Chapter 139: Did Long Cheat, or Did the Octopus Have an Affair?
Chapter 139: Chapter 139: Did Long Cheat, or Did the Octopus Have an Affair?
Following the great success of her hamburger buns, Lu Wu set up her stall, brimming with confidence.
Time: Noon.
Place: The beach.
Person: Lu Wu.
With all three elements in place, Lu Wu looked out at the vast sea, then at the completely empty beach, and wrapped her clothes tighter around herself.
’It’s a little cold.’
’The wind from the sea... it just blows and blows... my wild, defiant pride...’
Lu Wu really wanted to belt out a song, but she was completely tone-deaf.
Her crew had rushed out early in the morning, apparently to form a party and raid a dungeon, leaving Lu Wu all alone.
’But why isn’t there anyone here?’
She remembered passing by this beach before and seeing plenty of people laughing and playing on the sand.
So when the quest renewed, she hadn’t been worried about her progress at all.
She’d even been mysterious about it with her crew, looking forward to their surprise.
Who knew life would hit her with such a heavy blow. ’Is it too late to back out now?’
In fact, it wasn’t just her crew; many other people were quite surprised too.
On a cliff not far from the beach, a group of people was looking down at the lonely figure on the sand, asking questions amongst themselves.
"Isn’t there a ward set up here? How did this person get in?"
"She looks a little familiar. I think that’s Boss Lu."
"How is that possible? Doesn’t Boss Lu make a point of never setting up her stall in the same place twice?" someone asked, skeptical.
"The entrance to Little Sea Village and Yuanhai Beach are two different places," someone argued forcefully.
"It really is Boss Lu."
The four members of her crew huddled together, whispering. A shared glance was enough to know they were all thinking the same thing.
They had been planning to go find Boss Lu after their business here was finished, but she had come to them instead.
As for how she got here...
Well, that would be thanks to a certain Old Li, who was exceptionally indulgent toward Lu Wu.
’Sea Clan? Wards? Who cares. If my precious granddaughter wants to go somewhere, then she’s going.’
’Breaking a little ward without a sound? Piece of cake.’
"Master, what should we do?"
Shan Hanzhi asked Dan Ji.
Today was the day the Sea Clan came ashore. To avoid any unexpected complications, and fearing that the Sea Clan might cause some disaster, they had issued a notice for all residents to stay away from the beach for the next few days.
They had even set up a ward, just in case.
Who would have thought Boss Lu was resourceful enough to get in anyway.
Although she was asking Dan Ji, Shan Hanzhi’s eyes were fixed in Lu Wu’s direction.
Yesterday, they had only eaten the bread. But Boss Lu had said the bread was just one component of the delicacy she would be selling today.
Boss Lu was being mysterious, and they were full of anticipation.
’Normally, I’d have rushed over already, but we have serious business to attend to.’
"The Sea Clan won’t attack Boss Lu, will they?"
"They shouldn’t. Not unless they want a war."
The others chimed in.
Under the influence of the City Lord and her apprentice, there wasn’t a single person in the entire City Lord Mansion who hadn’t tried her little savory pancakes.
The flavor was unforgettable—gone from the tongue, but forever etched in the heart.
Dan Ji hesitated as well, but then, as if realizing something, she waved her hand dismissively.
"Leave her be."
’The Senior is surely around. He’s probably already arranged everything. I shouldn’t worry about it.’
And it wasn’t just that group of humans who were confused; the Sea Clan was just as perplexed.
Somewhere beneath the ocean’s surface, a group of Sea Clan members was gathered.
Their humanoid forms were mostly handsome and beautiful. The brilliantly colored fins by their ears swayed gently in the seawater.
The gills on their necks constantly opened and closed as they breathed.
These were the common members of the Sea Clan.
"Why isn’t anyone else here to greet us? Did the message not get delivered?"
"It was delivered. The City Lord even sent a reply."
"Just one person? They’re underestimating us, aren’t they? Do they really think the Sea Clan is so easy to bully?"
"Fuck, these motherfuckers look down on the Sea Clan. I’m gonna go up there and rip that little bitch’s head off to use as fish feed."
A hot-tempered member of the Sea Clan was about to go ashore and execute Lu Wu on the spot, but he was stopped.
It was another member of the Sea Clan. He was dressed in shimmering green and carried a turtle shell of the same color on his back. He stroked his chin thoughtfully.
"This might be their attempt to intimidate us. Pay it no mind."
"Remember our purpose here. We’ve come to negotiate a truce. Be polite and try to secure better terms."
"No one is to make a move after we go ashore."
"Of course, if they push us too far, we won’t just swallow our pride. We’ll fight."
If Lu Wu were to see him, she would definitely exclaim that this person—no, this turtle—was cosplaying the Turtle Minister.
The Turtle Minister’s words successfully calmed the emotions of the Sea Clan.
The surrounding seawater swirled, its immense pressure as commonplace to them as breathing.
The Turtle Minister looked to their leader. "Your Highness, let us go up. We’ll know the situation as soon as we test the waters."
"Alright."
The Prince agreed and took the lead, heading toward the surface.
He had no fins on his ears. Instead, there was a small bulge on each side of his head, hidden by the hair at his temples. From beneath the hem of his robes, a few unruly tentacles would occasionally peek out.
The octopus kind.
The Prince of the Sea Clan was an octopus.
Whether a dragon had an affair or an octopus cheated, no one knew.
This was a mystery that would take a two-part documentary to unravel.
...
Back on the shore, after her initial shock, Lu Wu had no choice but to accept this disastrous start.
A food stall, of course, had to have food. Otherwise, when customers arrived, they wouldn’t know what you were selling, so how could you hope to attract them?
And the best way to advertise food was through its aroma.
River snail noodles easily took the top spot.
"Hey, Stinky Darling! Fancy some snail noodles?"
Lu Wu hung up the sign. Looking at the phrase, she had to praise the system’s naming sense, though it went against her conscience.
System: [Please feed me peanuts.]
Below that was another line: "Three meals a day, your worries cease! If you’re gonna eat, eat Old Eighth’s Secret-Recipe Small Burgers!"
’Tsk, some poor little kid is going to see this and be tormented by cravings,’ she thought.
As for the pricing, she, the boss, had to complain first: ’How can you have the nerve to sell it for this much!’
Both items were fifty Intermediate Spirit Stones each, with no discount for buying two.
Combined with this desolate stall environment, Lu Wu was starting to doubt if she could even complete her quest.
But since she was here, she might as well make the best of it. Lu Wu rolled up her sleeves and started cooking the river snail noodles.
It was called river snail noodles, so of course, the river snails were essential.
After letting the river snails she bought at the market yesterday purge their sand overnight, she had shelled them this morning and picked out the meat.
The environment of the Green Origin Realm didn’t just nurture people; it nurtured snails too.
These snails were incredibly plump, their meat fat and tender. They looked delicious just on their own.
Lu Wu had already prepared a stock from pork bones earlier. A deep pot was kept warm over a flame, and the snail meat, which had been stewing inside for a long time, was already cooked through. She scooped it out and set it aside.
The undisguised umami fragrance from the simple pot of snail broth rushed out in an incredibly domineering fashion, spreading in all directions.
Lu Wu wasn’t concerned. An even more domineering aroma was yet to come.
The Glazed Fire, which was supposed to be capable of incinerating heaven and earth, was being used by Lu Wu as a common Mortal Fire. The Glazed Fire showed not a hint of rebellion and was perfectly cooperative.
Since there were no customers, Dahuang lay by Lu Wu’s legs, its tail gently sweeping against her skirt. Huohuo, freed from her duty of maintaining order, soared high above the sea, letting out a heartfelt sigh.
"CHIRP CHIRP!"
’Oh, great sea, why are you made entirely of water?’
Her own child was a bit uncultured, but Lu Wu figured she just had to dote on her.
"A fine poem, a fine poem."
She praised, casually dropping the rice noodles into a pot of boiling water.