Dusì closed the ledger, disbelief still evident in his eyes. "Tonight, we sold 51 orders of Apple Honey Ribs and 37 sodas, with a total revenue of 1 gold coin, 56 silver coins, and 70 copper coins."
Ina quickly made a rough calculation: the Pig ribs cost 24 silver coins, a jar of honey was priced at 15 silver coins, and after making the honey ribs, there was still more than half a jar left, so the cost could be roughly estimated at 7 silver coins. The apples were obtained from the lottery, so they were at zero cost. Adding up other ingredients and labor costs, the net profit for tonight's dinner alone was as high as 1 gold coin, 21 silver coins, and 70 copper coins, which equaled the total profit of the restaurant since its opening.
What surprised Ina, even more, was that the restaurant's experience points had broken through to Level 2, and her chef secondary profession had successfully upgraded to Level 3. New messages from the system continuously popped up before her eyes.
[Through your efforts, the reputation of Dragon Flame Restaurant in Mist Town has improved. Mercenaries and townspeople are starting to discuss the warm lights, delicious food, and strange owner of this place. Regional Reputation - Silver Empire - Mist Town +5]
[Congratulations on receiving your first faction reputation bonus, rewarding you with 300 achievement points!]
[Your Dragon Flame Restaurant has successfully upgraded to Level 2. Congratulations on unlocking the branch - Polar Ice Sheet! Reward: 1,000 achievement points!]
[Your chef's secondary profession has been upgraded to Level 3, mastering a new professional skill: Cook's Eye (Your gaze is sharp, allowing you to distinguish the quality of ingredients with just a glance)!]
With one piece of good news after another, Ina couldn't help but smile. She declined the system's inquiry about whether to go to the branch immediately, as Dusì and Lusen were still here and now was not the right time. Ina took a moment to appreciate the significantly transformed restaurant panel.
Dragon Flame Restaurant
Branch: Polar Ice Sheet
Industries: Farm (Bathtub Farm), Chicken Coop (Frank's Chicken Coop 50% ownership), Timberland (none), Fishpond (none)
Level: 2
Experience Points (affected by revenue and number of customers served): 52/5000
Achievement Points: 1696
Reputation: Mist Town (5)
Current Funds: 31 silver coins and 45 copper coins
Decorations: Small Town Style, Stone-like Fireplace
The achievement points were approaching 2000, and with the current operation of the restaurant, they would have enough for two consecutive 10-draws in about two days. The restaurant's funds seemed a little meager, mainly because a gold coin paid to Frank and the unpaid half gold coin were deducted, only showing the net profit that belonged to the restaurant.
Ina was very grateful for her initial decision to hire Dusì and set up a separate ledger, as the funds displayed on the restaurant panel were too simplistic and differed greatly from the actual amount received. For example, the panel only showed about thirty silver coins, but the actual value of the coins in the drawer of the restaurant's counter was already close to two gold coins. That was the part pre-stored in the restaurant by The Goldfinch and Hanah.
Dusì voluntarily handed over the ledger for Ina to check, and each entry was listed very clearly. Both Hanah and The Goldfinch had separate account pages, which would be in use until they spent all the money pre-stored there.
Ina handed the apple honey ribs she had just asked Lusen to pack to Dusì, gesturing for her to look out the window: "Your work is over, your father is here to pick you up. Go home."
Dusì dared not accept the honey ribs from Ina, as one serving cost three silver coins, and her monthly salary was only ten silver coins. She couldn't accept such expensive food. Moreover, she had already eaten one serving during the quieter times in the evening when Ina insisted that it was a "staff meal." She really couldn't accept a second serving.
"You should think of it this way. It's not charity from me to you, but your boss wanting to share delicious food with her partner and his lovely daughter. We are partners who jointly own a chicken coop, after all." Ina said with a smile.
Dusì was accepted. She whispered her thanks and walked with Frank into the dim night.
"Dad, working at Dragon Flame Restaurant was the right decision."
Frank tried to slow down and keep pace with his daughter, making him, a tall man, look a bit comical. "Then cherish this time, Miss Ina may not always stay in Mist Town."
It was something all the townspeople took for granted. Ina was out of place in this perpetually grey, dull, and lonely town. She was wealthy, knowledgeable, refined, and beautiful. Most importantly, she was mysterious and powerful. Such a person wouldn't stay here for long.
"As long as Miss Ina is willing to run the restaurant, I think I will continue to work for her." Dusì didn't tell Frank that a mercenary had mockingly laughed at her limp today, only to be immediately driven out by Ina and forbidden from ever stepping into Dragon Flame Restaurant again.
After Dusì left, Ina put the remaining three pieces of ribs into the oven while asking Lusen, "How's your study of Eternal Inscriptions going?"
Lusen confessed, "Progress is slow, but I tried wrapping ice in parchment with incomplete inscriptions, and the ice didn't melt completely until the third day. I just learned that even incomplete inscriptions could work. It's a miracle."
If that's the case, incomplete Eternal Inscriptions might be useful as well. Ina fell into deep thought.
Since there were no customers at night, Lusen couldn't help but ask when he saw Ina baking honey ribs again, "Is apple honey ribs on the menu tomorrow? It seems like there aren't many ribs left?"
Ina glanced at the remaining ingredients, "Tomorrow's dish is porcini mushroom pasta. These are the last three pieces of ribs."
"These are all for the staff meal." She looked at the sizzling honey ribs in the oven.
Lusen:? When did the boss hire so many employees? Was he going to lose his job?
Seeing Lusen, who seemed to be imagining something, Ina explained, "Yes, it's a new employee. If you're interested and don't mind the language barrier, I can introduce you two."
Lusen remembered the scene when he saw the boss communicating with the little bird that day and seemed to understand something. He tactfully went back to his room.
The equipment staff on reserve duty at Dragon Flame Restaurant were the Lizards from Midnight Marsh. Why was he still on reserve duty? That's a question for the system.
[Random Side Quest 0-2: Lizard's Path to Prosperity Difficulty: ★★ Reward: Unknown Task Progress: 25 Task Requirement: Please assess if your employee is capable of doing the job, after all, you need a breeding expert, not a hunter.]
The Lizard cautiously poked its head out of the door and looked around, "Lady Ina, have all the guests left?"
Ina opened the door for it, "Come in, the ribs are ready."
The Lizard entered the Dragon Flame Restaurant with its tail wrapped around the unwilling Goldfinch, who greeted Ina dryly, "Good evening, Lady Ina, thank you for protecting me and helping me get home the other day."
It looked much more haggard than before, no longer wearing the conspicuous leaves around its neck, but instead trying to cover it with the feathers next to it, though with little success.
"Not bad, Baldy, at least now you can tell where your neck is." The Lizard added mockery.
The Goldfinch was so angry that it wanted to fly off, its wings trembling like a sieve. Ina gently picked up The Goldfinch and placed it on the table, rubbing its fluffy head with her fingertips. She turned to the Lizard, "Although you two are good friends, The Goldfinch it's my guest here, and as a future employee, you shouldn't make jokes about the guests."
Upon hearing this, The Goldfinch immediately became spirited, no longer caring about covering the bald spot on its neck, and flew a circle around the room. With greetings and jokes exchanged, the bird and lizard obediently sat at the table, waiting for their meal.
Seeing the awkward posture of the Lizard, Ina did not doubt that it would soon slip under the table. "Do you need it cut into smaller pieces?" she asked.
One shook its head, and the other nodded. Ina swiftly cut the 2999 pieces of honey ribs for the Lizard into simple strips, and for The Goldfinch's 0001 pieces, she carefully cut it... There wasn't much to cut, so she turned it into minced meat!
"Lady Ina, once Big Head becomes your employee, does that mean we don't have to pay for meals anymore?"
Ina nodded, "Indeed, that's the case. Normally, I should also pay him a salary..."
The Lizard immediately shook its head, "No need for a salary, as long as we can come to eat."
"Then you have to work hard to pass my assessment," Ina reminded me.
"Leave it to me!" the Lizard promised confidently.
After sending away The Goldfinch and the Lizard, Ina finally had time to check out her first branch.
[Extreme Cold Ice Field], the name itself sounded chilling, and the location of this branch seemed to be rather unreasonable.
Ina chose the the[Enter Branch]button and immediately appeared in an empty wooden hut.
What could better describe her new store than the terms 'bare walls' and 'utter poverty'? The Dragon Flame Restaurant at least had tables, chairs, and rooms, and even came with two magical artifacts. This new branch had nothing, as clean as if it had just been looted.
The system timely popped up: [Would you like to purchase decoration services? Shabby version - 1 gold coin, standard version - 10 gold coins, luxurious version - 100 gold coins]
Thanking the system for reminding Ina of her poverty, she had no choice but to click on the shabby version of the decoration service.
[Your branch has received the following decorations: Shattered Star Chandelier★☆, Frozen Fireplace★★, Star Crowned Dome★★★, Nightmare Carpet★, and Blue Minimalist Sofa☆]
As the decorations were set, Ina was taken aback. Though it was called the shabby version of decoration service, it didn't look shabby at all. Under the white light of the chandelier, the cascading stardust could be seen faintly, and the fireplace was crafted into the shape of an iceberg, with flames burning in the hollow center. The star-crowned dome was even more magnificent; even with the chandelier turned off, the brightness of the stars could keep the wooden house well-lit. Only the Nightmare Carpet seemed out of place with the overall decor.
Ina sat on the sofa, surveying the room and feeling that it was more like a VIP lounge than a pub or restaurant. The small wooden hut had no kitchen for cooking and couldn't fit more than a few tables.
First, she wanted to see what kind of customers the branch would have in the future.
Ina pushed open the door, and a strong wind blew the accumulated snow into her face. Ina assured herself with her excellent vision that there was not a single soul within five miles.
So, it must be snowmen.
Ina sneered, gradually losing patience. She thought for a moment, took out the vending machine she had won in some previous lottery from her backpack, and placed it right in front of the entrance. She casually spent 50 achievement points to refresh the goods.
"Ah, the breakfast version of goods has appeared."
Ina sighed and immediately returned to the Dragon Flame Restaurant via the[Leave Branch]button.