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It turned out that choice was indeed more important than effort.
Yesterday at the subway entrance, Ma Lu and Old Wang didn't sell out of the 150 meat pies until after 10 p.m., whereas now, with double the quantity, they could pack up and head home before 5 p.m.
The vigorous promotion by Shen Yue and others played a significant role. It brought the Universe's Number One Snack Stall its first batch of customers, but the key was still the deliciousness of the Fried Jackal Meat Cake.
Only then would those who had eaten become word-of-mouth promoters, spontaneously recommending it to friends nearby. The message would spread from one to ten and from ten to a hundred, ensuring a continuous stream of customers thereafter.
On the way home, Ma Lu also did the calculations for today's accounts.
Revenue soared from yesterday's 2,538 to 5,364.
Yet expenses dropped from 1,022.4 to 165.7, which even included a box meal that Shen Yue had packed from the cafeteria, which Ma Lu used for lunch.
So today's profit was a whopping 5,198.3, a figure that immediately energized Ma Lu.
Passing a supermarket, he stopped his tricycle, picked up a case of Pure Draft beer, and bought two pounds of marinated delicacies. He planned to go home and celebrate.
Ma Lu also asked Old Wang if he wanted to buy anything. Old Wang said, "At this stage, I need a kitchen appliance that can quickly dry ingredients."
"An oven," Ma Lu snapped his fingers, "I'll buy you one when we get back. But that's not what I was asking. I meant how do you plan to reward yourself?"
"Recharge."
"Apart from recharging, we have a pretty good snack business going here. We earned next month's rent in advance, so our survival is no longer an issue. We can relax a bit. What's the point of working so hard?"
"For the exploration and maintenance of the beauty of the Multiverse."
"Nice, you're making quick progress, even learning to make deadpan jokes."
"No, I'm serious," said Old Wang solemnly. "My kin and I have always taken it as our mission. It is also the reason for our existence."
"Uh, okay... Actually, I'm considering buying a Switch, so when we have some free time, we can play games together. It will offer you another perspective to understand this universe and, who knows, you might also find beauty in it," Ma Lu suggested.
After thinking it over, Old Wang nodded and said, "That's possible."
...
It tasted a bit like a combination of grilled squid and stinky tofu, with a crispier texture than grilled squid and a faint sulfuric odor.
The first bite might taste a bit odd, but it made you want to take another one to confirm the flavor, and even after carefully chewing, it was still hard to judge. You just had to steel yourself and keep eating...
In this repetitive cycle, you would unconsciously finish one skewer and then reach for a second without being able to articulate whether it was delicious or not.
In fact, even after finishing all 23 Young Flame Lizard skewers, Ma Lu still didn't have an answer to this question.
It was like a playful and skillful dancer, teasing the boundary of good and bad, twirling gracefully.
Ma Lu rubbed his slightly sore eyes and glanced at the time.
He should have gone to bed to catch up on sleep two hours ago, but the game was too engrossing, and he accidentally played too long. Now he had less than ten minutes left before the next outing to collect ingredients.
Ma Lu put down the controller, stood up from the floor, went to the bathroom to relieve himself, then splashed his face with cold water, feeling somewhat reinvigorated.
He returned to the living room and said to Old Wang, who was still focused on driving, "I'm heading out."
"Oh, not finishing this round?" Old Wang executed a perfect drift into the turn, taking the lead again, but then he was hit by a blue shell and started spinning, dropping down the ranks.
Ma Lu shook his head; after playing so many rounds of Mario Kart, there was a reason Old Wang hadn't won a single game.
He picked up lots of power-ups but never attacked other racers, including AI, always just taking hits one-sidedly.
Ma Lu was reminded of the first time they met when Old Wang had introduced himself in the café and said he was an absolute pacifist.
"No, I have to work now. I have an appointment on the other side, can't keep them waiting too long. And this time, we need to hunt more prey to ensure our food supply for the next week."
Ma Lu made sure the Collection Bag, Chef's Knife, and the Gift of Destiny were with him, then dug out a Bug Egg from a pile of snacks.
"After I leave, you can play Animal Crossing; that's more suitable for you."
After speaking, Ma Lu sat cross-legged on the sofa, placing the Bug Egg on top of his head just like the last time. He focused his breath, entering a state of meditation.
Then he uttered the phrase, "Across the universe, Egg Egg Highway!"
The white egg on top of his head immediately jolted in response to his call, sending him once again onto that Egg Egg Highway.
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