Food, not a delicacy

"Hiss..."

Yan Cui sucked in a breath as she looked at Jiang Yao's handsome, refined face.

Good grief, how could he talk about being kept by a rich woman with such righteous confidence?

Yan Cui hesitated.

During that moment of hesitation,

Jiang Yao took out his Interstellar Phone.

He opened his Credits balance.

Then he showed Yan Cui the staggering sum of 99,999,999 Credits.

Although the Xianzhou Alliance's common currency was the Strale,

Credits could readily be exchanged for Strales, and were accepted far more widely.

Yan Cui's hesitation vanished. The smile on her face was harder to suppress than an AK's recoil.

"Just a moment, sir. Coming right up!"

Yan Cui hurried into the kitchen.

Phantylia stared, dumbfounded.

Seriously, are you out of your mind?

Is this about whether the Xianzhou will serve you?

Is this about whether a rich woman keeps you?

Is this about whether you have money?

Who exactly do you think you are, ordering this much food?

Right now, Phantylia had a choice curse on her mind, but she wasn't sure whether to say it.

"Fine, fine. Good things take time. Good things take time. I've waited this long. Another day or two won't hurt."

Phantylia was worried as hell.

She had come here for the Luofu's Ambrosial Arbor.

With the Ambrosial Arbor, she could create the exalted body she had always dreamed of.

She had intended to make some preparations tonight to ensure nothing could go wrong.

But Jiang Yao's arrival had undoubtedly disrupted her plans.

Still, it didn't matter.

With those fools from the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus stirring up trouble, the Xianzhou wouldn't be able to settle down.

"Miss Tingyun, is something on your mind? Don't be unhappy. Come on, this meal's on me. Eat whatever you like!"

Jiang Yao generously offered to treat Phantylia.

He had no particular opinion about Phantylia, as long as she didn't interfere with his meals or his search for ingredients.

Jiang Yao had no interest in stopping Phantylia's evil deeds.

Of course, that was because he knew the Xianzhou was capable of handling them.

The kids had grown up. He couldn't protect them forever.

But if Phantylia ever tried to destroy an unfamiliar world that had ingredients,

Sorry.

I, Jiang Yao, Aeon of Voracity, might not be much of a fighter, but this mouth of mine has eaten its way across the universe. I've never been afraid of anyone!

We can always duke it out!

That said, Phantylia wasn't causing trouble right now, and Jiang Yao was happy to enjoy the peace.

"Hehe, I've already eaten. Please, just enjoy your meal."

The corner of Phantylia's mouth twitched almost imperceptibly.

She chose to decline.

She had already decided to cancel tonight's operation anyway.

She had plenty of time.

She wanted to see whether Jiang Yao could really finish it all!

If he couldn't,

Hmph!

Just watch how I, the Lord Exterminator... pfft, the Lord Ravager, turn you into a Voidranger!

Meanwhile,

it had to be said that, with Credits as motivation,

Yan Cui cooked faster and better than usual.

But even speed had its limits.

Jiang Yao had simply ordered too much.

So Yan Cui chose to prepare dishes that took longer alongside those that could be made quickly.

After a brief wait,

Yan Cui first brought out a bowl of porridge and a plate of Steamed Dumplings.

They still sell Steamed Dumplings at night?!

Don't tell me these are leftovers from the morning?

Jiang Yao was extremely particular about freshness.

The moment ingredients became food,

out of respect for them, they had to be eaten immediately.

Special dishes were an exception.

It wasn't just about respect. More importantly, it was about flavor.

His nose twitched.

Jiang Yao could smell that the food was fresh.

Only then did he taste it without concern.

The Steamed Dumplings had a meat filling.

They were generously stuffed, with thin wrappers.

The porridge was Tremella Porridge, and he could smell its faint sweetness.

Both were warm rather than scalding, so he could dig right in.

Gulp, gulp, gulp~~~

Jiang Yao started by drinking half the bowl of Tremella Porridge in one go.

Phantylia blinked, thinking she must have seen wrong.

What kind of abyssal maw is that?

Half the porridge disappeared in the blink of an eye?

An absurd premonition suddenly came over Phantylia.

Is this guy actually going to finish everything he ordered?

Jiang Yao naturally had no idea what Phantylia was thinking.

He was still enjoying his food.

Yes, food, not a delicacy.

There was no helping it.

After all, he was Voracity, an Aeon.

His senses of taste and smell were absurdly keen.

Simply put, if the food had even the tiniest flaw,

he could taste it.

And from that flaw, he could tell whether the problem lay with the ingredients or the preparation.

Without a doubt, there was nothing seriously wrong with the ingredients at Delicious Supreme.

The Steamed Dumplings were substantial. With one bite, the aroma of meat mingled with its juices and flooded his throat.

Unfortunately, though, the meat hadn't been prepared quite properly.

There was the tiniest trace of a gamey odor.

Nobody but Jiang Yao could detect that tiny trace.

But Jiang Yao didn't care.

By any reasonable standard, Delicious Supreme really was a good restaurant, and its food ranked among the better offerings.

At any rate, even at its worst, it was infinitely better than Himeko's coffee.

Jiang Yao ate with great satisfaction.

Soon, Yan Cui brought out a serving of Abalone Rice.

It looked, smelled, and tasted wonderful.

Of course, it had flaws, but he still didn't care~

Jiang Yao thoroughly enjoyed it.

Mostly because it had been a very, very, very long time since he'd eaten any.

His good mood even made Phantylia look more agreeable to him, and he politely asked her, "Miss Tingyun, are you sure you don't want any?"

Even as he spoke, he kept shoveling food into his mouth.

Phantylia stared in a daze.

Seriously, are you sure that invitation is sincere?

Why do I get the feeling you have no intention of leaving any for me?

Are you some kind of food pulverizer?

Your mouth just never stops, does it?

"Hehe, no, thank you..."

Phantylia declined again.

But she hadn't expected this to be only the beginning.

The customers who had already been eating there were treated to quite a spectacle, watching Jiang Yao and clicking their tongues in amazement.

Jiang Yao ate far faster than Yan Cui could serve the dishes.

Basically, Jiang Yao finished every dish shortly after it arrived.

Not only did he eat everything without leaving a scrap,

he even made people wonder whether he would eat the plates too if they were edible...

But the bizarre part was:

Elegance.

Yes, elegance.

Jiang Yao ate quickly, yet somehow looked utterly elegant doing it.

Watching him relish his food,

even customers who had just eaten their fill couldn't help craving more.

So much so that their minds filled with one question: Is it really that good?

At first, Yan Cui had worried that Jiang Yao wouldn't be able to finish everything.

But every time she brought out a dish, she found Jiang Yao gazing at it eagerly, and the tabletop clean.

It left her stunned.

Still, as a chef, having someone appreciate her food this much

naturally made her very happy.

She became even more motivated.

She kept bringing dishes to Jiang Yao, the master of clearing tables.

Of course, Yan Cui had no idea how capable Jiang Yao was.

Seeing how much Jiang Yao had eaten,

she knew it was time to bring out today's main dishes, the substantial ones.

Otherwise, once he was fairly full, he wouldn't be in the mood to savor them.

What Yan Cui had prepared for Jiang Yao was one of the restaurant's signature dishes and one unusual dish.

The former was fruitwood-roasted Shataan Terrorbird wing drumettes.

The latter was Shirou stir-fried with sugar balls.

Both ingredients came from extraterrestrial monsters Yan Cui had defeated.

Shataan Terrorbirds were ferocious by nature, though some people used them as mounts to travel through the vacuum of space.

The price, however, was sacrificing their own limbs as food for the birds.

Shirou belonged to a declining alien civilization. They liked to parasitize the ear canals, nasal cavities, and other openings of primates, inducing hallucinations.

When those two dishes reached the table,

Jiang Yao's eyes visibly brightened.