"Is the food at that restaurant really that good? But Uncle Robert is known for not lying..." Vivian thought to herself as she listened to the conversation inside the window. She had come to have lunch with her father after hearing from the servant that he was back. She would secretly listen to the conversations inside for a while, this was something she had loved doing since she was little, and anyway, even if she got caught, nothing would happen to her.
"Restaurant Mai Mi…Mai Mi…wait, isn't this the restaurant Luna mentioned before? She also said that the food in the restaurant is especially delicious, and it's owned by one of her students' parents." Vivian's eyes suddenly lit up as she remembered why the restaurant seemed familiar, Luna had mentioned it when she came last time.
"Should I try it? But Father said I can't leave the house these days… But if it's really as delicious as Uncle Robert said, it would be such a waste not to try it…" Vivian's face showed a conflicted expression.
"Vivian, if you haven't eaten, come in and eat. We've said everything, there's nothing more for you to hear." Michael's voice came from the room, tinged with a hint of helplessness.
"Ah… I've finished eating, so I won't disturb Father and Uncle Robert's work any longer. You two continue chatting, I was just passing by…" Vivian said hastily, her face showing a hint of panic, before slipping away.
"This girl." Michael chuckled, shaking his head with a mixture of helplessness and indulgence.
Robert looked out the window, a smile also appearing on his face, but then, looking at Michael, he hesitated before asking, "City Lord, Miss's illness…"
"It's still the same, and it seems to be getting worse. Every night I have to use fire magic to dispel the chill so she can fall asleep." Michael's smile faded, and he shook his head.
"Miss is kind-hearted, she'll definitely be alright." Robert's expression was also somewhat somber. Back when he worked at the City Lord's Mansion, the little girl would often come to play with him, she was a very interesting little girl.
"I hope so." Michael nodded, then looked at Robert and remained silent for a moment before saying, "Robert, I understand what you've said. You've brought up the issues with the Catering Association with me several times. However, when I accepted the Food Association into the City Lord's fold, I promised Warren that I wouldn't interfere with the Catering Association's normal operations. But Warren also promised me back then that he would never abuse his power for personal gain. So I will send someone to investigate this matter. If it is confirmed that Warren has indeed been lining his own pockets and turning the entire Catering Association into a tool for certain restaurants, then I will absolutely not tolerate it."
"But City Lord, that restaurant really has potential. If President Warren continues to target it after removing it from the list, it could very well make it impossible for him to continue operating in Aden Square. This has happened before, so…" Robert said anxiously.
"Robert, the dwarves of Eisen Iron Fortress and their neighboring orcs are planning a meeting in Chaos City to discuss border issues; the forest trolls and goblins are fighting again over an iron mine. The forest trolls say the goblins have dug into their territory, while the goblins say the tunnel is on their side, and they haven't crossed the border until it's underground; the demons seem to have found a way to reach Dragon Island from the Dark Sea, and Dragon Island is currently discussing whether to fill in the Dark Sea… So, I've been really busy lately. This restaurant might be excellent, but I probably won't be able to try it for now. I'll keep following up on the Catering Association matter. You can go back after you've eaten." Michael put down his empty bowl, got up, and walked outside.
Robert watched the door slowly close, fell silent, finished the rice in his bowl, and got up to leave.
Having worked in the City Lord's Mansion for over ten years, he understood better how much energy the City Lord needed to deal with these matters. Although none of these things happened within the territory of Chaos City, but from some point onwards, any friction between races on the Nolan Continent would be reported to Chaos City. If neither side wanted to avoid a large-scale war, they would ask Chaos City to mediate.
Chaos City acts as a neutral city, playing the role of mediator and holding a unique position on the Nolan Continent.
For Robert, Restaurant Mai Mi is a restaurant of importance, but for the City Lord, being able to listen to him speak so much during a meal and make a commitment to the Catering Association is already the greatest expression of his concern.
No matter how delicious a restaurant is, or how many powerful mages have dined there, in the eyes of truly important people, it's still not worth their time and effort, it's something not worth mentioning.
…
After pondering for a while without success, Mai Ge decided to give up for the time being and asked in his mind, "System, due to unforeseen circumstances, it may be impossible to complete this ranking mission. However, I successfully climbed to 21st place on the ranking yesterday. Does that mean I have completed the mission?"
"Host, please do not misunderstand the mission. The mission is to have one of your dishes enter the top thirty of the food ranking list and be printed on the list next month. If your restaurant is disqualified, the mission will fail." the system said seriously, leaving no room for negotiation.
"Alright, then I'll make the grilled fish." Mai Ge pouted. The system was unmoved by his words, so it seemed that this mission was probably going to be a bit risky. He put the dough on the board, washed the flour off his hands, and walked towards the fish tank.
"Boss, is today's new dish that beautiful fish?" Yabemia asked curiously, standing at the kitchen doorway.
"Yes, that's the fish, the Rainbow Fish." Mai Ge nodded with a smile. Amy had given it a new name that morning, which Mai Ge thought sounded better than "Colorful Grass Carp".
"This fish is so beautiful, it must taste delicious." Yabemia said expectantly.
"Rainbow Fish? What a lovely name." Sally stood at the kitchen doorway, watching the fish swimming happily in the tank, feeling a pang of pity. It was heartbreaking to see such beautiful fish being slaughtered and served on the table.
"By the way, can you eat spicy food?" Mai Ge turned to the two of them and asked.
"I can handle any kind of spice, even extra spicy." Yabemia said, raising her hand.
"I don't usually eat chili peppers." Sally shook her head. Elves are nature-loving and rarely eat meat, their diet tends to be bland.
"In that case, let's have medium spicy grilled fish today. Mild is a bit too bland." Mai Ge nodded with a smile. She usually doesn't eat spicy food because she hasn't had anything good to eat, and Mai Ge was confident he could make Sally love the taste of this grilled fish.
"Boss, let me help you kill the fish, I'm very good at it..." Yabemia rolled up her sleeves and walked into the kitchen, but she stopped abruptly halfway through her sentence, her mouth agape and an incredulous look on her face.
Mai Ge scooped a rainbow fish out of the fish tank and then cleaned and gutted it with his knife, making delicate cuts on its body with fluid and graceful movements. What was originally a vulgar act was transformed into something elegant and refined by Mai Ge.
"Amazing..." Yabemia closed her mouth, swallowed, and exclaimed.