Chapter 158 - 157

"Teacher, I heard from others that this store's food is very good."Seraphine stood on the stage and pointed to the restaurant in front of her, which was decorated with Piltover.After the duel ended, the three of them left.To fulfill her little wish, Seraphine had already planned her day's itinerary.Guaranteed to satisfy both teachers!" Noxus has no special dishes, and even its pleasures are few and far between."Ryan looked at the storefront called " Hayden Bistro," his eyes filled with reminiscence:"This used to be the home of a Piltover man who died a heroic death on the battlefield. The current owner of this place must be his son, who should be 18 years old this year."On the wooden gate of the white stone building was carved a wave-like family crest. He seemed to hear a voice he hadn't heard in a long time:'Haha! I don't want democracy, equality, or comfort; I'll make Seth proud because his last name is Hayden!'Their boldness is completely unlike that of Piltover people; they are more like barbarians from the far north.Ryan smiled slightly and walked towards the restaurant."Let's go in and take a look."Syndra's eyes lit up with amusement as she watched Ryan act this way for the first time, and she floated behind him."Great! Their food is amazing, Annie and I have eaten here before!"Seraphine nodded vigorously and followed in the footsteps of the two teachers.It took her some effort to find this place. Her two teachers were practically otherworldly; if she didn't use some methods to entice them, they would never easily try the pleasures of ordinary people.Welcome!The busy, enthusiastic young man waved to the three people who entered, but when he saw Ryan, who was in the lead, his expression suddenly froze.His warm smile gradually faded, and he suddenly became serious, bowing respectfully to Ryan and saying solemnly:" General Meredith! Welcome to Hayden Bistro! Thank you so much for your continued support!"This attitude was completely different from his previous formulaic enthusiasm. Clearly, he was filled with genuine gratitude and respect." Seth, it's been a few years." Ryan nodded slightly."General, you didn't even tell me you were coming, so I didn't prepare anything for you beforehand."Seth scratched his head sheepishly, then quickly welcomed the three of them in and hung up a "Temporarily Closed" sign outside the restaurant.Just as he was about to usher out the guests, Ryan calmly said:"Just find us a quiet place.""This was anticipated!"Seth smiled and gestured inwards, leading the three of them upwards.The group arrived at the second floor, passed through a long corridor, and walked to a large door engraved with intricate emblems.Looking at the emblem, whose main body resembled a book of calligraphy, Seraphine was slightly surprised:"Teacher, this symbol."" The Trifarian Legion battle emblem—we each added a stroke to it, and it ended up being the design we see today," Ryan remarked."This is what my father instructed me to do when he was alive: we must reserve a room for his former comrades," Seth said from the side.He pushed open the door and led the three into the room.The room was large, with black and red as the main colors, and the style was mainly Noxus solemn, with only a long table in the middle.Upon entering the room, the lights on the dome illuminated the entire space."Quite spectacular"Seraphine muttered something in a very low voice.Under the light, she could clearly see the murals on the wall.Before a precipice, an army, predominantly black and red, stood in formation. Two dignified generals stood in front, one wearing a white robe and the other in black armor.Seraphine knew both of them; one was the Grand General. Swain, one of whom is her teacher Ryan.The army was looking down at the grasslands below and the city in the distance, a city brimming with natural beauty. The buildings in the city were almost entirely adapted to the natural landscape, with only minor adjustments to make it more suitable for human habitation.Giant trees stand tall in the city, their green leaves swaying in the wind and emitting a fluorescent glow." Grote's masterpiece?" Ryan asked."Yes, Uncle Grote drew for three days and three nights. He said my father died in this war." Seth lowered his head sadly."What we've lost, we'll take back." Ryan's calm tone left no room for argument.Placidium?​Syndra carefully examined the city before her, a complex expression on her face.Even after who knows how much time has passed, she still hates that place just as much as before." The Battle of Presidium, the Empire's greatest defeat to date. The commander-in-chief was the General, and I was the deputy commander," Ryan readily admitted.In the Battle of Placidium, they fought against all of Ionia's forces resisting the invaders with only half a battle group.In the end, apart from him and Swain, all his comrades were wiped out; not one surrendered, and not one retreated.If they hadn't left some people on Fae'lor Island, the war would have been even more brutal."That war was entirely Darkwill's fault!" Seraphine said indignantly.If my teacher hadn't failed to provide support, how could we have possibly lost!"A loss is a loss. We were indeed inferior to Ionia back then, and no matter how many times we came, the result wouldn't change. Looking back now, letting Grote leave was the right decision," Ryan said calmly."General, I've never thought that way. I should have died there long ago."A weathered voice came from behind, and Grote, dressed in a chef's uniform, appeared in the doorway.He has a small frame and is not tall, but because he has a lot of excess fat, he looks a bit bloated.Seeing everyone's eyes on him, Grote looked embarrassed and scratched his head with his somewhat chubby arm:"General, I haven't exercised for a while, and my health isn't what it used to be.""Is that leg still working?"Ryan's gaze fell on Grote's right leg, which, though covered by a simple chef's uniform, was clearly not a normal leg."It works great! The mechanical legs made by the Empire are no different from the originals! I was wondering why the Empire would remember a cripple like me. General, let's not talk about thanks."Grote grinned and slapped the mechanical leg hard.He felt better than ever before, and even wanted to follow Ryan again to win wars for the Empire."This is what you deserve." Ryan shook his head slightly."Everyone, please sit down. You can order anything you want to eat. Mentor Serafine, I didn't expect what you said last time was true."Grote limped into the room and gestured for everyone to sit down quickly.He remembered the pink-haired girl vividly from the last time Seraphine visited, because she said she was Ryan's apprentice.Not a single mistake, not a single song, not a single post, not a single piece of content, not a single 6-9 book, not a single bar, take a look!The group took their seats, and Seraphine whispered a few words in Seth's ear before ordering all the dishes that had been arranged.After listening, Seth respectfully took his leave and went to prepare the food.He and Grote are both chefs here, and he has been learning the trade for several years. His culinary skills are by no means inferior to Grote's." Mr. Grote, I really enjoyed the dishes you and Seth made last time, so I brought my teacher along this time."Seraphine's smile is like that of a girl next door, cheerful and full of youthful energy."Haha, that's what I did when I was in the warband. Xin Zhao ate the most back then."Grote's smile faded, replaced by a look of感慨 (gǎnkǎi, a complex emotion encompassing both emotion and reflection"Old Hayden's children lost their mother at a young age, and then their father too. I was also forced to retire by the general, so I'll help in any way I can.""On another note," he said excitedly, looking at Ryan, "General, with this leg, can we go back to the battlefield?""Don't even think about it, I haven't been reinstated yet." Ryan smiled slightly."Hey, General, you and the Commander have both reached the pinnacle of the Empire. Xin Zhao came to visit me the other day. That guy just kept drinking my wine and wouldn't let me train with the battle group."Grote, with a fierce and glaring expression, said indignantly:"I knew he was destined for greatness, so I never skimped on a meal for him. Now that he's become a vice-general of the battle group, he looks down on us. What do I have that's worse than those people?"" Wade Lin can't run as fast as me, and Jaden isn't as strong as me."He muttered to himself, pointing resentfully at the names of his former comrades. But his tone was full of longing, and a smile appeared on his face as he reminisced.Ryan listened quietly, his expression filled with reminiscence.Most of the soldiers in the Trifarian Legion today are his former veterans.Except for a small number of people who were forced to retire due to injuries, the rest were unwilling to leave and had been stationed and training near his castle for the previous few years.They have been waiting for his and Swain's call, waiting to serve him again."Honestly, General, you guys were absolutely brilliant at the Immortal Bastion that day! What a pity."Grote's face showed regret, and his voice was even a little hoarse.His general and his comrades sought justice for the fallen heroes, but he was not there. This was his regret.If only he could have gotten a prosthesis sooner.His face showed resentment, but he also knew that this was an unrealistic fantasy.However, he was genuinely proud to have these two superiors; some people are born to lead the empire forward.Swain and Ryan are clearly two such people." Mr. Grote, you are now contributing to the Empire. This place is now the Imperial Merit Points Exchange Center," Seraphine said from the side."That's true." Grote's expression improved. "The commander came by a few days ago and said he wanted to set up merit points here for exchange or something. I only understood the gist of it and agreed.""The merit point exchange point is usually located in a shop run by a veteran. The Empire will provide you with magical items to check and deduct the merit points of the exchanger," Ryan explained.This policy was mostly his idea, with Swain later adding details.The Empire rewards veterans with a high amount of merit points, which not only fulfills their desire to serve the Empire but also slightly improves their lives.Newborns were sent to the battlefield in droves, while veterans who had been seriously wounded were demobilized.The empire is now in ruins, awaiting his and Swain's rebuilding."That's not too difficult. What does the exchange usually include? Should I prepare something in advance?" Grote offered to take care of everything.Since this matter has fallen on his shoulders, he has to get it done even if it means going bankrupt.Moreover, Hayden Bistro made a lot of money thanks to Ryan and Swain's protection."The Empire won't ask you to make sacrifices. You can exchange magical items, resources, weapons, equipment, and privileges for them. After you report the magical items you've been given, someone will deliver them here," Ryan explained patiently."Oh, I'm fine with that. I've earned enough gold coins now, and next year I plan to send Seth to War College so I can focus on that," Grote readily agreed.He is from Knox and has lived in the Immortal Bastion since childhood.Grote's love for the Empire never faded after his retirement.On the contrary, he was even more proud of his identity as a Noxus member because of the promotions of his comrades and superiors.Let alone opening exchange points, I'd even let him exhaust his family fortune to donate to the empire to start a war.