The water in the pot had already started to boil. Xu Milu checked the water level, added a large handful of brown sugar granules to the pot in a 1:1 ratio, and then stirred it with a spoon.

The brown sugar melted quickly, and as the water evaporated little by little, the syrup in the pot began to thicken, forming a large patch of sugar bubbles the size of fish eyes.

"This should be enough."

Xu Milu touched her chin.

She gently rolled the skewered hawthorns in the pot, pulled and turned them, and a thin layer of syrup immediately adhered to the surface of the fruit. Once cooled, the crystal-clear sugar coating encased the brightly colored fruit, making it look like a work of art.

"Gah..."

Ah Chou crawled over like a puppy, his beady black eyes fixed on the candied hawthorn skewers: "Giggle—"

"Okay, this string is yours, no one's going to take it from you."

With a flick of her wrist, Xu Milu made the heavy iron pot seem weightless in her hands. The golden syrup coated each skewer of fruit evenly, and her movements were so fluid that they almost had a rhythmic beauty.

"What's this?"

Lola was curious and couldn't help but pick up a string of candied hawthorns to examine it closely:

"What is the name of a dessert made by heating water and brown sugar at high temperatures to make syrup, then dipping fruit in it before it solidifies, using the strength of your wrist to coat the fruit with the syrup, and then solidifying it to make it look beautiful like amber?"

"Candied hawthorn is a favorite of many people in my hometown."

Xu Milu picked up a string of candied hawthorns, took a bite with a "crunch," and the sweetness of the sugar coating combined with the sweet and sour taste of the fruit, without any stickiness at all.

Perhaps due to the different ingredients, brown sugar has a subtle fragrance in its sweetness. It is not as cloyingly sweet as white sugar, nor as cloyingly sweet as honey. It is just right.

"Candied ice and gourds?"

Lola was a little puzzled, but after taking a careful bite, her expression suddenly turned to surprise and delight:

"The acidity is just right. The tartness of the fruit is coated with brown sugar, making it sweet and sour. The thickness of the sugar coating is just right, without overpowering the fruit. The person who invented this way of eating it is a genius!"

After a conversation, Xu Milu learned that the elf named Lola was not a poor person, but a complete slacker.

Lola entered the desert three days earlier than Xu Milu, but tragically, she was swindled out of all her money as soon as she entered the desert, and the camel she rented ran away while she was sleeping. Then she encountered a sandstorm, losing most of her water bottle and luggage. She finally found a cactus patch to sleep in, but then Ah Chou gnawed on her hair.

You're really unlucky.

Xu Milu couldn't help but look at her with pity: "Are you also going to Sunny Castle?"

Lola devoured the candied hawthorn, nodding repeatedly.

“I’ve been used to this since I was a child… Actually, I’m a chef. This time, I’m here to find an extremely rare ingredient. What about you?”

Xu Milu frankly stated:

"I came here to ask King Sanette to have a set of handy kitchen utensils made for me. In a way, my purpose is the same as yours—my camel can carry one more person. Would you like to come along?"

"We're rivals, yet you're willing to help me? Miss Milu, you're the kindest human being I've ever met!"

Lola was immediately moved to tears, and she picked up her harp to play a tune for Xu Milu, completely losing the elegance and poise she had shown when they first met.

...

...

After a long five-day journey, a majestic and imposing ancient castle finally appeared before the man, the tortoise, and the elf. Dwarf guards holding long spears stood guard at the city gate, looking like a row of short, stubby potatoes.

Xu Milu jumped off the camel and breathed a sigh of relief.

After bringing Lola along, in order not to arouse suspicion, she did not use any other ingredients from the system's inventory. She could say that the previous fruit was brought in a camel carcass, but if she took out some fresh fruit again, it would be a fool not to suspect something.

In the desert, they use whatever they can find, nothing but cacti.

Xu Milu ate cactus for five days in a row: roasted cactus, cold cactus salad, candied cactus, boiled cactus, cactus salad...

God knows how she got through those five days.

Seemingly accustomed to guests coming to solve the princess's riddles, the guards announced their arrival and led the two into the castle.

The chocolate castle is absolutely stunning.

The thick city walls are built of chocolate, made of pure dark chocolate. In the moat in front of the castle flows a "black river" with black liquid that smells like coffee. The drawbridge and gates are white and have a sweet aroma of milk chocolate.

Mandolin flags flutter atop the tall, sharp spires of the outer fortress, giving the Gothic architecture a unique charm.

Xu Milu felt a little itchy and really wanted to go up and take a bite, but when she saw the long spear in the guard's hand, she gave up.

If no one stopped her, she could gnaw a hole in the city wall!

Xu Milu thought with some regret.

...

Unexpectedly, the guards did not take them to see the king, but instead politely asked them to rest for the night, and that the princess would have time to see them the next day.

Xu Milu was led to a lavishly decorated room with a large bed made of bread mesh and lace trim, heavy curtains made of fondant, and even the hot water flowing from the bathroom was dark chocolate syrup.

"Please don't worry, this is just chocolate mud, a byproduct of chocolate lava. It's not edible and is very good for girls' skin."

The polite human maid kindly offered this reminder.

Xu Milu reached out and squeezed it, discovering that the flowing black liquid only resembled chocolate in color and taste, but felt like volcanic mud.

Having not properly washed and groomed herself for several days, Xu Milu simply soaked herself in the bathtub, where the warm and soft chocolate mud immediately enveloped her.

The chocolate mud paste had a faint milky aroma. As the smooth mud was applied to her arm, Xu Milu momentarily thought she was a giant nut.

"Lady Milu must be an excellent chef!"

The maid brought in dinner, her tone somewhat cautious:

"Is the person who came with you Elder Lola from the Gourmet Association?"

Xu Milu was taken aback by this, not expecting Lola to be a member of the Gourmet Association, but she didn't deny it. Instead, she asked the maid:

How did you recognize her?

The maid laughed: "Of the thirteen elders of the Gourmet Association, only Lady Lola is an elf. The Gourmet Daily once published a photo of her, and her long, silvery-moon hair is quite impressive!"

Xu Milu closed her eyes, enjoying the warmth of the mud.

Aoki said that the Gourmet Association deeply abhors culinary disasters and has hunted down many chefs who have such dishes. Did Lola really come here just to find ingredients?

...

...