Chapter 154: A Chef Must Taste His Creation
"Thank you, Lord Peng Ting." The nineteen people who were about to receive a bucket of Garlic Butter and Herb Popcorn for free bowed in his direction with respect.
Peng Ting dismissively waved his hand, "This Lord felt like being generous today. That is all. Now, don't bother this Lord."
He then tossed a handful of popcorn into his mouth with a skeptical expression. However, as the popcorn touched his tongue, and subsequently, his teeth bit into it, his eyes widened in surprise and delight. The flavors were exquisite and perfectly balanced. Furthermore, he felt his Mana Pool increased.
'How is that possible? Did only my Mana Pool increase, or did everyone? But why didn't they say something?' Peng Ting wondered as he looked at the Mages with buckets in their hands. Due to his Bone Tempering Realm Mage Rank, he expected none of them to sense he was spying on them. However, he quickly realized his error. The group the vendor came with all shot him a glare.
Not everyone could remain indifferent when they found out they were being spied on.
Peng Ting nervously gulped and gave them an apologetic, stiff smile before returning to eating the popcorn. As he returned to the rich and fragrant world filled with fluffy popcorn, his mind drifted to what he had discovered when he had used his Mana Sense. Except for the vendor's group, the others all had dazed expressions.
He deduced they had all been dominated by the wonderful flavors, resulting in them not being able to sense their Mana Pools had increased.
After Lily used her Mana Sense to count the Gold Coins, she placed them in her Spatial Ring and continued handing the buckets of popcorn to the Mages, who had ordered.
However, when Lily returned to grab the last two buckets of Garlic Butter and Herb Popcorn, she became confused when she saw the countertop was empty.
Seeing Lily's head titled, an obvious sign Lucian became aware of whenever she was confused, he pointed beside the gas stove and explained, "These two buckets are for us."
"Ehh." Lily's eyes widened as she licked her lips. [But Lily has already eaten. And these buckets are for the old white-haired Hobgoblin and the burly middle-aged Human man.]
[So, what? I made the popcorn.] Lucian shrugged. [If they want to taste the popcorn, they will have to travel to my restaurant.]
Lucian then continued after handing Lily the bucket, [Anyways, as the chef and creator of this dish, I, of course, have to try it. Also, I can tell you're still hungry. … But if you don't want it, I'm more than happy to take it off your hands.]
[No way~! This is Lily's~!] Lily giggled cutely as her eyes narrowed into crescents. Of course, she would not say no to such delicious food.
Without saying another word, Lily tossed the popcorn into her mouth.
As for Lucian, he placed his bucket into his Inventory. The memories he received about the Garlic Butter and Herb Popcorn stated the dish could only be made and eaten on special occasions. Therefore, he would eat the popcorn after entering the Wang Family Manor while watching the show they would put on.
Lucian did not prefer mellow dramatic movies, but just this time, he would make an exception.
"Hey! Why are you eating my popcorn? What kind of waitress are you?"
"That's right! And you, vendor, take the bucket out of your Spatial Ring. Lord Peng Ting paid good money for them. They are for us! Not for you!"
When the old white-haired Hobgoblin and the burly middle-aged man saw what happened to their Garlic Butter and Herb Popcorn their eager expression turned into anger. They had been patiently waiting for their turn, but who would have thought their buckets would be taken away by the vendor and waitress?
They were outraged and shouted.
However, their words and expressions did not cause a change in Lucian's indifferent expression.
"It is true Lord Peng Ting paid 1500 Gold Coins and you two were one of the nineteen people who ordered the popcorn. However, unfortunate as it may be, you both will have to travel to my restaurant Transcendence located in the Moon Grove Forest and Harmony City."
Lucian then turned in the direction of Peng Ting and said with a smile that was anything but sincere, "Thank you for paying for us."
Peng Ting's body shook as a result of Lucian's shameless actions and words.
Lily, who had been eating the popcorn, giggled. She was well aware of her Big Brother Lucian's personality. She, just like him, was mischievous. Therefore, she bowed in Peng Ting's direction and also said, "Thank you, Lord Peng Ting! You are truly a generous Lord!"
*Pop*
*Pop*
*Pop*
'...' Blood rushed straight to Peng Ting's head and veins popped one after the other across his face, an obvious sign of how irritated he was by the duo.
Today, he not only suffered an immense loss to his dignity and reputation, but he also lost a great deal of his wealth.
He really could not stand seeing and hearing the duo's antics anymore, so he decisively shut off all of his senses with Mana. Only then, he released a much-needed breath out of his mouth and nose.
James, Fenwick, and the members of Lion's Liver shook their heads as they watched the interaction unfold.
[They are like two peas in a pod.] Fenwick said after a while, which was followed by nods of agreement from the others.
Peng Ting felt much better. He felt at peace as he silently swore he would take revenge against the duo.
'Transcendence… Moon Grove Forest… Harmony City. This Lord Peng will remember the humiliation he has suffered today and will repay it a hundred times over.' Enjoy exclusive content from empire
Lucian sighed after seeing Peng Ting had closed off his senses.
"He's no fun."
Lily nodded and pouted. "No fun at all. Let's go Big Brother Lucian, the line is starting to move."
With that, Lily and Lucian re-entered the queue. Surprisingly, no one argued anything about them queue jumping. It was unknown if they did not care or if they were still too dazed by the Garlic Butter and Herb Popcorn. Either way, they would not complain.