Confused

But as my eyes scanned the food and my nose inhaled more of the scent, I was snapped back to reality.

"I present to you one of my favorite dishes. I cooked it for Melissa every time she needed to go out for a long day. First, the rice is cooked with coconut cream and a leaf called 'Pandan,' which are these green wrappers. Next is the egg, which I've decided to fry for you."

"And these small strips of golden brown are crispy anchovies, with the round, dark brown orbs being roasted peanuts. I managed to fry some chicken wings, so I've added them as well. Then, to freshen the palate, some slices of cucumbers. And by the side would be chili with shrimp paste."

For those who know, you should be well aware of this staple dish.

"That's not fair! If I'd known you were getting one of my favorite dishes, I would've asked for that instead... And it happens the best combo I always loved to eat... Nasi Lemak with the Sambal on the side," I complained, pouting at Bryan.

"Well, I didn't know what she was going to bring out. But, Uhm... Let's share our foods? I'll get some of your toast, and I'll pass you some of the rice?" asked Bryan, panicking at the sight of my pout.

He did not like to upset maidens at all. I sighed and shook my head.

"Nah, never mind. It's not fair for me to snatch your food, especially when it's your first time eating a new dish. It'll ruin the experience. Are you okay with having seafood? Can you take spicy?" I asked, tilting my side slightly.

"Yea, I can take spicy, and I love my seafood. Why?"

"Then dump that Sambal into your dish and mix it up. The dish is meant to be eaten with the Sambal mixed. Some people can't take spicy, so they usually get it on the side. But I guarantee you, if cooked right, this dish will impress your taste buds."

He then began to eat and mix the Sambal into the rice. He was surprised and continued to chow down while I slowly ate my Kaya Toast.

"This is amazing. Miranda! I love this dish. It will be my new order from now on!" yelled Bryan, hollering for the woman.

Ah, so the woman's name is Miranda... Oh, that reminds me, Words Of the World. Are you done analyzing the area for an excellent place to spar?

"Notice. No, I have not, but I am done analyzing every Mage within the village. And it is implausible that you'll be having a match in this village. It seems that even friendly matches are banned in this area. So the Mages on patrol are on high alert to look out for troublemakers."

I see... Well, she wasn't kidding when she honestly didn't want any commotion going around the areas she was in charge of.

"How was the food so far?" asked Miranda, suddenly appearing beside us.

"It's wonderful! I love it!" praised Bryan, having a mouthful of rice.

"It's fantastic! Though, I do have a question... Where'd you get all these recipes from?" I asked.

"Oh, the Head of the Vigilante gave me his notebooks on recipes to try out. I was an old friend, and I cooked for him while he played with Melissa. He said it was a secret on where he got those recipes from, so that's the most I can tell you," she answered.

I sighed inwardly, and I genuinely thought that she was from my country and like me.

"Although, I do have a dish that my mother passed down to me as a young girl. Our family speaks Malay and Hokkien, but this dish is of Hainanese descent. Please continue to enjoy your breakfast while I prepare that dish for you. It can be your lunch," replied Miranda, running off.

Now I'm slightly worried. This part of the world I was in doesn't appear in my history books. Sure, the land looked the same, but their names were different. And yet, there are Hainanese people around here. And they were fluent in Hokkien and Malay. I'm so confused!

Something was wrong, and the novel certainly had no mention of this. And even though I was bummed out about the earlier revelation, I still had some hope. But I would have to find the Head of Vigilante and have a good talk with him.

Which means I've got to meet the Time Mage again. I continued to finish up my toast. After a while, I remembered what I wanted to ask the Slayer. Specifically, the voice reminded me.

"Oi!" I called out, getting Bryan's attention.

"What?" asked Bryan, suddenly being yelled at after a period of silence.