Chapter 1101: Every Participant Is Unique
After having saved those poor people from the horrendous schemes of that trio of losers that can\'t stop trying to ruin other people\'s lives, I moved on to cook something delicious. Well, I was already cooking it when that happened, as I had gone there with a secondary body, another of the many Yggdrasil Avatars I can create.
There were only thirty minutes left, so I only prepared something very basic while taking out already prepared food from my inventory, a huge feast of Bolognese noodles, lasagna, fried rice with meat and chicken, and other preparations, mostly a lot of roasted dinosaur meat.
The participants I invited clearly enjoyed it all, fascinated by the food and their flavor. They had acted a bit distant at the beginning, but some food quickly made them all mellow down a lot.
"I have to say, the food is really good," Horshen laughed. "Just eating it loaded me with a lot of energy- And I think my body feels stronger, even my Mana!"
"Yes, I am quite shocked…" nodded Goldanaba. "Just what did you put into this food? Not poison right?"
"Hahaha, I doubt there is any poison, I would have already noticed," Erdragon said. "The food is of excellent quality. I have never tasted food this tasty and delightful. The quality, the temperature, the seasoning, everything is magnificent. Planta, not only you are a genius blacksmith, but also a genius chef! I am beyond impressed now."
"Hmm… I agree," Melisa nodded, she was eating noodles, her favorites.
"Well! I\'m glad you guys liked the food! I just found you all were amazing people, so I wanted to invite you to eat with me and know a bit more about all of you," I said. "After all, it is a contest at the end. Wouldn\'t it be nice to keep a good relationship?"
"You\'re being too nice, I would say," said Ambil. "You\'re feeding them now but what if they try to ruin our work next?"
"That\'s right, you should listen to Ambil, Planta," said Horshen. "There\'s no guarantee you\'re buying our trust with this delicious food, but it sure is amazing, thanks a lot! Hahah!"
"I don\'t intend to buy anybody\'s trust," I smiled. "I simply did it because I wanted. There\'s not really any ulterior motive…"
"I believe you," said Erdragon. "As a fellow dragon, I simply can\'t deny I am quite infatuated by you now, Planta. I wonder, are you still without a mate? A woman like you would make the perfect mate for any dragon!"
"E-Eh?!" I gasped, feeling slightly embarrassed this handsome dragon man suddenly asked such a thing.
"Ahem, she has one, me," Mark said, slamming the table.
"Oh, my bad then, I apologize," laughed Erdragon. "We dragon-kin are quite blunt when it comes to these things. Sorry about that, hoho."
"Huh, yeah sure…" Mark got a bit angered.
I couldn\'t blame him; I was also a bit shocked and slightly angry he just asked something like that out of nowhere. But I suppose it still not obvious we are in a relationship? Maybe if I wear some sort of ring.
Anyways, this wasn\'t the time for that!
I wanted to learn about these interesting people. And to be honest, I wanted to actually try to recruit them into my Guild or something. My Guild still has a lack of identity after all.
But one that specializes on crafting would be really amazing…
Then again, asking these people, who are all masters of smithing to work under me would be stupid, they would never agree.
At the very least, to have them as allies and friends though, it might be possible.
"Anyways, I was wondering where did you all come from? Where are you living in the capital so far?" I wondered.
"Not me," Horshen said. "I\'ve been living at Volcano City, a small city of mostly dwarves to the west. It is quite famous for its hot springs. I heard about the competition and the huge sum of money offered for the final reward, so I had to come here and see it for myself."
The prize for winning the competition were ten billion gold, an immensely big sum of money! But then again, each ticket was worth five hundred thousand, and thousands of people attended, so they surely made their money back with that and earned even more. Especially on sales from snacks and such, which they are raking on the big money.
"I came from the Gold Plate City of the Azure Tide Kingdom, it is to the east," said Goldanaba. "Do you know the place? It\'s a medium-sized nation which covers a large part Verdant\'s coasts."
"Interesting," I nodded. "I might travel there eventually."
After all, if I want to go to the Eastern Continent, going to the Azure Tide Kingdom will be a must, as they are in the east, naturally.
"I come from the faraway Drakenguard Mountains to the northwest, it is where my tribe lives and where I\'ve been sharpening my skills," said Erdragon. "Naturally, I do travel to many places, learning from masters and selling my products. These wings help transport me anywhere I want, hahah!"
"I see! How interesting! How old are you, sir Erdragon?" I wondered.
"My age? Hmm, probably over two hundred, I have lost count by now," he said. "I can confirm my age later once I return home and ask the Shaman to count my scales years."
And then I looked at Melisa, yet she remained in silence.
"I\'m a Player so… it doesn\'t matter," she said.
"Oh… Well, I guess so," I nodded.
"You\'re a Player too, right Planta?" Horshen wondered. "That\'s why you\'re so amazing I guess, Players get so many cheats, it shouldn\'t be legal to allow you to participate!"
"Hey old man, stop complaining all the time, just admit she beat us," laughed Goldanaba, mocking him a bit.
"Oh well…" I sighed. "If anybody wondered, I come from the Forest of Beginnings, it is growing into a nation of its own with the cooperation between the Fairy Queendom and the smaller villages inside, and my help too, of course. Slowly yet steadily, we\'re getting there."