Universe Infinite Canteen

Having pacified Gu Qingyi, it was almost time for the New Year.

Ma Lu didn't plan on making a New Year's Eve dinner, though it could have brought in a good sum of money, neither He Xiaoqian, who worked in the restaurant, nor himself were locals in City B.

Spending their time away, they could only return home this time of the year, so Ma Lu closed his shop early, not waiting until the thirtieth.

He Xiaoqian managed to get a train ticket and took the high-speed train home on the 28th, while Ma Lu planned to drive back and show off his new car to his relatives and friends.

Additionally, Ma Lu also took along Old Wang this time, who had no relatives in this Plane, and Ma Lu didn't feel comfortable leaving him alone in City B during the New Year.

Besides Old Wang, Ma Lu also took Ma Youyou.

Ma Youyou's situation was similar to that of Old Wang; as a traveler from another world, though she knew some people here, those people didn't recognize her.

And like Ma Lu, Ma Youyou also couldn't cook. With Old Wang taken away by Ma Lu, she wouldn't even be able to enjoy a warm New Year's Eve dinner, which would be rather pitiful.

After all, taking one was as good as taking two, so Ma Lu simply decided to bring along Ma Youyou as well.

Then he remembered Zhen Ye who was playing games upstairs. While Zhen Ye did have family, it almost felt like she had none; likely, she would be spending the New Year alone as well.

There were also the Valkyrie People working in the kitchen and Mr. Furball, who supplied beer to the restaurant.

They had never experienced the New Year, and Ma Lu as the boss thought he ought to let them feel the festive atmosphere.

As a result, his trip home this time meant that the ES8 was packed to the brim.

Ma Lu, leading a group, triumphantly drove back to his hometown and after a few days of an indulgent life of eating and sleeping, he received two pieces of good news.

The first piece of good news was that, after relentless efforts, he had tried more than half of the spells recorded in the "Compendium of Zero-Tier Spells" and finally figured out what the spell fixed on him by the Wandering Sorcerer was.

—The Illumination Technique.

At first, this spell seemed rather ordinary, but after trying it out, Ma Lu found it different from what he had imagined.

Ma Lu had envisioned the Illumination Technique to be like a flashlight that could emit a beam of light forward to illuminate the path, or at least, it should be like a light bulb, once turned on, would allow one to see the surroundings.

However, the Illumination Technique he received turned out to be much brighter than expected and was comparable to a high-powered searchlight. Moreover, the light was emitted from the soles of his feet, shooting up towards the top of his head and straight into the sky, enveloping him completely.

And this brought a problem.

If he turned on the Illumination Technique because he couldn't see his surroundings, it would only result in him being blinded, making it even harder to see.

Therefore, Ma Lu's first reaction was frustration.

What kind of ridiculous thing was this? It seemed practically unusable!

However, after trying a few more times, Ma Lu gradually figured out some ways to use the Illumination Technique.

If you treated it like a traditional illumination spell, you would definitely embarrass yourself. Experience tales with My Virtual Library Empire

But switching perspectives and using it to blind enemies unexpectedly turned out to be quite effective.

And as long as he closed his eyes in advance, he could ensure he wouldn't be harmed, while those standing next to Ma Lu, if unprepared, were almost certainly going to be dazzled.

At that moment, just canceling the spellcasting and coupling it with his Flying Knife Skill, his combat effectiveness could at least double.

Additionally, if there really was a need for illumination, this spell was not unusable.

Since the light would shoot from the soles to the top of his head and wouldn't bend, Ma Lu just had to stretch his body forward to extend his head out of the enclosed area of the light column to scout the surroundings.

After a few more tries, Ma Lu felt that this spell wasn't as useless as chicken ribs; on the contrary, it had a bit of a miraculous flavor.

That meant from now on, he always carried a flash grenade on him, ready to be thrown at the first sign of trouble.

Moreover, since zero-order magic harnessed the magic elements from nature, it consumed very little of his own energy—only a bit of spiritual power was needed.

Even someone as ordinary as Ma Lu could cast the Light Illumination Technique six or seven times in a row before starting to feel a trace of fatigue.

And the conditions required for the spell were simple: just deliver a monologue and rub your thumbs together.

It was easier to trigger than many other spells Ma Lu had tried before.

As for the second piece of good news, the Bug Egg had finally completed another upgrade and opened a new route.

This was already the fourth route it had developed. It was during the holidays and Ma Lu, having nothing else to do, returned to his room, locked the door, and placed the Bug Egg atop his head.

However, he didn't enter meditation immediately. Instead, he took the Bug Egg off his head and stepped out to find Ma Youyou to ask for her help in watching Mr. Furball and the others.

Afterward, he went to find a hotel and specifically booked another room.

The main reason was that if he stayed at his house, his parents would call him for meals at regular times, and it wouldn't be appropriate if he didn't show up.

Once assured that there were no other disturbances, Ma Lu again placed the Bug Egg on his head.

He held his breath, concentrated, cleared his mind of any stray thoughts, and shouted the phrase, "Universe widespread, eggs flow smoothly!"

At the next moment, the Bug Egg on his head twitched, and immediately various familiar and unfamiliar eggs appeared in his otherwise empty mind.

These eggs, both recognized and unrecognized, gathered together to form a majestic, beautiful tableau of eggs, slowly rotating around the white chicken egg above his head.

Three of the connections were already illuminated, and just as Ma Lu looked up at the egg tableau, another connection lit up.

Ma Lu projected his consciousness onto the newly lit path and, in the next instant, his body suddenly felt lighter, as if being pulled rapidly toward the other end of the illuminated path.

He accelerated continuously until he collided with a sophisticatedly patterned, intelligence-emitting, gracefully posed black egg.

Ma Lu opened his eyes and found himself standing on a street, with street lamps on either side—but for some unknown reason, even though it was already night, the street lamps were not lit.

The whole street was pitch black, and visibility was very low.

Ma Lu was about to directly use the Light Illumination Technique to light up the world, but considering he was a newcomer unfamiliar with this plane, he decided to hold back for a moment.

The Light Illumination Technique made too much noise; as soon as it was cast, it would make him the brightest spot for miles.

Fortunately, after a while, as his eyes gradually adjusted to the darkness, he was able to see a little further.

Faintly, Ma Lu saw a figure at the other end of the street, standing by the wall. Judging by their build and age, they seemed quite young, probably about twelve or thirteen years old.

Thus, Ma Lu decided to approach and greet the other party, and in doing so, ask what was going on here.

So he walked along the street toward the figure, but after a few steps, Ma Lu realized something was amiss.