Chapter 275: Becky’s Rustic, Mercenary-Style Cuisine
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
"Existing loophole?" Hao Ren and Nangong Wuyue repeated in unison.
"That's right. An existing loophole," the MDT confirmed. "The Plane of Dreams and Surface World have their fair share of traffic. Unusual creatures have come from The Plane the Dreams to Earth, and vice versa. Various information indicated that the Wall of Reality has had bigger loopholes, and if my guess is right, some of them still exist today. According to information obtained from the Local Universe Database, brief scans conducted on The Plane of Dreams for the past several hundred years showed traces of evidence that materials from the Surface World have been brought into The Plane of Dreams. Although no one knows where the exact path is, a two-way hole certainly exists."
Sending Becky home by digging a fresh hole was clearly too risky. But if the Wall of Reality already had a loophole and the Surface World did not collapse because of it, that loophole was safe—at least, it was not an immediate danger. The only problem was, where to find it.
The universe was a big place. If the connection of Peatopia a.k.a Aerym to The Plane of Dreams in the past was anything to go by, it was almost certain that The Plane of Dreams enveloped the entire universe. Loopholes on the Wall of Reality could be anywhere in the universe. Perhaps, there was hint to follow: the loopholes would only occur more in high mass and high density regions of the universe, meaning various celestial bodies where information was abundant. Planets with intelligent beings would be hotspots. Maybe Earth had such an opening; even the door through which the unusual creatures migrated en masse to Earth could still be usable.
Hao Ren's mind was running at a high speed; it was probably the result of six months of practice. He could now put two and two together pretty quick. He could foresee some key problems as he frowned. "Wait... that means the most feasible option could very well be the opening used by the unusual creatures in the past?"
"Yeah... that opening may still exist. But to be honest, finding one would be next to impossible." The MDT pondered. "With such a large door, its existence may be non-physical, or it could've been transformed and blended in with the space of the Surface World. If the unusual creatures haven't been able to find it after so long, we won't either."
Hao Ren raised his eyebrow and said, "Could the Day of Return be a lead?"
"The Day of Return could mean finding the door, but it may just be speculation." The MDT shook its body. "But, don't forget, the sirens came to the surface more than a hundred years ago. And after a hundred years, these unusal creatures have not been able to find it and figure out what form the door exists in. So, don't give it too much hope. Meanwhile, how long do you think you can keep patronising Becky? Days or months? She'll definitely ask again."
Hao Ren had been in a stew thinking about the matter. He waved his hands wearily as he said, "Let's take a multi-pronged approach; you can keep your eyes on anything about the Day of Return and look for information on The Plane of Dreams in the local database; as for me, I'll read through the myths about Earth and talk to inspectors of other planets to see if I can find something about the hole in the Wall of Reality."
Despite that, Hao Ren knew that there was a possibility it would not work. He might not be able to find something out before Becky could be patronised no more. He looked at Nangong Wuyue. "Wuyue, you've got an important mission..."
The siren's mind went blank. "What?"
"Keep Becky busy," said Hao Ren, looking serious. "Drown her in the depravity and ectasy of all the fun things on Earth, to the point that she forgets her own name. Perhaps, she'll even forget about going home..."
There was a reluctant look on Nangong Wuyue's face. "Really? Is it okay for people to do drugs?"
Hao Ren jumped to his feet. "You people must have too much imagination! Can't you bring her to some other TV programmes? If she gets bored with the talent show, let her go to Walk of Fame; if she can't make it to Walk of Fame, then challenge Guiness; if she fails to get nominated, let her challenge the Taekwondo school, as long as her attention is diverted. But bear in mind, don't ever let talent scouts ping her. Judging from her temperament, she may just end up slaughtering the entire filming crew due to the excessive hidden rules in the entertainment industry..."
Nangong Wuyue nodded as she came round. "No problem. Recently, she's been obsessed with TV. I can do that, I'll play along."
Hao Ren nodded back. Suddenly the door was yanked open and Vivian poked her head inside. "Are you two done yet? Come and eat. I'm not going to reheat the food!"
Hao Ren quickly nodded and moved himself out of the kitchen into the living room. Everyone was already at the dining table as Hao Ren and Nangong Wuyue walked in. Lil Pea was wielding a half-eaten chopstick, waving at him. He walked over and dragged the little mermaid into the pot. He let her soak in it before he gazed at the food on the table, lamenting. "It's been a long while. I miss home-cooked meals like this... Has Lil Pea been gnawing at the table again?"
He saw a series of bite marks at the edge of the table. He gave the little mermaid a stare but she had no guilt whatsoever. She popped out of the pot and proudly showed off her grating, sharp teeth.
The little one was probably entering an explosive growth stage, judging from her big appetite; she had just finished a few paper cards earlier and now, she was chewing on a piece of chopstick again.
"My cooking may not be as good as Vivian's but it's still better than street food." Nangong Wuyue filled everyone's bowl with rice before pointing to a rustic-looking barbecue dish. "Becky cooked it to welcome you guys home. She was very secretive with the process, probably it's her secret recipe."
"There's nothing special about it. They're just ordinary smoked barbecue slices, which mercenaries used to eat. It's made using ingredients from Earth." Becky scratched her head, feeling embarrassed. "I'd feel bad if I didn't reciprocate your hospitality. Let's take a bite and see how it tastes."
Hao Ren picked up a slice of the barbecue meat with his chopsticks and tasted it. "It's lamb, with a bit of fish taste to it. Did you simmer it with fish broth?"
"It's supposed to be cooked with fish broth but if I had done that, your daughter would have been terrified," said Becky as she pointed to Lil Pea. "She was scared out of her wits when she saw the Cornish dish, 'Stargazy Pie' on TV. So, I did not use fish broth."
"Then, this is..." Hao Ren curiously took a gander at the meat slices on the plate as Becky revealed her secret recipe. "Before grilling, the lamb was simmered together with shallots and ginger for five minutes. Then Lil Pea was placed into the pot. As she swam and stirred the broth, it prevented the bottom from burning. Lastly, as the lamb was taken out and drained, Lil Pea was fished out then showered..."
Hao Ren was speechless.
Sensing the fishy atmosphere, Becky quickly explained, "I didn't abuse your daughter. The goddess confirmed it: because Lil Pea is afraid of the cold, taking a quick swim in hot water helps boost her immune system. After that, I was thinking that the soup shouldn't go to waste, so I added some seasoning, and it turned out the soup tasted almost like fish broth—but, overly watered-down like it hadn't been cooked thoroughly."
"You have got to be kidding. How could you have Lil Pea cooked? She's not cookable!" As the first person on Earth who cooked and licked Lil Pea, Lily's words carried weight. "This feels weird... For the first time in my life, I don't feel like eating meat."
Lily was not alone. Everyone at the scene now looked at the "fish-flavoured barbecue", feeling weird. The little mermaid was still waving her fists like she was saying hello to Hao Ren. He could not help but hold her up in his hand, carefully examining her—his understanding of the world had been continuously shattered ever since he signed that godd*mn employment agreement.
Anyway, it was just a little episode. Aside from Becky's gross recipe, other dishes were pretty good. In fact, the barbecue was not bad, just that its making was a bit raw. Hence, it was not the most popular dish on the table. All that aside, Hao Ren finally had his long-missed, home-cooked meal.
The days went by pretty calmly without a single incident.
But their peace ended on the third day as Vivian suddenly remembered something—her bats, which she had sent out before her last trip.