Alisa watched Chen Ze in silence. She had just taken a bite of something called a "chive pocket" when this strange shop owner suddenly remarked, "That's really delicious."
What sort of peculiar custom was this? Could it be that this place called Dream Restaurant had a habit of providing voice-overs for their customers?
Chen Ze scratched his head awkwardly, having just wanted to say "That's really delicious", he didn't expect it to actually slip out.
After giving Chen Ze a glance, Alisa continued to eat her chive pocket.
She had never eaten such food before, and compared to the dishes she was accustomed to, this one had a more unique flavor.
But...
"The ingredients are too low-grade, the oil temperature too high, and the outer skin is slightly burnt. Moreover, the filling inside makes me feel as if I am eating..."
"Like a group of elves emerging from a decrepit and dirty castle."
Chen Ze looked at Alisa with a puzzled expression; he really hadn't expected this person to say so much.
"You have made a barely passable chive pocket." This was the best evaluation Chen Ze had received so far.
But it seemed as if Alisa was not quite satisfied, and she even pointed out the shortcomings of the dish's preparation process.
Though her words seemed picky, Alisa quickly finished the entire chive pocket.
"Your dish isn't very good, but since I finished it all, how much do I owe you?" Alisa drew a handkerchief from her bosom and slowly wiped her mouth.
Chen Ze hesitated for a moment; the chive pockets didn't cost much to make, and the old man at the morning market sold tastier ones for just 1.5 RMB each.
However, this girl seemed to have some unique insights into eating, perhaps...
"Could you share your thoughts on this dish? What other flaws does it have?" Chen Ze felt that rather than accepting unknown currency from the otherworld, he might as well improve his cooking skills first.
Alisa raised an eyebrow, as it was the first time a chef had asked her this question.
"Flaws? There are many: the oil temperature is too high, the ingredients are poor, the outer skin is a bit burnt, the filling is slightly undercooked, and it gets quite boring after a few bites," said Alisa, listing many issues, which Chen Ze noted down in his phone's notepad.
"Moreover, this... chive pocket? It doesn't taste like a dish, but more like something akin to bread." Alisa concluded in the end.
Chen Ze nodded in agreement, as chive pockets indeed shouldn't be treated like a normal dish, but more like a type of bread.
"I hope next time I come, you can make a better dish," said Alisa as she opened the door and left Dream Restaurant.
Chen Ze watched the wooden door of the restaurant in silence, realizing he might have gotten a bit carried away.
With the System and those two dragons' approval of Chen Ze's culinary skills, he had indeed become a bit swollen-headed.
"Taking these otherworldly guests for simpletons... it's me who's the real simpleton, isn't it?" Chen Ze slapped his own face, acknowledging that now was not the time to be conceited.
"Tsk, I always thought I could captivate otherworldly customers with very ordinary dishes and fancied making a fortune with instant noodles; I was just too naïve." Chen Ze shook his head and once again dived into the kitchen; he was determined to continue improving his culinary skills.
Alisa looked at the door that appeared from nowhere, as it slowly vanished into thin air, unsure of what to say.
"Such mastery of magic... Even Lord Andrew, who once served as my father's chief magician, couldn't have achieved that," Alisa thought of the old man with a long white beard.
"Right... my father has already..." Alisa's eyes regained a hint of lucidity, but a severe headache interrupted her recollection.
"It hurts... What happened? Father should have gone to inspect the territory, I better wait at home for him," Alisa looked out the window, hopeful.
––Chen Ze's cooking skill improvement dividing line––
Chen Ze exhaled, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and looked proudly at the dish in front of him.
[You have made a regular serving of chive pockets, noodle making experience has increased by 5 points]
[You have gained a new passive effect]
[Noodle Beginner: The speed of making noodle dishes has increased by 1 point]
Another string of characters, but Chen Ze had already gotten used to this kind of display.
"What does it mean for the making speed to increase by one point?" Chen Ze was slightly confused, he had thought that it would be an effect similar to that of Dessert Novice.
But unexpectedly, he got a speed increase effect, and it seemed to him that an increase by one point was not really useful at all.
Chen Ze pulled out his phone and glanced at it, making the chive pockets had taken about 10 minutes, and he decided to make another serving.
Before long, Chen Ze finished making it again, and because of the familiarity he had gained, it only took him 8 minutes this time to make a serving of chive pockets.
Chen Ze shook his head; it was incomparable, proficiency could also increase the speed of cooking, so he couldn't really see how much the Noodle Beginner had increased.
"But having it is better than not," Chen Ze contently turned off the kitchen lights and went back to the restaurant to lock the door.
Although locking the door was pointless, those otherworldly guests would still come, and he had no idea how they managed to get in.
It could be the power of magic, perhaps? Chen Ze took out the slab engraved with a magic circle and examined it for a while.
After all, as a normal person, Chen Ze was very interested in supernatural powers like magic.
When he was younger, Chen Ze had also fantasized about possessing magical powers, about sleeping in until just before class, then stepping out and teleporting to the classroom.
"Thinking about it now, I was really naive!" Chen Ze chuckled ruefully, rubbing his face. To possess magic and just think about not being late for class?
If it were the present Chen Ze, he'd probably be entirely focused on making money.
"Hmm... I feel like I've forgotten something?"
"Right, that place is an otherworld, there must be some exotic ingredients there, right? Maybe I could trade with the guests to get some ingredients from there," Chen Ze happily slapped his thigh.
After all, he listened to that female guest today; she had eaten something like Golden Awn Grass roasted Dragon Meat. When Chen Ze used to go out to eat with his roommates, he saw an introduction in a donkey meat restaurant that mentioned 'dragon meat in the sky, donkey meat on the ground,' and he was very curious to try it once.
Now, Chen Ze was very curious about what Dragon Meat would taste like. Would it be crunchy? Or would one bite prolong life?
And what was Golden Awn Grass? To be served with Dragon Meat, it must also be a precious and valuable ingredient.
Thinking of this, Chen Ze couldn't help swallowing his saliva.
"Hmm... maybe the next time those two dragons come, I could..." Chen Ze shook his head vigorously; he didn't want to court death.