Inside a room on the second floor of the Filly Restaurant, the boss sat behind a table, holding a journal that the beggar had written. She had read this notebook numerous times but still went back to it from time to time.
Filly sighed as she closed the journal. "How am I going to face him?" she wondered aloud, referring to the beggar beside her restaurant. A beggar? Filly smiled knowingly. How did a 'beggar' know all these recipes? The more she thought about it, the more she was certain that he was not a beggar but a Wanderer who had seen the world.
He knew ingredients and dishes that even her chef, Temor, hadn't heard of. There was a high possibility the beggar had learned it from somewhere far away because if the ingredients were just from neighboring cities, she would have known them already.
Filly didn't want to bother him anymore, believing he was a Wandering Cultivator pretending to be a beggar. He probably didn't want to be bothered either, as he only wanted to stay beside her restaurant.
She just didn't know how else she was going to repay him. The journal in her hands was very precious; it was the chance that would allow her to surpass Skyline Savory, and Filly greatly appreciated the 'beggar' even though her actions towards him had been very rude.
Filly wanted to invite him to be an Honorable Guest for her family, but she couldn't find a chance to do so. He was either cultivating or gone.
While deep in thought, hurried footsteps approached the door, followed by a knock.
"Miss?" Gail's voice, filled with urgency, echoed.
Hearing this, Filly immediately stood up and went to open the door. "What's wrong? Did something happen?"
"H-he's here," Gail said, her eyes shining with excitement.
"Who are you talking about?" Filly asked.
"Mr. Beggar!" Gail said, almost shouting.
"Really?!" Filly couldn't believe it. She was just thinking about how to repay him, and now he was inside the restaurant?
"Yes!" Gail nodded vigorously. "He just ordered a plate of scrambled eggs with bread along with some milk."
"Let's go see him!" Filly hurriedly walked out. "I will serve him myself!"
Apollo was seated two to three tables away from the kitchen. Along the way, the stares from the other customers made him sigh. What's wrong with beggars eating in a restaurant? I'm going to pay! If he didn't want to make a scene, he would have beaten those judging eyes.
There were only a few customers, but the way they looked at him felt like there were thousands of them staring, piercing his very soul. Fortunately, no one acted high and mighty or tried to kick him out. Even the restaurant workers treated him as a customer, so how could the patrons act like that?
"Tsk," Apollo clicked his tongue in annoyance. As he sat down, his eyes couldn't help but wander towards the kitchen. He could only see through the small window where a man was moving about. However, compared to how a normal chef cooks, Apollo caught a glimpse of fire surrounding the man.
Raising an eyebrow, Apollo closed his eyes and felt the surrounding Qi moving towards the kitchen. "Their chef is a cultivator? How extravagant," he whispered, with slight amazement in his voice.
Suddenly, the sound of hurried footsteps came from the stairs. Apollo opened his eyes and noticed the boss of the restaurant glancing in his direction before going to the kitchen.
Gail, on the other hand, walked towards him with a smile on her face. "Welcome, Mr. Beggar! I thought you would never come back here!"
"Haha, I didn't have a choice," Apollo smiled bitterly.
"Miss Filly is very glad that you came. She's in the kitchen right now preparing your food. Don't worry, it won't take long before it arrives," Gail reassured. Filly had ordered her to entertain the 'beggar' and not let him get bored.
"That's good," Apollo nodded. He noticed that the other patrons were looking in their direction, apparently surprised at what was happening. Those diners who were here previously when a woman wanted to go to the VIP area couldn't help but get confused.
Didn't they think that everyone had an equal status once they were inside the restaurant? Then why were they treating the 'beggar' like he was more important than them? Their thoughts were confirmed when the boss, Filly, walked out with a plate in one hand and a glass of milk in the other.
She walked with a straight back while looking at the beggar, a radiant smile on her face and her eyes shining with expectation.
"Welcome," Filly said, placing the plate and glass on the table in front of Apollo. "This is your scrambled egg with bread and a glass of milk."
"Thanks," Apollo said, glancing at the food on the table.
Gail and Filly took a deep breath. They exchanged glances with each other, enveloped in nervousness. But the moment Apollo took hold of his fork, they heaved a sigh of relief.
Although excited, Filly contained it and just waited. She didn't want to spoil the mood of Mr. Beggar as she still had a lot to say. This time, she wouldn't miss the opportunity.
Apollo stared at the golden brown scrambled egg before he raised the fork and took some of it. He put the dish closer and saw the glistening oil coating the whole egg. He sniffed and the savory smell permeated his nose. He couldn't help but reminisce about his previous life.
Scrambled eggs, it's a simple dish that he couldn't get tired of eating, and he guessed most people in his previous life thought so too.
And this dish is now in this world. It was made perfectly. Apollo opened his mouth and put the fork inside. He chewed and the softness and flavor of the dish exploded within his mouth. Because he'd only been eating bread since he arrived here, he felt like he had just eaten the most delicious meal in this world.
After chewing for a bit, Apollo swallowed. Then he continued to eat some of the scrambled eggs, before putting half of them inside the bread. The crunchiness echoed in his mind the moment he took a bite, then softness followed. The bread was enhanced by the filling, and coupled with milk, Apollo tasted 'home'.
It didn't take him long to finish his meal. Putting down the utensils, he noticed Gail and Filly standing to the side just watching him.
"Hey, why are you guys just standing there?" Apollo tilted his head, confused.
This woke up the two women and Filly smiled. "How is it? The food."
"It's good, you guys did good," Apollo gave a thumbs up. "Although it lacks quite a few ingredients to make it more delicious."
Hearing the compliment, Filly's smile widened. "You are right, we haven't acquired some of the spices yet."
Around this time, the door from the kitchen opened and Temor walked out. He couldn't help but turn in their direction in great curiosity. Who would be so important as to make Filly Kleinford deliver the food herself? Then his eyes widened when he saw they were surrounding a beggar.