“Oops! Boss Icey, you’re finally back. We thought tonight we’d have to go back to the days of bread gnawing!”
Icey didn’t expect that the lively streets had become deserted even though it was already completely dark. Yet, in front of his restaurant, hungry customers were still waiting for it to open.
It was the three carpenters in white vests.
Because of their work, they usually had to work late, and the other restaurants in Windmill Village had already closed early.
So before Icey came to the village, the three of them usually had to make do with eating bread for dinner.
“Haven’t you eaten yet? Come in quickly.”
Surprised, Icey quickly opened the restaurant door to let the three of them in.
After a day of exhaustion, he originally didn’t plan to open, but seeing the three of them hungry, he couldn’t bear it.
To be honest, the feeling of anticipating food made by one’s own hands was quite good.
And besides, he also wanted to talk to them about shipbuilding.
“Huh? Have you encountered any trouble? Why does Miss Aqua look so disheveled?”
Sitting at the familiar table, one of the carpenters noticed Aqua, whose hair was messy and covered in dirt.
As soon as the words were spoken, the person beside him grabbed him and signaled quietly.
The person immediately realized and changed to a different tone, “Oh, sorry for my rudeness, respected Water Goddess Lady Aqua!”
“It’s okay, it’s okay.”
Aqua was always very tolerant towards her “disciples”, casually explaining, “I just slipped and fell while releasing the magic to generate holy water because the ground was too slippery.”
Upon hearing this, the three carpenters sighed heavily in unison.
Falling is falling, but to talk about magic, this poor child is not lightly ill!
“There’s no fried rice left, can I give you bowls of beef noodle soup?”
Afraid that Aqua, this fool, would spill the beans, Icey quickly spoke up, interrupting their conversation.
“No problem, as long as it’s made by Boss Icey.”
The three carpenters had absolute trust in Icey’s craftsmanship.
“Just wait a moment, it’ll be ready soon.”
Icey nodded and turned to walk towards the kitchen.
“I’ll help you, just let me serve it out!”
Aqua, with both ears erect, quickly caught up, showing an unusually diligent attitude.
“Are you planning to eat it yourself by serving it?” Icey exposed her true intentions mercilessly.
This wishful thinking just hit her in the face!
“Heh, hehe.”
Aqua, whose little scheme had been exposed, chuckled awkwardly and scratched her head, then explained earnestly, “Even goddesses get hungry, besides, I helped you so much today, isn’t it only right to have something to eat?”
“Resting on my back like an octopus and taking a nap, it’s really hard for you.”
Although he said that, Icey didn’t stop Aqua but let her follow him into the kitchen.
After washing his hands and putting on his apron, Icey lit the stove and lowered his voice to Aqua, “Forget about the beef noodle soup, the beef is from yesterday. Let me cook a bowl of pork bone meatball noodles for you.”
This time, it was Aqua’s turn to look disdainful, “You’re giving customers yesterday’s leftovers to eat, Icey, that’s really terrible.”
“Then don’t eat it, stand at the door and drink the northwest wind.”
“I’m very sorry, Lord Icey, I was wrong!”
…
The process of cooking noodles is relatively simple. After a few minutes, Icey served five steaming bowls of noodle soup, followed by a stupid goddess drooling profusely behind him.
Icey deliberately placed Aqua’s pork bone meatball noodles on a separate table in the corner. In contrast, he sat opposite the three carpenters and handed them three bowls of beef noodle soup, saying, “Sorry to keep you waiting.”
“Let’s dig in!”
The carpenters couldn’t wait to start eating the noodles.
Icey also picked up his chopsticks and enjoyed this pleasant meal after a hard day’s work.
It was clear to see that he was eating the same beef noodle soup as the carpenters.
After the three carpenters had almost finished eating, Icey began to talk about the shipbuilding business.
Although the people in front of him were not the best shipbuilders in Windmill Village, they had many resources and connections in shipbuilding, far better than randomly finding someone.
“What? Boss Icey, do you want to leave Windmill Village and go to sea?” The carpenters were surprised.
“Yes, the vast and magnificent sea is my true destination. I want to make a name for myself there.” Icey didn’t hide it.
Transcending to the world of pirates, no one would willingly spend their life in a remote village.
Even though the sea is far more cruel and dangerous than imagined, he still wants to see those legendary figures!
“That’s really an admirable pursuit, but unfortunately, we don’t have much ability, we can only rely on some insignificant craftsmanship to make a living.”
Seeing the bright and determined light in Icey’s eyes, the three carpenters couldn’t help but sigh.
Once upon a time, they also had grand dreams of conquering the sea…
“If it’s just a basic single-mast sailboat for navigation, with some friends, we can probably finish it in about a month. Boss Icey, do you have any requirements?” The carpenters began to get serious.
“I don’t have any specific requirements, but a month is too slow.” Icey shook his head lightly.
Now, he only had Aqua as his partner, and the boat he needed was a transition, capable of normal navigation in the Eastern Sea.
“Others may need a month, but we only need ten days.” Another carpenter confidently assured.
Icey was quite satisfied with this timeframe as he picked up the last piece of beef from his bowl and put it into his mouth.
“Then I’ll leave it to you.”
The matter was settled like this. As for the cost of the ship, the carpenters didn’t mention it much; they just gave an estimate of around five hundred thousand berries.
“Boss Icey, can you fry a few more dishes? I haven’t had a chance to drink for a long time!”
Thinking that they wouldn’t have a chance to taste the unique delicacies of Icey’s restaurant in the future, the three carpenters rubbed their hands in anticipation.
“No problem, I’ll cook the dishes first and then go to Makino’s place to get some wine.” Icey readily agreed.
As soon as he finished speaking, Aqua appeared at the next table at lightning speed.
“No need, I have wine here!”
With a piece of uncleaned pig bone in her mouth, Aqua placed the fine wine Makino had sent during the day on the dining table and waved to Icey.
“You just need to cook, by the way, remember to make plenty of portions. I haven’t eaten enough yet!”
Icey’s mouth twitched slightly: the arrogant attitude that made one inexplicably furious!
Seeing Aqua, who had her legs crossed and was opening the wine, starting to toast with the carpenters, there was a moment when he even thought about poisoning her in the food and making her a mute glutton!
Finally, in front of outsiders, Icey chose to endure, and he couldn’t poison the food — unfortunately, there were no poisons in his kitchen that could silence people…
The carpenters didn’t collect the deposit for shipbuilding from him with confidence, so naturally, he didn’t charge them for the noodles and dishes.
This is called reciprocity.
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