The next day came by very fast.
Lingering thoughts clouded Liu Xun's mind as the young man rubbed his hand against his cheek. The faint memory of the scene that happened the previous night replayed once again.
"Thank you, Liu Xun."
Then a peck on his cheek before swiftly disappearing.
The youth's mind was filled with butterflies and daisies as he could not shift his mind from that kiss. Oh, the woes of youth would be future Liu Xun's impression as he would hide his face away upon remembering this day.
"Hey..."
A distant voice.
"Hey, Liu Xun."
It resounded yet again.
"Liu Xun!"
A sharp voice echoed out as an angry yet delicate face appeared in front of the dazzled man.
"Wha-what is it, Sister Waner?"
The surprised young man shouted out. Looking around, he could see weird looks being directed at him. Not only from the cultivator group but also the nearby beasts.
"Come on, Liu Xun. You got to pay attention. It is enough to deal with one pig in the team!"
Waner pointed out as she placed her arms on her waist and harrumphed.
"Wait, what do you mean pig!?"
Langsheng shouted out as he caught on the subtle insult.
"What else do I mean but you, pig!"
She replied as if the answer was already obvious.
"How dare you!"
"What you want to fight?"
The argument started to heat up again.
"Stop it both of you, at least not inside this peace zone."
A gentle voice chimed out as Ruoxue looked over with gentle eyes. The rest of the seniors were already all done packing up as they waited by the riverside, looking at the junior cultivators frolic about. Well, at least it looked like pleasant chattering from their point of view. Nonetheless, the group managed to hastily move forward from the clearing area.
--
Liu Xun gave a casual glance by the side as he looked at Millie who was walking beside him. She seemed rather unperturbed by the events yesterday, making him feel rather awkward. Perhaps, he was thinking too much into the situation? He diverted all of his rampant thoughts while looking at the running water as he slowly muttered out.
"Sign in."
[Signing in host, one moment.]
[Congratulations Host Liu Xun for signing in at the “Glazing Meadow Watering Hole”. You have obtained the grey prize - chocolate mousse cake!]
?
Chocolate...mousse...cake?
What is that?
Despite hearing of something that faintly resembled cakes, being luxurious food that only the highest of nobility or royalty can taste in the secular world.
A small circular brown pastry landed on his hand as he closely observed it.
It had a thick dark brown top layer with a lighter brown creamy base. The top has white cream overflowing with a tiny red raspberry sitting on top of it. The cake was of course place on a plate, which had luxurious golden dragons engraved upon it. This made the cake have an extra luxurious appearance that would definitely tempt even the richest powerhouses.
This was a rather surprising sign in prize considering it ranked as a trash prize. Perhaps, it was due to the fact that the cake provided no cultivation benefits that it was rated that lowly. Otherwise, with its uniqueness and rarity, it would be worth more than the common pills and treasures.
Liu Ruoxue Affection +100
Liu Sanbo Affection +100
Liu Wubo Affection +100
Qin Yeqian Affection +100
Xuan Tie Affection +100
Gan Xinjian Affection +100
Millie Siverborn Affection +500
Well, it looks like everyone also has a favorable impression of this pastry. Looking at how much saliva is leaking from Langsheng's mouth and the gleam in the group's eyes, it is obvious that everyone desired a slice from the tiny mousse cake.
If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
Well compared to a mantou, it is definitely over a hundred times more appetizing.
In fact, Millie was also looking towards the tiny cake with faint expectation. Some of the demonic beasts around were also alerted by the item that lay upon Liu Xun's hand. Is this an unexpected disaster?
The Million Suns drools at your reward.
The Most Ancient One stares in shock as he says, "So that is where my precious cake went!"
The Thousand Deceivers feels hungry.
Oh, so that was The Most Ancient One's dessert? It must be very good then.
[Oh, it is far from just very good. Many of the materials for this cake does not exist in this realm. It is literally one of a kind. Sadly, it has no cultivation benefits, so it is trash tier. No worries though, you are actively taking part in his diet program. There will be more treats to come!]
Wait...there is more?
The Most Ancient One gazes in horror as he asks if there are more.
[Affirmative, Mont Blanc, Strawberry Shortcake, Cheese Egg Tarts, Haagen Daaz...you name it, we have it.]
The Most Ancient One screams out in terror as he runs to check his fridge.
Liu Xun gave a troubled smile as he pitied the great one who had his storage of desserts raided for sign-in rewards. Actually, considering how much trouble the sign-in system has brought, he does not really feel that much pity after all.
[Affirmative host. Why bother eating mantous, when you can have cake?]
The Most Ancient One cries out in unfairness.
The Million Suns snickers.
The Thousand Deceivers snickers.
The Peerless Jade Scabbard chuckles lightly.
Anyways, back to the main program. Most of the eyes were still glued upon that tiny cake as the cultivators and beasts gave a slight gulp. Liu Xun could feel black lines running right down his head as he could not imagine how he could split a small 5 by 5 cm cake with over a hundred different beings. Their ravenous gazes did not make him feel better. In fact, it was much more discomforting.
Luckily, the group was still inside the Glazing Meadows. Therefore, no offensive actions can be taken. Yet, it would be awkward to leave now with this gold-laced time bomb. The other cultivators gave a perplexed gaze towards the youth. In some sense, the rewards did not inspire the greed within them. However, it sure did fester the gluttony within all of them including the surrounding beasts.
This system's haphazard rewards are far from comforting.
"Well then, what would you do, Liu Xun?"
A light and cheery voice came from his side.
The young and cute, yet charmingly beautiful Millie (in Liu Xun's eyes) asked out with faint expectation.
"Errr-well...do you want it, Millie?"
The young man whose brain was being overloaded just muttered out his subconscious thoughts.
"Fufu~well sure!"
The easygoing chirpy lady laughed out as she swiftly grabbed the luxurious black plate before disappearing into the distance.
Zoom.
A faint scent of lavender brushed past Liu Xun's nose as the figure blurred away, appearing over hundreds of meters away.
Rooooar. Grrraaaah. Kweeeeh. "Hey wait, that is mine!"
Various beasts sounded out as they rushed towards the lady who held a tight grasp on the tantalizing dessert. The last voice came from the resident wolf of the group, Langsheng.
--
The rest of the group gave a troubled sigh as Liu Five knocked on Langsheng's head. The group then decided to advance forward to their destination. Millie must have had the confidence to escape from everything since she dared to accept the cake. The young lady appeared before the group later that evening with a triumphant expression as a faint smudge of chocolate cream could be seen on her left cheek.
She gave a huge thumbs up towards Liu Xun as she said out in joy, "It tasted out of this world!"
Well, because the cake was not from this world after all.
The young man thought to himself.
Everyone gave a slightly troubled smile as they considered how a qi gathering cultivator managed to hoodwink dozens of essence formation demonic beasts. They all just accepted the fact that she had the ability to eat the cake. After all, there were many cultivators with mysterious skills out there that enabled them to challenge those above their cultivation bases. Knowing that Millie was the keeper of a hidden land, she must have at least a trump card or two.
The only one vastly unresigned with this was the red-eyed Langsheng who was vastly envious of the silver-haired girl who got to eat the entire cake for herself.
The Most Ancient One leaked tears.
As well as the primary victim of this cake heist.
Nonetheless, the entire day passed relatively peacefully without much commotion. The group has slowly made progress towards the Yin Frost Basin. Millie estimated that the group would probably only require about another three to four more days before they arrive at the basin entrance.
This had brought great relief to Senior Qin and Gan as they were rather pressed for time, barely having less than a week to reach their respective destinations. The group then slowly settled down as they began to set up camp in the dark dreary jungle again this night.
--
There was also an additional message that appeared.
Due to the consumption of the Chocolate Mousse Cake, Millie Siverborn Affection +2000
[Notification to host, you have obtained over 50,000 positive affection points. You have obtained a 1000-credit system store voucher. ]
A 1000-credit voucher? Wait...what is this system store!?
[Host, the system store was long ago introduced when you opened the beginner system package. It is a place where you can purchase many types of goods without the need of going through the gacha system. The prices will be largely inflated though since you can choose.]
Oh right, such a thing had existed before. It totally crossed my mind.
The young man thought to himself as he began to wonder what he could obtain from this 1000-credit voucher.