Chapter 32: The Miraculous Dish

At dawn, as the first light broke, the familiar sound of horse hooves echoed once more at Peace Ranch.

This time, Chi Sui was already dressed and waiting at the door.

"Long time no see."

"Hahaha, long time no see, Rancher Chi!" Hector climbed down from his carriage, beaming. "As soon as I saw your letter, I set off without a moment's delay. I was actually in Bagpipe Town just yesterday."

Hearing this, Chi Sui’s eyes lit up. "Which towns are you usually responsible for delivering to?"

"Which ones?" Hector looked a bit puzzled, but answered nonetheless, "Just the surrounding ones: Bagpipe Town, Warmwind Town, and Windbell Town. Before, it was just those three. Wind-Assistant Town was only added after you arrived. Recently, I’ve been considering connecting with the ranches in Wind-Ride Town."

"Why do you ask?"

Chi Sui produced a procurement list she had prepared in advance and showed it to him. "Since you cover so many towns, could you help me purchase some supplies? Some of the more distant ones can wait, but the main priority is those soybeans that Rancher Malik used in the competition last time."

She had set her sights on that crop during the competition, but Malik had left too quickly afterward, and her encounter with Luo Luo had forced her to shelve the plan. Now that she was back, there was no reason to give up.

Hector took the list and examined it carefully. "These are all ranches in the Wind-Follow Territory. You must have received quite a few product catalogs, Rancher Chi?"

Chi Sui nodded twice.

"No problem. The furthest one is just Snowwind Town. The Wind-Follow Territory isn't that large; it's only a day or two's carriage ride. It’s a small matter." Hector patted his chest, agreeing immediately. He then asked, "And about the turnip cakes mentioned in the letter..."

"Don't worry, they are all ready." Before Chi Sui could speak, Mr. Stone emerged from the kitchen carrying the pastries he had prepared.

Chi Sui had barely slept last night—it was the first time she had worked so hard since arriving on the Sky Island. She felt a pang of heartache seeing the messy bedroom, and she worried that her meager savings couldn't withstand such reckless spending. As a form of "punishment," the two little ones had helped out all night and were only now getting some rest.

The quantity prepared this time was large, using up almost the entire stock of turnips. The only reason a few remained was that they had run out of flour.

Looking at the volume, Chi Sui worried, "I might have prepared too much. These don't keep well, and they don't taste good cold."

Hector looked pleasantly surprised. After a quick inspection, he said, "That's not a problem. To prevent exactly this, I brought a freshness preserver." With that, he reached out and clapped twice.

Suddenly, a white-furred ape jumped out from Hector’s carriage, holding a square, transparent box.

The man and the ape exchanged gestures over the pastries in Mr. Stone's hands, then carefully placed them into the box. They fit perfectly, filling it precisely.

Hector explained, "This is a freshness preserver, also produced on Blue Island. Food placed inside stays perfectly fresh; it tastes exactly as it did when you first put it in. However, it only lasts for a maximum of 20 days. After that, the machine's function expires—it's a single-use item."

While Hector explained, Chi Sui’s attention was fixed on the monkey holding the box. After nodding along, she asked, "May I get a bit closer?"

Hector shrugged and placed a hand on the ape's shoulder. "You may, but try not to touch it. This little one isn't used to strangers."

Chi Sui nodded and slowly walked toward it, sensing its body tensing as the distance closed.

Fortunately, the Book of Wisdom opened:

[Cloud-Piercing Ape]
Size: Typically 2-3 meters.
Description: A medium-to-large magical beast, usually living in deep mountains. It possesses an extremely unique voice and excellent language-learning abilities. Every Cloud-Piercing Ape is a born translator. Its unique voice is said to pierce the heavens and communicate with lightning.

She hadn't expected such a large creature to be so intelligent. After reading the entry, Chi Sui quickly backed away, sensing the ape’s growing agitation.

Hector patted its shoulder to signal that it could return to the carriage, a command that clearly allowed it to relax.

Watching the ape leave, Chi Sui asked, "Does it hate strangers that much?"

Hector shook his head. "It's not hate; it's fear. When I found it, I don't know what it had been through—it was covered in blood and barely hanging on to life."

"I took it to the hospital, and after its wounds healed, it stayed by my side. It’s just very defensive toward anyone except me."

Chi Sui frowned. "Has it told you what happened?"

Hector smiled bitterly. "I'm not a rancher; I can't understand them through a contract. And..." He fell silent for a moment before continuing, "During that injury, its vocal cords were damaged. Without a miracle, it will never be able to make a sound again for the rest of its life."

Chi Sui’s eyes widened involuntarily. A magical beast whose skill was its voice, now unable to speak?

Before Chi Sui could process this, Hector's voice cut through the air: "So, Rancher Chi, how do you plan to sell this batch of turnip cakes? You have to let me make a profit! I’m determined to earn enough to let Little White eat Miracle Cuisine."

The sadness Chi Sui had just begun to feel was washed away by Hector's deliberately pitiful tone.

Chi Sui: ...

She had reason to suspect that Hector had made the Cloud-Piercing Ape deliver the machine on purpose.

Sighing, Chi Sui stated her previous thought: "We already signed an agreement—you handle the sales. You don't need to pay me for now. Once you finish selling them, deduct the funds for my procurements and the travel expenses, and you can just give me whatever is left."

Hector was stunned, not expecting such an answer.

"You trust me that much?"

"Are you not worthy of trust?" Chi Sui countered.

For the previous dumpling order, she had inquired with Mr. Stone and Cecil. For a nameless ranch and unknown food to fetch that price relied entirely on the merchant’s integrity. Later, when she gained a little fame, Hector had even offered to increase the price while the order was still pending. Although she had refused, his image in her heart had improved significantly.

Hector gripped the list in his hand tighter, his voice sounding much more sincere.

"Don't worry, I'll have the items on this list delivered to you in a few days." He thought for a moment and added, "Also, let's forget about the rental fee for that magic-powered freezer. Just consider it as me leaving it with you."

Chi Sui: !?

In Chi Sui's mind, Hector had officially been categorized as a "good person."

Fearing that the Cloud-Piercing Ape had been waiting on the carriage for too long, Hector said his goodbyes after a few casual remarks.

Chi Sui waved her arm, watching the carriage grow smaller until it vanished from sight. Only then did she ask her resident "old mentor": "Mr. Stone, what is Miracle Cuisine?"

Mr. Stone stroked his chin with his forelimb and replied, "I've only heard rumors. Quality dishes on the Sky Island are categorized by star ratings. You know about the dishes below three stars—the main difference is the nutritional content. Dishes above three stars each possess unique abilities, such as heat-relief or temperature regulation, which are quite common. It is said that beyond five stars, there is an even higher evaluation: that is a Miracle."