Alright, alright, Rimuru couldn't stand it anymore; the atmosphere was too strange.
"It's so lively here, how about we go get some Chinese food? Like hot pot?"
"Uh... I'm afraid that won't work, I have something to do," Steve said, holding up the recovery potion in his hand.
"OK, I understand." Steve is gone, Bucky certainly won't stay.
Tony also declined, saying, "I have some things to do, you know. Stark Industries is a big company, and I have some documents to sign."
Rimuru rolled his eyes, speechless. What kind of documents do you have to sign? You clearly pushed all those things onto Pepper. You're a total shirker.
Wanda and Pietro also wanted to go back; they weren't staying either.
It seems that it still won't work. Although the relationship has improved somewhat, there is still some distance between us.
Damn, they're all gone. Eating hot pot alone is so boring. I can't exactly invite 715, Alice, and Quintessa, can I? Those three don't eat this stuff either.
"Hey Captain Steve, remember to send the stuff to my manor. And by the way, I want a copy of what Wanda mentioned too," Rimuru added, giving Steve's pert buttocks a playful pat.
Steve was about to pull Bucky away, paused, looking around with a complicated expression. Had the world become this surreal after 70 years of slumber?
Pietro immediately bristled after being glanced at, "Don't send it to us, we don't need it!"
Wanda was a little sullen and unhappy when her brother rejected her. (๑⁼̴̀д⁼̴́๑) How annoying!
Steve pulled Bucky away, Bucky didn't say anything, but turned back and nodded slightly to Rimuru as if to apologize.
Their figures quickly disappeared at the end of the corridor, but why did their footsteps seem a little hurried?
Tony glanced at Wanda and Pietro, his expression also somewhat uneasy. Although this was his house, he couldn't shake the feeling that he was uncomfortable. Remembering how he'd beaten Bucky earlier, he wondered if these two were going to take the opportunity to beat him up too.
" Rimuru, we'll definitely have Chinese food next time. I'm off now."
"We really have to go," Pietro said quickly, almost grabbing his sister's wrist. " Quicksilver Express, on time, but not... dinner reservations." He tried to lighten the lingering awkwardness with a joke.
" Pietro!" Wanda shook off his hand, and a crimson energy swirled restlessly around her fingertips before dissipating.
She looked at Rimuru, hesitated for a moment, and softened her voice. "... Thank you. But... maybe next time." She seemed to want to...
She said something, but in the end she just pursed her lips, turned around and followed her brother who had already slipped to the door.
In the blink of an eye, the once lively space was now empty except for Rimuru.
He stood there, touching his chin. His face didn't show the frustration of being rejected repeatedly; instead, it had a knowing look of "I knew it."
"Alas, the revolution is not yet complete, comrades must continue to strive..." he muttered to himself, looking around at the empty surroundings, "Is Chinese food still not tempting enough? Or should we find something more exciting to do together?"
His gaze fell on the spot where Steve had just stood, where a trace of the old popsicle's dignified righteousness and confusion seemed to linger.
Then, I remembered Pietro's flustered appearance and Wanda's puffed-up yet somewhat reluctant expression.
"Alright," Rimuru clapped his hands, as if brushing away non-existent dust, "Remember to send Steve's 'goods' to the manor... Although that kid refused on behalf of his sister, I've remembered the 'kindness'." A sly glint flashed in his eyes, clearly not taking Pietro's refusal seriously.
As for eating hot pot alone?
Rimuru pulled out his phone and swiped rapidly. Although 715, Alice, and Quintessa certainly didn't eat ordinary food, but...
"Hey? Old Wang," he greeted the person on the other end of the phone with practiced ease. "How about some extra food at Kamar-Taj tonight? I got some top-notch... uh, 'local specialties,' absolutely fresh! I'll bring a pot over? Clear broth or spicy, you name it! By the way... let's chat about that little optimization plan for the space stability rune we talked about last time?"
A helpless yet slightly amused voice came from the other end of the phone. Rimuru finally smiled.
Team dinner abruptly canceled? No worries, a hot pot dinner on the magic side might just lead to some more interesting conversations. There's always next time.
He glanced one last time in the direction the group had left, as if he could see Steve sitting in the Quinjet, still filled with complex emotions about "magical realism," and Pietro trying to explain something to a sulking Wanda on the highway.
Thinking back, the feeling of patting Steve's butt earlier was comparable to Black Widow's.
"Never mind, let's take it slow."
Rimuru hummed an off-key tune, his figure gradually blurring as he prepared to open the portal to Kamar-Taj.
Wait a minute, I remember bringing Wanda and Pietro here through a portal. They've run away now, I can't just run straight back to Kamar-Taj, can I?
Damn it, you two, come back here right now!
Wang had been waiting there with two young mages. Four long wooden tables had been set up on the ground, and the copper double-eared hot pot was polished to a shine. Next to it were tripe, beef slices, mushrooms, and freshly cut offal that Rimuru had stored in his spatial storage. There were also two large buckets of thick, bright red, spicy beef tallow broth and one bucket of clear bone broth broth.
"I thought you were just joking." Wang looked at the table full of fresh ingredients, rubbed his temples helplessly, and the two apprentice mages next to him curiously came closer. When they smelled the strong aroma of butter, chili and Sichuan peppercorns, they subconsciously sneezed.
For centuries, Kamar-Taj has only burned incense and brewed tea; everyone's diet has been bland and abstinent, and there has never been food with such a domineering and stimulating flavor.
Rimuru skillfully manipulated a wisp of magic to ignite the bottom of the pot. The magical flame steadily supported the copper pot, and within minutes, the spicy broth began to bubble and boil. Bright red oil surged continuously, with Sichuan peppercorns and dried chilies floating on the surface. The pungent white mist spread rapidly along the airflow of the corridor, drifting into the main hall through the gaps in the pillars, and seeping into every library and meditation room.
At first, only a few mages around the corridor were choked by the fumes, coughing and tearing up, covering their mouths and noses and backing away. In less than five minutes, the pungent mist spread throughout the entire holy land through the spatial ventilation array of Kamar-Taj. Even mages practicing Mirror Magic in the distance had their noses turn red from the strong spiciness, and their meditation was forcibly interrupted.
Pietro fanned the white mist in front of him with disgust, trying to disperse the spiciness by rapidly stirring the air, but this only made the spiciness spread faster, causing him to cough repeatedly and his previously tense expression to completely collapse.
Wanda then used a weak Chaos Magic to form a barrier in front of her, staring curiously at the bubbling red oil at the bottom of the pot, her eyes full of wonder.
These two half-baked Scandinavians were actually a little unaccustomed to this way of eating.
Rimuru completely unaffected; the familiar aroma was truly whetting his appetite. As he added sliced beef to the pot, he chatted with Wang about the optimization details of the space stabilization rune. Several daring mages couldn't resist the temptation of the aroma and brought over wooden stools to sit around. The clear broth pot was quickly devoured, and three or four mages who weren't afraid of spicy food also gathered around the spicy pot. Laughter filled the entire corridor.
Even Kaecilius joined in, but thankfully he didn't bring his own ingredients.