The Roast Duck Restaurant

Gu Xiang Kai brought Nan Yue to the only shopping mall in City State 66, a place she had only briefly explored on the first floor before.

"The second floor is all restaurants. Take a look and see what you want to eat."

"You treated me last time, so it's my turn this time."

Gu Xiang Kai rubbed his nose. He usually didn't spend much, so he had plenty of points. Letting a young girl like Nan Yue pay last time had been a matter of courtesy, but he wasn't willing to be a free-loader now.

Nan Yue looked around with great interest. The mall wasn't large, with only four or five restaurants in total.

Unlike the stalls on the first floor or the snack shops on the street, these were places that could actually be called restaurants.

The names of the restaurants were direct and blunt: "Fish", "Chicken", "Beef."

They were named almost exclusively after the primary meat they served.

"Which one is good?"

Nan Yue looked at Gu Xiang Kai with sparkling eyes. He scratched the tip of his nose. "...I've never eaten here."

He wasn't someone who fussed over such things.

Nan Yue turned her head again, her gaze landing on the "Roast Duck Restaurant."

She still remembered that roast duck at Grandmother's house. It looked great but tasted like paper.

Gu Xiang Kai noticed her gaze and started walking that way. "That one it is, then."

The shop had four dining tables, but not a single customer. The owner sat outside alone, smoking with a melancholy expression.

"Boss, table for two."

Perhaps it had been too long since a customer arrived, as the owner actually froze for a second before springing up from his chair.

"Come in, come in! Have a seat inside."

As if performing a magic trick, the owner donned an apron and rubbed his hands together as he handed over a menu.

"Take a look at what you'd like."

The menu was simple and handwritten: roast duck, large for 20 points, small for 15.

There was also seaweed soup and vegetable soup, both 3 personal points per serving.

As Nan Yue stared at the menu, the owner glanced between her and Gu Xiang Kai, rubbing his hands together as he made a pitch without much hope. "Rice is one point per person, all you can eat."

Nan Yue pointed at the roast duck. "We'll take a large one. Do you have a preference for the soup?"

"Anything's fine."

"Then the vegetable soup."

The owner's eyes lit up with joy. "Right away! Please wait a moment, it'll be out shortly."

Nan Yue watched the owner run into the kitchen. She wanted to follow him in but felt it might be rude, so she waited with intense anticipation.

Gu Xiang Kai had originally intended to discuss their plans after forming a team, but seeing her entire focus on the duck, he kept his mouth shut.

About twenty minutes later, the owner emerged with the food.

The roast duck looked similar to what Nan Yue had seen at Grandmother's house. The crispy skin emitted an enticing aroma, and besides the scent of rendered fat, there was a faint hint of honey in the air.

The roast duck was brought out whole and placed on their table.

The owner rubbed two knives together with a shing sound. In the next moment, the blade broke through the charred, crispy skin, revealing the succulent, juicy meat inside.

It was unclear whether it was Nan Yue or Gu Xiang Kai who swallowed their saliva.

The owner expertly carved the duck into pieces, smiling proudly.

"I won't lie to you two. Out of the hundreds of digital city states, I daresay my roast duck skills could even rival those in some high-tier letter cities."

Nan Yue used the last of her willpower to listen to the owner's words before nodding and picking up a duck leg.

With a crunch, the aroma of oil exploded. The skin, roasted to a crisp with a honey glaze, paired with the richly flavored meat. A drop of clear oil even dripped onto the corner of Nan Yue's mouth.

Nan Yue froze, her expression showing a rare touch of childishness. She hadn't expected it to be this delicious.

She had only seen roast duck in textbooks before, and the night of eating paper roast duck at Grandmother's house had only intensified her obsession, which was why she chose this shop.

But she never imagined that roast duck could be this good!

Nan Yue buried her head in her food. Gu Xiang Kai was clearly tempted by the fragrant aroma as well, abandoning his usual stoic demeanor as they both began to eat heartily.

In the end, they even ordered a second duck.

Nan Yue's mind wanted more, but her stomach couldn't hold it, so the last half of the duck ended up in Gu Xiang Kai's belly.

Eating too much roast duck could be greasy, so the vegetable soup turned out to be the perfect choice.

Nan Yue was like a child seeing the world for the first time; everything was fresh to her.

Even a simple vegetable soup tasted like divine nectar to her.

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, Gu Xiang Kai went to settle the bill. The two of them then sat on the chairs of the mall's terrace, enjoying the breeze.

"What was your evaluation grade this time?"

Nan Yue felt that a team shouldn't have too many secrets, especially since she wasn't entirely clear on how the mission grading worked.

Gu Xiang Kai wasn't a sensitive person; he trusted his instincts, which by extension meant he trusted Nan Yue.

"B+. I got 600 personal points."

Nan Yue thought about it. Gu Xiang Kai was the type to only care about his own survival during a mission, so the clues he found were likely centered on himself. This evaluation grade wasn't unfair to him.

"I got an A+. 1200 personal points."

Nan Yue wasn't worried about Gu Xiang Kai having any designs on her points, and she trusted him.

Of course, she also had absolute confidence in her own strength.

"Impressive."

Gu Xiang Kai let out a whistle and slumped onto the bench. "Keep this momentum up, and you'll be able to head to the letter cities in another mission or two."

"By the way, what's our goal?"

"Number one?"

Nan Yue looked up at the sky. Unlike the Nameless City, the Digital Cities allowed one to see the sky. Nan Yue stared at the black canopy above.

"Yeah. Let's go to the highest point and see."

Nan Yue fell silent for a moment. "And while we're at it, let's find some meaning."

She had only been in the Digital Cities for a few days, yet her previous ideas had already been overturned.

The work of a scavenger was necessary, but no one felt it was honorable or pleasant. There was only pain, avoidance, and despair.

But they were destined to be scavengers. If they couldn't find meaning in their lives, they would only rot away in their missions. She didn't want that.

Gu Xiang Kai showed a bit of interest upon hearing this. "Meaning, huh..."

Nan Yue didn't speak further. She had her own small hidden motive.

If she reached the highest point, would it be possible to rid herself of that thing inside her?

Nan Yue and Gu Xiang Kai returned to the inn. Neither of them had aggressive personalities; they both planned to wait until their time limit was nearly up before entering the next mission.

When Nan Yue returned, Zhu Xi Ning still hadn't come back. She went to her room and put her student uniform into the quick-wash machine. In half an hour, the clothes were washed, dried, and ready—warm and clean.

Nan Yue lay on the bed. The slightly damp blankets were still warm. She closed her eyes, feeling the fear that usually spread from her heart, slowly filling her blood and marrow.

After a moment, Nan Yue opened her eyes and let out a soft sound of surprise.

Was it her imagination?

Today didn't seem as painful as before. Although the fear seeping into her limbs still made her heart tremble and her breathing difficult, the despair and suffocation that felt like falling into an eternal hell were much lighter.

She might actually be able to get a good night's sleep today.

Nan Yue didn't let this rare stroke of luck go to waste, sleeping until five o'clock the next morning before opening her eyes.

She felt her beating heart and looked out the window at the pitch-black darkness, her eyes filling with tears.

It felt as if she were gradually being reborn.