Chapter Summaries

Ling Chu, You Jiali, and Clumsy Bear entered the five-day Midnight Canteen challenge, where teams had to serve customers and earn positive reviews. After learning the strict rules, they began looking for ingredients and discovered that the canteen was beneath the sea.

• Ling Chu and You Jiali prepared for the Midnight Canteen challenge, while Lingering Wind, Fading Moon, Squid Ball, and Huang Xiaowen chose Ancient Castle Secret.
• The system brought 150 players into the canteen challenge and explained that teams would be ranked by positive reviews after five days.
• Ling Chu read the employee handbook aloud, including rules about business hours, customer conduct, ingredients, cleaning, and daily menus.
• You Jiali tested the kitchen equipment, and Ling Chu realized the team had seven hours to find ingredients and prepare for opening.
• Ling Chu looked through a porthole beside the exit and saw seawater and fish, discovering that the canteen was underwater.

Ling Chu learned about the diving facilities and fees, then took You Jiali and Clumsy Bear underwater to search for ingredients. She identified a Flame Conch as a high-quality ingredient after it burned a player who tried to take it.

• Ling Chu found locker No. 33 stocked with diving gear and learned that the equipment and dormitories would cost Sea Shells after the first day.
• Ling Chu gave You Jiali and Clumsy Bear diving suits and flippers from her Storage Ring, and the three changed and headed underwater to find ingredients.
• Ling Chu scanned the fish with her Eyepatch, but found them unsuitable for cooking.
• You Jiali spotted a large red sea snail, but a player from stall No. 14 grabbed it first and was burned by its blue ghostly flames.
• Ling Chu recognized the sea snail as a Level 2 Flame Conch, a high-quality ingredient commonly found near underwater volcanoes.

Ling Chu and her companions collected Flame Conches and found a Spotted Mantis Shrimp, but a Knife-tail Ray ambushed Ling Chu and You Jiali. After they injured it and cut off its stinger, three more rays surrounded them as Clumsy Bear hurried to help, while two Team 14 players hid nearby and planned to steal the spoils.

• Ling Chu collected Flame Conches with Clumsy Bear, who used his strength to dig them up quickly despite their flames.
• Ling Chu and You Jiali spotted a Spotted Mantis Shrimp and prepared to catch it.
• A Knife-tail Ray attacked Ling Chu and You Jiali, who countered by wounding it and cutting off its stinger.
• Three more Knife-tail Rays arrived and surrounded Ling Chu and You Jiali as nearby players fled.
• Clumsy Bear hurried to help, while two Team 14 players hid behind a reef and planned to seize the spoils after the fight.

Ling Chu and You Jiali killed four Knife-tail Rays and sent the corpses and Flame Conch back to the cafeteria while Ling Chu continued searching the reef. Two players from Team 14 recognized Ling Chu as the server’s Number One on the Four Lists and realized they were lucky not to have provoked her.

• Ling Chu killed one Knife-tail Ray while You Jiali used Charm Control to turn another against its companion.
• Ling Chu killed a second ray, then bent a third ray’s tail so its poisonous spine stabbed its own back.
• You Jiali joined Ling Chu, and together they killed the remaining two Knife-tail Rays.
• Ling Chu sent You Jiali and Clumsy Bear back to the cafeteria with the four corpses and Flame Conch, then continued searching after the Spotted Mantis Shrimp had disappeared.
• Two players from Team 14 watched the fight, and one recognized Ling Chu from the livestream of the Ghost Ship’s clash with the Holy Army.

You Jiali and Clumsy Bear returned to the cafeteria with four Knife-tail Rays, where You Jiali began preparing them and taught Clumsy Bear how to disable Flame Conchs. As Player 24 tried and failed to get some of their ingredients, Ling Chu found two Spotted Mantis Shrimps hiding in a reef crevice.

• A player warned two newcomers from Zones 233 and 520 not to provoke anyone aboard the Ghost Ship, but they praised their own zones' top fleets and ignored his concern.
• You Jiali and Clumsy Bear brought four Knife-tail Rays to Window 33, stunning the cafeteria players.
• You Jiali butchered a ray and stored its tail spine, fins, liver, and bones while Clumsy Bear practiced disabling Flame Conchs.
• Player 24 asked You Jiali for ray fins and then the bones, but You Jiali refused and locked the bones away for soup.
• Ling Chu followed her Eyepatch's notification to a reef crevice and spotted two Spotted Mantis Shrimps.

Ling Chu gathered Spotted Mantis Shrimp and Sea Grapes, then helped You Jiali set the menu and prepare dishes for Window 33. As the Midnight Canteen opened, the teams were ready to serve their competing menus.

• Ling Chu caught two Spotted Mantis Shrimp and gathered Sea Grapes before returning to the canteen.
• You Jiali added Crystal Shrimp Sashimi with Sea Grapes to the menu, and he and Ling Chu set prices for the dishes.
• Ling Chu, You Jiali, and Clumsy Bear divided the preparation work while the other teams finished their menus.
• Ling Chu noticed Window 24 pricing Stir-fried Octopus at 108 Sea Shells, and You Jiali explained that its player had asked unsuccessfully for Stingray Bones.
• The canteen doors opened at ten in the evening, signaling the start of business.

Intelligent mixed-blood Sea Monsters and a group of human guests entered the cafeteria, and Ling Chu recognized the Sea Monsters as powerful hybrids of Sea Monsters and Mermaids. At Window 33, Ling Chu sold one a main dish and an appetizer, while another player attracted a human customer, leaving the guests seated to try their food.

• The guests emerged from the darkness, and Ling Chu identified the first creatures as Sea Monsters with unusually intelligent eyes.
• Ling Chu used her Eyepatch to learn that the creatures were Tier Six Mixed-blood Sea Monsters with formidable abilities and a taste for human food.
• Human guests, including members of the Dwarf race, entered behind the Mixed-blood Sea Monsters and examined the cafeteria windows.
• A Mixed-blood Sea Monster chose Ling Chu's Abalone Sauce Braised Shark Fin and You Jiali's raw mantis shrimp sashimi, paying eighty Sea Shells.
• The player at Window 24 persuaded a burly human guest to buy Spicy Stir-fried Octopus.
• Clumsy Bear served Ling Chu's two dishes to the Mixed-blood Sea Monster.

You Jiali’s dishes delighted the Mixed-blood Sea Monster, which ordered nearly the whole menu and left a generous tip. Across the dining hall, a customer rejected Window 24’s badly cooked octopus and confronted the player who had prepared it.

• The Mixed-blood Sea Monster devoured You Jiali’s shark fin and mantis shrimp sashimi, then ordered every menu item and an extra serving of shark fin, paying 300 Sea Shells.
• Ling Chu recognized the extra Sea Shells as a tip and told Clumsy Bear to clear the monster’s plates for its next round.
• A tall, burly man tasted the Spicy Stir-fried Octopus from Window 24 and found it tough, fishy, and painfully spicy.
• The man accused the restaurant of scamming him and slammed the octopus onto Window 24’s counter as the player protested.

A Lizardman disguised as a human killed a player after being challenged over an overpriced dish, then threatened Ling Chu while ordering food at her window. The Mixed-blood Sea Monster devoured its meal and awarded the cafeteria six positive reviews, while the chapter ended with the Lizardman demanding a tip.

• A disguised Lizardman crushed a player's wrist and killed him after the player attacked him over a dish.
• The Lizardman ordered the Mixed-blood Sea Monster's two dishes from Ling Chu and threatened her if the food disappointed him.
• The Mixed-blood Sea Monster ate its dishes, left five empty plates, and earned Ling Chu, You Jiali, and Clumsy Bear six positive reviews.
• You Jiali prepared the Lizardman's order and added a small jar of complimentary soup, while Ling Chu and You Jiali discussed displaying dishes to attract more customers.
• After finishing his meal, the Lizardman returned to the counter, slammed something down, and demanded a tip.

Ling Chu and You Jiali served a dwarf a bowl of Warm Soup with Flame Conch Balls, which impressed him enough to promise he would return for crab. Ling Chu agreed to add crab to the next night's menu, leaving the pair with a chance to win him over as a repeat customer.

• The Lizardman left Ling Chu a Scale Coin worth 100 Sea Shells after finishing his meal.
• After a customer berated the player at Window 5, You Jiali displayed four sample dishes to attract customers.
• A dwarf asked Ling Chu for crab, but went to Window 32 when she explained it was not on the menu.
• The dwarf returned and bought a bowl of Warm Soup with Flame Conch Balls, which he found exceptionally delicious.
• After finding Window 32's crab less satisfying by comparison, the dwarf told Ling Chu he would return the next night for crab.
• Ling Chu promised the dwarf that crab would be added to the menu, and he warned her he would smash the window if it tasted bad.

After their first day of business, Ling Chu, You Jiali, and Clumsy Bear reviewed their sales and planned ways to attract more customers. At three in the morning, meerkat quality inspectors began deducting positive reviews for dirty windows, including three from the already bloodstained Window 24.

• Ling Chu tallied the day's sales: the team earned 980 Sea Shells and received 22 positive reviews, with no mixed or negative reviews.
• You Jiali proposed offering cheaper set meals, and Ling Chu planned to distribute small samples near the cafeteria entrance the next day.
• The three cleaned their window while the players at Window 24 struggled to scrub away their dead teammate's blood.
• At three in the morning, upright meerkats emerged from the Staff Lounge and announced strict cleanliness inspections that could cost teams positive reviews.
• A meerkat found stains and blood at Window 24 and deducted at least three positive reviews despite the players' protest.

Ling Chu's team passed the hygiene inspection and ranked third for the day's sales, then Ling Chu contacted Xia Chunying and ordered her to report important information daily. Xia Chunying revealed that the Holy Army had found a Level Seven Island and was negotiating with its ruler.

• Ling Chu, You Jiali, and Clumsy Bear passed the hygiene inspection at Window 33 without losing points.
• The meerkats announced Window 33 in third place with 22 positive reviews and no neutral or negative reviews, ahead of Window 7 after review deductions.
• Ling Chu shared a mental connection with the Eyeball Fish and saw Xia Chunying aboard an allied Level 4 Ship, where the crew treated her like a VIP.
• Ling Chu asked Xia Chunying for news, and Xia Chunying reported that the Holy Army had found a Level Seven Island and was negotiating with its ruler.
• Ling Chu ordered Xia Chunying to report important information every day, and Xia Chunying agreed.

Ling Chu learned that the Holy Army was negotiating to conquer a Level Seven Island and planned to wait for a chance to seize the gains. After checking in with her crew and preparing for the cafeteria launch, she went diving to catch crabs for a repeat customer but found an abundance of Spotted Mantis Shrimp instead.

• Ling Chu learned from Xia Chunying that the Holy Army had found a Level Seven Island and decided to wait until they had investigated it before making her move.
• Ling Chu asked her crew how their Public Challenges were going, and they reported progress through an Ancient Castle garden maze and confidence about reaching the top three.
• Ling Chu and You Jiali used cotton earplugs to sleep through Clumsy Bear's loud snoring.
• Ling Chu woke at eleven, ate brunch with You Jiali and Clumsy Bear, then rented diving gear for her companions.
• Ling Chu dived in search of crabs for a dwarf repeat customer and caught seven or eight Spotted Mantis Shrimp in a reef area.

Ling Chu searched for ingredients and discovered a treasure chest guarded by a gigantic King Spotted Mantis Shrimp. She called Clumsy Bear to help defeat it and laid out a plan, leaving the two ready to attack.

• Ling Chu, Clumsy Bear, and You Jiali split up to gather ingredients, and Clumsy Bear confirmed that the ugly crabs he found were edible tiger crabs.
• Ling Chu swam farther out, spotted a school of seahorses, and followed a signal from her Bounty Sense to a moss-covered treasure chest.
• Ling Chu found a Tier 5 King Spotted Mantis Shrimp guarding the chest and summoned Clumsy Bear for help.
• Clumsy Bear arrived with a net bag of tiger crabs, hid it beside a reef, and worried that the giant shrimp was too powerful to fight.
• Ling Chu hid her own mantis shrimp and told Clumsy Bear to distract the monster from the front while she sneaked around its side.

Ling Chu and Clumsy Bear fought the King Spotted Mantis Shrimp over its territory, with Ling Chu exploiting its weak points and using the Thief's Music Box to stop time. The chapter left the Shrimp King frozen as Ling Chu prepared to stab its left eye.

• Clumsy Bear transformed into a giant bear and fought the awakened King Spotted Mantis Shrimp while Ling Chu circled behind it.
• Ling Chu used Keen Eye to find the Shrimp King's weak points and stabbed its abdomen with the Bone Blade.
• The wounded Shrimp King burrowed into the seabed, ambushed Ling Chu, and then attacked Clumsy Bear after he used Taunt.
• Ling Chu decided to spend a Primary Mana Stone and used the Thief's Music Box to stop time.
• Ling Chu swam to the frozen Shrimp King's head and aimed her dagger at its left eye.

Ling Chu and Clumsy Bear killed the King Spotted Mantis Shrimp and opened a Treasure Chest containing food supplies and a Fire Element Magic Rune Stone. They dragged the corpse toward the cafeteria, where curious players stopped them to ask where they had found it.

• Ling Chu used Time Stop to sever both of the King Spotted Mantis Shrimp’s eyes, leaving it blind and unable to see its attackers.
• Clumsy Bear struck the blinded Shrimp King while Ling Chu repeatedly slashed its wounded abdomen, and together they killed it.
• Ling Chu opened the Treasure Chest and obtained rice, eggs, oranges, flour, cheese, and a Fire Element Magic Rune Stone.
• Ling Chu and Clumsy Bear decided to bring the Shrimp King’s corpse back for You Jiali to dismantle, then dragged it toward the cafeteria.
• Players gathering ingredients watched Ling Chu and Clumsy Bear haul the giant shrimp, and one player gestured to ask where Ling Chu had caught it.

Ling Chu and Clumsy Bear brought a giant Spotted Mantis Shrimp King and other ingredients to Window 33, where You Jiali planned a new seafood menu. As customers arrived, Ling Chu offered them free Fried Shrimp Wonton samples to attract diners.

• Ling Chu and Clumsy Bear hauled the dead Spotted Mantis Shrimp King to the cafeteria, and You Jiali decided to use it for a Mantis Shrimp Set Meal.
• Clumsy Bear brought tiger crabs, while Ling Chu added ingredients from an underwater Treasure Chest to the counter.
• You Jiali planned a menu of crab-stuffed orange, shrimp dishes, kelp miso soup, and a Family Feast Set Meal, then refused players' offers to trade ordinary ingredients for the Shrimp King's meat.
• You Jiali butchered the Shrimp King while Ling Chu and Clumsy Bear prepared for the cafeteria's next service.
• When customers entered at ten, Ling Chu offered free Fried Shrimp Wonton samples, and a mixed-blood Sea Monster tried one as someone protested her solicitation.

Ling Chu used free samples to attract customers to Window 33, and her Fried Wontons quickly drew a growing line despite other players copying her tactic. After a hulking customer ate all the samples and joined the queue, the dwarf customer from the previous day demanded the crab he had ordered.

• A player from Window No. 1 confronted Ling Chu for attracting customers, but backed down when she warned him that attacking players during business hours meant elimination.
• Customers who sampled Ling Chu's Fried Wontons flocked to Window 33, where You Jiali persuaded many to buy the Family Feast Set Meal and Silly Bear prepared to serve them.
• Players from nearby windows copied Ling Chu's free-sample approach, but a customer who tried Window 19's shrimp tempura chose Window 33's food instead.
• A hulking customer ate every Fried Wonton sample on Ling Chu's tray, complained that the portion was too small, and joined the line at Window 33.
• The dwarf customer from the previous day tugged at Ling Chu's clothes and demanded the crab he had ordered.

Ling Chu served a dwarf guest a Family Feast Set Meal, and he was astonished by its flavor and strength-boosting effect. After finishing, old Hock offered to forge a piece of equipment for free because he felt the meal was worth far more than its price.

• Ling Chu directed the dwarf guest to Window 33, where he ordered twenty Family Feast Set Meals and kept the kitchen busy.
• Ling Chu helped serve the meals and brought the dwarf his set, explaining that the Crab-stuffed Orange contained the crab he had ordered.
• The dwarf guest tasted the crab and shrimp cutlet, enjoyed both dishes, and noticed that the meal had slightly increased his strength.
• Old Hock told Ling Chu the meal was worth at least a thousand Sea Shells and offered to tip her by forging a piece of equipment for free.

Ling Chu commissioned Master Huo Ke to forge adjustable, fire-enchanted gloves for Clumsy Bear using a magic rune stone and King Spotted Mantis Shrimp shell. After the cafeteria’s busy shift, a customer who ate twenty meals woke up and fled without paying.

• Ling Chu used her Eyepatch to learn that Huo Ke was a master dwarf artisan capable of forging legendary equipment.
• Ling Chu chose to order gloves for Clumsy Bear and gave Huo Ke a Fire Element Magic Rune Stone and King Spotted Mantis Shrimp shell to use as materials.
• Huo Ke agreed to make the gloves adjustable with expansion runes and promised to deliver them the next day.
• A burly customer ate twenty Family Feast Set Meals and fell asleep at the table while Ling Chu, You Jiali, and Clumsy Bear served a steady stream of customers.
• When the cafeteria closed, the customer woke up and ran into the black mist without paying, leaving Clumsy Bear to report the dine-and-dash to Ling Chu.