Chapter 177: Close to Ink, One Becomes Black
Snow Empress turned her head to look at Bai Yu, thought for a moment, then moved her feet slightly and sat down opposite Bai Yu.
"Is this human food? It truly has a unique taste. I still have some ice marrow; I can exchange it with you."
"Although ice marrow doesn't taste good, it can increase spirit power."
Bai Yu waved his hand, saying indifferently, "No need, these are on me, no exchange necessary."
"Moreover, these things are practically worthless compared to your ice marrow. If you went to the human world, one drop of ice marrow would be enough for you to book the most luxurious restaurant for half a year."
Snow Empress's expression was a little dazed. The human world? She had never been there. It seemed to be much more interesting than this Extreme North Land.
"Is ice marrow very valuable in your human world? Also, what is this restaurant you mentioned?"
Bai Yu nodded, conveniently handing the roasted vegetables and seafood to Snow Empress.
"It's not just valuable; it's extremely valuable!"
"As an ice and snow spirit, for you, ice marrow can always be found if you specifically look for it. But humans are different. In this Extreme North Land, ordinary people can't survive at all, let alone find ice marrow."
"Furthermore, ice marrow is very difficult to form; it takes thousands of years just for time. So, for humans to obtain a single drop of ice marrow, it's truly incredibly difficult."
Speaking of this, Bai Yu chuckled softly, raising his head to look at Snow Empress, who was eating happily.
"Heh heh, you might think ice marrow isn't very useful to you, but for human Spirit Masters, it's a rare and precious heavenly treasure."
"One drop of ice marrow can allow a Spirit Master to increase their spirit power and temper their body, which is equivalent to a very long period of arduous cultivation."
"As for restaurants, they are places where humans eat. There are professional chefs there. The food they make tastes much better than what I, a half-baked cook, can make."
Snow Empress's eating movements paused. She looked down at the barbecue in her hand. Better than this? What a pity, she couldn't go and try it.
Afterward, Bai Yu began to tell Snow Empress about various human entertainment methods, interesting creations, and beautiful clothes.
His descriptions were vivid and captivating, enticing the simple-minded Snow Empress to repeatedly lose herself in thought, even sparking the idea of visiting the human world.
After nearly an hour, Snow Empress habitually took the skewers Bai Yu handed her, but after only two bites, she suddenly realized something.
That was, for all this time, Bai Yu had roasted food, and she seemed to have eaten all of it. Bai Yu himself hadn't eaten much at all.
"Uh, I'm full. Bai Yu, you eat. You don't need to mind me anymore."
Watching Snow Empress hand back the barbecue in her hand, Bai Yu's lips curved slightly upward, and he said with a smile, "Alright then. In that case, I'll make you an ice cream. Consider it dessert after the meal."
After Bai Yu finished speaking, he took out a large bowl and two bottles of milk and began to get busy.
Snow Empress's lips moved. She wanted to tell Bai Yu not to bother, but she genuinely wanted to try the ice cream, so she was very conflicted.
But in the end, she still didn't speak. After a clash of thoughts, she convinced herself that Bai Yu was making it for her voluntarily, not because she asked for it, so it couldn't be considered a bother.
Regarding this, one can only say that close to ink, one becomes black. Not long after meeting Bai Yu, the simple-minded Snow Empress had already learned to deceive herself.
"Here you go. Try it. I think you'll like this."
Snow Empress reached out and took the large bowl, her eyes a little bewildered. How was she supposed to eat this thing?
Seeing Snow Empress's expression, Bai Yu chuckled, raised his hand, pointed to the spoon in the bowl, and said, "Do you see that thing? It's called a spoon. Pick it up, use the concave side to scoop out the ice cream from the bowl, and then put it in your mouth."
Then, following Bai Yu's instructions, Snow Empress clumsily managed to get the homemade ice cream into her mouth.
"Mm, delicious! I like it!"
A smile appeared in Bai Yu's eyes. Feeding Snow Empress, this white-haired older sister with a 'three-no' (no expression, no desire, no words) attribute, gave him a great sense of accomplishment, like raising a pet, which was very pleasant.
After Snow Empress finished eating, Bai Yu stood up, put away the messy kitchenware, and clapped his hands.
"Alright, the food is done. I'm going to rest too. Snow Empress, you can stay here or go back first."
Snow Empress thought for a moment. Anyway, there was nothing to do back in her ice cave. Staying here was fine. After Bai Yu rested, she could directly call Ice Emperor and Xiao Bai over.
"You go rest. I don't need to go back. I'll wait for you here."
Bai Yu blinked, a strange expression appearing on his face.
"Since you're not going back, you could try the human way of resting. Here, these are bedding and a pillow. Take them and spread them on the ice bed."
"But for you, you probably won't like these things, though trying them is fine. Just consider it experiencing life."
Seeing the bedding Bai Yu handed over, Snow Empress took it with some curiosity.
She had seen these things before and knew how to use them. Humans who came to the Extreme North Land to hunt spirit beasts would set up a small tent every night and then spread these inside.
But she had never tried it. These things felt soft to the touch. Why would Bai Yu say she wouldn't like them?
After Bai Yu went to rest, Snow Empress also found a room, spread the bedding on the ice bed, and then got in.
After a while, Snow Empress turned over uncomfortably. Bai Yu was right; she really wasn't used to it.
Although it was comfortable to lie on, she always felt that something was off everywhere, and she really wanted to throw the blanket off her body.
This was because Snow Empress was a spirit born of nature, extremely close to it. Although the bedding couldn't block the natural aura, it made Snow Empress feel an extra layer of restraint, which was why she had this reaction.
However, this was only because she was unaccustomed to it. A mere layer of bedding naturally couldn't hinder her.
Who knows how long passed, but when Bai Yu woke up, the sun was still hanging in the sky, showing no signs of setting.
Then Bai Yu stretched lazily and walked out of the room.
"Huh? Snow Empress, what are you doing? Is there something in the room?"
As soon as he came out, Bai Yu saw Snow Empress standing by the door of a nearby room, staring straight into it.
Curiosity appeared in Bai Yu's eyes. He also walked to Snow Empress's side and looked into the room, but he found there was nothing inside, only bedding and a pillow spread on the ice bed.
Snow Empress turned her head to look at Bai Yu, her face full of confusion, and said with a bewildered expression, "Bai Yu, I seem to have a problem. You asked me to try the human way of resting earlier, and I did."
"But I feel something is wrong. I like lying in it, yet I don't like lying in it. Why is that?"
"Ah?"
Bai Yu was also a bit confused. What did she mean by liking it yet not liking it? He then scratched his head before somewhat understanding.
"Uh, this is probably your thoughts and instincts fighting each other."