NOVEL NEXT Chapter 4 - Nightfall Restaurant
As soon as the cold-resistant dishes were released in tasting portions, word spread rapidly in this small town of Magic Dragon. Ye Mu’s reputation soared instantly.
In a dimly lit tavern in the alley, adventurers excitedly discussed, “Have you heard? A culinary genius has come to town! The food is all noble cuisine, and it’s not even that expensive!”
Some replied, “Not expensive? Each dish costs several hundred copper coins!”
Then one said, “…So I stayed up all night hunting monsters yesterday and finally saved enough for three days’ worth of meals! I hope I can buy something every day, if not, I’ll just treat it as saving money!”
In the tiny Brave Inn, Ye Mu had been busy in the cramped kitchen for three days.
During these three days, her main dishes were still [Fried rice with sausage ] and [Sugar-Coated Tomatoes], but she also introduced three different tasting portions of spicy dishes: [Dry Pot Fatty Intestines], [Spicy Duck Blood], and [Mapo Tofu].
In addition, she originally wanted to make [Boiled Fish] and [Spicy Chicken Cubes], but when she went to the market, she found the fish and chicken to be quite expensive, and the chili peppers were pricey too. Both dishes required a lot of chili to taste good, and since the costs couldn’t be lowered, she decided to postpone them for now.
By the fourth day, Ye Mu had saved over 6,000 copper coins, enough for her first earnings in this world. She checked out of the Brave Inn, packed her backpack, and headed out to rent a place.
She had already inquired about housing options. Since Magic Dragon Town was close to Dragon Mountain, which had a mix of low to mid-level monsters, it constantly attracted various adventurers.
Thus, even though Magic Dragon Town itself was small, many houses were available for rent, with some townspeople even becoming “full-time landlords,” living off rental income.
In such an environment, finding a house wasn’t difficult. Ye Mu spent less than two hours choosing a place she liked and paid the rent.
The house was a two-story building with a front door facing the street, suitable for business. There was a small backyard that was currently empty, upon seeing the agricultural potential, Ye Mu planned to grow her own vegetables there.
The only downside of the residence for Ye Mu was the kitchen being too small—only about two square meters, with a tiny stove that had just one burner, and a cabinet for kitchenware, leaving enough space for only one person to fit.
Considering this was a world dominated by dark cuisine, Ye Mu understood the simplicity of the kitchen. If she was just boiling vegetables or meat, there was no reason to have high standards for the kitchen.
Fortunately, renovating in this game world was easy, and the landlord had no objections. Hearing that she wanted to make significant changes, he even helped her contact a high-level mage for assistance.
By 3 o’clock in the afternoon, Ye Mu’s new home was completely set up. The upstairs bedroom, study, three guest rooms, and two bathrooms remained unchanged, while the first floor, originally divided into a living room, activity room, and small kitchen, was transformed. The activity room and living room were removed, with an open kitchen taking up half the space, and the living area converted into a spacious dining room with six sets of tables and chairs, each seating four people.
At 5 o’clock in the evening, it was time for Ye Mu to open for business. She had already sent a message to Xibel about her new location, and Xibel relayed the news to some familiar adventurers. So, right at five, all six tables were filled.
At 5:05, a male mage rushed in excitedly, “Is this the new store?”
All the guests at the six tables turned to look, and the male mage’s expression froze: “…Wait, is it already full?”
He had thought that since Ye Mu had just moved, not many people would know, and he could get a seat easily. He hadn’t expected it to be packed!
The male mage, disappointed, stopped in his tracks and scratched his head, asking Ye Mu, “With the new store and more space, will the menu have more dishes?”
This question drew the attention of all six tables’ guests, each looking at Ye Mu with eager eyes.
Ye Mu had just packed the prepared dishes into her backpack when she heard this and laughed, walking to the dining area with her bag: “There’s no time today, but I’ll gradually increase the menu in the future. Welcome, everyone!”
“Woooow!!!” The restaurant erupted in cheers, followed by applause. The commotion attracted curious passersby outside, some looked on in confusion, while familiar customers recognized Ye Mu and immediately walked in to wait for a table.
That day, the dishes were still [Fried rice with sausage] and [Sugar-Coated Tomatoes], with 40 portions of each prepared. She hadn’t managed to get the tasting portions ready, so within less than an hour, all the dishes were sold out.
After sending off the last table of customers, Ye Mu locked the door and found Xibel at the Brave Inn, asking for help: “Can you help me hand out flyers? I’ll cover dinner for your whole team for a week!”
Having just eaten and relaxed on the small wooden bed, Xibel suddenly sprang up at this and, along with her teammate, who sat up in surprise, exclaimed in unison, “Sure! What’s the flyer for?”
Their eagerness was clearly a sign they were worried about losing business.
Ye Mu chuckled and pulled out a thick stack of flyers from her backpack.
These were printed by a mage at a roadside printing shop she found on her way here, and the content was straightforward:
“Nightfall Restaurant hiring: Chef apprentices / Cashiers / Waiters, age no limit.”
“Includes meals and accommodation, salary 30 copper coins/day.”
Xibel glanced at the flyer and raised her hand: “Can I apply?”
“…Don’t joke!” Ye Mu looked at her sparkling Lv39 and chuckled, “I can’t afford to hire a level 39 mage!”
“Hmph.” Xibel feigned anger, waving her hand, “Alright, we’ll go out and distribute your flyers. You’re covering a week’s worth of meals, right? That’s a deal!”
“A promise is a promise!” Ye Mu smiled, “I guarantee at least two dishes every day.”
Feeling satisfied, Xibel helped distribute the flyers throughout the streets and alleys that evening.
In a small yard on the west side of the town, a middle-aged man frowned at the flyer his child brought home: “They dare to offer 30 copper coins a day? What a shady workshop!”
The market rate for labor had already started at 80 copper coins! Even with meals included, it should be at least 50 copper coins!
He casually tossed the flyer into the trash: “Let her dream!”
In another household a few yards away, the wife rushed upstairs excitedly after returning from the street, grabbing her husband: “Dear, look at this! Let’s send Jeff to apply!”
“What?” The man wrapped his arm around his excited wife and took the flyer she thrust at him, frowning after a quick glance, “Isn’t 30 copper coins a day too low? And I’ve never heard of Nightfall Restaurant!”
The excitement on the woman’s face was hard to hide: “I asked the person handing out flyers! Nightfall Restaurant is run by the girl who used to sell food in front of the Brave Inn! She provides meals, and it’s definitely her cooking! Getting meals and 30 copper coins isn’t a loss at all!”
“Hmm…” The man was clearly wavering.
Seizing the moment, the woman pressed on: “Jeff really wants to go to Nascar Magic Academy, but I don’t think he’s ready yet. He can’t level up in Dragon Mountains since he’s underage. But if he works at Nightfall Restaurant, he can gain experience and stats from meals, and before he knows it, he’ll be ahead of the other kids!”
This struck a chord with the man: “That makes sense.” He nodded, “Let’s take him to check it out tomorrow, and while we’re at it…” He recalled some wonderful flavors and instinctively licked his lips, “Let’s see if there’s food to buy, so we can bring something back for dinner.”
In the past few days, Ye Mu had only been selling dinner, and now with her own place officially running “restaurant,” she had no plans to sell breakfast yet. Last night, in addition to asking Xibel’s team for help with flyers, she had also asked Xibel to contact a mage with crafting skills to make a sign for her restaurant, offering five meals in return, with any two dishes for the mage to redeem at any time.
She had arranged to meet the mage at noon, so even though Ye Mu woke up early, she lingered in bed until after ten. However, as she yawned and went downstairs, she saw a crowd outside.
Thinking it was customers eager to dine, Ye Mu intended to inform everyone that she wasn’t open for breakfast. But when she asked, the people outside said they were there to apply for jobs.
Upon closer inspection, she noticed that all the applicants were children, aged between 8 and 16. Her flyer had stated “age no limit,” and she had anticipated some “child labor” might show up, but she hadn’t expected them all to be children!
This was actually due to the different world setting.
In Ye Mu’s original world, due to legal regulations, minors under 18 were mostly in school, with the maximum being some student part-time jobs. But in this magical world, people began their “magic level” at age six, directly linked to their attributes, forming the foundation for their livelihoods. Most adults with self-protection capabilities became “adventurers” who hunted monsters and leveled up, while a minority chose to focus on life skills to earn money.
Thus, jobs like working in a restaurant, which offered little experience, became suitable for children. They could earn some extra money safely while also gaining experience. By the age of seventeen or eighteen, most would reach levels between 15 to 25, ready to embark on their own adventures.
Some exceptionally talented children or those from affluent families would attend various magical schools, taught by renowned mages, which served as a shortcut for leveling up.
—Ye Mu, having no way of knowing these details from her few days of selling food, quickly sent a message to Xibel to ask about the situation when she found herself surrounded by children. Given the delicious meals she had served, Xibel had already imagined Ye Mu as a “food heiress experiencing life,” so she wasn’t surprised by the inquiry and patiently explained everything. Only then did Ye Mu feel comfortable “hiring child workers.”
Ye Mu then invited a group of children into the restaurant for interviews. Since the tasks at a restaurant were not too challenging, her selection criteria mainly focused on finding smart and obedient kids.
In the end, she chose four: two boys, Jeff and Billy, both fourteen, with magic levels of 9 and 7, to help in the kitchen. Among the girls, one named Ivy was sixteen with a magic level of 12, and Ye Mu appointed her as the lead. The other, named Della, was only nine with a magic level of 2, and Ye Mu planned to have her assist with simple errands and communications.
At noon, the crafting mage introduced by Xibel arrived on time for delivery.
He was a young male mage, quite good-looking, tall with fair skin, gray-blue eyes, and slightly wavy short blond hair. Though he wore a plain white robe, he still exuded a certain charm.
He spoke little, introduced himself as “Isaac,” and then took out the items Ye Mu had customized through Xibel yesterday.
One was a sign that read “Nightfall Restaurant,” with a deep blue background, pale yellow lettering, and decorated with moons and stars, featuring a uniquely designed font.
Isaac informed Ye Mu that the lettering was hand-written and would glow at night alongside the moon and stars.
Additionally, there was a large menu for wall display that could list up to twelve dishes at once. It could be set up via a special panel, with management rights assigned to Ye Mu, who could also set permissions for others.
If she needed to add more dishes later, she could always contact him for “after-sales service.”
From the customers’ perspective, the menu was interactive—they could directly select items to order. Once confirmed and submitted, the order would be sent in sequence to Ye Mu’s management panel. When she looked at the customers, a corresponding number would hover above their heads to avoid any ordering errors.
Wow… it seemed the magical world had already implemented smart technology!
Ye Mu was struck by this realization as Isaac nodded after explaining the features: “This is an exclusively developed magical panel. I hope you enjoy using it!”
Oh, this guy is quite skilled!
Ye Mu quickly caught on and opened her friend window: “Can we add each other as friends? It’ll be easier for after-sales communication.”
“Of course.” He opened his friend window, and after they added each other, Ye Mu saw Isaac’s panel:
Name: Isaac
——–Main Attributes——–
This panel is set to hidden mode, you cannot view it yet.
——–Secondary Attributes——–
Gathering: Level 62
Building: Level 100
Smelting: Level 80
Forging: Level 73
Alchemy: Level 54
Cooking: Level 11
Poetry: Level 20
Beast Taming: Level 43
And more…
Suddenly, Ye Mu realized something and her expression changed.
—Her own information panel had no hidden settings!
At the same time, Isaac saw:
Name: Ye Mu
——–Main Attributes——–
Level: 4
Health: 800/800
Magic: 200/200
Stamina: 600/600
Defense: 350/350
Endurance: 130/130
——–Secondary Attributes——–
Gathering: Level 0
Building: Level 0
Smelting: Level 0
Forging: Level 0
Alchemy: Level 0
Cooking: Level 100 (Maxed)
Poetry: Level 0
Beast Taming: Level 0