"Now it's just me alone, and staying in a double room is a waste of space. Boss, could you please move me to room 102? You can still charge me the double room rate. Also, I'd like to rent it for a month."
This was where Leo showed his cleverness.
Charlotte smiled again, taking the two level-2 crystal nuclei he handed over. After recharging, 930 points were deducted, leaving 1070 points in his card.
"The room rate can't be changed. I've moved you to 102, and today's room fee has been deducted as well. Here's the room card."
Leo nodded, took the room card, and said, "My stuff is still in 202. I'll go pack up first and give you the room card for 202 later."
Charlotte called Bear over to clean up room 102. She took out disposable soap, shampoo, and a towel from the drawer and handed them over. "The single room doesn't have a bathroom. You need to go to the end of the corridor and turn left to use the communal bathroom."
Leo thanked her and left.
Charlotte glanced at the woman who had been standing in the lobby for a long time. Was she going to buy anything or not? If not, Charlotte wanted to go to bed.
She pondered whether she should ask the woman to return to her room.
The woman, with a pale face, stood in the lobby without moving. The weather was gloomy and dark. Suddenly looking up, it seemed like a task from the underworld!
At this moment, the "female ghost" turned around and quickly walked over, half-leaning on the counter, and asked urgently, "Is there anyone else buying things now? I want everything in the glass cabinet. How long can the food keep?"
"One day."
"Only one day?! How about the water? Can it be sold?"
"Water?"
The water from the dispenser was always sold by the cup. She didn't know if it could be sold by the barrel.
'System, can the water be sold by the barrel?'
[No, currently only the mineral water in the double rooms can provide up to four bottles per room per day.]
With the system's answer, Charlotte shook her head at the woman.
"Sorry, if you have a cup, you can buy water by the cup size. It can't be sold by the barrel for now."
The woman stood up, pulled out a plastic bag, and filled it with the remaining clothes and supplies from the glass cabinet.
"Do you want laundry detergent as well?"
"Yes."
"Okay, that's 79 points in total. Please swipe your card."
The woman carried a bag full of goods back to her room and soon came out again, heading straight to the lunch machine to choose three cumin duck leg fried rice, and went back to eat.
After a busy morning, the lobby finally quieted down again.
Charlotte had Bear arrange the chairs and small round table. She ordered a small hotpot from the food city.
After about a minute, a small pot with floating red oil appeared on the table, and small plates of vegetables and meat were gradually laid out beside it.
Green bamboo shoots, baby cabbage, sweet potato, lotus root slices, crystal noodles, beef tripe, omasum, shrimp paste, beef slices, lamb slices, and even a complimentary cup of sour plum soup.
This "Single Forever Hotpot Set" cost her 70 points in total.
She plugged in the small pot, and the broth started to bubble, releasing a spicy and fragrant aroma in the lobby.
When the pot began to boil, Charlotte first put the meat into the pot.
Bear thoughtfully opened the door a crack to let the smell waft outside.
Charlotte scooped up a shrimp paste with a spoon, dipped it in the sauce, and took a bite.
Mmm, tender and delicious, full of flavor.
A true foodie always starts with the meat and saves the vegetables for last.
She picked up a slice of beef, dipped it in the sauce, and put it in her mouth. Oh, the satisfaction!
Leo happened to see this scene when he came to return the room card. He swallowed hard.
Hotpot? With vegetables?!!!
He took a deep sniff, feeling like his soul was being drawn out by the hotpot.
It smelled so good. Strangely, why couldn't he smell anything in the corridor?
Leo didn't dare stay long, fearing that his presence might affect Charlotte's meal.
So he quickly left after putting down the room card.
As he turned his back to Charlotte, he kept taking deep breaths through his nose.
Sniff, sniff, it smells so good!
But as soon as he stepped into the corridor, not only did the hotpot smell disappear, but his craving for it also faded.
Leo touched his stomach. He had felt very hungry just now, but now he felt nothing.
Charlotte only glanced at Leo when he appeared and then continued eating.
After all, the food she bought from the food city could only be eaten by herself, and there was a particularly tricky game mechanism.
Within a 2-5 meter range, the smell of the food could be detected. Beyond 5 meters, not only was the smell undetectable, but the desire for the food would also fade.
If someone tried to steal the food, as long as they got within two meters of Charlotte, they wouldn't be able to see or smell the food and would forget their original intention.
Then, stepping back beyond two meters, they could smell it again. Within two meters, they would forget again...
This cycle would continue until the person gave up the idea of stealing, or until Charlotte finished eating.
Moreover, it was specially marked: This game rule takes precedence over all other abilities or methods. Our food city strives to protect the rights of consumers. Please enjoy your shopping.
So Charlotte ate without any burden. Even if she traveled to other bases in the future, she wouldn't have to worry about food and drink.
After a satisfying meal, she poured the remaining sour plum soup into a paper cup, and the pot and plates were retrieved by the food city.
Charlotte felt warm all over. She went back to her room to change into warmer clothes, put on long rain boots, and took an umbrella, ready to take a stroll.
She remembered there was a park to the west and wanted to check it out.
Charlotte told Bear to keep an eye on the shop and then opened the umbrella and stepped into the rain.
The whole sky was gray and white. The rain had lessened from yesterday's downpour to a continuous drizzle, forming puddles in low areas and causing water to slide down the eaves.
Charlotte walked along the higher ground.
The entire city was desolate, a world after humanity's disappearance.
In fact, this area, besides her inn being operational with living people, probably had no other humans.
Charlotte quietly walked in the rain.
From a distance, it looked like an aged watercolor painting.
As she walked west, the number of trees along the road increased.
The recent high temperatures and lack of rain had caused the leaves to dry out and turn yellow, and the low shrubs by the roots had died.
After the apocalypse, plants were also infected by a special virus, causing originally straight tree trunks to twist and entwine.
If you looked closely, you'd find that where two trees intertwined, they had long needle-like spikes piercing each other, desperately vying for nutrients.
Between two trees, one would eventually die.
Charlotte turned another corner and spotted a large supermarket across the street.
She eagerly headed over to take a look.
Zombies were abundant around supermarkets, but in the rain, they were particularly dazed—
Just standing there, facing the rain, letting it hit their faces without reacting to nearby sounds.
Some low-level ability users would risk getting wet and catching a cold to come out and kill zombies, collecting crystal nuclei.
But Charlotte didn't want to retrieve a crystal nucleus from a dirty, sticky brain.
She had abundant resources and the strength to be picky.