CHAPTER 1302: CHAPTER 1303: BUFFET

"Haha~ There’s actually such an interesting restaurant~"

Originally planning to go out for dinner, they hadn’t expected Feng Yuan to bring them directly to a self-service buffet restaurant. However, this particular restaurant was quite different from the usual ones.

Not only did it limit the number of guests, but the interior environment was excellent. Qi Chen stared blankly at Feng Yuan, who was currently shaping a rice ball into the likeness of Eggshell Chicken Xiao Ji, and said,

"You’re not planning to have this for dinner, are you?"

"Of course not, it’s going to be an all-you-can-eat dessert feast~"

With a mischievous laugh, Feng Yuan proudly pointed to the intricate desserts modeled after Xiao Ji and the others. When it came to cooking, Feng Yuan really had no competition to fear. A nearby waitress, who was originally meant to guide and assist them in preparing their own meals, awkwardly smiled. She had initially stepped in to stop Feng Yuan, as the tools in the restaurant were far from the ordinary kitchenware found in most households.

Yet, seeing Feng Yuan expertly use the equipment with even greater proficiency than her, she didn’t dare say another word. Turning to Qi Chen and the others, Feng Yuan said,

"What’s wrong? Isn’t it fun to personally make dinner for Ah Mu and the others?"

"Uh..."

Feeling uncertain, Qi Chen turned his head awkwardly. Should he admit he feared his cooking would taste awful? After all, he was well aware of his own culinary skills. Beside him, Dou Yanlan chuckled softly and said,

"What matters is the thought behind it, and besides, isn’t there guidance available?"

Hearing Dou Yanlan’s comment, the waitstaff nearby let out a collective sigh of relief. They were genuinely afraid they’d end up feeling redundant, which would be incredibly awkward. After all, this restaurant’s primary selling point wasn’t about crafting top-notch foodie delights but rather ensuring that even complete novices could create delicious dishes under their professional guidance.

Well, even if they could only promise the dishes were "delicious," they still took pride in that. After all, there were few other restaurants in the business bold enough to make such a claim. Sometimes, you really couldn’t predict the horrifying creations certain customers might concoct.

It was precisely this unique approach that had helped them establish themselves firmly in Delian. Despite having no especially renowned signature dishes, they still managed to maintain a spot on Delian’s "must-visit" restaurant list. The reason being, many like Qi Chen lacked stellar cooking skills but still yearned to personally prepare a gourmet feast for their Spirit Beasts.

However, Feng Yuan, upon entering, had completely ignored them. Guidance? Not required—he could do better than them on his own. Looking at the elaborately crafted Spirit Beast-shaped desserts surrounding Feng Yuan, the waitstaff couldn’t help but sigh internally. Thankfully, he wasn’t here to sabotage their business, or that would’ve been beyond awkward.

"Mm, it tastes pretty good, but shouldn’t you separate them out?"

Veronia picked up a mini cake shaped like Little Ice Cream and ate it in one bite. Her action startled the real Little Ice Cream, who trembled with fear and quickly hid behind Big Cat, sneaking out half its body to peek at Veronia.

"No need to separate. Spirit Beast-themed ones are always shaped like Spirit Beasts. For humans, well, it’s these flower-shaped ones."

Feng Yuan casually pointed at the floral-style desserts. Noticing Little Ice Cream’s reaction, Agunas said matter-of-factly,

"You never considered that your creations might scare them?"

"Shouldn’t be the case, right? Look, isn’t Xiao Ji eating quite happily?"

Xiao Ji, who was secretly pecking at a mini Eggshell Chicken-shaped cake, froze and began looking around nervously as if searching for a place to hide. Seeing this, Feng Yuan chuckled and said,

"Alright, I wasn’t even talking about you. Eat as much as you’d like. I made plenty—my only worry is whether we can finish everything."

"You really don’t plan on making any main courses?"

Qi Chen, who had finally managed to prepare the ingredients, glanced at Feng Yuan and asked. Feng Yuan shook his head and replied,

"No need, this pile of snacks is more than enough."

As Little Ice Cream tried sneaking over to the Flower Leaf Tree Three Spirit Beasts, Kong Qing swatted it back with its tail. Currently, all of them were sitting on the ground, intentionally keeping their distance from the food to avoid scaring anyone. If Little Ice Cream caused trouble again, Agunas probably wouldn’t mind giving it a proper lesson.

Watching Yang Hongzhi eating together with Xiao Hui and the others, Feng Yuan said with a hint of surprise,

"I didn’t expect space expansion to be so widespread around here."

Without space expansion features like the ones used in this restaurant or the little train, Yang Hongzhi wouldn’t have been able to release Xiao Hui and the others. Dou Yanlan, while feeding Cotton, commented,

"Not necessarily widespread—it’s just that the places you’ve chosen happen to be quite upscale."

Even this restaurant had a steep price tag, but seeing Cotton happily munching away in her arms, Dou Yanlan thought it was totally worth it. Plus, she’d learned quite a few handy tricks she hadn’t known before.

As for Qi Chen, he managed to cook some fairly tasty food too. Though, if left to do it all on his own next time, it probably wouldn’t turn out nearly as good—his culinary skills were still amateur-level at best. The restaurant’s instructions were more like quick tips than actual classes, explaining what to do and why briefly but leaving it entirely up to the customers to comprehend and apply them.

Nonetheless, Dou Yanlan had taken notes on the service staff’s earlier explanations. If needed, she could probably teach Qi Chen a thing or two.

"Aren’t you hungry? Why aren’t you eating more?"

Placing a dessert plate in front of Belusir, Feng Yuan asked curiously. Belusir glanced at him and shook its head lightly, saying,

"Too much sugar—it’s overwhelming."

"I see."

Feng Yuan scratched his head and turned to look at Xiao Ji and the others, noticing they seemed to be enjoying themselves. With a faint chuckle, Belusir flicked its tail and said,

"Don’t mind me. If I’m really hungry, I’ll go grab something myself."

"But it looks like we made way too many desserts."

Feng Yuan glanced at the remaining sweets and spoke with embarrassment. The restaurant didn’t limit ingredient quantities but strictly forbade food waste. Deliberate waste would incur a fine.

"I have a feeling they’ll finish it all."

Seeing Little Ice Cream and Xiao Ji squabbling over desserts again, Belusir smiled and said. Feng Yuan sighed and replied helplessly,

"Honestly, they better not end up overeating."

"Well, who told you to make so much in the first place?"

Feng Yuan rubbed Xiao Ji’s bloated belly and said with resignation. Xiao Ji and Little Ice Cream had eaten over half the desserts while fighting over them. Xiao Ji wasn’t too bad off, but Feng Yuan gave a curious glance at Little Ice Cream, who was now sitting on Kong Qing’s head with a pained expression. Given Little Ice Cream’s tiny size, it had somehow devoured food dozens of times its own body weight—it was a mystery how it managed to fit it all!

Xiao Ji pitifully nudged Feng Yuan with its head. Feng Yuan smoothed Xiao Ji’s feathers on the back of its head and chuckled,

"You’d better take a walk to digest. I definitely don’t have any potions for this kind of situation."

"Using Nightglow Flowers as decorative lights is kind of interesting."

Dou Yanlan whispered, holding onto Qi Chen’s arm. At the back of the group, Yang Hongzhi and Najia were chatting about something, with Najia looking particularly cheerful. Belusir was in Veronia’s arms, listening to her share funny stories. Big Cat, noticing that Pomiti atop its head had already fallen asleep, adjusted its movements to be extra gentle.

The Flower Leaf Tree Three Spirit Beasts nestled together on the crown of the Amu Tree, fast asleep. Even the gentle rustling of the leaves stirred by the breeze didn’t disturb them.

Feng Yuan observed the surrounding crowd, noting that several people were carrying Basin-series Spirit Beasts, and exclaimed,

"I didn’t expect so many people to join the event."

"They’re probably here to exchange tips and training experiences—look at their outfits."

Agunas swished its tail as it spoke. Long Boduo curiously eyed the nearby specialty snack shops and asked,

"Want to grab another bite?"

"I think we’d better not—how about tomorrow?"

Noticing Xiao Ji’s changed expression, Feng Yuan said with a laugh. If they did go inside, Xiao Ji probably wouldn’t be able to resist eating again, but with its current state, eating more would surely make it even more uncomfortable.

"Alright then. Your desserts were really delicious~"

Long Boduo glanced at Xiao Ji and said. Besides Xiao Ji and Little Ice Cream, Long Boduo had eaten the most desserts, even sampling the food meant for Najia, Ah Mu, and the others. Seeing Long Boduo unaffected, Xiao Ji couldn’t help but feel a twinge of envy—why couldn’t it be the same?

Looking at its swollen belly, Xiao Ji nudged Feng Yuan with its head.