Chen Ze always felt that Doraemon, this anime, had a terrifyingly high power level, frequently saving the universe or reshaping the world.

And the gadgets this child-care robot, Doraemon, possessed could be said to be quite horrifying, with the All-Purpose Pass being one of the relatively normal items.

Like the Demon Passport or the "If Phone Booth," those were the real Divine Artifacts, of course, including the time machine as well.

"Huh?" Nobita was a bit confused. He had gotten the All-Purpose Pass from Doraemon some time ago.

Whether he was taking a taxi or visiting a superstar’s home, everything went very smoothly, without any issues. Why was it not working now with Chen Ze?

"It’s not expired..." Nobita looked at the All-Purpose Pass with puzzlement, noting there were still two hours left before expiration.

"Nobita, what would you like to eat? It’s not like there aren’t any affordable dishes." Chen Ze smiled amiably at Nobita.

"Welcome to Dream Restaurant~ Two young guests." Betty, having changed her clothes, came downstairs fluttering her wings.

"Nobita!" Shizuka’s face was beet-red, extremely embarrassed; she felt so mortified that she didn’t dare to look up.

"I’m sorry! Then... then please give me two dishes. I... um..." Nobita seemed to have difficulty speaking.

"I only have five hundred yen..." In the end, he blurted out. It was the pocket money his mother had just given him, which he had been planning to spend on comics.

But with Shizuka there, Nobita really couldn’t pretend like nothing had happened and then just leave.

"Alright, Betty, pour some water for them." Chen Ze nodded, then went back to the kitchen, ready to cook for Nobita and his companion.

Five hundred yen, enough for two, Chen Ze calculated, which worked out to two hundred fifty yen each—a rather unlucky number.

"So what to make..." Chen Ze was a bit troubled. Without Doraemon around, Chen Ze couldn’t take out something of the caliber of Iceberg Fresh Mountain or Ice Ocean Chestnut Rice.

But he couldn’t just fob them off with chive pockets either. Otherwise, Chen Ze felt Nobita might never come again.

After all, a man’s pride is important, and Chen Ze was very aware of Nobita’s character.

Therefore, Chen Ze decided to make a dish that was tasty and involved pricier ingredients. That way, he could call on Blue Fatty to return the favor.

"I’ll make dumplings." Chen Ze nodded, thinking it was a good idea.

"But it seems Nobita and the others haven’t had dumplings before, and I don’t know if they’d like them." Chen Ze was somewhat vexed; he knew that Japanese people generally ate pan-fried dumplings as a side dish.

However, Chen Ze didn’t dwell on it for too long. Instead, he took out pork and chives, intending to make boiled dumplings with a pork and chive filling.

There are many kinds of dumplings, and Chen Ze thought that if he tried a different kind each day, he could eat for several months. But personally, he believed the classic pork and chive filling was the best.

"Then let’s start making the dough." Chen Ze washed his hands and began working on today’s dish.

"Nobita, does this place really have such cheap stuff?" Shizuka worriedly looked around. The restaurant’s decor and the beautiful waitress didn’t seem to suggest affordability.

"Don’t worry. If the uncle says there is, then there definitely is." Nobita nodded with certainty.

Betty stood by, remembering Nobita, the little boy she had seen before. But this time, the one following him wasn’t the blue raccoon dog, but a little girl.

Betty watched Nobita and Shizuka with interest, able to see Nobita’s affection for Shizuka and discern that Shizuka had a certain fondness for Nobita.

"Here, let me refill your glasses." Betty walked over with a beaming smile, pouring another glass of lemon water for Nobita and Shizuka.

"Thank you, big sister." Shizuka was very polite, picking up the cup and taking a slow sip.

"It smells so good..." Nobita sniffed, with a pleasant aroma wafting through the air.

"Right..." Shizuka also seemed a bit mesmerized, the scent was really tantalizing, it made her stomach growl with hunger, feeling like it would rumble any second now.

Fortunately, Chen Ze didn’t take too long and had Betty bring out a large plate of dumplings right away.

"Is this, dumplings?" Nobita recognized the dish in front of him instantly.

"Correct, the shopkeeper said, ’Please enjoy with this dipping sauce, and feel free to add as much chili as you like,’" Betty placed two bowls for the dipping sauce in front of Nobita and Shizuka, then she dashed back into the kitchen.

Chen Ze had already prepared lunch.

"Wow, shopkeeper, this is really delicious!" exclaimed Betty as she picked up a dumpling with her chopsticks, put it into her mouth, and hurriedly chewed, even as it was hot enough to make her puff breaths of air.

"Of course, although they’re just common ingredients, I’ve added some Moonlight Mushroom," Chen Ze dipped a dumpling in the sauce and ate it.

After selling skewers yesterday, Chen Ze found there was a little bit of Moonlight Mushroom sauce left, so he decided to mix it into the dough.

The resultant water dumplings were unexpectedly delicious; with one bite, the flavor of leeks and pork, the taste of the dough, and the subtle fragrance of mushrooms formed a quartet in the mouth instantly.

"Nobita! It’s really so good!" Shizuka also looked contently at the dumplings in front of her, their taste was truly amazing.

"My wine... my uncle... cough cough." Nobita clutched his chest, having almost choked just now.

"I told you, the shopkeeper’s cooking skills are truly good," boasted Nobita with a grin, then he picked up two more dumplings. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

A plate of dumplings wasn’t much, just thirty in total, but it filled Nobita and Shizuka to the brim.

"Thanks for the meal!" Nobita struggled to stand up and placed five hundred yen on the table.

"Nobita, this is a special offer, you can only have it once, remember to bring Doraemon next time you want to eat it," Chen Ze revealed his true intent with a smile.

Initially, Chen Ze planned to let Nobita go back on his own, since it was his idea, but knowing Nobita’s mischievous nature, he might not tell, so Chen Ze gave him a reminder.

"Okay, thank you, Uncle!" Thereafter, Nobita took Shizuka and left.

Chen Ze waved goodbye, then noticed something left on the chair where Nobita had sat.

"Hmm? An All-Purpose Pass?" Chen Ze picked it up, surprised - wasn’t this an All-Purpose Pass?

It seemed Nobita had accidentally left it behind.

[Energy source detected for absorption. Would you like to absorb it?]

An infrequent prompt from the System appeared.

"That’s quite rare," Chen Ze muttered, though he wasn’t sure how much energy the All-Purpose Pass could provide, it was still someone else’s property.

Chen Ze tossed the All-Purpose Pass into the cupboard, deciding to return it to Nobita when he came back next time.

"No."