instantly washed over her.
Loviki's head tilted, resting against Chen Mian's shoulder. She even nudged against him unconsciously, finding a more comfortable position before falling fast asleep, her long eyelashes resting quietly in the firelight.
Chen Mian looked down at Loviki leaning against his left side and sat up slightly straighter.
Just then, a gentle touch came from his right shoulder. “May I lean on you for a bit too?”
“Sure. Are you tired?”
“A little.” Flora's face flushed a deep, bright red.
Chen Mian retrieved a blanket from his storage space to cover both of them, then poked the fire with a piece of wood to make it burn brighter. “Go to sleep. Don't worry about anything else. With me here, you're perfectly safe.”
“Mm... Mr. Chen Mian seems a little different now.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes.”
...
Chen Mian sat leaning against the wall. Flora and Loviki were already fast asleep, wrapped snugly in the blanket.
The only sounds left in the room were the crackling of the campfire and the steady, rhythmic breathing of the three.
In a fork in the corridor about two hundred meters away from this dungeon room, several dark figures stood in a corner, whispering to one another.
“Loviki of the Lawrence Family is in that room. Judging by the battle traces, she must have been the one who killed the Giant Blade Demon.” The speaker was a man wrapped in a gray cloak. “The elf and the young man have much weaker mana, likely at the Gold Rank. Elves are rare and can fetch a high price on the black market. As for that man... nothing stands out about him. He's probably just an ordinary Gold Rank adventurer.”
“The Mana-Suppression Barrier can still be used three times. Once activated, anyone within a twenty-meter radius—even Diamond Ranks—will be suppressed to Level 1 for ten seconds.” The speaker was tall and thin, with a long scar stretching across the exposed half of his face. “As long as we capture the genius girl of the Lawrence Family, we'll easily recoup our losses and reap plenty of benefits. That noble girl must have brought quite a few treasures with her.”
“We'll make our move once the night deepens. Bring the other two Giant Blade Demons along as well, and leave one person behind to activate the barrier,” the scar-faced man said, narrowing his eyes.
Rate on N.U.
