Chapter 196
With a sizzle, the oil in the pan turned into a mist, wafting out like a tornado, carrying with it an incredibly delicious aroma.
The Cloud Mushroom truly lived up to its name, which includes the word "cloud," as its fragrance was as delicate as clouds and mist.
It enveloped the entire small house.
The aroma slowly spread, as if the entire hut had become a giant cauldron, and the Cloud Mushroom were cooking inside, their fragrance soaring to the heavens.
It smells so good!
The fragrance is so enticing that even the birds passing by can't help but take a whiff.
The fragrance was so strong that it startled half of the Magic Forest.
The fragrance was so strong that even the human villages on the opposite bank could faintly smell it.
As for Harper and the others--
Their saliva was practically dripping out, but they were concerned about their image and desperately kept their mouths shut to barely avoid making a scene.
"Dinner's ready," Xie Juanhan called from the kitchen.
Harper and the others cried out for the first time, begging for Telingewei's help.
They dare not reach for the food bowl, afraid that if they open their mouths, saliva will spill out.
Telingewei, unusually, didn't mock their lack of ambition.
He also felt that the aroma of this Cloud Mushroom was overpowering.
No wonder A-Han and the others' teacher made the little dragon, who was still a cub at the time, fly into the sky to find this delicious mushroom.
It certainly possesses an irresistible allure for living beings.
Knowing that the furry creatures wouldn't wait for the food to cool down, Xie Juanhan deliberately released a little cold air when serving them to prevent the food from being too hot.
"Chirp!" Habei jumped up and down, wishing he could jump right into the rice bowl.
"Don't rush, don't rush, it'll be done soon." Xie Juanhan reached out and stopped Habei.
Habei looked up at him and said, "Chirp!"
Xie Juanhan and Telingewei put down the food bowl, and the furry creatures immediately rushed over to eat.
After just one bite, even Harper's fluffy tail couldn't help but wag.
Telingewei stared at the tip of its tail.
Xie Juanhan smiled and handed him a plate of stir-fried Cloud Mushroom rice, gesturing for him to try it.
Telingewei took a spoonful, tasted it, and immediately understood why Harper and the others had reacted that way.
Xie Juanhan specially made fried rice with oil and salt to go with the Cloud Mushroom.
The rice was fried until dry and fragrant, coated with the oil from the Tuonai'er Demon Bird and a touch of salt—very simple.
The Cloud Mushroom covering the fried rice were dry and fragrant, with an extremely rich and strong aroma.
Telingewei took a bite of stir-fried Cloud Mushroom with fried rice, and the aroma filled his mouth and wafted out of his nose.
He was completely immersed in the rich and delicious aroma, feeling as if his whole body was enveloped in fragrance, floating on air, as if he had flown back into the sky.
He swallowed it in one gulp, and he broke out in a sweat. His head was spinning from the aroma, and he barely knew what he was feeling.
If even the dragons in the Magic Forest reacted this way after eating the Cloud Mushroom, then the aroma alone must have been incredibly tempting to the people on the other side of the river.
That day, along with Ailan Village, several nearby villages consumed three times the amount of baked bread.
Overwhelmed by the subtle aroma, many families devoured bread they had stored for ten days or so.
This strange event not only spread to several nearby villages, but also reached the Star Market.
Wokeli, who had been sent by a major newspaper in the capital to gather delicacies from all over the country, heard about this and looked incredulous. "Oh, by the way, how could the aroma travel that far? This is obviously a fabricated legend intended to fool outsiders!"
The stall owner he was interviewing was not happy. "Goddess, don't we have any honest people in remote areas like ours? Why would someone make up such a joke for fun?"
Wokeli: "No, man, it's not that I don't believe it, it's just too incredible."
Stall owner. "Aren't our magic gummies and aged roast meats amazing?"
"That's true," Wokeli said thoughtfully, then changed his mind. "If it were those two wondrous dragon lords, they could indeed, perhaps, possibly create such a miracle."
The vendor, chewing on magical herbs to stay awake, said, "You've already given me the silver coins, what benefit would I get from fabricating this extra information for you?"
"That makes sense." Wokeli added a paragraph to the parchment, "Haha, if I put it all together, maybe I can rewrite a legend..."
Wokeli, having received funding, became remarkably efficient.
The next day, the little messenger bird flew to Ahaman City, the capital of the kingdom, carrying a copy of his manuscript.
Within days, the publication, originally issued in Ahaman City, spread throughout the major cities of the Malalehalin Kingdom and several nearby countries via carriages, messenger birds, and magic circles.
Wokeli, as expected of the chief editor of a major newspaper, wrote vividly about the delicacies that spread from the Magic Forest.
He wrote about the matured roasted meat, how the mountain breeze and forest gave it a unique aroma, how it sizzled and dripped oil when grilled over charcoal, the aroma of charred meat mixed with the fragrance of oil, and how one bite could taste the rich juices.
He wrote about the Magic Forest Gummy Candy, using Princess Tina Flower as the main ingredient. The resulting gummy candy is soft, light, and sweet. When placed on the tongue, it's like tasting a wonderful dream, making one reluctant to wake up.
He wrote that in the summer, the magical creatures exchanged their gold coins and walked along the paths of the Magic Forest through the long wilderness until they reached the lake, heading to the Water Demon's restaurant, where they were entertained by the beautiful and silent Water Demon with seasonal delicacies and unique aquatic foods.
These unusual and delicious foods are even accompanied by hand-drawn illustrations.
The publication spread like wildfire as soon as it was released.
Some people drew parallels to the Wraith Wine, which was also reported in newspapers and spread as a peculiar delicacy of the Magic Forest.
Old newspapers were unearthed, and commentators fueled the fire; soon, Star Market and the nearby town were packed with adventurers and travelers from all over.
The necromancer Tuoyin happened to be staying at a nearby inn with his companions.
They need to find a specific magical herb on the outskirts of the Magic Forest.
They were originally supposed to stay at Star Market, Tuoyin said that Star Market was too close to the Dragon's Hut and it was easy for something to happen, so he changed their plans and found a small inn on the other side of the Magic Forest.
Before they could find the herbs, mysterious legends of Magic Forest and dragons began to circulate outside.
Holding the magazine, his companion asked Tuoyin curiously, "Is everything written in here true? Is there really delicious food in the Magic Forest?"
Tuoyin: "I don't know."
"Hey, Tuoyin!" His companion nudged him on the shoulder, urging him not to back down and to speak up. "Didn't you deal with those two dragons before?"
Tuoyin: "I've only seen them, I've never tasted these legendary delicacies."
"What are they like? Do they look particularly fierce? Legend has it that the Black Dragon looks exactly like the Two-Eyed Giant."
"Star Spirit, where did this rumor come from?" Tuoyin couldn't help but ask. "If anyone's saying anything, it's that those two look like Elf, not giants!"
"Tell me in detail."
Tuoyin recalled his last encounter with Xie Juanhan and Telingewei, instantly remembering the painful experience of being forced to do math problems. He immediately shrugged, shaking his companion's hand off. "Stop talking, the Star Spirit don't favor talkative people."
Tuoyin didn't want to be made to do math problems anymore, so he deliberately walked around the dragon's hut.
The sudden arrival of so many people on the outskirts of the Magic Forest caught the attention of the two dragons.
Even Harper and the others started patrolling the Magic Forest more frequently.
So Tuoyin ran into the hands of the two dragons again.
To be precise, it was Tuoyin's pet Demonic Beast that ran into the claws of the Companion Beast.
At that time, Harper and the others were patrolling the Magic Forest.
Under the protection of the two dragons, adventurers dared not easily venture into the Magic Forest.
Therefore, when Harper and the others smelled an unfamiliar scent, they knew that there must be outsiders nearby.
Their four paws moved swiftly, taking steps towards the direction of the unfamiliar presence, trying to drag out the one who had trespassed into the Magic Forest.
When they arrived, they didn't encounter any adventurers, but instead stumbled upon a small beast.
"Chirp?" Harper looked at the little beast opposite him, his furry face full of confusion.
It sensed that the little beast opposite it was not a naturally conceived Demonic Beast, but rather a little beast created using Life Magic.
The little beast has a round head, triangular teeth, big eyes, and a bushy tail, and its entire body is covered in very clear colors.
It was as if some intelligent being had used thick ink to outline the small beast's silhouette.
Harper and the others had never seen such a small beast in the Magic Forest.
Harper was still tilting her head, observing.
Haxi couldn't resist jumping over it and leading his friends out. "Chirp!"
Let's catch up first!
Startled, the little beast's round eyes widened even more. It turned its head to look, then its four paws moved, and it quickly ran off on its short legs.
As it ran, phosphorescent flames flickered from under its claws; it was clearly ghost fire.
Haxi immediately pressed on, yelling, "Awoo!"
Other furry four-pawed creatures followed in mid-air. "Awooo!"
==========Author's Note:=========
See you tonight!
Chapter 196 [VIP]
Xie Juanhan didn't see Harper and the others for half a morning.
When they were seen again, they had already brought back their spoils.
Xie Juanhan stared wide-eyed at the little beast under their paws.
The little animals they brought back were round and plump, just like a round-headed kitten.
If it weren't for the fact that the little beast's scent was different from that of an ordinary kitten, Xie Juanhan would have suspected that they had stolen a cat from somewhere.
"Where did it come from?" Xie Juanhan touched the little beast's furry head.
Harper and the others were very happy. "Chirp chirp chirp!"
Xie Juanhan: "Caught in the Magic Forest? When did this kind of Demonic Beast arrive in our Magic Forest?"