"Ah, another boring day..." Sally swung her long legs on the edge of the roof, her hands supporting her on either side, looking up at the sky. Her fitted white dress outlined an alluring curve in her figure. Her gaze was fixed on two small birds that slowly flew by, until they disappeared from sight.
"Gurgle~"
A rumble from her stomach rang out. Sally's eyes glazed over. She reached up and touched her flat stomach, muttering weakly to herself, "Ah, I really want sweet tofu pudding, I really want Yang Zhou Fried Rice... Dreams? Forget about them..."
...
"Take her back?" Engelwey looked at Ficare with a hint of mockery in his smile. "Are you sure you want to take action against a level seven mage, especially one who might become the crown princess and future Elf Queen after returning to the Wind Forest?"
"I wouldn't dare." Ficare's expression changed instantly. His mind was filled with thoughts of rewards and the potential for a comeback, he hadn't considered anything else. Now, hearing what Engelwey said, cold sweat soaked his back. That kick had almost sent him straight into an abyss.
He was merely a level four mage, and Engelwey was only a level seven mage. Whether they could even defeat the exceptionally talented Sally was questionable, let alone capture her unharmed—a pipe dream.
Of course, more importantly, if she truly became the new princess of the elves after returning to the Wind Forest, her status would be second only to the Queen and Princess Irina. Even if Ficare had ten times the courage, he wouldn't dare to attack her.
"Then...should we report it?" Ficare asked hesitantly, his voice lowering considerably.
"Come back with me in a bit. I'll give you the 5,000 gold coins reward directly. You can return to the Wind Forest next month. Haven't you always wanted a position in the Ministry of Finance? Go home and wait for news." Engelwey nodded expressionlessly.
"Thank you, Lord Engelwey." Ficare's face lit up with joy, and he quickly expressed his gratitude. Although he didn't know why Engelwey would give him these things in advance, but he wisely refrained from asking further questions this time.
Engelwey's strength wasn't considered exceptional among the elves, but he was backed by the powerful Bebili family, who practically controlled the entire elven treasury. Just like Miss Sally's Brewster family, who controlled the grain supply, they were both wealthy families among the elves.
Moreover, since last year, there have been rumors that the third young master of the Bebili family, Bluer, is to be engaged to Miss Sally of the Brewster family, which is a common practice among the elves for wealthy families to form marriage alliances.
Before the marriage could be finalized, Miss Sally ran away from home. However, the Brewster family kept this news from them. Then, Lady Helena asked Her Majesty the Queen to make Sally the new Crown Princess. Only then did the news of Princess Sally's runaway become known, and it became a major event for the Elven race.
Sally's departure from home has led many to speculate that it was a direct protest against the arranged marriage. No one can force a future queen to marry anyone, not even her father.
The long lifespan of elves means they have plenty of time to find a suitable mate, which could take a hundred or two hundred years, there's no rush.
Many people were also somewhat gloating over the Bebilli family. If they had been able to marry Sally last year, the Bebilli family would have become the most powerful family among the elves.
But now, as long as the elders of the Brewster family haven't lost their minds, they certainly won't be in a hurry to urge Sally to get married. If she doesn't get married, then she will still be a member of the Brewster family.
Ficare wasn't stupid, he could figure out the connection. However, he was just a nobody, and the affairs between the two powerful families were far beyond his reach. But since Engelwey said he could get him into the Treasury, he would choose to keep quiet.
"Let's go." Engelwey glanced at the rooftop one last time, then turned and walked away.
…
In a study room in the Elven embassy in the city, Engelwey watched Ficare leave excitedly carrying a heavy suitcase. His brow furrowed, but quickly relaxed. He raised his hand, a gust of wind blew, and the door closed softly.
"The Brewster family isn't exactly known for their ethical practices, Third Young Master. This is all I can do to help you." Engelwey sat down at his desk, picked up a quill pen, and began writing a letter.
...
After pressing the last dough ball and setting it aside, Mai Ge looked at the hundreds of dough balls already laid out beside him and smiled. Although his arms were a little sore, but compared to before when he had to rest after kneading for a while, today's speed was quite remarkable, and the quantity had almost doubled.
Next, it's time to make tofu pudding. Mai Ge turned his gaze to the press machine next to him. The cylinder, which is 30 centimeters in diameter and 60 centimeters high, can press out the amount of soy milk needed for a pot of tofu pudding at once. He poured in the soybeans that had been soaked for more than eight hours. After soaking in water, the soybeans were plump and smooth.
The demand for tofu pudding seems to be increasing, and limiting the quantity of some dishes is indeed a good choice, beneficial for the healthy development of the restaurant. Watching the soybeans being crushed in the press, white soy milk overflowing. Mai Ge's eyes suddenly lit up, and he asked in his mind, "System, what do you think about that thing we discussed yesterday? Can you remove the 'Thank you for your patronage' part from the spinning wheel?"
"This system believes that all lucky draws should maintain a certain probability of not winning a prize to make them interesting. Otherwise, it might as well be called a 'choose one out of five,' what kind of 'big wheel' is that?" the system's voice came through.
"Heh." Mai Ge scoffed.
"Host, please don't be dismissive of this system's ingenious idea. This system will guarantee absolute fairness in the lottery process. If you're incredibly lucky, you might even win some physical fitness points." the system said seriously.
"System, I'm asking you, who designed the spinning wheel?"
"This system."
"How does it spin? Who controls it?"
"This system."
"Who awards the prizes?"
"This system."
"So when I spin, you decide which square I land in, right? If I land in the 'Thank You for Your Patronage' square, are you going to tell me it's just bad luck? Would you believe me if you were me?" Mai Ge's smile was somewhat sarcastic.
The system fell silent for a moment, then solemnly declared, "This system guarantees its integrity..."
"Alright, you don't even have that thing. You have two choices: either a virtual wheel (you can remove the blank option to ensure there won't be a blank situation), or you can just create a real wheel and let me spin it myself. I'll accept whatever I get." Mai Ge interrupted the system.