bookbashuk Chapter 4208 A Guide to Wandering the Galaxy (5)
Chapter 4208 A Guide to Wandering the Galaxy (5)
Chapter 4208 A Guide to Wandering the Galaxy (XV)
Although the tavern building was complete, there was still a lot to do. Pamela marked out a backyard area for the tavern, intending to try and grow the tropical plants there. However, considering the planet's single-digit temperatures, the lack of soil beneath their feet, and even insufficient sunlight, this was undoubtedly a challenge of hellish difficulty.
Pikachu first went to the basement to brew beer, then poured all the purchased beer and wine into the barrels. In foreign pubs, the barrels have pipes leading directly to the bar; you can turn on the tap and the beer will flow out. He first treated the dwarves to a big drink, listened to their opinions on the flavors of the alcohol, and then ordered some other types of liquor.
Schiller also had some. He didn't usually like beer; if he had to, he preferred lager. Pikachu got some too. However, because the planet's surface temperature was low, stronger drinks tasted better under these conditions. So he also got some vodka to mix with the drinks.
Schiller also changed the menu. He had originally planned to sell more vegetables grown on Earth, but in this situation, steaks and stews were more popular. Besides, Earth's meat wasn't bad either, especially higher-grade beef, which was more tender and juicier than most, and should be popular as well.
The morning after the tavern was built, everyone was busy. Pikachu was cleaning inside and out, Schiller was preparing ingredients, Pamela was studying the back garden, and Loki became the tavern's first customer.
Although the planet wasn't very bright, the sunrise was still visible on the horizon. As the sunrise streamed through the door, Loki walked in, bathed in the soft morning light.
It was quite unusual that he wasn't wearing a formal suit or his usual horned spinach outfit. Instead, he was wearing an Asgardian combat suit, the kind with a soft lining and chainmail on the outside. He even had braids on his head, which made him look quite like an Asgardian warrior.
Schiller raised an eyebrow in surprise. Loki, feigning nonchalance, walked to the bar and slammed his hand on the table: "A drink, please!"
"What's wrong with you?"
How do you do business?
The two stared at each other, but Loki finally gave in. He sighed and said, "I just wanted you to get used to the kind of customers you might be dealing with in the future. Gambling is strictly forbidden in Asgard, so patrolmen can't go into the taverns in the casinos, which means they're more likely to come here for a drink. You'll be dealing with customers like that from now on."
“That explains why you’re dressed like that,” Schiller said with a sigh of relief. “Didn’t you used to hate imitating the Aesir?”
“It’s not exactly disgust,” Loki shrugged. “I just don’t want to please them.”
“Because you know you can’t fit in, you simply don’t bother trying. But honestly, this outfit really doesn’t suit you.” Schiller shook his head, walked to the bar tap, and asked, “What would you like to drink?”
"Give me a light beer, and a vegetable salad, please."
“That’s where you give yourself away,” Schiller said with a laugh. “They only order the strongest liquor, and then the biggest steak, and they love pepper, always putting a ton on it.”
"how do you know?"
"There are quite a few Asgardians who come to Earth to work. You have to admit that Earth does have more entertainment options than you do, plus the internet, which is a huge weapon. When there's no war, they have nothing better to do than come to Earth for leisure."
“I can just imagine how they’d act,” Loki said, shaking his head with a hint of exasperation. “The bar owners in New York would probably be wondering where all these Texans came from.”
"Come on, do you think New Yorkers don't use the internet? Several Asgardian bloggers are super popular on TikTok. One general's 'one punch, one alien monster' campaign was trending for a week."
"What nonsense." Loki took the beer Schiller handed him, took a sip, pursed his lips, shook his head, and said, "It does seem a bit too weak."
"Drink less, don't you have important things to do today?"
“I’d almost forgotten about it if you hadn’t mentioned it.” Loki looked around and said, “Are you sure your informant is reliable?”
“You’ll see when you meet him,” Schiller said. “The Guardians of the Galaxy have already caused some trouble around Sparta. With your inside help, the Skrull Empire is going to be in chaos for quite some time.”
Loki quickly finished his salad, put down his glass, and said, "Okay, I'm off. Wish me luck."
After saying that, he left. Then, on a planetary planet near the capital of the Skrull Empire, he met the Skrull who looked exactly like Schiller. He initially thought it was another personality trait of Schiller, but wondered how he had managed to blend in with the Skrulls. However, since it was Schiller himself, there was no reason to doubt him. The two conspired to cause a big disturbance in the Skrull Empire.
The second person to have breakfast was Pamela. She had been busy in the backyard for a while, and her face was still covered in dust. She first washed her face at the tap next to her, and while drying her hands, she sat down at the bar and said, "Give me a glass of mulled wine, a bowl of oatmeal without sugar, and a meat pie."
"Do you really want to go back to the Middle Ages, madam?"
"Then I would like to order coarse barley porridge and stewed artichokes. In the Middle Ages, only nobles could afford to eat meat."
"Okay, what kind of meat pie do you want?"
"You want it freshly made? Then I'll take the duck meat one."
Schiller poured her a large glass of mulled wine first. The dough for the pie was easy to make; just put the ingredients in and mix. When mincing the duck, the ratio of meat to skin was crucial: too much meat would make it dry, while too much skin would make it too oily. You also needed plenty of spices, otherwise it would have a gamey smell. After Schiller finished preparing the filling, he wrapped the pie in the filling and placed it on a griddle to fry. The aroma quickly filled the air.
Pikachu finished tidying up the guest rooms upstairs. He skipped downstairs and said, "The one on the far side is yours. Pamela is in the second room on the left. I'm in the room opposite Pamela. The two cosmic elders are in the two rooms on the right. It smells so good. What are you doing?"
"Duck meat pies and oatmeal porridge." Schiller ladled the porridge from the pot and placed it in front of the two men, then served them a stack of pies, and took half a bowl of porridge and two pies for himself.
After they finished eating, they sat at the bar and started drinking. Pikachu said, "Did you see the messages in the group chat? Isn't the probability of them having an accident a bit too high?"
"That's normal. After all, they're all novices, and teenagers at that age. They can't even drive a car properly. Asking them to fly a spaceship properly is a bit of an overestimation."
“But spaceships are much easier to drive than cars,” Pamela said. “The universe is so empty, you won’t crash into anything no matter how you drive. Their accident rate is a bit too high.”
"Curiosity killed the cat." Schiller took a sip of beer, the subtle aroma spreading in his mouth, and then said, "It's all about curiosity and the desire to explore. Otherwise, how can you catch those bastards behind the scenes?"
"I knew you were up to no good. But thinking about it, it makes sense. If we used drones, it would be easy for them to fool us. After all, those people are experts at handling electronic products, but they can't predict human behavior."
"To be precise, it's the behavior of a group of extremely curious teenagers who have been cooped up for so long and are finally able to come out and have fun that's unpredictable. I even specifically told them in the beginner's guide to go and check out anything strange they find, so they naturally headed for those odd things. Those dangerous places that they think they can avoid being discovered will probably soon become famous tourist attractions."
“Your robots are a bit rigid,” Pamela said, shaking her head. “Brainiac wouldn’t be so easy to deal with, even the old him was much more flexible and adaptable.”
"The Supreme Intelligence has taken the wrong path. Instead of focusing on itself, it believes the answer lies in society. It thinks that as long as electronic life forms form societies, they can get closer to the origin, but this is a dead end. Because emotional life forms form societies because of emotions, which is unnecessary for electronic life forms. It has wasted too much energy on this and is unable to extricate itself."
“But now his control over society is also failing,” Pikachu said. “As far as I know, the Kree aren’t entirely under his control either. You know, there are always outcasts in society who just want to wait until the Supreme Intelligence weakens. Maybe now is that time.”
"Whether it weakens or strengthens, no one knows until the very last moment."
After Schiller finished speaking, Pikachu glanced at him and understood that he must have other plans, but he did not ask any further questions.
Next came the Grandmaster and the Collector brothers. As they entered, they surveyed the tavern with considerable amazement. The Collector said excitedly, “I must say, most of the universe is a desert of culture and art. They simply don’t understand the importance of aesthetics and are always producing worthless junk. But the Nine Realms are a magical place, a land of artists whose aesthetic attainments surpass those of most civilizations.”
The collector sat down at the bar, ordered a beer, and began to explain. He said, “When mechanical civilization develops to a certain point, it will naturally produce a kind of beauty. Repetition and order themselves will produce beauty. However, this aesthetic lacks vitality. I cannot see the effort that life puts into it, and that is precisely the purpose of my collection.”
“Some races regard art as a scourge. They are not proud of the aesthetic value they create, but rather abhor and reject it. Although this makes it easier for me to get the collections I want, every time I see them, I feel that they are like orphans abandoned by civilization, which is really regrettable.”
“My collection also contains a lot of human artifacts. I’ve collected ancient Greek philosophers’ notebooks, ancient Egyptian papyrus and sculptures, and I even got my hands on an imperial edict from a Chinese emperor. These things show that you are proud of your art and want to incorporate it into every aspect of your life. Whenever I see them, I feel energized, which is one of the few joys in my long life.”
"I'm glad you have such a high opinion of humanity. But I must say, only races that live an easy life have such refined tastes. If survival is difficult, and for hundreds of thousands of years one is constantly battling cosmic disasters or trapped in long-term wars, with civilization's achievements being destroyed, then I'm afraid it's true that no decent art can be born."
“I don’t like war,” the collector said, shaking his head. “But the universe is always full of war, and the Nine Realms are a rare paradise. I think I’ll stay here for a long time, and I hope the Earth can hold out until I leave.”
"I hope so too. Respect to the Earth."
"Honor the Earth."