Chapter 146: Precious Ingredients

Chapter 146: Chapter 146: Precious Ingredients

Seeing its demeanor, Seraphina Sinclair got straight to the point. "Does your restaurant process ingredients provided by customers?"

The smile on the waiter’s face seemed to grow a fraction more genuine, as if the question benefited it in some way.

"Of course, esteemed guest. We offer premium ingredient processing services. You need only provide the raw materials and pay the corresponding processing fee—we only accept Black Fog Coins. Based on the ingredients’ traits, we can cook the most delicious dishes in the world for you. Furthermore, after professional cooking, certain special ingredients may even yield unexpected additional effects."

’Of course there’s a processing fee.’

Seraphina Sinclair had already expected this.

She didn’t care whether it was delicious or not. Her original plan was to process the E-level fish herself if there was a fee.

But after hearing what the waiter said...

’Special ingredients,’ ’professional cooking,’ ’extra effects’?

’E-level fish is definitely a special ingredient, right? Does that mean it can provide even greater benefits?’

No longer in a hurry to eat, Seraphina Sinclair took out a Black Mist Catfish from her Silver Moon Earrings and asked, "After processing, could this thing have the ’extra effects’ you mentioned?"

Another inhuman scene unfolded.

The nose on the waiter’s handsome face flew right off!

As if it had a mind of its own, the nose drifted over to the Black Mist Catfish in Seraphina Sinclair’s hand and took a deep sniff.

This scene would have made anyone else jump out of their skin, but Seraphina Sinclair had been brave since she was a child.

She sighed and raised a hand to cover her eyes.

’I can’t bear to watch this.’

’If this thing is going to imitate a human, can’t it at least be a little more convincing?’

’It was absurd enough when it was sweeping earlier, and now it’s not even pretending anymore...’

’It’s not like I’ve never seen something like this before, but that was in movies and on TV!’

’Seeing it happen in real life is still incredibly bizarre.’

But Seraphina Sinclair couldn’t be bothered to complain about the things in this godforsaken place anymore. She watched as the nose hovered by the catfish, sniffing it carefully from top to bottom, left and right, before retracting.

The waiter’s face was expressionless, but its eyes seemed to narrow slightly, as if it were seriously analyzing what the nose had smelled.

After a moment, it finally spoke, but only to remind Seraphina Sinclair that she should eat. "Guest, if you do not begin your meal soon, you will miss its peak flavor. We can discuss the processing service in detail after you have finished eating."

Taking the hint, Seraphina Sinclair picked up her chopsticks and began to enjoy her breakfast.

The shrimp wonton noodle soup had a clear, savory broth, and the wontons were plump with filling.

The Malay sponge cake was soft and sweet, while the iced lemon tea was perfectly balanced, its cool tartness a refreshing counterpoint to the meal.

The waiter stood quietly to the side, its posture as perfect as a statue’s.

’It looked like everything it was supposed to be, just not very human.’

Soon, Seraphina Sinclair finished her breakfast, and the waiter deftly cleared the dishes.

It turned to face Seraphina Sinclair again and smiled. "Thank you for dining with us. Now, let us return to your question about the processing service."

"The Black Mist Catfish you showed me is indeed a special E-level ingredient. Through careful preparation by our restaurant’s professional chefs, there is a high probability that we can awaken its latent potential, granting the consumer an Attribute enhancement. The most likely outcome would be a minor increase to your Constitution."

"Of course," the waiter’s tone shifted, though its smile remained unchanged, "such professional processing naturally requires a corresponding fee. We charge for processing based on the quality and quantity of the ingredients you provide."

As it said this, it gave a meaningful glance at Seraphina Sinclair’s earrings.

That was where she stored the Black Mist Catfish she had just put away, as well as the other E-level fish she had acquired.

The waiter refocused its gaze on Seraphina Sinclair’s eyes and said, "The processing fee for a single E-level ingredient is 100 Black Fog Coins. We will provide complementary side dishes based on the cooking method, at no extra charge."

’That expensive?’

Seraphina Sinclair frowned. She currently had a total of 2,319 Black Fog Coins. Even if she used it all on processing fees, she could only process 23 fish...

’And I’d be bankrupt afterward.’

’Let’s see if I can haggle...’

Seraphina Sinclair put down her chopsticks, lightly tapping her fingertips on the stone table, and looked directly into the waiter’s unnervingly perfect eyes.

"100 Black Fog Coins for one? That price... isn’t very friendly, is it? I have more than one of these E-level ingredients on hand. If I have them processed in bulk, can I get a discount?"

The curve of the waiter’s smile did not change in the slightest, but its speech seemed to slow, taking on a programmed patience. "Esteemed guest, we offer the processing service merely to be of service and to ensure our guests’ satisfaction. We do not rely on this business to earn any Black Fog Coins."

’If you aren’t making a profit, then just don’t charge for it!’

Seraphina Sinclair raised an eyebrow, on the verge of cursing.

The creature paused subtly before continuing at its previous pace, "We do have a certain pursuit of fine ingredients. For esteemed clients who can provide a stable supply of A-level or higher ingredients, we have a clear partnership proposal."

"A-level or higher?"

Seraphina Sinclair keenly caught the keyword, and her tapping fingers stilled. "You mean, if I can provide higher-quality ingredients, the processing fee is actually cheaper?"

The waiter nodded slightly and explained, "To be precise, our establishment has a keen interest in high-quality ingredients. For our chefs, A-level and higher ingredients represent a rare challenge and a distinct honor to handle. If you can provide a stable supply of such ingredients, our establishment is willing to waive all processing fees. We might even be open to bartering—trading our own resources for the opportunity to work with these precious ingredients."

It all clicked into place for Seraphina Sinclair.

’So that’s it. The restaurant is really after the high-level ingredients themselves.’

’Right now, the best I have is only E-level. I’m a long way from A-level.’

’But this is definitely an important piece of information. It gives me a new direction for collecting resources. High-level ingredients aren’t just for my own use—they can be spent like money!’

"I understand."

Seraphina Sinclair nodded, temporarily pushing aside her longing for high-level ingredients to address the issue at hand. "But for now, all I have are these E-level ingredients. Since you claim you want to satisfy your guests, you have to meet their requests, right? And my request right now is for you to process these Black Mist fish for me, free of charge."

With that, Seraphina Sinclair took out all the fish.

Although the fish had been dead for a while, they were still perfectly fresh from being stored in the Silver Moon Earrings, as if they had just died.

The waiter seemed conflicted, because what Seraphina Sinclair said did make sense.

Its purpose was to satisfy the guests, and the current guest didn’t want to pay with Black Fog Coins but still wanted them to process these E-level ingredients...

After a moment of thought, the waiter parted its lips. "For this service, I can process one for you, free of charge."