Chapter 93
Chapter 93
Cheng Miao jumped back two steps, and Qin Musong caught her from behind.
Lin Zhu had heard the panda speak too. He moved closer and scratched his head. Why did that voice sound familiar?
At first, Cheng Miao had assumed the panda was an NPC like Qiudong, or perhaps an intelligent animal. She had not expected it to address her by name.
Now that she had recovered, she recognized the voice.
“Are you… Jiang Qi?” Cheng Miao matched it to the person in her memory, though she could hardly believe it.
The giant panda rose and began waving its paws and jumping with joy.
“Yes, yes! It’s me! You remember me, Miss Cheng!” He clumsily dragged over the other panda, which had been too embarrassed to move. “This is Zhang Hui. You remember him, right?”
Cheng Miao stared at two zoo-perfect pandas speaking and behaving like humans, unable to decide how to react.
“I remember. Where’s Li Cheng? And your fourth teammate was… Jiang Hao, right?” No wonder Cheng Miao and Lin Zhu had recognized the voice. Jiang Qi was the most talkative member of the small team that had worked with them at the end of Secrets of the Chang Residence.
“They’re here. Boss and Fourth are washing dishes in the kitchen. They said panda costumes were too hot.” Jiang Qi looked adorably foolish with the face of a national treasure.
Cheng Miao covered her face, hardly able to watch. “We’re here for hot pot. Want to join us?”
Panda Jiang Qi shuffled aside, his voice dejected. “I’d love to, but we’re here to work. We aren’t allowed to spend money here.”
Cheng Miao had not expected that rule. “Not even if I treat you?”
The panda’s eyes lit up. “We can accept a free meal.”
Cheng Miao smiled. “Then call your boss and the others over later. Trade shifts or something.”
The six entered while the panda bobbed his head vigorously. They found a large table capable of holding two pots.
An exquisitely handsome young server came to take their order. Cheng Miao studied the menu and marveled once again that despite the outrageous room fee, ordinary prices were remarkably affordable.
A plate of sliced beef cost only 5 Travel Coins. What kind of paradise was this?
Considering that some people might not tolerate spice, Cheng Miao ordered a divided pot and enough food to cover the table.
The broth was already bubbling and its fragrance had stirred Cheng Miao’s appetite by the time Li Cheng and his three teammates finally arrived in human form.
Li Cheng showed no embarrassment when he saw Cheng Miao. After greeting her, he sat down boldly. “Thank you. I’ll remember the favor.”
Cheng Miao cooked a piece of layered tripe, coated it heavily in a dipping sauce full of chopped bird’s-eye chili, and ate until her eyes watered and sweat covered her forehead.
“These are my teammates, and these are companions I worked with in another instance.”
Li Cheng’s group greeted Tong Qian and Bai Jiang. Everyone had eaten cafeteria food at a Guesthouse for months. No one stood on ceremony, and they all lowered their heads to eat meat.
The ingredients were exceptionally fresh, and the broth was rich and perfectly seasoned.
The luncheon meat was meaty, the quail eggs full of broth, and the baby bok choy soaked up the mushroom soup. Cheng Miao practically radiated bliss as she ate.
Cheng Miao had already asked whether Qiudong ate spicy food. After learning he did, she requested a small plate and periodically served him meat and vegetables.
Qiudong crouched elegantly at one corner of the table. His glossy back remained visible as he lowered his head and ate at a leisurely pace.
Since Cheng Miao was taking excellent care of him, he tolerated her occasional attempts to pet him.
Qiudong disliked being touched. As for why his tail swayed so contentedly, how would he know? He was not his tail.
Once everyone was seventy or eighty percent full, they finally had time to talk.
Li Cheng glanced several times at Qiudong, who was carefully licking mushroom broth nearby.
Impatient as always, Jiang Qi could not resist asking, “Miss Cheng, is that an Item? I don’t think I’ve ever seen a player keep a pet.”
Cheng Miao was eating sweet-potato noodles. The translucent, springy strands carried the rich flavor of hot pot broth and a spicy sauce of chopped chili and garlic as she slurped them into her mouth.
Still slurping, she replied, “Oh, this is the Front Desk attendant at our Hotel. His name is Qiudong.”
Li Cheng froze. He looked at Lin Zhu, Qi Jiajia, and Qin Musong, who appeared completely accustomed to this, then at Tong Qian and Bai Jiang, who clearly were not.
Understood. This woman was a top player, nothing like them. Better not ask further.
Most players avoided Front Desk attendants whenever possible. The four no longer dared glance toward Qiudong and questioned Lin Zhu instead.
“Your level was still low when we met. I never expected you to do so well. It hasn’t been that long, and you’ve already reached a Hotel.”
Li Cheng took a drink of beer and sighed comfortably. “How many instances have you cleared since then? We haven’t done badly either. We’ve cleared almost seven since we parted.”
Lin Zhu counted seriously on his fingers. “…Two.”
Li Cheng and his three teammates fell silent.
That was excessive. They could not bully people through such overwhelming superiority.
Cheng Miao rubbed her stomach and paused to digest. After a sip of cola, she asked, “I’ve never understood how time is converted here.”
Li Cheng swished goose intestine through the broth with his chopsticks as he answered. “Time flows slowest in the Dormitory. Even if you clear several instances, very little time passes there.”
Cheng Miao nodded. That explained how she could leave Secrets of the Chang Residence and still encounter Qi Jiajia after the girl had already cleared several instances.
“The higher the Inn level, the closer time moves to reality. But mainly, most players buy this.” Li Cheng took a blister pack of small, round pink pills from his pocket.
“What is it?” Cheng Miao took the pack for a closer look. The pills bore no letters, and she had never seen anything similar.
“Stamina Recovery Pills. One removes all fatigue and restores you to peak condition.” Li Cheng put them away, then added, “Each pill costs 20 Travel Coins. They aren’t cheap, but they let you clear the most instances while paying the least room fee. How else could anyone save money?”
Even Li Cheng ground his teeth after speaking. If his team could clear instances as efficiently as Cheng Miao, who would willingly take these pills? They would already be living extravagantly at a higher-level Inn.
Cheng Miao nodded. Ordinary players could not afford expensive lodging night after night just to rest. An Item like this made sense.
“Sister Miaomiao, the thing Lian Ge gave me before was similar,” Lin Zhu reminded her. Only then did Cheng Miao recall that during the lantern instance, Lian Ge had paid Lin Zhu with a small Item for making her lanterns.
“But it looks different…” Lin Zhu found that strange too. Lian Ge should have given him something valuable, yet it certainly was not a pink pill.
Li Cheng asked to inspect the little ball. The moment he took it, disbelief crossed his face. After a long examination, he exclaimed, “Th-this is excellent!”