Chapter 18 Shocking Black Shrek and White Shrek: This kind of food is free?
The image on the celestial screen continues to play.
After thoroughly touring the dreamlike freshman dormitory, especially after a clear explanation of the series of level-nine soul tools...
Huo Yuhao was in a state of complete euphoria.
This feeling is like a poor boy winning the lottery overnight.
Even with the dorm key clutched tightly in his hand, he still felt a sense of unreality.
"Alright, we've seen the dorms now. We're going to do one last thing with you."
Bei Bei glanced at the sky outside the window, smiled, and patted Huo Yuhao on the shoulder. "It's lunchtime now, Yuhao, are you hungry?"
["Coo coo—"
As if to confirm Bei Bei's words, Huo Yuhao's stomach cooperated perfectly by letting out a loud protest.
Huo Yuhao blushed immediately and scratched his head somewhat embarrassedly.
"Haha, looks like our junior is really starving."
Tang Ya laughed heartily, "Come on, come on! I'll take you to the cafeteria! Our academy's cafeteria is a 'holy land' that you absolutely must experience!"
"The cafeteria?" Huo Yuhao muttered to himself.
In his original imagination, a canteen was nothing more than a few big pots cooking some food to fill one's stomach; a slightly better option might be a few stir-fried dishes or some minced meat.
[After all, it's just school food, how good could it be?]
However, when he followed Beibei and Tang Ya across the square to Shrek Academy's cafeteria, his understanding was once again greatly shaken.
[This...this is the cafeteria?!]
Huo Yuhao looked up at the five-story building before him, its opulent, gilded decorations even more magnificent than the main building of the Duke's mansion, his jaw nearly dropping.
"Come on, stop spacing out."
[Bei Bei pushed the dazed Huo Yuhao through the gate.]
[Upon entering, an intensely rich aroma that sent shivers down your spine instantly filled the air!]
That's not the aroma of a single food, but an olfactory feast created by countless exquisite flavors intertwined!
[It has the smoky aroma of grilled meat, the sweetness of seafood, the richness of broth, and the refreshing fragrance of various exotic fruits and vegetables...]
Looking around, Huo Yuhao saw hundreds of windows neatly arranged in the spacious and bright hall.
Behind each window, mouthwatering delicacies were displayed.
[Those weren't just food; they were exquisite works of art!]
The sight of all sorts of exquisite pastries and meats, the names of which Huo Yuhao couldn't even recognize, dazzled him...
"This is amazing!"
[Huo Yuhao muttered to himself, looking at the colorful and fragrant dishes, feeling that the so-called "feasts" he had seen at the Duke's mansion before were nothing more than pig swill!]
...
Beyond the sky, a dark world.
"Holy crap..."
No one knows who uttered the first curse word, but the entire underworld immediately erupted in chaos.
"This is the school cafeteria?!"
A nobleman from the Heavenly Soul Empire looked at the exquisitely crafted dishes on the sky, and then at the few plates of delicacies he was usually so proud of on his own table. Suddenly, he lost his appetite.
"Those pig's trotters... their color is a beautiful reddish-brown and glossy, clearly cooked to perfection! Even the imperial chefs in the palace couldn't have achieved this."
"And that soup... I can almost smell the deliciousness through the screen!"
"The food at Shrek Academy is just too amazing! I want to go to White Shrek Academy too!"
Many ordinary people watched with their mouths watering and their eyes gleaming with envy.
For them, let alone eating such a top-notch meal, even having a meal with meat is a luxury. Yet Huo Yuhao from the White World can face such a feast every day at school.
...
In the sky.
Looking at the dazzling array of food before him, Huo Yuhao's mouth was watering uncontrollably, but his steps suddenly became heavy.
After the initial excitement, the harsh reality hit me like a bucket of cold water.
The food here... must be very expensive, right?
Huo Yuhao subconsciously touched his shrunken little cloth bag.
Forget about this lavish meal, I probably couldn't even afford a glass of water here.
"Um... Senior Bei Bei, Senior Tang Ya..."
Huo Yuhao stopped, head down, his voice barely audible, filled with embarrassment and awkwardness, "I...I'm not hungry...I still have some dry rations in my bag, so I won't eat them..."
Looking at the still-steaming food, Huo Yuhao forcibly turned his head away, not wanting others to see the longing in his eyes.
[Beibei and Tang Ya exchanged a glance, initially taken aback, but then seemed to understand something. Instead of being angry, they smiled at each other.]
["Pfft—"]
Tang Ya couldn't help but laugh out loud, reaching out to ruffle Huo Yuhao's hair. "Silly boy, what are you thinking? Do you think the food here is too expensive and you can't afford it?"
Huo Yuhao's face flushed red, and he nodded sheepishly.
["Ha ha ha ha!"]
Bei Bei smiled gently and patted Huo Yuhao on the shoulder, "Yuhao, it seems you really don't understand the rules of Shrek Academy."
"Rules?" Huo Yuhao looked up blankly.
"That's right." Beibei pointed to the students queuing at the window for their meals. "Did you see they paid?"
Huo Yuhao looked closely.
The students were carrying trays piled high with food, some even with several plates of meat and vegetables...
However, when he passed the checkout counter, he didn't take out any money. Instead, he simply held his face up to a small soul tool, waved it briefly, and then swaggered away.
"That's a facial recognition system."
[Beibei explained, a hint of pride in her voice, "At Shrek Academy, for all teachers and students, whether you're a freshman from the outer academy or a senior from the inner academy..."]
"All three meals a day are free!"
"Not only is it free, but it's also unlimited! As long as you can eat it all, and don't waste food, eat as much as you want!"
"Wh...what?!"
Huo Yuhao was completely stunned, as if struck by lightning. His voice trembled as he exclaimed, "All...all free? Eat as much as you want? It's free?!"
"It's really free!" Tang Ya waved her hand generously. "This is a rule set by Elder Xuan! He said that we Soul Masters expend a lot of energy cultivating, especially children who are still growing, so we must make sure we get enough nutrition! How can we deprive ourselves of food just to save a little money?"
"So, eat as much as you want, kid! Today, your senior will help you eat your way back to your former self!"
...
boom--!
This time, the underworld truly collapsed.
If you were just envious of the good food before, the word "free" now is like crushing the values of everyone in the underworld to the ground!
"Free?! Everything is free?!"
A minor nobleman from the underworld was so shocked that he dropped his teacup. "How is this possible? So many delicacies, so many top-quality ingredients, and they're all free? Is this school running a charity?"
"This isn't right! This doesn't make sense!"
The Shrek Academy students in the underworld were now at their breaking point.
"The treatment of our core disciples... is probably not even as good as the meals of their ordinary students, is it?"
One of the core disciples looked bitterly at the small piece of so-called "specially supplied meat" in his bowl and suddenly felt like a clown.
"That's a buffet, you can eat as much as you want... We have a limit here, and it's only for core disciples..."
The immense sense of disparity filled every Black Shrek student with bitterness and resentment.
"snort!"
Just as everyone was filled with envy, jealousy, and hatred, a discordant snort suddenly rang out.
Xuanzi sat in the private room of the restaurant, looking at the tempting scene in the sky. Although his throat moved involuntarily, he would never admit that it was because he was craving it!
In order to maintain the last shred of face for himself and Shrek Academy in the underworld, Xuanzi had to find an angle to retaliate!
"A bunch of ignorant fools!"
Xuanzi slammed his hand on the table, shouting with a disdainful look, "Free? Humph, what good stuff can you get for free?"
The surrounding Soul Masters were startled by his shout and turned to look.
Seeing this, Xuanzi became even more enthusiastic and pointed at the sky, loudly analyzing, "Think about it carefully! Didn't Beibei from that white world say that Xuanzi over there has a very good relationship with that Beast God Ditian, and even has some kind of 'human-beast coexistence' thing!"
"If they are to coexist and be good friends, then they certainly cannot hunt soul beasts on a large scale at will!"
Xuanzi seemed to have grasped the blind spot, his eyes gleaming with wisdom. "Since we can't hunt soul beasts, the meat in the cafeteria must just be ordinary poultry! At most, it's just presented in a more visually appealing and varied way!"
"And what about our Shrek Academy?"
Xuanzi straightened his back, his face full of pride, "Although we only provide it to core disciples, and although we limit the quantity, our ingredients are genuine soul beast meat! It's soul beast meat full of blood and energy, which is very beneficial to cultivation!"
"No matter how delicious ordinary meat is, it's still mortal food. How can it compare to the meat of soul beasts?"
"For Soul Masters, especially low-level Soul Masters who are still building their foundation, nutrition and energy are the most important things!"
Xuanzi became increasingly convinced of his own reasoning as he spoke, and finally offered a concluding critique:
"No matter how delicious or beautiful these dishes are, they're all just pretty faces with no practical use!"
"When it comes to food, the food from our underworld is still the most nutritious! Even if it tastes bad or is expensive, it's all for the sake of becoming stronger!"
"That white world is just a facade!"
(End of chapter)