Eastern port of the Dragon King Kingdom.
Luo Ge used his remaining funds to buy four tickets.
We'll depart from here tomorrow, cross a stretch of sea, and arrive at the Holy Kingdom of Millis.
The Kingdom of Wanglong and the Holy Kingdom of Millis are located on two different continents, separated by a strait. There is no land route between them; one must travel by boat.
It has been two months since I left the Shirone Kingdom.
During this time, he couldn't help but linger a while when passing through the Kingdom of Wanglong.
When Luo Ge first set foot on this land, he was indeed taken aback.
The people here mainly eat rice, and the architectural style is uniquely Eastern.
The upturned eaves of the roof, the wooden pillars, the lanterns and signs hanging along the street, and even the way the street vendors called out their wares gave him a strange sense of déjà vu.
The climate is also good.
Neither hot nor cold.
The four seasons are distinct, and the air is always filled with the moist scent of earth.
If he had to choose a place to settle down in the future, Luo Ge felt he would probably choose the Dragon King Kingdom.
First of all, the Sword Sanctum is located at the northernmost tip of the Central Continent, where heavy snow falls all year round, making it so cold that it hurts to the bone.
The Asura Kingdom was indeed wealthy, but he really couldn't stand the kind of place where nobles held absolute power and commoners had no autonomy whatsoever.
Although the Kingdom of Wanglong has nobles, it is far from being so powerful that nobles are like gods.
The people here are much freer in both their lives and their thoughts.
Since the boat tickets don't depart until noon tomorrow, the carriage is no longer needed, and it would be a shame to leave it here.
Nanahoshi suggested selling the carriage to raise some funds, Luo Ge thought it made sense, so he found a carriage shop and disposed of the carriage.
Although the selling price wasn't high, at least I managed to scrape together a small amount of travel expenses.
The group then arrived near the eastern port, intending to find a hotel to stay in.
However, we need to take care of dinner before checking into the hotel.
Nanahoshi was in charge of the accounts and was very careful with money, advising that funds should be spent frugally.
Luo Ge had no choice but to do as she said.
The group strolled around the port area. Lilia and Aisha bought supplies at the market, while Luo Ge and Nanahoshi...
Finally, we chose a relatively secluded restaurant, planning to pack some food for Lilia and Aisha to take back after we finished eating.
The two people pushed the door open and went in.
Luo Ge then realized that the shop was deserted, without a single customer.
He frowned.
Although this is on the edge of the port area, it is still an eastern port, so the flow of people should be quite large.
This shop is open at midday...
There isn't a single customer?
Could this be a shady business?
However, the restaurant is owned by only one person.
The restaurant owner is a middle-aged man.
His face was thin and pale, looking like a skeleton. He wore a black eye patch over his right eye, had a lazy and nonchalant demeanor, and wore an old apron. He looked quite ordinary.
He seemed rather uninterested, but his eyes lit up when he finally saw a customer arrive.
"Welcome, guests!"
The owner greeted us very warmly, rubbing his hands together as he introduced his signature dishes with a smile on his face.
When talking about "stewed dragon meat".
He went on and on, spouting all sorts of exaggerated claims, such as "a century-old secret recipe," "one bite and you'll be hooked," and "a unique treasure of the Wanglong Kingdom," his words flowing like oil.
"..."
Luo Ge and Nanahoshi exchanged a glance, both seeing the suspicion in each other's eyes.
If it's really that delicious, how come there isn't a single customer?
But since he was already here, even if it was shit, Luo Ge was going to give it a critique.
He ordered the signature braised dragon meat.
The blindfolded boss nodded happily, taking on the roles of cook, waiter, and boss all by himself, before turning around and heading into the kitchen to get busy.
Before long, a stewed dragon meat was served.
Steaming hot, with a thick broth, chunks of meat at the bottom of the bowl, and a layer of oil of an indescribable color floating on the surface.
The owner placed the bowl on the table and gestured expectantly, "Please enjoy this meal, our signature dish: stewed dragon meat. It's been slow-cooked for three days and three nights, and includes our secret seasoning recipe..."
" Nanahoshi, you try first."
Luo Ge, being cautious, gestured for Nanahoshi to try it first.
Nanahoshi didn't think much of it; she had eaten plenty of unpalatable food in the other world.
As long as it's not too hard to swallow, she feels she should be able to eat it.
She picked up the spoon, gently scooped up a mouthful of soup, and put it in her mouth.
Luo Ge looked at her expectantly. "How is it? Is it delicious?"
The restaurant owner looked at her expectantly, rubbing his hands together on his apron, a hint of nervousness in his eyes.
There is no rating for Nanahoshi.
Her face turned ashen in an instant, then she abruptly covered her mouth, her body arching violently.
"Vomit--"
She vomited immediately, tears welling up in her eyes.
What is that?!
What on earth is this thing?!
Why... why does it taste so bad?
Although she had never eaten excrement before, she had no doubt at this moment that this bowl of dragon meat was even more unpalatable than excrement.
The taste was like rotting fish, moldy cheese, and burnt rubber cooked together for three days and three nights, then left to dry in the sun for half a month before being served.
"Oh?"
"It tastes awful?"
Luo Ge's eyes lit up immediately.
If it were just normally unpalatable, he wouldn't bother trying it, but the fact that it was this bad piqued his curiosity.
He picked up a spoon and, like Nanahoshi, scooped up a spoonful.
Then his expression froze instantly.
vomit!
vomit!
Ugh! Ugh! Ugh!
It tastes absolutely awful.
Luo Ge felt that even if you just boiled a piece of raw meat in plain water, it would taste a million times better than this.
This thing has transcended the realm of food and entered a kind of metaphysical domain.
Luo Ge, furious at being ripped off, slammed his hand on the table and roared at the restaurant owner, "What a joke! I paid 10 silver coins for this?! What kind of signature dish is this?! Why don't you just go out of business already?!"
"I'm sorry, sir."
The restaurant owner across the street shrank back at his outburst, lowered his head in shame, clutched the hem of his apron with both hands, and stammered, unable to utter a word.
He looked just like a child who had done something wrong.
Seeing his expression, Luo Ge realized he had gone a bit too far; after all, the other person was just an ordinary person.
So Luo Ge lowered his voice and sighed, "Well... to be honest, you're really not suited to running a restaurant. With food this bad, no wonder nobody comes."
"To be honest, even if you gave this kind of food to pigs, they might not eat it."
"Take my advice, brother, you can't handle this restaurant business..."
Upon hearing this, the restaurant owner slumped his shoulders, let out a long sigh, and looked utterly disappointed and dejected.
Out of good intentions, Luo Ge and Nanahoshi offered another piece of advice, suggesting that they quickly remove the signature dish, stewed dragon meat, and replace it with something else.
Even if you just ordered any other normal dish, you wouldn't have a single customer.
But the man wearing the eye patch stuck to his principles, shaking his head, his tone low but unusually firm. "No."
Absolutely not!
"If the signature dish is changed, the restaurant loses its original soul. If it succeeds like that, what's the point?"
Luo Ge: "..."
Nanahoshi: "..."
The two exchanged a glance and both saw the same conclusion in each other's eyes: this shop deserved to go out of business.
Even though it seemed like there was no way to save money, the boss remained stubbornly obstinate and insisted on his own ideas.
Luo Ge and Nanahoshi felt too embarrassed to try to persuade him any further, so they could only continue to face the bowl of dragon meat in front of them.
There was no other way; I ordered it myself, so I had to eat it even with tears in my eyes.
Luo Ge didn't want to waste food, and dragon meat was, after all, the meat of a monster. Although it tasted terrible, it could at least nourish his body.
Out of concern and care, Luo Ge urged Nanahoshi, who was standing next to him, to eat more.
"Take care of your body? Why don't you take care of your body?"
Nanahoshi stared wide-eyed at Luo Ge, who kept feeding him, his expression twisted as if he had swallowed a whole live frog.
She gritted her teeth and squeezed out, "Uh... thank you for caring about me so much. Should I thank you too?"
"Don't be shy. Food is precious, and we should conserve it. There's an old Chinese saying: 'Every grain of rice on your plate is the result of hard work.'"
"Saving food is a traditional virtue of the Chinese nation."
With this logical combination of punches, Nanahoshi will have no choice but to swallow it, even if they don't want to.
While feeding the Nanahoshi, Luo Ge kept lecturing them.
Completely oblivious to Nanahoshi's resentful look, and unaware that Nanahoshi was secretly cursing him in her heart.
After finishing their Nanahoshi, Luo Ge didn't forget to pay double the bill when settling the bill.
"Boss."
"I'll pack another one. I want to bring some back for Lilia and Aisha too. I can't keep such unique food to myself."
It's just that Rudeus, Isolte, Nina, and the others weren't around. If they were all still here, Luo Ge would have packed at least ten portions to take back so they could all have their fill.
P. S.: I'd appreciate some free gifts to support you all. I want to finish writing the grand finale for you readers, so that our family can be reunited and live happily ever after.