In the kitchen, Lin Feng's mouth was already stretched almost from ear to ear. Only sheer willpower kept him from laughing like a pig.
The system had actually given in!
Even if it had only said it would "consider it," given the system's haughty nature, that basically meant it was set in stone!
Just thinking about how, from now on, he'd only need to stand in the kitchen flipping a wok and showing off, while everyone else handled all the work...
Lin Feng felt the spirit of his laziness burning like a raging fire!
In his excellent mood, even those top-grade ingredients looked much more pleasing to him.
As everyone waited with reverence, time seemed to lose all meaning.
After who knew how long,
a hand gently lifted the curtain to the kitchen.
In an instant, an indescribably rich aroma burst out!
Amid that intoxicating fragrance, Lin Feng emerged at an unhurried pace.
In his hands, he carried an ordinary-looking ebony tray.
Yet in the eyes of the Title Douluos, the tray seemed to bear a miniature world!
Every dish shimmered with divine radiance and the rhythm of the Dao, its light flowing as wondrous visions unfolded around it!
Above the Bone-Eroding Qilin Steak, the phantom of a majestic qilin seemed to roar at the sky!
Beside the Abyssal Thousand-Throat Liver, an endless abyss seemed to slowly revolve!
Gulp.
Someone swallowed with difficulty. In the deathly silent hall, the sound rang out as clearly as a war drum!
Lin Feng's movements remained as lazy and casual as ever.
He walked to the table and casually set down the dishes from the tray, leaving only a light remark:
"Enjoy."
But when those words fell, no one dared pick up their chopsticks.
It was as if they weren't a casual invitation, but the final decree with which a god opened a feast.
Led by Ghost Douluo, every Title Douluo rose once more in perfect unison and bowed deeply toward Lin Feng's retreating back.
"Thank you, senior, for granting us this feast!"
Only after Lin Feng had left did they dare slowly straighten up and sit down again.
But the instant their backsides touched their seats, the atmosphere of extreme restraint, that air of "reverence," shattered with a crash!
One moment, they were believers standing before a god.
The next, they had turned into starving wolves fighting over divine offerings!
"Clang!"
Ghost Douluo's withered hand moved as fast as a phantom. A flash of cold, black energy passed, and his chopsticks had already seized a rib wreathed in the phantom of a qilin!
He didn't even have time to savor it. He shoved it straight into his mouth!
All traces of elegance vanished from Chrysanthemum Douluo's bewitching face!
His right hand, which usually held its fingers in a delicate orchid pose, now flew about at a speed that had nothing to do with elegance. His mouth was stuffed full, his cheeks bulging like a hamster stealing food.
Divine Flame blazed in Spirit Kite Douluo's phoenix eyes. She wasn't eating food—she was eating fighting spirit, eating her determination to surpass Tuoba Xi today!
Demon Bear Douluo went even further, abandoning his chopsticks altogether. He grabbed a steak in his fan-sized hand and shoved it into his mouth. Grease ran down his rugged chin, but he didn't notice at all, only letting out a muffled, satisfied growl!
The entire dining table had become a battlefield!
At the very center of the chaos, Ghost Leopard Douluo, the newly converted "believer," was only just tremblingly lifting his first bite of Flying Cloud Leopard Minced Meat Noodles.
Those weren't noodles. They were the Divine Grace he had personally turned away yesterday!
The instant the noodles entered Ghost Leopard Douluo's mouth, his mind went blank.
It was a supreme deliciousness that no words could describe, something even thought could not reach.
The springy, silky noodles were coated in broth so rich it seemed capable of melting the soul. The flavor exploded across his tongue!
And the finely minced Flying Cloud Leopard meat was the finishing touch. It melted in his mouth, transforming into a pure, domineering yet incomparably mellow meaty fragrance that swept through every one of his senses!
The sounds of Chrysanthemum Douluo and the others wolfing down their food seemed to come from another world.
A scalding wave surged from the depths of his heart and into his eyes.
Yet the corners of his mouth stretched into a smile so ecstatic it looked more like a grimace.
Delicious.
So delicious he wanted to swallow his own tongue.
So delicious that it made him feel like he'd spent all those years eating pig slop!
So this was the taste of Divine Grace?
Only when Lin Feng lifted the curtain and returned to the kitchen was the fervor and reverence of the Title Douluos outside finally cut off completely.
The distant, indifferent look on his face, as if his thoughts had wandered across the ages, collapsed in an instant.
"Phew—next up are the dishes for Hu Liena and the other two. Together, the three of them only have a little over a hundred points. This really is..."
Of course, although Lin Feng complained about Ghost Douluo, he still took the three youngsters' orders seriously.
After all, without these three high-quality "leeks," where would today's entire lush "garden of elder leeks" have come from?
When Lin Feng brought Hu Liena and the others' dishes to the table, the atmosphere throughout the restaurant shifted subtly once again.
Unlike the dishes at the elders' table, which had blazed with divine light and spawned wondrous visions, these three servings were much more "unassuming."
There were no qilins roaring, nor abysses revolving.
All they had was a rich aroma, almost solid enough to touch, visibly curling above the plates.
But even that was enough to make the three youngsters' eyes light up.
"Th-thank you, senior, for granting us these dishes!"
Lin Feng didn't respond. He simply headed back to the rocking chair that belonged exclusively to him.
Creak—
The moment he lay back in the chair and completely relaxed, a wave of unprecedented fatigue surged through him.
It wasn't physical exhaustion.
It was mental.
Keep acting!
Keep it up!
Slumped in the rocking chair, he finally remembered the wonderful news from earlier.
"System, system, come out and talk."
He called out in his mind.
"About that 'waiter' thing..."
A trace of shrewd, penny-pinching anticipation tinged Lin Feng's voice, though only he himself could detect it.
"Let me make this clear first."
"My restaurant takes the high-end route. It's all about style and presentation."
"The waiter you find for me can't be too lacking in looks or temperament, right?"
He paused, then added,
"I don't want any crooked melons and cracked dates. That'd seriously damage the glorious image of me, the 'senior.'"
[Heh.]
As expected, the system's cold electronic voice arrived, laced with a hint of mockery.
[Host, you're still fixated on something as shallow as looks? How pitifully narrow-minded.]
Lin Feng's mouth twitched violently.
Damn, the stupid system had looked down on him again.
But the system's next words made Lin Feng's expression stiffen slightly.
[Besides, what you need to worry about now isn't the quality of your employees.]
The system's cold, ruthless electronic voice carried a trace of barely concealed amusement.
[It's whether you have enough points to pay your employees' wages.]
Lin Feng: "?"
The beautiful daydream playing in his head—waitresses serving tea and water while he lounged around, counting money until his hands cramped—froze, shattered, and turned into a screen full of pixelated snow.
Wait.
Hadn't some strange word slipped into what it had just said?
Wages?
What wages?
Deep inside, Lin Feng's pupils shuddered violently.
In a dangerously tentative tone, he asked the system, one word at a time:
"You mean...I still have to use the points I worked my tail off earning...to pay them wages?!"
[???]
In his mind, the system's cold electronic voice echoed with three question marks, full of scorn and confusion.
As if it were saying:
What else?
Did you think you could bring back slavery?