Shrimp Potstickers

Early in the morning, the dusty Professor Derick arrived at Misty Town with his two students. Lusen, Ina, and the black cat were having breakfast. On the table, there were potato pancakes, three soufflés, a plate of shrimp potstickers, and a glass of strawberry milk for each person.

"No milk for the cat~" Seeing the black cat staring at her glass, Ina placed her hand on top of it, tapping the cat's head to warn it.

"Who said I wanted it?" The black cat, Elvys, muttered, lowering his head to eat the shrimp potstickers on his plate. He pulled apart the slightly burnt skin, biting into the shrimp inside. wow quite delicious!!!

Seeing the black cat meow and lower its head, no longer eyeing her strawberry milk, Ina thought, this really was a cat that could understand human speech.

Suddenly, Lusen looked up, swallowing the soufflé in his mouth and listening intently. A faint "clip-clop" sound could be heard.

"It seems Professor Derick has arrived."

Ina looked at Lusen, puzzled.

Lusen explained, "That's the sound of Professor Derrick's undead horse walking."

"I almost forgot your teacher is a necromancer. Could you ask him to help me find out what's going on with this black cat? Is it an undead cat?" Ina reached her hand into the black cat's fluffy belly and felt that it was cold.

How could a cat not be warm and cuddly?

The black cat snarled angrily, pushing its plate away with its paw, turning its butt toward Ina, and continuing to eat.

Although the black cat's origin was mysterious, and neither the lizard nor The Goldfinch had heard of such a cat in the Midnight Swamp, Ina still treated it like an ordinary kitten. Even intelligent magical beasts like lizards were quite simple-minded, let alone this seemingly not-so-smart fellow. If left outside, it might eat intoxicating fruits and pass out today, and perhaps sneak into someone's house to steal and get beaten up tomorrow. As Ina thought about this, she reached out and pressed down on the unconsciously wagging tip of the black cat's tail. So cute~

The black cat's back stiffened for a moment before it swiftly withdrew its tail.

Even cuter~ Ina's eyes sparkled with Excitement.

The "clip-clop" sound got closer. Lusen quickly finished his soufflé and went to the door to greet his mentor.

Professor Derick rode his undead horse leisurely. The horse was tall and imposing, with blue soul fire burning in its empty eye sockets. It snorted, exhaling a puff of black fog from its nostrils. It looked very impressive, but Ina finally understood why its noise was so loud - it could be heard almost a block away.

The undead horse's four legs were of different lengths! To be precise, one of its front legs was exceptionally long. Lusen explained as if it were completely normal, "This horse is one of Professor Derick's early works when he started learning necromancy. At the time, his teacher asked him to piece together an animal from a pile of bones. Professor Derick chose the wrong front leg, and so we have this undead horse. To commemorate this mistake, he has kept the horse ever since."

Professor Derick must be quite strict with himself. Ina watched as the professor's face jiggled from the bumpy ride and silently prayed for his buttocks.

It wasn't until the undead horse brought Professor Derick to the restaurant door that Ina noticed the two students following behind him.

Lusen didn't understand why Ina was desperately trying to suppress her laughter. He stepped forward and greeted, "Long time no see, Professor."

Professor Derick's gaze swept over him, making sure his student was unharmed, with no missing limbs, curses, or torment. Finally, he spoke, "Lusen, have you enjoyed your time here?"

Lusen scratched his head in confusion, "Professor, why are you speaking in Old Xigman?" Old Xigman was an extinct ancient language used in many old potion books, which made it a required language for potion studies.

Of course, it was to make sure you weren't being coerced, you silly boy!

Ina leaned against the doorframe and casually said, "If the professor is worried, he can ask me directly if I've done anything to his student."

The boss can speak Old Xigman too! Lusen stood between the two, feeling the tension between them.

"I'm asking you, Lusen. Answer my question." Professor Derick switched to another language that Lusen only roughly understood, so he stuttered in response, "I, here... uh, the boss, good person..."

"He's doing well here, and the boss is a good person," Ina kindly helped Lusen explain. Lusen nodded vigorously, admiring Ina for her extensive knowledge of languages.

Professor Derick's eyes flicked to Ina, "***…"

Lusen stared at his mentor with wide eyes, "What are you saying, Professor? I don't understand!"

Ina interjected, "You mentioned that the communication was intermittent, so of course, there was a misunderstanding."

The conversation between the two was encrypted, and Lusen couldn't understand a single word. He looked at his mentor, then at Ina, confused. Weren't they asking him questions?

Professor Derick's gaze at Ina now held an extra hint of admiration, and indeed, a knowledgeable professional who was proficient in many languages deserved respect. He dismounted and introduced himself, "Good morning, miss. I'm Lusen's teacher, Derick. I am grateful for your care of Lusen during this time."

Ina, who had used a cheat translator, showed no embarrassment, "It's nothing. Lusen has also helped me a lot. Please allow me to invite you for breakfast."

The three of them entered the restaurant, and under Ina's guidance, Lusen diligently served the food. Upon seeing the dishes being served, Professor Derick visibly relaxed.

Ina smiled, "Since I took over the Dragon Flame Restaurant, you don't have to worry about the quality of the dishes."

The group enjoyed their breakfast harmoniously, with no sign of the previous tense atmosphere. Just as Professor Derick's gaze happened to land on the black cat, Ina seized the opportunity to ask him a question.

"It is full of flesh and blood, not belonging to the undead category. It could be a mutated zombie cat."

Is that so? Ina hesitated as she glanced at the black cat.

The black cat, furious, rushed up and kicked at Professor Derick's face, "I provide you with so much funding every year, just for you to identify me, the Duke, as a zombie?!"

Professor Derick skillfully dodged the attack. He commented, "As you can see, this zombie cat might still possess some intelligence, but it's not that smart."

Ina agreed with this statement, as the black cat had been focused on one thing since its arrival at the restaurant: trying to sneak into the kitchen, only to be thrown out each time. It was obviously a gluttonous and foolish cat. She picked up the still-angry black cat to prevent it from turning Professor Derick's mage robe into tassels.

Elvys (the black cat): You're not that smart! Your whole family is not that smart!

———

Lusen finally reunited with Professor Derick, and his part-time job at the Dragon Flame Restaurant was about to end.

He approached Ina, "Thank you for your care during this time, Miss Ina. I've discussed this with the professor, and we'll set off for the Midnight Swamp tomorrow. Dusì may not be able to handle everything alone, so I'll stay at the restaurant today. You should find the next waiter as soon as possible."

Ina nodded, "Don't worry, I already have someone in mind."

Professor Derick took his two students to rest in the residential area. Taking advantage of Lusen's remaining time, Ina hurriedly asked a question that had been on her mind for a long time. She figured that Lusen, who was experienced and had traveled the continent with his mentor, would know the answer.

"Where can I find the cheapest food?"

"Of course, it's in Duke Elvys's territory, Nelanka. Half of the empire's wheat comes from there," Lusen answered without hesitation.

Ina had heard of this duke, who seemed to be the actual ruler of the Silver Empire. It was normal for him to control the power of the entire empire and maintain prosperity in his domain.

"It's said that when the empire was first established, none of the nobles wanted Nelanka as their fief. Although it was vast, the land was barren and littered with stones. So Duke Elvys chose this land. Although his handling of many affairs is controversial, he was quite selfless in this regard."

The black cat curled up nearby, and twitched its ears: That's not exactly the case; the main reason was that this land was the largest.

"How does Nelanka produce so much food now?" Ina's interest was piqued, and she listened attentively.

"When the Silver Empire was first established, public security was poor, and thieves and robbers were everywhere. The nobles of the old empire and their subordinates filled the prisons, causing the imperial capital's prisons to be overcrowded. Duke Elvis then built the largest prison in the empire in Nelanka and sent all those criminals to reclaim the land."

"During the day, humans, beastmen, and dwarves worked, while vampires worked at night. In less than ten years, Nelanka's food was sold throughout the empire," Lusen's mouth curled into a smile. "All criminals are sent to Nelanka prison. They probably don't even know how suited they are for farming. When crops need pollination, mages use their Wind Magic; during droughts, they use Rain Magic; and when the wheat is ripe, warriors wield custom-made, giant scythes to harvest, even faster than ten farmers combined!"

Ina was impressed: this efficient use of resources was indeed worth learning from.

Should she open a branch in Nelanka?

Nelanka belonged to the Silver Empire, as did Misty Town, while the Frozen Wasteland didn't seem to belong to any country. There were many other countries on the continent; maybe she should visit them.

Lusen shook his head repeatedly and carefully explained the current continental situation to Ina: "The Western Continent is made up of dozens of small countries that emerged from the split of the Cretan Empire. The situation is unstable, with frequent conflicts and small-scale wars between the countries. The Orlan Empire is stable and long-standing, but they worship the God of Light and are not very friendly towards unconventional professionals like you... or us." Due to Derick's identity as a necromancer, Lusen had never stepped foot in the Orlan Empire, but the rumors he heard were detailed enough to dissuade Ina from opening her restaurant there, as the church would surely see her as a heretic.

Lusen lowered his voice and whispered, "I heard that the last queen of the Orlan Empire was burned to death for being discovered to have non-human blood..."

Ina sighed, missing the history she knew well, "A long time ago, but not too long, just over three hundred years ago, the Orlan Empire also worshipped the God of Light. But their doctrine was more relaxed, and even necromancers could walk the streets of the capital, as long as they didn't openly use necromancy."

Back then, gamers were keen on challenging guards with various dark magics, competing to see who could escape the pursuit.

She continued, "At that time, I had never heard of a strange place like the Midnight Swamp."

Logically, if there were a place shrouded in fog year-round with precious magical beasts and spiritual plants, it would definitely be explored by players. But Ina had never heard of it. There was only one explanation: the Midnight Swamp suddenly appeared during the three hundred years she missed. What could have caused such a drastic change in such a vast area?

"I think I can explain this issue to Miss Ina." A silver-haired man entered the restaurant.