Once everyone was seated, Diancie served them each a glass of freshly squeezed juice and a plate of sliced cucumbers and tomatoes.
"We don't have much to offer guests, just these," Diancie said apologetically.
Angie chuckled. "The juice is made from berries given to me by Pokémon around the plateau, and the cucumbers and tomatoes are homegrown. Go ahead and try them!"
"Your Highness, you even grow your own vegetables?" Kimia asked in surprise.
"Of course!" Angie laughed. "Otherwise, where do you think I get the cabbage, radishes, and chives to make dumplings?"
"Then I must have a taste!" Kimia exclaimed.
"Me too!" Raleigh raised his hand eagerly.
The siblings picked up their forks, each sampling a slice of cucumber and tomato.
"Mmm~ Delicious!"
The moment the cucumber (or tomato) touched their tongues, they could tell it was different from the usual kind.
Angie's cucumbers were crisp and tender, with a satisfying "crunch" when bitten. The sweet, refreshing juice felt like a cool summer breeze on their tongues. The tomatoes were equally exceptional: juicy and succulent, with a tangy sweetness that flooded their mouths, like the sweet blush of first love, leaving them wanting more.
The seeds provided by the system produced remarkable vegetables that both humans and Pokémon enjoyed.
Seeing the prince and princess savoring their food, Flamel quietly picked up her fork and began eating too. Before long, her plate was empty.
"Hic~~"
She'd eaten a bit too much and couldn't hold back a little burp. Embarrassed on the inside but determined to keep her cool, she maintained a calm expression.
As long as I'm not embarrassed, then no one else is either, she thought.
Sylveon was enjoying the food as well, happily munching away.
Meanwhile, Raleigh took a big gulp of his juice, but immediately shivered.
"Ahh~~ So sour, so sour!"
He winced, his shoulders scrunched and eyes squeezed shut.
"Hahaha~~" Angie laughed. "This juice is made from wild berries, so it's not as sweet as the cultivated kind. It's best to sip it slowly, not gulp it down."
Taking his advice, Kimia and Flamel each took a cautious sip. Sure enough, the tartness hit them first, making them shiver, but as it faded, a sweet aftertaste followed, unique and refreshing, leaving them wanting another sip.
Of course, wild berries can't compare to those carefully cultivated, but they were an occasional treat.
Angie often received wild berries from the Pokémon, though he only ate them occasionally and mostly used them for cooking. He found the berry juice to be a great seasoning, removing any unpleasant flavors in various dishes.
After tasting the juice, Kimia said, "Your Highness, we came to see you today not just to visit but for something else."
Flamel and Raleigh nodded their heads in agreement.
Kimia then pulled out a card, placing it in front of Angie.
"This card contains one million Pokédollar. It's your allowance for the coming year, and every year from now on, the royal family will deposit funds into your account," Kimia explained.
Angie looked surprised. "Is there such a good thing?"
Kimia laughed, exasperated. "You're part of the royal family—this is expected! Raleigh and I receive an allowance too."
"Not only that, but the royal family will also cover the care expenses for your Pokémon. We've brought a year's supply of food for Diancie, Munchlax, and Komala—it's on the aircraft. This Pokémon food is premium, crafted by the royal family's breeders, and you can't buy it elsewhere."
Angie casually took the bank card. "Since everyone has one, I won't be shy about it."
"There's one more thing," Kimia continued.
"What is it?" Angie asked.
"Your daily marketplace stall has been a major concern for the ministers. They've voiced strong objections, but since you haven't heeded their concerns…" Kimia looked a bit embarrassed, "the king and the ministers have come up with a compromise."
Angie: ()???
"What kind of compromise?" he wondered.
"Please check your resident profile online," Kimia said.
Curious, Angie took out his phone and logged into the League's resident network, only to be stunned when he saw a new property listed under his name—a commercial store.
At the same time, he seemed to faintly hear the system notification of a completed task.
Angie looked at Kimia, who understood his confusion and explained, "The ministers realized they couldn't stop you from doing business, so to save face for the royal family, they funded the purchase of a shop. Now you can continue selling dumplings and buns without being too exposed, preserving the royal family's dignity."
Angie hadn't expected his return to the royal family to come with so many benefits!
"Alright, I understand. Let's do it this way," he agreed readily, not about to turn down a good offer.
Holding the bank card, he suddenly had an idea and pushed it back toward Kimia.
"Your Highness, what are you…?" Kimia looked at Angie in confusion.
"I have an idea," Angie said. "I want to use my allowance to purchase the Nebel Plateau."
In contrast to his past life, the land in the Pokémon world could be bought and sold, though only some parcels were available for purchase; for instance, azoth city land could not be bought or sold.
But the uninhabited Nebel Plateau could.
"One million isn't enough, of course. I'm talking about all my future allowances. Since, thanks to Diancie, I can expect to live a long life, instead of the royal family providing me an allowance every year, they could just give me the Nebel Plateau," Angie suggested.
"This…" Kimia was stunned, completely unprepared for Angie's proposal. "I can't make that decision."
Angie smiled. "Of course. Just return and speak with Edward. He can discuss it with the ministers and decide—I'll await your answer."
"Alright," Kimia sighed, nodding. "But what do you want with the barren Nebel Plateau?"
Although the Nebel Plateau enjoyed spring-like weather year-round, its high-altitude environment made it unsuitable for farming, and it wasn't vast enough to support large-scale livestock, making the purchase seem like a loss.
"I just really like it here!" Angie said with a grin.
"Alright, let's go unload the supplies from the aircraft for Your Highness," Kimia said.
"Sure," Angie agreed, nodding.
They returned to the aircraft and began carrying boxes back home, each filled with various flavors of Pokémon food—Pokeblock, Pokémon cookies—enough to fill a room.
After they'd finished, Angie saw Munchlax eagerly tear open a box, grab a canister of Pokémon cookies, and pour them into its mouth.
"Mmm~ Mmm~~"
After a few bites, it disappointedly set the half-eaten cookie aside.
"Munchlax~~ Munchlax~~"
No, no, it's not as tasty as the food Master and I make together.
Understanding Munchlax's complaint, Diancie couldn't help but chuckle.
Munchlax had never been so picky before. In the past, it would happily munch on even leaves, let alone Pokémon cookies. Angie had certainly spoiled its taste.
After a bit of rest, Kimia said, "Your Highness, take us for a tour."
"Sure," Angie agreed readily. He first took Kimia and the others on a tour of the cottage.
Kimia remarked, "Your Highness, the decor here is like a restaurant. Do you expect guests here?"
Angie smiled and replied, "Yes, the Pokémon on the plateau are my guests!"
Kimia assumed he was joking and thought nothing of it—after all, Pokémon didn't have money, so opening a shop for them would surely mean losing money, down to the last stitch of clothing!
When they reached the flower garden, Raleigh exclaimed in surprise, "Your Highness Angie, are these Gracidea flowers?"
"Raleigh, do you know them? I didn't expect you to be so knowledgeable at such a young age!" Angie praised him.
"Hehe~~" Raleigh scratched his head, embarrassed. "I just read about them in books."
"Oh, he loves burying himself in his room reading all kinds of random books," Kimia said, pretending to scold her younger brother, but her proud tone was hard to miss, and everyone chose not to point it out.
Finally, Angie took them to the vegetable garden.
Seeing the lush, thriving vegetables, Kimia's eyes widened. "Did Your Highness grow all these?"
Looking at the neatly arranged rows of chives, cabbage, bright red tomatoes, heavily laden eggplants, vine-covered beans, and fresh radishes… even Kimia and Flamel, who had never farmed, felt a genuine sense of joy.
Angie laughed, "Not entirely my doing—the Pokémon help, too."
Dugtrio who are hidden under the vegetables' green leaves, heard the voices and slowly poked their heads out to greet Angie. But upon noticing the unfamiliar faces around him, they shrank back in fright.
Angie introduced them with a smile, "Dugtrio are the biggest contributors to the garden, but they're a bit shy, so you won't see them."
Kimia and the others nodded in understanding.
Once Angie and the group had walked a bit farther, Dugtrio cautiously poked their heads back out. They appreciated Angie's praise immensely.
"Dugtrio~"
"Dugtrio"
The brothers exchanged glances, their eyes crinkling with pride.
Knowing their hard work was seen and valued by the boss was something to be proud of and happy about.
When everyone returned inside, Angie saw that it was about time and said, "Let's start making dinner."
Tonight's dinner would be served a bit early to ensure Kimia and the others wouldn't return too late.
"Munchlax~~"
At the mention of dinner, Munchlax spun around in delight.
"Your Highness, do you need any help?" Kimia asked.
"No need, just sit back and relax. I'll cook with Munchlax, and it'll be ready in no time," Angie said, waving them off.
"Well then, we'll just wait for the feast!" Kimia said with a smile.
"I can't wait!" Raleigh added, grinning with anticipation.
Once inside the kitchen, Angie said to Munchlax, "Munchlax, you've been learning with me for so long, how about you try stir-frying the dish today?"
"Munchlax~ Munchlax~"
Munchlax confidently patted its chest, indicating it was up for the challenge.
"Alright, I'm counting on you! I believe in you!" Angie encouraged.
"Munchlax~ Munchlax~"
With even more confidence, Munchlax happily opened the fridge, took out a bunch of vegetables, and brought over its beloved little stool. It began hopping around the stove, busy at work.
"Munchlax~ Munchlax~"
It couldn't help but sing a little tune, mimicking the way Angie often sang while cooking.
Seeing Munchlax working systematically, Angie took out a bucket of grassy goat milk from his system's bag and began his own preparations.
He first used happiness points to buy a sterilization machine from the system store. After pouring the Gogoat's milk into a large bowl, he placed it in the machine for sterilization.
Once the sterilization was complete, Angie started taking out flour and kneading the dough.
Making milk-flavored steamed buns wasn't much different from making regular ones, except that Gogoat's milk had to be added during the kneading process before the dough could rise.
As the buns began steaming, the kitchen was soon filled with a rich, milky aroma.
It smells amazing! Is it really this fragrant?
Angie was even surprised himself. He hadn't expected the fragrance to become so strong just from adding the Gogoat's grassy milk to the dough.
"Your Highness, is it ready? My stomach's already growling," Raleigh poked his head into the kitchen.
As he spent more time with Angie, Raleigh had become less shy.
To be precise, an introverted person is only shy around strangers. Once you're familiar with them, you'll find they're quite lively when among close friends.
"You'll have to wait a bit longer, no rushing," Angie said.
"Alright," Raleigh sighed, retreating his head back out.
A few more minutes passed, and the buns were finally done. Angie eagerly lifted the steamer lid to take one and taste it.
Whoo~ Whoo~~
The steamed buns were too hot to handle right out of the steamer, so Angie had to keep blowing on it. White steam rose from the buns, swirling upwards and making a little circle in the air.
"Munchlax~ Munchlax~"
Master...
Munchlax eagerly waddled over, looking up at Angie with eyes full of longing.
With a smile, Angie split the bun in half and handed one piece to Munchlax.
"Munchlax~~"
Thank you, Master!
(￣▽￣)~
Munchlax held the half-bun with both hands, squinting its eyes into a small line.
"Ah-wooo~~"
Munchlax swallowed the half-bun in one gulp, then cupped its cheeks and chewed slowly.
The soft, fluffy texture of the bun felt like smooth silk as it moved across its mouth, making Munchlax shiver in delight.
After swallowing the bun, a surge of energy suddenly flowed through it, like countless small hands gently caressing Munchlax's body, or the sensation of being patted on the back by a mother to lull you to sleep when you were an infant.
Even Munchlax, usually slow to notice, could tell there was something different about this bun after it had been upgraded to the milk-flavored variety.
"Munchlax~ Munchlax~~"
Excited, Munchlax opened its mouth to call out, wanting to share its feelings with Angie.
However, after eating the bun, Angie didn't feel anything particularly special beyond it tasting good and couldn't understand what Munchlax was saying.
"Alright, alright, I know it's delicious. Wait a bit longer, and I'll make sure you get plenty to eat at dinner."
Angie thought Munchlax was just craving more food.