The Dragon Flame Tea Restaurant finally opened to the public's anticipation.
Noble ladies stepped out of their carriages with the help of their maids, while Mr. David was directing traffic with his business associates to prevent the many carriages from blocking the road. In its promotion, the Dragon Flame Tea Restaurant was described as a unique tea restaurant in the imperial capital, offering not only innovative tea snacks but also many more surprises waiting to be discovered.
Today, Ina, Dusì, and Xavier are all present here. Once Xavier is familiar with the daily operation, Ina plans to fully hand over the tea restaurant to him.
At Ina's request, Xavier had unusually taken off the black cloak that covered him from head to toe and put on a well-fitted suit. He occasionally fiddled with the hem of his clothes with his fingers, revealing a slightly shy and embarrassed smile.
"Xavier, you look very handsome," Ina encouraged him. The 100-year-old lich still maintained his youthful appearance, with slightly upturned blue eyes, a straight nose, a somewhat pale complexion, and thin lips that seemed somewhat cold. However, due to Ina's praise and the eager gaze of the noble ladies, his flushed cheeks diminished this sense of distance, making him appear shy rather than indifferent.
Xavier repeated those phrases, "What do you need, the menu is here." "Yes, I am in charge of the tea restaurant and will be here every day." "No, I am not a noble nor the owner here, the owner is Miss Ina over there."
Suddenly, Mrs. Mira pointed to a table and exclaimed, "Look! What's that?"
Xavier hurriedly turned his head and saw Orldington's skull hiding behind the table. He clearly did not summon Orldington, but it had sneaked out on its own. Xavier felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar and was momentarily speechless.
Ina, on the other hand, remained calm, even waving at the little skeleton. "Come out, don't hide, Orldington."
She explained to Mrs. Mira, "This is Xavier's summon, and his partner."
Mrs. Mira looked at Orldington, then at Xavier, "It seems our restaurant manager is quite remarkable."
"Yes, Xavier is also a necromancer."
Xavier looked at Ina in astonishment. Was it okay to reveal that?
He was bracing for the look of disgust to turn from admiration in Mrs. Mira's eyes, but instead heard her say, "Oh, such a cool profession! Could this little skeleton deliver my desserts and tea later?"
Having received an affirmative answer, Mrs. Mira, with her boyfriend's arm in hers, elegantly chose a seat and sat down.
"Orldington, that lady just now seemed to like you a lot. Would you mind helping deliver her food?" Ina took the food ordered by Mrs. Mira from the food delivery machine and handed it to the little skeleton, who was quite proud to be able to assist Xavier.
"Why aren't they scared?" Xavier furrowed his brow. This was something unthinkable in his past understanding. The townsfolk of Misty Town not being afraid of Orldington could be explained as trust in Ina. But here in the bustling imperial capital, so many noble ladies and misses were not casting disgusted glances at him. This was something Xavier completely couldn't understand.
"Who told you that necromancers are universally hated in the Silver Empire?" Ina laughed, "Professor Derick is also a necromancer, and he even openly teaches necromancy at Star Academy. To my knowledge, these noble ladies have mostly attended the Star Academy. Even if they have no talent for magic, just learning first-grade basic knowledge should have introduced them to books like 'The Basics of Necromantic Magic,' 'Biography of Necromancer Sokin,' 'The Key of Demons.' If they were to panic at the mere sight of a skeleton, they would be ridiculed by the other noble ladies for their lack of experience."
"Knowledge is the way to break ignorance and fear." At this, Ina smacked her forehead, "How could I forget to call Vilanthe over? She should see this too."
Ina went back to find Vilanthe. Suddenly, a burst of laughter and clamor erupted from a corner of the restaurant. Xavier looked over to see Orldington had somehow produced a vibrant red rose and was performing a trick of holding the rose in its skull.
"So that's the surprise you were talking about earlier. I never would have thought of it, it's truly unique!" A lady slowly clapped her hands, and others followed suit.
Xavier thought to himself: The actual surprise was supposed to be the mechanical bees and the dynamic light curtain...
Several noble ladies were clearly very taken with Orldington's performance. They took off the beautiful feathers from their hats and gave them to Orldington. Orldington danced with joy, giving out red roses left and right. By the end of the day, every lady leaving the Dragon Flame Tea Restaurant carried a red rose.
This rose, produced by an undead creature devoid of life, demonstrated incredible vitality. For nearly a week afterward, it bloomed by every noble lady's bedside, reminding them of a unique tea restaurant waiting for their visit.
After three days of business, the Dragon Flame Tea Restaurant made a total of 68 gold coins. Since most of the ingredients were produced by their own business, there was very little extra purchasing needed. There were also no rent or labor costs for the shop, leading to a surprisingly high profit of 54 gold coins over these few days.
Ina, touching the gold coins, was in a great mood: Could this be considered a way to wealth?
———
Every night, Asland appeared in the Dragon Flame restaurant on time. He only ordered a glass of apple juice each time, but he hadn't yet fulfilled the task that Duke Elvys had entrusted him with. As a mere restaurant guest, how could he bring up Duke Elvys without seeming abrupt?
Asland possessed such obvious elven features, and among the regular patrons of the restaurant were knights from the Imperial Capital's Order. Vilanthe soon learned of Asland's identity. She gathered her courage and approached him, asking a question that had troubled him for a long time: "Hello, I realize this may seem a bit offensive. But could you tell me how the Silver Empire treats the homeless on the streets?"
This question arose when Ina and Vilanthe were walking the streets of the Imperial Capital and encountered a homeless man.
Ina asked Vilanthe what the homeless people in the Orlan Empire were like.
Vilanthe looked puzzled: "We don't have homeless people in our capital, I've never seen any."
Ina counter-questioned: "You've lived there for over a decade, do you think this is normal?"
Seeing Vilanthe lost in thought, Ina continued, "Take the street beneath our feet, for example. It's one of the busiest main roads in the Silver Empire, and it's spotless not because it's naturally so, but because someone swept the dust away."
Vilanthe thought of the slaves in the cargo hold of the ship to Safi and her mood turned somber. But she didn't want to accept this fact and hesitated before asking, "Maybe there are no homeless because everyone is living well?"
Ina smiled, "Even if every inhabitant of the capital of Orlan is living a prosperous life, misfortune strikes every second of every day. Where do those who go bankrupt, those who become orphans due to the sudden death of their parents, and those whose possessions are destroyed in fires go? Hasn't any of them become homeless?"
Vilanthe had never paid attention to these things before. She might be smart enough, brave enough, but noticing scars is easy, noticing the "lack of scars" is indeed difficult. She seemed to lack some keen awareness to become a leader. With a heavy heart, Vilanthe asked Ina, "Have I missed many important things?"
Ina comforted her, "No, this is just a minor detail. In the future, you will encounter hundreds and thousands of such issues. Not addressing them won't shake a monarch's rule, but when hundreds of such problems pile up, it could result in a change of dynasty."
She touched Vilanthe's smooth hair, "I've never been a monarch, so I can't really be your teacher. I can only assure you that during your time in the Silver Empire, you will see a world you've never seen before, and ask the questions you want to ask. I will always stand by your side."
Asland didn't mock the girl's unusual question. He thought for a moment and countered, "Who are the homeless?"
Vilanthe blinked, "Maybe unfortunate commoners and lazy people who don't want to work?"
Asland's answer was concise, "We provide low-paid but enough to-meet-basic needs jobs, those common people who can still work will soon cease to be homeless. The elderly and children who are genuinely incapable of work are sent to nursing homes."
"What about the lazy ones who don't want to work?"
"If someone's nature is such that they don't want to do anything, then we don't bother them." Asland added after finishing, "But we do strengthen patrols and guards."
Vilanthe sighed. The Silver Empire, which the Church declared as an evil and greedy realm, was far more enlightened and benevolent than the Orlan Empire, bathed in divine grace. It wasn't the first time she noticed the differences between the two nations, but it was the first time she saw the starkly different attitudes of their rulers.
Arrogance and justice.
She still had much to learn, which solidified Vilanthe's decision to stay in the Silver Empire for a while longer.