Lin Luyao patiently introduced the grilled skewers to the three NPCs before her once again. Seeing that their manners were quite well-behaved, she tentatively made an exchange with them using the prices the Thumb Person had just provided.
"Nineteen credit points a skewer for the roast mutton, want to trade?"
Bean Sprouts felt a sharp pang of financial agony upon hearing this price.
"Why is it so expensive?! I just risked my life and only earned ten credit points!"
Not entirely sure about the local market prices herself, and wanting to avoid angering them and directly triggering a bad ending, Lin Luyao was just about to open her mouth and make an appropriate concession when she saw the Bulb Bug eagerly fling over a trade agreement.
"Deal, deal, I'll take all five of these mutton skewers!"
"Hey! How can you do that?!" Earsong became agitated. These were all the mutton skewers left!
After much clamor and bickering among the three, Earsong finally managed to snatch a mutton skewer away from the Bulb Bug, and only then did they call it a truce.
When the very first bite of mutton entered their mouths, it was as if every sensory organ had been awakened, clamoring, leaping, and roaring in a carnival originating from the soul.
"Ah! So delicious!" The Bulb Bug couldn't help crying out, the row of bulbs along its back flashing frantically between red, yellow, and green.
Seeing this spectacle, Lin Luyao couldn't help sliding a bit to the side.
This reaction was simply too exaggerated.
She was quite certain she hadn't added anything weird to that secret-recipe mutton skewer.
Earsong finished that precious mutton skewer with tears streaming down its face, then picked up another skewer of mushrooms bought for five trade points. Following the method Lin Luyao had taught, it popped those mushrooms—bursting with rich juices—into its mouth and stripped them clean in one go.
"Sob, sob, sob, sob, this is truly too delicious! How can there be such delicious food in this world?!"
Did humans really live such happy lives all the time? They NPCs wanted to have a chef like this, too!
Thinking of the white-robed chef it had once glimpsed from afar among the high-tier bosses, Earsong felt a wave of gloom in its heart.
A brutal fellow like that, who even ate his own kind, could never make such delicious food!
That surging juice, that savory and spicy aroma, and that smooth, tender texture—every single aspect struck straight at the soul.
The Thumb Person walked over looking aggrieved. Seeing that its three companions had disregarded its life and limb, they had practically hollowed out all their credit points to buy dozens of skewers.
Each skewer was carefully guarded against its chest, for fear that others might snatch them away.
In this situation, there was probably zero chance they would be willing to give it food on credit.
The Thumb Person slumped its head in depression, then remembered the item it had originally wanted to trade with Lin Luyao, and trotted back over to the side of the charcoal stove.
"Can I trade this with you? Any flavor is fine!"
It believed that a chef who could make such delicious mutton skewers could never have anything that tasted bad.
In fact, had it not been so strapped for cash, it would have wanted to taste every single kind!
Lin Luyao looked at the round, coin-like object and curiously took it to get a closer look.
The moment her fingertips touched the coin, a notification box popped up.
[Item Name: Lucky Coin]
[Item Grade: C]
[Item Details: Are you agonizing over life's "yes or no" questions? Once you possess this coin, you no longer need to waste those useless brain cells paying the price for unknown fears. Just a gentle flip, and you will know the best answer.]
[Uses Remaining: 5/5]
"Whoa!" Lin Luyao gave an encouraging gasp of amazement and, under the Thumb Person's nervous gaze, made a magnanimous wave of her hand.
"Sure, I only have vegetable skewers left here. I'll trade you ten skewers for it, is that alright?"
If she hadn't been uncertain whether she could leave this bizarre highway in the future or find food later on, Lin Luyao would have traded a hundred skewers for this little trinket on the spot.
Judging by its description, this thing looked exceptionally reliable—it was simply a blessing for sufferers of indecision.
At that moment, Lin Luyao even regretted not preparing more ingredients.
Thinking this was her first time setting up a stall and that testing the waters should be her priority, she had prepared very conservatively.
"Yay!"
Hearing Lin Luyao's words, the Thumb Person raised its hands high in excitement, spun around in circles on the spot several times, and then obediently sat down on the small folding stool to wait for the feast.
Although Lin Luyao had tactfully told them that the wooden stick in the middle couldn't be eaten, the four of them ultimately chewed up the seasoning-soaked bamboo sticks together and swallowed them anyway.
Bean Sprouts remained silent throughout the entire process.
It carefully savored every last shred of salty aroma in that skewer, the salty and spicy flavors in its heart known only to itself.
After finishing the skewer in its hand, its gaze inevitably met those of its other three companions, and each saw an unfillable longing reflected in the others.
Yet their pockets were already empty, and system notification chimes kept popping up before them, urging them to return to work as quickly as possible to earn the 10 points required for every human's trial on the initial highway.
Lin Luyao had been observing them the whole time while her hands never stopped moving.
She grilled skewers while filling her stomach, and the moment she was full, she started packing up her stall, ready to flee at a moment's notice.
Seeing the four of them stand up now, Lin Luyao habitually called out, "Finished eating? Feel free to come again next time if you have the chance."
Although they looked bizarre and their eating manners were so bold they broke the limits of humanity, Lin Luyao could still sense their love for food.
To a chef, this was undoubtedly a supreme honor.
Her fear of them lessened considerably because of this, and her raised smile became a bit more genuine.
Of course, it would have been even more convincing if she hadn't immediately climbed back into the driver's seat and gripped the steering wheel as if she were about to bolt at any second.
Hearing Lin Luyao's parting words, Bean Sprouts involuntarily clenched its fists.
That's right!
They still had a chance. As long as they worked hard to earn money, there would definitely be another chance to come back and gorge themselves!
"Will you still come to the novice lane later?"
Earsong asked eagerly, looking on with pleading eyes.
In their view, Lin Luyao was clearly a high-tier expert helping out the underprivileged.
At a juncture when the Infinite Highway Survival Game was taking in a massive number of new players, she had run over to the novice lane to bolster her own kind.
Yet this was undoubtedly good news for them.
After all, had Lin Luyao stayed cooped up in a high-tier players' team, they certainly wouldn't have dared to venture in and beg for food.
Pondering the meaning behind its words, Lin Luyao gave a vague reply.
"We'll see."
Even though their praise for her culinary skills had somewhat endeared them to her, finding herself in such a bizarre place, Lin Luyao still kept her guard up and didn't blurt out her actual situation.
"Wuwuwu, then I'll wait for you. You must come back here to sell grilled skewers!"
The Thumb Person hadn't even wiped the grease from its mouth yet, looking up and staring at Lin Luyao with eager eyes, as if it might pounce at any second to hug her legs and beg.
The nonchalance Lin Luyao had been projecting finally crumbled under those four burning gazes, and her grip on the handlebar tightened by a fraction.
If she could leave this place, of course she wouldn't genuinely stay on this endless highway to set up a stall selling grilled skewers.
The entire aesthetic didn't match at all!
Besides, although the system hadn't stated whether one could retrace their steps, judging by the current circumstances, turning back was completely meaningless.
Therefore, the probability of her returning here to sell grilled skewers was infinitely close to zero.
Yet facing those four pairs of distinct eyes right now, she knew she couldn't spell it out.
"I'll try my best, haha."
With a dry chuckle and a few parting pleasantries, Lin Luyao rode off on her tricycle without looking back.
Well-fed and satisfied, her primary task now was to figure out the rules of this so-called survival game as quickly as possible.
And to find a safe place to carefully explore just what she could buy in the mall with the credit points she had just earned.
She left the four fellows behind to watch with lingering attachment as the tricycle, still carrying the faint lingering aroma of spices, faded into the distance.
Only then did they reluctantly drag their feet, stepping once more into the jungle on the side of the road, preparing to cross the passageway reserved exclusively for NPCs and head toward another novice player to become their initial hurdle—and simultaneously, their first nightmare.