“Theoretically speaking, this dish is much more valuable than the average.”
The Waiter continued to emphasize his point. After all, he was an employee here and drew his salary from this establishment. He couldn’t very well admit that what the customer said was right.
“But that’s only in theory. Don’t tell me you’re charging such a high price just because of staff wages?”
Lin Guanqi was practically stripping them bare with her words. Who could withstand that kind of interrogation?
The Waiter was on the verge of caving, so he used his intercom to call for the Front Hall Manager.
Upon hearing that there was trouble, the Front Hall Manager rushed straight to the front hall.
After all, this was her performance at stake.
Everyone knew—the more expensive the restaurant, the stricter the rules. Any customer complaint would lead to deductions harsh enough to make one sigh in regret.
“Ah…so, this dish! What exactly sets it apart from the ordinary ones?”
To become a Front Hall Manager, one had to have real skill, and even more so in the art of conversation.
“That’s right, he wasn’t wrong. Our dishes are sourced from the high mountains and picked while sprouting, so the price is naturally a bit higher. Plus, our hotel chefs are five-star rated, so the craftsmanship and the dish’s price will both be a bit steep.”
On her nametag was the name: Liu Ruxue.
“Then why can’t I taste the difference?”
For a moment, Liu Ruxue didn’t know how to explain. Was she supposed to say that the dish was basically the same as any other, just dressed up to look prettier?
“There really is a difference between this and an ordinary dish. How about this: I’ll give you this dish at half price, what do you say?”
Most people with even a little money probably wouldn’t fuss over such a thing, but the person sitting next to her was someone Liu Ruxue dared not offend lightly.
Lin Guanqi actually didn’t want to argue over this, but selling mutton and delivering dog meat was going a bit too far.
“So by your logic, as long as anyone finds something odd with your dish, you just knock the price down by half, but your profit margin is still huge, isn’t it? Am I wrong? If I cooked this simple vegetable at home and plated it up nicely, how would that be any different from what you serve here?”
Bai Ningbing chuckled softly.
“All right, let’s not fuss over this anymore. It’s normal for a restaurant to make a bit of money off a meal I treat you to.”
At this, Liu Ruxue finally wiped away her cold sweat.
She hadn’t expected such a beautiful young woman to be so particular about this—no, to call it “particular” was really an understatement.
Perhaps “meticulous” was the better word.
“It’s all right. Since it was our restaurant’s mistake and the customer isn’t satisfied, we’ll treat this dish as complimentary. If you enjoy it, feel free to order it again next time; if not, you can tell us how we might improve.”
Liu Ruxue promised.
Suddenly, Lin Guanqi realized that the things given by the system were surprisingly useful—could it even include culinary skills?
“Can I exchange Popularity Points in the system for cooking skills?”
[Host, in this system’s Popularity Store, as long as you have enough Popularity Points, everything can be exchanged~]
“How many points would I need to get skills on par with a five-star chef?”
[From your description, that would be a “Magical Chef” skill. You just need to buy the Magical Chef role card, and you’ll master it.]
From the looks of it, any skills-related item in the system would be categorized under “Magical Girl” skills.
Last time she checked, a Magical Girl card cost less than a thousand yuan, and its power would fluctuate depending on the price.
[Magical Chef: 8,888 Popularity Points]
Seeing that number, Lin Guanqi nearly spat out last night’s dinner. Was this even normal?
So many Popularity Points—just for good cooking?
[Host may have misunderstood the Magical Chef. This system will explain in detail.]
[After each cooking, the host’s dishes will contain elements that restore health and magic. Anyone who eats them will enjoy continuous recovery.]
So it was a support skill, after all.
But then, a new question occurred to her.
If culinary skills were involved, would the food she made consume her own energy? Since it could help others recover, it was a support-type skill, after all.
[As for the host’s concern, please rest assured. Each use only consumes 5 points of magic power.]
Lin Guanqi had to admit—she was way too weak right now, with only 100 magic points. Someone like Bai Ningbing probably had over 1,000. After all, a casual skill from her would cost hundreds of points.
The Waiter quickly finished serving all the dishes.
As she ate, Lin Guanqi kept feeling that she’d forgotten something very important.
But she couldn’t remember what it was.
“Forget it, I won’t think about it anymore.”
Laboratory.
“Didn’t Lin Guanqi come with you?” Bai Zhi asked.
“No. I remember passing the message on. Did she not show up?” Ling Xue scratched her head.
She even clearly told her who was looking for her.
“Looks like she forgot. Do you know where she is?”
Ling Xue shook her head.
“I’m not sure. But lately, she’s been really close to your sister. Maybe you could ask her—she might know where Lin Guanqi is.”
Bai Zhi fell silent for a while. Why had the two of them become so close lately?
In her memory, this should have been their first meeting. But after meeting, her own sister had immediately drawn near to Lin Guanqi—now they were practically inseparable.
Bai Zhi didn’t think much of it and simply called Bai Ningbing.
The other side picked up quickly.
“What do you want? I don’t have time for you right now.”
“Is this how you talk to your elder sister? I just wanted to ask you something.”
Bai Ningbing glanced at Lin Guanqi, then got up and stepped outside.
“Say it. What could be so urgent that you have to tell me now?”
“I’ll get straight to the point—Is Lin Guanqi with you?”
“Yes, she’s with me. What’s the matter?”
Bai Ningbing’s tone was curt. Even though the other person was her elder sister, the moment the topic touched on Lin Guanqi, she could turn hostile at once.
“No need to speak to me like that. I mean no harm.”
From the way Bai Zhi spoke, it was clear their relationship ran deep. It was very possible they’d already reached the stage she suspected.
“So what do you want? If there’s nothing else, I’ll go back to her.”
Bai Zhi knew her sister’s character better than anyone, so she decided to be honest.
“Lin Guanqi doesn’t belong to this world. I don’t know what you’re expecting from her, but my research shows there are places where we need her help. Can you bring her over?”
Bai Ningbing froze for a moment upon hearing this, but she also realized this was a great chance to solve the mystery of Lin Guanqi’s origins. She had always wanted to know why she lacked certain memories.
“All right. We’ll come over after we finish our meal.”
A few minutes later, Bai Ningbing returned.
Lin Guanqi had finished eating by now. Though she kept saying the dishes were no different from usual, she still ate with relish. After all, these were her favorites.
“You’re back—where did you go just now?”
“I had to take a call. Bai Zhi’s looking for you.”
Bai Zhi?
Two big question marks popped up in Lin Guanqi’s mind. No wonder she felt like she’d forgotten something—so it was this.
“That’s right! I nearly forgot. I promised her I’d go to the lab. I’m running late, I’ll head out first!”
Bai Ningbing grabbed Lin Guanqi’s arm. “Don’t rush. I’ll go with you. I’ve already called for the driver.”
Inside the laboratory.
“Bai Zhi, do you really know the secret of Lin Guanqi’s origin?”
“I recently conducted a traversal experiment, sending an object to appear at a specific time in the future or the past.”
“It was a success. In a world like this, nothing’s truly impossible. Science can’t explain it anymore.”
She had a point. After all, in a world with magical girls and magic, science hardly held any ground.
“I haven’t fully uncovered her origins, but I’m sure she knows herself. She just hasn’t told us yet. Most likely, she can travel freely between two timelines.”
The answers to all the mysteries would have to wait until she was present.
Half an hour later, the two arrived on site.
Bai Zhi said, “Didn’t I ask someone to tell you to come here after class? How could you forget something so important?”
Lin Guanqi felt embarrassed and said, “Sorry, that’s on me. I forgot—got distracted by good food. It’s understandable, right?”
“You’re quick to forgive yourself and even make excuses! Forget it, that’s not important. What matters is that you come with me.”
She trusted the people around her almost completely. After all, when she’d awakened from danger, the first people she saw were these two, and then Bai Ningbing.
Lin Guanqi followed her into the innermost part of the lab, where there was a bed.
And a huge machine, with a micro-reactor at its core, connected to a brain-machine terminal.
“Wow, your family’s really loaded. Just these two things together must cost a fortune!”
Bai Zhi chuckled and said, “Neither of these machines are available on the market. I bought the parts myself and assembled them. If you want a price, probably three fortunes.”
Incredible. The Bai family was truly a clan of geniuses!
Next to them, she felt so small and helpless.
“So that’s how it is. Ahahaha…”
“Enough joking. Lie down on the bed. I’ll start the machine. If you feel any discomfort, tell me right away.”
As the button was pressed, the machine began to operate.