Lucian walked up to the table and smiled at the black-robed woman.
"Welcome to Transcendence, Miss. My restaurant is still new, so we only have one dish on the menu, but I can assure you it is fantastic."
Lily was surprised.
'How does he know Lily is a woman?'
Her black robe and black mask were a set of Artifacts that concealed the wearer. Only a Mana King Mage could bypass her Artifacts and see her appearance.
For a moment, there was only silence in the restaurant. Then, a gentle, soothing voice that tickled Lucian's ears emerged from behind the black mask, "What is the dish called?"
Lucian pointed at the menu on the table and said:
"Miss, there is a menu on your table. Please, have a look."
"Okay." She glanced at the white, leathered menu and picked it up. Upon holding it, she was mildly surprised by the texture. If she was not wrong, the hide the menu was made from should be from the sixth-grade Moon Grazing Bear.
Moon Grazing Bears were peaceful Magical Beasts, who were fond of moon bathing, which was why they had beautiful, milky white fur and skin.
Due to the limitation imposed upon all Magical Beasts, Moon Grazing Bears could only reach the sixth grade - Mana Core Formation Realm.
'This owner is quite extravagant.'
The more her fingers touched the menu, the further that thought became ingrained in her heart. The cold touch, refreshing smell, and aura leaking from the menu all pointed to the fact that the hide was from a sixth-grade Moon Grazing Bear.
To not be disrespectful, Lily did not use her Mana Sense. Instead, she looked at each table and became even more surprised. Each table had the same menu.
Moreover, at the reception counter, there were dozens of menus.
To say her curiosity was piqued would be an understatement.
'Let's see the dish that caused Big Brother to bring his friends here.' With anticipation bubbling in her tiny heart, she opened the menu, and behind the black mask, her pretty eyes blinked.
Lucian smirked. Even though he could not see her face, from her slight tremble just now, he guessed she was surprised by his restaurant's rule.
'3.'
'2.'
'1.'
'... huh?' Lucian blinked and took a better look at the black-robed woman. He was surprised. Where were the exaggerated yelling and the finger-pointing? Not even one curse?
But, outwardly, his face remained indifferent. He had expected her reaction to be similar to the members of Lion's Liver.
Lucian had expected something like this from the woman:
'How dare you charge five Low-Grade Mana Stones for a single poached egg? Why don't you go rob a bank instead?'
…But he heard nothing of that sort.
The woman was calmly reading.
After reading the menu, Lily placed the menu down and said:
"Owner, I would like one plate of Siren's Melody Poached Egg, please!"
Lucian nodded.
"Okay, please wait. Your Siren's Melody Poached Egg will be out shortly." Then he turned around and went into the kitchen.
Just like always, the ingredients were provided by the System and perfectly measured.
After taking the Mana Water out of the fridge, Lucian walked up to the counter next to the stove, where the rest of the ingredients were neatly arranged.
Just when he was about to clad his hands in Mana according to the Celestial Mana Control Technique, he heard the System's words in his head.
'Host, before you use the Celestial Mana Control Technique for cooking, you need to practice. The technique requires practice and delicate precision. One wrong misstep and you will ruin the precious ingredients. For now, please allow the System to aid you until you have mastered the technique.'
Momentarily, Lucian frowned. But he did not have an over-inflated ego to argue with the System. Soon, indifference returned to his face.
'Alright.'
Just as the word left his mouth, Lucian felt a familiar tingling. Glancing down at his hands, he noticed a faint multicolored starlight enveloping his hands.
Before, he did not possess Mana Veins to be able to sense Celestial Energy. But now, he was finally able to sense and see what had been enveloping his hands. Whenever he had previously cooked, he felt the feeling of an Energy enveloping his hands. But he could not sense or see it. But now he could and was amazed by it.
Behind the mask, Lily's pretty eyes widened when she saw the multicolored glowing Element on the owner's hands. Unconsciously, she exclaimed:
"So pretty!"
After hearing the youthful and girlish voice, Lucian felt like a cat had just tickled his heart.
'System, why can she see the Celestial Energy enveloping my hands?' Lucian asked, bewildered. Previously, Garrett and the others could not see it. So, why could she?
The System replied:
'The System feels allowing the patrons of your restaurant to view the way you cook will enhance their appreciation and appetite for your cuisine. Just as cooking is a form of art, it is also a form of entertainment… when done well.'
Lucian nodded, agreeing with the System's words. Having a window in front of the kitchen was entirely for the purpose of entertainment.
Like a seasoned veteran, Lucian began preparing the Siren's Melody Poached Egg.
With an exaggerated flourish, Lucian opened the egg carton and took out the Siren's Melody Egg. At the same time as he grabbed it, a thread of Celestial Mana was infused into the blue egg, immediately transforming it into a starry egg.
Lily was stunned as she watched the owner move with a grace and skill that she had never witnessed in other chefs before.
She felt like she was watching a ballet instead of a chef cooking.
Behind her mask, her little mouth was wide open.
Although Lucian would have liked to watch the woman's response, his focus was entirely on his Celestial Energy-clad hands and the egg.
Even though the process of infusion was being done by the System, he could still use the experience as practice.