Chapter 60: The "Elf's" Afternoon Tea, a Carefully Planned Performance^^...

When Fernando, Rega, and Carl, as the first group of experience officers from the Golden Libra Chamber of Commerce, checked into the luxury model house, they thought their amazement at this mysterious town had reached its peak.

However, they soon discovered that they were still too young.

The real shock began the next morning, when the first rays of sunlight streamed into the room and Mia knocked on their door with breakfast.

Breakfast was simple: the main dish was two steaming, soft, and sweet Starlight Sleep Aid Buns; the side dish was a small bowl of thick potato soup with a small amount of dried minced meat and chopped wild vegetables; and the drink was the same fragrant and calming tea they had tasted the day before.

"Gentlemen, please enjoy your meal. This is a special meal prepared by the kitchen at the request of our town mayor. We hope it will suit your tastes." Mia put down the tray, gave a polite bow, and quietly withdrew.

Fernando picked up a star-shaped steamed bun. The subtle aroma of wheat and fresh fragrance mingled together, making even this gourmet, who had tasted countless delicacies, unable to resist the urge to eat it. He took a bite, and the soft texture, the sweet taste, and that uniquely comforting fragrance made him squint his eyes instantly.

“Good stuff… really good stuff…” he murmured to himself.

Meanwhile, Rega and Karl, though still expressionless, noticeably increased their chewing speed.

On the first day, they simply found the food novel, delicious, and with a unique flavor.

The next day, they began to notice that their mental state seemed exceptionally good after consuming the food. Fernando's chronic insomnia, caused by years of hard work and business calculations, was greatly relieved after a good night's sleep. Rega and Karl also felt that the deep-seated chill and exhaustion accumulated from traversing the cursed land over the past few days seemed to have dissipated considerably.

By the third day, when Fernando saw his much rosier complexion and less noticeable dark circles under his eyes reflected in the water, the shock in his heart had turned into a tidal wave.

“This…this food…is problematic.” Fernando lowered his voice and said to Rega and Karl, but there was no fear in his eyes, only greed and fervor. “They are not just delicious, they have…magical effects.”

Rega nodded and said in a deep voice, "I feel that my physical strength and mental recovery are at least 30% faster than usual. This feeling only comes after taking expensive alchemical potions, but those potions usually have side effects, while these foods... are as gentle as mountain spring water."

Karl pinpointed the key: "It's the ingredients. The problem lies in their ingredients. That glowing wheat, and those calming mushrooms... these have never been recorded in any kingdom's encyclopedia! This cursed land seems to be nurturing miracles in a way we can't comprehend."

To verify his hypothesis and to help his guards recover their strength as quickly as possible, Fernando immediately sought out Lin Yue, hoping to order food for the entire caravan.

Faced with this huge business opportunity that came knocking on his door, Lin Yue pretended to be troubled and frowned: "Manager Fernando, as you can see, our town is already struggling financially. Your dozens of brothers are eating our special meals every day, and my granary... I'm afraid it can't keep up."

Lin Yue: Yeah, right. Can I tell you that there are so many acres of wheat and potatoes behind the town waiting for me to harvest them?

Finally, after some haggling, Lin Yue reluctantly agreed to provide all members of the caravan with a special working lunch from Hope Town every day at noon—unlimited roasted potatoes served with a large pot of spicy leopard meat and wild vegetable soup. Of course, the price was considerable.

When the elite guards of the Golden Libra Chamber of Commerce tasted the spicy, piping hot leopard meat soup that made them feel refreshed from head to toe for the first time, and gnawed on the stone-skinned potatoes with their crispy outer skin, soft and fluffy inside, and unique mineral flavor, everyone was completely conquered by this unprecedentedly rugged and domineering delicacy.

They were filled with endless curiosity and covetousness about the food sources and the mysterious cooking techniques of Hope Town.

Lin Yue, on the other hand, keenly noticed the increasingly undisguised greed and curiosity in Fernando's eyes, especially in Karl's.

"Looks like we need to give them a little something extra." A sly glint flashed in Lin Yue's eyes.

In the dead of night, Lin Yue returned to his director's office alone. He first habitually opened the system interface.

"System, my old buddy, I've neglected you for three whole days because of entertaining these guests. Are you lonely? Come on, let me pamper you a bit." He teased her with a greasy and slightly sleazy tone.

[Warning! Verbal harassment of this system has been detected! First offenses will not be prosecuted, but repeat offenses will be punished according to Article 3, Section 8 of the "System and Host Friendly Interaction Regulations," with a deduction of 100-500 points! Please behave responsibly!]

The cold, emotionless electronic notification sound instantly deflated Lin Yue.

"Ahem, just kidding, trying to lighten the mood." He coughed lightly, about to change the subject, when the system interface changed on its own.

[Ding! Detected that the host has successfully led the community to the initial transition from the Stone Age to the Iron/Pottery Age, and has initially established several basic civilization modules such as agriculture, industry, architecture, sanitation, and management. The first stage of "Civilization on the Tip of the Tongue" [Foundation Laying] is basically complete.]

[Mission settlement in progress... Overall rating: A- (Not only did they survive in extremely harsh conditions, but they also demonstrated outstanding leadership, technological innovation capabilities, and the ability to integrate across different races—a commendable achievement!)]

[Interim rewards are being distributed...]

[Reward 1: System Points +3000.]

[Reward 2: Unlocks the right to redeem the "Introduction to the Eight Major Cuisines of China (Fragment)"]

[Reward 3: A free copy of the "Essentials of Cantonese Cuisine (Beginner)" blueprint will be given to recognize the host's pioneering contributions to the fields of food therapy and culinary diplomacy.]

Lin Yue's eyes lit up instantly as he looked at the series of reward notifications, and the slight displeasure he felt from the system's warning earlier vanished.

"System, you've finally had a change of heart."

Without hesitation, he accepted the "Essentials of Cantonese Cuisine (Beginner)". Instantly, a wealth of secrets about freshness, the ultimate pursuit of the original flavor of ingredients, and exquisite cooking techniques such as "boiling, stewing, steaming, baking, and stir-frying" appeared before Lin Yue's eyes.

"This is really going to take off!" Lin Yue was so excited that he was trembling all over. Such exquisite and meticulous culinary skills must be handed over to a more suitable person to carry them forward.

The next day, he found Aunt Mia and Aunt Leah, as well as several of the most outstanding and meticulous women in the logistics team: "Thank you all for your hard work during this time. To express my gratitude, from today onwards, I will pass on all the highest-level cooking skills I know to you. You are the future culinary masters of Hope Town. Men should be beasts of burden, laying bricks and building walls. But the kitchen, this sacred realm of creating delicious food and happiness, should be dominated by you more meticulous and creative women."

This speech flattered Mia and her friends, and when the men of Hope Town later learned of the decision, while lamenting that they had lost the chance to taste the new dish for the first time, they were also filled with endless anticipation for the future quality of food.

In the afternoon, Lin Yue mysteriously went alone to the residence of the Silent Ones and found Elder Farador, who was discussing clan affairs with several elders.

No one knew what he and the elder had discussed in that dimly lit corner. All they saw was that Lin Yue left with a mysterious smile on his face. Elder Farador, on the other hand, remained silent for a long time. Finally, a hint of helplessness, a hint of amusement, and a hint of anticipation for a good show flashed in his cloudy old eyes.

Immediately afterwards, the elders personally stepped forward and selected several young men and women from the clan who were the most outstanding in appearance, the most elegant in temperament, and had the most obvious elven bloodline characteristics.

Then, amidst the puzzled gazes of all the Silent Ones, these chosen lucky ones were led by Ella, Mia, and Aunt Leah into a separate, heavily guarded room.

A secret behind-the-scenes preparation was quietly underway.

Inside the room, Mia used her skillful hands to cut and sew several flowing, simple robes from the softest animal hides and finest linen fabrics, imitating the elven style Lin Yue had described. The robes were dyed a soft moon white and grass green with several non-toxic plant saps, and were embroidered with simple vine and star patterns in silver thread.

Ella personally combed their cascading hair. Some were braided into intricate plaits, adorned with a few polished white pebbles; others were left to fall naturally, then gently coated with the juice extracted from moonflower plants. Once the juice dried, it not only made the hair smoother but also emitted a soft, moonlit glow in the light.

Most importantly, they covered their ears with wide, moon-white hoods or cleverly braided hair and vine headdresses, subtly concealing their human-like ears and leaving only their delicate jawlines and long necks visible, creating a mysterious and noble aura.

"Lord Lin is so strange," a girl named Rias, with long silver-white hair, couldn't help but whisper among herself and her companions, looking at their completely different appearances. "Why did you make us dress up like this just to go out... for a walk?"

"Shh... It's always right to listen to the elders and adults." Ella gently adjusted her hood.

The next afternoon, the sun was shining brightly.

Lin Yue was warmly accompanying Fernando and Karl at the oak square table at the city gate, enjoying his latest afternoon tea snack—honey-roasted rock-baked potato chips.

He sliced ​​the stone potatoes into paper-thin slices, marinated them with a little salt and honey, and then quickly baked them on a hot stone slab. The resulting potato slices were fragrant and crispy, with a sweet and salty flavor that was highly praised by Fernando and Carl.

Just as the three were chatting happily in a peaceful atmosphere, Lin Yue glanced at the distant woods, seemingly unintentionally.

Then, a look of surprise instantly appeared on his face!

"Ah, it's them." He stood up abruptly, completely ignoring Fernando and Karl, and waved vigorously towards the woods.

Fernando and Karl followed his gaze, their pupils instantly contracting.

In the distance, at the edge of the woods, several figures dressed in flowing robes, tall and elegant, with long hair flowing like moonlight, slowly emerged from the dense foliage.

In their hands, they also held some peculiar plants that emitted a faint glow. Their figures were like a gentle breeze in the forest, and their demeanor was like the snow on a mountaintop. That innate nobility and aloofness, that sense of oneness with nature, was something no one could imitate.

They heard Lin Yue's call, but merely glanced in their direction before giving him a slight, reserved, and elegant nod in return. Their eyes were cold and indifferent.

Then, they ignored them, turned around, and disappeared silently into the dense forest as if they had blended into the air.

The whole process took only a dozen seconds.

But Fernando and his teammates' expressions instantly turned extremely serious, and a fine layer of cold sweat even seeped out from their backs.

They exchanged a glance, and in each other's eyes, they saw undisguised shock and...deep apprehension.

Elf!

A proud, xenophobic, mysterious race that possesses powerful natural forces.

This mysterious town, and its seemingly eccentric young mayor, actually... actually have connections with the legendary elves, and it seems... their relationship is quite good?!

No wonder they were able to grow crops containing the magical energy of nature on this cursed land.

No wonder this young man named Lin Yue possesses so many incredible technologies.

No wonder they dared to offer such an outrageous price.

No wonder they dared to build such a powerful empire on this perilous land with such confidence.

Behind them stood the elves.

We must immediately! Right now! Reassess the threat level of Hope Town.

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Author's Note: Lin Yue (unintentionally): Showing off my friends...

Fernando (wiping sweat): An elf? Mayor Lin, you've been hiding it well!