As soon as Solans returned to the Hall of Flowing Light, two figures immediately surrounded him.
“What exactly happened? Why did the Imperial Household Agency people suddenly leave?” Li Luo asked, looking puzzled.
“Did you agree to some condition with that Evil Female?” Fu Junyao followed up worriedly.
Solans shook his head. ”Nothing happened. The Princess rejected Lord Greta, saying she had only taken the wrong medicine, which caused her to faint.”
“She admitted it herself? What new trick is she playing now?” Li Luo asked, confused.
“Honestly, Lans, did you take the blame yourself and are just lying to us?” Fu Junyao clearly didn’t believe what Solans had just said.
“I’m not lying to you. The Princess really didn’t name a single person. She’s different from before.”
Li Luo and Fu Junyao exchanged glances, clearly somewhat skeptical.
“She really didn’t turn us in?” Li Luo pressed again, finding it hard to believe.
Solans said flatly, “The Imperial Household Agency people have all left. How could this be false?”
Hearing this, Li Luo and Fu Junyao were both stunned.
Sheng Anlan knew nothing of what had happened in the Hall of Flowing Light.
After returning from the main hall, she wandered leisurely around the palace.
Last time she had only explored the east side before stopping; she hadn’t walked the paths behind the main hall.
Compared to the resplendent main hall, the small paths behind it were simple and unadorned, lacking much of the high-tech elements. The paths were paved with cross-shaped stones, quite elegant to walk on.
There weren’t as many flowers and trees as in the Hall of Flowing Light, but for Sheng Anlan, who had seen plenty of high-tech things, this place—with no high-tech installations—actually reminded her a little of the parks on Earth.
Unfortunately, the scenery was limited. After finishing her walk, Sheng Anlan was about to head back when she unexpectedly discovered a plot of cultivated land at the end of the path on the right.
This delighted Sheng Anlan, who had been a botanist in the last century. Quite a few small plants were growing there—they looked like they had only just sprouted, their tender tips a vivid green.
The seedlings appeared to have grown from seeds. Beside the several rows of soil, Sheng Anlan also spotted lemongrass with its distinctive fragrance.
Her eyes lit up at the sight of it, but after a moment they drooped again. “This stuff makes the best seasoning. It’s just a pity…”
Just as she was sighing, Qiao Mo’s voice came from nearby. “Princess, what do you find a pity?”
Hearing the familiar voice, Sheng Anlan shook her head. “Nothing. Why are you here?”
“I asked the other attendants, and they said the Princess was here, so I came. It’s getting late, Princess—let’s head back!”
“Mm, let’s go.”
…
When Sheng Anlan woke the next day, Qiao Mo had already set out the Nutrient Solution on the dining table.
Seeing the green liquid on the table, her mood for the entire day instantly soured.
This stuff, while not exactly unpleasant to drink, was nothing to love either.
Sheng Anlan really wanted to refuse, but if she didn’t drink it, there was nothing else to eat here.
In the end, like someone drinking bitter herbal medicine, she closed her eyes and drained it in despair.
At this rate, she was about to become a garbage can for dumping Nutrient Solution.
Whoever said the future world was wonderful—that was an absolute lie!
Even the food wasn’t as good as before.
Thinking of how she would have to keep miserably eating these colorful, flavorless things, Sheng Anlan finally decided to save herself.
She would try cooking for herself.
At this thought, Sheng Anlan looked at Qiao Mo. “Let’s go to the kitchen!”
“The kitchen? Why does the Princess suddenly want to go to the kitchen? Is the Nutrient Solution not tasting good?” Qiao Mo asked, somewhat surprised.
“No, I just want a change of taste.” Sheng Anlan got up and left the dining table.
“A change of taste? What flavor would the Princess like? I’ll have someone fetch it,” Qiao Mo quickly responded.
Sheng Anlan shook her head. “It’s better to go myself, so I know what to eat.”
After all, she had no idea what ingredients that kitchen might have.
Several days after transmigrating, Sheng Anlan had already seen plenty of high-tech things and thought she had become immune to them.
But seeing the scene in the kitchen before her, she felt she had still underestimated the advanced technology of Interstellar Society.
The kitchen was full of robots coming and going, neatly and orderly handling all sorts of kitchen tasks.
It looked just like a mechanized kitchen factory.
There were robots for washing dishes, mopping floors, wiping tables—everything imaginable, leaving Sheng Anlan dazzled.
Before she could recover from her shock, Qiao Mo called over a robot. “Princess, Nutrient Solutions of all flavors are here. Which one would you like?”
She had come to the kitchen to find ingredients for cooking, so naturally she had no interest in these nutrient liquids, and refused directly. “No need, I’ll get it myself.”
There was a cold storage room on the left. Sheng Anlan guessed the food should be stored there.
Sure enough, upon entering, she found two large refrigerators.
A vegetable section and a meat section.
Sheng Anlan planned to make a dish combining meat and vegetables. She pulled open the vegetable section refrigerator—she just needed some greens and chili peppers, and would look for meat afterward.
As Sheng Anlan was making her plans, the refrigerator door opened and she instantly froze.
Wait, it was labeled the vegetable section, so why was it filled with nutrient solutions and Nutrient Solutions of various colors?
Seeing this, Sheng Anlan nearly went crazy.
Unwilling to give up, she then opened the other door—the meat section was also stocked with various grayish-brown nutrient solutions.
In that moment, Sheng Anlan’s heart let out a silent scream. Where was the food?
Why was everything some kind of chemical meal? This looked even worse and more terrifying than pre-made meals.
At least pre-made meals still retained their shape.
Unable to bear it, Sheng Anlan turned to look at Qiao Mo, struggling to ask, “Does this kitchen only have nutrient solutions? Is there nothing else?”
“Something else? What does the Princess mean?”
“Isn’t there any meat in the cold storage?”
“The Princess wants to eat meat? There’s meat-flavored Nutrient Solution here. It tastes quite good.”
“Not drink—meat you can eat, that you can chew.”
“Why would the Princess eat that? Nutrient Solution is delicious and hassle-free. Only commoners who can’t afford nutrient solutions go to the shopping center to buy meat.”
Sheng Anlan: “…”
This supposedly noble nutrient solution was actually worse than the meat commoners ate?
Wait—shopping center?
Could that be a supermarket? Hearing this, Sheng Anlan’s face lit up with excitement. Finally, there was hope. “That’s exactly what I want to eat. Let’s go to the shopping center!”
“Then I’ll have people prepare the Princess’s ceremonial procession.”
Ceremonial procession?
She was just going to the supermarket—no need for such a grand display.
She immediately grabbed Qiao Mo’s hand. “No need to call so many people. I’m just going to buy a few things and come back. The two of us is enough.”
In the end, Sheng Anlan and Qiao Mo boarded a Hovercar and, accompanied by a driver-attendant, headed to the shopping center.
Come to think of it, this was her first time going out since transmigrating.
After staying in the Princess Mansion for so long, riding out in a hovercar today made her realize just how terrifyingly advanced the technology of the Interstellar Era really was.
Hovercars filled the skies everywhere. They resembled modern cars a bit, but they flew through the air, moving far faster than any car.
She had barely settled into her seat when the hovercar descended and landed.
It was so fast that everything was over before she could even react.
Sheng Anlan looked around at the enormous silver-gray structure before her.
The hovercar had landed in front of a massive silver-gray circular building, its exterior grand and imposing, looking truly magnificent.
Compared to the quiet of the Princess Mansion, this place was far livelier. Beastmen of all kinds wore all sorts of clothing, and for a moment it gave her the feeling of watching people in cosplay.
Just as she was about to look away, a familiar face came into view. why was he here?