"Esteemed guest, have you had your fill?" Chen Ze beamed, squinting with joy.
"Of course, I've had my fill. This is the fullest I've been in a long time, and the braised pork tastes really good." Raphael patted his stomach contentedly.
"All right, guest, you have eaten a total of thirty-two servings of the braised pork set meal, so it's time to pay for the meal." Chen Ze's smile grew even wider.
Raphael was stunned for a moment. Of course, he knew that one had to pay at a restaurant; after all, that was the rule in the Orc city as well.
But the problem was, Raphael had no money.
Raphael felt around in his pockets, only finding a few copper coins, which were definitely not enough to pay for so many delicious dishes.
Raphael wouldn't naively think that thirty-two servings of braised pork would cost just a few copper coins. After all, the flavor was much better than many restaurants in King's City.
"Um... well, I don't have any money, but is there another way I can settle the bill?" Raphael clasped his hands together, giving Chen Ze a pitiful look.
"Of course, guest, we also accept ingredients from your world as payment. Depending on the quality and quantity of the ingredients, I will give you a satisfying answer."
Chen Ze felt a bit awkward, but not because the other party had no money to pay the bill. After all, Chen Ze's intention was to use ingredients as payment for the meal this time.
What made Chen Ze feel awkward was that he couldn't figure out the gender of this angel-like creature. If you said it was male, the tone and appearance were quite feminine.
But if you said it was female, there was the issue of the Adam's apple.
"Ingredients, huh..." Raphael stroked his chin, realizing he certainly didn't carry any ingredients with him now.
"About the ingredients, I didn't bring any with me this time, but I can ask, do you accept any kind of ingredient?" Raphael posed a question.
"Yes, that's right, as long as it's ingredients from your world," Chen Ze confirmed with a nod.
"That's good." Raphael breathed a sigh of relief.
Then, Chen Ze watched in shock as Raphael broke off the two pairs of wings from his back and laid them out in front of him.
Chen Ze swallowed hard. The wings were still warm, and there was some blood at the base where they had been torn off.
"This..." Chen Ze pointed at the two pairs of wings and then looked back at Raphael, completely bewildered.
"Don't you know?" Raphael looked at Chen Ze with surprise.
He had assumed Chen Ze knew about this, which was why he requested ingredients.
"I am a Quad-winged Guardian. The wings on my back are also ingredients."
"Besides, if it weren't for your human Capture Team, I wouldn't be in a position to have to use my wings to pay off debts," Raphael said with eyes full of rage.
"Then why are you so calm when you see me?" Chen Ze touched the wings; there were some bones but mostly flesh.
"Because you don't seem to be from our world."
"Is that the only reason?"
"Well, the main reason is that the magic here suppresses me. I'm not strong enough to act out," Raphael explained.
Only then did Chen Ze nod in satisfaction, casually putting down the kitchen knife he had picked up.
Ever since he heard Raphael had a grudge against humans, Chen Ze had quietly picked up a kitchen knife. After all, he was human too—what if Raphael suddenly lashed out at him?
"Put your wings back on. They are of no use to me, and I'd feel too awkward using these wings in cooking," Chen Ze pushed the wings back towards Raphael.
"However, I can't just let you eat for free. Here's what we'll do: you answer me one question, and then bring enough ingredients the next time you come." Chen Ze sighed.
The balance on his bank card was already low, and now he had to buy the expensive pork. If things continued like this, he would eventually go bankrupt.
"Go ahead and ask," Raphael said, taking the wings back. A flash of light shimmered, and the wings returned to their original place.
"Are you male or female?" Chen Ze was really curious, he even wanted to ask if Raphael was actually a cross-dressing boss.
"In our species, we have no gender before we decide on a mate. Once we do, that's when we determine our gender," Raphael became even more certain that Chen Ze was indeed not a human from their world.
This was common knowledge across all righteous planes.
"Alright, then make sure you bring enough ingredients next time," Chen Ze collected the bowls and dishes back into the kitchen, feeling like he had made a loss.
"You're really okay with letting me go?"
"Get lost before I change my mind and chop off your wings," Chen Ze said with a dangerous glint in his eye as he glanced at Raphael's wings.
He had already figured out how to eat those wings—fried, barbecued, sprinkled with cumin. The kid next door would be drooling again.
Raphael fled in haste.
Chen Ze rubbed his head; indeed, he didn't have the courage to treat a sentient being that had just been conversing with him as food. It would be too awkward.
Chen Ze looked at the door that Raphael had pushed open; by now, he understood how this visitor from the Otherworld had gotten in.
"Did I lock the door last night? Did I? Didn't I?" Chen Ze looked at the lock next to the door, feeling conflicted.
Chen Ze returned to the kitchen to start cleaning the used dishes.
"Sigh, after all that fuss, I still haven't sorted out the issue with the Otherworld ingredients."
"And all my pork has been eaten up, really…" Chen Ze sighed. Perhaps in a few days, he could file for bankruptcy.
"Shopkeeper, twenty servings of Buffet." The gloomy voice made Chen Ze shiver; he was still not used to these powerful beings' mode of communication.
Even though they had mouths, did they have to communicate through telepathy?
Chen Ze stuck his head out to take a look, and sure enough, Undead Monarch Stan had come again.
This time, he sat down in the form of an old gloomy man, which meant Chen Ze didn't have to worry about whether food would be wasted.
"I also brought some ingredients you might be interested in." Stan reached out his hand and pulled out three types of ingredients from the nearby space, setting them on the ground.
Chen Ze's eyes lit up with a smile. Finally, he had a lead on the Otherworld ingredients he had been dreaming about.
"Alright, customer, just a moment." Chen Ze opened the freezer and began to prepare the supplies for the Buffet.
Stan sat silently in the dining room, not knowing why, but ever since he had last eaten the cuisine here—the thing called Buffet—he had been filled with a craving for food.
"How long has it been… since I've tasted such a fabulous dessert." Stan's eyes, devoid of life, stared in the direction of the kitchen, knowing that's where what he desired would come from.
For Chen Ze, the Buffet was already a simple dessert to prepare. In no time at all, Chen Ze had served up five portions of Buffet, then went back to the kitchen to continue with the rest.
None of the five servings triggered any special effects, but Chen Ze wasn't focused on that anymore.
Stan took a spoonful and put it in his mouth, the familiar sweetness instantly filling his sense of taste.
Such a familiar yet foreign sensation.
As an Undead, even a powerful Undead Monarch like Stan would lose something, according to the laws of negative planes.
Stan had lost his taste; all food tasted bland in his mouth.
But here, he had rediscovered his sense of taste.
Stan ate with great satisfaction.