Chapter 35: A Distinguished Guest Arrives
Ye Mu thought for a moment and decided to ask this question to the ever-secretive but presumably powerful artisan, Isaac, who had refused to reveal his level.
She messaged Isaac: “Good morning! I have a question: I’m level 20 now. Do you think I can go outside and farm monsters?”
“And the cloak you gave me—does it inherently have the ability to defeat most monsters?”
The answer to the second question was almost certainly yes, but she asked anyway, just out of caution.
Isaac’s reply came: “Yes. But you need to tell me before you go out, so I can monitor the attribute panel and be ready to give you potions if needed.”
Ye Mu: “Huh? Why do you need to drink potions?”
Isaac: “The 【Light Magic Cloak】 uses the creator’s strength to cast spells, which consumes both the creator’s mana and stamina. If I don’t replenish them in time, you could be in danger.”
Ye Mu: “…”
So that’s how it works!!!
Well, it makes sense.
This must be the law of energy conservation in the magical world.
Ye Mu pulled the corners of her mouth and politely responded: “Then I’ll provide the potions! I plan to let Ivy run the restaurant during breakfast hours while I farm monsters. I can farm for about two hours every day. How many potions will I need?”
Isaac: “None.”
Ye Mu: “?”
Isaac: “Just manage the meals. One meal a day will be enough. You can schedule it as you like, but let me order occasionally, and I’ll make sure you can farm monsters without any problems.”
Ye Mu: “…”
Seeing her long string of ellipses, Isaac seemed to misunderstand and quickly corrected himself: “Am I being too greedy? If that’s the case, I won’t order any meals.”
Ye Mu hurriedly responded: “No, no! You can order meals every day! One meal a day is too little. Let me take care of all your meals!”
She wasn’t just being polite because potions were expensive, especially the high-level ones. She rarely used them when cooking, but Isaac, this likely noble illegitimate son, was rich and definitely would use them.
So if she didn’t take care of his meals, she wouldn’t feel at ease!
At 8:00 AM the next day, on the outskirts of the Qiana Mountain Range, Ye Mu had already been farming monsters for over an hour.
During this hour, she gradually got the hang of her rhythm.
At first, she was very nervous. When she saw a wild boar charging toward her, she froze in place, the image of being “scared stiff.”
The 【Light Magic Cloak】 was triggered immediately, and with a leap, it launched a massive fireball attack. It was an all-out assault. If the game hadn’t separated “monster death” and “loot drop” into two distinct steps, she might have suspected that she could have dragged a roasted whole pig back.
Later, she silently reminded herself: With the cloak, I can’t die anyway, so there’s no need to be nervous! She gradually relaxed and started to fight monsters more confidently.
Soon, she realized that the 【Light Magic Cloak】 was actually an extremely intelligent piece of equipment. If she wasn’t in danger, it wouldn’t attack on its own. Of course, she could activate it herself, and it would always cooperate 100%. But when she didn’t want to use it, it would completely disappear from her awareness.
So, Ye Mu set a small goal for herself: Try to fight on her own as much as possible, and avoid using the cloak!
After all, the cloak’s ultimate attack seemed to consume a lot of mana. Even though she and Isaac had reached an “agreement,” she didn’t want to waste too much.
Then, as the attacks continued, she gradually unlocked some small skills! While these skills seemed unimpressive from their names—such as 【Ice Spike】, 【Fire Strike】, and 【Wooden Shield】—they were already a pleasant surprise for Ye Mu!
At 8:20, Jenna and her team walked along the mountain path. When they happened to glance up and see Ye Mu, Jenna immediately waved and greeted her, “Good morning!”
“【Ice Spike】! 【Ice Spike】! 【Fire Strike】! Ahhh, 【Wooden Shield】! 【Fire Strike】!!!” Ye Mu was struggling to fight a 【Mountain Bull】. She frantically cast a series of spells until she finally knocked the 【Mountain Bull】 unconscious. She then found a moment to greet Jenna, “Good morning!”
Jenna’s team members also recognized Ye Mu and cheerfully called out, “Miss Ye, aren’t you tired of farming monsters alone? Why don’t you join us?”
Since the official team had dozens of people, they wouldn’t miss a few more.
But just as they finished speaking, the unconscious 【Mountain Bull】 regained its senses and charged angrily at Ye Mu.
“Ah!” Ye Mu was caught off guard and didn’t have time to defend herself. The 【Light Magic Cloak】 was instantly triggered.
Ye Mu was once again propelled forward by the cloak, and with a glowing blue hand, she slammed down forcefully. The ground beneath her feet instantly froze, trapping the 【Mountain Bull】 in the midst of its charge.
Two seconds later, the 【Mountain Bull】 was defeated, dropping equipment. But the ground remained frozen, with the ice spreading far and wide, extending to the feet of Jenna’s team members.
Within the attack range, all the wild monsters were frozen just like the 【Mountain Bull】, and one by one, they perished, dropping equipment all over the ground.
“…” The team member who had eagerly suggested to Ye Mu that they farm monsters together froze, swallowed nervously, and fell silent.
“Hahahaha.” Jenna looked at the pale faces of her team members and waved her hand, “Let’s go, we won’t be able to get any monsters if we stay with her!”
“Let’s go.”
“Let’s go, let’s go.” The others muttered, responding quickly, fearing that Ye Mu might actually join their team and leave them with nothing.
The following days saw Qiana Town bustling with life.
In the royal city, a major event had recently circulated among the nobles: the leader of the Holy Light Knight, Aaron, had resigned, and his resignation triggered a ripple effect. Within days of his departure, several members of the knight order also began to resign.
However, this was destined not to be a true crisis, as the Holy Light Knight were highly prestigious and directly served the king. Joining the order was like gilding oneself, and young nobles had long admired it.
Previously, due to strict evaluations and selection, it had been extremely difficult to join the Holy Light Knight. But now that Aaron was gone, the new leader, chosen by the nobles, would surely serve their interests.
As a result, members of the Holy Light Knight were leaving one after another, and all vacancies were filled within a single day. No one cared about where Aaron and the other knights who had once sworn allegiance to the king had gone. In fact, many families began celebrating as their sons were accepted as new members of the knight order, hosting all-night banquets and balls.
Qiana Town, along with many residents, including Ye Mu, were also eating up the huge gossip from the royal city.
However, none of them paid much attention. Ye Mu herself didn’t care either. Their newly established small territory was far from the royal city, and terms like “royal city” and “Holy Light Knight” had little to do with them. All they could do was gossip.
At the market, Frank, who had set up his stall early, was in a great mood today. His mouth was stretched into a broad grin, and Holly, who was selling 【Stir-fried Bell Peppers with Pork】 at the stall next to him, looked puzzled and asked, “What’s got you so happy? Is it because of the Holy Light Knight?”
“…What?!” Frank burst out laughing. “What does the Holy Light Knight have to do with me?!”
Holly thought for a moment and nodded. After all, the Holy Light Knight had always had a positive image, so it was unlikely anyone would be happy about their collective resignation.
She had asked only because everyone was discussing it that day.
So, she asked Frank again, “So what exactly are you laughing about?”
“Hehe.” Frank’s grin widened even more, “I finally managed to get into the Culinary God’s new class last night. Ah… I was so excited that I couldn’t sleep the whole night! The class starts tomorrow morning, and I plan to buy myself some new clothes before going!”
“Heh.” Holly rolled her eyes and sneered, then coughed twice, pinching her throat to speak mockingly, “Do you really believe she can teach you anything good? I’m telling you, don’t be so naive!”
These were the exact words Frank had said when he first heard that she was going to take the class, and now she was returning them to him!
Frank’s face turned red, “Stop making fun of me! I know I was wrong, okay? From now on, the Culinary God is my god, my one and only god!”
“That’s more like it.” Holly felt satisfied, partly because of the mocking she had endured that day, and partly for the Culinary God.
Ever since she attended a class with the Culinary God, her life had completely changed, and now her business was booming. A few days ago, she and her husband calculated, and her stall’s income had already exceeded the tax exemption threshold! That means, in just under a month, her profit had surpassed 5,000 copper coins!
This was something that had never happened before.
Before, her skills were rough, so her business was poor. The money she earned barely covered her living expenses. The phrase “earning 5,000 copper coins a month” was a dream she never dared to think of.
But now, she was aiming to challenge herself to earn 10,000 copper coins next month!
In a villa in the residential area, Isaac, Jenna, and Chase were staring at the people in the room, dumbfounded, mouths agape, frozen in shock.
For a long time, no one spoke, and then Jenna broke the silence, weakly retreating toward the door, “Well… um, I’ll leave now. You guys… take your time talking.”
“Oh, right… yeah, yeah, yeah!” Chase finally snapped out of it and followed Jenna, “You guys talk, we won’t disturb you!”
Then the door opened and closed, and with a loud click, the remaining people were left in a room of silence.
Isaac sat on the sofa, letting out a heavy sigh, his gaze falling on the familiar middle-aged man in front of him, “Even with a 【Advanced Teleportation Rune】, it can still be tracked.”
“True. But if it’s bought on the black market, it won’t be.” The man smiled.
“Why come to me?” Isaac crossed his arms, leaning against the back of the sofa, and asked him, “You know I can’t do anything right now. If anyone finds out I’m here, none of us will have it easy.”
“Yes, we know.” The middle-aged man’s smile didn’t change, and he took off his knight’s sword from his waist, placing it on the coffee table in front of Isaac. “But as free knights without allegiance, we have the right to choose to swear loyalty to the lord of this territory. Please recommend us, Mr. Agent.”
“……” Isaac silently looked at him. After a long while, he reluctantly refused, “I’m afraid that won’t work.”
The middle-aged man furrowed his brow, “Why not?”
Isaac shrugged, “It’s simple. She can’t afford to hire you.”
“How could that be?” The middle-aged man asked in surprise. “Even the smallest scale of a territory requires 10 million copper coins. She must be a small noble, at least.”
Isaac replied, “The money came from me.”
The middle-aged man was stunned, “She… must have contributed a portion, right?”
Isaac remained calm, “No. Every single copper coin came from me.”
“……” The man fell silent, along with the group of knights who had come with him, all sinking into an eerie silence.
For a long time, no one knew what expression to make. Finally, the middle-aged man recovered first, his face complicated, though not in a polite way, as he asked Isaac, “Are you… sure you haven’t been deceived?”
They understood that Isaac wasn’t acting as a lord due to circumstances, and they understood that he chose to invest in a territory he believed in. But to invest the full amount…
The middle-aged man gently prodded, “Have you thought about what might happen if one day she kicks you out of the territory? You’ll have no place to seek redress, have you considered that?”
Isaac shrugged, “She’s not that kind of person.”
The middle-aged man: “……”
The knights: “……”
Wait, what happened to him? Why is he acting so foolish?
Isaac didn’t pay any attention to their stunned silence or shock. With a businesslike tone, he continued discussing the matter from earlier, “Actually, I suggest you look for another noble to swear loyalty to. I’m sure anyone in the kingdom who isn’t a fool would be happy to hire you.”
“If you insist on staying in Qiana Town, then the most suitable position the town could offer you might be…” He dragged out the last word, and the group looked on with anticipation.
However, the two words he uttered were: “Police officer.”
The middle-aged man: “……?”
The knights: “……?”
“… Are you joking?” The middle-aged man barely managed to suppress his anger. “I, a level 100 Paladin and Light Mage, even your father would need to show respect if he saw me. And you want me to be a police officer in a small town?!”
“I absolutely didn’t mean to insult you.” Isaac’s sincerity on his face was a stark contrast to the answer he had just given. “On the contrary, it’s precisely because I respect you, and each of you, that I’m offering this option directly.”
“I know this may sound a bit excessive, but with my current abilities, this is the only thing I can arrange for you.”
“At the same time, the town really does need police officers. You probably know that since Christmas, many people have been fleeing, and a significant number of them have come here. Although the numbers aren’t huge, the pressure on this newly established town is already quite heavy.”
“In the past few days, there have been incidents of fighting, robbery, and theft. Although they’ve all been minor cases so far, both Lord and I can’t help but worry about whether something worse might happen in the future.”
“We’ve also been recruiting police officers and temporary volunteers, but the reality is that there aren’t many suitable candidates at the moment.”
“A friend of mine suggested forming a knight’s order earlier, as the selection process for knights is more structured, but as I said, Lord can’t afford to hire you.”
Isaac paused for a moment. When he spoke so seriously, his tone was always gentle and solemn. “So, that’s why I’m presenting the position of ‘police officer’ to all of you. Of course, this is a mutual choice, and the decision is entirely up to you.”
Everyone remained silent. From Isaac’s words, they could feel the respect, and they now understood that he hadn’t meant to insult them. They all hoped that the town would develop well.
But not all decisions could be made simply based on “respect” and “hope.” Even the most noble individuals would hesitate when faced with such a stark contrast.
For the knights, Isaac’s offer was like asking a group of top-tier scientists if they were willing to teach at a kindergarten—and actually offering the salary of a kindergarten teacher. Who could accept that?
Isaac didn’t expect them to make a decision immediately. He stood up and walked outside. “It’s almost noon. Let’s go have lunch. I’ll treat you.”
The knights hesitated, unsure whether to speak. They felt that such an important matter should be settled first, but then again, a conversation over lunch might be just as suitable.
Isaac led them to the market. As they approached, several knights grew even more disheartened when they saw the market in front of them.
They knew the town had just been established and that things had to develop slowly, but the difference was still hard to ignore.
The market here was probably less than one-twentieth the size of the one in the royal city, and even though the stalls inside hadn’t been fully set up, there were only small booths. Unlike the mature cities, where markets were enclosed by small buildings and courtyards, with relatively refined shops inside, this market had only one “relatively refined” store: the three-story building with the sign “Nightfall Restaurant.” They had heard some rumors about Qiana Town on their way here and knew a bit about the Nightfall Restaurant.
However, to be honest, because the rumors were so exaggerated and far-fetched, they didn’t have much expectation for the restaurant.
Isaac walked to the door, took a quick glance inside, saw that there were many people, and then turned around, nodding to everyone. “Please wait here for a moment.”
He entered the store alone, and the group stood outside, doing nothing. A younger knight leaned closer to the middle-aged man and said gently, “Captain, I know you are a person with noble ideals, and I really want to fight for them. But… I have a wife and two daughters to think about. I’m afraid it’s difficult for me to bring them here and let them suffer like this.”
“I understand,” the middle-aged man nodded solemnly. “I won’t make the decision for you. Everyone now has the freedom to choose again. However, I don’t think we need to rush to leave. At least let’s have a good meal, and maybe stay a few more days?”
“Of course.” The young knight chuckled. “Please don’t misunderstand. I have no prejudice against… uh, Mr. Isaac. In fact, I quite admire him. If I could stay here for a few days and spend some time with him, that would be a good thing—just treat it like a trip.”
“Alright.” The middle-aged man also smiled, and the atmosphere finally lightened.
Inside the restaurant, Isaac followed Ivy’s guidance and went up to the second floor, where he found Ye Mu chatting with a table of regular customers. At the stairs, he waved from a distance, signaling her to come downstairs.
“Excuse me for a moment.” Ye Mu greeted the customers, walked toward the stairs, and asked Isaac as they descended, “What’s going on?”
“I have a situation. Can you help me clear the next five to six next tables? They need to be able to be pushed together.” Isaac asked.
Ye Mu stopped for a moment, looked down from the stairs at the first floor, and saw that every table was full.
So, this request was indeed difficult to fulfill.
However, Isaac had always been very courteous and never liked to trouble others. If it wasn’t absolutely necessary, he wouldn’t have made such a request.
Ye Mu sized him up. “You have very important guests, right?”
“Yes.” Isaac nodded. “They’re all very powerful. I want them to stay in the territory and become police officers. Although it seems unlikely right now, I still want to give it a try.”
So, Isaac wanted to use her restaurant to win over these people with their stomachs?
Ye Mu felt that it might be difficult. Even though she was a master chef, finding a job was clearly far more important than satisfying hunger. How many people would decide to accept a job offer just because the company cafeteria had good food?
But she had no reason to refuse, because recruiting police officers was ultimately for her territory.
Her agent was working hard for it, so what reason did she have to back out?
Ye Mu nodded and called Ivy over. “If the customers at the window-side tables leave, don’t take new ones right away. Clear the tables and chairs, I need them. Once they’re cleared, arrange them into one big table and let me know.”
“Okay!” Ivy agreed and ran off to inform the other waitstaff.
Isaac then said, “I also need to order a few more dishes.”
Ye Mu asked, “What dishes?”
Isaac replied first, “The braised pork with potatoes you made for us before, make two more portions so that three or four dozen people can eat.”
“Got it, anything else?”
Isaac recalled the dishes he’d had before and slowly said, “Homestyle Fragrant Bowl, Homestyle Stir-fried Pork, Mapo Tofu, Scrambled Eggs with Tomatoes… make those too, and you can prepare the rest as you see fit.”
Ye Mu asked, “Is it okay to prepare according to the standard portions for these dishes?”
“No.” Isaac shook his head, looking at the knights outside. He took a deep breath. “Prepare them according to your highest culinary standards.”
Ye Mu was stunned. “???”
Isaac then took out a money pouch and handed it to her. “If you need more specific standards, just spend all of this money.”
Ye Mu was even more confused. “???”
“Sorry for the trouble!” Isaac waved his hand at her. “You go ahead, I’ll entertain them.”
With that, he strode off.
Ye Mu stood there, dumbfounded, staring at the money pouch in her hand.
In this game, when one person gives money to another, if it’s 10 copper coins or less, it can be handed over directly. If it’s more than 10 coins, it automatically generates a money pouch.
However, you can’t see the amount of money from the outside of the pouch, only the size—small, medium, or large. Pouches with less than 1000 copper coins are small, those between 1000 and 5000 are medium, and those over 10,000 are large.
The exact amount is only revealed when you open the pouch.
The pouch Isaac handed her was clearly a large one.
…Over ten thousand copper coins, what does he want to eat?
Frowning, Ye Mu opened it, and a number popped out: 500,000.
Five hundred thousand?!?!
Ye Mu almost threw the pouch away!
Five hundred thousand copper coins! What does he want to eat?!
Abalone, shark fins, or Hermes?!