"Who are you?"
Ling Miao stared at the three people who had suddenly emerged from the bushes, tightening her grip on the wooden stick in her hand, her eyes full of vigilance.
The three seemed surprised to find people just by pushing aside the brush. Avril was the first to recover. A smile bloomed in her bright blue eyes, the corners of her mouth lifting as she offered a greeting with effortless familiarity.
"Hello there. We’re first-year students from the Federal Military Academy. Our starship crashed deep in the forest."
Hearing "Military Academy," Ling Miao and Susan exchanged a glance and turned to carefully size up the trio. The boy with brown hair had a sturdy build, the boy in black-rimmed glasses was slimmer, and the blonde, blue-eyed girl had a friendly smile. Without exception, they were all dressed in the same black uniform—well-tailored and strictly styled—which did indeed carry a military air.
Susan cast an unobtrusive gaze over their clothing and the subconscious way they held themselves, and she was mostly convinced.
As soon as her posture relaxed, Ling Miao sensed it and followed suit, loosening her grip on the wooden stick.
Avril rubbed her nose, watching the reaction of the two girls. She held up her hands and walked over with a grin. "Hello. May I ask what planet this is, and approximately how far it is from the Capital Star?"
"This is Tadar Star, the most remote planet in the entire Interstellar Era. Even with the fastest starship, it would take about two days to reach the capital," Susan answered. She then crouched down, pulling Ling Miao with her to wash the dirt off their hands.
The sticks they had been holding were just pieces of wood they’d picked up off the ground, and now their hands were covered in splinters.
Ling Miao said nothing, but upon seeing the look that flickered across Susan's face, she had her own suspicions.
The trio heard Susan’s reply, but before they could even begin to lament their situation, they saw the two girls by the river stand up and prepare to leave.
"Wait—"
Ling Miao turned back. The boy in the black-rimmed glasses, who had been silent until now, looked at them, seemingly a bit embarrassed, and asked, "Do you happen to have any nutrient fluid?"
"We’ll pay for it!"
Ling Miao stopped in her tracks, her eyes lighting up. She scanned these three potential customers who looked like absolute fat sheep and said quite eagerly, "We have a restaurant. It’s newly opened, and there’s a discount for groups!"
The three looked at each other in confusion. Confronted with such a sudden change to a warm, welcoming attitude, Ellis rubbed his nose and nodded under Ling Miao's increasingly fervent gaze.
The return trip went smoothly. Since they were familiar with the path they had taken, the group arrived at the restaurant in just over half an hour.
Susan was in low spirits; the moment they reached the restaurant entrance, she suggested heading home.
Ling Miao looked at her downcast expression and didn't press the matter. After putting away the ingredients she had gathered, she invited Susan to come over for dinner that evening. Susan pulled herself together and agreed with a smile.
While the two were talking, the trio from the academy took a moment to look at the first restaurant they had encountered on this planet.
To be honest, the environment couldn't be described as good.
All three came from decent backgrounds and were accustomed to mid-range restaurants; while they weren't wealthy beyond measure, they were certainly above average. This was their first time seeing such "down-to-earth" decor.
Avril searched her mind for a long time before she could barely manage to pull out that phrase.
There really were no other adjectives to describe it!
The restaurant looked exactly like the primitive eateries seen in ancient records. If it weren't for the clear knowledge that they had landed on a primitive planet, the three of them would have assumed they had traveled back in time.
What kind of restaurant had an aesthetic that showed absolutely no trace of the Interstellar Era? The log-wood door, the log-wood sign, even the name of the restaurant was just a large wooden plank.
The three exchanged glances, gaining a new, sobering understanding of just how backward this planet was.
Inside the entrance stood a large electronic display screen, though it hung there looking empty with only two dish names listed—this was, at least, a faint reminder of modern technology.
Keli curled his lip. Even though his stomach was growling, he was rather dismissive.
"Shopkeeper."
Ling Miao walked out from the kitchen. She looked at the brown-haired boy as he gestured toward the screen. "Is there nothing else?"
"There will be a new dish today."
Ling Miao’s attitude toward her "financial backers" was quite gentle; she didn't mind the dissatisfaction in his tone.
"Then we'll have the new dish."
Keli gave a casual response, and the two beside him nodded along.
"By the way, what is the new dish?" Avril sat down and asked with genuine curiosity.
"Spring Bamboo Shoot and Three-Fresh Soup."
Leaving behind that sentence, Ling Miao ducked into the kitchen.
The remaining three looked at each other, bewildered. What were spring bamboo shoots?
"Forget it. Anything is better than eating fish." Keli looked up at the two empty-looking dish names on the screen: *Hand-made Fish Ball Noodles* and *Sauerkraut Fish*.
He tugged at the corner of his mouth, speechless. To think that even here, on this remote and backward primitive planet, there were still people serving fish at the dinner table.
*System, start the broadcast.*
The semi-transparent page popped up in front of her. Just as Ling Miao was about to click "Start," she suddenly remembered something. *System, can you process these spring bamboo shoots for me?*
With a kitchen full of bamboo shoots, relying on manual labor meant she had no idea how long it would take to peel them all. Tadar Star was too remote; the fastest interstellar logistics wouldn't arrive until the next day. Even if she bought tools now, it would be too late.
*Costing…*
*Don't you dare tell me you're going to deduct Deliciousness Value again!*
Ling Miao narrowed her eyes, threatening the system viciously. She still hadn't recovered from the huge chunk it had deducted during the broadcast the day before. If it dared to deduct more for such a minor task, what was the point of this system anyway?
System: *……*
After a moment of silence in her mind, a cold, mechanical voice sounded:
*Peeling outer layers of spring bamboo shoots…*
The discarded bamboo husks all over the kitchen floor were stirred by an invisible energy. The piles of bamboo shoots in the corner began to float slowly. The brown-spotted husks were gently peeled away, revealing the jade-like shoot meat inside. The snow-white flesh was tender and crisp, snapping easily at the slightest touch, with faint, transparent juices visible.
The quality was on par with anything produced by the System itself.
Ling Miao delightedly gripped a small bamboo shoot. It was conical, pointed at the top and round at the base, with the color deepening from top to bottom, ending in a pale, translucent yellow with a hint of green.
The shoot was plump, and the texture felt incredibly delicate.
She could only imagine how fresh and tender it would be when she took a bite!
She started the broadcast. Thanks to the success of the previous session, the traffic this time was much higher; the numbers were no longer sparse and scattered. At first glance, it was already nearing a thousand viewers.
It was a pity the "big shot" from last time hadn't appeared. Ling Miao felt a second of regret, but then she began to introduce the dish of the day. She laid out the prepared ingredients one by one, explaining them as she went.
[Is that a juvenile bamboo?]
[The person above is right. I’ve checked three times, and that really is a bamboo juvenile.]
[Isn't this a food streamer???]
[I'm not sure, let me back out and check again?!]