Universe Infinite Canteen

Ma Lu thought about what Han Guangzhong had said earlier as he made his way back, the more he thought about it, the more he felt this guy might be hinting at something.

Unfortunately, the few times Ma Lu tried to extract more information, this guy always managed to sidestep his queries without leaving any traces, and the more he asked, the more the guy would feign ignorance and just sit there waiting for the sunrise.

Seeing that he couldn't get anything out of him, Ma Lu had no choice but to take his leave in the end.

He didn't enter Yuchang County upon reaching its outskirts because his trip was nearly at an end, so he spent ten coins to hire a runner to send a message to Gu Qingyi, just to let her know he was safe.

Afterward, with some time left, Ma Lu went to Wanshan Temple, which Han Guangzhong had talked about, took a stroll around, admired the maple leaves on the mountain, and incidentally offered incense to the Buddha statues in the temple.

What he prayed for, naturally, was wealth.

Seeing that it was about time, he found a place and logged off.

Ma Lu returned to the couch and began pulling out his findings from the trip one by one, and the last item he pulled out was also his most significant find—a thousand-year-old "Blood Qi Chuanxiong."

This was the 6-star ingredient he had scanned earlier with the built-in scanning function of the Traveler's Bracelet.

Thanks to a divine move before he left, he had managed to extract it, perfectly concluding his journey to Crouching Tiger Hill.

He placed the hefty, sixty to seventy catty Chuanxiong on the coffee table and asked Old Wang, "What can this be used for?"@@novelbin@@

"Chuanxiong is mainly used for cooking its root clumps. The one you brought back looks of very fine quality, perfect for making Jujube Soup."

"Jujube Soup, what special properties does this dish have?" Ma Lu asked curiously.

"Jujube Soup can help nourish the liver, greatly improve neurasthenia, and resolve issues with insomnia," Old Wang replied.

Ma Lu's expression turned quite strange, "So, you mean you'll fall asleep right after eating it?"

"Not that fast," Old Wang said. "From the time you finish drinking it until you fall asleep, you'll need at least a quarter of an hour."

"Isn't that fast? Even lethargic red tea isn't that quick."

Ma Lu initially wanted to sell Jujube Soup this week, but after hearing what Old Wang had to say, he dismissed that idea.

In today's society, from workers carrying the weight of their jobs and daily scolded by leaders and clients, to kids stressed by endless homework and poor exam results critiqued by their parents—the stress was bigger for everyone and almost everyone had somewhat weakened nerves.

It seemed like everyone could really use this Jujube Soup, yet it would definitely be unacceptable for them to collapse before even walking out of the store.

Those unaware might think the Universe Infinite Canteen was run by Sun Erniang of the Cross Slope, who specialized in mixing knockout drugs into the meals and then dragging customers to the back kitchen to stuff them into buns.

As for Ma Lu, she, being young and already a boss with an eight-digit bank account, naturally didn't have any sleep-related stress and could fall asleep the moment her head hit the pillow every night; thus, she didn't need the Jujube Soup.

Since it was of no immediate use, Ma Lu decided to store the Chuanxiong she had just pulled out and examined the other medicinal ingredients she had brought back, which included quite a few platycladus leaves, astragalus, codonopsis, and cuscuta, coupled with previously brought back goji berries and horny goat weed.

In fact, she had just gathered the ingredients for another dish she had been longing to make—hair growth cake.

The reason Ma Lu had her eye on this dish wasn't because she was balding, but rather because the world was balding.

Investigations have revealed that one in every five modern individuals is troubled by hair loss, and it's not just men; women are also experiencing severe baldness.

Moreover, despite the plethora of treatments for hair loss, including over a hundred types of shampoos claiming to combat it, the overall effectiveness can be summarized in six words—all pretty much useless.

Because most hair loss is hormonal unless you can control your body's hormone secretion, no topical or oral treatment will be effective. Explore hidden tales at My Virtual Library Empire

Currently, the internationally recognized effective treatments for hair loss are only minoxidil and finasteride and these two also have side effects.

In short, hair loss is now a global issue, and anyone who can solve this problem could easily win a Nobel Prize in Medicine and become the world's richest person just by licensing the patent.

Ma Lu wasn't planning to become the world's richest person with the hair growth cake, especially since his stock of ingredients was limited and the source was somewhat questionable, preventing mass industrial production.

However, selling it in the store was still feasible, and it would also increase the players' enthusiasm in Red Ridge.

Particularly, based on Ma Lu's observations over the period, gamers like Boss Hu and other big spenders had already lost thirty to forty pounds each, appearing as if they had rejuvenated by ten years, radiating youthful vigor.

Consequently, their wives and children also slimmed down, but this meant their enthusiasm for buying Pie Coupons declined, sending the transaction prices continuously downward.

Big spenders are not willing to spend money anymore, which is not a good sign for a game. Ma Lu decided it was time to up their intensity.

Just losing a little belly fat isn't enough, if the lost hair doesn't grow back, how can it be considered a true "limited-time return" to youth?

Moreover, unlike the Lotus Leaf Charcoal Cake, which can maintain weight loss long-term if one doesn't eat indiscriminately and exercises regularly, the hair growth cake only maintains the hair for about 20 days.

If one wants to keep their hair dark and dense, they need to continue spending money, essentially making it Red Ridge's version of a small monthly subscription.

Of course, Ma Lu himself wouldn't earn much of that money—just enough for his meals, as most of the earnings would obviously go towards marketing and player retention.

But no worries, Red Ridge's registered players have already broken 8,000 and are nearing 10,000, and Ma Lu's skin could soon be scheduled for release.

After finalizing this week's menu, Ma Lu received a phone call.

The call came from Lao Hei, who sounded exhausted and weary on the other end.

He had finally concluded negotiations with the Dimensional Pirates and had obtained the bread machine, or more precisely, rented it.

The Dimensional Pirates agreed to lend the bread machine to Lao Hei in exchange for making the Universe Infinite Canteen their designated food supplier for their spaceship. However, the lending period was only three months.

After three months, the pirates would hold a group meeting to vote on whether to continue lending the bread machine to Lao Hei.

This was different from what Lao Hei initially expected and was part of why the negotiations were so slow, but he eventually gritted his teeth and agreed.

Securing the bread machine and delivering it to Sir M to save his life was his top priority.

Surviving for three months was a win; as for what might happen after three months, that could be dealt with later.

As their contract was signed, the large stockpile of ham and smoked meat that Ma Lu had hoarded finally found a destination.

Once the pirates received their supplies, they would immediately set off to work, robbing ships from The Grand Alliance and even paying a portion of their loot as food expenses to Lao Hei.