At this mont, all players had returned to their respective restaurants.
Pine Bloom placed a selection of her favorite fast-food dishes on the cashier counter.
Beside her was a nu handwritten by Rita, though prices had yet to be set.
At least, there were no official prices for their team.
Marmang-Crab, having spent the longest ti in the World Battlefield, had seen countless cosmic beings and even bought food in similar gas before.
But with so many different currencies in the universe, even he couldn't set prices accurately.
As Rita prepared drinks, she silently asked B80234615:
"Even you can't determine prices?"
B80234615: "Nope. Every cosmic species has its own currency. And more than that, they have different personalities."
"In this ga, the difficulty of the [Cashier] role lies in negotiating with custors, trying to obtain currency equivalent to the food's value, and ensuring the restaurant doesn't go bankrupt—or at least has enough funds to buy more ingredients."
The [Chef] role was challenging because it required handling unfamiliar ingredients and turning them into high-quality dishes.
So far, Rita hadn't wasted a single ingredient.
If she hadn't had B80234615's assistance, she would've burned through their stock, leaving the restaurant unable to afford a second restock—getting stuck right at the start.
This wasn't just a theory—just before opening, several waves of players had tried to steal her finished dishes.
Marmang-Crab and the others had worked together to drive them off.
But then, what were the challenges for the [Cleaner] and [Supplier] roles?
Rita glanced at Pine Bloom, who was calmly reading the nu at the register.
She didn't look the slightest bit nervous.
[Pine Bloom – Stage 15 – 100%┃100%┃Mind Like Still Water┃Taboo: To Be Forgotten by the World┃Weakness: None]
No weaknesses?
That was impossible.
Suddenly, B80234615's voice rang in her mind:
"You're focusing on her too much."
Rita's heart skipped a beat.
She was right.
When had she ever paid this much attention to a non-human player?
Marmang-Crab and Black SpringMud Bears were also right there, so why was she constantly watching Pine Bloom?
She subtly glanced at Marmang-Crab and Black SpringMud Bears—both were minding their own business, focused on the shadows shifting in the starry sky.
Rita: "Sothing's off. Haven't you broken through her disguise yet?"
B80234615: "Nope. That other chanical race chip isn't weaker than ."
Rita: "Didn't you say you were special?"
B80234615: "Oh, that place? Gods visit there all the ti."
Rita: "...You're telling gods are just hanging out with chanical race chips for fun?!"
—
The custors finally arrived.
Rita's restaurant was farther inside the food street, and when she had scouted earlier, she couldn't even see the street's end.
But fortunately, custors weren't starting from the entrance—they seed to have their own selection criteria.
A custor shrouded in mist landed at their restaurant's entrance.
Rita, Marmang-Crab, and Black SpringMud Bears instinctively took a few steps forward, watching as Pine Bloom faced off with the custor.
Pine Bloom pushed forward several samples, saying nothing about the price.
Instead, she casually picked up a piece of fruit jerky Rita had enchanted and took a bite herself.
The mist-covered custor extended a hooked appendage, grabbed a piece of grilled at, and dragged it into the mist.
A disgusting chewing sound followed—yet Rita inexplicably felt a wave of satisfaction.
It wasn't her own emotion.
The custor finished the samples, then silently turned to leave.
THUD.
A massive white warhamr, almost as tall as Rita herself, slamd into the ground in front of the custor, blocking its path.
The hamr's intricate magic inscriptions glowed with a soft green light.
Pine Bloom spoke a strange-sounding word.
B80234615 imdiately translated:
"Ancient Mist Language. It ans 'Pay up.'"
Marmang-Crab and Black SpringMud Bears rushed over, standing at the entrance like a pair of debt collectors.
They weren't the only ones dealing with dine-and-dashers—other restaurants had similar problems.
B80234615: "Aren't you going to help?"
Rita: "…What am I supposed to do? Deliver the check?"
Despite her words, she still stepped forward.
They were a team, and she needed to show so presence.
Rolling up her sleeves, she stood behind Pine Bloom, effectively shielding the beautiful Owl Empress from view.
B80234615: "Sigh."
Rita: "Nope. Not listening. I've decided I don't like your comntary anymore!"
B80234615: "Alright, alright."
Pine Bloom neither turned around nor told her to leave.
She didn't even seem annoyed—in fact, her wings slightly spread, shielding Rita completely.
Rita: "..."
Lidian, maybe I can't bla you for everything…
If Maple Syrup or Mistblade were here, they would have ignored her at best—or charged her for "protection fees" afterward.
But Pine Bloom…
Even surrounded by teammates, the misty custor remained calm, speaking in rapid, unintelligible speech.
The mont it finished talking—
Rita's ga rule triggered.
B80234615: "It said the food was bad."
Rita tried to confirm:
"I have a rule that says custors can't give my food a bad rating?"
Correct.
Her Rule #4 lit up.
A terrible rule.
No chef could satisfy every custor's taste.
So rules were impossible to avoid, even when she knew about them.
For example:
[Rule 26: At least 100 dishes must be washed per hour.]
She had already given up on this one.
She had tested washing one dish earlier, and Marmang-Crab's Mischief Score had instantly dropped by 1.
If she washed 100 dishes, his score would hit zero.
If she actually did that, she would completely alienate the team's strongest player.
A bit of point-leeching was fine—Marmang-Crab wouldn't be petty about it.
But if she drained 100 points, that would be pushing it too far.
She could afford to take one penalty per hour.
—
anwhile, Pine Bloom continued negotiating in Ancient Mist Language.
She spoke slowly, and Rita suspected she was repeating whatever her chanical race chip was feeding her.
When it beca clear that negotiations were failing, Pine Bloom prepared to let the custor go.
She wasn't willing to take the risk of attacking first—not without knowing the consequences.
Just like with the Mischief Score, she had sent Marmang-Crab to test the waters first.
But then—
Several players a few restaurants away killed a custor.
All nearby players turned to watch.
The mont the custor died, it dropped a pile of strange currency—and the players gained additional benefits!
Rita couldn't see the exact rewards, but Pine Bloom did.
Without hesitation, she lifted her warhamr and swung it down on the misty figure.
Marmang-Crab and Black SpringMud Bears joined in instantly.
Rita stayed put.
She knew she wouldn't be able to steal the kill—so it was better to observe.
Within seconds, the misty custor was obliterated.
But just as it dispersed, Pine Bloom visibly stiffened for a brief mont.
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