The hazy white light penetrated through the eyelids, awakening Chuma's weak sense, and his slightly numb and heavy head also responded at this time.
"Well." Chuma covered his face, feeling the tingling and intermittent numbness that kept rippling in his mind, and he was in a daze.
He sat up from the bed and recalled with difficulty, but his efforts were interrupted by the door being opened and the people coming in.
"Better?"
The woman had fresh and crisp short hair. She was still chewing something when she came in. Judging from the breath that came when she spoke, Chuma judged that it might be...dried fish?
"Are you... a siren?"
"No, Yuna of the Potion Team, the only member of the Dawn Potion Team, is also Lord Lulu's apprentice."
While speaking, Yuna had already placed the tray in her hand on the bedside. The potion in the tray caught the attention of Chuma, who had just regained consciousness.
"What happened to me?"
"Can't you remember?" Yuna was surprised, but then relieved, "It's not surprising, the hallucinogenic effect of mushrooms is powerful and can indeed cause fragmentation."
"Mushroom?" Chuma was confused.
The shadow fox who accompanied him yesterday appeared in the room, which also helped Chuma gradually recall some details.
He visited the territory of the Dawn Mushroom People, a group of people who fanatically believed in Lu Yu, Lulu and Sera, calling the three gods the gods who gave them new life.
As the leader of the Chenxi Mushrooms, Xiao Xingchen entertained him very warmly after hearing that he was a guest of the Chenxi Mushroom and received the care of Lu Yu and others.
Details gradually become richer, and the mottled black and white tones of memories gradually gain color.
It's really an extremely warm reception.
A whole table is filled with a variety of mushroom dishes, paired with all the ingredients that Chenxi has to offer, creating delicious delicacies that are full of color, flavor, and aroma.
The umami of the mushrooms and the deliciousness of the ingredients are perfectly blended. Just recalling it, Chuma's taste buds can't help but jump, and her saliva can't stop secreting.
The small talk and questions during the meal did not offend Little Stardust and other mushroom people, and Chuma was deeply impressed by their gentleness.
So far, the guests and hosts have enjoyed themselves, and as expected, Chuma will divert to visit the Dawn Territory, the only giant dragon in Mera, Hogu.
But since Chuma was lying on the bed at the moment, it proved that the accident still caught up with him, or... he asked for it.
Before leaving, Chuma, who had a dry mouth, casually picked up the "drink" held by what looked like a mushroom man waiter, and drank it in one gulp under the surprised eyes of the other party.
Purely subconsciously, at Mela's various banquets, the meals and drinks on the trays held by the walking waiters can be taken at will, but this is the living area of the Dawn Mushroom people.
Except Chuma and the clan leader Xiao Xingchen were at the table, several elders of the mushroom people were sitting with them in the distance.
The mushroom people who have been with the Chenxi people for a long time are very aware of the differences in tastes and body tolerances between them, so the diet they prepare for outsiders is completely different from the mushroom people's own "delicious delicacies".
Chuma was lucky enough to experience a special drink made by mixing high-purity hallucinogenic mushrooms with slime juice and adding a little soda water to make it bubble.
As for how it feels...
Chuma actually had no feelings. He couldn't remember what happened after drinking the drink. This memory was still blank. There was no dream during his sleep, it was completely blank.
After drinking the magic potion prepared by Yuna, Chuma quickly felt refreshed, and then he saw Little Stardust again.
Seeing the other party's repeated apologies, Chuma could only smile and shake his head: "It's not your responsibility."
Immediately, he asked what happened after he was hallucinated and whether he had done anything rude.
Hearing this, the room became silent for an instant.
Chuma, who originally wanted to record the hallucinogenic effects as material in the manual, smelled an aura of embarrassment, but as a scholar, he still calmly pursued the question.
After being asked again and again, Yuna suppressed her smile and told her.
He bites his chopsticks like meat skewers and makes a sound like a wolf howling at anyone who grabs it.
Feeling that he is a siren, he uses the "word spirit" crazily to call for magic to take shape.
Treating Little Stardust as an ancestor, he knelt down and saluted, then hugged her thigh and cried bitterly.
When he was carried away, he hugged Yinghu tightly and shouted for his wife.
Chuma's hands were shaking, the corners of his mouth were twitching, and almost instantly, his face turned red.
After apologizing to Shadow Fox and Little Stardust, he quickly changed the subject: "Did I sleep over the New Year's Eve?"
Yuna explained: "No, it's just a hallucinogenic mushroom. The morning light's potion won't make you miss the New Year. It's noon now, everyone is busy...pack up the potion, and I'm going to help."
Chuma was glad that he had not missed the most record-worthy Dawn Festival. He was also impressed by the power of the Dawn magic potion and the medical team. He cured himself easily and provided the corresponding magic potion to eliminate the last bit of sequelae, so that he could suffer from the disease.
The magic mushroom self can continue to wander around like nothing is wrong.
The main colors of the Dawn New Year's Day are red and orange. In the corridor, the slime maids are laying out the already washed red carpet and posting large portraits under the guidance of another slime maid, the chief sheullong.
"Is this style unique to painter Mela?"
Chuma pointed to a large sticker on the wall of a dragon lady with a red lantern hung on both corners and her eyes glancing upward.
"Basically they are all made by Master Lulu. As for the style, it seems to come from Master Lu Yu's hometown, which he calls the second-dimensional style."
Chuma had noticed this style of painting as early as when Dawn Territory shared the summoning and potion manuals. Now he got a clear name, and he immediately recorded it.
Unlike most old-fashioned Mela painters who complain about exaggerated and frivolous styles, Chuma is very receptive to new art forms and uses the word "cute" as an evaluation.
When served to the table along with the pastry, the slime turned into a gummy and jumped around in surprise.
The forest spirit writes the word "福" on its thin wings and flies by gracefully.
Each of the jellyfish tentacles holds a word for blessing, transforming into a floating "Eight Blessings".
The lazy dragon didn't want to open its eyes, raised the tip of its tail perfunctorily, and put up a "Happy New Year" hanging picture that had been prepared long ago.
The sea monster with a fresh fish in its mouth was still unwilling to let go even though it was whipped by the fish's tail, but it had the words "fish every year" written above its head.
The vampire twins hanging upside down together with the word "福".
When digging a squirrel hole, the squirrel man stuck his head out and hit his head hard, smashing out a black coal ball with "Happy New Year".
After realizing that these cute and interesting stickers included all races in the Dawn Territory, Chuma suddenly remembered the chaotic Meira before the magic wave, and he couldn't help but sigh.
This melancholy did not last long before being interrupted by an extremely abstract sticker.
Here is Qie Ye’s head.
Here is "福"
Here are the beautiful legs of cut leaves.
There were only words and no paintings, but people who happened to pass by looked up and looked at it, but they all laughed, as if there was some hidden smile that Chuma didn't know.
"Is this a culture that only Chenxi people can understand?" he couldn't help but ask.
Shadow Fox hesitated for a moment and nodded hesitantly.
The liveliness of Chenxi Kitchen shocked Chuma, who was visiting for the first time. Dozens of people were busy in the huge kitchen, cutting vegetables, washing vegetables, and cooking. Although with the help of magic, everything was going on in an orderly manner, but there were urgings from time to time.
And the reminder made Chuma who was watching couldn't help but become nervous, as if any sound would interrupt this smooth and skillful cooperation like running water.
"What kind of dish is this?"
Shadow Fox reminded: "You said yesterday that you don't want to know the ingredients."
"After understanding it, I don't have to eat it," Chuma said.
"Steamed pork belly is also a delicacy in Lord Lu Yu's hometown."
"What kind of meat is it specifically?"
"The wild boar domesticated and bred in the Dawn Territory." Herola suddenly appeared, taking over Shadow Fox's position and explaining the specific method.
"Recipes are mostly the work of chefs. Is it appropriate to describe them in such detail?" Chuma asked.
Herola casually handed over a list of dishes for the New Year's banquet. Chuma's eyes were blown away by the wide variety of delicacies on it.
"If Mera is stingy with this knowledge, why should she hold the Dawn Trial?" Herola smiled, "One recipe, hundreds of methods, everyone is different, improvement, innovation, can create different flavors, right?
?”
Chuma knew that gluttons could eat, and the Dawn people could also eat under his influence, but when it came to eating, his imagination was obviously a bit pale.
It’s no longer surprising that one ingredient can be prepared in multiple ways. It’s the ingredients that no one has touched that turn into magic and make it onto the dining table, which is worthy of his astonishment.
"This spicy stir-fried pork sausage refers to..."
After Herola explained in detail how to obtain and process the ingredients, Chuma's face turned pale.
"Since you want to record it, you should try it later, right?"
Herola's words stimulated him, and Chuma, who had already flinched, remembered his responsibility and nodded.
The sky darkens very quickly in winter, and the sudden snowstorm suddenly reduces the outdoor visibility. Many Chenxi people who have received ingredients and New Year gifts send New Year greetings to their companions and return in a hurry to prepare their own New Year's Eve dinner.
It was also at this time that Lu Yu, whom Chuma had not seen for a day, appeared in the kitchen. He put on his apron skillfully. The chef Chenxi who was nearby did not show any surprise and did not intend to give advice. Instead, he silently obeyed the instructions.
Prepare the ingredients.
Except for Chuma, everyone here is accustomed to the lord cooking in person.
The summoned objects appeared one by one, and Shou Gong jumped into the stove and started to control the temperature. The water droplets washed all the spare ingredients again. Xiaoguang could always hand over the correct object when Lu Yu reached out.
"The shape-forming elemental summons is the summoner's most intimate daily companion." Chuma recorded.
When Lu Yu was taking a break after finishing a dish, Chuma stepped forward.
"It seems that Mr. Lu Yu's cooking skills should be the best among Chen Xi Ling, and he is worthy of the name of a glutton."
Lu Yu was stunned for a moment, and then he laughed. He waved his hand and said: "You could say that before, but now... Professionalism is professionalism. The chefs in Chenxi Ling have thoroughly understood the techniques I told them, practiced them more times than me, and have more experience than me.
Rich, how can my cooking skills compare with theirs?"
After so many years of accumulation, the two Laurent private chefs who first followed to the Dawn Territory have already entered the stage of carrying forward everything taught by Professor Lu Yu, throwing away Lu Yu's halo as a lord, without telling anyone.
If the same dishes are handed over to Chenxi people for judgment, Chenxi chefs will definitely stand out.
Except for some people like Lulu, they seemed to naturally prefer Lu Yu's craftsmanship in terms of taste.
"Am I lucky enough to taste your craft?"
Lu Yu readily agreed: "It's just a matter of adding an extra chair and tableware. Why don't you go upstairs and wait?"
"No, it makes more sense to me to observe you." Chuma responded immediately, "Such opportunities will only become less and less, or in other words... they are the only ones I have."
"As long as you can describe it truthfully and don't make it up, I have no reason to refuse people thousands of miles away. There is no need to make Chenxi Ling so cold."
"If the Dawn Territory is enthusiastic enough, its door will not be so difficult for the outside world to knock on."
Lu Yu did not answer, but turned to face the stove and continued cooking the next dish.
"What is your impression of the Dawn Territory?"
The jet of fire illuminated Lu Yu's face, but it also made Chuma swallow back the words he was about to say.
"You once said that not talking about things that may make people uncomfortable during the New Year."
Lu Yu made a fuss, "Forget it, let's celebrate the New Year first. As a guest, Chenxi's New Year should also make you feel this joy. No matter what worries or questions you have, please share this happiness with us."
"
Chuma is just not good at letting his somewhat dull face show passionate emotions. He is actually quite happy. During this New Year, he has gained a better understanding of Chen Xi, and his desire for knowledge and curiosity are constantly being satisfied, and his heart has been enriched as never before.
Surprises came one after another. Arriving at the conference hall that had been temporarily set up as a restaurant, Chuma saw mashed potatoes that made you feel refreshed after eating them, and mushroom soup that sobered up most of the hangover after one sip of drunkenness.
.
This is also a true portrayal of his inner world in the morning light. The endless stream of novel things keeps his brain running at high speed. Even if he tries his best to accept it, he still seems unable to do it.
They are both in the Mera Continent, but the Dawn Territory is like another world. He needs to construct a new set of values and worldview to cope with the cultural impact from this world.
Chuma believed that if someone like him who didn't have a little bit of flexibility visited the Dawn Territory, he would only describe it as a "ridiculous, frivolous and depraved place."
"Where is Lady Lulu?"
"I'm staying with Benlong. The little guy can't come up, so he can only lie down in the hall."
"The development of the potion failed again. Sir Lulu must be blaming herself."
After hearing this, Chuma set off to the castle hall. Sure enough, on the occasion of the New Year reunion, only Benlong stayed here alone in the empty hall.
Lulu's arrival made Benlong, who could only look at Feixue and the festive decorations around him, overjoyed. Then he quietly stretched out his head and let Lulu stroke it.
"It's mentally deficient, right?"
The instinctive question made Chuma want to slap himself. Why did he disturb the warm solitude of one person and one dragon? The question he asked was still like this... I can't sleep tonight.
There was neither the expected outburst nor the indifferent words in reply. Lulu gently stroked the stupid dragon's head and answered gently.
"Yes, his mother abandoned him."
"The tradition of the Dragon Clan means that the heirs with defects will fend for themselves and perish on their own." Chuma sighed.
This is the indifference inherited from the dragon who lacked family affection.
Stupid Long may still feel that his mother has gone on a far journey, but he doesn't know that he has been abandoned as a waste.
"You don't dislike him." Chuma said.
"Although he is stupid, he knows who is good to him. During the time when I disappeared in Mela, he was always guarding the ruins. He was really stupid."
"Really stupid" seemed like a compliment in Benlong's eyes. He flapped his wings happily, but his movements were very gentle, for fear of breaking something - everything here was hard earned by Lulu.
Chuma did not ask any more questions, but silently recorded it in his notes.