Truly Family

The three of them walked in a line, Emily bouncing along at the front like a newly freed bird, chattering about all the "great places" in Orlando City she'd heard of but never visited, or places she'd been to once and been kicked out of.

Xia Lin followed behind, occasionally chiming in, while Sera was like a silent shadow, only letting out an occasional, unintelligible hum from behind her veil.

"Hey, human," Sera finally couldn't help herself, lowering her voice and leaning close to Xia Lin's ear, her tone carrying her usual mockery. "You call this 'not a good relationship'? I'd say your sister is a lot more enthusiastic about you than those dusty parchments on her desk." The tip of her tail, hidden beneath her robe, seemed to twitch, as if expressing dissatisfaction with Xia Lin's lie.

Xia Lin glanced at his sister's overly lively back and shrugged helplessly. "You wouldn't understand. My sister... she's the type who can strike up a conversation with any stray dog on the street. She's overly familiar with everyone. She's like this with everyone, it's normal, don't overthink it."

Sera let out a noncommittal "Mm," clearly holding reservations about Xia Lin's explanation.

Emily led them through a series of twists and turns into a narrow, slightly greasy alley.

The alley ended at a restaurant with a pitifully small storefront and a sign whose paint was almost completely peeled off.

It was less a restaurant and more like a food stall, with a few gleaming old wooden tables placed haphazardly. The air was filled with the rich aroma of spices, roasted meat, and the lingering smell of cooking oil.

"This is it?" Xia Lin looked at the simple environment, hardly daring to believe it.

He clearly remembered that the old Emily would only go to the city's top-tier restaurant, the "Crystal Cup," and even insisted on drinking from gold-rimmed cups.

"Brother, what's with that look?" Emily put her hands on her hips, glaring at him. "Don't underestimate 'Dwarf Stew Pot'! This is recognized as the king of cost-effectiveness among Mage Tower apprentices! It's cheap and filling!"

The three found a relatively clean table and sat down. A scruffy Dwarf uncle, wearing a greasy apron, slowly ambled over and threw three dark rags, whose cleanliness was questionable, onto the table, serving as menus.

"What'll you have?" the Dwarf's voice sounded as if it had just been fished out of a wine barrel.

Emily, familiar with the place, began ordering. "Boss, give me a large portion of the signature 'Lard Mushroom Stew Pie'! And a plate of 'Roasted Mole Meat with Pickled Radish,' extra spicy! Oh, and three cups of your strongest 'Dwarf Cellar Black Beer'!"

The Dwarf nodded and slowly shuffled away.

"So, what do you think, Brother?" Emily raised her eyebrows triumphantly. "Authentic, right? I guarantee you'll remember it after just one taste!"

Xia Lin gave a dry laugh and changed the subject. "Say, Emily, how have you been these past few months? You seem to be doing... not so well at the Mage Tower, even working as a receptionist?"

"How else? Just getting by." Emily pouted, picked up a chipped water pitcher from the table, and poured herself a cup of suspiciously colored water. "Ever since our home collapsed and my financial support was cut off, those 'good sisters' who used to flock around me turned their backs and ran faster than rabbits!"

Her tone was light, as if she didn't care about those so-called "sisterly bonds," instead carrying a hint of world-weary amusement.

"But speaking of which, Brother," Emily looked Xia Lin up and down, "you've changed a lot! This outfit, and this... well, I can't quite describe it, but this aura... you've become an Adventurer? Tsk, tsk, I never thought our Toremo family's young master would end up like this!"

"It's a long story," Xia Lin said with a bitter smile, shaking his head. He briefly recounted, focusing on the highlights, how he became an Adventurer to make ends meet, how he fought rats in the sewers, how he clashed with kobolds in the mines, and how he almost lost his life to an Orc.

Emily gnawed on a piece of hard bread she'd produced from somewhere, listening intently, occasionally letting out an exaggerated gasp or a gloating remark.

"Oh my, Brother, your luck is something else!" Emily exclaimed, slapping the table after Xia Lin finished. "You're even unluckier than I am! You know, when the family went bankrupt, I lost my living expenses and couldn't find decent work. I also thought about becoming an Adventurer to earn some extra cash, hoping to find some ruins and get rich. But guess what? On my very first mission, I ran into a damn [Displacement Beast] in the forest outside the city! My teammates were all swallowed by that beast in the blink of an eye! I was so scared I peed myself!"

"Then why were you okay?" Sera, who had been silent, suddenly asked out of the blue. Her dark red eyes flickered in the dim light, making her thoughts unreadable.

Hearing this, Emily's smile vanished instantly, replaced by a strange expression of lingering fear mixed with a hint of smugness.

She leaned in mysteriously, lowering her voice. "What else? That beast... it had just eaten its fill."

The corners of Sera's mouth, hidden behind her veil, seemed to twitch. She looked Emily up and down again, then at Xia Lin, her tone calm and unwavering, yet carrying an all-knowing understanding:

"Truly, birds of a feather flock together."

Xia Lin forced an awkward smile, about to say something to ease the atmosphere, when the Dwarf boss returned with several steaming ceramic plates, clattering them onto the table.

"Your dishes, enjoy!"

The "Lard Mushroom Stew Pie" looked like a lump of burnt mud sprinkled with some suspiciously colored fungi. The crust was dark and gave off a heavy greasy smell.

The "Roasted Mole Meat with Pickled Radish" was even more direct: several charred lumps, their original shapes unrecognizable, piled together, accompanied by a few wilted, dull-colored pickled radishes.

As for the "Dwarf Cellar Black Beer," it was served in chipped ceramic cups, its color as murky as if it had just been scooped from a mud puddle.

The presentation was indeed unappealing, and the dish names exuded a rough, unrefined boldness.

With the food served, Sera's dark red eyes, hidden behind her veil, swept over the "delicacies" on the table, then glanced at the Xia Lin siblings, who had already unceremoniously picked up their cutlery.

She seemed to hesitate for a moment, then raised her hand and slowly removed the dark veil that had been obscuring her face, casually placing it aside.

Emily's round brown eyes lingered on Sera's face for a moment, her eyebrows slightly raised, showing a hint of surprise at the "Demon-kin" features.

However, it was only for a moment.

She then lowered her head and continued to enthusiastically tackle the food in front of her.

Xia Lin also only glanced at Emily before turning his attention back to the food.

As he picked up the greasy fork, speared a small piece of "Roasted Mole Meat," and put it in his mouth, his eyes suddenly lit up.

The meat was perfectly roasted, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with a unique smoky flavor. The spices perfectly masked any potential earthy taste the mole might have had.

And the lard mushroom pie, though its appearance was daunting, was surprisingly crispy when bitten into. The mushroom filling was savory, mixed with the charred aroma of the lard, making it utterly addictive.

Xia Lin and Sera exchanged a look, both seeing a hint of relief in each other's eyes.

They hadn't had a proper hot meal in quite some time. Before this, they had been eating nothing but hard jerky or teeth-chipping black bread on the road.

Emily, watching the two devour their food with gusto, grinned triumphantly. She unceremoniously grabbed a piece of mole meat and started chewing, her mouth greasy.

"So, Brother?" she mumbled, her words muffled. "Didn't I tell you? The food here looks mediocre, but the taste... hey, it's absolutely amazing!"

Xia Lin took a large gulp of the black beer. The liquid was rough and spicy, but carried a pure malt fragrance that went straight to his head, exhilarating! "Yeah, it's really good! Much better than I expected!"

Sera also nodded, a rare gesture. Although she still ate elegantly, her pace was noticeably faster than usual.

After three rounds of drinks and five courses, the meal was winding down.

Emily wiped the grease from the corner of her mouth and finally brought the conversation back on track.

"Listen, big brother," she nudged Xia Lin with her elbow, "you specifically came all the way to the Mage Tower to find me, you can't just be here to treat me to some 'Dwarf Stew Pot', right? Let me be clear, I won't do any fighting. My meager magic skills aren't even enough to scare people. Borrow money? Not a chance! I'm so broke I'm practically jingling myself. My only goal is to steadily advance to First Circle Mage before I turn twenty-five and get rid of this damned paperwork!"

She finished in one breath, then let out a pitiful sigh, as if the dream of becoming a "First Circle Mage" was impossibly far away.

"Don't worry, I'm not asking you to fight or borrow money from you." He paused, his expression growing a bit more serious, his tone becoming earnest. "I did come here for a reason, something I wanted to ask your advice on. Hmm... it actually has something to do with your identity as an Apprentice Mage."

"Oh?" Emily raised an eyebrow, a spark of interest igniting. "Tell me, as long as it doesn't involve stealing my mentor's spellbook or helping you brew a love potion for some noble lady, I might consider it."

Xia Lin took a deep breath, looked into Emily's eyes, and said word by word, "I want to ask how to communicate with the magic net?"

"Pfft--cough cough cough!"

The mouthful of ale Emily had just taken almost came back up.

She turned red from choking, coughing violently while looking at Xia Lin as if he were some kind of monster.

"B-big brother!" Emily finally caught her breath, her voice completely changed. "D-do you know how old you are right now?"