Back then, the three of them had fought desperately on the Dark Continent. Even simply surviving had been difficult, let alone obtaining any decent gains.
For example, there was Nitro Rice, which could grant longevity. If Netero, Mahā, and Linne had not eaten Nitro Rice, they would never have had such long lifespans.
Mahā's Nitro Rice had been brought back by Zigg. Zigg had left a little of his own share for Mahā.
Of course, they had definitely gained something from that journey. But before going there and returning, they had made countless preparations along the way and experienced endless hardships. Meanwhile, Roy could so casually travel back and forth between the Six Continents and the Dark Continent, and even bring back successful harvests. Even Netero, despite his age, could not help feeling a little envious.
Netero sighed softly, then picked up a pen and wrote on a sheet of paper.
"This is Linne's home address, and this is her family's private phone number. I'm the only one who knows it."
"Okay. Before I go, I'll call and greet her first."
Roy was about to take it, but discovered that Netero had directly moved the slip of paper backward, just far enough that Roy's outstretched hand could not reach it.
Looking at Netero's calm eyes, Roy's mouth twitched. Then he said in a helpless tone, "I get it. If Linne is willing to cook for me, I'll definitely bring a portion back for you."
Only then did Netero hand the slip of paper to Roy.
As Roy took the slip, he also flipped over the teacup that was upside down on Netero's desk. Then he unscrewed the lid of the gourd.
In an instant, the fragrance of wine overflowed, filling the entire room.
"Hoho~"
Netero's eyes widened slightly. Looking at the seven-colored wine being poured from the gourd, he could not help tucking both hands into his wide sleeves and clicking his tongue in wonder.
"Thanks, Chairman. After some time passes, I'll come back again. For now, please have a taste of this Seven-Treasure Crystal Wine. It's very good. Remember to drink it in seven sips. There'll be a surprise~"
Roy smiled faintly. That smile was especially warm. After putting away the gourd and the slip of paper, he vanished directly.
"Hohoho. This aroma really is fragrant. It even makes these old bones of mine want to loosen up."
Netero picked up the small teacup, placed it before his nose, and carefully sniffed. Feeling his body's reaction, he could not help praising it.
"Although I still haven't drunk it, judging by the aroma alone, along with my body's reaction, I can roughly guess that the effects of this wine probably won't be weaker than those Five Great Hopes. Seven-Treasure Crystal Wine, is it? What a fine name!"
As someone who had eaten one of the Five Great Hopes, Nitro Rice, Netero had the greatest right to speak on this matter.
Just as Netero brought the teacup to his mouth and was about to savor it carefully—
Bang!
The door was roughly pushed open, and a dense crowd of people rushed in.
"Hm?"
Netero looked at the group in confusion. Just now, all of his attention had been focused on feeling the aroma, so he had not noticed anyone approaching.
At that moment, some of the people swallowed their saliva, and others had drool dripping from the corners of their mouths. But without exception, all their eyes shone with a hungry gleam as they stared fixedly at the small teacup in Netero's hand.
"What exactly are you all doing?"
Netero coughed softly, then immediately put on the dignity of the Chairman. But it did not seem to have any effect. The group still stared straight at the little teacup in his hand.
Looking at the people around him, Netero's mind suddenly flashed back to the extremely warm smile Roy had shown before leaving.
"That brat…"
Netero's eyelids twitched. He suddenly realized that he might have been tricked.
The other people who had burst into the office also gradually came back to their senses. Earlier, after smelling that fragrance again, they had feared the scent would disappear once more. So the group had charged straight in with their heads lowered, without noticing that this was the Chairman's office.
And so, this awkward scene had come about.
While everyone remained silent, with the atmosphere becoming incredibly delicate, another figure suddenly rushed in. He even knocked over quite a few people, causing a loud crash.
His tall body and hair that was fluffy and curled like sheep's wool made him especially conspicuous.
"Didn't I say during the meeting earlier? Your emotions are too abundant, and they've already started affecting your work. You must always pay attention and restrain yourself a little."
"Uh~"
Ginta, who had rushed in, saw that the one sitting there was Chairman Netero. Only then did he realize that he had acted rashly and charged in without looking at the place clearly. He could not help giving an embarrassed smile.
"As for all of you…"
Netero swept his eyes around the room. Looking at the group of people showing the same embarrassed smiles as Ginta, he said in a deep voice, "Why are you all still standing there? Hurry up and get back to work!"
"Yes!"
The group, including Ginta, once again rushed out in a swarm, leaving behind only the already-damaged door and footprints all over the floor.
"What a headache~"
Netero rubbed his temples, then called Beans.
"Beans, help me repair my office…"
In a corner outside the office, Cheadle's eyesight was very good. Through the damaged door, she easily saw the situation inside Netero's room. Naturally, she also saw the liquid inside Netero's teacup.
"Was this wine found by the Chairman?"
Cheadle used that nose she had deliberately trained to be similar to a dog's and carefully sniffed.
Having such a strange appearance naturally gave Cheadle some unusual abilities as well.
Super smell was one of them. She could smell scents from very far away and distinguish them clearly. Her nose was even more sensitive than a dog's.
"No good. There were too many people just now, and that wine fragrance is too intense. I still can't determine whether anyone entered Chairman Netero's office before the wine aroma appeared."
After sniffing for a while, Cheadle shook her head and gave up.
"Forget it. Since the Chairman can get one cup, he can definitely get a second or third. When the time comes, asking him for half a cup should be no problem, right?"
Yes, there would be no problem.
However, Cheadle was not the only one with that same idea. There was also Gel, hiding on the other side; Ginta, who kept occasionally peeking toward the Chairman's office from outside; and there seemed to have been Kanzai's figure flashing by just now as well.
Netero was going to have a headache.
Meanwhile, in another office, Pariston watched the people coming and going, smelled that comfortable fragrance, and could not help revealing a warm smile.
(End of Chapter)
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