"As the teleportation cooldown ended, Ina immediately set out for the Ancient God Ruins. This time, she was thoroughly prepared, her backpack brimming with various ingredients. The menu for the coming days was set, just waiting for the dragons to grace her restaurant."
Returning to her cave, Ina discovered signs of a visitor during her absence. The area had experienced a rock shower, a large boulder blocking the entrance, leaving a dark, dusty mark. However, the stone had been moved aside.
It might have been Ahti, Ina pondered, flipping her wooden "Closed" sign to "Open."
Despite the rock shower, the cave remained dust-free. Ina had won a restaurant decoration in a raffle called the 'Rock Curtain Door' which perfectly sealed the entrance.
---
Ahti had the day off. In reality, dragons only worked three days a week: one-day guarding farmlands, another transporting water or other goods, and the third leading humans or beastmen on perimeter patrols to ensure no creeping thorned specters approached the village unnoticed.
For such a languid race, this was already taxing. Being a god-blessed species, dragons naturally grew stronger over time, eliciting envy from many. But now, scurrying for sustenance made their existence quite arduous.
Beyond their inherent nature, the slow magical recovery in the Ancient God Ruins added to their burdens. Depletion of magic was perilous for dragons.
Yet, during their free time, there was little for the dragons to do. No captivating princes or princesses to capture, no metallic ores in the barren rock layers. They'd merely rest upon their dwindling treasures, using them as bedding.
But now there was a new member who could cook delectable grilled meats. Ahti was adamant that Ina would one day regret sharing her food. But if the dragons were going to eat what Ina provided, why shouldn't she?
She decided to visit the Dragonflame Restaurant. Ahti planned to invite Luciano. His radish pancakes had been snatched away by his siblings last time, leaving him none. Banging his chest in regret, Luciano lamented not eating them on his way and instead, hoping to show off, had taken them back to Dragon Island.
"I'm not going," Luciano declined, much to Ahti's surprise. "I went yesterday; Ina wasn't there."
"She's new here. She might have wandered off to explore, but she must've returned by now," Ahti responded, still determined to visit the cave.
After Ahti made her feelings clear, Luciano remained silent. Ahti quizzed, "Aren't you going to ask me to bring you some food or remind you if the restaurant's open when I return?"
Luciano grinned, "That would be too late. If you're not back in two hours, I'll set off myself."
Ahti left, accompanied by two other dragons, the silver dragon Claire and the red dragon Telyssa. From a distance, they could see steam billowing from the Dragonflame Restaurant's cave. Ahti couldn't contain her excitement, "Ina's back!"
Ina was preparing beef noodles. She'd brought along some kitchen tools, so she didn't have to resort to using the granite pots and stone plates she had before.
The beef chunks, having simmered for a long time, were tender. Ina picked up a quivering piece, its texture dripping with juice and so soft it split into two with a gentle tug.
Making the beef noodles required various steps like kneading, resting, rolling, and stretching the dough. While the resultant noodles had a resilient and chewy texture, the process was time-consuming. Given the dragons' appetite, Ina worried she wouldn't be able to keep up.
She took out an automatic noodle-making machine she'd won in a raffle. Just add flour and water, and voila! Instant noodles.
Tasting both handmade and machine-produced noodles, Ina concluded the former was slightly better in flavor. Moreover, they didn't clump together as the machine-made ones did if left for a bit. Yet, the machine was impressive, with only a slight difference between the two. Likely, one would need a refined palate to discern any disparity.
In any case, the dragons probably wouldn't notice. The noodles wouldn't have time to clump in a bowl; they'd just end up in a dragon's belly.
By the time Ahti arrived, Ina was wondering if she'd have any patrons that day. Perhaps the dragons were too busy. Maybe she should relocate her restaurant to Dragon Island, instead of waiting for them here.
Just as she was contemplating this, Ahti arrived with the two massive dragons. At first, they didn't notice Ina, being drawn irresistibly toward the tantalizing aroma of the simmering beef.
"You're finally here!" Ina exclaimed, immediately activating the automatic noodle machine. "Are you here to eat? How about trying some beef noodles?"
Both the red and silver dragons stared in surprise at Ina, not expecting such a warm welcome.
A little taken aback, they inquired, "What should we offer in exchange for the food? Gold or gemstones?"
While Ina wasn't particularly concerned about the dragons' payment for food β improving her restaurant was her priority β a transaction was necessary to earn experience points. In the Ancient God's ruins, there was no universal currency. Anything valuable could serve as payment for food.
"Anything will do," Ina responded. Upon hearing her, Ahti looked at her thoughtfully.
"Are you selling food just to make money? Surely, your wealth hasn't been left behind when you came here?" The one consolation for dragons who'd relocated to the Ancient God's ruins was that they'd brought their entire wealth with them. Other than making tools, sleeping on their mountain-like piles of gold and jewels was their only solace.
"I did start the restaurant to earn money," Ina admitted honestly. "But I'm not exactly broke. I have a few million gold coins."
Both dragons now turned their attention to her.
"A few million coins wouldn't even cover the floor when you sleep, would they?"
Ina paused, considering the dragons' immense size, and nodded, "I suppose it isn't enough."
"That explains the simplicity here!" Ahti realized. Ina lived in the same cave, yet the walls were devoid of decorations, lit only by a bright crystal lamp.
To the dragons, such a life seemed almost pitiable.
"We'll pay for our meals with gold," they promised. "We'll help make this place gleam with opulence." Many of the dragons' precious magical ores had been requisitioned, but gold, due to its soft texture and wear susceptibility, wasn't widely used and was still in their possession.
If they could exchange a few pieces of gold for such delicious food, it was an excellent deal for the dragons.
Flustered, Ina agreed, "Alright, alright. I'll start making the beef noodles then."
Though only three dragons had come, Ina used three large pots to cook the noodles, each filled to the brim. In addition to tender chunks of beef, complete with tendons and rich flavors, the beef noodles also included slices of daikon and vibrant green garlic sprouts, accompanied by a few poached eggs and a spoonful of chili oil. The vibrant red broth, with its white and green ingredients, was already whetting the dragons' appetites.
The red dragon, Telyssa, took a big bite of beef, swallowed two eggs in quick succession, and then picked up the snowy white noodles. With just one bite, a large portion of the noodles in her bowl vanished. She then picked up the bowl to drink the soup. Despite being steaming hot as it had just come off the stove, the temperature was trivial to a dragon. Telyssa took a hearty gulp of the savory, spicy soup, and felt comfort radiate through every pore of her body.
"How long will this restaurant stay open?" the silver dragon, Clare, who had been silently enjoying her noodles, suddenly asked.
"It should be open for quite a while," Ina replied.
At this, Ahti perked up. she wondered just how much food Ina had brought with her, considering she hadn't brought her treasures. It must be painful, hence the need to start a restaurant and accumulate wealth anew β a situation that happened to be quite beneficial for the dragons.
After drinking all the soup in one breath and setting down his perfectly clean bowl, Ahti still felt unsatisfied.
Then Ina brought out the dessert: fruit sago cream.
She had won canned fruit in a lottery a few days ago, and used it as an ingredient, adding sago pearls and a sweet soup made from oolong tea, creating a large serving of fruit sago cream.
Among them, the peach sago cream was especially delicious. The sweet, chunky peach flesh, paired with the fragrant oolong tea, was both refreshing and effective at cutting the grease.
Before Ahti and the others could finish, Luciano had already arrived.
Bursting into the place with excitement, Luciano exclaimed, "I knew it, I knew you all would already be feasting!"
Telyssa, the red dragon, Luciano's aunt, remarked coldly, "You're late. Everything's been eaten."
Luciano stood frozen, feeling wronged for the first time in his dragon life. "I was here first! Just yesterday, I helped remove the stone blocking the cave entrance..."
He turned his eyes to Ina, which seemed to shimmer with tears. "Is there truly nothing left?"
It was only then that Ina realized that despite Luciano's imposing size, he was still a juvenile, the youngest among the dragons. Even more pitiable, he was born in the ruins of the old gods and had never tasted 'normal' food.
Ina lifted the pot's lid. "The beef stew is gone; I can't make beef noodles. Let me prepare something else for you."
Luciano's spirits lifted, and he eagerly took a seat.
As a pre-meal treat, Ina whipped up some caramel, mixed it with powdered milk and honey, and then dissolved everything in hot water. Stirring it well, she ended up with a slightly thick drink exuding a rich milky aroma. It was her first time making such a creamy beverage. She tasted a bit and thought it resembled a famous milk brand, something children would undoubtedly love.
Upon seeing Ina placing a large basin full of the liquid before him, Luciano asked with a hint of curiosity, "What's this?"
Ina glanced at him, replying simply, "Milk?"