Luo Feng leaned against the kitchen window and glanced over the completely revamped menu. Looking in surprise at Xue Xi, who was rushing around inside, he said, "I didn't see you for one night, and now you're overflowing with inspiration? You've come up with so many new dishes, and they're all this powerful?"
Xue Xi yawned repeatedly and pointed to the dark circles under her eyes, like a giant panda's. "What do you think? I only slept five hours. Staying up late is a young beauty's greatest enemy!"
"Cooking fumes are the enemy of your skin, too. Why not buy a set of battle armor to wear as protective gear?" Luo Feng teased.
"Aren't you a little too free for a restaurant shareholder? Hurry up and order breakfast. Once you're done eating, get to work and find me some high-grade ingredients! Your Spiritual Force is so useful, it'd be a waste not to put you to work as a waiter." Xue Xi ladled a bowl of fragrant mutton soup, paired it with a big, fluffy flatbread, and brought it to a customer who had ordered outside.
Luo Feng considered what to eat. The effects of the Cat Ear Noodles were still active, and he'd just had Crab Roe Soup Dumplings yesterday. The most useful things for him now were Braised Pork Knuckle and coffee. When Xue Xi came back, Luo Feng smiled and said, "Then I'll have a Second-Rank Cappuccino and Second-Rank Braised Pork Knuckle."
Xue Xi nodded and hand-brewed a cappuccino for Luo Feng. Then she took out the Braised Pork Knuckle she'd prepared earlier, sliced it, and arranged it on a plate with flatbread, shredded scallions, and sweet bean sauce.
Luo Feng nodded. "You hold down the fort for a bit. I'll come help once I've eaten." Xue Xi seemed to remember the Housekeeping Doll she'd forgotten about. "Don't. Just go to the Wilderness Zone and find me some high-level ingredients. My doll can handle these chores, so I won't trouble a busy man like you. Otherwise, Sister Xin will nag me to death for holding up your cultivation."
Luo Feng glanced at the Housekeeping Doll, which had started helping carry dishes. "All right. Call me if you need anything."
Xue Xi nodded, turned around, and started steaming buns again. Most customers ordered Cat Ear Noodles and Crab Roe Soup Dumplings, which helped Martial Artists with their cultivation. Every so often, someone would order Beef and Mutton Paomo, then finish eating and grab a knife to go fight their target Monster.
As for the Braised Pork Knuckle, which cost 100 million each, even though she'd clearly spelled out its Gene Multiplier benefits, nobody had ordered one except Luo Feng. Seeing him sit down with his Braised Pork Knuckle, the customers around him turned their attention to it, curious to see what it could do.
After downing a cup of coffee, Luo Feng felt the Dark Golden Sphere in his mind spinning rapidly, and his Spiritual Force rising along with it.
Then he turned his attention to the plump pork knuckle beside him. He wrapped the meat in flatbread with shredded scallions and dipped it in sweet bean sauce. One bite, and the tender, melt-in-your-mouth meat burst across his tongue with the rich sauce. It was fatty but not greasy, lean but not dry, with skin that wasn't tough—deeply fragrant and savory. That was exactly how it felt to Luo Feng.
Watching Luo Feng eat with such relish, the customers nearby couldn't help swallowing in unison. One wealthy, food-loving War God couldn't resist the temptation. "To hell with the odds and the genes! For a smell like that, I'll pay 100 million!" He then gave his order to the Housekeeping Doll.
Luo Feng's appetite soared, and he polished off the full plate of Braised Pork Knuckle in just a few bites. He casually gave it a like, and then a sudden change came over his body.
As for Xue Xi, she was so busy that she didn't expect much from this. Even Second-Rank Braised Pork Knuckle only had a one-in-a-hundred-million chance. The odds were simply too low. She'd clearly listed them, so customers who bought it could only hope for the best—or no, maybe praying to every god under the heavens would help. Maybe.
There were so many Martial Artists. Xue Xi deftly pinched the twenty-four pleats of a bun, thinking she'd better make more Crab Roe Soup Dumplings for them. Come to think of it, if things went on like this, would humanity end up beating the Golden Horned Beast to death? If that happened and Luo Feng couldn't possess it, wouldn't that make it all her fault?
But if she stopped selling food that could increase people's strength, those who were destined to die would still die. As Xue Xi's thoughts wandered aimlessly, a burst of astonished cries came from outside the kitchen, drawing her gaze.
She saw Luo Feng standing bathed in golden light. The customers surrounding him looked utterly incredulous. Were the odds really this high? Or was he a plant?
Xue Xi stood frozen in shock. She knew perfectly well he wasn't a plant. This damn thing was none other than the creature ordinary people hated most—the chosen one! As expected of the protagonist of Devouring World. His incredible luck was enough to turn Xue Xi into a sour lemon right on the spot!
That morning, she'd eaten two Hong-Rank Braised Pork Knuckles herself and nearly burst, but nothing had happened. Did people really have to be this different from one another?!
At that moment, Luo Feng felt completely immersed in the tender, melt-in-your-mouth bliss of the Braised Pork Knuckle. It was as if a pair of small hands were gently massaging every muscle and cell in his body, making him let out a blissful groan.
A while later, the effect ended. The bronze skin he'd developed through training in the Wilderness Zone had turned fair, his hair had grown tougher, and he was noticeably taller. His whole bearing had changed.
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