On the third day of the Dragonflame Restaurant's grand opening, Ina amassed yet another 1,000 points of accomplishment.
Half of these points were awarded from random tasks, while the majority of the remaining 500 came from daily tasks, and a meager 200 were earned through serving dishes to patrons.
Regardless of how the points were accumulated, it was time for another raffle!
Five stars! She fervently hoped for a five-star prize.
The prize pool shimmered with a golden glow, and an array of dazzling rewards materialized before Ina's eyes.
[Spinach Seeds☆10, Silver Coins 8, Mulberry Jam★10, White Radish Seeds☆10, Apple Tree (Fruiting Stage)★★★1, Copper Coins 12, Tavern Decoration - Panoramic Transparent Floor-to-Ceiling Window★2, Peanut Seeds☆10, Fruit Cereal★50g10, Beverage Machine★★★1]
[Seed store unlocked: Spinach, White Radish, and Peanut seeds available for purchase!]
Although the coveted five-star prize remained elusive, this time she at least managed to avoid the guaranteed low-tier reward and obtained two three-star items!
Three-star prizes boasted unique descriptions, so Ina tapped on the Apple Tree (Fruiting Stage) icon.
[Apple Tree (Fruiting Stage)★★★: This apple tree, laden with fruit, must be planted in suitable soil before the countdown ends, lest it withers. 00:29:12]
Next up was the beverage machine.
[Beverage Machine★★★: An automatic drink vending machine. Due to proprietary recipe confidentiality, you are unaware of the specific ingredients inside. Have you noticed the name of this machine? Should the land of Moro ever establish a food safety inspection agency, we advise you to surrender yourself at the earliest opportunity.]
What a devious description! Ina planted the apple tree outside the restaurant's window, hoping the luminescent stones' light filtering through the glass would prevent it from becoming malnourished like other plants in the foggy town.
Ina placed the beverage machine near the bar. The cabinet fridge and bathtub farm had long been moved to the kitchen to make way for additional tables and chairs as the number of guests steadily increased.
Ina filled two glasses adorned with icy patterns to the brim with fizzy drinks. She added a spoonful of mulberry jam to one of them, stirring the concoction with a delicate silver spoon. The mellifluous sound of the spoon clinking against the glass accompanied the transformation of the clear beverage into a magnificent purple hue.
Lusen's gaze followed Ina as she approached, carrying the two glass cups, his attention fixed on the mysterious bubbling purple potion. Was their hostess assuming the role of a witch today?
Fortunately, Ina set the glass containing the purple liquid before herself and handed the seemingly harmless clear one to Lusen. He apprehensively took the glass, its contents emitting faint, popping sounds as bubbles burst, a hint of sweetness tickling his nose. Surely, this was a witch's temptation – the legendary sweet poison.
Under Ina's expectant gaze, Lusen, under immense pressure, took a tentative sip from his drink, his eyes widening in surprise, "Mmm!"
Water droplets seemed to dance in his mouth, imparting a slight tingling sensation accompanied by a refreshing, sweet coolness. It was somewhat reminiscent of malt beer, yet without the bitter fermented taste Lusen loathed. He gulped down a large mouthful, feeling as if a rejuvenating chill enveloped him from his stomach to the crown of his head. If only he could enjoy such a drink during the sweltering summers in the capital, facing a burning crucible in potion class – no words could do justice to the feeling of refreshment.
Suddenly, he didn't want to meet his professor again. Lusen guiltily thought that working in the restaurant wouldn't be bad, as it provided food, lodging, and a stress-free environment, allowing him to eat the
unique dishes unattainable in the entire continent.
"Miss Ina, I…" Dusì slowly entered the restaurant, leaning against the door frame, only to be immediately dumbstruck by the sight before her. Two enormous glass windows, so transparent they appeared non-existent, revealed a thriving and towering apple tree outside, its branches laden with layers upon layers of plump, ripe red apples.
Having merely returned home after lunch, how had the restaurant undergone such drastic changes?
Ina poured Dusì a glass of fizzy drink as well: "What were you going to say?"
Dusì clenched the cool glass in her hand, suddenly lacking the courage to utter her next words. Miss Ina was a mysterious and powerful individual, but would she agree to her request?
Hesitantly, she spoke up, "Could I work here? I can read and do calculations quickly. A small salary would be fine, or even no salary at all."
Mr. Winter had informed Dusì that he had nothing left to teach her. It wasn't because Mr. Winter knew too little, but rather that he believed learning more theoretical knowledge without sufficient experience was pointless. Even if he explained how to construct a castle, Dusì would still be stumped by digging foundations.
Mist Town was simply too small, with townsfolk knowing just a few simple words, and counting from one to ten sufficing for daily life. Dusì didn't want to venture far from her father, which led her to Dragonflame Restaurant.
Ina understood Dusì's intentions. Did she want to work as an accountant? A treasurer? Ina couldn't find an appropriate term – the shop's financial authority was firmly held by the owner and didn't require a separate position.
However, she didn't mind delegating some of that authority. The restaurant's transactions were recorded in real-time, detailing the number of customers served and copper coins earned. The funds belonging to the restaurant were displayed clearly on the panel, preventing anyone from easily deceiving Ina. Moreover, with an increasing number of guests, Lusen had to both serve customers and collect payments, often wishing he could summon a clone during busy times. Adding another staff member was indeed necessary.
If Dusì's capabilities met Ina's approval, she might even consider delegating some procurement tasks to her.
"Of course, you can. We're indeed short-staffed here. How about ten silver coins per month?"
Even the usually composed Dusì couldn't help but curve her lips into a smile upon hearing Ina's approval and the generous salary offer.
"Come to work starting tomorrow."
Old John, along with Simon and a few others, left the Midnight Swamp just as quietly as they had arrived. Their "neighbors" in the mercenary camp watched their tent disappear and speculated meaningfully, "Old John must have had a good haul this time to leave so quickly."
If conditions permitted, mercenaries generally stayed in the Midnight Swamp for four to seven days. Finding prey was not an easy task, and it was common to come up empty-handed for three or four consecutive days. But the swamp was too cold and damp, with the moisture seeping into their bones and eventually causing needle-like pain, so they could only stay for a week at most.
However, early departures like the "Scavenger Squad" were likely due to finding worthwhile "prey," making it unnecessary to risk staying any longer, and instead choosing to leave as soon as possible. Another group of mercenaries nearby also decided to leave the Midnight Swamp early the next morning, but they were far less fortunate. Having lost their bag of dry food during a chase with a frost wolf, they had to end their hunt prematurely. Before leaving, they chose to hunt down a Long-Tusk Boar, a low-level magical beast with little value other than its lean and firm meat, but the mercenaries had no other options left.
At Simon's insistence, the "Scavenger" mercenary squad came to the Dragonflame Tavern, eager to verify his guess that the Boiled Fish could ward off the cold of the Midnight Swamp.
"You could have come up with a more attractive excuse to lure us here, even if it was just to deceive us," Sage shivered slightly. Being the weakest member of the squad in terms of the constitution, he always felt his blood freeze after every visit to the Midnight Swamp and longed to crawl into a warm bed immediately. He was quite dissatisfied with Simon's decision to bring them to the Dragonflame Restaurant.
Old John, on the other hand, didn't mind. They were exhausted and needed a good rest without having to cook for themselves. Fortunately, the Dragonflame Restaurant was not far from the outskirts of the Midnight Swamp, so they could enjoy dinner and then head home.
It was close to midnight when they arrived at the restaurant, and they had assumed it would be closed for the night. However, as they approached, they saw that the lights were still brightly lit.
They pushed the door open to find the beautiful, somewhat eerie restaurant owner leaning against the bar, a strand of pink, curly hair playfully hanging beside her cheek.
"Welcome," Ina greeted them lazily. There was no tradition of working overtime in the restaurant, and Lusen had already returned to his room.
"We'd like five orders of Boiled Fish," Simon spoke up.
"Hmm…" Ina shook her head, "There's not enough fish left for that. I can only make two servings at most."
"Then just bring whatever for the rest of us," Old John decided, hammering the point home. They were cold and hungry, with no energy left to argue.
Ina was pleased to have such a big order so late in the evening. She jumped down from her high stool, humming a little tune as she entered the kitchen. It seemed that her debt from investing in the chicken coop would be settled soon.
It was late, and there were no other guests in the restaurant. Sage went straight to the table nearest to the fireplace, huddling up and rubbing his hands. "It's so great to have a fireplace here!"
In no time, five large bowls were placed in front of the Scavenger Squad. Two bowls contained the red Boiled Fish slices, while the remaining three were simple bowls of hot soup noodles. The warm, golden broth soaked the snow-white thin noodles, topped with a poached egg, and accompanied by two tender spinach leaves.
The steaming hot noodle soup enticed the starving and cold man, who couldn't wait to pick up their bowls and take a sip of the broth. It tasted like chicken soup, without the greasiness, only a mild sweetness and warmth.
"You can add more noodles if it's not enough," Ina said before leaving. The two orders of Boiled Fish and three orders of hot soup noodles earned her a total of 11 silver coins and 80 copper coins. With this in mind, she decided to offer fizzy drinks to the two who ordered the Boiled Fish. The soda dispenser charged the restaurant two copper coins for each cup, so Ina decided to set the selling price at ten copper coins.
The other three didn't receive fizzy drinks mainly because hot soup noodles didn't pair well with fizzy drinks, not because the noodles were too cheap to come with a complimentary item.
Sage and Angus were the lucky—or perhaps unlucky—recipients of the Boiled Fish. Sage was heartbroken at the thought of spending five silver coins on a dish that would scald his mouth, while Angus was already praying, "O Goddess of Light, please have mercy on us, forgive our sins, and spare me from this torture." He then peeked at the fiery red broth in front of him and added quietly, "Especially from being burned."
Simon was quite annoyed by their behavior. He bit angrily at his noodles, only to find that there were only a few thin strands left in his bowl. He quickly got up to join Old John and Wally in getting more noodles.
If the two of them hadn't started eating by the time he returned, he might as well buy the Boiled Fish for himself. It would be the perfect opportunity to see if it could truly ward off the cold, Simon thought.
When the three returned to their seats, they found Sage and Angus with their heads down, sniffling and sobbing. Wally was puzzled, "You two are actually crying for food? You're the ones who can bear the pain of having your bones bitten by magical beasts without screaming!"
Sage wiped away his tears with one hand while shoving a piece of fish into his mouth with the other. He mumbled, "I'm not crying; my tears just won't stop. Hiss...ah, Simon was right. The Boiled Fish tastes okay, but you can't stop eating it, hiss...ah, or your tongue will catch fire."
Angus cried even harder but remained silent, with two lines of clear tears streaming down his face, looking especially pitiful. However, Simon noticed that Angus didn't even try to shake off the chili from the fish as Sage did. Instead, he deliberately dipped it in more chili oil, clearly enjoying every bit of it.
"Are you guys warm now?" Simon asked.
Both of them were busy stuffing fish into their mouths and didn't respond to him.
It wasn't until they finished eating the Boiled Fish that they noticed a cup of water placed beside them. Sage picked it up and gulped it down, his eyes widening as he let out a loud burp!
Ina looked at the newly appeared random quest and raised her eyebrows slightly.
Random Side Quest 0-3: Sit Back and Enjoy
Difficulty: ☆
Reward: Chef Skill Book: Complete Collection of Special Function Recipes 1
Progress: 0
Task Requirement: Just sit in the restaurant and do nothing, the progress will come rushing towards you.
Could there really be such a good thing?