Unlike its fiery exterior, the interior of the "Voyageurs en bord de mer" restaurant didn't match its name at all.
The restaurant's color scheme was mainly emerald green and sky blue.
Rather than evoking a seaside atmosphere, the décor gave off more of a grassland vibe.
The restaurant was unexpectedly spacious—about 300 square meters.
Tables and chairs made of solid wood were neatly and orderly arranged throughout the space.
Oddly enough, about half the tables had large sun umbrellas standing beside them, looking quite out of place.
"This place... is really weird," Asuna whispered.
Indeed, both the restaurant's name and its exterior suggested a tropical theme, yet its interior was styled like a prairie, and the featured dishes were a mix of Western European and Southeast Asian cuisines.
What surprised Akimi a little was that despite being tucked away in a secluded location, the restaurant already had one guest—a tall man in armor.
As the two entered, the male player instinctively glanced toward the entrance.
After briefly locking eyes with Akimi, he turned his gaze away.
Not Japanese—he's from China.
That was the conclusion Akimi reached after seeing the man's face.
The man exuded masculinity, with a sharply contoured face and piercing black eyes under thick dark brows.
Though not classically handsome, he was certainly striking.
His buzz cut and bright lamellar armor enhanced the image of strength—his arms looked especially muscular and powerful.
Moreover, the bright armor the man wore was a well-known type from China's ancient era, invented as early as the Tang Dynasty.
It was called "Mingguang Armor" because the mirror-like chest plate reflected dazzling light, making the soldiers wearing it appear blindingly brilliant on the battlefield.
The man had placed his weapon independently against the wall.
Its design was highly distinctive—a long-handled spear with a central blade flanked by two wing-like projections.
It resembled a "Wild Goose Wing Spear."
If Akimi recalled correctly, that was exactly what it was.
This type of exotic weapon was extremely rare—Akimi had only ever seen one on television.
Akimi didn't stare at the male player for too long.
After all, if he kept looking like that and got noticed, it could cause trouble.
After he and Asuna found an empty table, they began ordering food.
"Hmm... two cinnamon rolls, two Karelian pies, and two servings of Hainanese chicken rice to start," Asuna mumbled while looking at the menu.
"Also, one serving of Popovy mushroom soup, and two portions of Kadha cream fruit pie."
After placing the order, Asuna handed the menu to the NPC waiter — as for Akimi , he had long since lost the right to order.
That was because every time he picked the dishes, he had an uncanny talent for selecting things that looked utterly unappetizing.
Akimi had tried to defend himself, saying it really wasn't his fault.
He had no idea why dishes with perfectly normal names would turn out to be so off-putting once served.
Take "Golden Phoenix Skin" for example — it turned out to be a few pieces of pale chicken skin with small bumps on them, looking completely disgusting.
Or "Mashed Nest Sauce," which sounded like some creative fusion dish and really was — mashed potatoes stuffed into hollow fried dough balls with a drizzle of soy sauce on top.
Clearly a dish where the cost was kept brutally low.
"Ahem…"
Akimi coughed a couple of times, trying to force those not-so-pleasant memories out of his head.
While waiting for their food, Akimi started making small talk.
"Speaking of which, I remember Hainanese chicken rice isn't actually from Hainan, China — it's from Singapore, right?"
The moment food came up, Asuna perked up with interest.
She immediately replied, "That's not quite right! Hainanese chicken rice originally comes from Wenchang City in Hainan, China, but after being adapted by Singaporeans, it became a different version. It's now considered Singapore's national dish, so a lot of people mistakenly think it originated there."
"Huh? Really?"
On this topic, Akimi honestly only knew a little.
He used to be a corporate drone, with no time for travel, and most of his meals came from takeout.
He only learned a bit about special dishes because his mom Tomioka Yoshiko really liked Chinese cuisine.
But of course, the unique logic of Japanese people often led them to have strange takes on Chinese food — like the infamous strawberry mapo tofu.
Asuna seemed to have opened a floodgate, speaking enthusiastically and nonstop: "Mm, as for cinnamon rolls, that dish originated in Sweden. It's really popular in Northern Europe and North America — a lot of people even eat it for breakfast! And Karelian pies are a traditional Finnish food, usually made with rye crust and filled with mashed potatoes or carrots."
Akimi was now a bit amazed at how much Asuna knew about global cuisine.
It seemed like there wasn't a single food-related topic she didn't know something about.
Truly worthy of being called a top-tier foodie.
Before long, all the dishes were served.
The Hainanese chicken rice was fragrant and delicious, the cinnamon rolls were soft and sweet, and the Karelian pies were savory and flavorful.
The other two dishes were also quite good.
When it came to ordering food, Asuna definitely had better luck.
After the meal, Akimi rubbed his stomach and glanced around.
He noticed that the Chinese player from earlier had already left, but he didn't give it much thought.
"We should get moving too. Otherwise, we'll fall too far behind Kirito and the others," Akimi said slowly.
After leaving the restaurant, the two of them followed the street all the way to the far western edge of Lecuxio.
From here, they could already see the towering city walls and two massive gates standing side by side in the distance.
---------------
Exclusive access : 100+ch on paetron
Join now : patreon*com/DeCakraWnloverz