Chapter 117: Awakening Items of the Food Category

Watching the four figures running off into the distance, Ye Chen did not pursue them. His heart told him the crux of the matter lay elsewhere.

After a moment of contemplation, he headed straight for the tea stall and casually picked a seat.

He ordered a pot of tea that the owner had already brewed, along with a snack, then sat alone at a small table.

As the owner brought the tea, Ye Chen casually asked, “How’s business today?”

The owner smiled broadly and cheerfully replied, “Not bad, not bad, all thanks to your patronage.”

“Our patronage?!”

Ye Chen glanced around and responded modestly, “Oh no, it’s just a nice day, and we were tired from walking, so we stopped by to rest.

“I tried your tea a couple of days ago; it’s quite good.

“By the way, this little clearing is lively with children playing; it really adds to the atmosphere!”

Upon hearing that he had returning customers, the owner’s enthusiasm rose again. He said happily, “Yes, the kids nearby love to come here and play. Look at that pipe leaning against the wall—they all dare to climb it.

“When I first opened, a few kids even came by to complain that I was occupying their secret base.

“But once the tea stall was up and running, sometimes guests would share snacks with those children, and that made them even more eager to gather here.”

Excellent, he successfully steered the conversation... Ye Chen drained his cup, and the owner thoughtfully refilled it.

“I told you, a bustling place like this—your choice of location was spot on,” Ye Chen said casually.

“Just now, I saw a group of kids sharing snacks over there, and the candy he was holding looked quite fancy.

“I even traded one of my biscuits for a piece.”

Ye Chen pulled out the yellow candy and showed it to the owner, asking, “Do you remember what kind of guest gave it to them?”

The owner answered without affectation, “Guests? I don’t really pay attention to that!

“Though I offer some snacks here, I never stocked candy like that for kids—it doesn’t really go with tea.

“But if guests bring their own, I never stop them. Renting my stove and drinking my tea is enough.”

Ye Chen recalled that last time, Qiao Mucao had brought some wild fruit along.

The owner’s words kept flowing:

“This morning I served three guests—an old man who looked like a tea lover, a well-dressed middle-aged man, and a somewhat mysterious woman.

“But honestly, I didn’t notice which one handed out the snacks this morning.”

Ye Chen smiled and nodded, thinking silently, “Thank you for the valuable clue.”

...

The candy, taken from the little snot-nosed boy—or rather, exchanged from him—now rested in Ye Chen’s pocket.

For some unknown reason, he felt a deep, instinctive aversion to touching that candy again.

He finished the pot of tea and the plate of snacks.

During that time, two more groups of customers came and left after drinking, but the children who had run away never reappeared.

Glancing at the sky, Ye Chen left two portions’ worth of tea money on the table, then rose and stepped out of the clearing.

After pondering for a moment, he decisively pulled out his communicator.

“Hello, who is this?” came a magnetic, alluring voice from the other side.

“It’s me!”

The other side paused briefly, as if recalling something.

“Why did you change your number?”

“That’s a long story, Director You... Teacher, I have a question for you.”

On the other end, You Ya removed the communicator from her ear and stared at the incoming number, pondering.

Then she lightly raised her red lips, thinking, “Haha, teacher? That’s quite a smooth way to address me!”

“Go ahead, what’s your question?” You Ya’s tone remained clear and aloof.

Ye Chen gathered his thoughts carefully and asked, “Have you ever encountered an awakened object in the form of candy?”

You Ya did not expect Ye Chen to contact her just to ask such a question.

She thought he would honor his promise and arrange an experimental appointment.

As a model teacher, she answered rigorously, “No candy, but there are definitely awakened objects related to food. Why do you ask so suddenly?”

“I think I might have found a candy connected to an awakened object, but I’m not sure. Can you help identify it?”

This was Ye Chen’s true purpose for reaching out to You Ya. With such a valuable resource at hand, it was pointless to puzzle alone.

Static crackled through the communicator.

“Good stuff! Bring it here, we’ll test it right away!” interrupted You Zhi’s voice.

“Give it back to me! He called me teacher, not you! Weren’t you out of the awakened object research for a long time? Why the sudden interest today?”

Ye Chen imagined You Ya snatching the communicator and scolding her brother.

Then he vaguely heard You Zhi’s reply: “Sometimes you need a change of pace!”

You Ya reminded Ye Chen, “Listen carefully: food-related awakened objects are usually byproducts of awakened items and vary in storage time.

“I can’t guarantee how long they can be naturally preserved, so to be safe, I’m placing it in your storage space.

“Remember to slow down the time flow as much as possible.”

Ye Chen slapped his forehead, impressed and nearly caught off guard.

You Ya added worriedly, “Don’t slow it too much—make sure you can hold out until you reach the Extraordinary Mansion.”

He chuckled inwardly, “Don’t worry, I’m no longer the old me.

“Back then I was often drained, but now I’ve risen again... Teacher, wait for me!”

After finishing the call with You Ya, Ye Chen sent messages to Jin Yinghui and Zhou Peng.

He canceled tonight’s meeting plans, saying he had an important idea to verify.

He also instructed Zhou Peng, “Find a way to contact the Loudspeaker Squad leader. If there’s any new progress on the farm investigation outside the city, make sure to get the first-hand information.”

Though he didn’t know why Zhou Peng had left the patrol office, he had heard from Captain Dai that after a brawl involving the Piglet at Zhou Peng’s bar, Captain Gong Xiao was ready to mediate the next day.

Unfortunately, even he never got to see Piglet again.

Still, it showed that Captain Gong Xiao cared about his team members, whether Zhou Peng had left or not.

Plus, with Captain Gong Xiao and Captain Dai jointly sending him information, if Zhou Peng came forward to inquire, the other party would likely guess it was on Ye Chen’s behalf.

Though the mansion had ceased investigating missing children in the outer city, knowing Gong Xiao’s nature, he might continue the inquiry secretly.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have so openly declared his partnership with Captain Dai.

Likewise, this explained that Ye Chen’s temporary leave was a cover for Dai’s continued covert investigation.

“Ah, I hope Captain Gong Xiao can put in more effort and, best of all, produce some valuable information!” Ye Chen sighed with hope.