Chapter 346: Emotional intelligence and generosity

It had to be admitted that Holake's timing was quite subtle.

A little earlier, Xia Nan and others were still collecting honey in the forest nearby;

A little later, they might have already finished dinner.

Being in such a situation where several people had just returned to the camp with the Anvil Bee hive and hadn't even had time to process it... it was hard not to suspect whether the other party knew their whereabouts in advance and specially chose this time point.

However, considering that Solting left the camp alone at that time, besides Margaret and Xia Nan, no one else in the caravan team had mentioned anything related to the "Anvil Bee hive."

With the perception ability of several of the strongest adventurers in their team, there was no possibility of anyone following and peeping.

So in all likelihood, it was really just a coincidence.

At least Xia Nan didn't discover anything strange from the other party's expression and performance.

"Good evening! My young friends!"

"In the night deep in this wilderness, if there were only starlight for company, it would be too boring!"

Holake walked at the front of the team, and before entering their small camp, he was already greeting them from afar with a smile.

After seven days of getting along, this wealthy merchant, compared to the luxurious and extravagant aristocratic style of treating the caravan's long journey as an outing in the first impression, appeared quite thoughtful and generous in his daily conduct.

Not to mention the few adventurers specially hired by the caravan, even the few servants specially serving the caravan team members, he had never seen Holake scold them to their faces.

Even if team members occasionally did something wrong, he always maintained a very peaceful state, and the scolding was done more by the assistant steward following behind him—Xia Nan guessed that it was to play the role of a "red face" and a "white face."

He was also quite atmospheric in giving rewards, often giving praise and rewards because a team member did well in a certain aspect, even though most of them were just a few copper coins and one or two silver coins, but accumulated together, it was estimated that the bonus money he gave to the team members additionally was enough for him to hire two or three more newcomers.

Coupled with the silver chain pocket watch that Holake forcibly stuffed into Xia Nan's arms as a meeting gift when they first met, his impression of this wealthy merchant was quite good.

"My old partner always says that one should enjoy the tranquility of being alone at night." Holake patted the shoulder of the caravan steward beside him, "But I am born to like liveliness, especially love sharing delicious food with the people traveling together."

The few servants following behind stepped forward one after another, placing the iron pot they were carrying, which was exuding the fragrance of food, on the campfire.

The lid was lifted, and a rich and tempting fresh fragrance suddenly burst out with the rising smoke, revealing the delicious food underneath, which looked like it wouldn't taste bad just by looking at the appearance.

Golden oil surged up and down in the thick soup bubbling with "gurgling" sounds, onions, radishes, and vegetable roots dotted among them, setting off the chicken meat that was stewed to be fragrant and soft as the main material.

"The top-level black-feathered chicken from the farm near the Mist Forest, which has been nourished by the magic particles in the forest since the moment it broke out of the shell, and specially marinated for a whole day with special spices by the best chef in Hegu Town before setting out."

"Slowly simmered over a low fire, the taste has all been stewed into the bones; hurry and taste it, you will definitely not be disappointed!"

Saying that, Holake had already sat on the folding stool prepared for him by the servant, his natural and relaxed posture, as if the scene before him was not a simple camp set up temporarily in the middle of the journey, but the reception room of his own home.

But matched with his enthusiastic and calm attitude, as well as the sincere behavior of bringing high-level food to visit, it didn't make people feel disgusted at all.

Having some insight, seeing the reaction of several people on the scene was different from the previous few days, Holake realized something in an instant, and his gaze swept over the cloth bag in Margaret's hand and the swollen and red back of the Dwarf's hand, and he had a guess in his heart.

Not feeling embarrassed, he just smiled and eased the atmosphere:

"Haha, it seems... I didn't come at the right time?"

"No, no." Dwarf Solting replied quickly, the ornaments on the hair braids on his chest colliding and making a light sound, "We are all teammates traveling together, what is the right time or not."

Saying that, he looked at Margaret and Xia Nan beside him, and seeing that both nodded slightly, he pointed out their whereabouts just now to Holake on the opposite side of the campfire.

"Anvil Bee Honey!?"

I don't know if it was to give several people sufficient emotional value and deliberately pretend to be surprised; or if it was indeed surprised by the rarity of this kind of ingredient, Holake's performance was very in place, and his whole body almost sat straight on the stool.

"Doesn't this kind of bee usually only inhabit high mountains and mining areas? I didn't expect it to be distributed in this kind of plain wilderness."

"But it's just that you are here; otherwise, if it were the boys in my caravan, I'm afraid they wouldn't recognize it even if it were standing in front of them."

This plump and round merchant just opened his mouth casually, and again complimented several people in silence.

He was also very good at things and didn't ask Xia Nan and the others about the specific location and remaining situation of the Anvil Bee hive.

Even when Solting later took the initiative to take out a part from his own share and give it to the other party to taste, this wealthy merchant only scooped a few spoonfuls symbolically, didn't take much, and also expressed that he was taking advantage of Xia Nan and others, and after the mission ended and returned to Hegu Town, he would treat them to a few big meals.

It could only be said that getting along with such a person who was generous and had extremely high emotional intelligence, even if it was a dull person who was no matter how nerve-wracking, would feel incomparably comfortable.

"No wonder he can make such a big business; he really has something in terms of dealing with people."

Xia Nan said so in his heart.

During the entire dining process, Holake talked and laughed, and the content mentioned was basically travel experiences and local customs, allowing several adventurers to be interested in the topic while being able to participate in it harmoniously.

When Solting talked about his adventure experience, he also responded with just the right surprise and targeted questions that hit the itch, making the Dwarf's interest increasingly high, showing extremely high communication art.

At any time, as long as there was no obvious contradiction, it was difficult for people with such personalities to be disliked.

Of course, in this whole process, the role Xia Nan played was more like a listener.

He just ate.

Naturally, he was interested in the experience of other adventurers and local customs, but right now, it was the attraction of food that was higher.

The black-feathered chicken stewed soup that Holake mentioned, which grew up in the magic particle mist near the Mist Forest, tasted exactly as he described, salty, fresh, and rich.

Long-time simmering released the marrow and essence in the chicken bones completely with the sweetness of vegetables and ingredients, allowing the fibrous chicken meat to maintain its original tough texture while being soaked in the rich soup with complex layers under the action of various spices, sliding into the abdomen without being dry at all;

Putting it into the mouth, just a light sip, the meat quality and bones separated, and it slid into the abdomen wrapped in the rich soup with incomparably complex layers under the action of various spices.

Delicious and rich, plump and smooth, salty, fresh, and mellow...

Perhaps this world didn't have advanced cooking tools like the previous life, nor did it have so many seasonings to choose from.

But when the supernatural power of the fantasy world combined with money, it could also make food become a "pleasure" worth tasting. ===== CHAPTER 347 =====