The following morning, the Citadel Bell rang once.
"It ans there are many special tasks posted, and Official Disciples must prioritize them. You don’t have to worry about those tasks until you beco a Novice Warrior," Omar explained to Tyler.
"You’re not going?" Tyler asked.
"Nah... I’ll wait for the boss to co back," Omar replied, and Tyler patted his shoulder in understanding.
"I wonder what the tasks are about?" Tyler murmured.
"Probably the Kunpeng Ruins that erged near our sect," Omar guessed.
"Alright. Let’s et Kimmy Goel first."
Tyler and Omar went to one of the quarters. A chubby woman opened the door.
"Ms. Kimmy Goel?" Tyler called her.
"Yes. What can I do for you?" she asked curiously.
"Hello, My na is White. I am here to recruit you as my restaurant chef," Tyler said.
*Slam* She slamd the door swiftly and said, "Go away."
"Let explain, Miss Goel," Tyler shouted.
Inside Miss Kimmy Goel’s house, Tyler and Omar were drinking tea.
"You have two minutes to explain," she said.
"Well, I just started a new restaurant called Immortal Bytes. But the Fire Valley Restaurant did so dirty work, and many people died of food poisoning. I was forced to close the restaurant temporarily, and my chef ran away," Tyler explained.
Kimmy Goel felt pity and a sense of comradeship when she heard that Tyler had gone through a lot of trouble, just like her.
"You know that Fire Valley Restaurant belongs to a Master Level Warrior. I am just a Novice Warrior, and you... You are not even a Novice Warrior. How can we go against him?" Kimmy Goel asked.
"We are actually from the Law Enforcent Departnt," Tyler said.
"Investigation Branch," Omar added.
Tyler then explained his plan. Kimmy Goel’s mouth twitched a little.
"Isn’t it a bit—" Kimmy Goel hesitated to say.
"Shaless, right?" Omar finished her sentence.
"Seriously, the only other plan I have right now is to hold our boss’s thigh," Tyler said.
"Hold her thigh?" Omar shouted excitedly.
"It’s just a figure of speech, I guess," Kimmy Goel replied.
"So, are you in?"
Kimmy Goel hesitated but still wanted to give it a try. She nodded.
┉┈ ◈ ◉ ◈ ┈┉
Pebble Isle
Near the shore, a large crowd had gathered. Most of them were families of people who had suffered from food poisoning.
Tyler dragged his tired body to the crowd. Behind him, so people he had hired were bringing boxes.
"Hello everyone, My na is White, owner of Immortal Bytes Restaurant and an assistant investigator in the Law Enforcent Departnt," Tyler started by introducing himself. The crowd quieted down. The victims’ families had already been inford about this gathering by Omar, so they were not surprised. Passersby also joined the crowd out of curiosity.
"Most of you heard about the food poisoning incident that happened a few days ago. It happened because of my restaurant. But the truth is a lot deeper," Tyler said mysteriously.
"So you’re saying soone did that, and your restaurant is innocent?" soone in the crowd asked.
"Smart," Tyler nodded in satisfaction. The guy who asked the question looked awkward because he was from the Fire Valley Restaurant.
"This is not the first ti this has happened. Standing beside is Kimmy Goel, a Novice Level Chef. A year ago, she also opened a restaurant on another island. The sa thing happened to her," Tyler explained.
┉┈ ◈ ◉ ◈ ┈┉
The previous day, Tyler went to the Work Register Office. He explained the situation to the Elder.
"Well, that’s just competition outside the sect. We don’t really interfere in that," the elder said.
"But the sect also has a partnership in that business, right? The sect has a share in my new restaurant too," Tyler didn’t back down.
"Well, after a restaurant is closed, the Fire Valley will donate a certain amount of Lydia to the sect, and they don’t harm the disciples. Except for one ti, they almost got into big trouble," she replied.
Tyler understood that she was talking about one of the guys who got murdered and thrown into the sea.
"The sect has strict rules. No killing fellow disciples inside the sect or across the sect territory," she made a long pause and continued, "as long as there is no evidence."
Tyler nearly forgot that he was in an unorthodox sect.
┉┈ ◈ ◉ ◈ ┈┉
"So, what do you want to do?" the sa guy asked again.
"Good," Tyler nodded at him with a smile. The guy looked awkward again. Tyler liked him; he was very cooperative. Tyler was waiting for soone to ask the question.
"If there’s one thing I cannot abide, it’s injustice. Who suffers the injustice? It’s not or you. It’s my custors. I want justice for my custors. Justice for Immortal Bytes. We are going to protest in front of their restaurant!" Tyler shouted. Everyone looked at him with dumbfounded expressions.
Omar and Kimmy Goel wanted to dive into the sea and hide their faces from embarrassnt.
"Huh... "
"But I have a lot of work to do..."
The crowd imdiately lost interest.
"Those who tag along get free vegetables," Tyler announced. His hired workers opened the boxes and showed the vegetables.
"I’m in."
" too."
" three."
The crowd imdiately joined.
Tyler proudly looked at Omar and Kimmy Goel.
"Don’t look at us. We don’t know you," they murmured silently.
---
Arshad, the manager of all the Fire Valley Restaurants in Pebble Isle, had one job: to visit these restaurants, ensure everything was in order, and solve any problems that arose.
One of the staff ran towards him in a panic. "Manager, manager!"
"Hey, stop. Stop. Why are you panicking? Take a deep breath." He smiled gently. "Now, tell what happened."
"There are a lot of people in front of our restaurant near the shore," the staff mber said.
"Isn’t that a good thing?" Arshad smiled back and turned to leave.
"Manager."
"What?"
"They’re protesting."
"What?"
"They’re prot—"
"I heard that! I an, what the F—"
He slapped the servant and said angrily, "Why didn’t you tell faster? I will go and see who dares to go against Fire Valley."
┉┈ ◈ ◉ ◈ ┈┉
Justice For Custors.
Justice For Immortal Bytes.
The crowd was shouting slogans. There are even holding boards which have slogans like "Let the Startup Grow up." "Don’t Poison People’s Food."
Manager Arshad reached the Shore. His mouth twitched. He imdiately emitted his aura and walked in front of the crowd. He saw a Chubby woman cooking outside and serving food for the protestors.
Outside the restaurant is full of people, but there is no one inside. Even the servants are standing outside looking at the situation.
"What are you doing in front of the restaurant?" He asked.
Everyone stopped and turned their head to the side. Tyler who is just sitting and looking at the beach snapped out of daze when he felt everyone’s gaze.
He looked at Arshad, his eyes lit up.
"So you are the Boss of this Rowdy Gang?" Arshad asked in disdain when he noticed that Tyler didn’t even have Aura.
"Yub. I am the Boss. You can call Boss White. And these people are not Rowdies or Gangs. They are Normal people who ca for free foo- "
*Cough* , Omar coughed.
"For Justice.... They ca for Justice. We are Justice Le-."
*cough*Omar coughed again.
"What?"
"That na is already taken." Omar whispered back.
"Anyways you got the point, right?" Tyler smiled at Arshad.
"What injustice did my Fire Valley Restaurant do?" He asked.
Tyler told everything they did.
"Watch your Words. You can’t accuse us without evidence." Arshad emitted his aura. But Omar was able to suppress it easily.
Arshad was surprised why a Novice level Warrior is working for a Guy who hasn’t even started practising immortality.
"Proof? We do have so clues. Rember the servant of your restaurant who killed the official disciple. He confessed." Tyler said.
"Impossible. He is - "
"Dead? He accidentally fell and died, right? But you guys don’t know that he already knows that his life is in danger. So he left a letter about the truth." When Tyler said that Arshad was dumbfounded.
"Hmph. How can a piece of paper be evidence? Are you sure that he is the one who wrote that? without actual evidence Justice is nothing." Arshad scoffed.
"You are right. Without evidence we can’t do anything." Tyler said.
He turned around and said, "Alright. That’s it for today. We are leaving. We don’t have evidence."
"Huh? Just like that?"
"It’s over."
The crowd was disappointed and Omar and Kimmy were confused. Even Arshad was confused.
"Quick quick, let’s leave... Go a little back. Back" Tyler hurried them back.
Arshad got suspicious. As the crowd moved backwards Tyler suddenly stopped and turned around.
"You are right. Without evidence, Justice is nothing." Tyler said.
*boom*
The Fire Valley Restaurant blasted from inside. The glass windows shattered. The Staff and Building were safe but the interior was all destroyed.
Arshad face covered with black smoke.
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