At the Dragon Flame restaurant, what delicacy shall grace our palates today?
This query, bewitching the minds of many within the enigmatic hamlet.
Ina heated a pot of oil, calmly stating, "Today we shall savor fried mushrooms, radish chicken meatballs, and crispy fried chicken, accompanied by a choice of amber sauce, sweet and spicy sauce, pepper salt cumin powder, or fragrant spicy powder."
A young rooster, devoid of its entrails and feathers, weighed approximately three pounds. Considering the appetites of the mercenaries, Ina decided to prepare two portions of fried chicken per rooster, roughly one and a half pounds each, yielding a total of 18 servings. Even for the Dragon Flame restaurant, nestled within a quaint town, 18 portions seemed rather scant. However, as Frank's chicken coop had not yet grown in scale, Ina could not bear to consume all the roosters at once. Instead, she prepared fried mushrooms and shredded radish chicken meatballs.
Ina sliced white radish into fine strips, sprinkled them with salt, and let them rest. As the radish released its moisture, she combined the resulting strips with minced chicken breast and flour to create a large bowl of radish chicken paste, perfect for forming meatballs.
When boiled in rolling water, these radish chicken meatballs made an excellent addition to soups or hot pot dishes. However, as the restaurant could not yet provide a pot for each table, the hot pot promotion had to be postponed. Regardless, Ina surreptitiously reserved a few plates of radish meatballs for a hot pot meal with Lusen and Dusì.
As today's lunch offerings were all deep-fried, Ina prepared a simple cucumber salad to balance the richness. Patrons who ordered the full meal deal (fried chicken, radish chicken meatballs, and fried mushrooms) would receive a cucumber salad and a glass of spcial.
"What if we run out of fried chicken?" Lusen worried, having witnessed the restaurant's recent popularity surge and fearing the embarrassment of not having enough to serve.
Ina, aware of the potential shortage, reassured him, "I believe we should have enough, or at least be close. Have you not noticed that the fewest guests come during lunchtime?" Ina had observed this pattern as the majority of their clientele, the mercenaries, tended to venture out early and return late, making mornings and evenings the busiest times.
That day, a long-absent regular, redheaded werewolf Keira, returned to the restaurant. During the three days prior to the restaurant's opening, Keira had been a daily patron, competing with Hana for the daily fruit canned prizes. Suddenly, Keira had vanished, leaving Hana the undisputed winner, who claimed four out of seven fruit cans. However, the single gold coin deposited beforehand was dwindling fast.
At long last, Keira reappeared, immediately explaining the events that had kept her away. "Our cow at home was pregnant with two calves, and I feared she might have a difficult labor. I couldn't leave the pasture for a single moment. You can't imagine how envious I was, hearing the neighbors discussing the delicious food here!"
"We're delighted to have you back, and we were worried our food might not suit your taste," Ina said with a smile.
Keira's expression grew animated, "How could it not? The Dragon Flame restaurant has won us all over!"
As they spoke, Lusen brought over the full meal deal Keira had ordered, complete with amber sauce. She took a bite of the golden-fried chicken, its crispy skin giving way to tender, juicy meat that left Keira in awe, "How can this chicken be so tender?! Is it made from young chicks?"
Lusen, having observed Ina's culinary process, replied, "No, it's made from fully grown chickens. Our chef's secret marinade ensures that the meat remains succulent and juicy. It's even better with the sauce."
At that, Keira glanced at the forgotten dish of sauce and cautiously dipped the chicken into it. True to its name, the thin, slightly translucent amber-colored sauce added a rich and savory depth to the fried chicken. The hint of saltiness and umami delighted the palate.
As Lusen watched Keira's voracious consumption, he felt as if a ravenous and hungry wolf sat before him.
In a way, he wasn't wrong. In a momentary lapse, Keira pushed her empty plate forward, "Another serving of fried chicken, please."
The most significant complaint about the Dragon Flame restaurant was its lack of alcoholic beverages. The only drinks served were soft drinks, devoid of any alcohol content. The mercenaries would often jest that a visit to the Dragon Flame without alcohol was like them an empty wallet
Whenever this topic arose, Ina longed to burst out, "But we truly have a dragon!"
The upside of not serving alcohol was that it greatly reduced the likelihood of mercenaries causing trouble while intoxicated. However, some people would still stir up trouble, even without the influence of alcohol.
Upon hearing the sound of a table overturning and the shattering of dishes, Ina emerged from the kitchen to find two mercenaries brawling, and even worse, using other customers' food-laden plates as weapons.
Sage, a member of the "Scavenger" mercenary team, had sneaked into the Dragon Flame restaurant alone today. Having previously questioned the culinary skills of the restaurant's chef, he had a hard time-saving face in front of Simon. To avoid reminding Simon of his foolish remarks, Sage decided to come alone.
Though he ran into Angus, who had also snuck over, the two awkwardly exchanged glances before deciding to pretend they didn't know each other.
Sage was intently savoring the fried chicken on his plate when a burly hand reached over and snatched it, hurling the plate at another person's face. Sage's eyes widened as he watched the chicken pieces scatter, his fury building as he hurried to find the weapon at his waist.
He wasn't the only one with such thoughts, and just as the scene was about to devolve into chaos, an angry and slender figure dashed out of the kitchen. She grabbed the back of the neck of a muscular man almost two heads taller than her. The man, without resistance, toppled backward, and the girl dragged him out of the restaurant like a chick. His feet desperately scraped against the floor, but he could not budge the girl's slender wrist.
Sage, no longer lamenting the loss of his fried chicken, quickly followed to watch this. The other brawler, who was actually an innocent victim, wasn't disciplined by Ina. He nearly tripped over the legs of the burly man and received a beating instead of an apology.
"Everett Langman, you've damaged the facilities in my restaurant, disrupted other customers' dining experiences, and severely impacted the operation of my establishment. From now on, you're forbidden from stepping foot in any of my establishments," Ina said, tossing Everett onto the ground like trash.
Humiliated in front of everyone by a girl, Everett's face turned beet red. He struggled even more violently and cursed, "Who wants to step foot in your stupid restaurant! I—"
Ina reached out, and a sauce dish that had fallen onto the restaurant's floor flew into her hand. She forcefully stuffed the sturdy, irregularly shaped dish, the size of half a palm, into Everett's mouth, silencing him.
"My words were not finished. Please don't interrupt me."
Everett's eyes were bloodshot, and the sauce dish wedged in his mouth made him grunt. His mouth was on the verge of splitting! As he tried to reach for the dish, Ina lifted her foot and stepped on his wrist.
"I think I need to take some measures to keep you quiet, including but not limited to breaking your arm," Ina said, looking down at him.
The pain in his arm finally brought some clarity to Everett, and he realized that he couldn't budge this odd pink-haired girl. He finally calmed down. He wasn't alone in the restaurant, and he desperately signaled his companions in the crowd. But whether it was his wide-open mouth affecting his expression or something else, his friends' eyes shifted and didn't pick up on his hint, instead acting as if they didn't know him.
"On such a lovely afternoon, you've brought a terrible mood to all of us. I think you should compensate everyone," Ina said. With another flick of her wrist, Everett's money pouch flew out from his pocket. Ina glanced inside and turned to the victim, "How much compensation do you think you deserve?"
The victim, covered in fried chicken sauce and utterly disheveled, hesitated before saying, "Ten silver coins?" He wasn't hurt much, just a small cut on his forehead from the shattered plate. It was mainly the humiliation that had upset him, but since the boss had avenged him, he felt better and had no further demands.
Ina nodded in satisfaction, giving him 20 silver coins.
"All affected customers can come to me to receive four silver coins as double compensation for today's meal. Unfortunately, we can't offer any new fried chicken, as we're sold out for the day."
Sage, who had been happily waiting to purchase another fried chicken after watching the commotion, was devastated to hear it was sold out! He glared at Everett, who was lying on the ground, wishing he could give him a kick or two. As he was about to step forward, he suddenly remembered that Angus's fried chicken had miraculously escaped the fight unscathed. He immediately turned around and hurried over, fearing Angus would finish the chicken if he didn't act quickly.
Ina collected the heavy money pouch under Everett's furious gaze, considering how to deal with this troublemaker. Should she throw him out of the Foggy Town? Or toss him into the Midnight Swamp?
The crowd dispersed, and a silver-haired older man approached Ina, "Excuse me, miss, can you confirm that this person is Everett Langman?"
Seeing Ina's puzzled expression, the man continued, "I've questioned this person's companions, and one of them claimed to be Matt. As for Everett Langman, he is a wanted criminal by the Mercenary Guild. He murdered all his teammates after completing a mission with them."
Ina didn't need to ask the person beneath her feet for his name; she could directly see his character panel. It read "Everett Langman," and since he was currently extremely hostile toward her, his name appeared in a glaring red color.
"I'm quite certain. Besides, when I called out his name, he forgot to refute it," Ina said. If the man needed more proof, she couldn't provide it.
However, the man didn't question her and accepted her identification of the wanted criminal. He introduced himself, "I am Wenter Field, an elder of the Mercenary Guild. Thank you for uncovering this evil criminal's disguise. May I take him off your hands?"
Ina was troubled about how to deal with Everett, but she hadn't forgotten one important detail: "Since he's a wanted criminal, what about his bounty...?"
Mr. Wenter smiled slightly, "20 gold coins. I can pay you directly." He took out 20 shiny gold coins, stacking them into a small pile.
This seemed like a quick way to make money, and Ina felt tempted to leave the restaurant and take on bounties at the Mercenary Guild.
[Calm down! You can never earn more as a worker than as a boss. Opening shops all over the continent should be your ambition!]
Ina ignored the sobbing System and received a notification for completing a random side quest.
[Random Side Quest 0-4: Teach the Troublemaker a Lesson
Difficulty: ★
Progress: 100%
Reward: Blacklist Alert Device (Receive a notification when any blacklisted creature enters any of your shops)
The troublemaker has been taught a lesson, and your strength has earned the respect of others. Regional Reputation - Silver Empire - Foggy Town +5, Regional Reputation - Silver Empire - Mercenary Guild +5]
That night, Ina happily counted her gold coins. The 20 gold coins from Mr. Wenter and the 37 gold coins and 66 silver coins seized from Everett Langman covered the table in front of her, reflecting a dazzling golden light in her eyes. In the future, she would have 500 gold coins, 5,000 gold coins, or even 500 million! She would own a dragon's lair built on gold, large enough for her to freely roll around in her true dragon form.
Ina indulged in her future, her heart surging with excitement.