Steampunk Era: Mad Abield
Chapter 363 - 245: I Have a Dream (4)_2

Chapter 363: Chapter 245: I Have a Dream (4)_2

Given that, Malin didn’t mind having some cooperation with him—although the Undead and Chaos were both the type that didn’t deal with human affairs, at least an Undead like Ails could understand human speech, which was enough. As for something like Chaos that neither listened to humans nor understood human affairs, without a second word, just smash it to death.

The carriage was stuck all the way to the inn; Malin got off the carriage and tossed a five-sided coin to old Jack, watching the old man happily catch the coin and put it into his pocket, Malin also smiled—the coin just now had been imbued with the holy blessing of Positive Energy, so if there was still something wrong with him, the man should have combusted on the spot.

So, Malin should start thinking about how he could take someone and properly Purify his family’s Church.

"Peace be with you, Mr. Malin," he said, lifting his hat and bowing to Malin.

"May you live long, Mr. Jack, and take care on your way back," Malin watched him drive away with the carriage before turning back to the inn where the lobby was still empty. The apprentices of all grades had been training in rented venues these days, and only someone like Malin, who belonged neither to the Apprentice group nor to the Instructor group, had nothing to do and felt at ease.

He pushed open the door to his room, Matilda and Clovis had already disappeared, leaving behind a note saying they were going out for a round and would be back before evening.

So Malin pulled out a chair, sat down at the table, and started to handle official business.

......

He kept at it for several hours, and not until Lorrin lit the Magic Lamp for his master did Malin notice it had gotten dark—the vision astigmatism that came with his bloodline made Malin less concerned about the role of ambient light. Considering that the two girls had not been able to return, Malin pushed open the room’s door, preparing to think about where to find them, when he saw the two girls pushing open the door of the inn, arms laden with big and small bags, followed by several Earth Elementals carrying bags for them.

"What did you guys buy that there’s so much?" Malin leant on the railing of the second floor’s hallway, looking down and asking the girls.

"There’s stuff I like to eat, stuff Clovis likes to eat, plus clothes and little gifts for everyone," Matilda said as she undid a bag and tossed a small bag up: "Try these, they’re my favorite dried pine meat, even Carterburg’s branch store has opened up here now."

Malin looked at the bag... this thing was still his own design.

But he still tore open the bag’s edge and popped the dried meat into his mouth... mmm, it was even sweeter than the ones in Carterburg, the sugar in this world seemed a bit much, or perhaps the Central District’s beekeeping industry far exceeded Malin’s imagination.

In any case, it was a flavor Malin liked. He watched the two girls open the bags, and neatly arrange snacks, clothes, and other things, before stuffing them into their Spatial Bags.

In the end, Malin noticed the carrot in Clovis’s hand—a red root vegetable.

"You really are a Bunny Girl, aren’t you? Why would you like something like that; it tastes like dirt," commented Matilda, a carnivorous Big-eared Fox, clearly disdainful of Clovis’s so-called delicacy.

Clovis happily rinsed it with water and then stuffed it in her mouth.

In that instant, the Bunny Girl in front of him overlapped with the old rabbit he had seen in the Mage Tower in his dreams.

"Looks like everyone isn’t coming back tonight; let’s make dinner," Matilda suggested, looking at Malin coming downstairs: "What are you doing here? I know you have things to do, go back up. We’ll call you when dinner is ready."

"No need, I’ll cook," Malin said with a smile, patting the Fox Girl’s forehead, then approached Clovis, looking at her and the bitten-in-half root in her hand: "I’ll make you something delicious."

Clovis nodded happily, without any trace of estrangement, unlike the old rabbit.

This made Malin inwardly lament that a person’s life is indeed composed of completely different choices, like Clovis, Fate had pushed her to his side, further allowing him to see the two radically different lives she could have led. Malin couldn’t change the Clovis of that world because she was already in the twilight of her life, with every minute, every second, drawing closer to her end.

But the Clovis before him, she was young, filled with endless possibilities, and Malin wouldn’t let her repeat the pitiful Fate of her counterpart in another timeline.

Fate really was a scoundrel, presenting both beauty and ruin before him, Malin sighed inwardly while he walked into the kitchen with the two girls.

The dinner was simple, just two dishes, one was Clovis’s favorite carrot soup, the other was Matilda’s much-loved sarlo beast meat soup.

Malin, while two dishes were steaming in the pot, made some small flatbreads with salt rubbed on the inner walls. There were no green onions from his memory, but they were still welcomed by the two girls.

"It’s made by Mr. Malin," it seemed to them that this was what made it delicious.

Watching their joy, Malin didn’t know what to say because, once upon a time, he had only known how to cook these few dishes. In the world he once lived, men should know a little about cooking, after all, one couldn’t let oneself starve to death.

But in this world, men almost never entered the kitchen. They could give their all in business receptions, at negotiation tables, in the trenches, but few would be in the kitchen... wasting life.

In life, every word and deed, every action, is in the end just a waste of each other’s time.

Because after all, every person in an era will become part of history.

"Mr. Malin."

The voice beside his ear pulled Malin out of his thoughts. He turned his head and saw the Big-eared Fox holding a spoonful of meat stew, posing to feed him, waiting for the fish named Malin to bite the hook in her hand.

Malin opened his mouth, fulfilling the responsibility that a fish should, and in Matilda’s giggles—the Big-eared Fox—he felt his mood lightening as well.

"The competition is the day after tomorrow, Clovis, don’t you have a competition to participate in?" At the table, Matilda asked Clovis. The Bunny Girl who was eating raised her head, "I have been pulled into the judging panel by the high ranks of the Mage Tower, tasked with maintaining order outside the arena."

"Ha, isn’t that our job?" Matilda leaned on her palm, a look of confusion on her face, while scooping another spoonful for Malin as if he were the fish.

As Malin dutifully bit the hook, Clovis shook her head, her long ears flapping with the motion, "I don’t know, but it should be very easy, right? I’ll just follow Mr. Malin’s lead then." She said this with a very satisfied smile to Malin, "The stew is really delicious, Mr. Malin."

Malin nodded, "As long as you’re happy." As he said this, he took a bite from the flatbread in his hand.

Then he saw Clovis carefully spooning out a large chunk from her favorite carrot stew.

At that moment, Malin witnessed the evolution of a hunter, as the Bunny Girl with long ears carefully delivered the hook and bait to his mouth.

"Mr. Malin, please open your mouth." Three parts anticipation, three parts joy, and three parts shyness, the Bunny Girl summoned her last ounce of strength to extend the invitation.

It was a fisherman’s call to the fish, Malin mused internally, before biting down on the spoon called a hook laden with stew.

Clovis seemed very pleased, Malin swallowed the bait and, for some reason, thought of the old rabbit.

But this time, she couldn’t replace the young one before him.

Leaning back in his chair, Malin patted his belly. He had never felt as full as he did today and popped the last half of the flatbread into his mouth.

The two girls devoured their last bites and then happily cleared the bowls and dishes from the table. This time, they refused Malin’s help and told him to go back upstairs to start working.

After a farewell kiss, Malin walked to the steps leading to the second floor and, before taking a step, he contradicted the point of view he had just formulated.

Indeed, every person in an era will become history. The people who read about this history later might be surprised, regretful, or even think the predecessors were foolish, but they are all descendants.

How can one know the joy of fish without being one.

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