While Chen was convincing himself of something, sumptuous dishes were placed on the table by the mansion's servants. They filled the table with life and color while releasing a delicious aroma that made Chen's stomach roar loudly, pulling him out of his thoughts.
(IMPOSSIBLE!!!!)
Despite the embarrassment Chen felt from the roar his stomach had let out, the shock of seeing the dishes on the table was immensely greater. On the table were items like Ancient Sage Beans, Golden Deer Chop, Ethereal Tree Risotto, and more delicacies that were incredibly rare and costly—so much so that a family like his could only afford a feast like this on a very special occasion, and even then, they wouldn't have such a varied collection of delicacies.
As if nothing were happening, evidently accustomed to excessive luxury, Erik began to eat with a cheerful smile on his face, occasionally feeding the wolves eagerly waiting at his sides, now each nearly a meter tall and wagging their tails rapidly.
Meanwhile, Eleonora and Sigrún took small bites from their plates with great elegance and delicacy, a display of their high status. Chen, on the other hand, didn't even dare to touch the food—it was simply too luxurious for a casual visit, prompting Eleonora to comment with a small smile.
"Chen Ming, you may eat with confidence."
"Thank you very much, Master Silverwood; it's just that I'm a little overwhelmed by the high quality of the food." Chen replied respectfully, visibly uncomfortable, which inevitably caught Erik's attention.
"Is this very expensive?"
Erik commented, a bit surprised, as he pointed to a juicy Galaxcero steak—a magical animal resembling a deer, incredibly rare, and only found on a very dangerous planet near the center of the galaxy. It had impressive properties, but the most renowned was the enormous amount of mana in its meat, far exceeding that of a common illuminated-level pill or potion, while being so tender that it could be consumed by an Initiate.
"This food is quite impressive..."
Chen wanted to explain to Erik how extraordinary the food they were eating was, knowing full well that common sense was not one of Erik's strengths—the guy seemed good at everything else—but his words stopped cold when he received a 'casual' look from Sigrún. After a moment, he could only speak while trying to appear calm, though cold sweat covered his entire back.
"... Though for someone at your masters' level, it's nothing."
"I see, I thought this meat was particularly juicy..."
Full of curiosity, Erik commented casually as he poked at the meat with a fork, while Chen tried to make himself as small as possible in his chair. He was overwhelmed by the terrifying pressure from Sigrún and Eleonora, who were both looking at him with slightly kind smiles on their beautiful faces.
"Young master, you shouldn't play with your food like that." Seraphina 'reprimanded' Erik with a serious tone, as he had stopped eating and was now inspecting each dish with curiosity.
"It's just that I want to know what makes this food special, Seraphina. Chen's family is wealthy, so for him to be surprised, it must be very rare, and I want to see what makes it special." Without stopping what he was doing, Erik commented casually. At that moment, Eleonora spoke with a small smile.
"Your cookies are more expensive, so don't worry about that; just keep eating."
"That makes sense..." Visibly surprised, Erik remarked as he looked at his beautiful, golden-eyed master.
After that, Erik resumed eating as before, while Chen wondered if the thing about the cookies was true. Now that he had seen the luxurious way Erik ate, it wouldn't surprise him at all, especially since he was well acquainted with the star-haired young man's obsession with those cookies.
Whenever Chen was with Erik, it was common for the star-haired young man to pull out a cookie out of nowhere and eat it, regardless of the situation. Moreover, those cookies looked exquisite and were loaded with mana, which made Chen curious to try them from the moment he saw them for the first time. The problem was that Erik treasured them like they were gold and had never let Chen taste even one.
After a while, and not wanting to anger the youngest Masters-level in history any further, Chen started eating with the elegance and grace befitting his status, savoring the incredible taste and the abundant mana flowing through his body. Despite the delightful aftertaste, he focused on nourishing his dantian and his body.
About 40 minutes later, Chen stopped eating, feeling tired and incredibly satisfied, with so much mana coursing through his body that even one more bite might have made him explode. He turned to see Erik eating leisurely while sharing his food with the animals around him.
(Damn monster... How the hell can he handle so much mana being only an Ascended?)
Watching Erik eat cheerfully, Chen could only smile wryly before slightly shaking his head and turning to address the distinguished Masters who were chatting calmly among themselves.
"Thank you very much for the meal, Master Eldurdóttir, Master Silverwood. It was incredibly delicious and nutritious."
"Fufufu, it's good that you enjoyed it. You should come another day to eat." Eleonora commented with a small smile, elegantly covering her mouth with one of her hands.
"Yes, a friend of Erik's is always welcome in this house." Sigrún added with an elegant smile.
"It is a great honor for me, Master Eldurdóttir, Master Silverwood." Upon hearing the generous invitation, Chen quickly stood up from his chair and bowed respectfully to formally express his gratitude.
While Chen was exhilarated by the warm welcome from two of the most important Masters in the galaxy, Erik gave his masters a blank look and immediately proceeded to ignore them and continue eating, causing a small smile from Seraphina.
Though Erik wasn't particularly bothered by Chen visiting the mansion, he really didn't like having guests much. For one thing, despite what his masters said, it wasn't his house, which made living there a bit uncomfortable for him—although he would never dare say it aloud again, as doing so had already caused a big argument with his masters. The point was that if it was already uncomfortable for him to be there himself, bringing a 'friend' was crossing a line.
On the other hand, there was the fact that even though Erik was fully aware that he was talented in several areas that might interest some people. He was even more aware of the relevance of his Masters in the grand scheme of things. Especially within the Arcane Order. Thus, he tried to keep Chen at a distance that he considered 'healthy' from them in order to send a message. After all, when the cheese is on the table, the rats are the first to appear.
After some time, Erik finished eating, leaving every plate served to him completely clean, which greatly surprised Chen, who watched in disbelief as the attendants collected the plates. At this point, the two wolves ran off to have their own meal—huge pieces of premium meat.
"Well, it was a pleasure to meet you, Chen Ming. We'll leave you to study; we can have tea in the garden later." Sigrún commented with a small smile and an elegant tone as everyone stood up from the table.
"That would be a pleasure, Master Eldurdóttir." Chen quickly responded in a respectful tone with a slight bow, at which point Eleonora added in a tone similar to Sigrún's.
"Fufufu, well then, we'll leave you. Have a productive study session."
After the two women left the room, Erik headed to one of the mansion's studies, followed by Chen, Seraphina, and the wolves, with Ebonique and Ignis on his shoulders, which surprised Chen a little once again. It was quite rare for a spirit to be so close to someone other than their contractor, but then again, the star-haired young man was damn weird, so it was just another peculiarity for the list.
Once in the beautiful study, Erik sat at a gorgeous black wooden desk adorned with intricate carved runes, while looking at the curious Chen. He was glancing around with eyes full of appreciation for the elegant and luxurious setting of the place. This was worlds apart from his study at the university—even his study back on his home planet wasn't this good.
"So, what are the matrices you're having trouble with?"
Hearing the question, Chen sat across from Erik and placed several magical scrolls pulsating with powerful mana on the desk, then explained seriously—wanting to convey the importance of these scrolls to his future well-being. After all, he could end up crippled after the beating his father would give him if he couldn't master them.
"There are three arrays—one for defense, one for isolation, and one for illusion. They're supposed to be not that complex, but for some reason, I can't successfully deploy them, and no matter where I look, I can't figure out why I'm failing."
Nodding in understanding, Erik took the scrolls and began reading them while Seraphina placed two beautiful porcelain cups with exquisite engraved details on the desk, pouring herbal tea that emitted a soft, captivating aroma, which surprised Chen a little.
(Is that Lavender Tears tea?!)
Without paying attention to Chen's stunned expression, Seraphina, with an elegant smile on her face, offered the cup to the young man from the Lotus Union, who looked at the cup speechless. But after a small sigh, he took a sip of the magical tea, a trace of anticipation filling him.
As the tea passed through his mouth, Chen felt his mind calm and achieve incredible clarity, so he decided to take advantage of the opportunity and began thinking of solutions to the problems he had encountered during his training—maybe even find his error with the matrices.
While carefully reading the scrolls, Erik took a sip of the tea, but upon tasting it, he stopped reading and looked at Seraphina, asking a bit confusedly.
"Lavender?"
"Yes, there's a new harvest, and it arrived just a while ago." Seraphina responded with a small smile on her face while holding the tray she had brought the tea on against her chest. Erik nodded in understanding.
"I see... it's good."
"It's a pleasure to serve you." Seraphina smiled cheerfully and bowed elegantly before leaving the room with a small smile on her face.