Monster Dismantling Company

Chapter 37 Offering

"So don't worry, I won't abandon you."

"Really!" The silver dragon hugged him tightly. "My Lord Dragon! I never imagined you were so benevolent! I thought you enjoyed eating other dragons, and some people even said you ate 100 dragons a day. Those rumors are false; you are such a loving ruler!"

"I have never been a king, for I have neither land nor subjects."

"I know, but your love is real! I...I adore you!"

Li Lin shook his head: "If you know you should show affection, then go and prepare some snacks for me. I'm going to eat."

"Yes! I'll be right there, please wait a moment."

"Hey," Li Lin called out to her, "Don't tell the person next to me."

"Understood! I will not reveal your identity to that human queen!"

"Say it again?"

"Ah...ah!" Silver Dragon's survival instinct kicked in, and his brain started working at lightning speed. "I won't say anything, I don't know anything. The 98 set meal originally included a drink and snacks, which I forgot to take! I'll give them to you now."

"Hmm. Very good."

Li Lin nodded in satisfaction.

Actually, Li Lin hadn't planned to help her—he was going to Jin Gang State to make purchases, and Silver Dragon needed protection, so it wasn't really in his best interest. However, he genuinely wanted to buy some necessities this time, so he was willing to engage in some friendly mutual assistance with Silver Dragon.

However, the fact that this silver dragon was very sensible and actually offered to treat him to a meal was a different story altogether.

Those dragons willing to share food are not bad dragons. Those willing to cook for other dragons are the best of the best.

Li Lin returned to her seat, waiting for Yinlong to present her gift.

Lin Zhiqing, who was standing nearby, asked, "What were you two talking about just now?"

"Oh, she showed me which desserts I could choose, and they'll be here in a bit—how do they taste?"

"I'm waiting for you to come back for dinner. But I took a sniff, and it smells pretty good."

This is the ginkgo and shrimp bento box they bought.

The lunchbox was divided into compartments, one-quarter filled with rice and the rest with various side dishes, including broccoli, green and red peppers, and the like. The whole dish was glossy and shiny with oil. And even though it had been sitting for a while, it hadn't bled any oil or water, which is quite good for stir-frying. Accompanying the shrimp were ginkgo nuts, an ingredient that's rarely seen on ordinary days.

Other items included side dishes such as small portions of shredded pork with garlic sauce and scrambled eggs. In the small compartments, there were also sauces and pickled radishes served alongside.

This dish is of a very high standard, especially the ginkgo shrimp, which is excellent in both appearance and aroma, and doesn't look like it was heated in a microwave at all.

"This is definitely worth the price." Lin Zhiqing unpacked the disposable chopsticks. "I didn't expect that something like a pre-made boxed lunch could be made with such skill."

"Hmm...this is difficult, isn't it?"

"That's incredibly difficult. Dishes packaged in plastic wrap are usually prepared in factories and then reheated before eating. This repeated heating would definitely ruin the dish. But this one, you can't tell at all."

In other words, it's not just that the quality is very high, but the taste is just like freshly stir-fried food.

Li Lin, who had just sat down, also took a bite—unsurprisingly, the seasoning was excellent. The aroma of ginkgo didn't overpower the shrimp; it simply provided a rich and mellow flavor. The slight bitterness also brought out the shrimp's natural sweetness. The level of skill was indeed very high.

"So how exactly was this made...?"

If it had been made with other people, he would have just thought the chef was very skilled. But since there were only two portions, the problem lay with Silver Dragon.

A short while later, Yinlong brought over the complimentary snacks: two fresh meat mooncakes, along with some black tea.

The mooncakes were still steaming, as if they had just been baked. The meat's savory aroma didn't suggest they'd been sitting out for long; they were most likely made fresh.

She seemed to have magically produced all of these things in such a short period of time.

"Your dishes are all served! Enjoy your meal."

"Thank you." Lin Zhiqing nodded to her. "Your dishes are really good."

Seemingly pleased with his culinary skills, Yinlong beamed like a happy child: "This is... cough, this is a dish meticulously prepared by our train's chef. I'll pass on your praise—oh, right, I forgot to mention. As the 1000th passenger on this train, we've decided to offer you complimentary meals for the entire journey!"

"real?!"

"Yes, yes, it's true! But please note, this is a little secret of the train crew; we're celebrating privately. So, please don't tell the other passengers. I will prepare your meals in the order of the three meals."

After saying that, she left in a flash, just as quietly as she had come.

"We're so lucky..." Lin Zhiqing glanced at Li Lin, "Does she owe you something?"

[Tsk, so there really are people among humans with such sensitive intuition.] Even Aren, who had been ordered to keep quiet, couldn't help but speak up.

Li Lin tilted his head and looked at her: "Huh? Really?"

"There must be... I've never seen you look like that before. Ah, never mind, I won't ask. It's your business."

Although she had keen intuition, Lin Zhiqing didn't want to ask too many questions, leaving Li Lin some space.

This surprised Li Lin somewhat.

Actually, the reason he didn't want to maintain overly close relationships with others was because he didn't want his secrets to be discovered.

However, when faced with the truth that was within reach, Lin Zhiqing chose to restrain her curiosity and did not ask any more questions.

"Hmm...it's nothing really, how about I tell you the answer?"

"Really?" Lin Zhiqing asked. "What's the answer?"

"Actually, she wanted to curry favor with me. She needed my help with something later, so she planned to treat us to dinner at an employee price, and she would pay for it herself."

This is the truth, the absolute truth. Yinlong did indeed want to curry favor with him, and inviting him to dinner was genuinely because he needed his help later. He simply omitted some information related to his identity.

"Oh, I see! That's not really a good idea. Should we just pay her for the meal?"

"It's alright, don't worry about her." Li Lin waved his hand. "She got a great deal on her meal with the employee discount. Besides, she does need my help later. So, just think of it as me prepaying for the meal. The favor I need to do for her is related to her work, and it can't be measured in money. She should thank me."

"Thank you!" Silver Dragon suddenly reappeared. "Thank you so much! I just baked some cookies, would you two like to try some?"