The light of a new sun shone down on Chaos City, applying a golden sheen to all of the buildings. The heavy rain from the night prior had washed the entire city clean, making the tiles on the roofs glisten under the sunlight. There were still water droplets hanging off the branches and leaves of the trees, and the air was very clean and refreshing.
The final traces of summer had been completely washed away by the pouring storm, and autumn had officially announced its arrival. All of the people on the streets wore vibrant smiles as if their moods had improved due to the weather.
Mag opened his blinds, and a smile also appeared on his face as the sunlight shone on his chef's suit through the window.
His exceptional regenerative abilities ensured that the wound on his left arm was almost fully healed in just one night. He had applied some new bandages to the wound after getting up in the morning, and it was completely unnoticeable under his chef's suit.
Right at that moment, the system's voice suddenly sounded. "Ding! New mission: open a branch within five days irrespective of location or scale, but it must be a food-themed shop. After the mission is completed, you will receive the opportunity to spin the God of Cookery upgrade wheel again with a guaranteed chance of receiving a prize."
"Opening a branch?" Mag raised an eyebrow, and contemplated momentarily before asking, "Isn't it a bit too early? I can open a branch, but shouldn't the required facilities also be included in the prize? I need to renovate the place, and I need all kinds of kitchenware. Otherwise, what am I going to be able to do in just five days? Open a kebab shop?"
"The roast kebab is a very important late-night meal option in China, and it can support an independent restaurant. I think there are no issues with that suggestion." The system gave a serious reply.
Mag furrowed his brows, and said, "System, I feel like you're holding some sort of misconception about what it means to open a branch. A restaurant would only open a branch when business is very good and they have superfluous resources that would allow them to open a branch. Our business is indeed booming and warrants the opening of a new branch, but I'm the one who makes all of the dishes, especially the roast beef kebab. Without long periods of training and practice, there's no way that anyone can make kebabs that are as tasty as mine. If you ask me to open a kebab shop now, it would have to be at the expense of this main restaurant. In that case, we'd be incurring losses rather than making further profits."
"That is indeed a problem, but as a system, what would be the point of my existence if I only released missions that aren't challenging? I'll be embarrassed to be in the company of other systems and become their laughingstock. Do you know what it feels like to be ostracized?" The system's enraged and grief-stricken voice sounded.
"I do sympathize with you, but I can't help you. Also, whether you're an embarrassment or not doesn't hinge on whether you release difficult missions. Some people were simply born to be an embarrassment... like you, system." Mag shrugged.
"Nonsense! The system was created by God and is well-versed in all Earthly food recipes created in the past 3,000 years. At the same time, the system excels in fields such as history, science, maths, physics... There is nothing that the system isn't capable of, so what's this about being an embarrassment? If the system were an embarrassment, then what would that make everything else?" The system gave an indignant response.
"System, how much for a lollipop?" Mag suddenly asked.
"Half a copper coin each, with two as a minimum purchase. The system also offers a buy 10 get two free deal," the system instantly replied.
"You see, this is why you're an embarrassment among other systems." Mag rolled his eyes. "I've never seen a system that sells lollipops."
"..." The system fell into an extended period of silence.
Mag broke the silence, and said, "Alright, let's talk about the renovation now. I can supply the storefront, but you have to provide the renovations service to maintain a high standard in the environment of the restaurant. I'm willing to pay a renovation fee for that purpose."
"What's your budget?" the system immediately asked.
"1,000 gold coin at most," Mag replied
The system immediately began to rattle off questions. "What kind of shop front would you like to create? How much area does it take up? How much kitchenware do you need? I can only give a specific quote after an evaluation. If it's only 1,000 gold coins, then I can only offer a simple renovation service without any kitchenware included in the package."
"1,000 gold coins is all I can afford right now, and that's the upper limit. If it's going to be a branch, then it has to have kitchenware to reach acceptable operations standards. Otherwise, it can't even qualify as a branch." Mag wasn't going to budge. He continued, "I'll set up a 30-square-meter ice cream with two ice cream machines. As for the renovations, I'll go with an ice and snow theme. I won't pay if it ends up being too ugly."
"1,000 gold coins isn't enough. Can you add a bit more?" the system asked.
"Don't try to play me for a fool. Mobai's forge was rebuilt entirely from scratch, and it only cost him 1,000 gold coins. I'm only asking for renovations on a tiny 30-square-meter ice cream shop. 1,000 gold coins will be more than enough for me to hire dwarven artisans for renovations and then purchase two ice cream machines," Mag replied firmly.
"Alright, 1,000 gold coins for all of the renovations in the ice cream shop as well as two fully automatic ice cream machines," the system spat through gritted teeth after a brief silence.
"Great. Aside from the renovations, I also want to discuss the matter of the ice cream combo with you. Four flavors is already plenty for the current restaurant, but if we're opening a specialized ice cream shop, then four flavors won't be enough. Hence, can you allow me to access the recipes for the other ice cream flavors?" Mag asked earnestly.
"The system can list that as one of the prizes for the Good of Cookery prize wheel. If you complete the mission, you'll have a chance to receive that prize," the system replied.
"Alright." Mag nodded and entered the kitchen to prepare the ingredients for the morning service.
"Um... Would you still like some lollipops?" Buy 10 get two free; it's an absolute bargain!" the system promoted feebly.
"Piss off!" Mag scoffed. The system was going to be an embarrassment for the rest of its life!
A horse-drawn carriage stopped in front of the restaurant, and Gloria disembarked with a paper bag in her hands. As she did so, she thought to herself, Will Mr. Mag be unhappy if I ask him to alter the designs?