The Value Lies in the Details

After a unique treasure is fused, the spirit's state directly affects the item's effect.

The Fox is very well-behaved.

Do whatever you're told.

But he's particularly meticulous when it comes to food.

Perhaps it was because it had survived too long in that checkpoint and had eaten all sorts of wild delicacies.

After arriving in the world outside the tower, I found myself unable to appreciate normal food.

Although many of the main dishes did not taste as amazing as those at the Imperial Preceptor's Mansion.

But it shouldn't be so hard to eat, right?

As it turned out, not a single staple food was left uneaten.

The Fox is a demon, not a deity.

You'll still feel hungry even if you don't eat.

Hunger will affect your performance.

A poor state will affect the effectiveness of the items.

Even if Wang Wen used her vows to keep her full.

She would also become depressed if she couldn't eat the food she liked.

Wang Wen didn't want to "abuse" the spirit by providing such a basic necessity as food.

So they opened a special account for the Fox and deposited some money into it.

not much.

A few hundred million is enough to eat.

Let her wander around and find her own food.

One of my last trips back.

Holding a huge pile of ice creams in various packaging and shapes, her eyes crinkled into crescent moons with laughter.

The time that followed.

Wang Wen often watched speechlessly as she directed robots from various stores to fill boxes of ice cream into the Academy's freezers.

They eat all day long when they have nothing to do!

Finally, one day, even my body, which had been conditioned for many years, couldn't take it anymore and I got an upset stomach.

Fortunately, by that time, she no longer needed to control the size of the insects to clear the Insect Chamber.

Otherwise, the effect of the [Godslaying Cross] would probably be as volatile as a rollercoaster.

The insects can also suddenly change size, as if they're having a seizure.

Even so.

The Fox still deeply loves ice cream.

No matter what you say, it won't stop.

This is arguably the only aspect that Wang Wen cannot control.

He was even considering whether to expend energy or use up his [Unity with Heaven and Man] time to force the Fox to eat.

Thinking about it again, it seems like making a mountain out of a molehill.

Let's just leave it at that.

I still can't help but ramble on a bit when I see it occasionally.

Hearing that Wang Wen had taken a rare break, Chen Hansheng, who volunteered to be her tour guide, noticed her looking worried as she watched the Fox munching on ice cream.

He smiled and comforted Wang Wen, saying, "When it comes to food, if I say I'm second, no one in the world dares to claim to be first. And coincidentally, I'm taking you to a place like that today."

Wang Wen said helplessly, "Don't underestimate her. She's probably eaten more delicious food than you have. Be careful not to try to teach someone a lesson you've never learned."

Chen Hansheng didn't argue, but smiled and led the way, saying, "Give it a try."

The two humans and one demon arrived at a secluded corner of the Second Region.

It was a three-story building made of bluestone.

The exterior has an antique feel, but the interior decoration style is more modern and minimalist.

Pointing to the signboard above the door that read "Chen's Premier Soup," Chen Hansheng said to Wang Wen, "This restaurant has good food, uses high-quality ingredients, and only serves three tables of guests per week."

Wang Wen raised an eyebrow. "Only three tables a week? Do we need to make a reservation?"

Chen Hansheng said smugly, "Others need it, but we don't. Let's go in."

We followed the shopkeeper to a small room that wasn't very big.

To the left of the entrance is a small tea room, and further in is the central restaurant. Beyond the restaurant is a garden-view cigar and wine tasting room with floor-to-ceiling windows.

The human and the demon took their seats in the restaurant.

The restaurant provides a pre-made full meal itinerary, which allows for minor adjustments to the dishes.

Wang Wen had never eaten such a fancy meal in her past life.

They handed all the process forms over to Chen Hansheng to decide.

Chen Hansheng didn't stand on ceremony; he familiarly arranged the ingredients with the restaurant owner and then waited to eat.

The first appetizer served was quite ordinary.

It was simply a fruit platter consisting of a few peeled and pitted lychee pieces in a clear glass with fresh water, a few dates-like fruits, and a few green segments that looked like large mulberries.

The restaurant owner explained to the group, "There are many wealthy people. The ingredients we can get, others can get too, so don't worry about the ingredients. This platter may look ordinary, but the carefully prepared fruit maintains its most pleasant texture, and the carefully selected noni fruit has good nutritional and medicinal value. It's perfect for our busy Universal Love who doesn't have time to take care of his health, and for Professor Wang from the Academy —it's appetizing but won't upset your stomach."

Wang Wen looked up at him in surprise. "You recognize us?"

The shopkeeper smiled, gestured for him to leave, and said, "It's the details that matter, please enjoy your meal."

Wang Wen tried eating a piece of lychee flesh.

It's just so-so.

It's sweet, but not overly sweet.

Cool to the touch, but not too icy.

It's like I just ate a cup of half-melted lychee juice in the summer.

It doesn't have any particular flavor.

He looked at Chen Hansheng and the Fox.

But they found that both of them were eating with their eyes half-closed.

The Fox, in particular, seems to have developed a special interest in icy and cold foods ever since it became obsessed with ice cream.

He couldn't stop eating fruit.

After finishing what was on his own plate, he secretly glanced at what was on Wang Wen.

Wang Wen, both amused and exasperated, said to her, "Don't be tempted by me! Everyone has a limited serving size, and there are other dishes coming up. You can eat as much fruit as you want?"

The Fox nodded obediently, sucking on its little fork as it looked down at its plate.

Before long, he started glancing at Wang Wen's plate again, pretending to observe the texture of the tabletop.

Fortunately.

The appetizers were served quickly.

Two very small snacks.

The ingredients weren't anything special.

Sichuan pepper fish lips and egg custard with black truffle.

Aside from the slightly more refined plating, it didn't seem as amazing as Chen Hansheng and the shop owner had boasted.

Wang Wen first scooped up some fish lips and ate them.

The texture was not much different from fish skin; it bounced a couple of times and then went down without tasting anything.

The Sichuan peppercorns, however, had a fairly strong aftertaste.

A subtle fragrance and a lingering spiciness leave a pleasant aftertaste in your mouth.

He put the plate down with disdain.

I picked up another serving of black truffle foie gras in an eggshell.

With a single scoop of the spoon, all the little bit of food was scooped out; it was barely enough for one bite.

Wang Wen was quite interested in this dish.

He stuffed the whole thing into his mouth and chewed it vigorously.

After eating a few bites, her complexion changed.

Why is it bitter?

He swallowed it hesitantly.

He smacked his lips and looked at Chen Hansheng and the Fox.

They noticed that both of them were sucking on their mouths with their eyes closed, savoring the taste.

It was as if they were eating some divine delicacy.

Wang Wen shook her head, giving up her expectations for the food.

Consider this meal as a way of keeping these two masters company.

Mortals can't appreciate the delicacies of the gods!

The second dish.

The shopkeeper took a long time just to pronounce the name.

It's called an Asgardian cod, crab, nut, and vegetable salad with a fresh fruit vinaigrette dressing.

That sounds pretty intimidating.

It's actually just two peeled crab leg meats.

Wang Wen drank it all up in one gulp.

I dipped the vegetables in the sauce and chewed them, but I still felt like I was missing a bowl of rice.

The third dish was a bowl of hot soup.

The soup was so shiny it almost had a gelatinous texture; anyone with a discerning eye could tell it had used plenty of ingredients.

But then they insist on putting things like cordyceps and seahorse into the soup.

Wang Wen carefully tasted the soup.

It was bitter again, just as expected.

He almost cried from the meal.

Why are they all bitter?

Life inside the tower is already tough enough; will they have to endure even more hardship after leaving?

Just as Wang Wen had predicted.

From then on, all dishes, whether main courses or staple foods, contained medicinal herbs.

They all taste bitter!

Aside from the Snow Blade Flaming Vanilla Rolling Stone Frost Snowflake Beef, which she finished in two bites and which Wang Wen found satisfactory because of her favorite wine,

All other dishes received negative scores.

Unexpectedly, the consistently bitter taste captivated both the Fox and Chen Hansheng.

From beginning to end, it was like being drunk, eating one bite and sleeping for half a day.

If it weren't for knowing that the Fox was her spirit and that Chen Hansheng was her long-time partner...

Wang Wen even suspected that these two had conspired to trick her into coming here today to test the poison!