155: What Do You Want, Boy?

What Do You Want, Boy?

The restaurant fell silent. They were all regarding Mag thoughtfully.1

Cooks were ordinary, but restaurants couldn't do without them.

Most cooks didn't like to be referred to as cooks when they also happened to be a restaurateur. They considered themselves much more than cooks.

But not Mag. Even when his food was marvelous, his restaurant was stylish, and his business was great, he still called himself a cook.

His modesty humbled his counterparts and won admiration of many customers.

No wonder he can cook such incredible food. He knows what he and his purpose in life are. He's a formidable opponent, Miles thought with approval.

Andrew and the other restaurateurs nodded at Mag, thoughtful. Then they left.

I just used a line from one of Stephen Chow's[1] films, but why do I get the feeling that I have inspired them? Mag thought happily, and walked towards the kitchen.

Those restaurateurs hadn't asked anything about his recipes, his methods of cooking, or the spices he used. They had shown their respect and understanding.

Yet, they might still learn a thing or two since they were cooks, and not just common customers.

I don't care what they have learned or haven't learned, Mag thought, and started cooking again.

"I'm looking forward to eating the tofu pudding in the evening," said Andreas.

"Me too. But which do you prefer, sweet or savory?" Moyoshi asked.

"The sweet one, of course," Andreas said. "What about you?"

"I prefer the savory one," Moyoshi said reluctantly. Then the two friends fell silent.

"Don't worry, bro. We won't fight over which one is better," Andreas said awkwardly. Krassu and Urien had fought in the morning over the flavors of the tofu pudding. No one knew what would happen when Mag started selling it this evening.

But, Andreas and Moyoshi grew up together. They were too close to fight over such a triviality.

…

Krassu was walking towards the exit of the square when Brandli trotted up to him, nervous and uneasy. "Lord Krassu."

Krassu stopped, and turned to look. He saw the emblem on his front, which was a gray sword and a gray shield. "You're with the Gray Temple. What do you want, boy?"

For a moment, Brandli froze. He was over 70; nobody had called him "boy" for a very long time.

Then he remembered Krassu was more than 120 years old. He listened to his legends growing up.

Even his master had been an avid fan of Krassu when he was young; only, he had had no talent to become a melee magic caster. After he got beaten by a low-tier knight, he forsook melee magic, and became a ranged magic caster.

Few magic casters were good at melee magic, and Krassu was the best of them.

And Amy had just become his one and only disciple. That was something big in the magic community.

Krassu was not in a good shape these years. Many magic casters had worried that his magic might die with him.

Urien, the Lord of Ice, had also taken Amy on as his disciple. Who could have thought?

Some magic casters might become uneasy when they learned the news. No one could imagine how powerful their disciple would become.

After a dozen years, she would be able to wield both fire and ice magic, and fight up close as well as from a distance. Nobody would dare stand in her way.

Krassu's face was expressionless, yet somehow Brandli could feel his power. "Lord Krassu, I'm Brandli. I want to welcome you to Chaos City on behalf of the Gray Temple," he said with respect. "We would have received you more formally if we had known of your arrival earlier."

"Never mind. I didn't tell the Gray Temple when I came here. I hope the little incident this morning didn't cause too much trouble for you. You were there, weren't you? Have you reported it to your superiors?"

Brandli was taken aback. He had never thought that Krassu had already noticed him in the morning, and that he was not nearly as kind as when he talked to Amy. He shook his head hurriedly. "No, my lord. The fight between you and Lord Urien is always a welcome sight as long as nobody gets hurt. I feel very privileged to have witnessed your fight in the morning, and I'm here to welcome you, my lord. If you need anything, just tell me."

[1] He is a Chinese film director, actor, and producer

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