A Stay-At-Home Dad's Restaurent In An Alternate World

by Stayrr

There is a very strange restaurant in the City of Sin. Elves and dwarves must share a table, orcs are strangely well behaved, dragons are only welcomed on the small square in front of the restaurant, and the demons must bring their own stool. This strange restaurant with their strange rules continuous to attract a long line of customers. “This place serves the best food! The chef

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Chapter 1: Little Loli In My House

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

"Father… Father…"

Mag Shen heard a crisp and childish voice seemingly calling to him. He moved his fingers, and suddenly caught something very tender; his desire to survive exploded in a sudden outburst, and he quickly sat up and opened his eyes, only to be rooted to the spot.

What is this place? he thought to himself.

Am I saved, or have I transmigrated to another world?

Mag Shen could still remember that he was catching the king crab in his own yacht just a moment ago, for which purpose he had gone to the trouble of dragging the chef of Imperial Restaurant with him. Who would have thought that, sitting at the stern, he would get thrown right into the sea by a huge wave instead of catching any crab? In his disorientation, he heard women cry and water splash, and then everything lapsed into silence.

When he came to, he found himself in a room that was rather European in style, holding the hand of a silver-haired little girl about four or five years old.

Before he even got a chance to speak, numerous messages flooded into his head, blocking all his sensation of the outside world. It was so very similar to the moment when he drowned.

In his previous life, Mag Shen was somewhat of a famous rich second generation, but he preferred to call himself a gourmet, and had no interest whatsoever in inheriting family business; instead, he was much more interested in tasting all the famous food around the world and writing comments in his microblog on every gourmet restaurant he tried. Because of his incisive, vicious comments and his extravagance to try almost all the Michelin restaurants, he had secured tens of millions of fans in just two or three years.

He believed his comments were authentic and fair, though mainly focusing on the flaws, with his words being exaggerated; still, he was always receiving thousands of messages cursing him, condemning him to drown in the sea or be a cook for his whole next life, which made him pretty upset.

Come to think of it, the drowning this time… could it be a dream come true for them? God, can you be any meaner to me? he thought.

Before he could think further, he got attracted by those messages. There he saw another dramatic life, tough yet fascinating. He was certain that he had traveled to another world, and that his soul had possessed the body of a disheartened knight, who could no longer lift his own heavy sword.

Part of those messages and emotions were beginning to slowly fuse with him, and he could do nothing but accept it.

This was a fantasy land where giant dragons, demons, orcs, elves, dwarves, humans, and many others lived together.

A hundred years ago, all the species on the Norland Continent signed an armistice, putting an end to the war among all species that lasted for a thousand years. Therefore, all of them got a chance to rest and recover in their respective lands.

However, a thousand-year-long conflict could not be settled once and for all with just a piece of paper; regional conflicts continued, but were normally kept to the border areas as if secretly agreed upon. No large-scale war among different species was waged.

The man Mag Shen possessed was known as Mag Alex. The Alex Family was a glorious family, existing on this continent for hundreds of years, during which they were guarding the borders for humans all along, having not even once let orcs come near the borders.

However, three hundred years ago, their fortress was breached by a force of orcs and demons allied together. The whole family was almost wiped out. The once glorious Alex Family had fallen ever since, and only several small branches survived. By the time of Mag Alex, he was the only heir.

But Mag Alex had shown his exceptional skills since he'd joined the army. His strong body and military skills helped him earn his leaders' high regard, gain a lot of honor and glory, and become the youngest Griffin Rider in just a few years. He was the hottest young man in the whole empire, known as the successor of the empire's commander and the man to restore the Alex Family's glory.

Had it not been for the dark night three years ago, he would have been a man standing on the top of the whole continent.

That night, elves, demons and human magic casters attacked him together. They ruined his hands that once held a sword, cut his Achilles tendons, and left a barely one-year-old baby with him.

It was his child, born for him by an elf princess. The irreconcilable hatred between species resulted in him being betrayed by his most trusted friend; he had fallen to the bottom.

His broken limbs were barely cured by his old friend, but couldn't hold a sword anymore. He'd changed his face and carried his child to the Chaos City to start from scratch there—a father and a daughter trying to make a living together.

Their days were very hard, and to make matters worse, a little cold put an end to this knight's miserable life. He died with regret, but his death provided a chance for Mag Shen to travel to this world.

The sad end of a hero made Mag Shen sigh with emotion. However, he didn't feel the knight's obsession with seeking vengeance; instead, he felt a lot of worry about how his daughter would survive.

Rest assured and be at peace. I won't avenge you, but I'll take good care of your little girl. Mag Shen made a promise in his mind, and then all the messages suddenly vanished like a receding tide, along with the last trace of obsession.

He was still Mag Shen, only that Mag Alex's whole memory stayed, and so did part of his emotions.

I guess I'll use the name 'Mag' from now on, Mag Shen thought.

When he woke up again, his eyes became clearer, and fits of feebleness pervaded his whole body.

"What's wrong, Father?" The little girl still had her hand held by him, tension all over her small face.

Mag's eyes softened a little. The little girl kneeling down beside his bed had long silver hair hanging down loosely on her shoulder, a pair of clear and beautiful blue eyes, half-covered little pointy ears, and soft skin which she got from her elf mother. Her clothes made from cotton and linen were old and gray, but she was very cute and adorable, making you want to kiss her.

This was Mag Alex's daughter, Amy, and she was his daughter now.

Mag hadn't got married in his previous life, let alone had any children, so he had no idea how to get along with them. However, he had got the whole memory from his predecessor, and watching Amy's nervous little face, he felt like he was looking at his own child. The impulse to want to be intimate with her made his heart race. In the previous life, his parents were too busy doing business to care about him, which made him expect… expect the feeling of being a father.

"I… I'm okay, Amy 1 . Don't worry."

Clumsily, he stroked her hair with his hand, his voice a little hoarse.

Her smooth hair had a pleasant touch, and touched his heart—she was hisdaughter! The subtle sense of father-daughter bond was very fascinating.

"Okay. I'm glad you're okay." Rubbing Mag's hand with her hair and slightly narrowing her eyes like a cute kitten, Amy pouted like a spoiled child. "But, Father, Amy is hungry. Make something good for me."

Mag felt like his heart was going to be melted by her cuteness, and he was ready to get the stars from the sky for her, but cooking was really a headache for him.

He sure had had a lot of good things to eat, but speaking of cooking, he had never even touched the kitchen knife. He tried to find something useful in his predecessor's memory, only to find out that his predecessor's menu was so lame that he didn't even want to try. He was thinking about eating out.

Then, suddenly, a neutral voice sounded in his head. "God of Cookery Cultivation System, start!"

Mag was taken aback. What the heck? he thought. God of Cookery Cultivation System? How did this thing wind up in my head? Maybe it has something to do with this transmigration?

The neutral voice continued, "In the previous life, the host had recklessly ruined a lot of restaurants' years, or even nearly a hundred years, of reputation, accumulating too much resentment from the cooks, so the God upstairs devised this God of Cookery Cultivation System to supervise the host to learn culinary skills in this world so as to make the host the God of Cookery. Since the host has little talent in cooking, the system will issue missions irregularly to assist the host. While completing missions will be rewarded, failing them will be met with punishment."

Listening to the voice in his head, Mag froze for a long while before realizing what had happened. Damn! You must be kidding! he thought. I have traveled to this world just because my comments were too vicious for those restaurants? And because of that, you've brought me here to start afresh, and even went to the trouble of devising a God of Cookery Cultivation System to help me cook?

He remembered the message that he received the most in his previous life: Hope you become a cook in the next life!

Suddenly, an expression flew across his mind: everything gets a return…

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Chapter 2: A Little Dream And A Purpose

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

Come on! Mag thought. I just randomly wrote something; the words might have been mean and vicious, and dozens of restaurants might have been shut down, but do you really have to go out of your way to make me a cook?!

The thought of being supervised by a system to learn to cook made Mag quite depressed. Being able to cook something regular is one thing, but becoming the God of Cookery is totally another!

God of Cookery? Are you freaking kidding me?! Mag was enraged.

"Father, are you feeling alright?" Amy asked worriedly while reaching out with her hand to touch Mag's face. She had a feeling that today's father was different than usual, but couldn't tell what had changed.

The warm touch on his face brought Mag back. He tried his best to calm down, and managed a weak smile, and then he searched in his memory and fumbled in his pockets. He found the last two copper coins, and put them in Amy's little hand. "Amy, go buy two pancakes. We don't cook tonight."

"Really? Amy loves pancakes!" Amy smiled in surprise immediately. Holding the two coins, she crawled to Mag to kiss his face, and then got out of bed, putting on her shoes, and ran happily on her short legs towards the door.

Somehow, Mag's heart ached a little as he watched Amy disappear at the door. Pancakes were made from coarse grain, and sold at one copper each. The last few years, they barely had enough to get by from Mag Alex's miscellaneous work at the guild, so pancakes were such a luxury that Mag only bought one for Amy during festivals.

Amy was very good and smart, so even though she loved pancakes, she never asked for them herself.

The system just came out of nowhere and now just disappeared? Mag thought.

Leaning on his arms, Mag struggled to get up from his bed, and dragged himself in the straw shoes on the ground towards an old, broken bronze mirror. He took a look at his reflection.

His skin was a little yellow from long-time malnutrition and sunburn, but his face was almost the same as his previous self's. Only the long brown hair curling behind his head and the whiskers all over his face made him look a bit messy.

What a waste of a good figure! Mag thought. He would scare little kids with this look. How could he live with such a cute little girl with this face?

After that incident, his predecessor almost gave up. If it were not for Amy, he might have ended his glorious life on that night three years ago.

The little girl sure has suffered a lot with you. Leave it to me to make it up to her!Mag clenched his fist, but felt little strength.

One couldn't derive much strength from the once broken limbs. Mag felt like a useless man—he could barely clench his fists.

Moreover, in the house, there was almost nothing but bare walls—only one bed with one small cloth blanket for Amy when she went to bed.

Let alone the God of Cookery, with the last two coins gone, tomorrow's food was still a problem. It seemed like the key to all of this fell on that system.

Just now, the neutral voice of the system started again. "The system has issued the first mission: own a restaurant. The host needs only supply the land, and system will decorate and coordinate the whole restaurant based on host's chosen style. The time limit is three days. Success will be rewarded, and failing the mission will be punished."

Own a restaurant? Mag froze for an instant, but when he heard the words after that, he smiled happily, suddenly thinking this system wasn't that bad after all.

His predecessor might have had a bad life, but the good thing might be having bought this two-story house first thing when he got to Chaos City. To be sure, the house was very old and located at a far corner of the Aden Square, but it was all his.

Moreover, though it was isolated, the first floor was a decent place to open a store, and there were people who had wanted to rent it but got turned down by that stubborn knight. Otherwise, how could the pancake that cost one copper each become a luxury for them?

Mag walked slowly down with his hand leaning on the wall. The wooden floor creaked from oldness, and some stairs were already broken—it was totally a ramshackle building.

At long last, Mag reached downstairs, gasping heavily. This body was indeed so weak. In the old days, he could tear orcs apart with his bare hands, but now, he had to rest after only a few steps. Now Mag understood somewhat why he would have given up. If it had been him, he might not have had the strength to go on, either.

"System, after completing the mission, is there a reward to recover my health?" Mag asked in his mind, clenching his fist subconsciously.

"Not for now," the system replied emotionlessly.

Not for now? Does that mean there might be one in the future? Mag's eyes brightened. If he had to keep on living like this, he wasn't sure how long he could last, but if he could recover somehow… even if not as strong as the once formidable chief knight, he was satisfied to be a normal person.

In his previous life, he had money, women, power… everything. He was born in a position others couldn't reach their whole life, so for a long time after he turned 30, he thought about life, and wanted to know exactly what he wanted from it, but he didn't find it.

At that time, commenting on food and restaurants was his favorite activity. He was a little picky and addicted to vicious criticism, but it was just a win by words as he felt emptier when he looked at those comments afterwards.

Now, everything was different. He got a cute daughter, and lived at the bottom. Whether it was for his recovery or for giving his daughter a better life, he had to try his best and work long and hard to learn to cook and open a restaurant.

Having cleared up his dream and purpose all of a sudden, Mag suddenly felt alive again.

Noble lords are stomping their feet while waiting in the long line; elves are stuffing kebabs, paying no mind to their manners; giant dragons are sitting around a hot pot, strainers in their hands; demons are eating nice-looking dango… Mag pictured this visual in his head, finding it more interesting all of a sudden.

The first floor had a lot of room, and by removing the half wall in the middle, more than 80 square meters was available. On the floor were some boards and stuff; on the backside was a kitchen, dark and plain.

He'd rather leave this place unused than rent it out! No wonder he had no money…Mag shook his head, not understanding him. One sowed, and another reaped. At least his first mission's requirement was met, so he immediately said in his mind, "I provide this land for the restaurant."

"The system has confirmed that this house belongs to the host, and this position is fit to be a restaurant. Mission is complete. Please choose the decoration style."

As the system replied, a row of 3D pictures suddenly appeared in Mag's head—classic Chinese style, countryside style, western style… As long as it existed in real life, he could find it there. Mag was overwhelmed by so many pictures.

Since it was those cooks' resentment that made me come here, the dishes I have to learn to cook must be from them. I mainly went to Chinese restaurants, but also a lot of western ones and various well-known restaurants on the Web, but I'm not sure how many more will appear. Mag didn't rush to decision.

After a careful analysis, Mag thought that it can't be a certain style; otherwise, he can't serve steak with fork and knife in a quaint Chinese restaurant, which would have absolutely triggered his vicious criticism before.

A simple and cozy one which could accommodate more people was the best option. He was already looking forward to seeing the sight of a restaurant full of customers.

This is it!

A restaurant that had some classic European style caught Mag's eyes. Its overall color was near brown, with beautiful drawings everywhere and a grand European chandelier hanging in the middle. The tables were the simplest brown log ones for four, oblong in shape; beside the tables were matching wooden chairs with no armrests. Before the counter lay a long adjoining table, which could fit 16 chairs easily. Without doubt, it could accommodate many people comfortably.

On the inside, a semi-open kitchen stood behind the counter; through the kitchen glass, one could see everything from inside, but the glass was just high enough to keep the customers from peeping at the cooking bench.

Its overall design was quaint and grand, capable of accommodating any cooking style. Even stuffing kebabs and bragging here were not out of character.

"Perfect!" Mag nodded in satisfaction, and was ready to decide, but then, he thought of a problem. "System, does the reconstruction include the second floor?"

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Chapter 3: I'll Show You A Magic Trick

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

"System will only decorate the restaurant, and other parts will not be included," answered the system.

Mag stroked his chin with his right hand as he used to, took a look at the dilapidated stairs and the dark second floor, and remembered the straw-covered bed he had just left. This is no place for my baby girl to sleep. I shall change it by tonight, he thought.

Besides, I didn't feel too much malice from the system. The said punishment must be just something to make me study hard and become the God of Cookery sooner.

If that is the case… Mag came up with an idea, and casually said in his mind, "System, I think you've got it wrong. I have provided this whole building for the restaurant, so you have to decorate the whole thing. I will not accept a restaurant under such a shabby house. Besides, if the second floor stayed unrepaired, someday a brick might fall down and kill a customer, which would be very bad, and if he was not killed by it, that would be even worse—I might get killed by the guy who can't be killed by a brick. If that happened, how could I learn to cook and become the God of Cookery? It's your choice."

The system became silent, as if lost in thought. After a while, it spoke again, "Because the house is very dangerous, after analyzing, system has decided to reconstruct the whole building and then decorate it. Please choose the decoration style."

Mag smiled secretly. As I've expected, these things can be reasoned with. Being led around by the nose would be so not fun. Still, he seemed pretty calm on the outside.

The style of the restaurant had been decided, and he chose a style quite like his previous house for the second floor—inconspicuous yet grand and comfortable. There were three rooms, one lavatory, and one bathroom, all on the second floor. Amy's room's main color was pink. So, everything was decided.

"The reconstruction and decoration will cost 30 seconds. Please leave this house. The countdown begins now from 60 seconds …" said the system.

Just 30 seconds?! Mag froze for an instant, but then he heard the countdown, so he dragged himself towards the door in a hurry. It took him much effort to step across the threshold, and then he turned around and closed the door. It was already dark.

"Father, are you here to meet me?" Amy's cute little voice sounded behind his back.

Mag turned around. Amy was looking up at him, one brown pancake in each hand—too big in her little hands, her long eyelashes fluttering, happiness and joy all over her little face. Father has never come out to meet me before, but today it seems he has come downstairs to meet me, Amy thought happily.

"Yes, Amy, and Father will show you a magic trick." Mag smiled as he went down, took Amy in his arms, and hugged her gently.

"A magic trick?" Amy looked up at Mag, a little confused, but soon her eyes brightened. "Is it magic? Can you conjure up a lot of good food, Father?"

"Yes. Father will conjure up a big beautiful house for you and a pretty restaurant and will cook a lot of good things for you every day," Mag answered in a soft voice. A little chowhound all right, Mag thought.

"Really?" Amy seemed unconvinced, her mouth slightly open in surprise.

Mag nodded, smiling. "Close your eyes and count down from 30."

"30, 29 …" Amy closed her eyes obediently, counting down the number.

Mag looked at Amy gently, listening to her cute little voice. The ground started shaking slightly, and he could hear the sound of things hitting the ground now and then, but he didn't look back once.

The count of 30 was over in a short while.

Amy opened her eyes, expectation all over her little face.

"Now, let's have a look at our new home." Mag took the two pancakes from Amy, took her little hand, got up, and turned around with some expectation to look at their new house.

A warm light spilled from the door and landed right on the two very different figures—one big and one small.

"Wow…" Amy's mouth was wide open. She gaped at the suddenly changed house that looked like a resplendent palace in the lamplight for a long time before she turned to look at her father and cried out happily, "Father, is this really from your magic? The house is so beautiful, like a crystal palace! And look, the rocks are shining! Father, you are amazing!"

"This will be our house from now on, and it's also a restaurant." Mag smiled happily. Nothing feels better than being admired by your own daughter.

It was still a two-story house, but it had changed from a ramshackle log cabin to a European-style villa. Facing the square was a floor-to-ceiling window, and the restaurant in the light of the European crystal chandelier could be seen from outside, cozy and stylish.

It seemed the shaking before had caused a little tumult, so Mag took Amy's hand and went inside the door. "Let's go home. Father will tell you more later."

"Okay. Father is the best!" Amy rubbed her head against Mag's hand, leaping into the doorway happily.

Mag turned off the light on his way in. In the meantime, a dwarf with a thick beard stumbled out from the next door. Looking around with his drunken face, he shouted, "Stupid trolls come dancing here again! Damn it, I'm trying to get some sleep here…" Then he went back and slammed the door closed.

"Father… is this really our house?" Amy stopped at the door, looked at the grand restaurant, and then raised her head to look at Mag, still not believing her eyes.

She had never seen a house so beautiful—the floor was flat and smooth, the chandelier was beautiful and crystal-like, and the aligned tables and chairs were brand-new, with exquisite tableware boxes on the table. Deeper inside was a long counter that was higher than her, and behind it was a room, but she couldn't see what was inside.

"Sure." Mag nodded, smiling. Then, waving his hand, he said, "This is our new home. The first floor can be used as a restaurant, and the second floor is where we'll live…"

"Great!" Before Mag could finish his words, Amy had already run away. She extended her arms and ran around the restaurant, and then she found a table on the very inside and took a seat there. "Father, let's have the pancakes here. Amy is hungry," she said, waving at Mag.

"Okay." Mag smiled. Sure enough, food was the most important.

"The mission 'own a restaurant' is complete. Since the host has required the reconstruction of the parts besides the restaurant, the reward this time is cancelled out. System has issued a new mission: learn the first dish—Yangzhou fried rice 1 . The time limit is three days. When the host is ready, enter the test field for the God of Cookery. The reward this time is: strength 0.5, and the punishment is: strength -0.5." The system's voice sounded again.

Mag stopped there immediately. A door suddenly appeared in his mind with four golden words on it: Yangzhou fried rice. This must be the so-called test field for the God of Cookery.

To be sure, Mag cared more about the reward it had mentioned. The most urgent matter for him was recovery because he couldn't hold the kitchen knife still in this condition, to say nothing of cooking. He didn't think the system would arrange a reward to help him recover this quickly, so he was a bit excited all of a sudden.

I don't know what this 'strength 0.5' means to me, but I don't think the system would cheat me. How hard could it be to make the Yangzhou fried rice?

When he was in Yangzhou, he had tried the authentic Yangzhou fried rice a few times in several different restaurants, but his comments then were too mean. To be frank, however, the taste was very good, but at that time, he was so obsessed with criticism that he somehow felt compelled to do that. It was said that one old and famous restaurant was closed for some time after his commentary, but those things were always happening, so he didn't pay much attention to it back then.

"Father?" Amy looked at the absent-minded Mag, a little confused.

"Coming!" Mag quickly suppressed his impulse to open that door in his mind, and sat opposite Amy. He handed a pancake to her. "Let's have a taste of Amy's favorite pancake," he said, smiling.

Mag took a close look at the pancake—it was about the size of a grown man's hand and one centimeter in thickness. It must have been made from flour mixed with corn, mung bean, potato… and many other coarse grains, and then was put into a wood oven to bake. It felt like a rough tile in his hand.

"Okay." Amy took the pancake with two hands, opened her little mouth, and took a bite. The pancake cracked, and Amy chewed happily like a little hamster, looking satisfied and very cute.

It tastes that good? Mag wondered. Still, looking at Amy eat gave him such a good appetite that he couldn't help but bring the pancake to his mouth and give it a hard bite. He chewed a few times and got astounded.

This must be baked tile! Mag thought. Did the pancake crack, or did my teeth? It was really a torture to my mouth and choked my throat when trying to swallow. This thing can be used as a lethal weapon! Hundreds were sold in one day? Are you kidding me? This world's food culture is so primitive! Damn, I choked! Mag felt terrible. He dropped the pancake on the table and ran to the sink in the kitchen with hands around his throat.

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Chapter 4: A Small Promise

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

Mag turned on the tap and gulped down a lot of water. Then, holding onto the edge of the sink with both hands, he took a breath and felt alive again. He'd been already thirsty when he woke up, and instead of drinking some water, he ate that pancake, so he almost choked to death. His throat was still burning even now.

If it were his previous life, he would have written a denunciation thousands of words long and forced shut the restaurant for good. How could anyone eat this?!

Before he knew it, Amy had already come to him. "Father, are you all right?" Amy asked worriedly, tugging at the corner of his clothes.

"Yes. Father's okay. Just choked a little." Mag looked down at Amy immediately, reached out to stroke her hair, and put a smile back on his face again. Being worried about and relied on like this warmed his heart, and his resentment towards the pancake abated a lot.

He was just a normal father now, and didn't want to go through the things that he did in his previous life. He didn't want to travel again.

Letting out a breath, Amy seemed to have relaxed a lot, and then she reproached him with a grim look. "Father, you should eat slowly. Pancakes are good, but you can't rush. Eat bit by bit, and then you won't choke."

"Yes, Amy's right." Mag nodded earnestly as he looked into Amy's eyes. Then, the little one went back to her seat contentedly.

Mag didn't go out at once, but took a close look at the kitchen.

The kitchen was shaped like a strip and had an area of 10 square meters or so—it was fairly spacious. On the cooking bench were four built-in gas stoves, and there was also a silver side-suction range hood and a big four-door refrigerator.

This was a very professional modern kitchen, but most space was still vacant. There was only one wide Chinese chef's knife on the knife block, and the likes of pots and pans were nowhere to be found.

"System, did you forget to arrange the appliances and kitchenware when decorating? The fridge is also empty." Mag closed the empty fridge. His idea of cooking something random fell through.

"The host has no right to use those appliances now," the system answered. "When missions are completed, they will be unlocked one by one. For now, only the necessary ingredients for the recipes that the host has learned will be provided, and they have to be bought first to use."

Mag froze for an instant, but he had no choice. The system really goes out of its way to make me learn to cook… it seems like there is no way to get something else to eat today, and the system said the ingredients need to be bought, so could it be that it will supply all the necessary ingredients?

Mag did a lap around the kitchen, and when he was certain there was nothing to eat here, he could do nothing but pour two bowls of plain boiled water and walk out. It looked like completing missions sooner was very necessary, or all of this was wasted here.

Besides, after trying that horrible pancake, he couldn't wait to eat Yangzhou fried rice. Whether giving Amy a chance to try the delicious food from the earth or conquering this world with the Yangzhou fried rice, it was an interesting idea.

Mag went through his predecessor's memories again. Because the war among species lasted for a thousand years, the human food here was a bit like English cuisine, whose cooking methods were simple and crude—boiling and baking.

No seasoning was added during cooking. People would just sprinkle some salt or pepper before eating based on their taste. It was just for appeasing hunger and balancing nutrition. After all, in the times of war, one couldn't ask too much.

Although the cooking here had undergone certain development through a hundred years of peace, those cooks' mind were so bigoted that even if they had tried to improve, their recipes were still too simple, and few cooking methods and dishes that were refreshingly impressive had ever appeared.

Even the food-loving humans were this lame in cooking, to say nothing of other species. Elves basically lived on various wild fruits from nature, dwarves ate more randomly—anything cooked would do, and demons and orcs even ate their prey alive…

Mag curled his lip. It's like an uncultivated land of gourmet food, waiting for me to cultivate it. Looking at Amy gobbling down the pancake with two hands, a gentle smile appeared on his face. He had little interest in great causes like bringing the food culture to the masses, but he wanted Amy to eat actual good things and have a comfortable life, so learning to cook was not too hard to accept for him.

Mag was really hungry, so he had to soak the pancake in the water and wait for it to soften before eating. He could barely swallow it.

Amy's teeth were very good, and the pancake cracked merrily in her mouth. She finished it in just a little while, and then she picked up the bowl, drank a mouthful of water, and gave a content burp. Watching Mag eating the pancake mush with chopsticks, she smiled happily. "Father, the pancake is very tasty, right?"

Mag shook his head, lightly touched Amy's cute little nose with his hand, and smiled. "I won't say it's very tasty, Amy. It's just something that can barely appease our hunger. Someday, I'll make you the Manchu Han Imperial Feast[1.Manchu Han Imperial Feast consisted of at least 108 unique dishes from the Manchu and Han Chinese culture during the Qing Dynasty., just for you. You can eat as much as you can."

"Manchu Han Imperial Feast? Is it really tastier than the pancake?" Amy's eyes were shining with excitement, but then she seemed a little worried as she looked at Mag. The food Father has made before tasted weird. Is Father really able to make something much much better than the pancake?

"Sure!" Mag nodded earnestly. "And Manchu Han Imperial Feast is not one dish; it consists of 108 dishes of various exotic food from mountains and seas. It can last you three days in a row." He could guess what was in her mind—apparently, the pancake was the best thing in her eyes. His predecessor's cooking skills were as disappointing as his, and must have left a bad impression on her.

"108 dishes of various exotic food from mountains and seas?" Amy counted on her fingers, trying to picture the table full of better things than pancakes; moreover, it could last three days! Her eyes became brighter and brighter, and her face was happy with a smile. She jumped off the chair, looked at Mag, and cried out happily, "Wow! Amy wants to have the Manchu Han Imperial Feast! Make me the Manchu Han Imperial Feast, Father! Amy wants it now!"

"Um…" Looking at Amy's eyes full of anticipation, Mag felt a little embarrassed—he couldn't even make the Yangzhou fried rice now. However, he had the God of Cookery Cultivation System on him, so the Manchu Han Imperial Feast would be nothing to him in the future. Still, he felt like he had bragged a little too soon as he watched his little girl's eager face.

"Of course Father also wants to make it for Amy, but our restaurant is not open yet," said Mag apologetically, stroking Amy's hair. "There are no ingredients in the kitchen, so I couldn't make so many good things."

"Well…" Amy was a little disappointed, but quickly raised her head again. She took hold of Mag's big hand, patted it on the back, and said soothingly, "It's all right, Father. The food you cooked before was good too. When Amy grows up a little, I can go make money and buy a lot of good things for Father to let you make the Manchu Han Imperial Feast."

Suddenly, Mag felt a little saddened as he looked at Amy's earnest face. He sniffed and then shook his head with a smile. "Father is different than before now. Making money to support our family is naturally my responsibility, and I'll make the Manchu Han Imperial Feast for you as I said. It's our little agreement. I promise." Then he held out his little finger.

Amy looked up at Mag and blinked her eyes. It seems today's Father really is different. His image seems to have become bigger and kinder. She looked at that little finger, held out her own to intertwine with her father's, and then said happily, "Okay. Amy's sure Father can do it."

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Chapter 5: Cooking Standards

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

Mag picked up Amy's hand. "Let's go upstairs. Amy is already yawning. Time for bed now," said Mag, smiling.

"Amy is not sleepy, and can still help Father clear the table," said Amy, shaking her head while yawning.

"Father will do it later. You can't sleep here, baby girl. Father can't carry you up…" Mag held Amy's little hand, feeling a little depressed somehow.

She was such a cute little girl, but he couldn't give her a princess hug, let alone lift her up. No, I have to recover as soon as possible! Mag told himself.

The stairs were on the other side of the kitchen. There was a door behind the counter. Separating the restaurant from the living area suited Mag just right.

The little thing had been running around looking for someone to check him up when he was unconscious. Now she had finished her dinner, and even though she said she was not sleepy, she almost closed her eyes while climbing up the stairs.

Mag took her to the main bedroom. Beside the big bed was a pink crib with rails, and it had everything on it—a small quit, a small pillow… and it also had a small staircase to climb.

Seeing the beautiful room and the little bed, Amy's eyes brightened a little, but she was too sleepy. Taking off her shoes, she climbed into her little bed and rested her head on the warm and comfortable pillow, and then, tightly holding onto Mag's finger, she said happily, "Father is so amazing. The bed is so soft and comfy, Amy loves it. And the Manchu Han Imperial Feast must be good too…"

"Right. Tomorrow morning, when you wake up, you will be able to try Father's love breakfast. Now close your eyes and sleep," said Mag, smiling.

"Love breakfast… it must be very good…" murmured Amy, and then she closed her eyes and fell asleep quickly.

Standing by her bed, Mag looked at Amy in her sound sleep and softly stroked the hair off her face, and then he pulled back his hand and tucked her up.

After that, he stooped down and softly kissed Amy's hair. Don't worry. Father will certainly make you the Manchu Han Imperial Feast.

Then, Mag sat on the big bed beside Amy's crib and closed his eyes to look at the door in his head, thinking about how to open it. To his surprise, a little man that looked exactly like him appeared in his head, and he was under his total control just like his own body. Mag hesitated for a little while, and then opened the door that had the words "Yangzhou Fried Rice" on it.

Suddenly, Mag felt a white light flash across his eyes, so he closed them subconsciously, and when he opened them again, his whole spirit was already sucked into that little man. The door behind him vanished, and he was standing in an oblong kitchen just like his own. Everything was to the same scale.

Mag's eyes brightened. Well, this is great. When I go out, I don't have to familiarize myself with the kitchen again. When he lifted his leg to walk, he got surprised one more time—the body that had no strength before was able to move normally now! He couldn't help jumping a few times. Although he still felt a little weak and feeble, he was clearly much better than his useless self before.

"System, what's this?" Mag cried out, a little excited. Could it be that the system has kindly recovered my health?

"The host is now in the condition of strength 0.5. Please try your best to complete the mission. The strong body is waiting for you," answered the system.

"Now I see." Mag looked at the strength sheet that simultaneously appeared in his head: the strength of a normal person was two, and Mag's strength after his treatment was one—half disabled.

Now his strength was 1.5, unable to lift a heavy sword, yet capable of holding the kitchen knife.

The strength limits of humans in this world were much higher than on the earth. When a human reached the strength of four, he could take on a normal orc, and when he reached 10, he could even knock down a forest troll with a single punch. Mag Alex's strength at that time should have reached eight—a very powerful man among humans.

"Welcome to the test field for the God of Cookery." The voice of the system sounded again. "System will provide you with experience of the authentic Yangzhou fried rice. Only when your cooking has passed the authentication of this system are you allowed to leave this place. The standard is all the requirements you've brought up when you commented the Yangzhou fried rice."

"System, I think I have misheard something. What did you say the standard was again?" asked Mag tentatively.

"All the requirements you've brought up when you commented on the Yangzhou fried rice," answered the system with no emotion.

"I think the official standard that has been announced before is good enough. Maybe we can follow that one?" said Mag, trying to negotiate.

"The standard cannot be changed. Please complete the mission as soon as possible," refused the system.

"Then what about other dishes?" Mag was a little worried.

"They will all follow the standard of your comments before."

"F*ck!"

Mag almost broke down. He had thought the system had no malice and could be used as an assistant, but now he knew he'd been utterly wrong. Using the requirements he'd brought up as the standard himself was certainly full of malice.

Thinking that his viciously picky requirements would be used on himself, a "f*ck you" wasn't enough to express his feelings.

I've definitely reaped what I've sown. Perhaps few people could meet that standard even if they're the masters who specialize in the Yangzhou fried rice, Mag thought.

Sure enough, I can't be too optimistic. This is a system God made for those cooks to specially mess with me, but now that I'm already in here, I can't get out until the mission is finished… Mag looked at the glittering experience bag that had appeared in his head and took a deep breath to make himself calm down.

Since there were no two ways about it, he chose to face it. Besides, he had already promised Amy to make love breakfast for her. Thinking about Amy's happy face as she ate the fried rice, Mag was filled with anticipation, and his face had become determined.

Mag tried to use his mind to touch the glittering experience bag, and then the experience of Yangzhou fried rice was infused into his head. The selection and processing of the ingredients and the procedures of cooking, etc., everything had fused with his mind as if he had known how to do it from the very beginning.

This simple? Mag was completely taken aback. He had thought the system would make things difficult for him, but instead of doing that, it gave such a big surprise straight to him. It was like he had inherited the skills of a Yangzhou fried rice master, so he thought he was able to make a bowl of first-class Yangzhou fried rice with good taste, color, and aroma right away. He had grown from a freshman in cooking straight to an old hand—it was simply cheating!

Mag sorted through the things in his head before walking to the fridge confidently. He opened it and found every ingredient in order—rice, tree mushrooms, ham, winter bamboo shoots, shrimp, green peas, eggs, and green onions. It had everything he needed to make the Yangzhou fried rice.

Cook the rice first, and then process the ingredients. Fry the rice at last. The procedures in Mag's head were very clear, and watching the ingredients in the fridge, his eyes brightened.

He grabbed some rice with his hand—it was very fine and smooth. It had a bluish white color, was plump, and was glittering and translucent in the lamplight—much better than the Thai fragrant rice he had usually had. A sweet fragrance tickled his nose.

Then, he looked to the shrimp in the water. Their translucent bodies even had the uncommon striations of lilac color. They were swimming merrily, looking full of vigor and wildness.

Winter bamboo shoots still had a little black soil on it, the salt frosting on the ham was not removed yet, the gray mushroom should be some kind of tree mushroom, eggs were much bigger than the usual ones, a little earth yellow in color, and there was still some dew on the green onions.

That was the least judgment he could make as a chowhound that had tried almost all the Michelin starred restaurants. These ingredients were definitely high-class, but how high? He couldn't tell exactly, but regardless of that, these things were for him to train, so he didn't hesitate, and started rinsing the rice.

Mag had thought that, with this amazingly good and detail-oriented experience, it shouldn't be too hard to handle that Yangzhou fried rice, but when he'd started processing the ingredients, he found it was not as easy as he had expected.

Although he was quite clear on how to wield the knife, when he started cutting, he found that his hands' movements were nowhere near meeting the requirements and standards in his head.

In order to make the texture of the fried rice smoother, every ingredient had to be cut into the same size as the rice grain, so high cutting skills were a necessity, which was a very difficult challenge before Mag. He couldn't even cut them into slices evenly, and had to repeat over and over again.

Mag looked at the slices of the bamboo shoot which were thin on one side and thick on the other, let out a sigh, and continued to work on another one.

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Chapter 6: Hello, Mag

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

After finishing the cutting of the twentieth bamboo shoot, Mag picked up two slices, compared them carefully before his eyes, and then nodded contentedly.Seems better now.

When he lowered his head and took a look at the bamboo shoot slices he'd made, which had filled a basin, he couldn't help but feel rather emotional. Being a cook turns out to be this hard. I've already had the standard cutting skills in my head, but after all the exercise, this is just as good as I can do. Those who start from scratch surely have to learn the cutting for many years.

Thinking about the comments he had written to criticize those cooks, he felt embarrassed for the first time. Now that those comments had become the standard he should meet to complete the mission, it looked like he was paying his price.

"System, at this pace, I'll have to spend weeks on the cutting skills alone. It's simply impossible for me to complete the mission in three days, no?" Mag asked in his mind as he stopped his hands.

"In the test field, time is on a scale of 365:1," answered the system. "One year here is just a day in the outside world. Besides, you need no sleep and rest in this space, and you won't feel tired. The ingredients are limitless. Hope you're determined to be the God of Cookery, complete the mission, and walk out of here soon."

What? Mag was a bit surprised. Even the time scale can be changed here. This test field is really something. However, in this enclosed kitchen, with the sense of weariness gone, if the only thing can be done here is cooking repeatedly, the weak-willed will go insane in no time.

No. I have to get out before Amy wakes up in the morning and make her the perfect Yangzhou fried rice for breakfast. Mag quickly suppressed the restlessness in his mind. This was his commitment to Amy, and it had to be kept. He took a look at the calendar and got back to cutting the bamboo shoot.

Now he had four months, and didn't need any sleep or rest, so if it were exchanged to the standard eight working hours a day like in real life, he would have one whole year, which was quite sufficient for him to master the Yangzhou fried rice, especially with the perfect experience already in his head.

Mag had forgotten about time. The bamboo shoot changed from thick slices into even thin ones in his hand, then into even fine shreds, and at last into small cubes the size of a rice grain. He was getting better by the minute.

Mag went from easy to hard ingredients—from bamboo shoots to tree mushrooms, and then to the ham and shrimp. With his proficiency improving, his cutting skills were advancing quickly as well, and by comparing them with the experience in his head, he was making rapid progress. Even the live and kicking shrimp were peeled easily in his hand, and then they got chopped into small cubes the size of a rice grain.

On the 100th day, Mag was just plating the fried rice neatly from the wok with a ladle. He put down the wok while turning off the gas, smiling confidently. "System, I think this one should do."

The Yangzhou fried rice fresh from the wok—the rice grains were separated clearly, with each one perfectly coated with a layer of golden eggs. Green peas, white shrimp, gray tree mushrooms, red ham… the ingredients with different colors were perfectly mixed together, and the mixed color was not in a mess at all; instead, it felt rather lively and harmonious.

On the top was a small handful of chopped green onions, making perfection still more perfect. The aroma of every ingredient mixed together and tickled Mag's nose, making him swallow a little saliva.

The system was silent for a while, and then said, "According to the host's standards before…

"1. Rice grains have to be clearly separated, with each perfectly coated with eggs. Achieved!

"2. The color has to be lively and harmonious and whet the appetite. Achieved!

"3. The texture has to be smooth, the taste has to be delicious, and the firmness has to be moderate. It all has to be tasty, smooth, and refreshing. Achieved!

"4. The aroma has to be tempting and recognizable to a certain extent. Achieved!

"All the four standards have been achieved at once. Congratulations, you have mastered the authentic Yangzhou fried rice. Mission is complete. You are rewarded with strength 0.5. Meanwhile, the right to buy the ingredients for the Yangzhou fried rice is unlocked, and so is the right to use the matching kitchenware."

Mag clenched his fist hard; a sense of achievement arose in his heart. He looked at the fried rice before him, and suddenly felt like weeping somehow.

He couldn't remember the last time when he had this feeling—the feeling after trying so hard to accomplish something. Sure enough, achieving goals made people feel the best.

That being said, what excited him most was that he could finally make Amy a bowl of Yangzhou fried rice with good taste, color, and aroma. Thinking about the cute face of his little girl eating, he was filled with anticipation.

"System, can I try it?" Looking at that fried rice, Mag, who felt no hunger at all since he'd entered the test field, suddenly felt a little hungry.

"The host will be automatically sent out of the test field in five minutes," answered the system.

"Five minutes is enough!" Mag wasted no time before taking out a spoon from the kitchen cupboard and spooning the rice into his mouth. With just a few chews, his eyes brightened immediately.

The fragrance of chopped green onions and eggs tickled his nose, the texture of grain-sized shrimp and ham was so smooth, and the egg-coated rice had a sweet flavor after being well chewed. Taste of every ingredient melted in his mouth and tickled his taste buds. Even when it was all swallowed, his mouth was still full of aroma.

This taste was just incredible!

For the first time, he realized the Yangzhou fried rice could be this good.

One spoon was nowhere near enough. Mag finished the whole plate in no time, like a whirlwind sweeping away the scattered clouds. He licked the last egg-coated rice grain into his mouth, content, but at the same time he'd like seconds! It was just so enticing.

Amy would definitely love this. As for the chowhounds on Norland Continent, I'm sure no one is able to resist this. Putting down the spoon, Mag recollected the pleasant flavor of this fried rice. His depression from repeating the same thing for 100 days disappeared; instead, he felt rather upbeat and refreshed.

Five minutes was over soon. Suddenly, Mag felt a white light flash across his eyes, and when he opened them up again, he was already lying on his own bed. He sat up immediately, turned his head, and saw that Amy was sleeping soundly on her little pink bed. Seeing that, his dreamy feelings died down slowly.

Then, he took a look at his hands with a pleasant surprise and clenched his fists—it felt the same as in the test field. The body that couldn't even clench one fist before had recovered a lot. He had no trouble with normal activities and cooking now.

The system is pretty reliable after all. Mag got out of his bed, stretched his limbs, and took a look at the alarm clock on the nightstand—it was already five in the morning. He lowered his head and saw his clothes were dirty, so he walked to the wardrobe and opened it, but he found nothing but a chef's suit and clothing for a little girl inside. The chef's suit consisted of a white shirt with two lines of neat black buttons, a pair of black slacks, an apron with black and white stripes, and a pair of black flat shoes. The girl's clothing consisted of a black dress, a pair of pantyhose, and a pair of little white shoes. All was clean and simple.

Mag took his suit to the bathroom and gave himself a thorough bath. Then, he used scissors to cut his wild long, curly brown hair short and neat. His whiskers also got cut by the scissors, and then shaved clean; only a faded moustache remained.

Now that's more like it. Touching his angular face, Mag looked at himself that had totally changed in the mirror and smiled. After a little tidying up, he had successfully changed from a messy homeless guy into a mature and handsome man.

Now, he looked very much like his previous self; the only thing different was the shape. His scrawny figure right now looked so weak and delicate. He had to eat much and work out a lot from now on.

After his little narcissism trip, Mag changed into that chef's suit. A little tidying and he looked somewhat like a chef in the mirror.

"Hello, Mag," Mag said to himself in the mirror with a serious look, but on second thought, he smiled in spite of himself. "Or should I call you Alex?"

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Chapter 7: Love Breakfast

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

Mag cleaned up the bathroom, took a look at Amy, who was still in her sleep, and then he put the little dress, pantyhose, and her white shoes on one side of the bed. When picturing a very cute Amy in this dress, Mag couldn't help smiling happily. On his way out, he took a set of wash supplies for children, opened the door, and went downstairs softly.

Mag couldn't be more familiar with this kitchen. The cooking bench, which contained no kitchenware last night, was now equipped with everything he needed to make Yangzhou fried rice. He opened the fridge and found all the necessary ingredients inside, and in the glass tank beside the fridge, shrimp were swimming merrily.

"About time I showed my true cooking skills and made Amy a love breakfast." Mag washed his hands and began to rinse the rice.

"Father?" Not long after, on the second floor, Amy turned over in her sleepiness, but didn't feel her father's body nearby as usual. She opened her heavy-lidded eyes, sat up, looked at the unfamiliar room, and froze for a long time. Then she remembered that this was the new house her father had conjured up last night; but, her father on the big bed was nowhere to be found now, so she got a little worried, and holding the small rails, she tried to get up.

However, just halfway through, she got attracted by the black dress on the side of the bed. Her eyes lit up, and she picked up the little dress with a pleasant surprise and rubbed it against her face—it felt very soft and smooth. She murmured happily, "Father must have conjured up this dress for me! It's so pretty. Amy loves it."

Mag didn't know that his little girl had woken up. He put the rice in the rice cooker, which had very high power, and the rice was ready in a short while. Then, he removed it from the cooker—the rice grains were clearly separated even though they were just cooked, all glittering and translucent, and had a pleasant aroma.

Mag couldn't help but murmur, "What is this rice? I think I could eat two bowls of it even if it was just plain rice." The shrimp were very good too; even if they were simply boiled in water, perhaps the taste would still be very delicious.

Mag took the needed amount of each ingredient for a bowl of Yangzhou fried rice and washed them clean. His face became very serious the instant he held the kitchen knife. This was what he had learned in the test field. Cooking needed absolute devotion—it was an attitude that every cook should have.

Mag wielded the Chinese chef's knife skillfully. Whether it was the crisp and young winter bamboo shoot or the hard-shell shrimp, they were all starting to become even grains to be used later. After tens of thousands of times of practicing cutting, he had become very skilled.

Of course, no cook had the luxury of practicing his cutting skills on these things.

Mag poured some oil into the wok, and then added every ingredient in the proper order. A strong aroma pervaded the whole kitchen, went out of the door, and found its way through the unclosed door to the stairs, and then into the bedroom, whose door was left ajar.

Sitting on the bed, Amy was giggling in the new dress that she had changed into by herself with great effort. It was the first time that she wore such a pretty dress; it was so comfortable, and softly touched her body as if she were dressed in a cloud—fluffy, yet warm.

Then Amy smelled that aroma, and her big blue eyes that had been a little drowsy before immediately brightened. She took a deep sniff, and said, "Mmm, what a good smell! Perhaps Father is making something delicious?"

Having no time to wear the pantyhose that looked like long socks in her eyes, Amy quickly climbed off her bed, put on her white shoes, and ran towards the door on her short legs.

When Amy opened up the door, the aroma became even stronger. She swallowed her saliva, while her little tummy began crying out. She had never smelled this kind of aroma before. Even the smell from the roast goose restaurant on the side of the square was not even half as good as this one. Her steps became even lighter when she went downstairs; she wished she could fly into the kitchen and see what her father was making.

Amy walked into the kitchen. "It smells so good. Father, what are you making—" Before she could finish her words, she saw Mag's back in a plain and simple chef's suit with black and white stripes on it, and she found that his long curly hair and whiskers were gone. Amy was stunned speechless; her blue eyes were wide open and filled with surprise. It's … Father?

Mag heard some noise, and looked to the door with a little surprise. "Amy is already awake?"

His little girl had changed into the black Gothic dress and was wearing a pair of white shoes with little pink butterflies on them. After a night's sleep, an ahoge1 had appeared among her smooth silver hair; her surprised face and slightly open mouth were so cute and lovely. It looked like she was shocked by his current look. Mag smiled, and said, "Why, just a night's sleep and you don't recognize Father anymore?"

Amy blinked her eyes, and cried out happily, "It's really Father!"

Father's long curly hair has become short and good-looking, the bristling whiskers are gone, his clothes have become clean and neat, and the smile on his face is so warm and pleasant. More importantly, Father seems to have become taller, like a giant; his straight back looks like a big tree.

"Father seems to have become taller—as tall as a big tree, and better-looking. So handsome." Amy came close to Mag happily.

"I'm taller?" Mag lowered his head, and took a look at himself. Maybe it's because I have straightened my hunched back and changed into fit and stiff clothes. That must be why I look taller. Sure, becoming better-looking makes me happier. And, as I have expected, little girls love neat and clean mature men.

Soon, the little girl was attracted by the wok that Mag was working with. She stood on tips of her toes to try to look inside while asking in surprise, "But Father, what's in the wok? Why does it smell so good, and even better than the roast goose? Amy is hungry…"

"This is Yangzhou fried rice. We'll be eating this for breakfast. Over there is a pink toothbrush and a cup. Amy, go brush your teeth and wash your face. When you finish, breakfast will also be ready. Okay?" said Mag, smiling. He tried to make his voice softer. In his previous life, he'd been condescendingly cold to others, and never smiled when speaking. Now, he was trying to adapt himself to being a gentle and kind father. He wanted to give Amy the best life he could.

"Okay." Amy nodded obediently, and took another look into the wok before walking towards the toothbrush and cup unwillingly. Then, she brushed her teeth for the first time under the guidance of Mag.

Mag cooked the rice carefully. When it was done, he turned off the gas, and removed the rice from the wok—a plate of bright-colored Yangzhou fried rice was ready.

Amy had just brushed her teeth, and ran to Mag quickly. Watching the Yangzhou fried rice with different colors mixed together, her eyes brightened immediately. "Wow, it's so pretty! Father is so amazing!" she praised him earnestly.

"Yes. I agree." Mag nodded. He couldn't help smiling, feeling an overwhelming sense of achievement.

Amy leaned forward to take in the smell, and then couldn't refrain from swallowing her saliva. She looked up at Mag and pouted. "It smells so good, Father. Amy wants to eat Yang… Yangzhou fried rice."

Looking at Amy acting like a spoiled child, Mag's heart nearly melted. He wanted very badly to say, "it's all yours!", but he held back his words. He wiped the foam off the corner of her mouth and shook his head. "Not now. You have to wash your hands first before eating from now on."

"Then let's hurry, Father." Amy took Mag's hand and dragged him towards the sink.

Mag raised an eyebrow—it seemed something was wrong. He got disliked by the little thing.

After Amy had washed her hands, Mag took the fried rice to the table that they used yesterday. Amy was already waiting on her seat, her hand holding a small spoon, and eyes looking at the plate of fried rice in Mag's hand full of expectation ever since he'd walked out of that door.

Mag put down the plate and smiled as he stroked his little girl's head. "Go ahead and eat now."

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Chapter 8: Give Me Seconds, Father

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

The fried rice fresh out of the wok was still steaming, and the aroma of eggs and green onions tickled Amy's nose, so she couldn't help but take a deep sniff and look at the fried rice before her with shining eyes.

Each rice grain was coated with golden eggs as if they were shining. Moreover, not only golden color, there was also green, red, white… various colors were mixed together. Amy couldn't refrain from swallowing saliva. She looked up at Mag and asked in surprise, "Father, did you unhook the rainbow and cook it?"

"What?" Mag had just sat down opposite her and got surprised by her words. He took a look at the multicolored fried rice—it did seem like a shattered rainbow. Childishness was indeed the most interesting thing in the world. Mag nodded, smiling. "Yes, this is rainbow fried rice. Go on and try it, Amy."

"No, Father has to taste it first, and then I'll eat." Amy shook her head and spooned a full spoon of fried rice, and, a bit strenuously, handed it to Mag.

"You can eat first, Amy. Father is not hungry. I'll make some more later." Mag shook his head, smiling.

"No, Father woke up so early to make breakfast for Amy, so you must be hungrier than me." Amy pouted. She held the spoon up, and it shook a little bit because she had only a little strength, but she had no intention at all to take it back.

"Well, then, I'll eat one spoon of it first." Mag smiled and ate the rice on the spoon. With the delicious fried rice down his mouth, a warm feeling filled up his heart. His little girl had secretly swallowed her saliva several times already, but still she insisted that he should eat first.

It felt so good to be cared about.

"Then I'll start eating now." Amy happily took back her spoon, spooned another spoonful, and looked at the rice solemnly. "I'm sorry, rainbow, but I have to eat you now."

Mag smiled involuntarily—the little thing was so innocent. He rested his chin in one hand and looked at Amy, full of expectation and a little nervous.

He thought this fried rice was very delicious; still, it was a kind of food from the earth, after all, and was totally different from this world's cuisine. He was not sure whether Amy would like it, or whether she would get used to this taste.

No sooner had she put the rice in her mouth than her eyes brightened. The little pointy ears half-covered by her silver hair moved a little bit. The tender rice was coated by delicious eggs, tender shrimp, salty ham, sweet tree mushrooms, and crisp winter bamboo shoots—all the delicious tastes were perfectly mixed in this one spoonful of rice. The texture was so smooth, and the strong and sweet flavor melted in her mouth. It was just too good to put into words.

Compared to this fried rice, she felt the pancake, which had been her favorite, was like a stone. It had become nothing to her, and maybe she wouldn't eat it anymore.

After the first spoonful, she couldn't refrain from taking the second; one spoonful after another, she just couldn't stop her hands, never feeling happier than now.

"The rainbow fried rice is so good. Father is so amazing…" Amy didn't forget to mumble this when she got a chance, though her eyes were fixed on the plate the whole time. She kept on stuffing herself after that, and didn't intend to stop halfway and take a breather at all.

"Slow down. Take your time," said Mag. He stood up, went to pour a glass of water, and put it beside her. Looking at the adorable shaking of his girl's little pointy ears, Mag smiled contentedly. Amy's reaction said everything—she was very satisfied with this fried rice. The dull and dry repeated practice that he had done in the test field paid off in the best way possible at this very moment. Merely watching her eating made it all worthwhile.

Guess I'll fall in love with cooking soon enough, Mag said to himself. Looking at the little thing eating made him feel such a strong sense of achievement. She was eating so greedily that he felt a little hungry too.

When she had eaten it all, Amy held the plate with both hands and licked it; even the last bit of shrimp meat was not spared. She put the plate down and said with a lot of expectation, "Give me seconds, Father. Amy wants to eat more rainbow fried rice. It's so delicious."

"Seconds?" Mag was a little surprised, and took a look at the empty plate. The amount he had given her was a portion for an adult, and Amy had not only eaten everything, but also wanted more.

"Yes, Amy wants more." Amy nodded, blinked her eyes, and looked at Mag, full of expectation. However, on second thought, she looked to the kitchen with a little hesitation, and said, "But Father didn't eat yet. Do we have enough rice? Amy doesn't have to eat more."

"Sure, we have a lot of rice. And Amy's fried rice was eaten a mouthful by Father. That must be why Amy's still hungry. I'll go make some more and eat it with Amy, Okay?" Mag rubbed Amy's hair, smiling. The little thing was always thinking about him, so considerate.

Mag searched in his memory and found out that Amy could eat two bowls of food like an adult even though she was only four; besides, it was the first time that she had had such delicious fried rice, so it was quite understandable that she would want seconds. Still, Mag didn't want her to be stuffed—it was just early morning, so he decided to give her a half bowl of rice or so.

"Okay. Father's cooking is so good today." Amy looked at Mag as she clapped her hands, eyes full of adoration.

Mag stood up, cleared the table, and prepared to go to the kitchen.

Then, the system's voice sounded suddenly. "The bonus of using ingredients for free is over. From now on, for every ingredient system supplied, you have to pay first before using it. The following is the price list. Please check."

"Pay?" Mag was taken aback, and suddenly recalled that when he'd been in the test field, doing his mission, the system had indeed mentioned something about the right to buy ingredients. However, at that time, he'd been too focused on the fried rice to mind that. He had thought the ingredients were supplied for free by the system, and hadn't expected to pay for them.

Mag calmed down and looked at the price list, but his eyes immediately opened wide from shock. "Holy sh*t! System, there must be some problem with the price."

"The price has no problem," answered the system calmly.

"The shrimp cost 50 copper coins each—I can live with that, but you want one copper for one green pea … are you ripping me off?" Mag raised an eyebrow. On the list, it said:

Ingredients Needed for the Yangzhou Fried Rice

Shrimp: 50 copper coins each—needs two;

Eggs: 30 copper coins each—needs two;

Ham: 40 copper coins apiece;

Tree mushrooms: 30 copper coins for each cap;

Winter bamboo shoots: 30 copper coins apiece;

Rice: 30 copper coins per each bowl;

Green peas: 1 copper coin per each grain—needs five;

Green onions: 1 copper coin for each—needs one;

Total: 296 copper coins.

"The cost of ingredients of one plate of Yangzhou fried rice can buy me 296 pancakes!" Mag was speechless. How can I do business with such expensive ingredients?!

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Chapter 9: The Ingredients From Mysterious Places

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

Amy looked at the absent-minded Mag, who was still holding the plate by the table. "What's wrong, Father?" Amy asked, not understanding her father's behavior.

"Oh, nothing, Amy." Mag shook his head quickly, smiling. "Here, drink some water and play in the restaurant. Father will make fried rice." He pushed the glass to Amy and walked towards the kitchen at a fast pace.

"What a pretty crystal glass!" Amy held the transparent glass in her hands happily. She leaned on the table and looked at the glass from left and then right, not bearing to drink from it.

When Mag had just entered the kitchen, the calm voice of the system sounded again. "The ingredients in the kitchen are all from system's farm, fishery, and pasture, which are located across the continent. Their price is the same as at their source. No transportation cost is charged. The price is absolutely reasonable. You can rest assured of that."

"How is it reasonable that one green pea costs one copper?" Mag curled his upper lip. If he didn't worry about the malicious punishment that might come from displeasing the system, he would have started criticizing it with his vicious tongue.

The monetary system on the Norland Continent was being improved over the past hundred years. In the time of the war among species, the trade had mainly been done through barter, and after the peace treaty was signed, economy had been developing, and the currency had emerged again. After a lot of fierce competition and rivalry, the currency issued by the Roth Empire came out on top because of its abundant supply, reasonable exchange rate, high stability, hard devaluation, and universal popularity.

The most worthless currency was copper coins. Mag searched in his memory and found that, in this Chaos City, the purchasing power of a copper coin was more or less the same as one yuan. 10 copper coins could be changed into one silver coin, 10 silver coins was the same as one gold coin, and 10 gold coins equaled one dragon coin.

If it were his previous life, a bowl of Yangzhou fried rice that cost 296 yuan would have been nothing to him, but he was the owner of this restaurant now. The ingredients alone cost him as much as 296 copper coins, so he should sell the Yangzhou fried rice for 500 copper coins each? If so, the customers might tear him to pieces. After all, all kinds of species were living here in this Chaos City.

"The green peas come from an uninhabited plain in the interior of the Twilight Forest, which belongs to orcs. The sunlight there is present for as long as 16 hours every day. Each head of the green pea can only produce 100 grains, in which only 10 best grains are selected to be sold. They have a sweet taste and are very nutritious.

"The shrimp come from the Staro Sea northeast of the Roth Empire. They are purple-striped shrimp that only exist on the Soro Islands. The waters there are very complicated, and a haunt of sirens. No humans fished there yet. Only 100,000 shrimp are produced each year. Their meat is very delicious.

"The rice comes from the interior plain in the Wind Forest, which belongs to elves. It is irrigated by the underground branch of the Spring of Life. No chemical fertilizer or pesticide is used. Each mu[1.Mu is a Chinese unit of area. One mu equals 0.165 acres. One acre is roughly 4000 meters square.] of land can only yield 300 jin 1 of rice.

Mag listened as the names of places that were far apart came out of the system's mouth one by one, and also all sorts of strange farming and breeding methods. His mouth slowly widened.

Leaving aside growing green peas in the lands of the orcs, whose territorial consciousness was so strong, the place near Soro Islands was famous for being deadly waters, more or less like the Bermuda on the Earth, perhaps. People said that even giant dragons would get lost in it, and the system was raising shrimp in those waters?!

As for the Spring of Life, it was elves' holy spring, and the system was using it for irrigation?! Though the water was guided from just an underground branch, it still was such extravagance that perhaps elves hadn't tried it themselves.

As to others, the tree mushrooms were planted indigenously on demons' Ghost Islands; the ham was made from shadow boars, which only existed in forest trolls' land; the winter bamboo shoots were dug from the black soil on Vic Mountain, which was goblins' holy land; the eggs were produced in the hennery near Issen Castle, which was dwarves' place of habitation; even the green onions were planted on the saline-alkali farm near Lordamere Harbor—their taste was said to be better than the normal ones'.

Mag's predecessor had been a general of the Roth Empire's vanguard, so he knew very well about the landscape and important regions of the continent. He didn't inherit his family business in his previous life, but he got influenced a lot growing up, so he could easily figure out how precious these ingredients actually were by comparing them with his memories.

Were the purple-striped shrimp that cost 50 copper coins each expensive?

No, Mag wouldn't have found it expensive even if the price increased tenfold.

These ingredients couldn't cost this little even at their source. They were the best of the best that couldn't be bought by money.

Besides, bringing them here made their price even higher—the technologies in freshness retaining and air transportation were not very advanced here.

People living in the inland cities had no chance to eat fresh seafood unless they had magic casters keep them alive with magic during the whole transportation. However, this was even more extravagant than the Emperor Xuanzong of Tang's lychees 2 . Mag seemed to recall that the royal family of the Roth Empire had a group of people exclusively responsible for seafood transportation, and they used a large bird known as red hawk to carry the seafood; it could be called the air transportation in this world. A fresh sea fish in the capital city could fetch a hundredfold more than in the harbor.

A shrimp, which was also the precious purple-striped shrimp, in this inland Chaos City was not exactly overpaid if some wealthy customer wanted it for 1,000 copper coins.

"Now, do you still suspect that system's ripping you off?" asked the system.

"No, no, no. System, you're too kind. Perhaps you're the kindest man I'll ever meet," answered Mag sincerely. In fact, it could be said that doing business like this was a little too kind. Looking at those ingredients in the fridge, Mag came up with a bold idea all of a sudden. He asked tentatively, "System, maybe I could sell ingredients instead of opening restaurant. I think I can make money quicker this way."

"The ingredients supplied by the system can only be used in the restaurant, and are not allowed to be sold," answered the system calmly, and then it said, "New mission: the host has to buy 3,000 gold coins' worth of ingredients with cash in 10 days. Completing the mission will unlock the new recipe—la zhi roujiamo 3; failing it will lead to strength -0.5."

"Three… three thousand gold coins!" Mag had expected that system would not allow him to sell the ingredients, but the new mission almost made him cry out.

3,000 gold coins, that was 300,000 copper coins—a huge amount of money!

Besides, that was not turnover, but expense on ingredients!

The ingredients of one plate of Yangzhou fried rice cost 3 gold coins, which meant he had to sell 1,000 plates in 10 days. If he failed, his strength would decrease by 0.5, and he would go back to being half-disabled again.

"System, are you trying to make me a cripple again on purpose?" Mag couldn't refrain from complaining.

Although he was very confident in his Yangzhou fried rice, still, for a restaurant that hadn't opened yet, it was simply impossible to sell 1,000 plates in 10 days.

On the Norland Continent, fried rice was not a prevalent way of cooking; at least he didn't remember eating this thing in his predecessor's memory.

"The mission has been issued. Please complete it as soon as possible." The system had no intention at all to negotiate with Mag.

"Well, we can leave that aside." Mag realized that there was no room for negotiations, so, smiling, he said, "System, right now I have no money at all and haven't had any breakfast. What do you say to giving me some more free ingredients? If I starved to death, it would be an end to our God of Cookery quest."

"Given the host's situation, system has launched the 'Elephant Check Later' project," answered the system. "You can spend 3,000 copper coins in advance based on your credit, and pay it back before 10th of the following month. You can also choose to pay by installments, but there will be certain interest."

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Chapter 10: The Benefits Of Yangzhou Fried Rice

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

Mag froze for a while, and then suddenly remembered. "This… this is the same as the 'Ant Check Later' 1 !" He hadn't used that credit product before, but he somewhat knew about it. The system was pretty user-friendly, yet it was also making every effort not to let him have anything free.

3,000 copper coins can buy enough ingredients for 10 plates of Yangzhou fried rice. If I could sell some in the following few days, I would be okay; otherwise, maybe the system will launch its usury project.

"System, isn't my credit limit too low? I used to use Centurion Card, which has no limit at all. You only allow me 3,000. Are you questioning my credit capability?" Mag was a little offended.

"This limit is a meticulously calculated figure based on your current situation. Please make money fast, and as the money spent on ingredients increases, so will the credit limit," answered the system.

Mag gave it the second thought and found what the system had just said was true. He only had this land; all the other things were provided by the system. He was lucky to have even 3,000. He had been used to an extravagant life, but being economical was also fun in its own way. As long as the restaurant started operating, his fried rice would surely gradually become popular, and he wouldn't have to worry about money then.

"Give me the ingredients for one plate of fried rice first," Mag said in his mind and took them out from the fridge. He had known that these ingredients were good, but couldn't exactly tell why. After learning of their origins from the system, he felt the rice in his hands was filled with the essence from the Spring of Life.

"Since it was irrigated by the water from the Spring of Life, will it extend life?" Mag asked suddenly, full of curiosity.

"System is just using a small underground branch of the Spring of Life, and it will be diluted before irrigation. It could strengthen your body in some way if you eat it every day, but won't extend your life," answered the system.

"Good enough for me." Mag nodded. His body was his weakest spot right now, so he would take every opportunity to toughen it up. While removing the remaining rice from the cooker, he asked casually, "Do you sell the water from the Spring of Life?"

"Not now," answered the system.

That means it might sell it in the future. Mag raised an eyebrow. He had almost figured out the system's way of speaking. It's advantageous to me. When I have money, I'll drink it every day like herbal tea, and I'll be strong like an ox by then.

The ingredients in this world were very different from the ones on the Earth. Although they might look the same outwardly, because of the special environment they were grown in, their quality got improved a lot. They could help strengthen the body or stimulate potential.

Of course, Mag had to figure these things out slowly by himself. He was already looking forward to seeing the result when the recipes on the Earth met the ingredients here. The mouthful of fried rice he just ate was swallowed down so fast that he didn't taste anything special. He decided to taste it carefully later.

Processing the ingredients skillfully, Mag started thinking about the new mission. The cost of a plate of fried rice was 296 copper coins, and given the preciousness of these ingredients, Mag thought 3,000 copper coins each plate was already cheap.

However, nobody would pay for such expensive fried rice, and he dared not advertise the origins of these ingredients. If elves found out that their holy spring was being used to water fields, he would be shot a hundred times by even the most mild-tempered elf. Besides, others were no species to be trifled with, either. The origins of the ingredients were best kept a secret.

Mag hesitated for a moment, and then decided. 600 copper coins for a plate, then. I could make 304 coppers from one plate, and 3,040 gold coins from 1,000 plates.

Having made up his mind, Mag had no longer tied himself in knots over this thing. Anyway, this was only his first dish, and when he mastered the meat dish, raising the price would be no problem. If he set the price too high now, it would cause problems.

Besides, the system had just said the second dish that would be unlocked after completing this mission was la zhi roujiamo. Since that terrible pancake was selling so well, the la zhi roujiamo would definitely be a good seller too. It would prove to be a good advertisement for the restaurant's reputation.

Moreover, Amy had been so much into the pancake before, so she would be very happy to eat the la zhi roujiamo, which was 100 times better than the pancake.

"Just 1,000 plates of Yangzhou fried rice. I'll be damned if I can't sell them." Mag built up his confidence again, and while he was thinking about applying some marketing strategy and whatnot, the system's voice sounded suddenly.

"Please determine the price for the dish and the name of the restaurant. System will make the menu and change the name of the signboard."

"Yangzhou fried rice, 600 copper coins each," answered Mag immediately. "As for the name…" He thought for a while, and then turned his head to look at Amy, who was still leaning on the table, watching the refracted light from the glass. "I'll name it Mamy Restaurant—mine and Amy's restaurant."

"Yangzhou fried rice—600 copper coins each, and the name is Mamy Restaurant. Confirmed."

"Modification in progress…

"Modification complete."

The system's voice sounded consecutively. Mag noticed that an exquisite menu with a black leather cover was added to each table and a signboard was added outside the door—its lower end could be seen from the kitchen.

"This system is pretty convenient, after all." Mag shrugged. It was just a shabby log cabin yesterday, and after one night, it had become a mid-range restaurant. Otherwise, preparing the decorations alone would have cost him several months.

Mag efficiently cooked a plate of Yangzhou fried rice, filled a small bowl for Amy, and then walked out of the kitchen with a plate and the bowl.

Looking at Amy, who was still leaning on the table with her eyes fastened on the glass, Mag put down the plate and the bowl and stooped down to the glass. They looked at each other through the glass full of water, and then he said in a lowered voice, "My princess, your rainbow fried rice is ready. Please enjoy."

"I have heard you. Coming right now." Amy looked up at Mag's smiling face and giggled happily. She felt today's Father was so gentle and interesting, unlike before when he wouldn't speak all day long.

"Eat." Mag put a little spoon in her hand.

"Okay." Amy nodded. She took a look at the colorful fried rice before her, held the bowl with one hand, and started eating with her spoon.

Mag also brought a spoonful of rice to his mouth. The tender but firm rice coated with tender eggs was mixed with every ingredient, and together they formed a wonderful taste that tickled his taste buds ceaselessly. He didn't know if it was because he had known the origins of these ingredients, but after meticulous tasting, he found that the taste of every ingredient was so clear, yet at the same time, they were perfectly mixed together. When he had swallowed it, it seemed the pleasant smell of the Spring of Life remained in his mouth.

After finishing it all, Mag put down the spoon, a little surprised, and murmured, "My body feels kind of warm after this, but it's comfortable somehow, as if the cells are growing. My weariness is all gone. Maybe this is the benefit of the ingredients of this Yangzhou fried rice?"

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Chapter 11: Amy's Wish

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

After a plate of Yangzhou fried rice, Mag sat there, trying to feel the difference. As he had expected, the fried rice made from these precious ingredients had more than just a splendid taste.

The most direct effect was soothing weariness. The fatigue from making the two plates of Yangzhou fried rice in the morning had vanished after that plate. He felt warm all over and more vigorous than when he drank Red Bull.

It must be the rice. I'll be eating that rice three meals every day, so my strength will steadily increase, thought Mag. Among these ingredients, nothing was more precious than the rice watered by the Spring of Life.

"Amy, how do you feel after eating that rainbow fried rice?" Mag asked as he looked at Amy. Half elf blood is running in her veins, but the rice shouldn't cause any problems, I think.

"I feel the fried rice is very delicious!" Amy put her bowl on the table and stuck out her tongue to lick the rice on the corner of her mouth while she looked at Mag and nodded earnestly.

Mag got surprised, and then smiled—there was nothing wrong with her answer. He asked again, "Besides the good taste and good looks, do you feel unwell somewhere?"

"My body?" Amy thought for a while and shook her head, but then nodded.

"Where?" Immediately, Mag stood up from his chair and slightly leaned forward to look at Amy, his face a little worried.

"I… I just feel like a fire is burning in my body. It has happened before, but not as hot as now. I don't feel very well. Father, what happened to Amy?" Amy looked at Mag, a little confused. Her face already turned a little red, but she still looked rather calm.

Yet, Mag was a little terrified. He had thought that the rice watered by the Spring of Life should do a lot of good to Amy because she was a half-elf, but it didn't seem like that was the case; instead, something bad seemed to have stirred inside her.

Looking at Amy's red face, Mag couldn't come up with anything. It was nothing like a child's normal fever or cold, and he didn't find any solution in his predecessor's memory. He watched her face turning redder and redder, and all of a sudden, he remembered something, and then he picked up Amy's hand and said, "Come with me now, Amy. We're going to the Gray Temple…"

But Amy retracted her hand and shook her head. "Father, I seem to have figured out what I should do." She lifted her right hand before her, palm facing upwards as if holding something.

Mag looked at Amy, a little confused. "Amy, what are you—"

Suddenly, a bluish violet fire rose from her palm and immediately went up for a half meter. Its terrifying temperature even warped the air a little.

Unconsciously, Mag practically fell back two steps, and even the chair was plowed down by him. He looked at the bluish violet fire in Amy's palm, which was slowly leaping, and watched its flame diminish to a small bluish violet fireball.

"Amy, are you hurt?" asked Mag immediately. The fireball was even smaller than Amy's hand, but its heat was a little terrifying. He could sense danger in it, and was worried about Amy, but he couldn't get close, so he grew more anxious.

Amy shook her head. The redness on her face had decreased a lot. She looked at the fireball in her hand as if it were some interesting toy, and then she said excitedly, "Father, I'm okay. Look at this fireball! It's so lovely. Is this magic?"

Mag breathed a sigh of relief. Amy's face was starting to return to normal. It looked like this fireball had balanced out the heat and discomfort inside her body. However, watching the bluish violet fireball, Mag narrowed his eyes slightly—he was not certain whether or not it was magic. Shouldn't the flame of the normal fireball magic be fiery red?

Amy saw Mag narrowing his eyes and got a little terrified. She shook her hand, and the fireball was extinguished immediately. Then she drew back her hand, lowered her head as if she had done something wrong, and said, "Please don't get mad, Father. Amy's wrong. I'll never mention that I want to learn magic ever again." Then she peeked at Mag, her little face never more aggrieved.

"What?" Mag froze for an instant by Amy's sudden behavior, but he soon found out why in his predecessor's memory—in order to hide who they were and to protect Amy, his predecessor had kept a low profile since they came to the Chaos City.

When going out, Amy had to put on a hat that could cover her ears in order not to let anyone find out that she was half-elf. So, while she had shown a great interest in magic since little, she had been asked to strictly keep away from anything relating to magic, let alone learn it.

Looking at Amy who was aggrieved, with her head bowed, Mag couldn't help but feel his heart ache. His predecessor had wanted to keep their heads down and let Amy live a normal life. He could understand that he was trying to protect her.

But that didn't mean he approved of his method. Suppressing Amy's nature was something he'd never do; besides, in his eyes, while lying low was not wrong, it was a lie to console oneself if one accepted mediocrity willingly.

In his previous life, he had read about this: being mediocre was not terrifying; the terrifying thing was, after a mediocre life, one still told oneself that the plain life was the single true life.

Mag Alex's life was far from a mediocre one, but he had wanted to make Amy live a mediocre life, which was something Mag could not accept.

The offspring of the once strongest knight of humans and the princess of elves—could she be a genius?

After all, the fireball magic just now was mastered by Amy herself. Based on his predecessor's memory, he wouldn't have met this kind of fireball head on even in his prime.

Amy was fiddling nervously with her index finger, her head bowed. Watching this, Mag's heart softened immediately. Such a lovely girl! Of course she can do anything she wants to. It's my responsibility to handle everything else.

"Amy, raise your head and look at me," said Mag, smiling.

Amy hesitated for a moment, and then looked up at Mag. "Father, Amy will not learn—" Although today's Father was very kind and gentle, she still remembered his angry face when she'd said she wanted to learn magic last time. She didn't want to make her father angry or unhappy.

"No, Amy," Mag interrupted, smiling. Looking into her eyes, he said earnestly, "From today, I will not forbid you to learn magic. When the restaurant starts operating and we make some money, I will send you to the Gray Temple to learn magic."

Amy froze for an instant. "Really?" Then she looked at Mag, surprised and a little dubious.

"Of course." Mag nodded. "But it may take some time because the restaurant has just opened today—"

"Father, you are the best! Amy loves you!" Before Mag could finish his words, Amy had already slipped off her chair, jumped into his arms, held his face, and kissed it. Then she looked up at Mag, and with a serious look, she said, "Amy will become a very powerful magic caster and protect Father. It's my wish."

Mag looked at Amy in the eye and nodded earnestly. "Okay. I'm sure Amy can do it." Then, smiling, he said, "Well then, let's open the restaurant first. Mamy Restaurant, our restaurant."

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Chapter 12: A Pretty Hard Start

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

"Okay." Amy nodded obediently. She was just about to get off from Mag, but then she stopped immediately. Her eyes widened slowly as she looked at him. "Father, you can hold Amy in your arms! You can hold Amy in your arms!"

Her eyes were shiny with tears, her face full of excitement.

In Amy's memory, only in bed could she snuggle up in her father's arms, and she had never been hugged by him. She knew it was because of his body, but she had always wanted to experience the feeling of being hugged. Who would have thought that she would realize her little dream today?

Mag smilingly touched Amy's cute little nose, nodded, and said, "Yes, I can hold Amy in my arms at last. I can also lift you up and give you a princess hug. I will do anything you want me to do."

While holding Amy in his arms, he was very excited too. Sure enough, body is my first priority. I have to accomplish this mission. I don't want to go back to the state in which it's hard for me to even walk.

Amy put her face to Mag's chest, nuzzled him like a little cat, and said happily, "Father, you're the best!"

Mag pacified the little thing for a while. He was a little relieved after he had made sure that there was nothing wrong with Amy other than that bluish violet fire she'd unleashed.

Moreover, Amy had demonstrated it for Mag—she could unleash that bluish violet fireball anytime now, and she could do it with just a thought; no spells or time were needed.

His predecessor didn't know much about magic casters, either, and even the mysterious princess of elves was vague in his memory. Mag couldn't even recall her looks. He just vaguely remembered her as a powerful magic caster.

Looks like she has got her magic talent from her mother. Instant fireball magic—her talent should be good. It's just she can't control it well enough now, thought Mag, stroking his chin. His predecessor's worries had not been misplaced. If elves found out who she really was, he couldn't imagine what would happen. Whether putting her in harm's way or taking her away, it was unacceptable to him.

The Gray Temple should be put on the back burner. Maybe I should find a more reliable magic caster and suss him out first, thought Mag. He didn't want to rush into making Amy learn magic. He had to be thorough about it.

Mag picked up the black-leather-cover menu on the table. The leather was very smooth. He opened it. On the top left-hand corner of a plain light gray paper, he found a line of words written in black: Yangzhou fried rice—600 copper coins each, plain and simple yet stylish.

This system's taste is not bad. Mag closed the menu contentedly.

"Father, has our restaurant really opened today?" asked Amy, standing beside Mag.

"Yes, opening the door means we start operating. Let's hope we can sell many plates of rainbow fried rice today." Mag smiled and stroked Amy's hair, and then he took her little hand and walked towards the door.

Mag held the door handle, took a deep breath, and pushed it hard towards outside.

The two small bells hanging on the door rang twice, and then the door was opened. The warm sunlight of early autumn spilled on the two very different figures standing outside the door—one big, and one small, casting two long shadows onto the restaurant floor behind.

Standing there, Mag looked at the signboard hanging above, on which were two big words in black: Mamy Restaurant. Holding Amy's hand, he murmured to himself, "It seems nice to be alive again."

"Father, what were you saying?" Amy looked up at Mag, a little puzzled.

"I was saying, 'It's nice to have you, Amy.'" Mag looked down at the little thing who was even shorter than his waist, smiling lovingly.

"It's nice to have you too, Father." Amy ran happily around Mag for two laps, and then, forming her hands like a trumpet in front of her mouth, she shouted towards the square, "Our restaurant has opened! Come and eat here! We have very delicious rainbow fried rice…"

Mag looked at his little girl and gave a reluctant yet happy smile. He was very happy inside too. He looked to the Aden Square—it was early morning, and there weren't many people yet.

Not far on the grasslands, two large orcs with fangs were sparring with each other bare-chested; a little farther, two businessman-like humans were standing under a tree, talking; a tall elf hurried across with a longbow on his back, followed by two curious troll children…

Mag looked at all this with a little surprise. While he had seen the face of every species in his predecessor's memory, the shock delivered was completely different when he saw it with his own eyes.

Powerful orcs, crafty goblins, long-lived elves… It had all become so real all of a sudden, and he truly felt he had come to another world.

It didn't seem as simple as he had thought to live an easy and comfortable life here with Amy. Mag lifted an eyebrow and turned his head to take a look at his restaurant. Since the restaurant had been set up in this Chaos City, apparently, it wouldn't just cater for humans; after all, elves, giant dragons, and demons were famous for having an outrageous amount of money.

The Aden Square was located in the center of Chaos City. When they built the city, the buildings around the Aden Square had been arranged into the shape of the crescent moon to surround the round square. It was open to the south.

From one end of this crescent moon to another, there were thousands of various shops, restaurants, forges, red-light districts, arenas, magic shops… Any shop could be found here, as long as it existed on the Norland Continent. Their owners were also of various species; a hotcake shop might well be owned by lava demons, who'd bake hotcakes directly on their hands.

After the peace treaty was signed, Chaos City was built to promote mingling among species. At that time, the continent was divided among all the species like a pie cut several times horizontally and perpendicularly, and they shared the same intersection point, on which Chaos City was built, so it was not an exaggeration to call it the center of the continent.

Because Chaos City bordered with the lands of every species, it had eight gates to provide entrances for all of them.

Orcs, humans, elves, goblins, trolls, demons, dwarves… and giant dragons that showed themselves now and then lived together in the same city. This kind of chaotic inhabitation was how the city got its name.

After the chaos in the beginning, a secret organization named Gray Temple appeared in the city and started to maintain the order; at the same time, it slowly changed the city into today's size and layout. The people in gray walking in the dark were the law enforcers of this city.

Mag's restaurant was standing on the tail of the crescent moon—the last shop on the Aden Square.

Since the entrance of the square was on the other end, people seldom came here. Next to their restaurant was an arms shop, which Mag recalled was owned by a dwarf. Farther on were several closed shops with "House to Rent" notice on their doors, and then, there was a shop that sold magic potions, whose door had two birdcages hanging on it, in which two parrots were still sleeping.

To say the customers were few and far between here was putting it lightly. Thinking about the chance of a customer being interested in coming through his door and ordering a plate of 600-copper-coin Yangzhou fried rice, Mag suddenly felt that this start was pretty hard.

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Chapter 13: Pay! Now!

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

Mag watched and waited for a while. While the few passers-by had shown some interest in his restaurant which had totally different characteristics than the nearby shops, he didn't see anyone who wanted to enter for now.

Mag went back inside, cleared the table, and went to wash the dishes, while Amy was sitting on the long-legged chair behind the counter, playing with the bluish violet fire in her hand in high spirits, mumbling some spells all the while.

After cleaning up everything, Mag went out of the kitchen. Seeing that there was still no sign of any customers coming, he pulled up a chair beside Amy and watched her play with fire.

Suddenly, Amy turned to look at Mag, and asked, "Father, if I threw this out, would it be like magic caster's magic?" She raised her hand and made a throwing gesture.

"No, no, no!" Mag waved his hand immediately. If she threw it out, even if the restaurant wouldn't be burned down to the ground, some tables and chairs would surely be damaged, and seeing how the system was mean with its money, the remaining 2,700 copper coins might not even be enough for restitution.

"Don't worry, Father. I won't really throw it out." Looking at Mag's nervous face, Amy burst into laughter, and then she shook her hand and extinguished the fireball.

Mag let out a sigh of relief. He thought about Amy's question and nodded. "If you can throw it out and actually hit the target, then it can be called the fireball magic."

Amy shook her head, not very sure of herself. "Amy is not able to do that."

"Don't worry," said Mag, smiling. He looked at her, eyes full of encouragement. "Father will practice with you till I find a proper master for you. No one is born a magic caster. Amy is already very amazing because you can make a fireball all by yourself. I'm sure you can do it."

"Yes, Father. Amy will try!" Amy nodded vigorously. Then she looked toward the door and said in a little confused tone, "But why does nobody come and eat in our restaurant, Father? Your rainbow fried rice is so good."

"Because they haven't tried it, they have no idea that it is that good. Not long after, I'm sure people would line up to eat here." Mag smiled, but he felt a little helpless inside. 600 copper coins was indeed a pretty high price for normal people, but the Chaos City was never short of wealthy people. Every species had a handful of wealthy people who loved thrill, often hung around in this city, and even came here for long-term settlement.

After all, here, dwarves could enjoy the service of beautiful human girls; trolls could find demon strippers; even goblins might be accompanied by barmaids… Only money was needed. One could literally do anything here with money.

"If we have too many customers, Amy can help Father out." Amy looked at Mag with her shining eyes.

"Then what can you do, Amy?" asked Mag, smiling.

"Amy can help collect money. I learned arithmetic from Teacher Luna the other day. She said I am very good," said Amy as if trying to be impress him.

"Luna?" Mag searched in his memory and remembered immediately. Luna was a teacher working at Chaos School, which was owned by the Gray Temple. He had the impression that she was a young girl who loved wearing dark green dress, and who was normally condescendingly cold to others, but a totally changed person when she was with the children—she would become very kind and amiable, and was loved by them.

Since Amy couldn't afford her tuition fees, she had no right to go to school. However, she often went to the Chaos School and watched them have class with her hands on the top of the outside wall. Luna liked her very much and often let her inside to listen with other students; sometimes, she would teach her alone and give her something to eat, so she had left a pretty good impression on his predecessor.

"Yes. And if they won't pay, Amy will get angry and scare them with the fireball," said Amy, nodding.

"Get angry? Amy knows how to get angry?" Mag didn't quite believe her.

Amy nodded solemnly. "Sure. I watched the next-door dwarf grandpa get angry." And then she put her two little fists in front of her face and widened her eyes to look at Mag. "Pay now, or prepare to get punched!"

"Father, my look is very angry, right?" Amy asked, full of anticipation, as she maintained her posture.

Soooo cute! Mag felt that his heart had melted down, but seeing the anticipation all over her face, he had to refrain from laughing and nod his head. "Yes, super angry."

Amy put her hands down and said happily, "Then leave the mission of collecting money to Amy from now on. I'm sure to do a good job."

Smiling, Mag nodded. "Okay, I'll leave it to you then. Oh, and Father will show you how to look angrier when I have time." He didn't turn Amy down, but her look was so cute now, so he had to carefully teach her sometime, or the customers would not be squelched.

Then, Amy pestered Mag for a story. He told her the story of "The Little Match Girl". Amy listened with great interest, though Mag added and omitted some things.

By the end of the story, Amy asked with great anticipation, "Father, is the roast goose really that delicious?"

Mag nodded. "Yeah, I suppose." But then he felt something was wrong. The point of the story was the roast goose in the kitchen cupboard?

The story was over. They leaned on the counter, a little bored, their chins lying on the back of their hands, oblivious to everything around them. The looks on their faces were surprisingly in sync.

Mag had known that the start would not be easy, but he hadn't expected that nobody would come for a whole morning. Only two demon kids had looked inside for a while from outside the glass window.

At noon, Amy turned to look at Mag and said, "Father, Amy's hungry."

Mag nodded, smiling. "I'll go prepare lunch." Then he went into the kitchen. It couldn't be helped; he couldn't make himself stand outside and yell and invite customers in.

As for the attitude towards customers, he had more or less decided when he was sitting there. In respect of user experience, he knew even more than many who owned restaurants, though it was his first time being an owner; after all, he had tried so many restaurants in his previous life.

A warm attitude might make people think that they were valued, but those who didn't like talking might feel uncomfortable, and a condescending and cold attitude would definitely leave a terrible impression on most customers. Going too far was as bad as not going far enough.

Besides, his restaurant was relying on Amy and him only. Amy would have done more than enough if she could collect money properly, and receiving customers was naturally his responsibility. So, with regard to his attitude towards them, after he summed up his experience and also considered the current situation of the restaurant, he decided to follow three words: kindness, distance, equality.

Kindness was the basic respect that should be shown to the customers. It would make them feel good before eating. As for distance, it was because Mag wanted to increase efficiency, and because he had to make the customers who didn't like to be received overzealously feel comfortable. And equality would be shown to all species. Mag felt that anyone who chose to eat in his restaurant was his customer: no matter the species, he would treat them all the same.

When Mag had just readied the ingredients for two plates of Yangzhou fried rice and the rice, the small bells on the door rang…

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Chapter 14: Owner, Your Menu Must Be Wrong

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

Mamy Restaurant? Where did it come from? Mobai stood outside the restaurant, a heavy black hammer about his height slung on his shoulder. Sweat was dripping onto his half-bare reddish black chest from his gray beard, and his face that had been baked into the same color by the stove was full of doubts.

When he saw it yesterday noon, it was just a shabby wooden house, in which lived a father and his daughter. The man was a cripple that could barely walk, and had never spoken with him; the little girl was always wearing a gray hat, but she looked very cute. Sometimes, she would squat outside his forge and watch him hammer arms.

However, after only one night, that ramshackle wooden house had changed completely. It had become a very beautiful two-storied house, and the whole front wall of the first floor was even replaced by a sheet of transparent crystal glass. The beautiful decoration of the restaurant could be seen from outside. For a moment, Mobai did not understand what had happened.

Even on this whole Aden Square, no restaurant could be found that was more beautiful than this one. After all, that transparent crystal glass was so thin and bright that every table inside looked very clean and comfortable; the translucent crystal chandelier was even more exquisite than the one in the palace.

Maybe that human cripple is actually a very powerful magic caster? He conjured up this restaurant overnight and decided to cook all of a sudden? Stroking his beard, Mobai shook his head. The mind of cunning humans is certainly not easy to understand. But, since it's near, I may as well try it; if it's good, then I won't have to eat far.

He was certain that this restaurant was owned by the same father and daughter because he had already seen the absent-minded little girl sitting behind the counter through the transparent crystal glass. She looked more adorable today without her hat.

Mobai pushed the door open, heavy hammer in his hand. The ringing of the bells on the door startled him; when he looked up and saw the two small bells hanging on the door, he laughed at himself and walked inside.

The inside looked even cleaner and more comfortable than when he looked from outside. Grand though the decoration seemed, the brownish gray background made him feel very comfortable. He didn't feel dazzled; instead, he felt a little relaxed somehow.

Mobai lowered his head and took a look at his clothing, which had many holes in it due to the sparks, and his boots, which had thick dust on them, and then he looked at the clean and shining floor; he hesitated for a while.

Amy's eyes suddenly brightened when she was leaning on the counter waiting for her lunch. After she saw who had entered, she turned her head and shouted towards the kitchen excitedly, "Father, we have a customer! Next-door dwarf grandpa!"

Mag had just readied the ingredients and was about to cook when he heard the ringing of the bells and Amy's voice. He looked to the door, a little surprised. The door was opened, and in came an old dwarf with a heavy black hammer on his shoulder. He had short hair and long gray whiskers all over his face; his half-bare chest showed his strong muscles; his arms were as thick as the thighs of normal people; lastly, he was wearing hole-covered clothes made from animal hide, with a worn cowhide wineskin at his wrist.

This was the first time Mag had seen a real dwarf. He was more or less as tall as Mag's waist. Because of his strong muscles, he looked a little cubic, like a box.

He was the owner of the next-door forge, a dwarf blacksmith named Mobai, and he was among the few blacksmiths in Chaos City. Dwarves had a long life; he should be more than 200 years old, but was still as strong and healthy as ever. His predecessor had closely observed the nearby owners and the people who were always wandering around this place. Although he might not know their names, he had a general idea of who they were.

This was his first customer, so naturally, Mag was pretty happy and expectant. He dried off his hands with a towel, went out of the kitchen, and looked at Mobai who stood hesitating at the door. When he glimpsed the grayish black cowhide boots on his feet, Mag had known what to do. He didn't walk towards him to welcome him; instead, he stood by the counter, stroked Amy's head to signal her to be quiet, and said smilingly, "Welcome, would you like something to eat?"

Mobai looked at Mag and felt a little surprised. The man who had been hunchbacked and in shabby clothes was now wearing a decent suit. He was still lean, but standing straight, he had a temperament that was totally different than before. Human males were a little womanish in his eyes; he disliked them, especially those who were lean.

However, standing there, this man looked like a sharp sword out of its sheath despite his lean figure; he didn't look womanish at all. He was no ordinary man.

Moreover, the smile on his face that was a little warm hid a lot of that sharpness. This kind of contrast created a vague distance, which made Mobai, who came here for the first time, feel rather comfortable.

The little girl standing beside him was wearing no hat today. She was in a black dress, and her face was full of excitement and anticipation, being even more lovely than before.

Mobai couldn't figure out what had happened to this man overnight. It was like he had been reborn. He couldn't help but wonder what this human male was selling in his restaurant, and whether the food here could match the decoration.

Mobai stopped hesitating, nodded his head, and walked inside with his heavy hammer. He drew a chair to sit on, put the hammer on the floor, and looked at Mag. Then, he said, "Yes, I'd like something to eat. What do you have here?"

"There's a menu on your table; you can have a look first, sir," answered Mag, pointing at the menu on his table.

"Menu?" Mobai picked up the menu casually. On touching the cover with his callus-covered rough hands, he was taken by a little surprise. This kind of smooth texture meant the cover was definitely made from the best bison hide. A piece of bison hide like this one could fetch as much as one dragon coin. It was so extravagant to put such an expensive menu on every table. Even the Fryer Tavern, which had the best business on the Aden Square, was only using normal cowhide covers.

This made Mobai feel even more expectant. With a restaurant so grandly decorated, and a menu so extravagant, he imagined the dishes here had to be rich. He liked good food the most… other than drinks. It had to be said that humans might be weak, but in terms of cuisine, other species were definitely no match for them.

Mobai opened up the cover and looked at it with great expectation, only to be rooted to the spot.

Such a big menu, yet it was complete blank!

No, not completely blank. On the top left-hand corner, Mobai saw a line of small words. He narrowed his eyes slightly and read out in a low voice, "Yangzhou fried rice—600 copper coins each."

"600 copper coins?!" Mobai froze for a moment. He blinked and thought that his eyes might have been dazzled from staring by the stove too long in the morning. He brought the menu closer and took another look, and on it, it still said: Yangzhou fried rice—600 copper coins each.

Mobai put the menu down and looked at mag, face full of doubts. "Owner, your menu must be wrong."

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Chapter 15: Owner, Give Me A Plate Of Yangzhou Fried Rice!

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

Mag shook his head smilingly, and replied calmly, "It's not wrong. It's simply that we have just opened, so we don't have many different dishes, but more will be available later."

Mobai shook his head. "I didn't mean the number of dishes; it's the price. This Yangzhou fried rice costs 600 copper coins each? Do you use giant dragon meat to make it?" he said, pointing at the line of words on the menu a little irritated.

He had thought that the decorations were great and that the innkeeper was also not bad, but hadn't expected that they wanted to rip him off. Such small words they were; if he hadn't seen clearly and had ordered directly, he would have spent 600 on nothing.

In Fryer Tavern, 600 copper coins could buy him a large plate of roasted meat and two flagons of wine, and fill up his wineskin when he left. His good feelings towards Mag just now vanished immediately. Humans are indeed the best at disguising themselves and the most devious.

"Sorry, we don't use dragon meat. But the price is not wrong. I think this Yangzhou fried rice is worth this price and then some more. You're free to make your decision, sir," replied Mag, neither humble nor arrogant, but he didn't explain too much.

Mag had expected that certain customers would question the price, but he had absolute confidence in his Yangzhou fried rice. It was not worth 600? If it hadn't been for the 1,000 plates' mission, he would have set the price at 6,000 copper coins. This was a plate of Yangzhou fried rice made from the precious rice which was watered by the Spring of Life, and included various rare ingredients, with a cooking skill that people in this world could only look up to.

Mobai stared at Mag and suppressed his anger. Humans are indeed devious. They can remain such calm while spouting such lies. This restaurant's style was indeed very good, but he valued the taste the most when eating. The appearance of the restaurant was not as important.

He couldn't figure out what this Yangzhou fried rice was at all with just these four words. What is Yangzhou? Can rice be fried? He had tried every restaurant in Chaos City in the past few decades, but he had never heard of this dish.

Mobai stared at Mag for a long while, but Mag was very calm the whole time, and didn't show any guilt or impatience, looking as if he was waiting for him to decide.

He had run his forge for dozens of years and seen all sorts of people, but few had the same mentality like Mag, and none of them were nobodies. He couldn't help wondering, Maybe this Yangzhou fried rice has some special taste and is truly worth 600? He hesitated for a moment, and then asked, "You said the price is not wrong, but can you guarantee that this Yangzhou fried rice tastes good?"

Mag shook his head. "Good or not, it has a lot to do with personal preference. So, sorry, I cannot guarantee that." Even the best food could be found distasteful by certain people. Mag sighed silently as he looked at Mobai's irritated face. Looks like the first customer will not stay… probably.

"What?!" Mobai got even more irritated. Other restaurants would go to great lengths to boast about their dishes, but look at him—he said he can't guarantee the taste. He can't even guarantee his food will be good! Looks like he is most probably a liar. If later I said it tasted bad, maybe he would argue it was my personal problem. This human is so devious. Guess I'll pass.

At this moment, Amy, who was watching them talking all this time, looked up at Mag and pouted. "Father, Amy's hungry." Then she glanced at Mobai with some dislike. This dwarf grandpa is taking so long. The rainbow fried rice is so delicious, but he still hasn't made up his mind. Father would have made one by now.

Mobai was just about to stand up and leave when Amy glanced at him. He was too embarrassed by her disdainful look to stand up. The look on the little girl's face was saying so blatantly that he had taken up her eating time.

"Right, I'll make the Yangzhou fried rice for you, Amy." Mag smiled and stroked his little girl's head. Then he looked at Mobai. "You can take your time, sir. Please let me know when you have made up your mind." After saying that, Mag turned around and went into the kitchen to start cooking.

Amy went back to sit on the long-legged chair behind the counter again. She rested her chin in her hands, blinked her eyes, and said innocently, "The rainbow fried rice is really very good. Amy loves it very much. Are you sure you don't want one, grandpa?"

She's… so cute! Mobai felt that, at this instant, his heart which had been steeled a thousand times like the iron melted a little. He almost shouted out, "Of course! Give me one!"

However, he thought of his questioning and irritating face just now. If he decided to eat the fried rice just because of her words, he would lose face, so he refrained from making that decision with great effort, crossed his arms before his chest, and answered in a cool voice, "I'll think about it and decide later."

"Okay, either way, you'll fall in love with that taste in a while." Amy shrugged as if having seen through everything. She turned her head away from Mobai and looked to the kitchen with great expectation.

"I won't fall in love with some Yangzhou fried rice," murmured Mobai, all tsundere. He felt he had been despised again. He had been despised by the same little girl twice in one day, but looking at her cute little face, he could do nothing but forgive her.

I'll wait and see whether that Yangzhou fried rice is really that good, or if this little thing has been corrupted by that human, thought Mobai. Now he didn't rush to leave, but sat there patiently.

Having practiced tens of thousands of times in the test field and twice in real life, Mag had only used 10 minutes to cook a plate of Yangzhou fried rice.

When he went out with the plate, Mag glanced at Mobai, who was still sitting there, with some surprise. He thought this grumpy customer had already left.

Amy jumped off the chair, stared fixedly at the plate of rice on Mag's hand, and clapped her little hands happily. "It smells so good. Father is so amazing!"

That is the so-called Yangzhou fried rice? It doesn't look very special. It looks good, but I can see no meat in it; it won't be very satisfying. Mobai had some expectation before, but he felt a little disappointed suddenly as he looked at that fried rice.

Mag put the fried rice on the table opposite Mobai, and, smiling, he said to Amy, "Wash your hands first, and then eat."

"Okay." Amy trotted into the kitchen, stepped on a little stool, and washed her hands; then she trotted back to the table again. She climbed onto the chair, brought herself close to the plate, and took a deep sniff; immediately, her big blue eyes became even brighter.

At this moment, the aroma of the fried rice found its way to Mobai's table. He couldn't help but take a sniff, and then his eyes widened immediately. He looked at the fried rice before Amy, not believing his nose. This aroma, how can it be so enticing?

"Amy will start eating now," said Amy, holding a spoon in her hand. Then she brought a spoonful of rice to her mouth and chewed merrily, her face full of happiness from enjoying the good food. One spoonful after another, she didn't want to stop, her body shaking slightly all the while.

"Gulp…" Mobai heard the sound of himself swallowing his saliva. Unhesitatingly, he looked to Mag who was standing near. "Owner, give me a plate of Yangzhou fried rice!"

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Chapter 16: Owner, Give Me Seconds!

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

Mobai felt a little embarrassed after saying that. He had questioned the dish's taste in every possible way, and now he was asking for it on his own initiative. This turn of events was pretty awkward.

Mobai took a look at Amy, who was stuffing herself, and said to himself,Because she was eating so happily, for a moment, I couldn't refrain from saying those words… He brought back his head that had been craning forward, and again said in a cool voice, "I don't really want it, but I think I have to show some respect to the little girl, so I'll try and have one plate."

Mag nodded. "All right. Please wait a moment." Of course he wouldn't say too much at this moment, but he couldn't refrain from smiling when he turned around. His tsundere tone is really amusing.

"Dwarf grandpa, this rainbow fried rice is really very good." Amy swallowed down the rice in her mouth, took another spoonful, and added, "Look, it's very beautiful, right? Don't you feel like eating it very badly?"

Looking at the golden egg-coated rice on the spoon, which was mixed with various ingredients, and the sky-clear eyes of the little girl who was still holding her spoon, Mobai nodded subconsciously.

Amy nodded. "Then watch me eat it." She opened her mouth to eat the whole spoonful, and as she chewed, she said merrily, "Yummy, yummy."

"…" Mobai's mouth opened and closed. Watching the little girl opposite who was again completely immersed in her fried rice, for a moment, he felt like saying a lot of things, but just couldn't make the words come out.

If opposite him were a man, his heavy hammer would have already landed on his head. Yet, watching the little thing eating happily, he couldn't get angry at all.

Instead, he felt… that she was pretty cute?

Mobai was already hungry after a whole morning's hammering, and now, he felt even hungrier as he watched the little girl eating happily. If his senses had been gone, he would have gone and robbed her of some rice.

After a short while, Mag put the rice for two in the cooker and walked out with a plate of Yangzhou fried rice. He softly put down the plate in front of Mobai, and said smilingly, "Your Yangzhou fried rice is ready, sir."

Mobai was totally attracted to the rice before him. The strong aroma of the chopped green onions and eggs tickled his nose, and his saliva was starting to be secreted. He had never smelled such an enticing aroma from any food before.

The rice grains were separated clearly and coated with a layer of golden eggs; on the surface was a little oil, as if shining in the lamplight. The colorful ingredients that had been chopped into the size of the rice grains had mixed with the rice to form a lively and bright color. So many ingredients, and they were cooked together with oil directly. There was no pepper or salt beside the plate; perhaps it was already seasoned? Mobai's concept of eating was completely torn apart.

Mag was standing there, observing, calm on the outside, but also a little expectant and nervous on the inside. While Amy liked the fried rice very much, her previous favorite food was that pancake, so her opinion could only be used as reference.

However, technically, Mobai was his first customer, so his reaction and feedback were more important. Based on them, he could more or less figure out whether they liked the Yangzhou fried rice here or not.

What's this cooking method? Will it be good? Mobai was a little dubious, but driven by the pleasant smell, he couldn't refrain from holding the spoon and bringing a spoonful to his mouth. He chewed several times.

The eggs almost melted down once inside his mouth; the grain-sized winter bamboo shoots and green peas were crisp and tasty; the egg-coated rice was so sweet after being finely chewed; the soft and tender ham was well mixed with the rice, and he seemed to have tasted shrimp in it. He could taste all the different tastes in this one mouthful, and he felt warm all over when he had swallowed it, with the pleasant smell of rice still lingering in his mouth.

Mobai's eyes brightened immediately.

Delicious! This is so delicious! How can anything in this world be so delicious?!

Mobai wasn't able to think about anything else. He couldn't help but bring another spoonful to his mouth, and then he simply held the plate with one hand and gripped the spoon with the other; one mouthful after another, he just couldn't stop his hand!

600 copper coins was expensive? No, with food this good, 1,000 was not nearly expensive to him.

The roasted meat in the Fryer Tavern was so coarse and plain compared to this rice. Perhaps he wouldn't be able to tolerate that burnt taste that he had put up with before from now on.

It was as if this fried rice was elaborately made by a cooking master. He had tried all the different food on the Norland Continent in the past few hundred years, but it was the first time that he had eaten something as good as this.

He had put all his suspicions towards Mag and the contempt in his mind from before behind him. Face and stuff like that were nothing before such great food.

Moreover, much to Mobai's surprise, after this fried rice, he felt that warm feeling was not a delusion, but very real. He felt very relaxed and comfortable all over as if something were nourishing his body. The weariness from waving the heavy hammer for a whole morning seemed to be assuaged and relieved quickly.

It was like he had drunk a bottle of recovery potion, except that this recovery was gentler and more comfortable, from inside to outside, and it didn't make him feel more exhausted after its effect wore out like the recovery potion, which made him think of the elves' holy spring: the Spring of Life.

"Dwarf grandpa, the rainbow fried rice is very good, right?" Amy giggled happily. Watching Mobai eating ceaselessly, she said, "Amy told you you'd fall in love with its taste."

Mag stood there, smiling. Mobai's reaction had said everything. Even he couldn't resist the good taste of this Yangzhou fried rice, so Mag had no worry at all about whether his restaurant would be popular or not. This was a rather good start.

"Yes. I've fallen in love with this taste." Mobai put down the plate and looked at Mag. "Owner, give me seconds. It's really very good."

At this moment, the voice of the system sounded all of a sudden. "System recommends you apply the limited purchasing strategy. It would highly raise customer expectations and stickiness."

Mag was taken by surprise. He responded by asking, "System, aren't you only responsible for selling ingredients?"

"System is mainly responsible for supervising you learning cooking skills and supplying necessary ingredients," stressed the system, appearing a little unhappy with Mag's remarks.

"Well then, you'd better do your job and sell the ingredients. This is my restaurant; you want me to apply limited purchasing strategy instead of making money—are you taking me for a fool? I've got the mission to complete!" Mag curled his lip. He wished someone would eat 100 plates.

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Chapter 17: Owner, I'd Like One More Plate Please

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

Mag went into the kitchen. The rice he had put in the cooker before was just ready; he scooped out some and put it into a bowl to let it cool a little, then used his credit account to buy the ingredients for one plate of fried rice, and started to prepare the second one.

As to the purchasing limit, Mag would not consider it right now. His mission of selling 1,000 plates was no easy task at all. However, if his restaurant became very popular in the future, the purchasing limit was a pretty good strategy to show respect to customers in order for more people to have the chance to eat good food.

As for the system's recommendation, he believed the system was trying to set him up and that it most likely wanted to make him half-disabled again.

"System's suggestions are all for you to go far on the path of the God of Cookery," said the system suddenly.

Mag raised an eyebrow. He hadn't expected that the system had read his mind, but it also made it easier for him. He asked, "System, in order for me to go far, I'd like to make a suggestion too."

"Please," answered the system.

"I think you should sell the ingredients for half the price," said Mag solemnly.

"The ingredients supplied by the system are all from—"

"I feel the same about your suggestion." Mag cut the conversation short before the system even finished its sentence.

"…" An ellipsis went across Mag's head.

Mag curled his upper lip slightly and went back to processing the ingredients.

He had been famous for his vicious tongue back in the day. He had never lost once when facing a band of people who criticized him; he had no fans whatsoever. Talking back to the system was like taking candy from a baby to him.

Mobai was sitting there, feeling the changes in his body. After finishing the whole plate, the warm feeling was starting to fade, but the feeling that his weariness was relieved didn't vanish, but still remained. It was so real. He clenched his fist and felt almost the same as when he woke up in the morning, very energetic.

Mobai quickly did the math in his mind. This should have the same effect as a half bottle of middle-grade recovery potion, and it has no side effect of making me feel near the end of my strength. The price of a bottle of middle-grade recovery potion is 20 gold coins, and I have to use one bottle every day. But two plates of this delicious Yangzhou fried rice only cost me 12; besides, it has a much better effect. From this point of view, it's absolutely worth the money. The result brightened his eyes.

To forge a weapon, he had to wield that heavy hammer which weighed nearly 100 jin more than 10,000 times. High rewards meant hard work and great skills.

Mobai was not nearly as resilient these years as when he was young. In order to do his job, he had to drink a bottle of middle-grade recovery potion, which tasted very awful, every noon.

However, he had grown dependent on this thing, and because he had used it for a long time, he had already felt that his body was being eaten away. At this rate, he could only maintain his accuracy for five years at most.

The day he lost his accuracy, the reputation that he had built in this Chaos City in the past few decades would be gone too.

While he had saved a lot of money from forging weapons—a weapon could fetch at least 1,000 gold coins—he was very clear that the money he had saved was not nearly enough for what he wanted to do. Five years was not enough; he needed to work very hard every day for at least 10 years to earn that money.

This Yangzhou fried rice was like a silver lining on a cloud for him. He had found an opportunity all of a sudden.

I'll try another plate. If its recovery effect is really good, then I'll eat here every day! It had pained him a little to spend this much money on the fried rice, but compared to that awful potion that made him want to throw up, if this amazing Yangzhou fried rice which only cost him a little more than half of the former had the same recovery effect, then it clearly was not a difficult choice he faced.

Amy had just finished eating her plate of rice. She licked her lips, looked at Mobai, and said smilingly, "Dwarf grandpa, didn't you say just now you wouldn't fall in love with its taste?" Her face was so pure and innocent.

Mobai's old face reddened from Amy's stare. He feigned coughing several times, and said, "I was just testing the owner to see if he was confident in his skills or not. I'm surprised that he has no confidence even with such good cooking skills, so I am helping him boost his confidence now."

"Really?" Amy looked at Mobai, a little dubious.

Mobai nodded solemnly. "Sure. I'm not the kind of person who judges the food distasteful before eating." His tone was a little proud.

"I hope so." Amy gave Mobai an unhappy glance, slipped off the chair, and went into the kitchen with her plate.

"I… I…" Mobai felt like he had been despised again. It seemed like she had seen through everything with that unhappy glance.

When he heard Mobai's tsundere words being refuted by Amy easily, to the extent that the dwarf had nothing to say in reply, Mag couldn't refrain from smiling.

She's really talented. That's my girl all right. Her vicious attribute only needs to be developed a little, and with her cute little face, she could criticize them to such an extent that they would even doubt themselves but couldn't get angry. This feeling is wickedly cool.

"If you want some more, I'll cook more for my lunch and give you some," said Mag smilingly, taking the plate from Amy and putting it aside.

"Father, you're the best!" Amy looked up at Mag, her little face full of adoration. Her father had been like a changed person since she woke up yesterday, so kind and gentle.

Looking at the father and daughter in the kitchen from outside, Mobai froze, and went into a trance for a moment. He saw a scene in which a little boy was looking up adoringly at a man who was wielding a heavy hammer in front of a stove. He hadn't seen him for so many years, and didn't know how he was doing. He felt he owed him a lot.

Mag nodded, smiling. "Go and sit outside. Father has to cook for the customer."

"Okay," answered Amy obediently. She went out of the kitchen, climbed onto the long-legged chair behind the counter, and looked at Mobai with her chin in her hands. "Don't worry, dwarf grandpa, your fried rice will be ready very soon. Just wait a little longer."

Mobai, who had just snapped out of his reverie, nodded. "Okay." He looked at Amy and for once slightly smiled.

Mag put down the plate before Mobai and smiled. "Your fried rice, sir."

Mobai nodded. "Okay." Watching the fried rice exquisite like art, he brought one spoonful to his mouth with great expectation. Its taste was as magical as before, and the warm feeling arose in his body again as he swallowed it, nourishing every part of his body.

It's indeed effective! And much better than the middle-grade recovery potion!Mobai's eyes were filled with a pleasant surprise.

Maybe it was because the first plate had already relieved a lot of weariness he had, but he felt the second one was not only soothing his weariness, but was also nourishing his muscles that had been worn year in and year out. Certain parts of his muscles were always aching like hell on rainy days, but he felt very comfortable right now, though this nourishment was subtle; it was as if a pair of warm hands were massaging his body.

Without even finishing it, Mobai suddenly lifted his head to look at Mag. "Owner, I'd like one more plate please." There was some respect in his eyes.

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Chapter 18: Okay, Dwarf Grandpa Mobai

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

Mag was really taken aback. While the Yangzhou fried rice was good, one plate's volume was not small. Two plates were more than enough even for those who could eat a lot. Maybe dwarves were built with a larger stomach?

Mag had his doubts, but didn't show anything on his face. He nodded. "Okay, please wait a moment." He picked up the empty plate from the table and went into the kitchen.

Mobai was eating the fried rice, one spoonful after another, with his head lowered. The more he ate, the happier he felt. He hadn't expected that such delicious food would have a better recovery effect than the middle-grade potion. At this rate, he felt that maybe it could even restore his condition to his prime and that he could work another dozens of years.

"Wow, dwarf grandpa, you're amazing. You could eat three plates!" Amy opened her mouth slightly and looked at Mobai with some envy and adoration.

Mobai lifted his head and took a look at Amy. For the first time, the little girl wasn't looking down on him with a disdainful look. He even felt a little flattered, and sat up straighter unconsciously. He ate another mouthful, and said, "This kind of fried rice, three plates are nothing to me. I could eat four!"

"Really? You could eat four plates?" Amy's adoring look was more obvious, and her eyes were starting to shine.

Mobai hesitated for a moment, but looking at Amy's adoring eyes, he couldn't refrain from nodding. "Of… of course."

Immediately, Amy turned around and shouted towards the kitchen, "Father, dwarf grandpa said he could eat four. Make him another one, or he won't eat his fill!"

"Wait…"

Mobai looked at Amy, her face full of an innocent smile. Somehow, he felt that something was wrong.

After hearing Amy's words, Mag turned to look at Mobai. "Is that so, sir?" He was very calm on the outside, but on the inside, he was already laughing. If he hadn't known Amy's character, perhaps even he would have suspected a little that Amy was a scheming girl.

"Well…" Mobai was a little embarrassed. While he could eat more compared to normal people, he felt more or less full after two plates of fried rice; three plates were definitely enough for him, and the fourth one would probably make him feel a little too stuffed.

"Dwarf grandpa, you told me you could eat four plates, so Amy will not like you if you go back on your words," said Amy earnestly, her chin in her hands.

Mobai wanted to slap himself. Why did I brag about that without thinking? It wouldn't pose a problem if she were someone else, but watching the expectant and earnest face of the little girl, he just didn't want to lose face. After hesitating for a while, he clenched his teeth and looked at Mag. "Yes, give me one more."

"Wow, you said it. Dwarf grandpa is so amazing!" Amy clapped her little hands happily, her face full of an earnest smile.

Mobai consoled himself in his mind, To hell with it! I rarely eat something as good as this, so it's a kind of happiness even if I'm too stuffed. Besides, looking at the bright smile and adoring eyes on Amy's face, he suddenly felt his vanity had been greatly satisfied; one more plate of fried rice was really nothing to him now.

Mag nodded. "Right, please wait a moment." He started to rinse the rice and make the third plate of fried rice; then, he turned around to look at Amy's back, eyes full of love. It was all thanks to her that his first customer stayed and ordered four plates of Yangzhou fried rice.

Mag served the two plates one by one, and Amy watched Mobai finish them with fixed eyes.

Mobai gave a contented burp as he put down the spoon. With four plates of Yangzhou fried rice down, he felt warm all over and not as stuffed as he had thought. A feeling of contentment arose from the bottom of his heart. He felt as if his life had been fulfilled at this moment.

Mag stood there and saw the food he had made eaten by someone happily until nothing was left on the plate. A sense of achievement arose in his heart, and he felt very happy too. Turns out being a cook is not that bad.

Before Mobai knew it, Amy was already at his table. She held out her hand as she looked up at Mobai, and then she said solemnly, "Dwarf grandpa, if you have had enough, please pay. It's… 2,400 copper coins."

"Okay, but I don't have that many copper coins. I'll give you 24 gold coins," said Mobai smilingly. He fumbled out a purse from his clothes.

"Gold coins?" Amy froze for an instant, and then she turned to look at Mag. "Father, 24 gold coins and 2,400 copper coins, which is more?"

Mag looked at Amy and smiled. "They are the same. One gold coin is worth 100 copper coins." He was surprised that she knew how to do the four-digit addition, but it seemed she didn't know how to convert the coins.

"I see…" Amy nodded thoughtfully.

"There you go! 24 gold coins." Mobai carefully put a handful of gold coins onto Amy's little hands, and they formed a pile.

"Wow, they're so beautiful!" Amy's eyes brightened completely. Cradling the coins carefully, she walked slowly to a table, put them down, and counted one by one.

Mobai tore his eyes away from Amy, picked up his hammer, and stood up to look at Mag. "Your Yangzhou fried rice is very good. I didn't get your name."

"Mag," answered Mag smilingly. This customer has a tsundere attribute and a fiery temper, but in fact, he's fairly easy to get along with and very straightforward.

Mobai glanced at Mag with a little surprise. Very few people didn't say their surname when introducing themselves, but a lot of people in this Chaos City were concealing who they were because of various reasons—he being one of them—so he didn't really take it to heart. He nodded, smiling. "Then I'll call you Mag. I'm Mobai; you can call me Old Mo. I'll eat here again."

Mag smilingly nodded. "Right. See you around then."

When Mobai was about to turn around and leave, he stopped and looked at Amy. "Little girl, call me Grandpa Mobai, not dwarf grandpa."

"Okay, dwarf grandpa Mobai," answered Amy without even lifting her head. She was too absorbed in counting the gold coins.

"Naughty girl…" Mobai shook his head, turned around, and walked out. The little thing could always make him speechless, but when he stopped to consider it, she was always right; besides, she was so adorable—there was simply nothing he could do about her.

Mag cleared the table and looked at Amy, who was counting the coins over and over again, her eyes shining. It looked like she not only liked good food, but she liked money too. A little chowhound and miser—it was hard to think of her as anything but a cute little thing. Mag went into the kitchen with the dishes and started to prepare lunch for himself.

A moment later, Mag went out with a plate of Yangzhou fried rice and saw Amy, who had been counting the coins in high spirits just now, bent over the table with dull eyes. She heard Mag come, looked up at him with a sad little face, and said," Father, Amy is useless. I couldn't even collect money for you. I couldn't be of any help, right?"

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Chapter 19: Teaching—the 99 Times Table

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

Mag froze for an instant, and then realized that it had to be because she had failed to collect money completely by herself, and felt she hadn't been much of help to him.

Mag put the plate on the table. He couldn't help feeling his heart ache a little as he looked at Amy's sad little face. It seemed the little girl was still not very confident in herself. In fact, he felt Amy, who was just a little more than four years old, was already very amazing to do this kind of thing.

Looking into Amy's eyes, Mag shook his head solemnly. "Who said so? Why would you think that, Amy? It's mostly because of Amy that we have sold four plates of fried rice today. Besides, you've counted right to charge 2,400 copper coins, but Grandpa Mobai didn't have that many copper coins, so he had to use this more beautiful and valuable gold coins to pay instead."

"Really?" Amy's eyes became brighter and brighter as she listened to Mag's words, but she was still not very confident.

Mag nodded. "Of course. It's my fault that Amy didn't see any gold coins before, because I didn't make any. If someone is to blame, it's me. I didn't tell you sooner that silver coins, gold coins, and dragon coins are the same as copper coins; all of them can be used to buy things. It is me who should reflect on this lapse. I hope Amy can forgive me." An expression of self-reproach appeared on Mag's face.

Amy shook her bowed head. "No, it's not Father's fault. Father's very good to me." She was a little upset. "Teacher Luna has taught me before, but… but so many copper coins becoming so few gold coins—I just couldn't make myself do it. They are so many, so…"

Mag lifted an eyebrow and almost burst into laughter. Amy's explanation was so lovely, but he felt a little depressed as he looked at her timid look.

The external environment had a great influence on one's character, especially on those who were at an age of slowly molding their values and habits—like Amy.

Between the poor life before and the contempt that humans and elves showed half-elves, she felt a little inferior, and was not very confident.

The good thing was that Amy was still little and that this kind of mindset was just a bud, so Mag believed he could slowly help make her a confident little girl.

I won't let Amy be laughed at and looked down upon from now on. I'll make her the apple of my eye and my happy little princess, said Mag to himself.

Speaking of mathematics, this world's level made him a little worried, for it was even worse than the random foreigners' from his previous life. Even doing the addition and subtraction of numbers which had more than two digits would take them a long while.

Considering that even basic education was not universal in this world, this was not very surprising. Suddenly, Mag came up with an idea for building up Amy's confidence.

Apparently, China was one of the countries with the highest average level in math on Earth. As a rudimentary knowledge, the multiplication table the ancient Chinese people had invented had made a great contribution to the world.

Mag reached out to stroke Amy's hair and put the small bowl in front of her; smiling, he said, "Eat this, and then Father will teach you a multiplication table. After you master that, you'll be even better than the students in the Chaos School, and collecting money will be much easier."

"Really? Better than those big brothers and sisters?" Amy's face lit up immediately, and she looked at Mag in disbelief. In her eyes, those big brothers and sisters were studying under Luna every day, and they were all very good.

Mag nodded. "Sure. When did Father lie to you?"

Amy nodded her head and answered earnestly, "I know Father will never lie to Amy. I'll learn carefully." Then she started eating.

Looking at Amy eating in a manner that was so adorable, Mag picked up his spoon and started eating too. The 99 times table was very magical, and if Amy mastered it, she could easily beat those kids who were still counting on their fingers. It was the first step to boost her confidence.

After lunch, Mag took the dishes to the kitchen. He really didn't want to touch them as he looked at the oily plates in the sink; after hesitating for a while, he asked the system, "System, do you sell dishwasher?"

"System is not an appliance store," answered the system.

"Just cut to the chase. Do you sell it or not? I'll pay for it." Mag curled his upper lip.

The system was silent for a while, and then a quotation appeared in Mag's head. "Basic dishwasher, it can clean five plates and 10 spoons at one time. Price: three gold coins."

This system is really a money-grubber; it has no principles whatsoever… Mag rolled his eyes. He had seen through this system. Yet, the price was fairly acceptable, so he asked without thinking, "So cheap? Then I want one. Charge it to my account."

Then another line of words appeared in his head. "Done. The dishwasher is in place."

Looking at the silver dishwasher which was already plugged in on the cooking bench, Mag's eyes brightened. It seemed very high-tech. He opened the top, removed the several plates and spoons from the sink, and put them in the dishwasher. Then he pressed the start button. Less than a minute later, the top opened again, and the plates inside were already clean and shiny.

Modern technology was indeed very convenient. Mag put away the plates and spoons contentedly. Amy was standing by the kitchen door. She looked at Mag in great anticipation, and said, "Father, what're you going to teach me?"

"The 99 table. Wait for me here, Amy. I'll go get some paper and a pen. We'll try to learn some today," answered Mag. It seemed there wouldn't be another customer in a while, so he went upstairs and fetched a pen and a sheet of paper; then, he sat at the table and wrote the stair-shaped multiplication table from memory.

This world's characters were clearly different from those on Earth, but the universal characters were a bit like the oracle bone script, and the numerals were the same as Arabic numerals. The development of civilization was always having some amazing similarities.

Mag had inherited his predecessor's memory, so he had already mastered this world's characters and language.

"Father's handwriting is very beautiful!" Amy exclaimed as she watched Mag write down the multiplication table; she clapped her little hands with adoration. She had thought Luna's handwriting was the most beautiful, but now she found that her father's was even better, each figure like the one on books.

Amy's praise and adoring eyes made Mag feel that his one hour every day spent on practicing handwriting in his childhood was suddenly worth it; finally, someone appreciated his good handwriting. He smiled, and said, "Then I'll teach you how to write some day if you like."

Amy nodded happily. "Yes, teach me some day!" She looked at the rows and columns of figures, a little confused. "Father, is this the 99 table?"

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Chapter 20: System, Do You Sell Clothes?

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

"Yes." Mag smiled. He took a look at the neatly written stair-shaped table—the rows and columns were very orderly, and the handwriting was very clear. Then, he put down the pen. "It has nine rows and nine columns, so it's called the 99 table. Amy has already learned the basics of addition and subtraction, so it won't be very hard to learn this."

"Then what's that little cross in the middle?" asked Amy, pointing at the "x", a little confused.

"It's called the multiplication sign, and means the process of calculating by multiplying. It's simpler this way," explained Mag. He asked Amy to sit beside him and then pushed the 99 table towards her. "Only Father knows this 99 table. You only need to memorize 81 terms and learn the decimal system, and then you'll be able to handle almost all the calculations in life."

"Wow, Father is so incredible. Last time, Teacher Luna told Amy that I have to memorize 1,770 terms in order to learn the multiplication table; Amy has only remembered about 100." Amy looked at Mag with great adoration. She hadn't thought that her father not only had a good handwriting, but also knew a simpler way of calculating than Luna. She felt her father was so amazing.

Mag knew that he shouldn't show off when he was standing on the shoulders of ancient Chinese sages, but he felt so good as he was adored by his own daughter. He smiled and pointed at the first term on the top left-hand corner. "We'll learn the first column today. These two figures beside the times sign are factors, and the figure behind is the product—the result of the calculation…"

Mag carefully explained the constitution of the 99 table to Amy. She indeed had known some basics on account of Luna's teaching; at least she knew the meaning of every figure and had some concept of addition and subtraction. There was no numeral system in this world, though, so it had taken him some time to make Amy understand the meaning of the numeral system.

The most consoling thing might be that Amy had no doubt whatsoever about Mag's words, even if they completely tore apart what Luna had taught her. She listened to him unconditionally, and quickly accepted the concept of the multiplication under the decimal system.

"One one one, one two two…" read Amy after Mag. The little girl's memory was pretty good; she had already memorized the first column after reading after Mag for a dozen times.

Mag struck while the iron was hot and had her read the whole 99 table after him to present to her a whole concept.

"But, Father, what's the point of memorizing this?" asked Amy looking up at Mag, a little confused after reading a few times herself.

"Well, it's very useful." Mag smiled and pointed at the multiplication table. "Our Yangzhou fried rice is 600 copper coins each, and that is six gold coins. Grandpa Mobai has just had four plates, so it will be four six twenty-four. You can calculate the result immediately and don't need to count your fingers. Isn't it very easy?"

"It really is 24 gold coins!" Amy's eyes brightened immediately. It had taken her a long while to calculate in her mind that she should charge 2,400 copper coins before, but her father had figured out the result with ease. This 99 table was so amazing. She said enthusiastically, "Father, I want to learn! I want to learn this 99 table! If I master this, I'll truly be able to help Father."

Mag nodded, smiling. "Okay. We'll learn three columns today and the rest tomorrow." When learning new things, initiative and enthusiasm were the most important, and Amy had both. Mag was certain that she would master the 99 table in no time.

He spent his noon helping Amy remember the 99 table. Nobody entered his restaurant other than Mobai. It showed how isolated this corner on the Aden Square was.

Yet, after having sold four plates of fried rice, Mag felt quite relieved; at least he didn't have to worry that the people here wouldn't like its taste. From Mobai's reaction, he had known that the effect the fried rice had on the muscles had also worked on him, so maybe he would become a regular, which was very good news.

"Three four twelve, three five fifteen, three six… three six… three six… Three six is too difficult…" Amy looked up at Mag, a little upset. It was the fifth time that she had been thwarted here, tears in her eyes.

"Okay then, let's stop here at three five fifteen. Amy baby is already very incredible. Normally, very few children can remember the first column for the first time. We'll memorize the rest tomorrow; it's best to do it step by step." Mag picked up the paper and stroked Amy's hair, smiling. It made him remember a video, which he had watched in his previous life, about a little girl crying as she tried to remember the 99 table. Sure enough, the same problems were always appearing at the same age.

"Really?" Amy had thought that Mag would reproach her, but when her father said that she was better than other children, her eyes brightened again.

Mag looked into Amy's eyes and nodded earnestly. "Sure. When did Father ever lie to you?"

Amy nodded. "I know. Father will never lie to Amy. I'll try my best to learn the rest tomorrow." A confident expression as well as a bright smile appeared on her face.

Mag put the 99 table behind the counter. It was already past lunchtime, so it was very unlikely that anyone would come. He took a look at Amy's hair which was a little messy, went to the door to turn over the "Open" sign, and locked the door from inside; then, he grabbed Amy's little hand, and said, "Come, Father will give you a bath and turn you into a clean little fairy."

"Do we have to prepare the hot water first and take the wooden barrel?" asked Amy, looking up at Mag.

Mag smilingly shook his head. "No, we have hot water coming from the pipe and a bathtub upstairs."

"Like the tap in the kitchen?" asked Amy, very surprised. The thing that her father called "tap" was very magical; fresh and sweet water would come out if it was turned; it was like magic.

Mag nodded. "Yes." Then, he took her little hand and went upstairs. Amy was just starting to know this world around her, so she only felt curious about the modern things in the house, and wasn't very confused.

Even though she was seeing the bathtub for the first time, Amy got used to it very quickly. She sat in it, fluttering her two feet and giggling as she held the white bubbles in her hands. Looking at Mag, she said happily, "Father, this bathtub is so much fun, and these bubbles have a very good and pleasant smell."

"Yes. This is the body wash for bathing, and in my hand is the shampoo for washing hair. You hair will be clean and have a fragrant smell after being washed," said Mag, smiling. He clumsily rubbed the shampoo on Amy's hair with his hands, and said softly, "Close your eyes. You'll be very uncomfortable if it gets into your eyes."

"Okay. Amy wants to have a good smell like Father." She closed her eyes obediently.

Mag rubbed Amy's hair softly. He might be clumsy, but he was very meticulous; he carefully separated the hair that had been stuck together. Actually, Amy's hair was very smooth.

Bathing children and washing their hair was indeed not very easy. Mag's clothes were almost soaked after bathing Amy. He looked at Amy, who was in her bath towel, and her little dress aside; he became a little worried. He asked tentatively, "System, do you sell clothes?"

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Chapter 21: The Sad Story Of The Ugly Duckling

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

"Please note that system is not a shopping mall! I do not provide clothes!" answered the system coldly.

"I'll pay. How much for a pair of pajamas? 50 copper coins? 100? Even two gold coins is okay by me," said Mag calmly. He glanced at the remaining 616 copper coins.

For a while, the system said nothing, and then a quotation appeared in Mag's head. "A pair of children's pajamas: two gold coins; a pair of men's pajamas: three gold coins; a suit of children's normal clothes: three gold coins; a chef's suit: three gold coins. Different colors and styles are available."

Mag took a look at Amy, who was starting to feel sleepy after the bath, and said in his mind, "I'll have a pair of children's pajamas and a chef's suit, then." The price was not very expensive, but he had to prioritize his mission, and saving money to buy ingredients was the most important right now.

Suddenly, a lot of children's pajamas with different styles and colors popped up in Mag's head. He didn't know which one he should choose, so he turned to Amy and asked, "What kind of pajamas do you like, Amy? What color?"

After thinking for a long time, Amy looked at Mag with anticipation and answered, "Amy likes purple clothes, especially one with a little bear on it…" Her father's magic was so incredible, and the house and clothes he had conjured up were very beautiful, so she looked forward to the new clothes with great expectations.

A pair of purple pajamas caught Mag's eye. They were fluffy onesie pajamas, with two bear ears on top of the hood and a lovely brown little bear on the front.This one should do.

"I'll go get the pajamas for you," Mag said after the system told him that the clothes were ready. He went into the room and opened the wardrobe. A pair of cute bear pajamas and a brand-new chef's suit were already there.

Mag folded his suit and put it on the bed, and then he took the little pajamas to the bathroom. He looked at Amy and asked, "Do you like them?"

"Wow, they're so pretty!" Wrapped in her bath towel, Amy looked at the purple bear pajamas unfolded in Mag's hands and nodded happily. "Yes! Amy loves purple. They're so fluffy, and I'll become a little bear in it. I love it! Father is the best!"

Looking at her happy smile, Mag felt happy too. He picked up a clean towel. "I'll help dry off your hair, and then you can change into your pajamas and take a nap."

Amy nodded. "Okay." She moved her head towards Mag and couldn't wait to try on her new clothes.

Mag dried her hair off with the towel carefully, blew it with the hair dryer, and then helped her put on the new clothes.

Amy raised her hand to rub her face with one fluffy sleeve. "So soft and comfy." She narrowed her eyes, her face filled with happiness.

Mag looked at Amy. The fluffy purple sleepwear was like a lovely little bear on Amy and flattered her soft white skin. Her silver hair was spreading on her shoulders and her back; her cute pointy ears were snow-white and crystal-clear—she was a perfect combination of human and elf.

"Here, let me hold you up. Let's take a look at Amy, the little bear." Mag put on Amy's hood and held her up towards the mirror.

Amy looked at the little bear in the mirror, opened up her mouth, and waved her two hands at Mag. "Oh, here comes the little bear, and it will eat you!"

"Don't eat me, please!" Mag retracted his head to play along, smiling.

"It's okay. Don't be afraid. Amy couldn't bear to eat Father." Amy extended her hands to hold Mag's face, pecked him on the cheek, and stroked his hair.

The little thing was so adorable. Mag held back his smiling. "Oh, I'm not afraid anymore." He took a sniff. "Our little Amy smells very good now; it's time to take a nap." He held her in his arms and walked into the bedroom. He put her on the bed gently.

Lying in bed, Amy shook her head as she held Mag's finger. "Amy can't sleep. Please tell me a story, Father."

Mag nodded. "Well then, I'll tell you the story of the Ugly Duckling." He pulled up a chair beside her bed.

"Okay. Amy wants to hear it." Amy nodded.

"In a beautiful country that was far, far away, a female duck was sitting on her eggs to hatch her babies…" Mag started telling the story in a low voice. Almost every child had heard this story, and Mag chose it for a reason.

Amy's lack of self-confidence was partly because she thought she was different from humans and elves, so she was picked on and laughed at sometimes, like the little swan born amongst the ducks.

He intended to tell her through this story that she was not different, but special, and that she would prove to be better than all of them.

Of course, now that he was here, he wouldn't let anything bad happen to her.

An ugly duckling was born in a group of ducks. Just because she looked different from all the others, she got disliked. She was chased away by ducks, pecked by chickens, taunted by cats, and kicked by the maid in the chicken house.

She had no choice but to follow the river and leave that place on her own. She went through the cold winter and almost got killed by the wife of a peasant. Finally, the warm spring came. When she saw a flock of swans flying in the faraway sky, she spread her wings recklessly and found out that she was actually a beautiful, proud swan. She was meant to fly in the sky, and deserved to be loved by others.

Mag told the story vividly in a low and deep voice. Amy was completely engrossed in it. She clenched her fists as if worrying about the ugly duckling, and after learning that the latter had made it out alive, she let out a sigh of relief, but became alarmed again because of the new dangers that appeared. Finally, when the ugly duckling changed into a beautiful swan, took to the air, and found her true friends, a happy smile showed on her little face.

"So, Father, Amy is an ugly duckling? And I'll be a beautiful swan when I grow up?" Amy looked at Mag with expectation.

"No, Amy is already a beautiful swan now, and you'll become more gorgeous and beautiful when you grow up." Mag shook his head, smiling. He stroked Amy's hair with his other hand, and said softly, "Besides, as long as I am here, no one can hurt you."

"I know, Father." Amy looked into Mag's eyes and nodded with confidence. Reluctantly, she said, "Amy has a small request."

"What is it?" Mag looked at her encouragingly.

"Can we raise an ugly duckling?" asked Amy softly.

"Do you like swans?" Mag was taken aback. Little swans were not easy to get, but he could figure something out if Amy wanted to raise one.

"Yes. When it grows up, we can eat roast goose." Amy nodded solemnly.

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Chapter 22: The Second Customer

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

Mag opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say. The little chowhound had a completely different mindset than normal children. He nodded with a smile. "Okay, Father will take you out tomorrow and buy one if there is someone selling them."

"Father, you're the best!" Amy rubbed her face against Mag's hand happily. She was so sleepy that she fell asleep in no time, holding Mag's hand, murmuring the words "roast goose".

Looks like she does want to eat the roast goose. I have to get my hands on the recipe quickly, Mag thought. He withdrew his finger from Amy's little hand. Looking at her adorable sleeping face, he couldn't help but stoop down and kiss her forehead, and then he stood up, picked up his suit on the bed, and went to take a bath.

Mag put Amy's clothes in the washing machine, and when he finished bathing, her clothes had already been washed. He hung them outside the window, thinking that they should be dry tomorrow, and then he put his clothes in the washer too.

Mag went downstairs. After he cleaned the kitchen, he took a piece of paper and a pen, sat down beside the counter, and started to ponder carefully.

His first priority was to complete the mission. That meant he had to make at least 3,000 gold coins. He had to sell 500 plates of Yangzhou fried rice to earn that money.

Mag overlooked something before. He could buy the ingredients and not use them. This way, he only needed to sell half to complete his mission; thus, his pressure decreased a lot.

Sure, it was still very difficult for him to sell 500 plates of Yangzhou fried rice in 10 days. After all, as of now, he had only sold four, and all of them to one customer.

"Do I have to go outside and tout my business?" Mag wrote down a "four" on the first line. He put down the pen and looked to the door, a little depressed. On the square, only a few children were running around.

This location was so remote. If it were on the other side of the square, it would attract many customers just by its beautiful look, but now, not a lot of people could even see this place.

"I hope more customers will come in the evening." Mag walked up to the door, opened the lock, and turned the "Open" sign over. It was already four o'clock.

Since there was no customer and Amy was sleeping, Mag was reduced to sitting around on the long-legged chair behind the counter. He went through memories in his head and turned the useful ones into his own. He learned about the landscape and all the species on the whole continent.

As he had expected, this world was much more dangerous than he had thought. Even in this Chaos City which was ruled by the Gray Temple, fights were not uncommon, and if no one was killed during the fight, usually the punishment wasn't very severe.

Seems like I have to improve my strength to protect Amy and this restaurant—even if I can't regain the power from my predecessor's prime, thought Mag. After all, he had already known he couldn't keep a low profile when he'd decided to open this restaurant.

On the square, a tall and slim elf who was wearing a silver dress with golden embroidery on its hem stopped outside the restaurant, her light blue eyes looking at the building with surprise.

Why is this restaurant here? Also, it's… so beautiful. Sally studied the restaurant and the two-storied building, her pretty face full of surprise.

She was chosen to marry into another family, but she didn't want to hand her future over to others at such a young age, so she ran westward, all the way from her home in the Wind Forest to the legendary Chaos City, at night while keeping it a secret from her father—the chief.

She had been wandering in this city for two days, and had seen quite a few interesting things, but so many different species were living here, so she wasn't quite used to the circumstances here yet.

Besides, she knew her father had already sent someone to look for her, so she purposely avoided the hotels and restaurants owned by elves in this Chaos City. However, she didn't feel comfortable living and eating in the hotels and restaurants owned by other species—she had lived in her beautiful castle all her life. She had found a hotel owned by a human female last night; it was not grand, but it was clean, and only women had lived there before.

Sleeping was no longer a problem to her, only eating.

Sally did a lap around this famous Aden Square. Most of the restaurants looked very greasy, with a lot of flying bugs and too many tables and chairs that almost stuffed the whole restaurant. All the species ate together in close proximity. This sight really discouraged her.

She was a high-born elf. There was no way she would dine with orcs, let alone dwarves!

She hadn't eaten anything since noon. The two spirit fruits she had had in the morning had already been digested by her. She had walked around the whole Aden Square. Her stomach was rumbling, but she'd rather eat nothing than walk into those places.

Finally, she decided to take the risk and go to the restaurant owned by elves to get a decent meal. That was when she found this beautiful restaurant in the corner of the square.

It was even prettier than her own castle. The whole front wall was a sheet of transparent crystal glass; it was very clear, with no impurity whatsoever, and so thin and flat.

Even the crystal glass in the elf queen's castle was merely half as big as this one, and it was well-preserved in her chamber, but here, it was being used as a wall for the restaurant! Such an extravagant owner!

She could see everything inside through the glass wall. The brownish yellow tables were evenly aligned. There were 16 tables in total, but it wouldn't be crowded even if the restaurant were full.

Yet, she was the most attracted by the four amber chandeliers. The crystal was carved into such an exquisite light. The amber crystal beads were strung together, so dreamy.

If only I could eat here. This thought popped up in Sally's head, and tempted her like a devil, but she couldn't make up her mind. It doesn't say 'elves only'; what if some dwarf or orc come sit beside me?

Suddenly, her stomach rumbled. Her hunger overwhelmed her other thoughts. She gave her bow on the back a yank and walked towards the restaurant, her face filled with confidence and firmness.

In this Chaos City, power was everything. She was confident that her archery would make those lowborn back off on their own.

The ringing of the bells interrupted Mag's thinking. With some surprise, he lifted his head to look to the door. It was a tall and slim elf he saw.

She wore her long light blond hair in a neat ponytail. She had fair skin, a pretty face, and two small pointy ears; her light blue eyes showed her nobility. She was wearing a light silver dress with a golden embroidered hem. She had beautiful collarbones and slender, fair calves. There was a long bow on her back, and a quiver full of arrows at her waist.

"Welcome." Mag stood up and smiled at her. She was his second customer.

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Chapter 23:To Eat Here Or Not?

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

Sally walked in and heard Mag's voice when she was about to glance around the restaurant. She seemed a little surprised.

Clearly, he was a human male, but he looked much better than the ones she had met today, and were slovenly dressed with stubble all over their faces.

His short hair was very orderly, and there was no stubble on his chin. His mustache wasn't an unpleasant sight, but instead made him look mature. His dark eyes seemed very deep.

His clothes were just black and white, but they were very well made, and more importantly, they were quite clean. She had a good impression of him.

Besides, he might be lean, but he looked like a sword standing in its sheath. Only the human knight who'd come to the elves before had made her feel that way; he had a heavy sword like no other, which was very impressive.

However, the man before her was obviously different. He was not very aggressive, but rather reserved and steady, and didn't look like he could carry a heavy sword.

Humans were relatively acceptable to elves—except the messy ones, of course.

Sally gave Mag a nod of acknowledgement, and continued to look around the restaurant.

Its decorations were very special, featuring humans and other species. For example, there was a valley painted in gray on the wall—the famous Valley of the Wind in the Wind Forest. Sally grew up there, so she recognized it at first glance.

Farther on was a big city of humans. She had seen a similar painting in her father's study. It should be the capital of the Roth Empire—Rodu.

She could more or less recognize the other famous places in the paintings by guessing. These paintings alone were proof enough to her that the owner here was no ordinary man.

The chandeliers were even more beautiful from up close. The carvings were so delicate as if they were like this from the very start.

Mag was also looking at the elf. It was the first time that he had seen a female elf. Her facial features were very distinctive and deep; her slim and long neck made her look like a proud swan.

Amy will be better-looking than her when she grows up, Mag thought. He pursed his lips and looked at this elf beauty in appreciation, and, of course, that was all he was doing.

Sally slid her finger across the table and didn't feel anything greasy at all. They were just as clean as the ones in her home, which made her less nervous and out of sorts.

She couldn't refrain from glancing at Mag. He was around 30. Humans could live several decades—it was so short compared to the elves' lifespan, which could reach as long as 800 years. He was at such a young age, yet he was the owner of such a beautiful restaurant, which was very mysterious and made her curious.

On top of that, she could feel his eyes on her ever since she walked in, but he wasn't making her uncomfortable, because she found nothing ugly in his stares, only courtesy and appreciation.

No beautiful woman would find handsome males' appreciative gaze distasteful, and neither would Sally.

She put her bow and quiver down on the table and took a seat, and then she asked Mag politely, "What do you have here?"

"There's a menu on the table. You can take a look," Mag answered as he pointed at the menu beside her.

Sally picked up the menu and opened it. The fine material of the cover made her like the details of the restaurant more, but she froze for a moment when she dropped her expectant gaze to the menu. It's … empty?

No, there's a small line at the top. Such a big restaurant, with such exquisite decoration, but it only offers one dish?

Suddenly, Sally felt like she had entered a strange place. Could this be a human trick that the wet nurse often talked about?

Yangzhou fried rice—600 copper coins each? Sally was taken aback when she made out the small words. She looked closer. After she was certain that she didn't misread the menu, she raised her head slowly to look at Mag. She narrowed her eyes to try to figure out whether he was a fraud or not.

She wouldn't have been surprised if a dish were priced at 10 gold coins in such a grand restaurant. However, there was only one dish on this menu, and it was priced at 600 copper coins. That was not very cheap.

The hotel she'd stayed in last night only cost her 100 copper coins.

Besides, she had heard a lot about human-made food before. What's this Yangzhou fried rice? Is it really worth 600? She tried to find the answer on Mag's face.

However, she gave up quickly. Mag kept up his calm smile. He made her feel comfortable, yet he kept his distance. She couldn't work out what was on his mind.

Sally wouldn't care about those 600 copper coins if it were before, because this environment alone would have been reason enough for her to spend a gold coin sitting here for a while longer.

However, she only took a dozen dragon coins with her when she ran away in a hurry, and she had already spent some. She didn't want to go back home soon on account of her financial problems, so she had to make every coin count.

It was a little extravagant for her to spend 600 copper coins on one meal; besides, since it didn't seem large in volume, maybe one plate wasn't enough for her.

At this moment, the ringing of the bells sounded again, and with it came Mobai's loud and clear voice. "Mag, I'm here again. Give me two plates of Yangzhou fried rice. Please serve them up separately. It's best to eat them hot."

"Sure. Please wait a moment." Mag looked at Mobai with surprise. He must have washed and changed his clothes. He was in a gray shirt and a pair of gray pants; his footwear was black cloth shoes, clean and tidy. The hammer that he had carried at noon was not with him. All of this made Mag feel touched.

"Right." Mobai nodded, smiling. He glanced around the restaurant and was a little disappointed when he didn't find Amy. He caught a glimpse of Sally, who was holding her bow vigilantly, and then he took back his gaze quickly and took his seat at a random table.

"Please take your time, Miss. You can call me when you're ready to order," Mag said as he looked at Sally who was still hesitating, and then he turned around and went into the kitchen. He started to prepare the fried rice. Regular customers were great as he had expected.

"Okay." Sally nodded. She had been alert ever since Mobai came in. Seeing that he wasn't staring at her like the rude dwarves in her impression, she relaxed her hand slowly.

Leave or eat here? Sally couldn't make up her mind. She gave Mobai a sideway glance as he was sitting there, waiting for his food. He was very eager to order the fried rice when he came in, and now he is waiting with anticipation. Is this Yangzhou fried rice really that good?

Never mind. I'll see what this Yangzhou fried rice really is first, and if it's truly delicious… Sally clenched her fist and made up her mind.

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Chapter 24: A Very Beautiful Elf Big Sister

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

Mag finished the first plate of Yangzhou fried rice very soon and walked out with it.

When Sally saw the tray on Mag's hand, her eyes brightened immediately. It's so wonderful! This is that Yangzhou fried rice? The rice was coated with golden eggs; each ingredient was chopped into the size of a rice grain. The colors were all mixed in the plate, but in an orderly manner. The whole thing was like an elaborate piece of art. Its freshness whetted her appetite.

When Mag walked past her with the fried rice, a strong aroma wafted by, and she couldn't help but take a sniff. She smelled eggs and the mixed smell of different ingredients, which made her even hungrier. She turned to look in Mobai's direction in spite of herself.

"Your Yangzhou fried rice, please enjoy." Mag put the plate down in front of Mobai, with a spoon on the edge of the plate.

"Thank you." Mobai looked at the fried rice before him and couldn't tear his eyes away from it. He couldn't refrain from taking a deep sniff of the aroma that was tickling his nose. Although he had eaten four plates for his lunch already, he hadn't lost his interest at all; instead, he wanted more, so when he finished his work in the afternoon, he wasted no time in coming here after he washed and changed.

Mobai picked up the spoon and brought a spoonful of rice to his mouth. He chewed carefully. The taste of the mixed ingredients spread out in his mouth immediately and slid down his throat like a warm current. Mobai felt warm all over. The fatigue from his work in the afternoon was relieved right away, and he felt so good that he wanted to cry out.

"It's so good! Even if I eat it a hundred times, I'll still find it good!" Mobai took another spoonful, and then one spoonful after another; he just couldn't stop his hands.

Compared to his gobbling it at noon, he carefully chewed his dinner, tasting the flavor of every ingredient. This way, his taste buds were greatly satisfied, and he found the dish even more tasteful.

Sally heard herself swallow her saliva. She panicked for an instant. Fortunately, Mag was already in the kitchen preparing the second plate, and Mobai was too preoccupied with his dinner to notice her.

Is it really that good? Sally thought as she watched Mobai stuff himself with the colorful fried rice happily.

The aroma permeating the air was tempting her. Her expression indicated that she was struggling inwardly. She gripped her purse subconsciously. In it were only 12 dragon coins and eight gold coins; her senses were telling her that she couldn't spend money randomly anymore.

However, it indeed smelled so good.

On top of that, she felt like trying the fried rice in the dwarf's plate as she watched him eating, though she had always found these bearded beings obnoxious. She was ashamed of this feeling.

I'm a noble elf! How could I think that? Sally clenched her fist, but she still couldn't tear her eyes away from the fried rice. How painful!

Mobai finished his first plate of fried rice, and not even one rice grain remained. He put down the spoon, not quite satisfied. When he lifted his eyes and caught Sally looking at him, he froze for an instant, but then he smiled. "Mag's Yangzhou fried rice is really good, girl. You would regret it if you didn't give it a try."

"Yeah, right." Sally turned away. Her pride as an elf made her unable to accept the food the dwarf recommended. Yet, looking at the menu before her, she was wrestling with herself again.

Perhaps he hasn't eaten anything good. Maybe that's why he finds it delicious?

The wet nurse once told me that humans touch the ingredients directly with their hands. Is it really safe to eat the food touched by that man?

Perhaps it's fine for me to spend 600 copper coins on this meal? I still have 12 dragon coins, and I would spend the rest more carefully.

Mobai shrugged at her indifference and didn't take it to heart, waiting for his seconds in expectation.

The elves are all like that, considering themselves better than the other species,Mobai thought. Judging from the color of her hair, she seems to be from one of the royal families. Actually, it's very kind of her—she is sitting in the same restaurant with a dwarf.

Mobai felt like he was reborn after the four plates of Yangzhou fried rice at noon, comfortable all over, but perhaps because he had eaten too much for his lunch, he didn't feel very hungry, so two plates were just enough for his dinner.

A childish voice with some sleepiness in it sounded from behind the counter. "Father…"

Mobai's eyes brightened immediately, and he looked in the direction of the counter expectantly. The little girl was so cute. He had been despised by her several times at noon, and pretty much tricked into eating four plates of Yangzhou fried rice, but when he heard her voice, none of it mattered at all.

He closed his shop early, washed, and changed to come to this restaurant because he wanted to eat that delicious Yangzhou fried rice, yet that was not his sole reason. He had to admit that he came here to see that lovely little girl as well.

Sally was also a little surprised when she heard Amy's voice. She looked to the counter. Sounds like a little girl, and she is the daughter of the owner?

While Sally was thinking, a little girl in her fluffy purple clothes appeared from behind the counter. She turned her little head and looked out. When she turned her gaze to Sally, she was taken aback as if she felt she had been mistaken. She rubbed her eyes and looked again. Her eyes widened immediately. She turned to his father in the kitchen, and said, "Father, look! A very beautiful elf big sister!"

So cute! Sally felt like her heart stopped for a moment. The look of the little girl rubbing her eyes in her purple bear sleepwear was extremely adorable, like a lovely little bear.

No, she was much lovelier than a little bear. Her fair and sweet little face made her want to pinch it, and her words from excitement made her blush a little. They were just innocent words from a child; nonetheless, she felt very happy.

Soon, Sally found herself looking at Amy's pointy ears showing through her silver hair. She was a little surprised. She is a half-elf?

Mag walked out with the second fried rice and put it down before Mobai. He stroked Amy's ahoge and smiled. "Amy waked up so soon."

Amy nodded. "Yes, Amy waked up and is hungry. Amy wants to eat Father's rainbow fried rice, so I have come downstairs." Then she pointed at Sally excitedly. "And Father, that elf big sister is so beautiful. Amy has never seen someone so beautiful."

"Amy will be as beautiful as her when you grow up." Mag went down beside Amy whose mouth was still slightly open. He smiled at Sally, and said, "Right, Miss?"

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Chapter 25: I Heard Your Tummy Rumble

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

Sally was taken by surprise. She froze for an instant and had mixed feelings about them as she looked at Mag's sincere expression and his little girl's expectant face.

The little half-elf was Mag's daughter, which meant he had an elf wife.

The lifespan of elves was long, so they seldom made friends with humans. The prospect of living for a long time after they watched their friends die was too painful.

It was even rarer for an elf to marry a human, because the pain would be doubled.

However, love was blind, so half-elves who had half human blood and half elf blood in them came into this world.

Elves were proud. They decided that the blood of half-elves was not pure anymore, so, while they might not be hostile towards them, they wouldn't let them enter the Wind Forest, because they didn't see them as their own kind.

Half-elves were relatively more acceptable to humans, because their life was only 200 years, closer to humans'. However, their pointy ears which were very different from humans' were always pointed at by humans.

It could be said that half-elves were meant to have a hard life ever since they were born, unless their parents were strong enough to protect them from the two species. Yet, nobody had ever done that successfully.

However, it seemed that the man half-crouching on the ground who asked her this question sincerely planned to do this. The firmness in his eyes touched her.

The little girl beside him in her cute bear sleepwear was looking at her expectantly. Her silver hair was so bright—a typical feature only possessed by the elves' royal family—which made her think of an elf that she hadn't seen for a long time. Yet there was no way they were related.

Still, she was indeed a pretty little girl, and had inherited her parents' merits. Sally smiled at Amy after a little hesitation, and then she nodded, and said, "Yes, you'll be as beautiful as me when you grow up."

"Really? Father, will I really be as beautiful as this elf big sister when I grow up?" Amy's face was full of pleasant surprise and doubt. She raised her little hands to cover her slightly open mouth and looked to Mag as if not believing what she had just heard.

"Sure. The elf big sister has told you herself. Amy will be very pretty when you grow up, even prettier than the swan." Mag nodded as he looked into her eyes.

"Yes, I feel the same. You'll be even better-looking than elves when you're older," Mobai said as he looked at Amy, smiling, spoon in his hand.

"Great! Amy is so happy! I want to grow up quickly and become as beautiful as the elf big sister!" Amy completely believed them as she looked at the smiles on their faces. Now that she had learned that she would be a beautiful girl instead of the monster that other children were always talking about, she spread her arms and ran around the restaurant happily.

Mag watched as Amy ran merrily; he smiled with relief. Nothing was more important than Amy's happiness. He hoped to make amends for what she had endured by doing these things. He turned to Sally, and said, "Thank you."

"My pleasure." Sally looked at the smiles on their faces and found herself in a good mood too. At least he's not a bad father. She nodded at Mag, and said, "I'd like a plate of Yangzhou fried rice too."

Mag nodded. "Okay. Please wait a moment." Then he turned to Mobai and thanked him too.

Mobai waved his hand, and said enviously, "Don't mention it. I was just telling the truth. You're very lucky to have such a lovely girl, Mag."

Smiling, Mag nodded. "Please enjoy." Then he turned around and walked into the kitchen to make another plate of fried rice. He felt he was lucky too; otherwise, he wouldn't have such a lovely daughter.

Amy happily ran two laps around the restaurant and greeted Mobai. "Hello, dwarf grandpa Mobai." Then she climbed onto the chair opposite Sally, rested her chin in her hands, and asked curiously, "Elf big sister, what's your name? Where are you from?"

If the person who was asking her these questions were not this little girl, her first reaction would be holding her bow. However, looking at the curious little face of this adorable girl, she couldn't refrain from answering, "I'm Sally, from the Wind Forest."

"Big sister Sally, my name is Amy. The Wind Forest is the place where a lot of elves live, right?" Amy's eyes were shining. She asked with expectation, "There must be many beautiful elf big sisters there, just like you, right?"

Sally nodded, smiling. "Yes, a lot." She felt much better hearing compliments from this little girl's mouth rather than from others'.

Mag listened to their conversation from the kitchen and smiled. It looked like the little thing was very curious about elves, though she'd never showed it before.

Sally wasn't impatient and proud, but instead answered Amy's every question patiently, even if they were very naïve or related to the Wind Forest.

Mag walked out with a plate of fried rice. He put it down in front of Sally and smiled. "Your Yangzhou fried rice is ready, Miss."

"Thank you." Sally gave him a courteous reply. She was totally attracted by this Yangzhou fried rice. The pleasant smell of eggs and various ingredients tickled her nose, and it was even stronger than just now. She swallowed her saliva in spite of herself. She was too absorbed by it to care about the manners she had learned.

Elves' food was relatively simple, and they mainly lived on various spirit fruits. Even when they cooked, they cooked the ingredients separately. They wouldn't let the taste of one ingredient spoil another.

She had never tried the food cooked by putting several ingredients and oil together. She hadn't even tried any other oil besides meat.

Yet she didn't feel greasiness at all as she looked at the Yangzhou fried rice which had some oil on it.

Sally was even more amazed by Mag's cutting skills. Every ingredient was cut into the size of the rice grain, including green peas. It couldn't be done without thousands upon thousands of times of practice.

She looked at the fried rice before her with great expectation. She had never seen anyone who could make such an exquisite and well-combined food.

"Please try it, big sister Sally. Father's rainbow fried rice is very good." Amy looked at her with anticipation as she sat opposite her. Then she added in a whisper, "I heard your tummy rumble."

Sally's face flushed red. It was so embarrassing. Still, she couldn't help but pick up the spoon and bring one spoonful to her mouth. The sweet taste of the rice spread in her mouth immediately. She closed her eyes unconsciously and let out a groan in spite of herself. "Mmm…"

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Chapter 26: Curiosity Towards A Man

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

Sally felt she had walked into a sea of gourmet food, and was overwhelmed by a good taste and a warm feeling.

The eggs covering the rice were so tender; the flavorful ham, the crisp winter bamboo shoot, the sweet green pea… The taste of each ingredient was very distinct, and yet they were perfectly combined together.

She tasted shrimp; its sweet and delicious flavor spread out in her mouth. She seemed to have tasted the ocean.

Even in the Valley of the Wind, this kind of shrimp was not easy to come by. As for the shrimp that were kept alive by magic, their taste was not as good. Even she had only once had the privilege of eating shrimp this fresh when she'd gone to the shore north of the Wind Forest with her grandfather two years ago, but still, their taste had not been as fresh and tender.

Where did he get these fresh shrimp? If he had shipped them to Chaos City from the shore, the price of one shrimp would have been more than five gold coins.

One plate of fried rice has more than one shrimp, but it only sells at 600 copper coins! The owner here… he must be dumb. A flicker of confusion flew across her mind.

When she bit into the tender egg and touched the sweet rice with her tongue, she froze for an instant suddenly, and then she opened her eyes.

This taste!

It's the taste of the Spring of Life!

She was not a royal family member, but her clan was also very noble among elves, so she had been baptized in the Spring of Life several times. She had even had a small glass of water from the Spring of Life during her coming of age ceremony, so she was very familiar with and sensitive to the taste of their holy spring.

Much to her surprise, in this Chaos City, she had tasted the Spring of Life in a restaurant owned by a human! For a moment, she didn't know what to think because of this weird turn of events. She even started wondering if her homesickness had made her unable to think straight.

As she chewed on the rice, the taste of the rice and various ingredients was tickling her taste buds ceaselessly; among it, the exclusive feel of the Spring of Life was very distinct, confirming her suspicion again and again.

When she had swallowed it, a warm current spread all over her body through her meridians, rapidly dissolving her fatigue and hunger from days of travel.

It's definitely the Spring of Life!

Sally was very certain. Her senses were telling her that she should draw her bow, point the arrow at this human male, and ask him how he got his hands on the water from the Spring of Life.

However… this Yangzhou fried rice was so good that she wasn't able to make herself put down the spoon and pick up her bow!

Her family had the best cook in her entire clan. She had attended many dinner parties in the palace, and she had even tried the food cooked by the royal chef when the king of the Roth Empire came to visit the elves with his chef.

However, compared to this Yangzhou fried rice, those dishes that seemed very exquisite in appearance were very bland.

Moreover, this delicious Yangzhou fried rice was made by a human—a human male!

Take another bite?

Sally felt a devil in her heart tempting her, and she didn't want to resist it. Her spoon clattered on the plate again, and the second spoonful was already in her mouth. She closed her eyes again, tasting the flavor of every ingredient carefully.

At that instant, the holy spring and the responsibility of elves were all put aside by her; all she had in her mind was: eat, eat, eat!

She took one bite after another. Her deep-rooted manners were keeping her from gobbling down her food, but she was still eating quickly, unlike her usual self, completely forgetting about her suspicion before.

Mag watched as she ate her fried rice. He smiled. He felt proud and satisfied while looking at his customers indulging in the food he made. Perhaps it did feel good to conquer others' taste buds, even better than conquering women.

Amy was very proud too. This was her father's doing—he could make the best rainbow fried rice under the sun. Even the elf big sister had fallen in love with the taste after just one bite.

Sally finished her fried rice as if there were no one else but her in the restaurant. When she put the spoon on the plate to get another bite, she realized there was nothing left—not even one rice grain.

I have finished the entire plate? Sally froze for an instant, feeling as if she had just started. She looked at the plate that could almost reflect her face and felt a little ashamed. She hadn't been very graceful in others' presence, but the good thing was that she held back her impulse to lick the plate.

With food this good, one plate was clearly not enough for her. Sally looked up at Mag and said expectantly, "Owner, please give me seconds."

"Okay. Please wait a moment, Miss," answered Mag, smiling. He walked to the kitchen, thinking that even the graceful elves could not resist the good taste of this Yangzhou fried rice.

He had his worries, though. The rice was irrigated with the water from the Spring of Life, and if she could taste it, there might be problems.

"It's really so good," exclaimed Mobai satisfyingly. By then, he had put down his spoon. Two plates of fried rice were just enough. The weariness all over his body was nowhere to be found. He hadn't felt this comfortable for a very long time. He really felt very good.

"Dwarf grandpa Mobai, would you like two more plates?" asked Amy with anticipation.

Mobai looked at Amy's big expectant eyes and almost nodded. He waved his hands quickly. "No, two plates are just enough for my dinner today, and I can drink a little when I get back. What a wonderful day!"

"Okay. You have had two plates. Two six twelve. Twelve gold coins, please." Amy was a little disappointed, but her smile returned quickly. She jumped off her chair, walked to Mobai, and held out her two hands. "Pay your bill, please."

"You are much quicker tonight." Mobai was a little surprised. He counted 12 gold coins and put them on Amy's little hands.

Mobai arose from his chair and said to Mag in the kitchen, "See you around, Mag." Then he turned to Amy, and said, "Bye, little girl."

"See you." Mag smiled in his kitchen.

"One, two, three… Bye, dwarf grandpa Mobai." Amy was counting the coins with shining eyes. She didn't even raise her head when she answered.

"This address…" Mobai pursed his lips. It sounds a little strange. He smiled and walked out.

Who is this man? Sally looked at Mag who was working in the kitchen. Though she could only see his side face through the glass, she was attracted by his focus and concentration.

A grand restaurant, great fried rice, fresh shrimp, the Spring of Life… And he has a beautiful half-elf daughter. He seems normal, but how many secrets does he have?

Or, how many stories?

Sally showed her curiosity towards a man for the very first time.

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Chapter 27: Start With Your Daughter

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

Mag walked out with Sally's second plate of Yangzhou fried rice and put it down in front of her. "Please enjoy," he said, smiling.

Sally answered gently, "Thanks." All she could see right now was the fried rice before her. She picked up the spoon and took a bite. She was eating more slowly this time, savoring the taste of different ingredients as they mixed together inside her mouth. This fresh experience was intoxicating.

"Father, here, 12 gold coins. Amy calculated how much we should charge right away." Amy looked up at Mag with the gold coins in her hands, her face oozing with anticipation as she awaited her father's praise.

"Yes. Amy is incredible. You have applied what you've learned. The money is right. Looks like you have mastered what you've learned today." Mag smiled and stroked Amy's hair. He took the coins from her hands. She is truly very smart.

"Thank you, Father. Amy will study harder tomorrow." Amy nodded happily. It turns out the 99 table is not very difficult, except the three six… three six… Oh, I'll leave it for tomorrow. "Father, Amy's hungry too."

Mag nodded. "I'll make the fried rice for you." He put the money in the counter's drawer with a lock and entered the kitchen.

Amy sat down opposite Sally gently and watched as she ate gracefully. She tried to imitate her and sit properly.

Sally was so absorbed in the delicious fried rice that she didn't notice Amy until she finished her last bite. She smiled when she found that the little girl was sitting with her ankles crossed just like her.

"Big sister Sally, you look so nice when you eat," Amy said as she saw that she had finished her meal.

"You can do it too when you grow up." Sally nodded, smiling. She was a little surprised when she said those words. She hadn't been very keen on the little elves back home, but now she was encouraging the little girl like a senior.

Amy nodded happily. "Thank you." Then she asked, "Big sister Sally, have you had enough?"

Sally nodded as she put down the spoon. "Yes." To keep her body in a good shape, she hadn't eaten this much for a long time, but today, it couldn't be helped.

"Well then, you have eaten two plates. Two six twelve. Twelve gold coins please." Amy's eyes brightened immediately. She held out her hands on the table towards Sally.

Mag was just walking out with a plate of fried rice. He wanted to smile when he watched this scene. Looks like she does enjoy collecting money.

"I'll give you one dragon coin and two gold coins." Sally took out one dragon coin and two gold coins from her purse and put them on Amy's hand. She hesitated for an instant before she opened her hand, but on recalling the delicious food she had never eaten before, she loosened her hand immediately.It's definitely worth the money.

Sally arose from her chair and picked up her bow and quiver. She looked at Mag and narrowed her eyes slightly. "I was wondering why I have tasted the Spring of Life in this Yangzhou fried rice."

Mag shook his head, smiling. "I don't know what you mean by that, Miss. I didn't add any water from the Spring of Life into this fried rice." He was telling the truth, so he was very calm. It seemed she was not an ordinary elf, though. She had tasted the Spring of Life.

Sally stared at Mag for a while, and didn't see any nervousness in those deep eyes. She nodded, and said, "Mag, right? Your Yangzhou fried rice is very good. I will come again." Then she turned around and left.

"Thank you." Mag put down the plate in his hand, not feeling very alarmed. After all, he had already known he couldn't keep a low profile when he'd decided to open this restaurant. It's not a secret that this rice has a taste of the Spring of Life. As long as the system's farmlands stay safe, I wouldn't admit anything else even if they beat me to death. Anyway, the system wouldn't just stand by if I were beaten to death, right?

"Your safety is not system's responsibility," said the system.

"I have already died once. I've nothing to fear," answered Mag in his head. He put the fried rice in front of Amy.

The system did not answer at once. Eventually, it said, "You should have more regard for your life."

"Actually, I don't want to die that badly. Why don't you improve my strength? Increase my strength by ten or twenty. If I could tear giant dragons apart with my bare hands, nobody would dare to come look for trouble. Then, I can focus on cooking and try to become the God of Cookery." Mag took the system for granted.

The system was silent for a longer time. After a while, it answered, "System has no such right. Improving strength will be done by triggering and completing the relevant missions. After my assessment, I recommend you start with your daughter to improve the restaurant's security level."

"Amy?" Mag was taken by surprise. He glanced at Amy, who was about to take a bite of the dragon coin. Mag chuckled. The system's assessment should be reliable. Perhaps it was referring to the bluish violet fireball magic in the morning?

"Father, look! Dragon coin! You said at noon that 10 gold coins equals one dragon coin, so Amy didn't make a mistake, right?" Amy looked up at Mag. There were a small line of tooth impressions on the edge of the coin.

"No, Amy has done a very good job." Mag nodded, smiling. He put the fireball thing on hold and took the dragon coin in his hand. It was almost the same size as the gold coin, except that it had a piece of white jade inlaid in the middle. There was a small golden dragon carved around the jade. It was a little heavier than the gold coin, and was the most valued currency on this continent.

"Amy will eat then." After getting her praise, she took her spoon and started eating, shaking her little body slightly all the while. She was very happy.

Mag put the coins in the drawer. Seeing that no customer would come for a while, he went into the kitchen and cooked a plate of fried rice for his dinner.

After a plate of Yangzhou fried rice, Mag felt warm all over, and his fatigue had disappeared.

When Amy finished the half bowl of fried rice that Mag gave her, she put down the bowl and looked at Mag, a little worried. "Father, I … I feel a little hot again."

"Again?" Mag was a little anxious, but when he recalled what had happened in the morning, he said immediately, "Don't worry, Amy. Try to remember the fireball magic this morning. Try to release the fire inside you."

"Release it?" Amy reflected carefully. Then she lifted her arm, and a bluish violet fire suddenly appeared from her hand. The moisture in the air was immediately evaporated, as if it had burnt a hole in the air.

Originally sitting on the other side of the table, Mag fell back several steps despite himself. He watched as the fireball in Amy's hand grew smaller and into a small one finally, his eyes full of astonishment.

He understood the system's words suddenly.

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Chapter 28: Could You Buy Amy An Ugly Duckling?

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

Amy had only eaten three plates of Yangzhou fried rice since this morning, but the temperature of the fireball she could make now was much more terrifying than in the morning. Her improvement was simply incredible.

Besides, if she could improve her power by eating, then it wouldn't be troublesome to better her skills—she just needed to eat regularly every day.

"Father, do you want to play with the fire?" Amy said smilingly as she looked at the flames dancing in her hand, like a little girl who wanted to share her toys with others.

Mag waved his hands immediately. "No, it's too hot. Remember, Amy, do not use this fireball on others except bad guys. It's very dangerous." This flame was no toy at all.

"Bad guys?" Amy pondered carefully for a while. "If they don't pay for the food they eat, then they are the bad guys, right?

Mag nodded. "Yes. That is called 'dine and dash'. They're bad guys." He hadn't liked the ones who were always dining and dashing in his previous life, and now that he was an owner of a restaurant himself, he hated them even more.

Amy nodded solemnly. "Oh, Amy has remembered. If they don't pay, I'll set them on fire."

"Well then, I'll leave it to you to protect our restaurant." Mag chuckled. Such customers may actually appear. If Amy's fireball magic could make them know fear, she might actually be able to protect this restaurant.

After all, the system is quite reliable except when money is involved. Mag cleared the table and went into the kitchen.

Under a big tree outside the restaurant on the square, Sally was still there. She was staring at the bright restaurant, confused. Should I report this to our contact in Chaos City, or just keep it to myself?

But this Yangzhou fried rice is really very good. If I had money, I would eat it three times a day, but now I can only eat it every once in a while. She struggled with herself for a while, and then her mind was away on the Yangzhou fried rice she had just eaten. She could still taste the ocean in her mouth as she recalled its taste.

Whatever. I am a runaway now. I have no responsibility to worry about this kind of thing. Sally swung her arm as if trying to throw her trouble away, and then she put the bow on her back.

Maybe the owner here doesn't care about this stuff; otherwise, he wouldn't so blatantly put the water from the Spring of Life into six gold coins's worth of Yangzhou fried rice, even if the water had been diluted countless times.

"Mamy Restaurant. Such interesting father and daughter." Sally took another glance at the restaurant, and then turned around and walked towards the exit of the square.

Mag washed the dishes with the dishwasher and sat on the chair behind the counter with Amy, waiting for customers.

More people came in the evening, but they all found the fried rice expensive when they saw the menu. They shook their heads and left.

Mag wanted to hold onto them by telling them the origins of the ingredients. He wanted them to know that they were getting the better end of the deal by eating this Yangzhou fried rice.

However, as the candidate for the God of Cookery, he held back this urge. He didn't want to contradict his principles.

He had only had two customers today, but he had sold eight plates of Yangzhou fried rice, which was pretty satisfying for his first day.

At eight o'clock, after he had watched the eighth customer shake his head and leave, Mag went to the door and flipped over the "Open" sign. He turned the outside lights off and finished his first day.

"Father, we don't sell the rainbow fried rice any more today?" Amy said as she put out the fireball in her hand.

Mag nodded, smiling. "Yes, let's call it a day." He took his earnings out and counted them. In total, he had 20 gold coins, one dragon coin, and 12 copper coins. There should be more, but 18 gold coins had been charged by the system automatically in the evening—it was the cost of the ingredients.

This was just his first day. Last night, he only had two copper coins in his pocket.

"So many gold coins!" Amy looked at the coins on the table with shining eyes. She looked up at Mag, and said, "Father, could you buy Amy an ugly duckling?"

"Sure. We'll walk around the square in the morning and see if there is someone selling them." Mag stroked Amy's hair, smiling. She is very obsessed with the roast goose. I have to take her out and try our luck tomorrow.

Mag didn't feel very exhausted after working a whole day. That was because the system had prepared the ingredients and covered the preliminaries. He didn't even need to wash the dishes himself. Besides, the three plates of fried rice he had eaten relieved his weariness, making him feel even fresher.

Seeing as Amy was beginning to feel sleepy, Mag had her recite the 99 table she had learned at noon. She could remember all the terms before "three six", but had to give up on remembering that one after thinking long and hard. She was really depressed.

Mag gave her an encouraging smile. "It's all right. Amy has done a great job. You have already applied what you've learned today. We'll start from "three six" tomorrow. I'm sure you'll remember the rest."

Amy nodded. "Amy will try hard tomorrow."

Although Mag had to focus on the restaurant, he didn't want to run it day and night. He made use of this leisure time and decided his opening hours. This way, he didn't have to stay in the restaurant all day long, and his customers would know when to come. It would save a lot of trouble.

Breakfast: 7:30 am—9:00 am; lunch: 11:30 am—1:30 pm; dinner: 5:00 pm—9:00 pm. The rest of the time he was free, and he'd decided to rest a day every seven days.

"Perfect." Mag looked at his opening hours on the paper, and said in his head, "System, can you help me add the opening hours to the signboard outside?"

"System recommends you extend the opening hours to sell more food," answered the system.

"Being the owner of the restaurant is my job, not my whole life. I want to enjoy my life as well as my job," Mag said calmly. He became impatient. "Do you want to help me or not? I'll attach this paper to the signboard myself even if you don't help."

After a while, the system answered, "The opening hours have been added."

"Let's go upstairs and sleep." Mag put the coins back in the drawer. Since the system would charge the cost of ingredients automatically, he didn't have to worry about things like that.

Mag taught Amy how to brush her teeth and wash her face, and introduced everything in the bathroom to her. After he washed up, he picked her up and laid her on the little bed.

The little thing was already very sleepy. When she touched her soft bed, she could barely keep her eyes open.

"Good night." Mag smiled as he stroked Amy's hair.

"Father, don't forget to buy me an ugly duckling. You have promised," Amy said solemnly as she reached out to hold Mag's finger.

Mag nodded. "I won't. We'll buy it tomorrow."

"You're the best, Father." Amy sat up, held Mag's face in her hands, and kissed him. Then she lay down and closed her eyes. She fell asleep in no time, mouth still murmuring, "Ugly duckling… ugly duckling… roast goose…"

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Chapter 29: Amy Will Just Let It Fall Down …

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

Mag woke up at six in the morning. The night was so long without video games and movies, but he slept much better.

"System, do you sell TVs? What about PCs? Cellphones? PS4s? WiFi?" Mag asked in his head when he was brushing his teeth.

"Please take the system seriously! System does not provide non-kitchen appliances or WiFi for free!" answered the system solemnly.

"Don't worry. I don't have enough money even if I want to buy them." Mag spat out the foam in his mouth. Based on the system's reaction, those things were most likely available if he had the money, but he really had no money right now. If the WiFi was not free, he would pay for it.

Mag put Amy's little dress that he had washed and dried yesterday on the edge of the bed. After all, it was not very decent to go out in her sleepwear.

Mag went downstairs and opened the door. The opening hours were already on the front and back side of the signboard. A screen was set at the top of the signboard to conveniently notify the number of days before his rest day; now it said six, and it would change automatically, very user-friendly.

This world also used the 24-hour clock, and had almost the same notion of time as the people on the Earth. Thanks to the efforts of the dwarf craftsmen, mechanical watches were becoming popular.

The most advanced watches were the ones driven by crystal stones. Only noblemen and wealthy people were using them, because their price was high. At least, he needed not worry that the people here didn't know the time.

There was still time before opening, so Mag went for a little jog outside his restaurant on the square. His body was so weak that he gasped for air after running a little while. At last, he managed to run for 20 minutes or so.

By then, Mobai had just opened his shop. "What're you doing so early, Mag?" Mobai asked as he looked at Mag who was still panting.

"Working out a little. You open this early, Mobai?" answered Mag, smiling. Mobai's forge and Mag's restaurant were just about one meter apart. He could hear his hammering before, but now that he had a much better house with better soundproofing, he could hear nothing at all.

Mobai nodded. "Yeah. I was just about to go to your place and eat two plates of fried rice before working." He had completely fallen in love with the Yangzhou fried rice after eating two times yesterday.

Mobai woke up this morning feeling comfortable and refreshed all over, and not tired at all. Even his waist that used to hurt when he woke up had stopped acting up.

"The restaurant opens at 7:30 am. The exact opening hours are on the signboard. There is still time. I'll go wash up and prepare," Mag said with a smile.

"Well, I'll wait here then." Mobai was taken aback. Normally the restaurants would open when customers came, but Mag had set his own opening hours.

On second thought, he found it pretty normal for Mag to have his own rules and temper. After all, he could make such delicious and magical Yangzhou fried rice.

Mag walked back to his restaurant, went upstairs, and washed up. By then, Amy had just woken up and changed into her clothes. She extended her arms and walked to Mag with half-opened eyes. "Give me a hug, Father," she said adorably as she looked up at Mag.

The little thing had just woken up, with her ahoge sticking out. Her half-opened eyes and spread arms made her so adorable that Mag couldn't refrain from stooping down and picking her up. "I'll hold you for a while. Then you will wash up yourself. We have to open now."

Amy nodded. "Okay." She only wrapped her arms around Mag's neck for a little while and then disentangled herself from him. She went to the bathroom and stood on tips of her toes to get her toothpaste and toothbrush. She turned to Mag, and said, "Don't worry about me, Father. I can take care of myself."

Mag nodded, smiling. "Right." He pretended to leave, and then took a peek through the door. The little thing was brushing well. Then he left without worry.

It was just 7:30. Mag went to open the door. Mobai was waiting outside looking at the opening hours.

"We're open. Please come in," Mag said gently with a smile.

"Thank you. Two plates of Yangzhou fried rice. I can scarcely wait," Mobai said with a laugh as he stepped inside.

Mobai had just seated himself when Amy came downstairs. "Good morning, dwarf grandpa Mobai," she said to him. Then she stroked her hair as she looked at Mag. "Father, would it be better to tie my hair up? It seems a little long."

"Tie up your hair?" Mag looked at the purple strip of cloth in Amy's hand, a little awkward. He hadn't done this kind of thing before. He had to study a little. "Wait till I have made breakfast for Grandpa Mobai, okay, Amy? I'll tie your hair up later."

Amy nodded. "Okay, Father." Amy put the hair band away and sat down meekly.

Mag finished the first plate of Yangzhou fried rice quickly, and then went to make the second one. When he walked out with Amy's fried rice, Mobai had just finished eating.

"Two plates of fried rice, that's 12 gold coins, please," Amy said solemnly as she held out her little hand. She was standing beside Mobai.

"Here, 12 gold coins. Count them, little owner." Mobai put the coins on Amy's hands with a smile. He was already accustomed to her acting all grown-up when she collected money. He rose from the table with a smile, and said to Mag, "Today's Yangzhou fried rice is very good too, Mag. You have just opened, and people rarely come here, so it must be hard, right?"

Mag nodded. "Yes. Not too many customers." It couldn't be helped. Good wine was also afraid of the thick bush.

"I'll take my leave. Maybe I could bring two customers for you at noon. They won't worry about the price," Mobai said, smiling. He took a glance at Amy who was counting the coins carefully.

Mag smiled. "Thank you." It was not a bad way to increase customers.

"My pleasure." Mobai waved his hands expansively and left.

While Amy was eating, Mag made himself one plate too. After a plate of delicious Yangzhou fried rice, the hunger and weariness from his jogging in the morning were all gone. He felt very refreshed and vigorous.

There was no sign of any customers, and Mag's gaze met the eyes of Amy, who was holding her hair band with expectation. Mag couldn't make her wait anymore. He took the hair band, and unconfidently said, "Amy, I'm not very good at tying up hair."

Amy turned to Mag, and said encouragingly, "Father, I'm sure you can do it." She found a small mirror somewhere and looked at herself in the mirror expectantly. Teacher Luna would tie up my hair before, but Father hasn't done it.

"Then I'll get to it?" Mag was still a little nervous. He stroked Amy's smooth hair, trying to remember how the girls wore their hair. A ponytail should be the easiest, or a cute chignon; a braid is not bad too.

Ten minutes later, Amy put down her mirror and turned to look at Mag as he was trying to make her hair look like a bun, sweating. She pouted unhappily, "Father, Amy will just let it fall down …"

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Chapter 30: The Way To Deal With A Nuisance

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

It turned out that it required a lot of skill to tie little girls' hair. Mag took a look at Amy's hair that he had messed up and drew his hands back embarrassedly. "Letting it fall down looks good too," murmured Mag.

"But Teacher Luna can do lovely braids." Amy looked up at Mag and blinked her big eyes pitifully.

"Ahem, we'd better get ready to go. Let's see if we can get an ugly duckling for Amy." Mag feigned his coughing, trying to divert her attention away from the hair.

"Ugly duckling! I want an ugly duckling! Let's go, Father!" Amy urged. She stopped worrying about her hair immediately as he had expected.

Mag combed Amy's hair neatly. Two strands were still sticking out, but he pretended they were not there. Opening hours were not over, so he had to make Amy wait. In the meantime, he helped her memorize a dozen more terms from the 99 table.

"I'm not sure we can find an ugly duckling. If we can't find one, we'll try our luck next time. Okay?" Mag said to Amy when he locked the door, trying to prepare her in advance.

Amy nodded obediently. "Okay. I know." She was very happy because she was going to buy an ugly duckling, and it had been a long time since her father last took her out. She could hold his big, warm hand again.

"Let's go." Mag picked up Amy's little soft hand, and he felt happy too as he looked at her smile.

Amy's unhappy expression was so heartbreaking that he couldn't help but ask, "System, do you have the experience bag for braiding hair? Like the one for Yangzhou fried rice. Do you sell it?"

He had to be a mother as well as a father, so he had to learn how to braid hair.

"Let me warn you again: do not insult the system with such questions! System does not sell any experience bags that are irrelevant to cuisine!" The system seemed a little enraged.

"I will give you 10 gold coins."

The system didn't answer.

"No? What about 30?"

Still, the system said nothing.

"100. That's my final offer. Think about it," Mag said calmly.

For a long while, the system said nothing; then, a quotation appeared in Mag's head: the experience bag for braiding hair—120 gold coins.

"Sorry, not now, I don't have enough money," Mag said regretfully as he looked at that experience bag. Now I know the system has it, and I'll make enough money sooner or later. I'll make a hairstyle that makes Amy scream with excitement.Mag felt much better as he thought about this.

"…"An ellipsis went across Mag's head. Mag didn't care about the system's feelings at all. The system only cares about money.

The Aden Square was the business center of Chaos City as well as the geographical center. The buildings that were in the shape of the crescent moon curved around the square. It was about two or three thousand kilometers from the restaurant to the other end. All kinds of strange shops could be found around the square.

Therefore, people living in Chaos City were always saying: one could buy anything here as long as it could be found on the continent and they had enough money.

Of course, it was a bit exaggerated; nonetheless, it still showed that the Aden Square was very prosperous.

They hadn't walked far when Amy tried to hide beside Mag. "Father, that black bird is very annoying," she said as she pointed at the two birdcages hanging outside a magic potion shop.

"Oh?" Mag looked in that direction with surprise. This magic potion shop was only five or six doors away from his restaurant. The owner in his memory was an old human magic caster, tall, lean, and a little hunched. He didn't talk much with others, and was only interested in teasing his two birds, teaching them strange words.

One birdcage had a black crow in it, and the other a parrot with green feathers and a red beak. They were jumping up and down in their cages. When they noticed Mag and Amy, they stopped to look at them.

"Oh… Ugly little thing, you're walking before my magnificent palace again. Now I allow you to kneel before me and kowtow three times, and I will pray that you'll look more like an elf in the future," the black crow said in a low voice as he looked disdainfully at Amy with his head held high.

"You're the ugly one. You black little bird," Amy said angrily as she clenched her little fist. She looked up at Mag, a little upset and uncertain. "Father, is Amy ugly?"

Mag shook his head and smiled. "No! Amy is very pretty. That elf big sister said the same yesterday. Don't you remember?" Then he pointed at the crow and said, "Look, that stupid bird is the one who is ugly."

There was a smile on Mag's face, but his eyes showed his spite. Stupid crow, how dare you say that to Amy? I'm trying to boost her confidence here! It looked like it was not the first time he made fun of Amy.

The green parrot nodded. "Yes, he's very ugly, but he boasts of his beauty every day, very annoying," she said helplessly. She sounded like a maid.

"Human, do not point your lowly finger at me. Don't think I'm afraid of you because you've gone from a cripple to a half-cripple…" the crow said as he turned to Mag.

Mag looked at Amy with a smile. "Amy, do you still remember the fireball magic you used yesterday?"

Amy nodded. "Yes." She looked at Mag, a little confused.

"The easiest way of dealing with a smart mouth is to shut his mouth. Let him have a taste of your fireball," Mag said, smiling.

However, the crow became even prouder. "That was supposed to scare me? This cage is protected by the old man's magic; besides, I myself can remember the spell of the fireball magic—"

However, before he could finish his words, a bluish violet fireball appeared in Amy's hand.

"No chant?" The crow was taken by surprise.

Amy threw the fireball out, and it enveloped the whole birdcage instantly.

"I'm not af— Help… Help me!" The magic protection outside the cage was burned away at once, and then, the steel bars were starting to melt. The bluish violet flame caught the crow immediately. He screamed in pain.

Mag was a little amazed. It was the first time that Amy had used her fireball magic on others, and she did quite well. Besides, the fireball was more powerful than he had expected, which was a good thing, of course.

Smiling, he took Amy's hand and walked on. "Remember, Amy, for guys like that, just give them a fireball."

Amy nodded vigorously. "Okay, Father." She held one of Mag's fingers and waved it merrily, feeling happy because she had taken revenge on that stupid crow who had picked on her many times. I don't have to worry about being picked on when I go out with Father.

"Fire! Help!" the green parrot cried in panic.

A lean old man walked out hurriedly. His face changed when he saw the burning cage, and then he chanted some spell and threw a water ball at it.

The fire was put out. A faint aroma of roasted meat permeated the air. The black featherless crow gave a shiver. He stood on the stick which was the only thing that was spared, covered his crotch with his wings, and let loose a plume of black smoke. "Holy mackerel! My precious robe is ruined…" he cried out.

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Chapter 31: Buy An Ugly Duckling Egg

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

"Shut up, Black Coal!" Urien shouted in a shrill voice. He was wearing a black robe for magicians, his face a little grim. He watched as the father and daughter walked away. "Such a strong magic wave! The little girl is a genius? Or is that man a hidden master of magic?" he muttered.

"Now you're a real Black Coal." The green parrot giggled at the black crow whose feathers had been burned away, gloating.

"Call me honorable Fama Odin Ben, old man. My palace has been burnt down buy that little girl, so get me a new one quickly. And make a flamboyant robe for me, or someone may catch a glimpse of my beautiful body," complained the black crow. Then he sniffed around. "Good heavens, why do I smell a roast chicken?" he shouted.

Urien turned to look at his black crow. "Shut your mouth, or I'll feed you my new potion!" His face was expressionless, his voice as shrill as the voice of a demon that had crawled out from hell.

The black bird stopped his unruly behavior right away. He moved over his feet timorously. "At least… at least give me two leaves to cover my body. You don't have to see me like this."

"Green Pea, get him some leaves," Urien said as he walked towards his shop. "Why haven't I noticed that magic wave before? Maybe we could exchange experience some day," he muttered to himself.

"My Lord Urien, next time, call me Sunny when you want me to help," said the green parrot merrily. She cocked her head to one side to open the lock on her cage and flew away; after a little while, she was back and put two leaves beside Black Coal. Then she flew back to her cage, locked the door, and preened herself gracefully.

"Never thought I'd come to be like this." Black Coal sighed. He looked around and picked up the two leaves to cover his most important parts.

Mag was walking with Amy on the square. Apparently, she had become very happy after she set that black crow on fire. She skipped merrily in front, paused to wait for Mag, and resumed her skipping again.

Mag had 10 gold coins in his pocket. They were very important to him right now, but if Amy wanted to buy anything, he wouldn't hesitate at all.

However, the little thing was very considerate. They had walked around for half an hour, but she had only asked for a puppet with strings.

Then Mag took Amy to the largest market on the Aden Square. Unfortunately, they didn't find a swan, much less an ugly duckling.

They had found regular ducklings, though, but Mag feared that when they failed to grow into beautiful swans, Amy would feel he had cheated her, so he didn't buy any.

The vegetables were cheap here, but the system once said that he was not allowed to take outside ingredients into the kitchen, so he wasn't tempted by their low price.

"Father, we can't find an ugly duckling today, right?" Amy looked up at Mag, a little disappointed.

Mag nodded. "They say the ugly ducklings haven't been born yet, so maybe we could buy one later." He was trying to find a way to comfort Amy, who had been filled with expectation. It was early autumn now. Big swans were very rare around Chaos city, let alone the small ones. There was a high chance that he wouldn't find one in a long time.

"What's that?" Before Mag could offer any consolation, Amy's eyes were already drawn by an herb stall by the roadside. She ran to it and squatted down immediately. She looked at it with her wide eyes for a while, and then turned to wave at Mag as she shouted, "Father, look! This must be an ugly duckling egg!"

"Oh?" Mag walked over to her. The stall was owned by a strong, dark middle-aged man who was weaving a basket from dried stalks. He looked like an herb collector, and his hands were covered with calluses from climbing ropes. The sacks on the ground were filled with herbs. Beside his feet was a small pile of hay, and on it lay a gray egg the size of the mouth of a bowl.

"Father, can we buy this egg? You said there is no ugly duckling right now, so we can hatch this one when we get home." Amy looked up at Mag as she pointed at the egg, her face full of anticipation.

Mag nodded, smiling. "Yes." The little thing had been disappointed enough times today. He wanted her to go back home in a good mood, so he turned to the herb collector and asked, "What is this egg?"

"Well, I'm not sure myself. I found it on a cliff yesterday when I was collecting herbs. Only birds can reach that place, so it should be a bird egg. It's very nutritious," the seller said with a smile.

"How much?" Mag's eyes brightened. If it was a bird egg, then it would be something like a swan when it hatched; besides, judging by its size, the bird might be even bigger than an ostrich, which would make a great ride for Amy after being well trained.

The seller smiled and scratched his head as he looked at Amy who was watching the egg with great interest. "I see the little girl loves it, so… three gold coins," he said.

"Fine. Here, three gold coins." Mag handed over the money. The herb collectors were risking their lives every day to climb cliffs. If this was truly a bird egg, three gold coins was not expensive at all.

"Thank you. Take this small basket with you, little girl. The egg will fit perfectly in it." The middle-aged man put the egg with the hay into the little basket he had just made and handed it to Amy.

"Thank this mister, Amy," Mag said to Amy quickly.

"Thank you, Mister." Amy took the basket merrily and carried it with her two hands. "Be good, ugly duckling. I will hatch you out very carefully," she whispered.

"You're welcome." The seller waved his hand, smiling. Then he turned to Mag, and said, "I have a little girl about the same age as her and she likes raising animals too. But she already has two monkeys, so I decided not to take this egg to her."

"I see. This little thing has been going on about raising an ugly duckling for several days. Hope she'll like it when it hatches." Mag gave him a sour smile, but when he looked at Amy, his eyes were full of love.

They left the herb collector's stall. Mag wanted to help Amy carry the egg, but she refused. She was carrying the basket with effort in front of Mag, making him worry about her dropping it.

Finally, they made it back after nearly half an hour. Amy put the basket gently on the stairs outside the door and sighed with relief. She turned to Mag, and said earnestly, "Father, thank you for buying this ugly duckling egg for me. I will take very good care of it."

"But that mister said it might not be an ugly duckling egg. It could belong to other birds," Mag said, smiling. He took out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat off her forehead.

Amy shook her head stubbornly. "No, I'm sure it's an ugly duckling egg. I'm going to hatch it and raise it. It will grow into a beautiful swan, and… and…"

Then Mag saw her swallow her saliva.

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Chapter 32: Mag? My Father?

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

Mag felt a little sorry for the egg, but he could do nothing about Amy's obsession with the roast goose. It seemed he had to work hard and complete his missions to get the recipe for roast goose as soon as possible.

Of course, the recipe for the Peking Duck would be just as fine.

They opened the door and went inside. Amy put the little basket in a compartment under the counter. She crouched down and whispered a little something to that egg, and then closed the door carefully as if afraid of waking up the little creature inside the egg.

"Father, when will it hatch?" Amy asked as she looked at Mag, expectant.

Mag shook his head. "I'm not sure. Maybe next spring." He didn't know much about the hatching of birds'.

"That would be too long." Amy was a little depressed.

"Maybe it will hatch out more quickly if it's put in a warmer environment, like mother ducks hatching their eggs," Mag said quickly after thinking about it.

Amy's eyes brightened immediately. "Then what about Amy sitting on that egg too?"

Mag chuckled and shook his head. "No, that won't work. Amy, take that little blanket downstairs and use it to cover the egg. That should do."

"Okay," Amy answered happily. She ran upstairs quickly.

"Hope it's a swan egg. But it's quite unlikely," Mag muttered to himself. He went to the kitchen and poured two glasses of water.

Mag helped Amy wrap up the egg in the blanket. It was already 11:25 am and almost time to open his restaurant. He looked at Amy as she was crouching on the ground, whispering "ugly duckling, grow up quickly…" and considered getting a roast goose for her later today.

A few minutes later, at exactly 11:30 am, Mag went to the door, turned over the sign, and opened his restaurant formally.

Although still not many came here, the restaurant's grand and different style truly fascinated some people. Two dwarves came, and then an orc, but when they saw the menu, they all shook their heads and left.

Mag had grown used to it. It was perfectly normal, though. Not all the customers liked Yangzhou fried rice; besides, they didn't even know what this Yangzhou fried rice was. They would rather spend six gold coins on a large plate of roasted meat and a flagon of wine than spend them on something they knew nothing about.

Maybe only Mobai and his friends would come for lunch, Mag thought helplessly. This was his second day, and he had only sold eight plates in total. If he wanted to complete his mission, he had to sell 500 plates in the following nine days. It was not very encouraging.

Just then, Mag heard the sound of hoofbeats outside. He looked out and almost chuckled. It was not a horse, but a black donkey. On its back was a human knight in silver-gray boiled leather. He was so tall that his feet could almost touch the ground sitting on that donkey's back.

The knight looked about 30 years old, his face square, his black hair tied up casually with a piece of gray cloth. He halted before the restaurant, holding reins in one hand and a longsword at his waist in another. He looked up at the signboard smilingly.

"Mamy Restaurant? Sounds like a good place. I'll have my lunch here," Conti Nicolas said to himself, smiling. He swung off his donkey and tied it to a tree. Then, he strode towards the restaurant and entered.

Mag was standing by the counter. He glanced at the knight's sword with an emerald inlaid in it and smiled. "Welcome!"

"Hi, what do you have here?" Conti said to Mag, smiling. He didn't look around the restaurant like others.

"There is a menu on the table. You can take a look first, sir." Mag pointed at the black menu. He found this knight very enthusiastic, just as if nothing could trouble him.

"Thank you." Conti seated himself and opened the menu with a smile. He froze for an instant when he saw only one dish on it, but his smile returned quickly. He looked up at Mag and said, "Owner, give me a plate of this Yangzhou fried rice."

"Okay, please wait a minute." Mag was a little surprised as he looked at this Conti who maintained a smiling face. After all, it was the first time that a customer had ordered after just one look at the menu. It seemed like he didn't even need to think about it.

Mag remained very calm on the outside, though. He loved this kind of customers, of course. He didn't worry about him not liking his food. He nodded, smiling, and walked into the kitchen.

Conti put his sword on the table and took a look around the restaurant. "Looks good." He seemed in a good mood.

And then a little head appeared from behind the counter. "Hello, new customer," Amy said to Conti.

Conti jumped onto his chair in alarm, his sword half-drawn and his face serious and nervous.

Amy was also startled by Conti's reaction, but his shining armor and sword had really aroused her curiosity, so she revealed herself, and asked, "Are you a knight?"

When Conti saw a lovely little girl who was only three or four years old, he quickly slid his sword back into its sheath embarrassedly. Then he jumped down. "No, I'm a dragon slayer. I haven't killed any dragon yet, but some day, I'll put those evil bastards to the sword!" he said proudly, his head held high.

Mag looked over when he heard the noise and chuckled at Conti's words. In his predecessor's memory, there were many knights who wanted to slay dragons, and he had been one of them. However, unlike them, he had really killed a dragon before; more than one, actually.

"Whoa, amazing." Amy clapped her little hands and looked at Conti with adoration. Then she pointed at the longsword in his hand. "So you must have defeated many formidable opponents."

"I don't like fighting people. I like Mag Alex the most. He killed four wicked dragons and is one of the bravest and strongest knights on the whole continent," Conti said, smiling, his eyes full of excitement and adoration. Then he looked down at Amy. "If you like knights, little girl, you should like the ones like Mag Alex."

"Mag? My father?" Amy looked at Conti, a little puzzled.

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Chapter 33: You Must Follow His Rules

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

"What?" Conti was taken by surprise. He followed Amy's gaze and looked to the kitchen. There he saw a lean Mag, who was busy cooking. He smiled and shook his head. "No. Their names may be the same, but Mag Alex is a mighty and proud knight. He would never cook in the kitchen; besides, he has no daughter."

Mag shrugged. Conti was not wrong. His predecessor would perhaps still have been a mighty and proud knight if that incident hadn't happened. He had never entered the kitchen, to say nothing of cooking.

Still, as he listened to his compliments, somehow he felt a little… good?

"My father's rainbow fried rice is very good. Father is the best in my eyes, no matter what you say," Amy said seriously as she looked up at Conti.

"Yes. I'm sure he is a great cook," Conti said, smiling. He resumed his seat, not arguing with Amy.

"Yes." Amy's smile returned.

The bells rang again. Mobai came in first, followed by two orcs. They were two meters tall, and each had a spiked club as thick as a man's thigh in their hands.

"Mobai, when did this fancy restaurant open? Do they have anything good?" Habeng asked. He was wearing a necklace with a ring of fangs around his neck, and his voice was so loud that Mag could hear it from the kitchen.

"It has just opened recently. Of course they have. That's why I've brought you here. I won't pay for yours, just for the record," Mobai said with a mysterious smile. Then he shouted at Mag, "Mag, I'm here again."

"You're much pickier than us. If you say it's good, it must be good. As long as they have meat and stuff to drink." Habeng nodded and didn't think much. Haga looked around curiously with a smile. He only grinned when they talked, and never spoke a word.

"Welcome." Mag had just finished processing the ingredients. The rice in the cooker was not ready yet. He walked to the door. "Please be seated and take a look at the menu on the table," Mag said, smiling.

Mag studied the two orcs quietly. They were each wearing a hide around their waists and a top also made of animal hides, showing their long black chest hair. They were a head taller than normal humans. They had brownish black skin, and their fangs were three centimeters long, reminding him of the orcs in the Warcraft immediately.

These two orcs should be brothers; they were so alike. The one on the left with a fang necklace had to be the grumpy one as the rightmost one was smiling innocently. He might be an orc, but he looked nice and harmless.

"I don't need to look at the menu. I have a lot of work today, so give me three plates of Yangzhou fried rice," Mobai said as he took a seat at his usual table. Then he looked at Amy and smiled. "Hello, little lady."

Amy nodded. "Hello, dwarf grandpa Mobai." Then she pointed at Conti. "He is a new friend. A dragon slayer," she said.

"Dragon slayer?" Mobai took a look at the young knight with surprise.

Habeng seated himself opposite Mobai. He smiled sarcastically as he looked at Conti. "Pfft, dragon slayer? He probably couldn't even beat a goblin." He wears armor, but his sword hand has no callus. He is only a wealthy human with a fair face, I guess.

"I want to be a dragon slayer, and I haven't fought with any goblins, so you can't say I couldn't beat one." Conti smiled as he looked at Habeng, seeming not caring about what he had just said.

"So you're saying you can beat me?" Habeng stood up and his extremely big muscles hunched, the spiked club in one hand. He stared at Conti with wide eyes.

Conti shook his head, smiling. "We haven't fought, so I don't think I can't beat you. But I won't fight you; I only fight dragons." He looked past Habeng's head and saw a painting on the wall, in which a giant dragon was belching flame. "That is what I aim to fight."

"You false knight, you have really pissed me off!" Habeng shouted, putting the club on his shoulder.

"Guys, this is a restaurant, not a fighting pit. Take it outside if you want to fight," Mag said coldly as he walked towards the two angry people.

Mag was a little angry too. The world without laws is much more chaotic than I've thought. They would fight each other for one insult or another. What if they wrecked the restaurant?

Habeng turned to Mag and shouted, "Shut up!" In his eyes, this human must have sided with the knight.

"Habeng…" Mobai said with a sullen face. He had planned to bring two customers to please Mag and Amy, and hadn't expected this to happen. He felt so embarrassed as he tried to calm his grumpy friend down.

Haga was a little worried too. He tugged at Habeng's clothes and wanted to say something, but stopped.

Mag narrowed his eyes, but before he could say anything, Amy already shouted out.

"Don't yell at my father!" When their fight started, Amy was a little shocked. Now, she was standing in front of Mag, trying to protect him. She lifted her hand, and a bluish violet flame about half a meter high appeared immediately. It burned a white hole in the air.

"So hot!" Habeng's face changed. He jumped back and took a look at his left sleeve that had been curled up by the high temperature, and then at the flame in Amy's hand. He swallowed.

Such a gruesome fire! I could feel its heat from here! I might be burned to ashes if I took it directly, Habeng thought.

She might be a little girl, but she is already a powerful magic caster. She is even quicker at conjuring a flame than those old magic casters. And the temperature is more terrifying.

When Habeng had shouted at Mag, Conti already held his sword in hand. However, to his surprise, Amy appeared and summoned a flame. He gazed at it for a while and put down his sword. It looked like his help was not needed this time.

"Magic?" Mobai was also astonished. He hadn't expected that Amy could use magic, and that her flame would frighten Habeng.

"This is Father's restaurant. You must follow his rules, or Amy will get angry and set you on fire," said Amy, acting like an elder. She gazed at Habeng as the flame grew smaller, turning into a little fireball.

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Chapter 34: Nothing Can't Be Taken Care Of By A Plate Of Yangzhou Fried Rice

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

As the owner of the restaurant, Mag had wanted to say something to earn their respect. Then, he'd realized he needed not say anything. Their faces said everything. Amy's fire frightened them more than he had thought; it even terrified them.

And the fact that Amy had stepped before him and the words she had said warmed his heart. She was such a sweet daughter.

"Habeng, if you still consider me your friend, sit down and don't make trouble here," Mobai said solemnly as he looked at his friend. It would be a great loss if he couldn't get his Yangzhou fried rice anymore because of his reckless friend.

Haga grunted something to his brother in their native language. It seemed like he was trying to tell him to stop.

Habeng looked at Mag, and then at the fireball in Amy's hand, a little embarrassed. Amy's fireball truly scared him.

However, it was Mag who scared him even more. Even this little half-elf is this good; the owner must be even better.

Yet he couldn't sit down right now. If other orcs learned that he had been frightened by a little girl, they would make fun of him. He found himself in an awkward situation where he couldn't stand nor sit.

Mag only had to look at Habeng's face once to know what was on his mind. He wanted to chuckle. He hadn't thought that he would be regarded as a master of magic.

Then he found it useful. This way, he could make this grumpy orc behave and keep his restaurant in order. He was even calmer now. He stroked Amy's head and smiled. "Amy, this customer meant no harm. Put the fire away."

"Okay." Amy's hand coiled into a little fist, and the fireball disappeared. Still, she looked at Habeng with hostility.

Habeng breathed a sigh of relief. He took a glance at Mag and found that he possessed unfathomable strength, and that he knew how to do business. He knows better than to treat his customer like that. Even in this Chaos City, quite a few people knew his name. Now he wanted to save his face by acting tough.

However, before he could speak, Mag looked at him and said, "Please keep it down, sir, and do not disturb other customers. And no fighting here, or you'll be put on a blacklist and banned from eating here forever."

"What?!" Habeng's eyes went wide. This was the first time that he was told to keep his voice down in a restaurant. He was always so loud. He couldn't take it anymore.

"Father said, 'keep it down.' You are too loud, and I'll set you on fire if you keep doing that," Amy said solemnly as she looked at Habeng. She held out her little hand and seemed to prepare to unleash her fire.

Subconsciously, Habeng wanted to step back, but his pride as an orc warrior stopped his feet. His anger was coiling inside him, but he couldn't take it out on a little girl; besides, this little girl could use such a terrifying fireball magic. He was very angry, but he could do nothing but control his anger.

Haga took his brother's arm and said something. Then he dragged him into his seat. He smiled at Mag apologetically. "So… Sorry, my… brother… bad… temper…" he said in a broken common language.

Mag nodded with a smile. "It's all right. Please look at the menu before you order. Call me if you're ready." This orc looked much better. In fact, he wasn't very angry just now. Orcs were known for their short temper. Nonetheless, this was his restaurant, and he had his own rules.

Then Mag nodded at Mobai and Conti, went into the kitchen, and started cooking for Conti.

"Father is very amazing. Wait and see." Amy gave Habeng a glare. She felt a little bored, so she went back to watching her egg behind the counter.

"Mobai, what do they have here exactly? They are too strict with customers," Habeng said to Mobai sullenly. He found himself using a lower voice this time.

Smiling, Mobai pushed the menu towards Habeng. "See for yourself." Seeing that Mag was not angry, Mobai was much relieved.

These two were Mobai's regular customers. Their tribe was one of few tribes which possessed a gold mine, and they were sons of the chief. A lot of orc warriors' weapons were made by him; they were 1,000 gold coins each, very expensive.

The two brothers always came to Chaos City to buy a lot of things, so they and Mobai became old friends. They often ate out together. These two like good food as much as me, and they can eat much more.

"Don't leave me in suspense. Let me see." Habeng took the menu in his hand and opened it. He couldn't believe his eyes. He closed the menu to check the cover, and reopened it again. Then he pointed at those little words and looked at Mobai with a strange face. "Mobai, what the heck? One dish? Just one? What is this Yangzhou fried rice? And it's sold at 600 copper coins?!"

"Good stuff, of course." Mobai looked at them and smiled. "This is the best thing I've ever had. Don't say I didn't tell you."

Habeng had been ignored by a young knight, threatened by a little girl, and told to keep his voice down by a human cook. He was already in a very bad mood.

Now he saw this menu. He suspected that Mobai had taken them to this restaurant to be ripped off. I have ordered a lot of weapons from him these years, and now he is doing this to us?!

Looks like I have to find a more honest blacksmith after he delivers this batch. We could buy a large plate of roast beef and a flagon of wine with 600 copper coins in the Fryer's. He shook his head. "It seems there is no meat in it. I don't want to eat this."

"M… Mag, I… I'd like one," Haga said to Mag in the kitchen in his broken language.

Mag turned his head and answered, "Okay. Please wait a minute."

Habeng's voice was much lower than before, but Mag still heard it. He curled his lip. Mobai had said the same thing before. Now that he has decided to stay, there is nothing that can't be taken care of by a plate of Yangzhou fried rice.

If there is, then two plates should do.

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Chapter 35: You're A Real Piece Of Work

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

"Brother, let's go have some meat and drink. Don't eat here," Habeng said to Haga in their own language. If Haga ate the fried rice here, he would have to drink alone later.

"Would you like one too? I have a feeling that it'll be good," Habeng said with a smile.

Habeng shook his head. "Absolutely not. I'll die before I eat anything here." He used the common language this time, and said that in a tone that brooked no argument. He crossed his arms, ready to laugh at their fried rice.

Amy was sitting on the long-legged chair. "Someone will have to break his promise," she said softly as she looked at Habeng.

Habeng was a little embarrassed, and Amy's words made him nervous and irritated. "I swear on my club that I'll never eat here!" he said firmly.

Mobai read his mind with ease; it was written all over his face. He didn't say anything, though. And he didn't need to. He just needed to enjoy himself.

Conti looked in the direction of the kitchen with expectation too. His was still smiling as if that little incident had never happened.

Soon Mag came out, holding a plate of Yangzhou fried rice. He put it down before Conti and put a spoon on the edge. "Please enjoy." Slowly, the strong and pleasant aroma permeated the air.

What a good smell! Habeng's face lit up all of a sudden. The faint aroma was like a kitten clawing at his heart. He hadn't intended to turn, but after a while, in spite of himself, he moved his head slightly and gave a quick glance at the colorful fried rice in front of Conti from the corner of his eye.

"Smells good," Conti complimented as he looked at his fried rice, astonishment in his eyes. He had never seen anyone cook like this before.

Every grain of rice was coated by eggs perfectly. All the ingredients were cut into the size of the rice grain. Such incredible cutting skills! The grains were almost of the same size, like they had been measured. So many ingredients, and they were all cooked together with oil. The aroma was very strong. It was already making him secrete saliva.

He brought a spoonful of fried rice to his mouth. Different tastes melted in his mouth together, making him close his eyes. The eggs were so tender, the rice was so sweet, the shrimp had a special taste of the sea, and the winter bamboo shoots and tree mushrooms were so fresh. They all blended together in this mouthful, and the aftertaste was long and pleasant. It was divine.

Habeng watched him and swallowed in spite of himself. Then he realized what he had done and looked away immediately. Seeing that no one had noticed, he glanced at Conti from the corner of his eye again.

Mag curled his lip slightly. He had seen everything.

Amy was resting her chin in her hands, her expression reflective. Then, her eyes brightened as if she had suddenly seen through everything.

"It's very good!" Conti opened his eyes and gave a thumbs-up to Mag. Then he got back to eating his fried rice immediately. One spoonful after another, he didn't ever want to stop. Little Black is very trustworthy. I've made a good choice coming here.

Moreover, what was more magical was that after he ate the fried rice, he felt a warm current inside his body relieving his fatigue. It was like the recovery potion, but gentler. He felt comfortable, just as if many little hands were massaging his body.

Mag went back to the kitchen to cook for Mobai. It might prove to be a busy noon.

Habeng didn't know how many times he had swallowed his saliva. He had only glanced out of the corner of his eye in the beginning, but now he was staring at the Yangzhou fried rice before Conti, turning and leaning forward slightly as if he would pounce on Conti any minute.

Conti finished his first plate quickly. He took a look at the empty plate before him and lifted his head. "It's very good. Owner, please give me seconds," he said to Mag in the kitchen.

"Okay, please wait a moment," answered Mag. He picked up his pace.

"Looks… good." Haga looked expectant as he watched Conti finish his Yangzhou fried rice.

Despite himself, Habeng looked at Conti, and asked, "Is it really that good?"

Conti nodded, smiling. "I've never had anything better. It's a great loss if you don't try it." He felt even better now, and didn't take their little quarrel from before to heart.

Habeng took a look at that empty plate that was even cleaner than his face, and then at Conti's face. He felt his smile seemed pretty sincere. He is not that bad save his big talk.

Suddenly, Habeng was a little regretful as he reflected on what he had just said. He shouldn't have said it with such a certainty. If I went back on it now, I would lose face and the little girl would definitely laugh at me.

"Please enjoy." Mag walked out with Mobai's fried rice, and put it down gently before him.

It was fresh from the wok, still steaming. The chopped green onions on the top made the colorful fried rice even more appetizing. The strong aroma was tickling Mobai's nose.

Seeing as Mag was there, Habeng crossed his arms again and looked grim. However, in spite of himself, his eyes were drawn by the Yangzhou fried rice on their table, his nose sniffing vigorously.

"Thank you." Mobai had already brought a spoonful to his mouth, chewing with satisfaction. He had eaten a dozen plates by now, but he still believed he could eat it every day as he looked at the fried rice, savoring the pleasant aroma and the intoxicating taste.

Mag took a glance at Habeng who was moving his mouth, and then went back to the kitchen, wondering how long the orc would be able to endure. Perhaps the next plate will make him give up.

Habeng put his arms down as soon as Mag left. He watched while Mobai was eating quickly. "Is it really that good, Mobai?" he asked in a low voice.

"Why would I lie to you?" Mobai quirked his mouth and took another bite, feeling the warm current soothing his weariness in his muscles. It felt so comfortable that he wanted to call out.

Habeng watched Mobai's happy face, and couldn't take it anymore. "Let me try it," Habeng said as he bent his head over.

"Absolutely not!" Mobai took his plate away, fearing that he would take it by force. He pointed at the menu on the table. "Order it yourself."

"But…" Habeng looked at the menu, and then cast a furtive glance over his shoulder at Amy behind the counter, not knowing what to do. I have sworn on my club, and I'll make a fool of myself if I order now.

However, this Yangzhou fried rice smelled really good, and he couldn't hold back his desire to order one as he looked at Conti and Mobai stuffing themselves.

"If someone wants to order, Amy will have to pretend that she didn't hear what he has just said. After all, Father's rainbow fried rice is too good to say no to it. You're a real piece of work." Amy sighed as she turned around.

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Chapter 36: It's Very Good!

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

"Owner, give me one plate!" Habeng called out to Mag as he rose to his feet suddenly.

Then he sensed that someone was looking at him unkindly, and immediately realized he had done something wrong. "Owner, I'd like a plate of Yangzhou fried rice," he repeated in a much lower voice.

"Okay. Please wait a minute," answered Mag. He found himself chuckling when he turned around. He gave up his pride just to get a plate of Yangzhou fried rice.

"Father is not mad this time, so I'll let it go." Behind the counter, a small fireball dwindled and died out as Amy clenched her little fist. No one noticed.

Mag was becoming quicker and quicker after he cooked for two days. He could process the ingredients and make a plate of Yangzhou fried rice in just five or six minutes.

"Your Yangzhou fried rice, please enjoy." Mag put the plate in front of Haga.

"Thank… you," Haga said with a smile. His eyes brightened when he took the first bite. It's so marvelous, like nothing I've ever eaten.

He tasted the eggs outside the rice first. How did he do it? Even the swan eggs by the lake wouldn't be this soft and tender. The taste of the eggs is brought out by the rice. The sweet rice has combined perfectly with the eggs.

Other ingredients are very tasteful too. The ham, which had been salted for many years, releases juice as I chew on it. The shrimp have a taste of the ocean, and the grain-sized mushrooms, winter bamboo shoots, green peas, and green onions are so sweet. All the ingredients are combined perfectly, and together they create a unique taste, which lingers in the mouth long after I swallow.

Habeng was swallowing ceaselessly. "Brother, let me try it." He leaned close and looked at Habeng expectantly.

Habeng was the nicest brother he had, and he would normally give it to him when he found something good to eat.

"No." Haga took his plate and turned away from him, just like Mobai had done. His spoon clattered on the plate, and he stuffed himself quickly and unceasingly.

Habeng wouldn't give up that easily. "I am your little brother. You always give me something to eat," Habeng said, circling around him.

Habeng stopped eating and swallowed the fried rice in his mouth. "Because they are bad," he said to Habeng, smiling.

Habeng stiffened. He took a look at Haga, who was enjoying his fried rice, and then he resumed his seat, not feeling right. Is this still my good old brother?

After a little while, his mind was back on the Yangzhou fried rice again. He waited and waited, and finally, it was ready.

"Your Yangzhou fried rice, please enjoy." Mag put the plate down and stepped back.

Amy was standing beside Mag, blinking.

Habeng was totally attracted by his Yangzhou fried rice. Three people had enjoyed gourmet food in front of him, but he had had no choice but to watch. It had been a torture he could barely stand.

He snatched up the spoon and scooped a large spoonful from the middle. Its aroma was even stronger and more appetizing than the roasted meat's. He brought the spoon to his mouth. His eyes widened.

How can something taste this good?!

Different tastes were dancing on his tongue. He felt so good that it seemed his body and soul were screaming: eat, eat, eat!

One spoonful after another, he wanted to swallow the whole plate. He finished it in no time.

"Is it good, Loud Voice?" Amy asked Habeng.

Habeng held the plate in one hand and the spoon in another. He got a weird nickname suddenly, but still he nodded, smiling. "It's very good!"

"If you want to eat it again, do not be so loud, or we won't sell it to you." Amy sounded like a grown-up. She crossed her arms.

Habeng nodded quickly. "I won't. I promise!" He was not nearly as grumpy as when he'd first come. He could only think about Yangzhou fried rice right now. One plate was far from enough. He would regret it for the rest of his life if he got kicked out because of his loud voice.

Did the 600 copper coins, or his face, or his vow matter right now?

No. They didn't matter at all in front of such a plate of Yangzhou fried rice.

Of course, it was also because Amy was such a lovely and terrifying little girl. If someone else had said those words to him, he would pick up his club and fight to uphold his honor as an orc.

And he would strike himself first before he fought Amy.

Amy nodded. It seemed she liked Habeng's answer. She climbed onto the long-legged chair again and smiled at Mag cheerfully.

Mag chuckled and stroked Amy's head. The little thing was trying to maintain order. She was so adorable, and unexpectedly helped a lot. He went back into the kitchen.

"One more plate!" the customers called out over and over again, and Mag slaved away in the kitchen for almost a whole noon. The pleasant aroma brought more customers. They watched as Mobai, Habeng, Haga and Conti were stuffing themselves, intoxicated. Some even ordered a plate in spite of the high price, and after the first plate, they couldn't help but ask for seconds.

Habeng belched. "Owner, you must be a genius. How can you make something as good as this? We'll come again for dinner." After five plates, he was finally stuffed.

Mag put the fried rice before a customer and nodded, smiling. He felt so good to conquer the customers with his food.

"Five plates. Five six thirty. 30 gold coins please," Amy said to Habeng as she held out her hands.

Habeng smiled. "Little girl, we're together."

"Then it will be…" Amy cocked her head to one side and thought for a moment. "60 gold coins!" she called out delightedly just when Mag wanted to give her a hint.

"Here, six dragon coins." Habeng pulled the coins from his pocket and put them on Amy's hand. Then he rose from the table and reached out his hand. "Mag, right? I'm Habeng and this is my brother Haga. Sorry about before."

"Do you have another brother called Hacui 1 ?" Mag asked after he shook his hand gently.

"What?" the two brothers asked, wondering.

"Nothing. Please come again." Mag smiled awkwardly, and didn't explain.

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Chapter 37: So, Why Can't I Start Crowdfunding?

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

It was already 1:35 pm when Mag showed the last customer out. In fact, one customer wanted another plate, but Mag turned him down politely. His opening hours were over, and he deserved some rest. Besides, he and Amy still hadn't had a bite.

"Father, we sold 24 plates at noon, and we have made 10 dragon coins and 44 gold coins. We have a lot of coins!" Amy clapped her little hands cheerfully as she looked at Mag, her eyes shining.

"24 plates?" Mag was also a little surprised. To be sure, he cooked for a whole noon, but he hadn't expected to sell this many.

He was very glad that more customers had come at noon, and they would probably come for dinner. If they recommended this place to others like Mobai had done, perhaps even more would come in the evening.

Mag calculated that if this kept up, he could make 3,000 gold coins in less than ten days. Thus he stopped worrying about getting back to the disabled shape. He breathed a sigh of relief and watched as Amy counted the coins delightedly. "Amy has done a great job today. I'll go make the rainbow fried rice for you. You must be hungry," said Mag, smiling.

Amy nodded miserably as she brushed her stomach. "Thank you, Father. Amy's tummy is flat from hunger," Amy said with a twist of her mouth.

"It will be ready in no time." Mag stroked Amy's head. His heart ached a little as he strode towards the kitchen quickly. After a little while, he came out with the appetizing fried rice.

Amy ran to wash her hands. She dried them off, sat on the chair, and spooned a spoonful of fried rice. "Father has worked for a whole noon. You must be hungrier than Amy, so you have to eat the first bite. Then Amy will eat," Amy said as she looked up at Mag.

He nodded. "Okay." Amy's sincere little face warmed Mag's heart. He stooped down and ate it with a smile. "Now go ahead and eat. I'll make another plate."

Amy nodded meekly. She took the spoon and started eating happily.

After lunch, Mag cleaned the restaurant carefully. He wiped each and every table clean with a wet towel and then a dry one. Not a trace of any oil stain remained. Then he walked up to Amy, who was whispering to the big egg behind the counter, and said a few sweet words to make her sleep. Then he took a nap himself.

Mag and Amy had their dinner before they opened in the evening. Otherwise, they might not be able to eat until after 9 pm, which would be too late.

Mobai was waiting outside the door. Haga and Habeng came shortly after he opened, and a little while later, Conti arrived with his donkey.

Habeng had been very hostile towards Conti at noon, but now he nodded at him and reflected for a while. "I think maybe you really can kill a dragon. I've heard the best human knight Mag Alex disdains to fight humans unless in battle. Are you paying your respects this way?" he asked in a low voice.

Conti nodded, smiling. "Yes. He is the man I look up to and my aim. I'll become a dragon slayer like him some day." His eyes were shining with enthusiasm.

"Young man, dozens of young knights who came to my shop said the same thing to me. If you really intend to kill dragons instead of being eaten, you'd better hone your skills with your sword and get a proper ride. Mag Alex didn't kill dragons on a black donkey," Mobai said with a smile.

Conti shook his head, smiling. "Little Black is my old friend. He has been with me for many years," he said. "I'll go to the Town of Two Towers next month. I've heard that an evil red dragon is attacking the town again. I'd like to try my luck there…"

Mag listened to them talking about him as he cooked. He felt rather good because his legends were still catching on with others even though he was not a knight anymore.

Technically, it was his predecessor that they were talking about, but their souls and memories were intertwined to some extent, so it was not wrong to say those legends were his.

It was true that his ride was not a donkey, but a griffin, the only purple-striped griffin in the whole Roth Empire.

More customers came for dinner as Mag had expected. Old customers brought new ones. Some passers-by were also attracted by the grand restaurant; they couldn't help but order as they saw others enjoying the good food.

"Owner, one more plate!"

"Sorry, our opening hours are over. Please come back tomorrow." Mag showed the last customer out with a smile, turned over the sign, and closed the door. He let out his breath in a long sigh. His opening hours in the evening seemed to be a little too long.

"Father, guess how many plates of rainbow fried rice we have sold tonight?" Amy asked.

Mag pondered for a while, and said, "Er… 40 plates?"

Amy shook her head. She grabbed up a fistful of dragon coins excitedly. "No, 45 plates. We made 20 dragon coins and 70 gold coins today!"

"Then we've sold 71 plates of Yangzhou fried rice today. Not bad." Mag smiled happily. "That is 426 gold coins. Subtract the costs, and we have earned at least 213 gold coins."

Amy nodded. "Yes." Then she looked at Mag. "Father, your rainbow fried rice is so good, but why don't you make other dishes? I'm sure they are good too," Amy said, her face wondering and expectant.

Mag froze for an instant. Then he understood immediately as he looked at her face. She had probably grown tired of the Yangzhou fried rice.

To be sure, Yangzhou fried rice was good, but it was not very pleasant to eat it three times a day. Amy had to feel the same.

"Maybe after several days." Mag was also a little upset as he looked at Amy's face, but he had no choice. The roujiamo could only be unlocked after he completed this mission, and at the current pace, he needed at least six more days.

"I see." Amy was a little disappointed.

How can I get those 2,500 gold coins quickly? Mag thought as he looked at Amy. It was not a small amount of money. Then his eyes brightened suddenly. "System, can I start a crowdfunding campaign?"

"Please take your mission seriously and complete it the normal way. Make your way towards the God of Cookery steadily!" the system said grimly.

"Please repeat the mission's objective," Mag said quietly.

"The host has to buy 3,000 gold coins' worth of ingredients with cash in 10 days. Completing the mission will unlock the new recipe—la zhi roujiamo; failing it will lead to strength -0.5."

"So, why can't I start crowdfunding?" Mag asked.

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Chapter 38: Crowdfunding

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

The system fell silent for a long time. Finally, it said, "Please complete your mission in a normal way. Crowdfunding would cause serious problems for system!" The system seemed a little offended.

"I don't care. I'll start the crowdfunding campaign tomorrow and raise 3,000 gold coins. Then I'll use the money to buy the ingredients." Mag paused a moment. "3,000 gold coins, cash," he said calmly.

"Deal," the system answered instantly.

Mag curled his lip. The system indeed has no principles. He smiled and stroked Amy's head. "I'll make la zhi roujiamo for you the day after tomorrow, okay?"

"La zhi roujiamo?" Amy's eyes lit up immediately. "What is that, Father?" she asked curiously as she looked at Mag.

"It tastes a hundredfold better than pancakes. You'll know when you wake up that morning." Mag kept her in suspense and didn't say much.

"Then it must be very good." Amy looked at Mag expectantly, thinking about the taste which was a hundredfold better than pancakes.

"Yes. Go wash up, change into your sleepwear, and lie in bed. I'll tell you a story after I do the dishes and clean the restaurant." Mag took back his hand.

"Okay." Amy nodded meekly. She climbed down the long-legged chair, squatted on the floor beside the egg, and patted it softly. "Sleep well, ugly duckling, and hatch out quickly," she said in a serious voice. Then she climbed the stairs with some effort on her short legs.

Mag chuckled and took a look at the big egg, feeling a little sorry for the little creature that had been named ugly duckling before it even hatched.

Mag put the dishes in the dishwasher, wiped the 16 tables clean, and mopped the floor. He smiled as he looked at his restaurant that was clean and tidy. He was a little tired, but he felt fulfilled. It could be considered his form of exercise, and he didn't need any employees for now.

When Mag turned off the lights and went upstairs, Amy was already asleep in her purple bear sleepwear. Her beautiful eyelashes were slightly moving, and she looked like a little angel.

Mag put her little hand under the quilt and tucked her in. The little thing seemed very sleepy today.

"System, I want to buy a pair of pajamas, and make sure they have a big brown bear," Mag said in his mind.

"I—"

"I'll pay in cash."

"Your sleepwear is in your wardrobe."

Mag opened his wardrobe. Inside, he found a pair of fuzzy brown pajamas with a big bear on the front.

Mag nodded contentedly. "Good." He picked them up and went to the bathroom.

He would never have worn pajamas like these in his previous life. Not for one second would he even entertain the idea of wearing them.

Yet, right now, he thought, Amy will be very happy when she sees this in the morning.

Mag took a bath, changed into his sleepwear, and walked to the bedroom. He pondered on the crowdfunding campaign. This concept must be beyond the people in this world. Besides, the restaurant has only operated for two days. It's not easy to raise such a large amount of money.

After a while, Mag had a general idea. The customers that came to his restaurant these days could be seen as members of the middle class; they had some money. He had learned some information from their talks.

Mobai was one of the few dwarf craftsmen in Chaos City. His work was worth 1,000 gold coins each. He ate two plates of Yangzhou fried rice three times a day. He liked its taste, and probably also liked its effect on his muscles. He could become a long-term customer.

Habeng and Haga were an orc chief's two sons, responsible for making purchases for their tribe. They were wealthy enough to afford the weapons for their warriors from Mobai, which made Mag think of the police in Dubai, who were equipped with supercars as their patrol cars.

As for Conti, he didn't reveal too much information, but his accessories that he showed casually—except for his donkey—proved he was definitely wealthy, maybe a rich second generation.

He still remembered the elf lady from yesterday. Since she didn't come back, she might not have much money in her pocket, so Mag didn't count her in.

There were still a few others who had come today. Mag didn't know much about them, so it would be too forward for him to ask them. Therefore, he didn't count them in, either.

Mag had made up his mind. He took a look at his sleeping girl, turned off the light, and fell asleep quickly.

After a good night's sleep, Mag opened his eyes in the morning and saw a little girl standing by his bedside. She was looking at him with a pleasant surprise, her little mouth slightly open.

"Our Amy woke up so early." Mag sat up and stroked Amy's hair, smiling.

"Yes. Father's clothes have a bear like mine, and it's a big bear. Amy's bear is small. So it's little bear and her father?" Amy asked as she pointed at the big bear on Mag's sleepwear.

Mag nodded, smiling. "Yes, do you like it?"

Amy threw herself into Mag's arms, rubbed his chest with her face, and narrowed her eyes in comfort. "Yes! I love it! It's so soft and warm."

Mag looked at Amy, who was leaning on his chest like a cat, and felt his heart was going to melt. He played with her for a while before he washed up and went downstairs with her.

When they were downstairs, Amy disentangled herself from Mag, stroked her ahoge, and looked at him. "Other fathers all tie up their daughters' hair. When will you be able to tie my hair, Father?" She pouted.

"Um… I'll learn." Mag scratched his head awkwardly. It was a difficult problem for him. If today's crowdfunding campaign goes well, I'll buy the experience bag for braiding hair first, and then I can do any hairstyles she wants.

"Father, you can do it, I'm sure." Amy clenched her little fist and gave him an encouraging look.

Mag nodded, a little amused. "Thank you."

After he had breakfast with Amy, Mag took some paper and a pen and wrote six identical receipts, with each one being 500 gold coins. Then he checked them again carefully. By then, it was already time to open his restaurant, so he went to the door and opened it.

"Business was good yesterday, Mag." Mobai came here first again. He took a seat at his usual table. "As always, two plates of Yangzhou fried rice," he said, smiling.

Mag nodded with a smile. "It was all thanks to you. Please wait a second."

Habeng and Haga arrived when Mobai had just seated himself. "Mag, we're here again. Five plates each." Then, hoofbeats came from outside.

Mag nodded with a smile, but he didn't walk to the kitchen immediately. He waited until Conti entered. "Since the restaurant has just opened, we have a little trouble with money. So I plan to start a crowdfunding campaign for a new dish. Are you interested?" Mag asked as he looked at them.

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"Crowdfunding for a new dish?" His customers were all feeling puzzled.

"Are you trying to borrow money from us, Mag?" Mobai asked after reflecting on his words.

Habeng's eyes brightened. "New dish! Mag, are you planning to sell another dish?" Sure, the Yangzhou fried rice was good, but if he was given a chance to try other food that was as delicious, he would gladly take it.

Conti and Haga were looking at Mag, wondering. This man is kind, but he always keeps his distance. He seems a little strange, wanting to borrow money from people that he has known for only one day.

"Yes." Mag nodded, smiling. "But the necessary appliances and ingredients cost money. I can make enough money this month, but I want to add this new dish to the menu sooner, so now I'm starting this crowdfunding campaign. You can look at it as lending out money to me. It's completely up to you."

Then Mag put the six receipts he had just prepared on the table. "One receipt is worth 500 gold coins. If you buy one, you'll gain the prior right to try the new dish and get two plates of Yangzhou fried rice for free. This money can be used to pay for your expense in the restaurant, and at the end of the month, all the remaining money will be returned," he continued.

"500 gold coins is not enough to buy 100 plates of Yangzhou fried rice, and we'll stay in this Chaos City for a month. And more importantly, I'd like to try the new dish as soon as possible. Give me two receipts," Habeng said as he took two receipts from the table brusquely. Then he put a purse on the table. "This is 100 dragon coins."

"Thank you." Mag took a look at the bulging purse and nodded with a smile, showing little excitement.

Mobai thought for a while and took two receipts too. "Then I'll have two receipts too. If I eat six plates a day, this money could almost last me a month; plus, I get four plates for free." Then he turned to Mag. "I don't have enough money with me right now, Mag, but I'll bring it to you after breakfast."

Mag nodded. "Okay. Thank you." He had raised 2,000 gold coins in an instant.

"I'll have one as well. Please tell me in advance when you have a new dish on menu." Conti smiled as he rose to his feet. He pulled two fistfuls of dragon coins from the purse at his waist and counted out 50 coins.

"I … one." Haga took the last one with a smile. "Pay for me. I'll pay you back," he said in another language as he gave his brother's shoulder a pat.

"Don't you have money?" Habeng asked, a little surprised.

"I like spending others' money first," Haga answered with a smile.

Habeng didn't know what to say. He had no choice but to put 50 more dragon coins on the table, feeling his brother had become a little strange.

Amy looked at the shining dragon coins that were piled up like a little mountain. "Father, these coins are ours?" She looked at Mag, her little mouth slightly open.

"No." Mag shook his head, smiling. "These customers lend us this money for our new dish. They just leave the money with us temporarily. This way, Amy will be able to eat the new food early."

Amy cast Habeng an appreciative glance. "Loud Voice is very good today." Then she started counting the coins cheerfully.

Habeng felt a little happy at first, but then he smiled awkwardly when he realized that maybe he shouldn't be so happy.

Mag looked at his four customers with a smile. "Thank you all for your money. I'll introduce my new dish quickly and notify you of the progress. You'll be able to try the new dish in a day or two if nothing goes wrong."

"No matter. I'm sure it'll be very good." Habeng waved his hand indifferently. Then, he asked out of curiosity, "Is there meat in it? Big pieces of meat. I like big pieces of meat."

"There is meat and that's all I can say right now," Mag answered with a smile, trying to maintain an air of mystery.

"Anything where meat is involved. We're hungry. It's time to eat our breakfast." Habeng was still a little curious, but seeing that Mag didn't want to say much, he refrained from asking.

In fact, it was mainly because he had suddenly felt Amy's stare.

Mag put the money in the drawer. Amy went back to counting the coins behind the counter after she said hi to the customers. She really loved counting coins.

Mag started cooking for them. When Mobai comes back with 1,000 gold coins, I can buy enough ingredients and complete the mission.

Although the flow of time in the test field had been very much slowed down, he still needed time to practice, so he had to wait until night. There was no need to rush.

Breakfast time was relatively not busy. Only two customers came besides Mobai, Conti, and the orc brothers. They were merchants, and had eaten their dinner here last night. They told Mag that they had to leave for the capital of the Roth Empire today and wouldn't be back until after a few months, so they decided to eat the delicious Yangzhou fried rice once more before they left.

The opening hours in the morning were over. Mag was cleaning tables. Mobai came in while Amy was bending over a table doing nothing. He put a bag of coins on the table. "Little owner, here, 80 dragon coins and 200 gold coins," he said to Amy with a smile.

"Really?" Amy'e eyes brightened immediately. She pulled the money bag towards herself with effort and started counting. She separated the dragon coins from the gold coins.

"I'll take my leave then, Mag," Mobai said to Mag.

Mag nodded. "Thank you for the money." He watched Mobai leave, took a glance at Amy, who was counting the coins merrily, and got back to wiping tables.

Amy finished her counting when Mag was done cleaning. "Father, I counted 80 dragon coins and 200 gold coins. No more, no less," Amy said to Mag.

Mag nodded, smiling. "You've done a great job, Amy. Let's put the money in the drawer and recite the 99 table 1 again." Amy had almost mastered the 99 table after these few days.

"But, Father, I've found a secret. Please don't be upset after you hear it. It seems some money in the drawer has been stolen. We had more when I've counted yesterday, but about half was missing this morning." Amy looked at Mag, a little worried.

Mag was taken by surprise. He hadn't expected that Amy had remembered his income every day, and that she was worried about him being upset after finding out that their money had been stolen. He smiled, and explained, "It was not stolen. We have to buy ingredients to make the fried rice, so some money in the drawer will be spent every day. But we'll have more and more money."

"I see." Amy's smile returned. "Then let's put the money in the drawer and buy a new dish," she said expectantly.

"All right." Mag helped Amy put all the money in the drawer, and then he said in his mind, "I want to buy 3,000 gold coins' worth of ingredients."

"You have bought 3,000 gold coins' worth of ingredients with cash. Mission complete," the system said instantly.

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Chapter 40: You Can Call Him Black Coal

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

"Reward: the experience bag for la zhi roujiamo. Please enter the test field as soon as possible." Then, a glittering experience bag appeared in Mag's head.

"System, give me the experience bag for braiding hair too," Mag said in his mind. Since he had raised 3,000 gold coins and bought enough ingredients that could last him a long time, he'd decided to use the remaining 400 gold coins to buy the experience bag for braiding hair.

"System has to weigh whether or not supply you with other experience bags." The system seemed a little reluctant.

"I'll give you 120 gold coins—in cash," said Mag calmly.

"Done. The experience bag is in place." Then a blue experience bag appeared in his head.

"Money-grubber," Mag said in his mind. Then he touched the blue experience bag, and all of a sudden, an enormous amount of information flooded into his head. After a minute, it was done.

Now he had almost 100 ways of braiding hair in his head. Ponytail, two ponytails, chignon… He could do them all. The system's experience bags were really great.

120 gold coins was a little expensive, though. It was 12,000 yuan on the Earth. Nonetheless, it was really worth it if he could make Amy happy.

Amy gave Mag's sleeve a slight tug. "Father, let's go out. Customers won't come until noon, right?" Her face was full of anticipation.

Amy was at an age when most children were always playing, but she was able to stay in the restaurant helping her father collect money. She was pretty considerate for her age. Of course, Mag couldn't turn down such a request. He nodded with a smile. "No, they won't. But let's tie your hair first before we go."

"Really?" Amy's blue eyes widened. "But, Father, are you going to do my hair like what you have done it yesterday?" she said to Mag, a little dubious and worried.

She remembered what her father had done to her hair yesterday morning. He had made her hair look like a big bump on her head. She would definitely have been laughed at by other children if she had gone out like that that day.

Mag was a little embarrassed as he remembered his work. "No! It's just I have remembered a super pretty hairstyle just now. It will be perfect. Trust me one more time, please?" he said earnestly.

Amy looked at Mag's face for a while, and then nodded reluctantly. "Okay. I'll give Father another chance. If you fail again, then I think Teacher Luna would teach you."

Mag nodded, smiling. "Thank you." He needn't learn from Luna, though. He could do almost a hundred hairstyles right now, and maybe Luna had to learn from him.

Mag cut the purple hair band in two and started doing Amy's hair with a comb.

As to the hairstyle, Mag didn't have a hard time choosing at all.

There was only one true hairstyle for little lolis: twintails 1 !

However, instead of normal twintails, Mag decided to tie Amy's hair into twintails and then braid them to show his skills.

Amy sat on a long-legged chair meekly. Every now and then, she looked up, her face both suspicious and expectant. The little mirror was put away by Mag; he didn't want her to see it until it was done.

Mag was not very nervous anymore now that he had the experience in his head. He was not very skilled, though. According to the steps, he split her hair, made two braids, and tied off the braids with two hair bands. Then, it was done.

Mag took two steps backwards and looked at Amy. Her silver hair had been changed into two exquisite braids. They were hanging on her front, with two little purple bows at the end. Between her beautiful face, her blinking blue eyes, and the black Gothic dress, she was really adorable.

Amy lowered her head and took a look at her braids. "Father, does it look good?" she asked, her face filled with expectation.

Mag didn't answer her question, but put a mirror in front of her. "See for yourself."

"Wow…" Amy looked at herself in the mirror, her mouth wide open. She blinked as if she could not believe her eyes. After a while, she turned to Mag, and said adoringly, "Father, this hairstyle is so beautiful. You're even better than Teacher Luna! You're so amazing!"

Mag nodded calmly. "It's a piece of cake. I can change your hairstyle every day. Come on, let's go." He lifted her down from the chair, untied his apron, and put several gold coins in his pocket. Then he took her hands in his own and walked out.

"Okay." Amy looked up at Mag as she played with her braids. Father is able to do anything; he is so incredible.

Mag stayed very calm while his little girl was looking adoringly at him, but on the inside, he was really delighted. The 120 gold coins was really worth it.

Amy stopped at the magic potion shop. "Father, look! That stupid bird is wearing leaves as clothes. It seems he has no feathers," Amy said in surprise as she pointed at the birdcage.

Mag turned to look in surprise. That stupid crow was still alive, and had a new cage.

Only the feathers on his head survived Amy's fireball; two leaves were covering his important parts like a loincloth. He was staring back at them, very hilarious.

"Lowly… You two, you have burnt down my palace and destroyed my precious robe. What do you want now?!" the crow said angrily, but there was weakness in his voice.

"Stupid bird, be good, or I'll set you on fire," Amy said grimly as she watched that crow.

"Stop, stop, stop!" The bird jumped nervously on his stick. Then he held out his wing, and said, "Well, seeing that you're reasonably adorable, I'll allow you to address me as Fama Odin Ben. You don't need to bow when you see me, and don't worry about my robe and palace anymore."

Mag wanted to chuckle as he looked at the crow that was forced to compromise. It seemed he was afraid of Amy too.

"You can call him Black Coal," the green parrot cut in. Then she nodded at Mag and Amy. "And call me Sunny, please."

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Chapter 41: Father, Give Me A Minute

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

"Shut up, Green Pea! You've ruined my reputation again! I have to teach you a lesson today!" the crow shouted at the parrot, exasperated.

"Stop calling me Green Pea." The parrot was a little displeased. "And your clothes are falling down." She pointed at his leaf under the cage.

The crow lowered his head. A leaf was falling slowly.

"Oh!" His eyes widened immediately, and he quickly covered his body with his featherless wings. "Excuse me, sir, could you please pick up my clothes for me?" he asked urgently.

Amy giggled merrily. She walked over to the leaf and picked it up. "Black Coal, your clothes are in my hand now. I'll give them back if you behave; otherwise, I'll take them with me," she said, smiling.

"I… I…" Black Coal looked at Amy and didn't know what to do. Just then, a puff of autumn wind came blowing in, and he shivered in spite of himself. He nodded immediately as he looked at the leaf in Amy's hand. "I'll behave!"

Amy nodded delightedly. "Okay. Remember your words." She stood on tips of her toes to hand the leaf over to the crow, but the cage was too far out of her reach. She was a little anxious.

Mag stooped down and lifted her up. Now she was as high as the birdcage. "Now you can reach it."

"You're the best, Father." Amy kissed Mag on the cheek and gave the leaf to the bird. "Here, stupid Black Coal."

"I accept your favor." Black Coal took the leaf from Amy's hand and wrapped it around his body again.

Amy disentangled herself from Mag and waved at the two birds. "Bye, Black Coal and Green Pea." Then she left with Mag.

"Bye. But please call me Sunny next time," Green Pea said.

"Perhaps she is pretty adorable. I'll grant her request for now," Black Coal muttered reluctantly as he watched Amy leave.

After they left the magic potion shop, Mag and Amy walked towards the middle of the Aden Square. It was a huge round square. In the middle was a wide and round open space with several plots of land around it. Each piece was occupied by sculptures or gardens which had characteristics of each species.

It was said that the Aden Square was like a big map of the Norland Continent in the middle of which lay Chaos City surrounded by different species.

The square was more bustling as they went farther eastward. A lava demon child covered in flaming cracks ran past them, his hair made of flames, looking like a torch.

He was chased by a forest troll kid with a blade of grass on his head, followed by two dwarf boys with hammers.

In Chaos City, parents could never guess whom their children would play with.

When those children ran past Mag and Amy, they would each slow down and look at Amy for a while.

In times like these, Mag would scowl at them and give them an admonitory glare, and then he would turn sideways to block their view.

She was his little girl. He would never let them play with her.

Amy was very happy, though. For the first time, she was being looked at by many children with envy.

Mag rested on a stone chair with Amy for a while. As they rose to start walking back, a human girl around five who wore her hair casually in a bun stopped beside them. "Father, I want to wear my hair like her. Please!" she said as she swung her father's strong arm. He was around 30 and neatly dressed.

The man took a glance at Amy's beautiful braids and was left in a difficult position. "Well… Ya Ya is already very pretty now." How could a warrior like him weave braids that beautiful?! He had already outdone himself!

Then he cast Mag a jealous glance. He has such great skills. Or, he has a good wife who will do their little girl's hair, unlike mine. He was told to take his daughter out because his wife was gambling.

"But this hair bun is ugly. I want braids too." The little girl stroked her bun unhappily. "I want braids like hers!" she said as she pointed at Amy with envy. Then she started crying.

The man wiped her tears away. "Don't cry, baby girl. I'll buy a lot of good things for you." He gave Mag a sullen look.

Mag looked at him compassionately as the man was trying his best to comfort his daughter. It was fortunate for me that Amy didn't go out with her hair bun yesterday. That man's sullen look made him a little proud, though. I'm amazing because I can braid my girl's hair! Then he picked up Amy's hand, and said, "Let's go, Amy."

"Father, give me a minute." Amy walked to the little girl and wiped her tears with her little hand.

She is pretty caring. Mag was very happy.

The man breathed a sigh of relief too. Hope she can comfort my girl.

"Don't cry. Only my father can make these braids; your father couldn't make them for you even if you cried louder," Amy said solemnly as she took her hand back.

The little girl was about to stop crying before Amy spoke. Then, she was taken aback by Amy's words. She looked up at his father, and then at Mag. Suddenly, she felt so sad that she burst out crying.

I… didn't expect that… Mag was surprised by this sudden turn of events. His little girl was indeed not a normal girl. He glanced at the girl's father, who was just as shocked as him and took Amy's hand quickly. "Sorry about that." Then they walked off immediately.

On their way back, Mag stopped at a pancake stall by the roadside. It was owned by an old man who had a big oven shaped like a cylinder and a large basin full of dark yellow cornmeal paste. He snatched up some paste and slapped it on the side of the oven, and after a little while, it was done.

His business was very good. Many people were lining up in front of his stall, and most of them were little children. They were holding one or two copper coins in their hands, looking around, waiting. Other kids who had no money in their pockets were squatting on the ground, staring at them with a longing look.

His trade was easy. Maybe he could sell about a thousand pancakes in one day. It was cheap, but it was not very hard for him to make 30,000 copper coins in a month, like the old man who sold shaobing 1 in his previous life.

Suddenly, Mag remembered that when his predecessor once went out looking for Amy, his little girl was squatting on the ground like those sallow-skinned skinny kids, staring at the fresh-baked pancakes. He tightened his grip on Amy's hand. "Let's go home, Amy. Tomorrow morning, I'll make you roujiamo which would be a hundredfold better than pancakes," Mag said with a smile.

Amy nodded vigorously. "Thank you, Father. The food you make is the best." She obediently left with Mag.

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