"Tsk tsk tsk, truly a strange person from a foreign land! Look at those red eyes and hair, and those ears... He clearly has the aura of a mortal, yet he has the ears of my demon race—"

When Mo Xuan saw the three members of the adventure team, his eyes widened. Taking advantage of the fact that they couldn't understand his language, he wanted nothing more than to get close enough to observe them closely.

"Could it be that those foreign monsters all have some half-demon characteristics? The white-haired, long-eared monster (Lola) and the snake-woman with one eye (Di) I saw a few days ago were also like that. Where exactly did Madam Xu go to find so many strange people?"

"Thump!!"

"Guests are coming! Hurry up and wash the vegetables, or I'll deduct your wages. Do the math yourself, how much wages do you have left to deduct this month? If this continues, you won't even be able to afford food, and you won't even have snacks or treats!"

Xu Milu tapped him on the head without any politeness. Anyway, the dragon's physical body was strong. If it were anyone else, they might have foamed at the mouth on the spot.

"I know, I know! I was just seeing something new! Hehehe!"

Mo Xuan rubbed his hands together, chuckled sheepishly, and ran to the backyard to fetch water and start a fire.

Although he vaguely sensed that something was wrong with this restaurant, it had nothing to do with him. Staying here every day meant he could eat delicacies that even the Dragon Palace couldn't afford, and it was like being immersed in spiritual water. Demons didn't need to work hard every day to improve their cultivation level. Only a fool would try to expose this secret!

"Madam, please have some tea. Guests, please have some tea—"

Dai Zi crawled over with her short legs, her feet rustling over a patch of wisteria blossoms. At the ends of the branches stood steaming hot teapots. The three people sitting opposite Xu Mi Lu couldn't help but gasp when they saw the vines wrapped around her.

— Chenxiang didn't like seeing outsiders, so he went to sleep under the tree in the backyard early in the morning. As long as Sun Wukong didn't teach him magic, Xu Milu couldn't teach him how to defend himself. As for what Sun Wukong's plans were, Xu Milu was too lazy to think about it.

Anyway, her master was very protective of his own, and it was all for her junior brother's good, so she just listened obediently.

...

...

Ella's cheeks were rosy from her recent shower, and her sky-blue eyes made her look even younger.

"Thank you, Miss Qingluan, for the clothes. They fit perfectly! The hot water in the room is also very comfortable. It's quite a luxury to be able to take a hot bath in the Gelibali Great Forest!"

She seemed to really like her dress. She stood up and twirled slightly. Over the peach-pink dress was a pale yellow cardigan, embroidered with delicate little flowers, exuding the vitality of spring.

Ella didn't bring any extra clothes, so Xu Milu went to Yin Wenjiao's house and borrowed a white dress.

Although the girl was only eleven or twelve years old, she was as white as a snowball, very cute and clever. Yin Wenjiao's maternal instincts kicked in, and she made clothes for the little girl from the age of eleven to eighteen—it's estimated that if this continues, Yin Wenjiao will be planning to embroider her wedding dress.

Although Ella was an adventurer, in Xu Milu's eyes she was still just a minor, even two years younger than Xu Minian who had just finished the college entrance examination. So she unconsciously adopted a coaxing tone as she spoke:

"No need to thank me. After all, it was Ah Chou who scared you first. This dress was hand-sewn by a very good elder of mine, and she is very happy that someone likes it."

Perhaps it was Ren Qingluan's deceptive appearance that made Ella quickly lower her guard and even initiate a conversation with Xu Milu:

"Excuse me—Miss Qingluan, were the King-level magical beasts, slimes, and this tree spirit outside all your familiars? To be able to build such a beautiful tavern in the 'Dark Forest,' Miss Qingluan must be an extremely powerful magician!"

Xu Milu raised an eyebrow and noticed that although William and Osik were both listening intently to her answer, one was drinking tea and the other was studying the wood grain on the table.

She didn't answer Ella's question, but subtly changed the subject:

"'Dark Forest'? You mean the Gelibali Forest?"

Ella's eyes widened, and she said in disbelief:

"Yes, Miss Qingluan, don't you know? The Great Forest of Grebari is a great forest located in the northern part of the southern border of the Adimas Empire. It is known as the 'breeding ground of monsters' and the 'darkest place,' and is rumored to be the dwelling place of the Dragon God. We accepted this mission to eliminate the slime horde because we offended the lord of Xike County, but—"

William nodded slightly and continued, seizing the opportunity:

"We just didn't expect that the slime colony was Miss Qingluan's private property. We apologize, but we will inform the Adventurers' Association about the situation when we get back and ask them to update the data to avoid any further misunderstandings in the future."

"Oh, okay, thank you for your help. Actually, I didn't initially plan to keep these slimes. It's just that some villagers asked me to get rid of them. I was afraid they would harass the villagers in the settlement again, so I kept them in the slime ranch."

Xu Milu stroked her chin, then suddenly realized something and asked, "Since the Gribari Forest is adjacent to the Adimas Empire, does this territory belong to the Lord of Xike County?"

"Ah... actually, that's not the case."

William took a sip of tea, his eyes flickering when he heard the word "lord":

"Since the Kingdom War, the ownership of the Great Forest of Grebari has never been determined. Legend has it that it is not only the resting place of ancient dragons, but also a passage to the Elf Clan and the Fairy Kingdom. Moreover, various extremely dangerous monsters live here all year round. So, strictly speaking, the Great Forest of Grebari does not belong to any country."

Xu Milu nodded. According to the information she had collected, the non-human races in this plane were divided into demons, beastmen, elves, fairies, and dwarves. The demons included the undead, winged, vampires, and skeletons. The vast, boundless Grebari Forest served as a natural boundary between these countries.

For others, the dangerous Dark Forest is a forbidden place. Not only are dangerous demons lurking there at any time, but countless dark monsters are also stirring up trouble. It is an absolute no-go zone for humans.

But for Xu Milu, this place is simply paradise!

Countless monsters = a wealth of recipes to be developed.

The constant threat of demonic intrusion equals a large customer base.

Most importantly, this is unclaimed land, making it the perfect place to set up a monster ranch!

Thinking of the group of slimes on the ranch waiting to be slaughtered, Xu Milu couldn't help but twitch her fingers.

The three people sitting opposite her: "..."

Why do I always have this bad feeling?

Is it just my imagination?

It must be an illusion.