The Lin's Patriarch is weird.

Before long, the three arrived at the Blue Sea Restaurant.

It was the largest and most prestigious establishment in the entirety of Azure Willow City.

Without waiting for anyone, Lin Zhaoyue let out a proud "Hmph!" before confidently stepping inside while holding Lin Zhaoxi’s hand.

The two little girls walked in as though they owned the place.

Lin Xuan could only sigh as he followed behind them.

He had originally planned to visit a swordsmith first.

Unfortunately, with the two girls by his side, he simply couldn’t find an opportunity to slip away.

After all, what if they got lost?

Granted...

One could reasonably point out that Lin Zhaoyue was a regressor.

Why not simply hand her a pouch of spirit stones and let her enjoy herself while he handled his own business?

Lin Xuan merely shrugged.

He deliberately ignored that perfectly logical solution.

No one was going to interrupt the precious time he finally had with his daughter.

The moment they entered, a neatly dressed waiter greeted them with a warm smile.

"Welcome to Blue Sea Restaurant. May I ask if the three of you have a reservation?"

Lin Xuan blinked.

"A... reservation?"

The waiter smiled apologetically.

"If you do not have one, I will first need to check whether there are any available private rooms."

"If all private rooms are occupied, I can arrange a seat in the main dining hall instead."

Lin Xuan listened quietly as the waiter continued speaking.

"Our menu is divided into ordinary dishes and spirit beast cuisine."

"If you have any dietary preferences or ingredients you wish to avoid, please let us know in advance."

"We also provide tea pairings specially selected for each meal."

Lin Xuan’s expression gradually became stranger.

...What is this place?

The more he listened, the more familiar everything sounded.

From reservations to meal recommendations.

The entire experience felt strangely modern.

It was almost as if he had walked into a high-end hotel from his previous life rather than a restaurant in a cultivation world.

The waiter watched the three of them take in their surroundings with puzzled expressions.

A faint frown flashed across his face.

Country bumpkins...

Tsk, tsk.

My mistake for approaching them first.

Even so, years of training prevented those thoughts from showing on his face.

His smile remained as warm and courteous as ever.

"Please have a seat for the moment."

"I’ll check whether any private rooms are available."

Lin Xuan nodded.

"Thank you."

The waiter respectfully bowed before turning around.

The instant his back faced the trio, the smile on his face faded.

I’ll just walk in, wait a moment, then come back and tell them every private room is occupied.

That should save everyone some trouble.

Meanwhile, Lin Xuan, Lin Zhaoyue, and Lin Zhaoxi found a table near the side of the dining hall and quietly took their seats.

With nothing else to do, Lin Xuan casually picked up the menu.

The moment his eyes landed on the first page, his pupils contracted.

No way...

Chow mein? Momos? It’s a transmigrator! Definitely!

His heart immediately began racing.

Could there really be another transmigrator in this world?

After taking several deep breaths, he gradually calmed himself down.

No... I’m jumping into conclusions.

Chow mein had existed for a very long time, even in his previous world.

The same was also true for momos.

He was no historian, but he knew enough to understand that neither dish was a modern invention.

Their appearance alone proved absolutely nothing.

Lin Xuan slowly closed the menu.

In the meantime, inside one of the private rooms on the upper floor, Lin Zhenghai quietly pushed open the door and stepped inside.

A middle-aged man was already waiting for him.

Two young men stood silently behind the man with their arms folded across their chests.

Neither of them spoke a single word.

At first glance, they appeared to be nothing more than ordinary guards.

However, the faint spiritual pressure they unconsciously emitted was enough to reveal that neither was weak.

Lin Zhenghai calmly closed the door behind him before taking a seat opposite the middle-aged man.

"I trust I haven’t kept you waiting."

The man merely smiled.

"Not at all. I arrived only a short while ago."

Lin Zhenghai gave a slight nod before his gaze briefly swept over the two young guards.

Only after confirming that the room had been sealed against eavesdropping did Lin Zhenghai slowly relax.

He walked to the table without a word.

Instead of bringing up Bong Haoran immediately, he calmly picked up the teapot and poured himself a cup of tea.

The aroma of fresh leaves slowly filled the room.

Lin Zhenghai took a small sip before setting the cup back onto the table.

Only then did he look up.

The middle-aged man remained seated opposite him, his fingers lightly tapping the armrest.

After waiting for several more breaths, he finally smiled.

"Supreme Elder Lin."

"You said your message concerned Bong Haoran."

Lin Zhenghai met his gaze.

"It does."

The room fell silent once more.

Neither man spoke.

The middle-aged man’s fingers tapped the armrest once... twice... before finally stopping.

A faint smile appeared on his face.

"Since you’ve come all this way, I assume you’ve discovered something worthwhile."

Lin Zhenghai gently traced the rim of his teacup with a finger.

"I suppose that depends."

"On what?"

"On whether what I know is worth hearing."

The smile on the middle-aged man’s face remained unchanged.

"It wouldn’t be if I already knew it."

Lin Zhenghai chuckled softly.

"Then I can only hope your intelligence network is as capable as everyone claims."

The two men looked at one another in silence.

Neither showed the slightest intention of giving ground first.