"Nero, big sister, I spotted you from far away! Are you heading to Aurum Alley too?"
By the time Nero and Stelle got close, Bailu greeted them first.
Nero narrowed his eyes at Bailu. "That's rare. Why are you out playing by yourself? Could it be that visit the other day made those pointy-eared old men more reasonable? Guess they're not that stubborn after all."
"What are you talking about! Those stubborn old men wouldn't be that easy to deal with. They act one way in front of you and another behind your back!"
Hearing Nero's words, Bailu immediately protested. But then she broke into a grin, her tail flicking quickly behind her twice.
"Hehe. Actually, I asked Sister Banxia to cover for me with the Dragon Masters, so I slipped out on my own!"
Hearing this, Stelle raised a brow slightly and looked at Bailu with a strange expression, then commented, "People follow you… just to do that for you?"
"What do you know? This is called making full use of things." Bailu lifted her chin, the Dragon Lady showing a confident expression as she pointed with her little finger.
"Nero and General Jing Yuan both do this. You've been adventuring with Nero for so long, and you still don't know that?"
Stelle, "..."
'Banxia really has a good temper… no wonder she always speaks so gently and softly.'
Letting out a sigh, Stelle looked at Bailu again, but her expression suddenly froze.
This medicine-bearing Dragon Lady was staring at her eagerly, those clean, bright eyes sparkling.
Knowing Bailu's personality, Stelle immediately became alert and realized this was a trap, Bailu was trying to freeload a meal off her.
But trying to win her over like this was far too naive.
After all, Nero was by her side every day. She had already built up resistance to this level of cuteness. Ordinary cuteness wouldn't shake her in the slightest.
Stelle's will was firm. She raised her hand toward Bailu and declared decisively, "Let's go, to Aurum Alley. I'll treat!"
Stelle knew this wasn't what she actually wanted to say.
But…
She was really cute.
The little raccoon still couldn't resist the temptation and reached her hand into the abyss of sin.
This scene later became the opening for the "Aurum Alley's Hustle and Bustle" event on the Blue Planet, and some players even edited a video based on it.
The video starts with a view inside a house. A camera-headed person opens a cabinet in the kitchen and takes out a piece of bread.
The bread is edited to look like Bailu staring eagerly. Then the camera person carries "Bailu" out of the kitchen, walks through the living room, and opens the door.
Outside the door, there's a little raccoon.
The moment the door opens, the raccoon gets excited. It stands upright, stretches its hands forward, leans its body in, and looks up at the camera with anticipation.
The camera person crouches down and offers the "Bailu" in their hand.
The raccoon is clearly excited, wanting to take this hard-earned "Bailu," but it remains cautious, facing the camera person with a guarded stance, half-turned and ready to run at any moment.
After a while like this, the raccoon inches closer bit by bit, as if caught in hesitation and struggle.
During this process, Stelle's inner thoughts are overlaid, fitting perfectly.
Finally, the raccoon fails to resist the temptation of "Bailu" and reaches out to hug it.
But the next moment, the camera person also makes a move, reaching out and grabbing the raccoon, letting out a sharp "evil" laugh.
This video gained quite a bit of popularity and was well liked.
It received a large number of likes and saves.
But enough of that. Let's bring our focus back to Stelle, Nero, and Bailu.
Hearing that Stelle was treating, Bailu visibly became excited.
Even Nero's smile grew brighter.
After all, Aurum Alley was most famous for one thing, lots and lots of delicious food!
Who doesn't love good food?
Of course, the reason Stelle could say something like that wasn't just "she's really cute." There was another factor.
The factory dividends had already been distributed. This wasn't a normal quarterly payout.
It was just that, under the company's promotion, the first batch of products sold extremely well, so the money was handed out early to let everyone enjoy themselves.
In short, since the Astral Express had received its share, the pocket money the group could get had increased significantly.
The medicine-bearing Dragon Lady Bailu highly praised the Jianghu-style dishes at "Delicacies Unending," but also believed that the other stalls had rare and delicious snacks worth trying.
So the group decided to have a proper meal at Delicacies Unending, but before that, they would sample the food from other vendors.
Stelle had no objections.
She wanted to eat too.
However, although Bailu and Nero's recommendations were trustworthy, personal tastes could differ.
Stelle maintained the habit she had developed while exploring the Simulated Universe, gather information first, listen to the opinions of other diners.
In a place like this, generally speaking, the shops bustling with people along the alleys wouldn't taste bad.
The three first ran into a returning traveler named Xiao Han. When Stelle asked, he replied that every shop in Aurum Alley was delicious.
But when Stelle asked for recommendations, Xiao Han instead asked, "Are you the mild type, or the adventurous type?"
This question made Stelle pause slightly.
But who was she?
She was the Galactic Baseballer.
So Stelle barely hesitated and, with a proud attitude toward food, asked, "How adventurous can it get?"
But Xiao Han's answer froze Stelle's expression on her face.
"If you want something adventurous, you've got to try Soda Milk."
Soda Milk. What a terrifying name. It made Stelle recall a past she didn't want to remember.
The tears from that day still felt vivid. Along with the fear, a trace of regret rose in Stelle's heart.
What a pity. She hadn't seen what Qingque described, Nero crying while drinking Milk.
Xiao Han didn't seem to notice their changing expressions and kept talking. "This Milk, you've got to taste its sourness, that sourness with… a strange flavor."
From his brief pause, it was clear that even as a Xianzhou local, he couldn't quite describe the taste of Soda Milk.
Then Xiao Han brought up another way to drink it. "You can also try gulping it down… let it churn inside your stomach. That feeling is incredible."
As Xiao Han spoke, Stelle's expression gradually twisted. Large beads of sweat formed on her forehead and slid down along her face.
Gulping it down. That was the root of all suffering. It was a past the Stellaron child could never look back on.
Yes, that feeling was incredible. Stelle thought, as if she were seeing Nanook again.
No, that wasn't right.
Even if Nanook came, He would have to bow before Soda Milk.
Terrifying memories flooded her mind. Stelle felt like Fuli was doing somersaults inside her head. She hurriedly stepped back and dragged the two beside her away from the area.
Stelle knew these two shared the same opinion about Milk as she did. The three of them had fairly similar tastes.
At the same time, she clearly remembered her responsibility as a "guardian." Even though deep down she had the urge to feed Nero Milk just to see him cry, the light of Nous was shining over her head.
Stelle knew this was absolutely not worth it, so she had no choice but to forcibly suppress the restless urge in her heart.
After that, Stelle found another diner from outside the Xianzhou. This time she was smarter. Instead of asking what was good to eat, she asked what was bad so she could avoid it.
However, the answer she got didn't change.
It was still Soda Milk.