"Come and take a look, come and have a look! Weighed grilled meat, meat weighed on the spot, cut on the spot, skewered on the spot, never short of weight, secret spicy powder, barbecue sauce, whatever flavor you want, just say it!" The waiter warmly greeted the passersby. This bustling shop even extended its tables and chairs onto the street, inside and out filled with diners, their faces flushed, sweating profusely, thoroughly enjoying themselves.
Siegfried blinked, somewhat perplexed as he surveyed the iron plate in front of him, filled with steaming skewers.
A white-haired man held one in his hand, right at his mouth, the pungent and fragrant barbecue aroma stimulating his nostrils. "Wasn't I just about to have dinner?"
He instinctively took a bite. The meat was firm yet succulent, and as he chewed, accompanied by a faint sizzle, the unique greasy flavor of barbecue filled his mouth, enhanced by a touch of spiciness, brightening Siegfried's eyes. "Delicious... but, where am I?"
The white-haired man felt something was amiss. Without changing his expression, he picked up another skewer, observing his surroundings through the chewing motion.
This place seemed like an ordinary street, and everyone appeared ordinary too...
"No, what's the deal with the masked man responsible for grilling? The fire is burning fiercely high!"
The white-haired man looked subtly at the barbecue chef.
Massive flames erupted from the small barbecue stall, soaring up to half a meter, the masked barbecue chef laughed heartily as he lifted the oil pot and poured a lot onto the skewers and into the fire, causing the flames to burst upward again, almost engulfing the barbecue chef.
"Doesn't he feel suffocated wearing that mask? Or is it some kind of special protective gear?"
Siegfried confirmed there was no threat around, then realized, without noticing, he had devoured all the skewers. The lingering spicy fragrance danced on his tongue, turning his face as red as the other diners. "Wow... so spicy!!"
Siegfried subconsciously called the waiter over, intending to order a beer to counter the spiciness. Luckily, when he reached for his pocket, he noticed the texture was different from his wallet, feeling bulgy with odds and ends. "Where's my wallet?!"
Siegfried's brain raced, gasping for air while asking the waiter, "Do I need to pay first if I want more skewers?"
"Yes, sir, settle the bill before serving," the waiter replied enthusiastically. "Would you like some more?"
It seems I've already paid for this table.
Siegfried relaxed slightly and answered, "Um, not for now, it's delicious, but your chili is a bit too spicy."
"That's our specialty..." the waiter's expression was somewhat embarrassed. "It's written on our signboard; we specialize in this kind of spiciness..."
"Well then." Siegfried calmly stood up and left the shop, sticking out his tongue and fanning himself with his hand. "Phew... so spicy... I remember the pedestrian street in Nagazora has free drinking water... but where am I now?"
His searching gaze caught someone's attention.
Pardofelis smiled and approached him. "Sir, do you need some help?"
Siegfried cautiously watched her, but quickly realized the girl with the cat-eared hood posed no threat.
He gasped for air and said, "Miss, can I ask where the free drinking water is nearby?" "Oh, come with me!" Pardofelis glanced at the vigorous flames from the nearby barbecue stall, understanding. She led Siegfried to their destination.
The white-haired man showed a relieved expression and buried his head in the water basin, drinking heartily.
"Hahaha, all red! Dad looks like a tomato!"
"It does seem like it." Siegfried felt someone approach, and familiar voice sounded in his ear.
Then, a can of ice-cold drink was pressed against his face.
Why didn't I feel alert when she got this close?!
He suddenly grabbed the girl's wrist, ready to swiftly throw her if anything went wrong.
"Huh?!"
Siegfried raised his head, looking at the somewhat troubled white-haired Valkyrie, as if he had been shocked and released her hand. "Cecilia..."
...
"Master Kalpas's Barbecue Stand"?
They actually named their shop that... it's quite in line with Kalpas' style...
Based on the information she gathered from her chat with Siegfried in the previous cycle,
Luo Lin knew he had come out on a certain pedestrian street. The most characteristic feature of that street was the shops offering extremely spicy barbecue, leaving Siegfried drenched in sweat.
This clue immediately reminded her of a certain advertisement program she had seen on TV, so she took out her phone, searched for the highly praised local barbecue shops, and quickly found the target.
She headed straight to the destination with Sirin, only to find Siegfried looking dazed as he followed Pardofelis to find water, seemingly overwhelmed by the spiciness.
The purple-haired girl's attention was drawn to the continuously flaming barbecue stand nearby, exclaiming, "So amazing, so beautiful!"
"What do you find beautiful, Sirin?" Sirin answered without hesitation, "The flames are so beautiful! The big brother with the mask seems to be very good at playing with fire!"
Indeed, Kalpas was quite skilled at playing with fire. Even the barbecue he grilled showed new patterns, and Luo Lin didn't sense any energy fluctuations.
She watched Kalpas wield the skewers with pure skill, making the rising flames change into peculiar shapes: squares, circles, and even a fleeting phoenix soaring.
A phoenix?!
Luo Lin blinked, seeing Kalpas turn his head, hand the skewers to the waiter waiting nearby, take fresh skewers, and laughingly continue his work. "Fu Hua, did you see that?"
"Yeah, very impressive skills!" Fu Hua nodded.
"Probably a barbecue master who has been immersed in this craft for many years! I didn't expect such a person... You must have met him before, right? Introduce me when we return to reality."
"...Um, he might not be that easy to find." Luo Lin choked, wondering if she needed to take Fu Hua straight to the World Serpent and greet the people in the Elysian Realm.
"Alright, Sirin, look who's over there!" Following Luo Lin's finger, Sirin saw her father drinking water greedily, her eyes lighting up as she clapped her hands happily.
"Dad!"
"Your dad looks very thirsty... Let's go, buy some drinks at the convenience store. Sirin, what would you like to drink?"
"I want..."
Soon, the two bought drinks, and Luo Lin, with Sirin, walked towards Siegfried, who was still drinking water, smiling as she pressed the canned drink against the white-haired man's face.
Siegfried suddenly raised his hand, gripping Luo Lin's wrist with such force that the girl furrowed her brows slightly.
"Alright, Sieg, have a drink to ease the spiciness".
Watching him release her hand in confusion, Luo Lin caressed her hidden Fenghuang Down, sensing another quantum wave eroding the Divine Key, which is coming from Siefried.
"---What would your wish be, Siegfried?"