Secrets of the Dining Hall

The Quality of Item is divided into common, Rare, Elite, Perfect, Epic, Legendary, and Myth, from lowest to highest.

Among these, the transformation from Perfect to Epic is a hurdle. There are many Perfect Grade Item, but Epic Level Item are not common.

In a weak and near-destruction world, there may be many Perfect -Level Item, but there might not be a single Epic Level Item.

Take the world where Fuzi lived as an example. In their world, there was only one Item of Epic Level Quality.

To be honest, Bai Zhi didn't expect to obtain an Epic Grade Item so quickly, even though it wasn't Item or an Equipment, nor was it something that could enhance his strength.

However, even an Epic Level toothpick is of immeasurable value.

Although Bai Zhi did want to study the thing he had borrowed properly now, it was clearly not the right time.

After wandering around the market for a while, Bai Zhi stopped in front of a roadside Stall. The stall owner was a middle-aged man in his thirties or forties, who looked no different from a normal person.

On the cloth in front of him were some broken objects that, from their appearance, seemed useless.

"... Intern Chef?"

After looking up and scrutinizing the two of them for a moment, the middle-aged man suddenly asked this question.

"What, you figured it out?"

Bai Zhi sat down on a chair set up in front of the Stall and raised an eyebrow slightly.

"That's just a guess. After all, those who can come here are either customers who have obtained tickets to dine here, or new Employee who are applying for jobs here. Basically, those are the two options."

With a wave of his hand, the middle-aged man took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket. After skillfully taking out a cigarette and putting it in his mouth, he handed the pack of cigarettes to Bai Zhi.

"Want Huazi?"

"... I don't smoke."

"Never mind then."

The middle-aged man casually put the cigarette pack back into his pocket, snapped his fingers, and Ignite the cigarette he was holding in his mouth.

"You're probably looking to get some information from me, right? I do have some news that you'd find very interesting, but it depends on whether you're willing to pay the price."

What's the price?

Since the other party was happy to get straight to the point, Bai Zhi didn't want to go through any more roundabout ways.

"It's simple. You're Chef, right? Just make a dish for me using the menu I provide, and then bring it here."

The middle-aged man exhaled a puff of smoke with a contented air.

"I'm not taking too much advantage of you, just this one condition, and you can use that menu too, so strictly speaking, you're not at a huge disadvantage."

"Can."

After thinking for a moment, Bai Zhi nodded.

"Very well, since you agree, let's sign this temporary contract."

The middle-aged man reached out with one hand and pulled out a tattered Parchment Scroll from the Void in front of him, then handed the Parchment Scroll to Bai Zhi.

"It's all in black and white, fair and just."

After glancing over the contents of the contract on the Parchment Scroll, Bai Zhi readily signed his name on it.

Although this Parchment Scroll looks tattered, the information displayed by the system during my inspection just now indicates that it is a Special Item of Rare Level called [Justice Contract].

"After obtaining the most basic strength rating from the system, a Special shop will be unlocked. This contract is just a common item in that shop."

After Bai Zhi signed the contract, the middle-aged man's mood improved significantly. He seemed to have figured something out, and when he took back the Parchment Scroll, he explained it to Bai Zhi quite readily.

"Verbal promises are never reliable, especially with strangers, but having something like this makes things much more convenient."

"You're Player too?"

The Fireworks of Romance standing nearby couldn't help but ask.

"Certainly."

Glancing at the Fireworks of Romance nearby, the middle-aged man, seemingly in a good mood, replied.

"I used to Chef at this restaurant for a while, and I even rose to the Intermediate Chef, but I resigned later. Without my Chef's status, it takes a lot of effort to get a meal here; this isn't a place you can just come to whenever you want."

What kind of place is this restaurant?

After hearing what the other party said, Bai Zhi's heart stirred slightly, and he asked the middle-aged man in front of him a question.

"A place to eat."

The middle-aged man answered cheerfully.

"I know what you want to ask, but that information remains a mystery. I don't have the ability to know that. Nobody knows the purpose of this restaurant's existence, nor who founded these restaurants. If I had to put it in perspective, this is probably a neutral location located in the Void."

"Neutral grounds..."

Bai Zhi narrowed his eyes slightly as he watched a Specter drift past him.

"A restaurant that welcomes both humans and Anomaly?"

"It's too small; its scope is too narrow."

The middle-aged man crushed the half-smoked cigarette butt in his hand into powder and shook his head.

"It's rumored, and I've only heard about it, that some Evil God and Abyssal Being also dine at this restaurant, but since this rumor has spread, it should have some credibility."

"So what's the deal with this market?"

Bai Zhi looked at the other people in the market.

"And what do you mean by the tickets you mentioned earlier?"

"We can't be too one-sided. There are good and bad people among humans, so why can't there be good and bad Anomaly in the Anomaly? You have to understand that with such a large population, anything is possible."

Looking up at him, the middle-aged man had a meaningful look on his face.

"As for why most people on this Trading Street have unusual physical conditions, it's because they can't afford to eat dishes prepared by Formal Chef and can only choose those made by Intern Chef. After all, not all Chef are as ethical as I am and wouldn't add anything to the food."

"What, do the Intern Chef's guests also include humans?"

Bai Zhi remained completely unfazed.

"Of course not. In reality, aside from those mindless Anomaly, no one who has the chance to come here would be tempted to choose the dishes made by the Intern Chef, because that's practically gambling."

The middle-aged man spoke slowly.

"The consequence of trying to save money is what you see now. I've heard of unfortunate people whose food turned into excrement while they were eating. And this wasn't just one person's experience; the whole restaurant was like that. The scene was... tsk tsk tsk..."

"Well..."

After the middle-aged man finished speaking, Bai Zhi and Fireworks of Romance simultaneously recalled a certain figure in their minds.

--The Lord of the Five Grains Cycle.

"Even so, this is still considered a relatively good outcome."

The middle-aged man looked on with a sigh.

"As for those who were less lucky, some grew multiple heads and arms and turned into Monster, while the unluckiest ones were simply poisoned to death... Look, I heard that dozens of people were poisoned to death in the Intern Restaurant this morning and noon."

Bai Zhi: "..."

Fireworks of Romance: "..."