After reaching a place where no one was paying attention, Hanxing opened a spatial portal and arrived at a market on the surface.
"Silver Wolf, I need a favor." Hanxing opened a remote communication channel. "Thinking of me now? Go on, what do you need?"
"Help me add Caelus's contact information." "I see. That'll take a little trickery." Silver Wolf then got to work on her computer. "OK!" Before long, Silver Wolf announced her success.
"Don't wait for me. Let's meet up at Natasha's." Hanxing typed out the message and sent it.
"That's all? Then why did you come online?" Silver Wolf asked in confusion. "Actually, I have another question." Hanxing paused, then asked, "What does Firefly like?"
Silver Wolf burst out laughing. "Already thinking about wedding gifts?" "No, I'm not. I'm just checking in on a colleague." If Silver Wolf could have seen him, she would have noticed Hanxing's face turning red.
"She likes desserts and stuff." "Desserts?" Hanxing thought for a moment, then headed toward a bakery.
"Hello, could you recommend any good desserts?" Hanxing looked at the clerk in front of him. "Yes, this fruit chocolate cake is very good." "Fruit chocolate?" Hanxing's expression shifted. He certainly didn't think that thing was edible.
Then another cake nearby caught his eye. "What about this one?" "It's a perfect recreation of a Penacony flavor: Oak Cake Roll. Not many people like the taste, though."
"Oh, sharp eyes." Silver Wolf teased him. "Firefly likes that one."
"Can I try it?" Hanxing asked. The clerk brought him some Oak Cake Roll from a set of sample trays. Hanxing glanced at them out of the corner of his eye and noticed that the other cakes had almost all been eaten, while the Oak Cake Roll hadn't been touched. That gave him some idea of how bad it was.
He speared a piece of cake with a toothpick and put it in his mouth. The taste was unforgettable: it was like chewing on a huge chunk of oak, with a little sugar added to improve the flavor. He figured only someone who enjoyed torturing themselves could stomach this cake.
"Why... does she like this?" Hanxing managed to swallow the cake and asked Silver Wolf. "Probably because Entropy Loss Syndrome affected her sense of taste. I guess her tastes will have to change." Silver Wolf made no attempt to hide her amusement at Hanxing's expense. "I knew you'd fall for it!"
"Sigh..." Hanxing sighed. "One Oak Cake Roll and one cream fruit cake." The cream fruit cake was already one of the more reasonable things he had seen.
"Certainly. That'll be 2,210 Shields. I'll round it down for you: 2,000 Shields." Hanxing opened a spatial portal, readily paid, and picked up the cakes.
"Is Firefly on the ship?" Hanxing asked Silver Wolf. "Of course. I was just playing games with her." As soon as she finished speaking, a red spatial portal appeared on the ship.
Silver Wolf came over to Hanxing. "She should be in her room. You can go take a look." Hanxing nodded, removed the mask he was wearing, and turned toward Firefly's room.
Knock, knock. Hanxing knocked twice. "Silver Wolf, is something wrong?" a woman's voice called from inside. Then the door opened, and Firefly appeared before Hanxing, wearing a light green dress.
"Hanxing? Why are you back?" Firefly looked at him in confusion. "I came to see you and brought you something while I was at it." With that, Hanxing set the cakes he was carrying on the table.
"Honestly, Silver Wolf tells you everything..." Firefly quickly unwrapped the cakes. "Oak Cake Roll? How did you find this in such a desolate place?"
"It's just a close imitation. I don't really like the taste..." Hanxing said no more and took a bite of the cream cake. Firefly took a bite of the Oak Cake Roll too. "How did it get so awful?"
"Maybe it was because of Entropy Loss Syndrome before," Hanxing suggested. Firefly nodded. "That's certainly possible." Then she paused. "Can I have a bite of yours?"
Hanxing handed her the cake in his hand. Firefly took a huge bite from the spot where he had bitten it. "Mmm~ this is delicious!" She promptly took two more bites. "Hey, save some for me!"
Watching Firefly devour the cake, Hanxing shook his head, picked up the Oak Cake Roll beside him, and took a bite. The taste of oak sawdust filled his mouth again, but gradually he detected a hint of sweetness. Perhaps it was like the saying went: sweetness came after bitterness...
Looking at Firefly, her mouth covered in cream, Hanxing suddenly became entranced and simply stared at her in silence.
"What's wrong?" Firefly noticed Hanxing's gaze and looked back at him. "Is the cake roll that awful, or did you want to look at me?"
"Because I like you..." Hanxing had eyes only for Firefly. The fragrance drifting toward him captivated him, and he inadvertently spoke his true feelings aloud.
"Actually, I like you too!" Firefly stared at Hanxing with a smile...