Chapter 66: Caicai Will Serve the Boss Wholeheartedly! ^▽^
A featured banner?
The last lucky draw hadn’t mentioned anything about a “featured” pool.
Ling Jing took another look at the system notification panel.
This time it said “hidden achievement,” whereas last night’s prompt had said “hidden quest.”
Looked like hidden achievements offered better rewards than hidden quests.
Even the draw pool was different.
Leaning thoughtfully against the cashier counter, she tapped the draw button.
The pull animation for the featured banner was completely different from the standard draw, too.
If memory served, last night’s draw had just spat out the reward the instant she clicked.
Now, she watched a dazzling array of colored cards swirl across her vision.
White, silver, gold… even purple and rainbow hues.
Did this system seriously skimp on the UI for the standard draw?
Tsk.
The spinning wheel of cards gradually decelerated, finally coming to a halt before Ling Jing as a gleaming silver card.
Immediately after, the system prompt flashed.
[Congratulations! You have obtained: Fully Automated Service Robot x1. Transferred to [Equipment Upgrades]!]
Ling Jing: “Hm?”
A service robot?
This reward truly lived up to the “featured” label.
Not that the electric tricycle had been bad by any means.
Under last night’s circumstances, the electric trike had been an absolute lifesaver. If she had pulled an automated service robot in the middle of chasing that giant mutant, she couldn’t exactly have ridden on its neck to hunt the beast down.
That really would have been a mismatched tool for the job.
…
She opened her Equipment Upgrades tab to check out the features of this automated service robot.
[An all-in-one service robot integrating greeting, ordering, food delivery, table service, checkout, and cleaning—dedicated entirely to your restaurant!]
The accompanying image showed a robot with a large, boxy head.
Pretty interesting. Ling Jing raised an eyebrow.
She tapped “Place” on the panel, materializing the robot right in front of her.
“Greetings, esteemed Boss! I am your fully automated service robot, delighted to be of service!”
An electronic voice rang out in a remarkably chipper, upbeat tone.
The summoned robot stood only up to Ling Jing’s chest. Its large square head was fitted with a monitor screen, currently displaying a wide, beaming face: ^▽^
Its entire body had a polished metallic sheen.
Beneath the square head was a rectangular torso with grooved indentations.
Ling Jing reached out and gave it a push.
The robot’s chassis popped open.
Revealing a hollow, boxy storage compartment inside.
“Is the Boss interested in my cargo hold? Allow me to introduce this unit to you!”
The expression on its screen shifted to: (｡･ω･｡)
Ling Jing: “…”
A robot that came with its own user manual, no less.
“Alright, go ahead.”
“This is the unit’s display monitor.”
Two stubby arms extended from its flanks, appearing no longer than a human forearm, and pointed up at its own head.
“The monitor can display whatever text you configure, including menus, house rules, and notices. Pressing the button atop the display accesses my background control panel, where you can configure workflows, operational parameters, and more.”
“These are the unit’s arms.”
The robot gave its two stubby limbs a vigorous wave.
Just as Ling Jing was wondering how such short appendages could possibly manage any real work, the boxy arms suddenly transformed.
—Telescoping mechanical arms shot forward, extending to twice the length of a grown human’s arm!
“This is the unit’s maximum arm reach.”
The robot retracted the mechanical limbs and continued its demonstration.
“Depending on task requirements, the arms can automatically cycle through cleaning cloth, serving tray, gripper claw, utility tongs, and hammer configurations!”
The face on the screen shifted to: (=´ω`=)
Looking thoroughly pleased with itself.
“This is the unit’s main compartment. Press the button to open it for loading or retrieving items. Once an automated routine is set, this unit can stow and retrieve goods automatically!”
Ling Jing nodded, acknowledging the explanation.
“These are the unit’s wheels—or ‘legs,’ in human parlance.”
As it spoke, the robot glided two steps left and right on its dual wheels.
“This unit’s maximum speed is 20 km/h. Considering operational safety, you may calibrate a speed limit in my background settings to prevent accidents.”
When uttering this warning, the display flashed with a giant exclamation mark.
Curious, Ling Jing asked, “Since your legs are wheels, can you navigate stairs?”
“Affirmative!”
The robot’s large wheels whirred softly as a set of tank treads unfurled from within the chassis, wrapping snugly around both wheels.
Then, as if eager to prove itself to Ling Jing, it trundled straight toward the restaurant entrance—
There were two small steps at the threshold. With its treads engaged, the robot glided smoothly down, then zipped right back up.
“That was high-speed mode. Should you require a safer, measured pace, I can also perform like this.”
The robot methodically descended and ascended the steps once more at a slower clip.
Finally, it rolled back to a halt before Ling Jing.
“Oh dear! Soil has adhered to the treads.”
Just as Ling Jing was about to say it didn’t matter, the robot cut in to reassure her.
“Fret not, Boss! This unit features an integrated self-cleaning mechanism that automatically engages upon detecting contamination!”
Display screen: (≧∇≦)ゞ
Ling Jing: “…”
Quite the chatterbox.
“Boss, the overview of basic functionalities is complete! If you have any inquiries, feel free to ask at any time, and this unit will do its utmost to assist!”
“Do you require recharging?” Ling Jing asked.
“Excellent inquiry! The answer is affirmative. This unit will deplete its power reserves after twelve continuous hours of operation. When you observe a crimson glow on my display, it signifies that this unit has thirty minutes remaining before entering sleep mode.”
“At that juncture, simply navigate to the recharge function in my background control panel and expend 100 points to fully restore the battery to maximum capacity!”
Good grief. There truly was no such thing as a free lunch in this world.
The robot itself had cost nothing to acquire, but running it took cold, hard points.
A hundred points wasn’t an exorbitant sum for Ling Jing at this stage, but it certainly wasn’t pocket change either.
Still.
Its utility was undeniable.
With ingredient stocks steadily multiplying, Ling Jing had toyed with the idea of expanding the menu before.
The problem was that she was just one person, incapable of being in two places at once.
With this little helper around, she could genuinely start experimenting with new offerings.
“Boss, please access my background control panel and grant this unit a name!”
The box-headed robot trundled forward, stopping right in front of her.
Display screen: (〃’▽’〃)
Ling Jing pondered for a moment.
As the very first automated worker in the establishment, it deserved an auspicious name.
Hmm…
Let’s go with this.
Ling Jing pressed the button atop its square head and keyed in the characters.
“Unit successfully designated!”
“Caicai will serve the Boss wholeheartedly!”
“^▽^”
