Mage Manual-Chapter 156 - 142 Cooking

Chapter 156: Chapter 142 Cooking

“You’re really not afraid of losing all your scholarship money, huh…”

Freyja shook her head, “And don’t overestimate yourself either. You can’t even make it into the lowest grade of green tea at the cafe. If you want to make money there, you should at least get a loan and get a full-body medical beautification. Body curves, appearance, hair, teeth, scent, and all kinds of structures like the meridian points need adjustments…”

Adela looked terrified, “Is it really that scary?”

“Let me put it this way.” Freyja pointed to herself, “If I went to the cafe, I’d barely qualify as a green tea level tea master, and my performance would certainly be subpar.”

“Has the cafe industry really become that competitive? Even Meiwa can barely make a living!?”

“Actually, I think the mud cafe is much more competitive than the tea cafe. Next time come with me to the mud cafe, I can introduce you to a beastman who’s even prettier than Meiwa.”

...

“It’s all the medical practitioners’ fault!” Adela gritted her teeth in annoyance, “Nowadays, even a natural beauty like me can’t make money off her body.”

“That’s why you should study hard. Being a mage is the least competitive profession.” Freyja packed her backpack, “The Void Realm doesn’t care about rankings, only whether you’re qualified.”

Adela got up as well, “Let’s go eat at Saleris.”

Saleris was a music restaurant near the university, popular among students for its pocket-friendly prices and rich menu. It even had separate areas for Moon candy and non-Moon candy, so students didn’t have to worry about fellow diners suddenly getting high on candy and causing a scene.

“I’m not coming with you.”

“Ah, why? I’m treating you.”

“I have plans tonight.”

Adela paused briefly, “Two nights in a row at the mud cafe? Are you that rich?”

“Not going to the mud cafe.” Freyja propped her chin, “It’s something I shouldn’t tell you about.”

Before she left that morning, Ash had made sure to review Freyja’s class schedule and told her to come home right after classes. Freyja, conscious of her role in harboring a fugitive, planned to check the situation at home first.

Adela was hesitant, then suddenly grabbed Freyja’s lovely shoulder and asked, “You aren’t in love, are you? Don’t get fooled by those mud workers from the mud cafe!”

“No, how could that be.” Freyja smiled and waved her hand, “Have you ever heard of a Meiwa being fooled by the opposite sex?”

Adela thought about it and it indeed seemed unlikely. Since she’d known Freyja, she had frequented over a dozen mud cafes near the university and never lingered over any particular mud worker— Meiwa are famously one-time creatures; they tend to love before mating and despise afterwards, with only a rare few becoming exceptions.

Relations are naturally insulated from Meiwa; they can’t endure being in a long-term intimate relationship with the same person.

Adela clicked her tongue, “If you’re not going, I’m not in the mood for Saleris either. I’ll go eat at ‘Luck Up High’ buffet instead.”

‘Luck Up High’ was the most famous casino near the university, where one could enjoy a free buffet with the purchase of certain gaming chips. Freyja cautioned, “Don’t lose all your dinner money. I won’t have any to lend you.”

“Ptui, ptui, ptui, I’m feeling lucky today, don’t jinx me!”

After leaving the classroom and parting from Adela, Freyja silently prayed to the Extreme Master of Blood Moon, hoping He would protect Adela from losing everything—if not, Adela would definitely end up mooching off her.

Adela was her college best friend, a human female with green hair and green eyes, and her hobby was gambling. Although severe in gambling addiction, this was not uncommon at university—gambling and sex, almost every student had to dabble in at least one, and many in both. Those who completely avoided both were often ostracized.

However, not many “sugar men” were found among university students, and although no surveys had been conducted, it was a general belief that consuming sugar could reduce cognitive abilities, leaving sugar men with little academic prowess to enter university.

Still, Adela wasn’t the type of gambler who lost her senses; she had the confidence because she was top of her class. With just a little more effort, she could easily gain admission to grad school at the Red Mist Institute, which would then waive her student loans.

In popular terms, she was almost “onshore” and thus had little to worry about the future.

Follow current novels on freewebnσvel.cѳm.

For those like Freyja who couldn’t make it into grad school, they had to repay their student loans after graduation. If they couldn’t find a good job and fail to pay off the loans, the banks would introduce them to “more lucrative” jobs—like the tea masters in the cafes.

How many of her seniors had been transformed into mud workers specialised in catering to various customer preferences at the mud cafe…

Lost in thought, Freyja returned to her own apartment.

In the staircase, she ran into Aunt Mulan from the second floor. Just as she greeted her, Aunt Mulan grabbed her arm. The forearm’s fuzzy area was Meiwa’s weakness, so Freyja didn’t dare resist and just listened to Aunt Mulan ramble, “Freyja, don’t believe in men, no matter how good they seem, they are deceitful; men fundamentally lack empathy with women. I was once…”

After hearing the classic story of “Young and beautiful Mulan tricked by a scoundrel” again, Freyja seized the chance to break free and said, “I understand, Aunt Mulan, I am Meiwa, I won’t be fooled by men!”

Aunt Mulan sighed heavily and called after her, “Men love to bind you with little favors; any man who won’t spend much money on you is a deceiver!”

Aunt Mulan was unusually agitated today; could it be that she encountered the man who had conned her at the mud cafe?… Freyja pondered as she fished out her keys to open the door, suddenly remembering that a cult leader lived inside.

Why did he ask me to come home early?

What does a cult leader do when alone?

Definitely some evil sacrificial ritual!

Did he call me back to be a sacrifice?

Wait, that can’t be right, the contract from last night clearly had a rule that ‘both parties must not harm each other.’

Could it be he is short-handed for the ritual and wants me to help?

In that case, would I not become complicit from just concealing?

Although the cult leader himself can’t hurt me, what if he has numerous henchmen hidden inside, all cloaked and holding torches?

Despite these thoughts, Freyja still had to open the door and take a look, ready to run away at the first sign of danger. This is a city area, after all; it’s not like an escaped convict could chase a university girl down the street.

Freyja opened the door, her nose twitched slightly, detecting a whiff of food aroma. Suspicious, she walked into the hallway to see Ash wearing an apron in the small kitchen, bustling with kitchenware she had never used since moving in.

Little Xian was circling around his feet, meowing occasionally, seemingly eager to taste his cooking.

Ash saw her, smiled, and said, “Take a seat for a while. I’ll be done with the last dish soon, and we can eat.”

“Welcome back.”