Ina, carrying two cold thorn fish, emerged from the Midnight Marsh when she beheld a silhouette standing outside the tavern from afar. The persistent and steady glow of the Luminescent Stone cast a light upon the stranger's chestnut tresses.
Nay, the tavern was not prepared to receive guests.
Ina approached the entrance and called out, "Greetings?" The figure turned instantly, his gaze flustered for a moment before regaining composure. "Madam, my name is Lusen. Might this establishment require a server?"
The lad appeared to be seventeen or eighteen, his somewhat round babyface making him seem unreliable, yet the sincerity in his deep blue eyes.
"Indeed," Ina hesitated, "as you can see, I have yet to specify a wage." The cold thorn fish in her hands suddenly thrashed violently, their tails flailing wildly, producing resounding "smack" sounds. Ina, not expecting their tenacity, frowned and tossed them onto the steps by the entrance. Seeing the youth's gaze fixed on the fish, she asked, "Are you familiar with this fish? How does it taste?"
The young man appeared sheepish, shaking his head. "No, I know of cold thorn fish's bones only as a source of magical materials. I have never consumed them."
Magical materials? Ina cast an identification spell on him.
Name: Lusen (Commoner)
Occupation: Mage
Race: Human
Age: 17
Level: 22
Evaluation: Recently promoted Junior Mage, fourth-year potions student at the Star Magic Academy, experienced part-timer
A young mage, Ina seized it: "Are these magical materials valuable enough to hire a restaurant server?"
Lusen was overjoyed. He would have been content even without a salary, considering the cost of living in Misty Town. The board and meals were already generous. cold thorn bone powder was a primary ingredient in Frost potions, and a fishbone the size of a palm could fetch 50 silver coins, let alone such large fish.
Upon agreement, Ina turned and removed the dagger affixed to the door. Withdrawing the two long daggers, the wooden door remained intact in its frame, achieving a delicate balance.
Ina didn't wish to shatter the illusion of a "repaired" door. As she turned around, she said over her shoulder, "My name is Ina. You wouldn't mind entering through the window, would you?"
Deep perplexity filled Lusen's eyes. The peculiar young woman before him had been unabashedly unconventional since their meeting.
She possessed a striking beauty, with long seaweed-like hair, and in such weather, wore a thin, flowing dress, exposing a section of her fair-skinned leg. It was worth noting that although the Midnight Marsh of the Clear Moon did not freeze, the temperature was far from friendly.
Perhaps she was a witch. Lusen had heard some witches liked to use potions to turn their hair into dazzling colors, but observing her casual treatment of the cold thorn fish, he grew uncertain again. Would a witch who captured cold thorn fish discard the bones valuable for crafting magical materials and keep the worthless flesh?
As he contemplated, Ina had already leaped through the open window. Lusen hastily picked up the two still wriggling fish and followed.
He stealthily examined the restaurant's interior. Having been to the Dragonflame Restaurant in Misty Town before, he quickly noticed changes in the decor. The beeswax candles on the tables had disappeared. The previous owner disliked bright light, so the tavern had always been dim and shadowy. Now, the room was filled with just the right amount of light, evenly distributed to every corner, unlike sunlight's natural variation.
The entire restaurant had been transformed, extensively adopting warm colors in a rustic style, creating a cozy atmosphere. Lusen could hardly recall the previous Dragonflame restaurant, which he had jokingly referred to as the "Dark Wizard's Workshop."
As Ina returned to the tavern, the system's cheerful voice rang in her ears:[You have met the conditions for opening: Repair the worn wooden door (1/1), have one staff member (1/1). Reward: 1000 achievement points. Please work hard to serve more customers and earn experience and reputation points!]
Ina's expression was subtle. The system was so eager for her to start the business that it even dared to claim the door was repaired.
Achievement points, a new reward, intrigued Ina. To her surprise, they served as tokens for drawing cards, obtainable through tasks and daily operations. The prize pool contained seeds, decorations, coins, and many special items. Every 100 achievement points allowed one draw and 1000 points were enough for a ten-draw, guaranteeing a three-star prize.
Ina's gaze swept over the prize pool's top-tier rewards. The five-star prizes nearly blinded her, but she wouldn't be fooled—she saw nothing!
[Automatic Meal-Preparation Mechanical Bee Swarm★★★★★], [Swordmaster-Class Guardian Puppet★★★★★], [Spatial Extension Magic Array★★★★★], [World Tree Seed★★★★★], [Sacred Oak Brewing Barrel★★★★☆], [Scholar's book★★★★☆]…
Ina: What I see before me are but fleeting illusions, vanishing in the river of time. Only by extinguishing the flames of delusion can I find temporary peace…Damn it! How can I obtain them?
While cursing the system, she hesitated not a moment to initiate a ten-draw.
[You have acquired: Cucumber Seeds☆10, Tomato Seeds☆10, Decoration - Stone-Like Fireplace★☆1, Copper Coins 97, Instant Seaweed Egg Drop Soup Packets★10, Silver Coins 3, Sandwich Ham★5, Onion Seeds☆10, Multifunctional Kitchenware Set★, Mushroom Cultivation Room★★★1]
[The Seed Shop has unlocked the purchase rights for Cucumber, Tomato, and Onion seeds!]
A row of items suddenly appeared on the dining counter, and the funds on the restaurant panel jumped twice, showing 18 silver coins and 97 copper coins. Ina dragged the stone-like fireplace to the southwest corner and placed it there, the exquisitely engraved fireplace instantly lit with a roaring flame.
Lusen's eyes widened at the sudden appearance of the fireplace. His fish bone-picking movements paused momentarily, trying not to seem too astonished. The boss not only had spatial devices but also had strong mental power to remotely manipulate heavy objects like the fireplace. Why would such a powerful person come to a remote small town and run a restaurant?
As Lusen pondered, Ina had already left the kitchen and began searching for a room to place the mushroom cultivation chamber. She initially intended to take it out of her bag and have a look, but the system advised her that it was a large item and that it would be best to prepare a dedicated empty room.
[Mushroom Cultivation Room★★★: Mushrooms, are a great ingredient that can grow well without sunlight. With enough nutrient solution, you can harvest ten pounds of random mushroom varieties daily. Consumption of achievement points can increase yield. Harvest countdown: 24:00:00]
Rows of shelves with straw appeared in the room, with a groove emitting white light nearby, signaling Ina to pour nutrient solution there. Filling the groove consumed ten portions of nutrient solution, which seemed excessive if this was the daily requirement. Ina had only about a hundred portions of nutrient solution. The restaurant wasn't open, and the slime recycling house had almost no output, so it was crucial to serve customers as soon as possible. Perhaps she could earn achievement points for another ten-draw. However, the system mentioned that the nutrient solution could last about a week, and Ina felt relieved.
When she returned to the kitchen, Lusen had already prepared the cold thorn fish. Rows of delicate, snow-white fish fillets were arranged on a porcelain plate, evenly sized, which looked very pleasing to the eye.
Ina instructed him to place the fish fillets in the cabinet refrigerator. The outside window was pitch black, indicating it was indeed dinner time. Having promised room and board, Ina wouldn't treat the diligent little mage poorly, but she worried about the available food.
Would he go to bed hungry if they only ate seaweed egg drop soup for dinner? She thought about this while opening the package. She added thick slices of ham to the seaweed egg drop soup, which floated along with the delicate egg drops, making it look quite tempting.
As for why they didn't eat the prepared fish fillets, it was because no one present knew how to cook fish.
Ina served a small bowl of seaweed egg drop soup for herself to taste. To her surprise, it tasted exceptionally good, with no trace of being an instant product. Products made by the system were true of high quality.
Lusen held a full bowl and sat by the warm fireplace, taking a large sip of the soup. The delicate egg drop slid smoothly on his tongue, mixed with the salty fragrance of the ham in the delicious soup. It drove away the damp cold and hunger in this foggy town for the weary traveler. Lusen leaned against the comfortable chair, relaxing his tense muscles as fatigue washed over him.
There wasn't much to do in the restaurant, so Ina showed Lusen to his room and let him rest.
In contrast to Lusen's fatigue, Ina was now very energetic and excited, as she was just beginning to grasp the game. She glanced at the new task that had appeared when she made the seaweed egg drop soup and eagerly prepared for a big challenge.
[Job Entry Task: Create a dish with a completion rate of over 90. Reward: Chef Skill Book [Complete Guide to Home Cooking]]
Ina learned that the star rating of a dish depended on the ingredients and the chef's cooking skills. A top chef, no matter how professional their technique or exquisite their seasoning, could not make a five-star lettuce salad due to the limitations of the raw materials.
However, the completion rate was a test of the chef's skills. For a novice like Ina with average cooking skills, simpler dishes would be more suitable for completing the task.
She dismissed the idea of making a lettuce salad, recalling the system's harsh evaluation, and silently put down the lettuce seeds she was holding.
First, plant some cucumbers, tomatoes, and onions!
This time, with the nutrient solution, the crops no longer looked wilted and yellow like the lettuce. Ina quickly harvested a small pile of tomatoes and onions. After the cucumber seeds germinated, she realized that the cucumber vine needed a trellis. Considering the crop growth speed in the bathtub farm, it was too late to set up a trellis. The cucumbers that grew on the ground were incredibly ugly, with the areas in contact with the ground turning yellow and looking unappealing.
[Congratulations on completing Side Task 1-1: Harvest 10 times in the restaurant's affiliated farm. Reward: 500 Achievement Points.]
Growing vegetables also earned achievement points!
Ina became addicted to planting crops, as she could harvest a batch in just a few minutes. By the time she came to her senses, the seeds she had won in the draw were all used up, and the table was piled high with vegetables. Fortunately, the cabinet refrigerator could keep the vegetables fresh, otherwise, they would go bad.
It was getting late, so Ina put away the vegetables and returned to her room to sleep. It seemed that the black dragon didn't need to maintain a human schedule, and she didn't feel tired, but she still habitually felt it was time to sleep.