Chapter 10: You've Got to Taste the Saltiness One Way or Another

"Are the Fried Fries done?"

Ruan Mian had already finished simmering a pot of Tomato Sauce, so she handed the task of making the Fried Fries over to Lu Yi.

This didn't require any technical skill; just toss the cut fries inside and that's it.

One just needed to be careful not to fry them until they were burnt.

"Mm, a batch just came out, want to take a look?"

A large plate of freshly fried, golden-brown fries sat on the table, emitting heat and a fragrant aroma.

Furthermore, she discovered that Lu Yi was truly very talented; every single fry he made was perfectly uniform.

Truly, the apprentice has learned, and the master is left to starve!

"You made these so well!" She couldn't help but give him a thumbs up, "Chef Lu!"

The white-haired youth was so praised that his expression turned somewhat shy; he averted his gaze from her sparkling eyes and picked up a small piece of fry, bringing it to her lips.

"Want to taste?"

Ruan Mian nodded, opened her lips, and swallowed the fry in one bite.

It was just that her soft lips inevitably brushed against his fingertips; as if struck by electricity, he shrank back and hurriedly hid his hand at his side where she couldn't see.

As he rubbed his fingers, it felt as if her warmth still lingered on them, bringing about waves of tingling numbness.

Her lips, so soft.

"Lu Yi? Lu Yi?"

A few calls pulled his wandering thoughts back; he turned his head with a "What's wrong?", his gaze unconsciously landing on her crimson lips.

His throat bobbed.

It was as if something was breaking through the soil within his heart.

"What are you thinking about? You're so focused, I couldn't even get you to hear me when I spoke." Ruan Mian complained, though she couldn't help but praise him, "It's very delicious, fried just right, keep it up!"

"I used Mental Power to control the frying process."

He coughed twice, his eyebrows arching for a moment before dropping, a faint, almost imperceptible smile lingering at the corners of his mouth, "So, it's still because you made it well."

"Mental Power, huh..."

Ruan Mian suddenly pouted, feeling a bit resentful; she knew from the original owner's memories that this was a good thing, and almost everyone in the Interstellar had it.

Without Mental Power, one could say it was difficult to take a single step in the Interstellar; it was almost impossible to survive.

And as for those without Mental Power, she was one of them.

She also wanted to know what it felt like to have Mental Power!

"Mental Power can even be used to fry fries? That's so great!"

"You don't have Mental Power?"

Lu Yi was surprised for a moment, then looked at his own palm, thinking back to their first meeting.

Everything seemed to make sense now.

If she had Mental Power, she wouldn't have used objects to attack him, and furthermore, she wouldn't be living in this place.

But that's not right!

"You know that the plants you grow can..."

Halfway through his sentence, he shut his mouth again.

This was enough to make Ruan Mian feel anxious and frustrated; people who only say half of what they mean are the most annoying.

She got angry, "What's wrong with my crops? Tell me! People who only say half their words won't have a partner in their old age!"

That curse was quite vicious, oh~

Lu Yi watched her expression; even when she was angry, she was inexplicably cute...

He shouldn't be revealing things about himself, but if it was telling her, it seemed there was nothing wrong with it.

"I am poisoned."

Ruan Mian:???

"I didn't poison you!" She defended herself out of reflex first.

She wasn't about to be left with no way to explain herself.

Lu Yi was amused by her reaction.

"Who said you poisoned me?"

He pulled back his sleeve, and on his smooth arm was a dark red, winding mark that followed the path of his meridians.

She was truly enlightened.

Do the meridians of Interstellar people look like this?

"I originally had Mental Power, but someone poisoned me, and I became unable to use my Mental Power."

Isn't that the same as her?

Wait!

If he couldn't use Mental Power, then what about what he said earlier about using it to fry the food?

Was he pulling her leg?

Seeing her confusion, Lu Yi extended his palm, and a fry rose out of thin air, landing in the center of his palm.

"But you see, I can use Mental Power now; the variable is the food I ate here at your place."

Ruan Mian widened her eyes in shock.

"So, you mean, my plants can help you recover your Mental Power?"

"Not recover."

That red line still covered his meridians, proving that the poison had not been cleared.

"There is a group of anti-Mental Power lunatics in the Interstellar; they believe Mental Power is an existence that defies order, and that the Interstellar people's abuse of Mental Power will invite divine punishment, with the lack of new children being one such consequence, so this poison is an agent they developed to suppress Mental Power."

Ruan Mian was even more confused, "Then what is this of yours?"

"The Inhibitor in my body is still there, which means the plants you grow, once eaten, can cause people to regenerate Mental Power."

Although it cannot return him to his peak period, having it now still gives him a sense of security.

It is like a soldier returning to the battlefield having regained his armor.

Ruan Mian only felt, is it really that magical?

She had just simply grown some plants, "Then why don't I have any?"

This question was extremely sharp.

It made him unable to help but cough, "Is there a possibility that you don't have Mental Power yourself, so eating them won't cause Mental Power to grow either?"

Hurtful.

Simply hurtful.

How could such cold words come out of a thirty-seven-degree mouth?

"However, the fact that you can grow plants is unique in the Interstellar; you are a rare treasure!"

She loved hearing this.

Ruan Mian was happy again.

"Stop with the glib tongue, continue working hard, I still have debts to pay!"

She packed a pot of Fried Fries into five portions, drizzled them with Tomato Sauce, placed them on the Light Brain, and priced them at six hundred Interstellar Coins per portion.

That's not excessive, right!

After listing the goods, she discovered that the Roasted Sweet Potato she had just listed had already sold one portion.

Could it be that the three hundred she set per piece was too expensive?

Ke Lin had been feeling listless lately, not knowing if it was because he had been overusing his brain recently.

His stomach began to rumble.

It seemed the effect of the Nutrient Solution he had consumed earlier had already worn off.

No wonder he always felt so weak!

It was time to replenish his nutrition.

Browsing on his Light Brain, he felt like vomiting from the several flavors of Nutrient Solution he had been eating; it always felt like completing a task, and life seemed to have no hope left.

"Bala Beast flavor, what kind of nonsense is this."

The Nutrient Solution was already in that wretched state, and they even added all this nonsense; were they really treating them, this group of workhorses, like actual workhorses to be fed?

After complaining fiercely, Ke Lin felt even more irritable; since there was really nothing suitable, he could only go buy the Nutrient Solution he usually ate—filling his stomach was more important than anything else.

"Truly no novelty at all, boring."

As his finger swiped, he didn't know if his grumbling had taken effect, but a new item suddenly appeared on the Light Brain page.

It was deep, deep red, a thing that looked a bit like a stone, and it was also a bit wrinkled, with some dark brown, solidified, mucus-like substance on the outside.

He frowned as he looked at it.

"【Roasted Sweet Potato, edible, tastes sweet and fragrant, soft and glutinous, unforgettable after one bite】, what kind of thing is this, can this be eaten?"

Looking at the price, three hundred Interstellar Coins per piece.

It was worth a bottle of decent intermediate Nutrient Solution.

What the hell is sweet, fragrant, soft, and glutinous?

He couldn't bear to buy a three-hundred-coin intermediate Nutrient Solution, but for a three-hundred-coin strange item, he had to taste it to see what it was worth.

Besides, there was still the reporting and appeal function!

Order placed!