Abnormal Gourmet Chronicle-Chapter 871 - 433: Mission Accomplished

The only flaw was that it was a bit too sweet.

Shi Dadan liked sweet things, so Qin Huai intentionally made it a little sweeter.

The freshly baked egg tart was very hot, and Qin Huai and Shi Dadan sat at the dining table, neither of them taking the first bite. Qin Huai saw there was a banana on the table that had started to blacken and decided to eat it instead.

I must admit, though there was a suspicion of it going bad, that level of ripeness is when a banana is the sweetest.

"Old Shi, I have a question for you."

"Now my game system's illustration book has unlocked 10 parts, just 2 short of being complete. What will happen when those last two are filled? Will it level up or unlock new features?"

"I initially thought collecting 12 spirits was hard, but now I find it quite easy. It's like the spirits tend to flock together."

Qin Huai asked while eating.

Shi Dadan stared at the egg tarts on the table, seemingly pondering when he could eat them, and replied, "Spirits do indeed like to gather, especially in the first and last reincarnations, which are particularly easy to encounter."

"I actually have a question for you too, Xiao Qin." Shi Dadan looked at Qin Huai, "To be precise, it's a question from Chen Huihong and others that they've wanted to ask but never dared. I'm not afraid to bring it up, so I'll just ask directly."

"Luo Jun is about to die. In his current status, the first reincarnation is actually the best chance for him to successfully overcome tribulation. Xiao Qin, you've seen his memories, you know his emotional struggles, and you know why he failed in tribulation."

"Once he dies and reincarnates, it will be many years before everyone sees him again. If he fails to succeed in his second life, or if he lives to be over 90 like in his first life when Xiao Qin, you definitely won't outlive him, and the chance of him failing the tribulation is high."

"Luo Jun is an example; there might be others in the future. Xiao Qin, if the spirits you know fail their tribulation and dissipate, will you feel sad and heartbroken because of it?"

Shi Dadan's question left Qin Huai speechless.

He hadn't expected Shi Dadan to ask such a profound and challenging question. Normally, Shi Dadan's most frequent question was what to eat today.

Qin Huai thought for a moment but found he couldn't answer right away.

"I don't know," Qin Huai said. "I haven't encountered such a situation. I think I might feel sad, but it's not something I can change."

"Sister Hong and Mr. Luo have told me a lot. Each spirit's tribulation is different; some emotional struggles seem simple to me, but are very difficult for spirits, and vice versa. Because I'm not a spirit, I can't empathize. Although I can see their memories through the game system and judge objectively like from a god's view, without experience, I have no right to speak."

"I really think Mr. Luo could succeed in his tribulation this life, and I don't believe his emotional knots are entirely unresolvable. But it seems to me that Mr. Luo wants to fail."

"He's punishing himself in this way. Otherwise, he could simply end his life and reincarnate like a normal spirit if he failed. He has lived in the human world for so many years, not for success but for failure. That's his dilemma, that's his persistence. We've helped him as much as we can, and the rest is up to Mr. Luo himself."

"Perhaps after I die, Mr. Luo will fail his tribulation and completely dissipate, and I will certainly feel sad, but that's Mr. Luo's own choice."

"Mr. Luo is a very stubborn and resolute person. Since he made this choice, I believe he won't regret it. Since he himself won't regret it or have any regrets, I have no grounds to object. I can only respect his decision and maybe inherit his legacy."

"I don't know if my thoughts are correct, or if they'll seem cruel to you spirits, but these truly are my thoughts."

Shi Dadan shook his head, "Of course not. Xiao Qin, if that's how you feel, then I feel relieved."

"A spirit's tribulation is really their own business. Everyone was just afraid you'd become overly involved, invest too much emotionally, and blame yourself for specific spirits' unsuccessful tribulations, which is why they'd want to ask but didn't dare ask."

Qin Huai smiled, "Don't worry, I won't."

"I'm just an ordinary main character in a system story, not conceited enough to think I can save the world and its people."

"Ah, the egg tart seems to have cooled a bit. Old Shi, try one and see if you like it a bit sweeter like this."

Hearing what Qin Huai said, Shi Dadan reached for an egg tart and took a bite.

"Crunch!"

The crust made a crispy sound.

Shi Dadan looked satisfied.

"Ding, congratulations to the player for completing the side quest [Delicious Egg Tart], receiving the quest reward: [Zhao Cheng'an's Dream]."

Qin Huai:!!!

The side quest is completed just like that?

So simple, so effortless, just from making Shi Dadan a batch of slightly sweeter egg tarts???

Qin Huai, used to having tasks stuck for months at a time, found the sudden ease of completing a side quest a bit hard to adjust to.

It gave a sense of doubt, like maybe there's a big twist being saved for later that hasn't yet been revealed.

"Xiao Qin, what's the matter?" Shi Dadan asked.

"Nothing... it's just that the side quest suddenly completed." Qin Huai scratched his nose, "Didn't expect it to be done so quickly."

"That's great then," Shi Dadan said cheerfully, "Isn't it the egg tart side quest? I think the reward is Xiao Zhao's dream. You can check what caused Xiao Zhao to fail in his tribulation."

"Xiao Zhao's current status means these are likely the final two reincarnations of the Mayfly, and while succeeding in tribulation is a bit of a shame for a Mayfly, it's quite nice to see it succeed."

"I've never seen a Mayfly succeed in their tribulation."

Qin Huai: ...

Is that so? Mayflies really are quite notorious for giving up.

No wonder their reincarnation cycles exceed those of ordinary spirits. It's quite clear that the Heavenly Dao is trying to salvage them, but can't manage to.

"Well then, shall I... take a look now?" Qin Huai suggested, "You can keep eating these egg tarts, and if there are leftovers, just leave them here. Whenever I check memories, real-world time is just three to five minutes. Later, I'll message Tan Wei'an to take the remaining egg tarts."

Qin Huai remembered that Tan Wei'an also liked egg tarts.

Just not sure if Tan Wei'an would like them a bit sweeter.

Shi Dadan nodded obediently, took another big bite of an egg tart, making another crispy sound.

Qin Huai opened the game system, clicked on [Zhao Cheng'an's Dream], and chose yes.

[Loading Dream —]

.

"Good sir, have mercy, please give us something to eat, would you kindly buy this child?"

"Gou Dan, what are you standing there for? Open your mouth and show your teeth to the gentleman! Sir, look, a 9-year-old boy, just feed him a little and in a couple of years he'll be strong labor, much more useful than livestock."

"This child is the only son of a peasant family, well-built. Typically, such a child goes for at least three strings of coins. Now times are tough, and I'm asking for just two. Give us a little black bean cake, rice bran, and such. Good quality like this is rare!"

Qin Huai was surprised to see a large-scale scene of human trafficking as soon as he entered the memory.

A skinny man, with yellowed teeth, tinkered with a dirty but relatively stout little boy among a group of emaciated, starved, skin-and-bones children.

The man brutally pried open the boy's mouth to show his teeth, "See the teeth? There's no lying about his age."

The buyer in cloth shook his head dismissively, "Two strings are too expensive. A pretty little girl only goes for two and a half, and for a boy like him, he'd have to be fed for two years. With that time, I could pick up a couple in the city. Too expensive, one string."

The trafficker lamented, "Oh, sir, I can't sell for just one string. These kids were brought from Jin Province, and just the food costs along the way—one string won't do."

"Alright then, never mind." The buyer waved dismissively and dusted off his clothes as he moved to the next booth.

Seeing the deal fall through, the trafficker angrily kicked the boy to the ground, cursing, "Eating like pigs, going mute at the critical moment? Can't say a word of pleasantry? Didn't cling and call 'sir'? Should've tossed you useless baggage on the road, wasted my food. No cakes today, get lost."

The child lay on the ground, unresponsive, seeming too starved to do anything.

Qin Huai looked at the child on the ground, puzzled.

Is this... Zhao Cheng'an?

The Mayfly seems to be thoroughly experiencing life, starving itself like this?

No wonder they say Mayflies tend to self-destruct. It's literal self-destruction through starvation.