With Sherlock’s orders, the people in the Abandoned Ruins began to move with high efficiency.
Meanwhile, the target they were searching for had long since left the vicinity of the ruins and re-entered the northern side of the Abandoned Forest.
Lan Qingyou sat on her Magic Broom, flying leisurely through the air.
This time, she had it set to the first gear. Much like a tourist, she took in the scenery along the way as she slowly made her way toward the coordinates of Gu Xiaobei’s restaurant.
And it truly was a sight to see.
Although it was still part of the Abandoned Forest, the northern region looked vastly different from the south-central area where she resided.
For starters, the towering giant trees were gradually thinning out and shrinking in size, while the undergrowth became lower and denser.
Secondly, there were far more jagged rocks and streams.
Since this area was close to the Abandoned Mountains, there were countless small brooks formed by the melting of the pristine white snow.
Lan Qingyou even suspected that the lakes and marshes downstream were fed by this very snowmelt.
After several hours of leisurely flight, Lan Qingyou finally arrived at Gu Xiaobei’s coordinates just in time for noon.
Below her, she saw a stilt house nestled at the base of a mountain.
The stilt house had two floors, with a roof shaped like an inverted wooden boat, giving it a distinct Southeast Asian flair.
The ground floor was an open-air structure, with several tables and chairs woven from vines set upon the wooden floorboards. It looked like a place to enjoy tea and cool off.
The second floor was where the restaurant itself was located.
Looking through the windows from the outside, one could tell that the restaurant was designed for excellent ventilation and natural lighting.
In a hot and humid climate like Southeast Asia, this would have been perfect.
However, in the current snowy weather, it didn't look like it would be very good at retaining heat.
Yet, as Lan Qingyou flew into the second-floor restaurant through the stairwell, she was greeted by a wave of heat.
Looking closely, she realized that several stone kerosene stoves were working overtime inside the restaurant.
Furthermore, there were several fire pits placed beneath the dining tables.
Through sheer numbers alone, the freezing interior had been transformed into a subtropical zone. One could only say that Gu Xiaobei’s logic was truly unique.
After all, not just anyone could afford this level of consumption.
Only someone like her, backed by Lan Qingyou and Shang Chuan, could get priority access to so much kerosene; otherwise, this would have been impossible.
But from another perspective, it also showed just how profitable Gu Xiaobei’s restaurant was.
At the entrance between the first and second floors, a solid wood sign displayed the words “Delight Restaurant” in the Federation common script.
Currently, several diners were scattered about the restaurant in small groups, likely people from the surrounding area.
When they saw a woman dressed as a witch fly in from outside on a Magic Broom, their expressions shifted.
Is that a witch?
Is that the Witch of the Tower?
These two questions instantly popped into their minds.
It couldn't be helped; Lan Qingyou’s cosplay was so stereotypical that anyone seeing her would immediately make that association.
Crucially, an owl was perched on the broom, and the owl held a white mouse in its beak.
The more they looked, the more she fit the description.
Lan Qingyou, however, paid no mind to their stares.
After scanning the restaurant, she located the kitchen.
Then, under the stunned gazes of the crowd, she flew straight toward it.
Hey, hey, this is the Delight Restaurant! The kitchen is a restricted area. Even if you’re a witch, just barging in like that is going to cause trouble, right?
Almost everyone was waiting to see Lan Qingyou make a fool of herself.
After all, besides being expensive, the Delight Restaurant’s biggest 'feature' was its rules.
If anyone offended the rules set by the head chef, never mind getting a meal—they’d be lucky to leave with their lives.
“Gu Xiaobei, I’m here.”
As she reached the kitchen entrance, Lan Qingyou controlled her Magic Broom to come to a halt.
“Big boss!”
Gu Xiaobei, who had been busy in the kitchen, was initially a bit unhappy when she sensed someone trying to enter. To her, one person in the kitchen was enough; anyone else, no matter who they were, was just in the way.
But upon seeing Lan Qingyou, a smile immediately broke across her face.
“Is that the witch's broom? It looks so comfortable.”
Gu Xiaobei looked at the broom beneath Lan Qingyou with a hint of envy.
However, she didn't reach out to touch it.
She was in the middle of cooking, and if she touched it now, she’d have to wash her hands again, so she decided against it.
“It’s alright. It’s mostly The Star’s constant temperature clothes doing the heavy lifting. Otherwise, flying at an altitude of several hundred meters in this snowy weather would result in a cold, if not freezing to death.”
“Haha, a cold would be lucky. And what about this? Which one is Steel Wool?”
Looking at the owl and the white mouse on the broom, Gu Xiaobei wasn't quite sure.
While she knew Lan Qingyou had a monster for a pet, she had never known exactly what it was.
The only thing she knew was that Steel Wool loved eating beef.
“The owl is.”
Lan Qingyou poked the head of Steel Wool, who was standing on her head, and introduced Gu Xiaobei to it while it looked on in confusion.
“This is the big sister who always makes beef for you.”
“Hoot!”
At the mention of the word 'beef,' Steel Wool instantly perked up.
With a flick of its head, it tossed the white mouse into Lan Qingyou’s arms and flew onto Gu Xiaobei’s shoulder, rubbing its face against hers.
“Haha, that tickles!”
Having her first close encounter with a monster of this world, Gu Xiaobei wasn't afraid in the slightest; in fact, she was quite happy.
Even though her level was lower than Lan Qingyou’s.
Are you kidding? It was an owl, and a monster from this world at that.
Plus, it was so adorable.
Not taking the chance to pet it would have been Gu Xiaobei’s biggest regret.
“It seems to really like you. It especially likes your Dengying beef slices.”
Looking at Steel Wool’s behavior, Lan Qingyou knew exactly what the fellow was up to.
Acting cute.
Scamming for food and drinks.
There was no other explanation.
As expected...
“Is that so? Then big sister will treat you today!”
Gu Xiaobei fell for it.
Meanwhile, Steel Wool narrowed its eyes, wearing a look of sheer, arrogant triumph.
“What’s on the menu today?”
After giving Steel Wool a sidelong glance, Lan Qingyou asked Gu Xiaobei.
Since she was already here, not eating at the restaurant would be a huge insult to the head chef.
“Roasted Ridge-foot Goat Leg with Lemon-green Plum Sauce.”
“Oh! That sounds great. Give me a serving. Oh, and could you identify this little fellow for me while you're at it?”
As she spoke, Lan Qingyou lifted the white mouse by its tail.
Even then, the white mouse didn't struggle at all, hanging there like a corpse.
Strangely enough, this fellow had been listless ever since Lan Qingyou woke up this morning.
Heaven knows what kind of heartless trauma it had suffered last night.
All she knew was that Steel Wool had been in a great mood all day long.
Rate on N.U.
