Chapter 80：Fried Kraken

Silence befell the room. Ping frozen in shock over the sudden appearance of a steaming hot dish, Dylan waiting expectantly for Ping to try his food and Fir reflecting on his moment of carelessness, allowing Dylan to get drunk and display his magic like so.

Ping glanced from Dylan's face to the plate of golden fries looking dish. The kraken emitted a delicious and enticing smell, its exterior looking crisp and crunchy. Ping gulped. He did not know where Dylan got this from and was unwilling to fall back upon supernatural answers, and so, Ping decided that in his drunken stupor, he had failed to notice Dylan retrieve it from someplace else. This justification was strange but Ping was much more willing to believe that than something occult. Really, which sane man would instantly blame it on magic? As for the hole in the air, that was just his mind playing tricks on him, yep, that must've been the case.

"I don't know what kind of magic trick you used to put this here, but since you've offered, I'll try some." Ping cleared his throat and said. He picked up the pair of wooden chopsticks that have been lying beside the plate since…since….Ping didn't know when the chopsticks appeared on the table. He shook his head and decided to ignore the odd occurrences that have been going on.

Meanwhile, Fir secretly let out a sigh of relief at Ping's words, a breath of cool air brushing pass Dylan's neck, tickling him and causing him to let out a quiet giggle.

"That tickled, Fir." Dylan chided in Divian as he pat Fir's small head with his finger, a doting smile on his face.

"If you use magic again, I will freeze you!" Fir chirped and warned.

Dylan chuckled, totally not paying Fir's words any heed. "You won't do that."

"Where do you come from? I've never heard that language before." Ping interrupted unknowingly and asked out of curiosity. He had travelled to many countries and have encountered many people, yet he had never heard of the words that Dylan spoke. Did Dylan come from an obscure country, he wondered. That bird too, it was extremely beautiful and unique looking. It had a long fancy tail and its feathers were a cool and aloof colour. Ping believed that even if the bird was extremely rare, its beauty would have spread its name far and wide.

"I come from very, very far away." Dylan spread his arms wide for emphasis. "Somewhere not of this world, an enchanting yet dangerous place."

Dylan no longer looked as childish and carefree as he did earlier. He appeared more like a man weathered by time, his eyes containing grief and longing and also that of nostalgia. Silently, Dylan emptied his cup once more and refilled it himself. He smiled at Ping, "Shall we drink?"

Ping nodded and gulped down the whisky. "Do you miss your hometown?"

"…No, this is a very beautiful place. Rather than return to a place where there is no one to welcome me home, I wish to remain here, in a place where everything is bright and warm."

"Never mind that, please try the dish before it gets cold. I made it myself. I can guarantee its taste." Dylan regained his bubbly and cheerful smile and grinned whilst pushing the plate towards Ping.

Grasping the fried Kraken in his chopsticks, Ping found that it was soft yet firm, bouncy and chewy. He brought it to his mouth, blowing on the hot food. Biting down on the Kraken, Ping heard a pleasant crunch as he bit through the crisp skin of the Kraken. Instantly, the umami juices flowed out from the meat, falling down upon Ping's tongue. The more Ping chewed, the more juice came out. It was like carefully broiled seafood soup, clear tasting yet bursting with flavour of the ocean.

Ping drank some more whisky, the two distinct flavours blended together to form an even more fragrant taste. It was mouth watering and appetite increasing. He could not stop himself from moving his hands and mouth. Subconsciously, the corners of Ping's lips rose. He chewed carefully, savouring the delicate taste of the fried Kraken. "It's delicious, where did you get this from?"

Dylan smiled like a child being praised by his father. It was a proud and joyful smile. "While I was travelling, I heard that a Kraken was harassing a nearby port so I rounded up some friends and we subjugated it together. The Kraken was very big and very strong, but we fought together and bang! hehe, I used my sword to slash and then Alice used wind magic to cut it as well. Then finally, Alex went boom! And the Kraken just went, ahhhh, and it died. Unfortunately, my friends were all elves who didn't eat meat, so they pawned it off to me."

Dylan narrated with a flushed face and rambled like a child describing his dream and fantasies, reminding Ping of Sherry when she was young. He watched on with a fatherly smile as Dylan made exaggerated gestures and passionately described his antics to Ping. As for the elements of fantasy, Ping once again ignored them. After all, the crazy words of a drunk man were just the crazy words of a drunk man. Nothing more to it. Ping just mistakenly believed that Dylan was talking about a fishing trip with his friends.

As time went by, the two exchanged more drinks and continued to snack on the Kraken. Dylan got more and more drunk, Ping becoming only slightly flushed. For the purpose of this interrogation, cough, meeting, Ping chose an alcohol that wasn't too strong but strong enough to intoxicate when drunk in large amounts. Just, he didn't expect that Dylan's tolerance would be so low.

"Ah, we've run out." Dylan tipped the empty bottle over his half filled cup and frowned. His movement was unsteady and he swayed uneasily.

Worried, Ping spoke up. "I think you've had enough."

Dylan frowned and pouted. "But we've only just started. Uncle, you're not even drunk yet."

Ping laughed. "I never get drunk. It's pointless to try."

"Never? Really? You sure you're not lying just to fool me?" Dylan slurred his words and reached for his cup. In a moment of carelessness, he knocked over the cup and spilled out all the remaining liquid. "Ah, such a waste."

"Don't worry about it." Ping said, getting up to get a cloth. He turned his back and went into the kitchen. Inside, he could hear Dylan talking to his bird and the bird chirping back in response. It was a little surreal, but what hasn't been today? Being with Dylan sure was interesting. Ping felt his prejudice towards Dylan lessen and he viewed his with a positive light. Of course, he wasn't planning to hand his daughter over to him so easily.

By the time he returned, the bird was chirping loudly, as if it were scolding. It flapped its wings in front of Dylan, occasionally pecking at his hands. Dylan had a mischievous smile on his face and spoke with a chuckle in the language that Ping could not understand.

Ping glanced over at the table, the puddle of whisky was no longer there but the strong stench of alcohol prevalent in the air.

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Author: I'm back, baby! Did you miss me? Did you miss me? Hey, why aren't you replying?

Dylan: Urgh, please don't shout Author. My head feels like its being split apart. Uuuugh.

Author: Ah, gross! You vomited on the carpet!

Dylan: Stop talking! Ahh, my head.

Author: Wow, someone's moody. Is this the legendary morning sickness. But that means...You two have already gone to the next step?...How fast, I didn't expect this from you, my precious babies are not like this! Who are you?! What have you done to Dylan!

Dylan: Stop.Shaking.Me.Author! I'm hungover, can't you tell?!

Author: Wait, you drank? Haha, I've never seen a hungover person before, what's it like? Is it irritating? Does your head spin? If its painful, why would you drink in the first place?

Dylan: You're so annoying! Just fly back to Japan already!