Chapter 171: Cooking

"What’s wrong, meow?"

"He seems too harsh on himself, he’s always working desperately and never gives himself time to rest."

"Just like Ethan, meow~"

"Is Mr. Ethan like that too?"

"He’s a workaholic too, meow, as soon as he returns to the Great Forest, he’s constantly busy without stopping, meow~"

"I do all of this for myself, how can that be called being a workaholic?" Ethan retorted.

"Striking a balance between work and rest is the most important thing, meow~"

Mirelle also agreed with Pearl’s statement, she usually lived a leisurely and carefree life in the Purple Forest, Ethan’s industrious nature thoroughly baffled her.

"Human lifespans are very short, only by burning oneself like a flame can one live a brilliant life," Ethan said.

"You still don’t need to push yourself so hard, right? You have to take a break occasionally."

"So I shouldn’t brew wine anymore?"

"Okay, okay, okay, working hard is a good thing, I’ll shut up, alright?" Seeing Mirelle change her tune so quickly, Ethan laughed.

Although Edric had been added to their party, their journey didn’t change much, they still encountered a few ambushes along the way, but they resolved them easily, occasionally, they would stop to enjoy the pleasures of a picnic.

And so, they traveled along, chatting and laughing, before they knew it, they had arrived at the border of Marquis Ambric’s territory.

"Wow..." Irena poked her head out of the carriage window, gazing at the scenery outside, and gasped in amazement.

"Aside from those fields you planted, this is my first time seeing scenery like this, meow~"

"Yeah, it truly is a peaceful land."

"It would be even better if those magical beasts would disappear." Hearing Mirelle’s words, Ethan narrowed his eyes and looked into the distance, beside the golden wheat fields, several magical beasts were wandering about.

Just as Ethan was preparing to strike, a furious roar rang out in the distance, he turned his head and saw a female knight riding a horse, charging toward the monsters.

"Isn’t that her?"

"Do you mean Iris, meow?"

It was Iris, the elven knight they had met in the Purple Forest, she wielded a long spear, engaging in a fierce battle with the monsters.

Every swing of her spear sent a spray of blood into the air, before long, she had annihilated the several magical beasts.

Iris raised her spear, and the elves toiling in the wheat fields erupted into cheers, right at that moment, she spotted Ethan and his group.

"It’s Mr. Ethan, and Miss Pearl and Miss Mirelle."

"Long time no see, how have you been?" Iris rode her horse over to Ethan and greeted him happily.

But when she saw Edric, she froze.

Edric was just about to dismount and explain when he saw Irena poking her head out of the carriage, he quickly pointed at the carriage instead.

Seeing Irena, Iris’s face turned deathly pale in fright. "Y Your Highness the Princess."

"I’m here to visit Alina, it’s been a long time, Iris, how have you been lately?"

"I-I’ve been well, Lady Alina has already recovered now."

"Is that Witch still here?" Ethan asked.

After answering Irena’s question, Iris answered Ethan’s, "Lady Witch has been waiting for you for a long time, she specifically sent me to welcome you."

How did the Witch know they were coming? Ethan looked at Pearl in confusion.

Pearl was lying comfortably in Irena’s arms, yawning lazily. "Aren’t you looking forward to it?"

"Meow? Why should I be looking forward to it, meow?"

"You haven’t seen her in a long time."

"If you want me to look forward to it, then I’ll look forward to it, meow~" Ethan felt Pearl was just brushing him off, he scratched his head helplessly.

Seeing this, Mirelle smiled and slung her arm around his shoulder. "This is your first time meeting the Witch, right? Let me tell you, she is an incredibly eccentric woman."

"How eccentric?"

"You’ll see in a bit." Ethan grew even more curious.

"Please follow me." Iris led the way.

They passed through vast wheat fields and arrived at a small town.

"Does Marquis Ambric live here?"

"No, we will rest here for tonight and arrive at the Marquis’s castle tomorrow." Iris explained briefly, then led Ethan and the group to a large building.

"This is the posthouse, specifically used for hosting esteemed guests."

Irena seemed to have been here before; she wasn’t surprised, she stepped out of the carriage, looked around, and smiled, "It’s been a long time since I was last here, Mr. Ethan, do you want to go take a look over there? There’s a well behind the posthouse, and the water there is incredibly sweet."

"Good water can elevate the deliciousness of a dish."

"Wow, then I get to feast again tonight."

"If you’d like, I can personally cook." Ethan smiled.

Irena happily took his hand and walked toward the well.

Iris asked Edric: "Did you encounter any trouble on your journey?"

"We were ambushed a few times, however..." Those ambushes hadn’t required Edric to lift a finger; Ethan, Mirelle, and Pearl had resolved them effortlessly.

Recalling their strength from when she saw them in the Great Forest, Iris sighed, "I didn’t expect Miss Mirelle to come as well."

"Ethan promised me that as long as I came with him, he’d brew wine for me, I really want to rest, where is my room?"

"I’ll show you the way." Iris led Mirelle into the posthouse, while Edric walked over to the well.

Ethan and Irena had already drawn water and were drinking. "How is the water?"

"Very refreshing and sweet, rice cooked with this water will definitely be delicious."

"Are we eating rice tonight, meow?"

"Yeah, I want to make meat broth poured over rice."

"Wow, I can’t wait." Irena still remembered the last time she ate the rice Ethan made, sitting around the campfire, eating roasted meat and drinking meat broth with rice... that taste was unforgettable even now.

"I made it in a bit of a rush last time, I’ll make sure to do it properly this time."

"That wasn’t even you being serious? It was already so delicious."

"I hope you’ll like it, Edric, please escort Her Highness back to her room to rest."

"Understood."

After Edric led Irena away, Ethan and Pearl headed to the kitchen, inside, the chefs were bustling about, preparing dinner.

"Esteemed guests, is there anything you need? If you are hungry, I can prepare some snacks for you first."

"I will be preparing tonight’s dinner."

Hearing that Ethan wanted to cook personally, the chefs looked at each other in dismay, just as they were at a loss for what to do, Iris walked over. "Since Mr. Ethan wishes to cook personally, let’s just assist him as prep cooks."

"Understood."

"Then please help me chop some vegetables."

The dinner Ethan made was as delicious as always, however, Irena seemed somewhat depressed, because their journey together was coming to an end at Marquis Ambric’s territory, this meant they would soon be parting ways.

Irena couldn’t bear to part with Ethan’s delicious cooking, nor could she bear to part with the friends she had made during this time.