Someone in Truth Company's product packaging design department knew their stuff and took responsibility

"Good Night's" statement was somewhat contradictory and unreasonable.

But...

The members of "Order" here have all known Good Night for some time now.

Therefore, no one was surprised by Good Night's statement.

After all, Good Night sometimes deliberately "acts silly" or "plays dumb" to lighten the mood, and intentionally does some strange things.

Furthermore, "Paper Kite" herself didn't have much of an opinion... so everyone naturally accepted this new room allocation strategy.

Since it was still some time before bedtime, everyone simply went to their rooms to make their beds and then returned to the living room to gather.

Lin Yu naturally took on the task of preparing dinner.

"Comrade 'Xiao Nian,' leave the dinner preparations to me—I have some experience cooking home-style dishes."

"You should have some groceries you keep on hand in this house, right?"

However, as the "owner" of the house, Xiao Nian's first reaction upon hearing Lin Yu's request was naturally...

"How can that be?" Xiao Nian said seriously. "How can we let guests cook?"

Lin Yu had prepared his explanation for this.

"My 'Profession' is 'Film Emperor'... but recently I drew a script with a 'Chef' as the character."

"Therefore, I now possess the basic skills and knowledge of a 'Licensed Chef,' as well as relevant ' Profession abilities'—playing the role of a 'Chef' and cooking more can further enhance my identity and capabilities."

Lin Yu spoke casually, and then felt the "trust" of the several "Tier 3" people present gather around him.

These are certainly enough for him to acquire the "Profession skills" of a "Chef".

Although at this stage, the basic skills of an ordinary "Profession" will not improve much... having multiple skills is never a bad thing.

Hearing Lin Yu say this, Xiao Nian no longer objected.

"Since you still have this need... then I'll look forward to seeing your skills!"

Xiao Nian spoke, he led Lin Yu into the kitchen.

"I haven't cooked much myself... but everything here is complete, and all the cooking utensils are the latest Smart Kitchen Series —although you have the Profession advantage of being a 'Chef,' are you familiar with the ingredients in the Barren Realm? Do you need me to introduce them?"

Lin Yu shook his head. "No need. Apart from the lack of seafood, the ingredients in the Barren Realm are not much different from those in the Real World... Although the names and forms of spices and seasonings are different, their flavor profiles are easy to identify and correspond to."

"Besides, I have prior experience cooking in the Barren Realm."

As Lin Yu spoke, he picked up a vegetable basket and a colander, took out a few potatoes and tomatoes from Xiao Nian's refrigerator, and then took out a piece of beef brisket from the freezer, cut it up, and put it into a pot to blanch.

Xiao Nian was quite surprised to see Lin Yu's skillful movements.

"Wow, you've cooked in the Barren Realm before?"

Lin Yu nodded. "Yes, the first time I came to the Barren Realm... it was on a 'Snow Mountain' in the Great Wilderness -- I was trapped in a wooden hut by a blizzard in the [Instance], so while I was staying there, I also made a simple meal."

Xiao Nian blinked. "You're probably referring to the [Instance] that's the source of the 'Vill Valetti' puzzle, right? Although it wasn't mentioned in the report, judging from the posts made by Lucky Dog... sorry, I mean 'Sherlock', you guys probably met in the 'Plateau' area of Great Wilderness Zone P, right?"

"That's also where 'Truth Company's' Secret Laboratory is located."

Lin Yu was washing potatoes by the pool when he looked at Xiao Nian, somewhat surprised that she had casually revealed so much information—although it was indeed semi-public information, it would still take some effort to piece it together.

Have you investigated me?

Lin Yu asked casually.

Xiao Nian, arms crossed, replied with a smile, "You seem a little unaware of your fame, 'Director'... I've already done my job of knowing you; you're the most popular newcomer in 'Order'."

"Especially since I'll be going on this mission with you, I should at least learn about your past, right?"

Lin Yu looked at Xiao Nian: "That's true... I also looked at your relevant internal documents."

"However, I don't think what you're saying is 'information' or a simple 'background check'... Hmm... Is this because you and A Luo are very close?"

Xiao Nian pondered for a moment and asked, "Why do you think that?"

"Because you just blurted out 'Lucky Dog'... Although many people call him that, the way you mentioned him clearly made it sound like you often use that name in actual conversation," Lin Yu dried the washed potatoes with kitchen paper and skillfully took out Kitchen Knife to peel them. "So, you must have chatted with him frequently on the forum and met him offline, right?"

Xiao Nian said, "Impressive! No wonder you're good friends with him... As for me, Lucky Dog... uh, Comrade Sherlock, we do often exchange ideas on the forum."

"Later, because he was good at puzzle-solving [Instance], was active on the forums, and was located in a region close to mine, I often brought him over to help."

"We've had formal collaborations two or three times... but after a little awkwardness, he became less willing to see me."

As Xiao Nian spoke, Lin Yu was somewhat surprised. "A little awkward?"

"He once solved a puzzle left by the 'Previous Civilization' in the [Instance] of Mist Island, found the activation code for a device, and then activated the 'self-destruct' program for the entire island's ruins," Xiao Nian said, chuckling softly as if recalling something amusing. "I almost got blown up by him on that island—I was just Team One Captain from Yanjing at the time... He ran away with my team."

"Luckily, I had already undergone Alchemical Modification Surgery and gained 'Energy Vision.' In the end, I managed to stop the self-destruction process of the Mist Island by using the [Emergency Reaction Stop Safety Pin], and survived—it was truly a close call."

"After that, probably out of guilt, he became less willing to take on my cases—he even avoided invitations from North China."

As he talked about the Xiao Nian, he became increasingly excited.

It's as if... she wasn't the one who almost got killed back then.

"No wonder I've never heard him talk about you at all; it turns out he felt guilty," Lin Yu chimed in. "But... you seem completely unconcerned."

Xiao Nian shrugged and said generously, "He didn't do it on purpose, why should I mind? Although he's not a member of 'Order,' he's contributed a lot to 'Order'... He's one of us."

Treat your comrades with the warmth and gentleness of a spring breeze.

As Xiao Nian spoke, he looked at the several clean, white potatoes that Lin Yu had just peeled.

"Wow, you peeled these potatoes so beautifully... Just from your knife skills, I know we're in for a treat tonight," Xiao Nian said. "What are you planning to make?"

"You can probably guess what it is by looking at the ingredients: braised beef brisket with tomatoes and potatoes. I think the stew pot is big enough to make enough for seven people at once... Then I'll stir-fry a couple more dishes, and we'll have something to eat."

Lin Yu turned around and began processing the beef brisket.

Xiao Nian sighed, "This isn't something you can just eat anywhere..."

At this point, Xiao Nian asked, "By the way, you and Sherlock became quite close later on... After he died, did you miss him?"

Lin Yu paused slightly, then continued to skim off the foam and scoop the blanched beef brisket out of the pot.

After cutting the beef brisket into two-finger-wide cubes, Lin Yu adjusted his tone to a perfectly balanced "heavy" and "regretful" tone as he spoke.

"I might miss it a little... but isn't that what 'Death game' are all about?"

"That's true. This question might be a bit presumptuous of me. I apologize; I sometimes speak off the cuff," Xiao Nian waved his hand, sensing the weight in Lin Yu's tone. "Sometimes, even my colleagues in the organization say I'm a bit inconsiderate of the occasion..."

Lin Yu shook his head and rinsed the cut beef with warm water. "It's okay... You know 'Sherlock,' so he's not a stranger to you. You can talk to me about these things if you want."

"Speaking of which, you just mentioned 'Vill Valetti,' and actually, if I have the chance this time, I'd like to go there and take a look."

Lin Yu said in a low voice.

Xiao Nian was somewhat surprised. "Oh, why? Is it because you want to commemorate him in this way? Or... is there some other more practical reason?"

"I think so," Lin Yu said, "Because I came here to inquire before... the trajectory that A Luo investigated last time was also about staying within the City That Never Sleeps and then leaving the city."

"Furthermore, the 'Snow Mountain' [Instance] back then did have quite a few design flaws from the Previous Version, so I suspect that it might also be one of A Luo's destinations, and there might be some clues left behind."

Lin Yu spoke, and Xiao Nian nodded.

"In that case, it's definitely worth a visit if there's an opportunity... I'll see when it's a good time to make the itinerary and plans later."

"Anyway... I'm going out to continue discussing the plan with 'Ren Gu' and 'Dionysus'," Xiao Nian said, opening the refrigerator door and taking out a case of orange-flavored drinks and a bottle of Sparkling Wine. "I'll also get some drinks for the people outside."

"Okay, have something to eat first, since the Main Dish is going to be stewed, it'll probably take some time," Lin Yu said, then looked at the drink bottle in Xiao Nian's hand, "But... let me ask you this, did you buy this drink yourself?"

"Yeah, this is the most popular drink in the City That Never Sleeps right now... the latest product from Truth Company," Xiao Nian shook the orange bottle, "It's refreshing and delicious, what's up?"

Lin Yu shook his head. "It's nothing, it just looks really good. I'll try some later."

He looked at the minimalist beverage bottle packaging made up of pure orange blocks and felt a pang of emotion.

Really...

Finally, when it came time for the full release, someone still stopped Paris from printing his image on the outer packaging.