Full-Time Magician: Demon Mage

Chapter 371 Specialty Foods

"It seems I'm not worthy of this. I'll return it to you." Wang Teng didn't even bother to glance at the crystal vessel, and directly used his mental power to lift it and push it into the arms of Advisor Shao.

He can exert limited effort, but as for unlimited effort, he cannot do so at present; this is determined by his personality.

Since he began cultivating, his goal has never changed; he is willing to make certain necessary sacrifices for resources.

However, this will not lead to abandoning the goal or putting the cart before the horse.

Staff Officer Shao caught the Earth's Core, but she didn't expect the other party to refuse without hesitation, which was exactly what the military leader had predicted.

As a staff officer, she naturally knew that not everyone was suited for the military path, and it was impossible for everyone to join.

Therefore, the tasks of the imperial court are not much easier than those of the military; they involve fighting in far more dangerous areas, and the problems often require the intervention of high-level mages.

Although it's not the best way to put it, in a sense, court councilors do have a much easier time than they do in the military, and they have more freedom to act.

"That's a real pity. Since you don't want it, please stay in Anjiao Town for a day so I can give you a welcome dinner and thank you for your contribution."

Staff Officer Shao put away the Earth Core and extended the invitation. She didn't say anything more to persuade him, as the other party was not some young fool.

For someone so young to have already secured a position as a member of the Forbidden City's council and to receive special attention from that military leader, it's not something she could sway with just a few words.

"Okay~" Wang Teng readily agreed. He happened to be relatively free recently, so he decided to take Yu Mian on a trip to the west.

Staff Officer Shao instructed his adjutant to take Lin Feili, who was standing nearby, to rest. He would then settle Lin Feili's merits separately afterward and also to thoroughly investigate the matter concerning Shi Qianshou.

Jiang Shaoxu and Ding Yumin followed behind Wang Teng and, led by Staff Officer Shao, visited the military camp in Anjiao Town.

Before long, the group rode in military vehicles, speeding through the valleys, and soon arrived at the main camp area.

"I'll take you to eat some local delicacies from Anjiao Town for lunch today."

Staff Officer Shao led Wang Teng and his two companions to the camp's canteen. As soon as they reached the entrance, they smelled the aroma of fried food.

Wang Teng followed along out of curiosity and saw many "unique" foods, with various unknown insects sizzling in the oil.

Jiang Shaoxu and Ding Yumin felt a little guilty and looked around at the people eating, who were all enjoying their fried insects.

The insects were quite large, the smallest being the size of a palm. The insect species included sand crabs, scorpions, and mantis shrimp, among others.

Staff Officer Shao carried a large plate of fried scorpions to his seat with great gusto.

Wang Teng didn't care about these things. He had eaten quite a few before, and even poisonous mantises could be eaten after being properly processed.

So he also brought a large plate of sand crabs and shared the table with the staff officer as a sign of respect.

Jiang Shaoxu and Ding Yumin exchanged a glance and resolutely chose to eat, but they took very little, the same fried scorpions as the one served to Staff Officer Shao.

"Looks like this isn't your first time eating this?" Advisor Spoon skillfully picked out the scorpion meat, dipped it in sauce, and put it in his mouth, saying.

"Hmm~ I ate a lot of them in the wild back then." Wang Teng wasn't interested in eating the shell either. After taking out the meat from the sand crab, he dipped it in sauce and put it in his mouth.

With its sweet and chewy texture, it fills your taste buds, and when paired with a spicy dipping sauce, it truly rivals even the finest ingredients.

"Eating this today reminded me of the exchange conference I attended when I first entered university, especially the experience of going out to gain experience."

"When we were supporting Green Field Island, we ate seafood every day, whether it was seafood soup, barbecue or other ways of cooking, for nearly three months."

Wang Teng licked his lips, recalling how difficult things had been back then. He was one of the few who could sleep comfortably, while everyone else had to huddle together to sleep.

"I've heard about this before. It was quite a rumor circulating within our organization. I never imagined that person was you." Staff Officer Shao looked at Wang Teng in shock, only now realizing it for the first time.

This growth rate is just too abnormal!

How long has it been? At most two and a half years, and he has grown from a mid-level mage to a super-level mage. It's like lightning speed.

This time felt so short to her, it seemed to pass in the blink of an eye.

Staying in Anjiao Town every day, time is basically the most meaningless thing; each day goes by very quickly, and it goes by even faster when you're busy.

"Haha...it's all just flattery, don't take it seriously," Wang Teng said modestly with a smile.

"That's no exaggeration. Ai Jiangtu even made a special trip all the way from Beijing to Shanghai to see you."

Jiang Shaoxu immediately exposed his secret: while eating the fragrant scorpion meat, there was only a small piece of muscle, which was more acceptable than she had imagined.

"Yes, yes, yes... I was there at the time." Ding Yumin chimed in at the opportune moment.

"Excessive modesty is also a form of arrogance!" When the two beautiful women were talking, Staff Officer Shao laughed and roughly guessed the relationship between the three of them.

No wonder he was unmoved even when faced with the Earth Core; it turns out he had this side to him. I never expected this seemingly upright guy to be such a lecher.

"Hahaha... whatever you say, then so be it," Wang Teng replied nonchalantly with a laugh, continuing to devour the sand crabs.

A strange glint flashed in Advisor Shao's eyes. It seemed that apart from being incredibly talented and a bit of a lecher, he was surprisingly quite tolerant of his woman.

According to her understanding, the higher a monk's position, the more imposing he becomes, and this imposing aura will subconsciously command the respect of those around him.

This kind of imposing presence makes the atmosphere of conversation very stiff, and even she is the same; her subordinates and deputies have this kind of subconscious respect and distance towards her.

However, she couldn't sense any of that kind of aura from Wang Teng, and there was another person who felt the same way, namely Hua Junshou.

In a relaxed atmosphere, the four of them ate and chatted, mostly with Advisor Shao recounting his experiences with demons in the western Taklamakan Desert.

Having been stationed here for so long, she naturally knows this place very well.

"The resources here are very abundant, providing the basic conditions for building a city. This is why Shi Qianshou is so persistent about the Earth's Core."

"Unfortunately... every kind of demon lives in a harsh environment, but there are also species that actively embrace evolution."

"For example, the Demon Grasshopper," Advisor Spoon said with a solemn expression.

"What happened to the Demon Beetle?" Jiang Shaoxu asked curiously.

After glancing at the three of them, the Advisor hesitated for a moment before speaking: "The demonic insects are actively evolving. Every time they reproduce, they will rush into the fire vein like moths to a flame."

"When the evolution is finally successful, Anjiao Town should be relocated. After all, our fire-type safety barrier can't stop the massive number of evolving demonic insects."

She was always worried about this, fearing that it might destroy Anjiao Town, but the military couldn't bear to part with its vast resources.

The struggle between humans and demons for resources has always been fierce, a life-or-death struggle; without resources, development is impossible.

Border regions almost always develop using a war-for-war model, since 70% of the resource revenue goes to the nation and the Magic Association.

The military will receive a large share; otherwise, how could they afford to support so many military mages? The remaining portion is what the various factions fight over, and they also need to be responsible for the enormous workload of resource extraction, transportation, processing, and sales.

Even so, many forces still flocked to join the ranks of pioneers.

(End of this chapter)