Universe Infinite Canteen

Due to the Female Sorceress joining, today's restaurant closed earlier than usual.

Ma Lu glanced at the time—it wasn't even 8 PM yet, and there was still about an hour and a half until the meeting time agreed upon in the mystic phone call.

However, Pentagon Pavilion Park is some distance from the Universe Infinite Canteen. Leaving a bit early might also prevent delays due to traffic.

On the phone, Lao Hei had emphatically requested he come alone, Ma Lu naturally wasn't planning to comply without question, but he still had to make it appear as if he would.

His plan was to drive there with the Wandering Sorcerer, then have the Female Sorceress get out of the car near the park and hide, while he went to meet Lao Hei by himself.

If all went smoothly, there would be no need for the Wandering Sorcerer to show herself, and if any unforeseen dangers arose that he couldn't manage, the Female Sorceress could still come to the rescue. With this plan, nothing could go wrong.

After hearing Ma Lu's plan, the Wandering Sorcerer said, "There's no need for such trouble; I can simply fly there."

"I know you can fly, but my car has heating and seat massages. Besides, we still have plenty of time, and arriving too early would mean having to wait."

"Alright then," she agreed.

"Also, we need to establish a secret signal. If I need your help, I will say the signal," Ma Lu explained.

"What will the signal be?"

"Hmm, let me think... How about this week's special dish—the Sunset Pot? "

"Okay," the Female Sorceress had no objections.

Ma Lu then took out a Collection Bag, taking samples of several types of meat that were overflowing from the Desktop Farm, and after thinking a bit, he also included the salted meat and ham Old Wang had prepared during his spare time.

He also didn't forget to bring the Black Hole and those Treasure Beads given by the Valkyrie People.

After making sure nothing was left behind, Ma Lu and the Female Sorceress got into the ES8 parked outside.

Ma Lu had already used his phone to turn on the car's heater, seat and steering wheel heating systems, so it was comfortably warm inside. Your journey continues at empire

The two of them followed the GPS towards Pentagon Pavilion Park.

Along the way, Ma Lu also turned on the massage, music, and fragrance systems in the car, and said to the Wandering Sorcerer beside him, "You see, taking it slow has its advantages, right?"

"I could accomplish these with a spell," she responded.

"Uh… right."

"But you're right; going slow does have its perks. However, my mentor always taught me that the Wandering Sorcerer race should not indulge in material desires. Although, from my perspective, she was too harsh on herself. Yet, as the most powerful being ever known in the Wandering Sorcerer race, her words do carry some weight.

"Sadly, as her disciple, I've never been able to meet her expectations." The Female Sorceress looked out the car window and sighed.

"How did you become a Wandering Sorceress?" Ma Lu asked curiously.

"I… happened to witness my mentor fighting with Hell Creatures, and then she asked if I wanted to erase that memory and continue living in the Royal Orphanage, or if I wanted to become her disciple and wander with her across different planes.

"I chose the latter, but back then, I didn't fully understand what that decision meant. I merely wanted to change my fate desperately and yearned to leave that depressingly stagnant place. So, when the opportunity presented itself, I grabbed it."

"Do you regret it now?" Ma Lu drove into the roundabout ahead and exited at the second exit.

"I wouldn't say I regret it, actually, I quite like my current life, being able to save many planes of the universe and help a lot of people. The only issue is having to find a new place to stay every time I go somewhere, and often being so busy that I can't manage to eat well, resorting to convenience stores for all three meals."

"That's not good, no matter how busy you are, you need to eat well."

"But my mentor, she..."

"Your mentor sounds like an impressive person, it's a pity I don't know her or haven't heard of her feats, but I know you," Ma Lu said, "You're the type who needs delicious food to have the energy to work hard, so eating well is quite important for you.

"Last time you couldn't catch that Red Little Devil because you were hungry, and after having a good meal at my place, you easily resolved that issue. So, eating is not just a pleasure for you, but a necessary precondition for doing your job well."

"Wow, saying it like that really lessens my guilt about indulging myself."

The Wandering Sorcerer then closed his eyes and completely relaxed his body.

An hour later, the vehicle reached its destination.

Ma Lu found a nearby parking lot, parked the ES8, and turned around to find that the Female Sorceress was no longer in the passenger seat; then, he got out of the vehicle carrying the groceries.

By then, there were still 22 minutes left until the scheduled meeting time.

Pentagon Pavilion Park was a small park, covering only about 300 acres, and it could be walked around in just half an hour, but it had three entrances: north, south, and west.

The mysterious person suspected to be Lao Hei did not specify which gate to meet at, so Ma Lu began to stroll around the park.

The park did not charge admission, and it wasn't locked at night, but probably to save on operating costs, there were only a few lights installed, leaving most areas pitch-dark.

Contrary to Ma Lu's expectation, there were quite a few people, mostly local residents, predominantly elderly men and women. Ma Lu had not gone far before he came across several groups of elderly ladies dancing in the square.

Later, he also saw a group of old men using long whips to spin tops, the whipping creating crackling booming sounds.

Among them, an old man surnamed Zheng was the best, first twirling his whip in the air for a couple of turns and then striking fiercely, while cheering himself on with vocalizations like 'Heh' and 'Deh'.

He also had a close friend surnamed Ge, who was quite good as well, still able to jump up and whip despite his age, which showed he was still quite robust.

While whipping, he became excited, "Come on, Old Zheng, let's see who can last longer today!"

Not far from them, a figure was hanging from a tree.

Initially, Ma Lu was startled, thinking he had stumbled upon a crime scene, until he took a closer look and realized it was just another fitness enthusiast, albeit with quite a unique method of exercising.

Although he was suspended in mid-air, he appeared tranquil, still practicing his Cloud Walking.

Further on, Ma Lu encountered a young couple cuddling in a bamboo grove, looking like they might still be in middle school, making him wonder if they had finished their homework for the day.

Unknowingly, Ma Lu had toured most of the park, but apart from himself, he hadn't seen another suspicious individual.

Moreover, there was now less than half a minute left until 9:20.

Ma Lu stopped wandering and just stood still in one spot.

He simply waited for the remaining time to pass, but nothing happened.