"I see why he's so much further ahead."
"What are you talking about, brother?"
William exchanged a glance with his older brother.
The next moment, he saw the elven prince resolutely stand up, a familiar smile gracing his lips. Before any other teams could make a move, he walked directly towards Lu Mingming's pot of soup.
"Hello, I am a prince from the elven star. You can call me Qiu Ye."
After speaking, Qiu Ye bowed like a gentleman.
Lu Mingming stared blankly at the handsome man who had suddenly appeared before her, completely baffled.
"Hello, may I ask what's wrong?"
Just as the elven prince was about to speak, Hong Wan abruptly interrupted, "Holy crap, this soup smells too good! I admit defeat, but can I have just one sip of this soup to go with my rice? Please, just one sip!"
Lu Mingming's attention was drawn, and she smiled, "Sure, it's for everyone to drink."
"Hooray!"
Hong Wan, with his naturally childlike disposition, was easily satisfied with his wish for this trip. He happily went back to prepare his own team's meal.
Lu Mingming turned her head and repeated, "May I ask what you need?"
"I originally wanted to ask if you could sell me this pot of soup, but it seems unlikely now. I'll have to give up on that idea," Qiu Ye added with a wry smile.
"May I request a bowl? I want to let all my teammates try it, because I bet them that your cooking is very good, and they didn't believe me."
Lu Mingming blinked, looking at the full pot. She readily agreed.
"Of course. Thanks to the venison you gave me, I was able to make this pot of soup. Thank you."
"Thank you very much."
Qiu Ye displayed a smile of genuine sincerity, unable to contain his joy as he called out to William to quickly bring over a bowl and wait.
"What does that mean, Elven Star?"
Angelina's expression turned serious, her face, a blend of sanctity and beauty, held a commanding presence.
She walked towards Lu Mingming in her high heels, her footsteps crisp.
This time, Lu Mingming learned to speak first.
She said, "Hello, may I ask what you need?"
Speaking of the matter, Angelina softened her voice, "Hello, I wanted to ask if I could have a pot of..."
Before she could finish the word "soup," the Insectoids sent forward their seemingly most approachable "victim." With narrowed, smiling eyes, they came to gauge the situation.
"Hello, may I have a bowl of soup?"
"I came first, can't you see?"
Angelina was somewhat annoyed. However, the Insectoids held a formidable reputation in the galaxy, and in previous competitions, they had consistently ranked in the top three. They were not afraid of Angelina's so-called intimidation.
The Insectoid sneered and said directly, "Since our people haven't been invading outside in recent years, have you forgotten your place?"
Angelina's face turned darker than the deepest midnight. She glared fiercely at the Insectoid.
Sensing trouble, Lu Mingming quickly intervened, "Alright, alright, don't argue, everyone."
The Insectoid's face contorted into a stiff smile, as if it had just learned how to use its muscles like a robot.
"Hello, I can exchange dishes prepared by my race for it."
With that, the Insectoids behind him held up the various kinds of meat they had just hunted. Most were large pieces, some even more precious than venison.
"See if you have any interest?"
The Insectoid's face displayed an expression of determination.
Angelina, standing beside them, refused to be outdone. "I will personally make you a pot of roe deer meat. It was just killed not long ago and is very fresh. As the first-place winner of the previous session, you can trust my cooking."
The Insectoid let out a mocking laugh, "If you trust your cooking, why did you come here? How shameless!"
This remark caused the two to start arguing again, leaving Lu Mingming standing there, unsure of what to do.
Hua Yu tugged at Lu Mingming's sleeve and whispered into her ear, "Those two organizations used to be mortal enemies, because Angelina's race was invaded by the Insectoids before."
So that's how it is!
Lu Mingming suddenly understood.
"It might be a bit difficult to give away the entire pot of soup. May I ask my teammates? After all, it was made for them."
The two did not raise any objections. They turned away silently, not looking at each other.
Lu Mingming looked at the Dragon Clan leader with a troubled expression and quickly explained the situation, "What do you think about this matter?"
"Let them exchange for things, but leave some for us."
With the decision made, the Dragon Clan leader began the negotiations. Lu Mingming was too lazy to get involved in all that complexity.
She was not at all familiar with interstellar powers; she was just an ordinary little chef.
After happily exchanging with all the teams, the pot of stewed venison and radish was finally ready.
Aside from the Insectoids, the Elven Star, and Angelina's family, Lu Mingming was surprised to see several other unfamiliar teams, and even a team from Alpha Star, who had brought soft blankets and sat together.
Everyone gathered in a circle, bringing out all their homemade delicacies to share.
The stewed venison had a bright, vibrant scarlet hue on its surface. The meat pieces trembled slightly, and the soup was deep and steaming, with a thin layer of oil floating on top.
As the person who contributed the most, Lu Mingming was the first to taste it, with everyone intently watching her.
Her pearly teeth bit into a piece. The meat was tender yet had a slight chewiness. The aroma of each piece of meat wafted through the air. It was not greasy, not tough, but soft, tender, and smooth.
The radish was incredibly soft, melting in the mouth with a gentle touch. It had absorbed the soup's flavor and became sweeter as it was eaten.
The soup was clear and fresh yet rich, perfectly capable of dispelling the chill from the sudden temperature drop at night.
"Currently, this dish is the best one I've encountered in the forest."
Upon hearing this assessment, everyone relaxed. One by one, based on their prior negotiations with the Dragon Clan leader, they stepped forward to claim their respective portions of venison soup.
After this meal, all the teams squeezed together, their relationships eased considerably, and they no longer appeared distant or stiff.
Lu Mingming, as usual, went to feed her cub its dinner.
However, this time she did not feed it venison soup. Venison soup was too nourishing for young cubs during autumn and winter.
So, Lu Mingming picked out some items made by other races for the little one to eat.
Although the little one was quite dissatisfied, on the account of Lu Mingming personally feeding it, it graciously ate half a bowl, bite by bite.
Before going to sleep, Lu Mingming and the others bid each other goodnight, awaiting the arrival of the next day.
The annoying broadcast sound once again startled all the teams present. Lu Mingming groggily opened her eyes.
[...The following is a broadcast regarding the fixed location of the crystal tokens. Attention! The following is a broadcast regarding the fixed location of the crystal tokens!]
Lu Mingming jolted awake, sat up, and grabbed her bag, looking for a place to hide the crystal token.
To her surprise, some teams were already washing up in the open space, and she was caught red-handed.
The leader of the Alpha team raised an eyebrow and walked closer step by step, "Anchor Lu Mingming, you're rushing around so early in the morning. Where are you going?"