Three days in the Journey to the West, a month passed in the Food World, and Xu Milu's custom-made cake palace at Mandolin was completed.
She planned to become an unnamed hunter, board a large ship, and disappear into the vast ocean with the cake palace, so that even if someone noticed something was wrong, they wouldn't guess anything.
"My lord, the gourmet palace you commissioned has been fully constructed. We have never seen such exquisite and detailed blueprints before. The furniture—oh, I mean, the furnishings inside the palace—are absolutely stunning!"
The dwarf craftsman beamed with pride as he showed Xu Milu the cake palace on the ship:
"I assure you, no one in this world but us dwarves can replicate such a perfect work of art—we used rock bread for the doors and windows, nut wood for the roof supports, and as for the exquisite furnishings, we recreated them bit by bit with fondant, and finally dared to finish them before today's parade!"
"A parade?"
Xu Milu raised an eyebrow; clearly, she hadn't been back for a long time, and the dwarf kingdom had developed new traditions.
"Yes, ever since Queen Sunny launched a war to unify Mandolin Island five years ago, a new tradition has emerged in the Dwarf Kingdom. Every year on this day, the Queen participates in the parade in a float. Not only are there ceremonial guards performing, but also top chefs from the Culinary Association come to the scene to personally cook delicious dishes—"
As the dwarf craftsman counted the pearls Xu Milu had used to pay the final payment, he enthusiastically explained:
"Welcome to join the parade! On this day, people exchange mandolin flowers as a blessing, a tradition said to commemorate the friendship between dwarfs and humans..."
For hundreds of years, Mandolin Island has been a place where the north and south coexisted, with one half inhabited by dwarves and the other half by humans. Who would have thought that the dwarves would unite Mandolin?
To start a war?
Unify the Dwarf Kingdom?
Xu Milu really couldn't connect these two events with that tiny little bundle in her memory.
...
The parade began, and the entire island seemed to be immersed in a frenzy. Dwarven guards in silver armor, holding long spears, escorted the queen's float with great pomp and circumstance. On both sides of the road, dwarves held up garlands, and everyone was vying to get closer to the queen.
Xu Milu glanced at the crowd from afar and noticed that the crybaby princess of yesteryear had changed a lot.
Her long, golden curls cascaded down her back, and her pure, azure eyes were now filled with maturity and experience. She wore a long red dress, and the crown on her head was inlaid with mandolin flower patterns woven from gold and silver threads. She sat on the throne on the parade float, with a perfectly appropriate and friendly smile on her face.
—As the child of a dwarf and a human, Sunny does not have a long life like ordinary dwarves; she is already a long-lived adult.
"Queen! Queen!!"
"Long live the Queen!!"
"Long live Queen Sunny!!"
"Long live the mandolin!!"
All the dwarves were chanting the Queen's name, and countless wreaths were thrown onto the parade floats by the revelers. Sunny simply looked gently at her people, her scepter slightly raised in her hand:
"Blessings to the Mandolin—In Praise of Queen Missy—"
"Praise be to Her Majesty the Queen! Praise be to Queen Missy!!"
"By the God of Gourmet Food!"
"Praise the mandolin!"
The dwarves excitedly pounded their little drums, skipping and hopping along with the parade floats. The entire long street was packed with dwarves participating in the parade, and tourists of other races could also be seen. They seemed very happy to join in the carnival, and the air was filled with a joyful atmosphere.
Looking at the familiar yet unfamiliar Sunny, Xu Milu suddenly understood the ruthlessness of time.
For her, she had only been gone for a year, but for Sunny, she had been gone for many years. In that long period of time, there were too many things that Xu Milu had not participated in. Even if the two met again, their friendship would not be as bright as before.
Xu Milu still remembers the scene when little Sunny cried her eyes out and begged Lola to give her a dagger—but that's all in the past now.
Although those memories are as vivid as if they happened just yesterday, Xu Milu knows that the current Sunny is no longer the little girl who used to cling to her waist and act coquettishly.
The one sitting on the throne now is Queen Sunny.
Even if the two meet, they will only feel endless awkwardness. It's better to let the beautiful memories remain ten years ago and treat this encounter as a precious memory.
"Bless the Queen, bless Queen Missy."
Xu Milu smiled gently, raised the wreath and threw it forcefully. The wreath landed on the float, and the next second, the crowd surged past, and she had disappeared without a trace.
"...Is it human?"
Queen Sunny, seated on the throne of the float, tilted her head slightly, feeling as if she had seen something, but she was quickly drawn to the cheers of the crowd.
The trade with the Siren Clan needs to be put on the agenda as soon as possible, and the Gourmet Association should also be sent to make a trip. Several more mandolin chili factories need to be built in the north...
Sunny smiled a perfect smile and waved to her people:
"Praise the mandolin, praise Queen Missy."
...
...
Xu Milu gave the dwarf craftsmen the blueprints based on the Moonlit Palace where she now lived, and the skillful dwarves did not disappoint her. They not only perfectly replicated the structure of the entire palace, but also restored the furnishings inside.
The round tables and embroidered cabinets, jade beds and small tables, painted screens and jade curtains in the main hall are all replicated to a great extent. The tables and chairs for entertaining guests are also neatly arranged. The apricot-colored pillars supporting the main hall are extremely thick, supporting the carved beams and painted rafters on the roof. The tiles are cut out piece by piece from sugar and chocolate, and some can even move.
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