Chapter 76: A Major Client Indeed
Ling Jing cooked another dish: Garlic Broccoli.
The rich aroma of minced garlic enveloped the natural sweetness of the vegetable, tossed over roaring flames until crisp, tender, and juicy.
[Garlic Broccoli (Purges 4% Toxicity. For 2 hours post-consumption: Grants immunity to fungal spores and parasitic mutated flora and fauna. For 1 hour post-consumption: Disperses flying insect-type mutated beasts.) Stir-Fry Trait: Five senses enhanced by 5% for 24 hours post-consumption (Excellence in color, aroma, and taste). Recommended Retail Price: 18 City Coins]
Three stir-fries, plus three pots of braised specialties.
The recipe trials were virtually complete, and Ling Jing was thoroughly satisfied with their attributes.
Each dish offered distinct flavors and mouthfeels, ranging from hearty and rich with savory animal fats to crisp and refreshing.
The trial menu for tomorrow’s second-floor launch was essentially locked in.
Not bad at all.
She washed and dried her hands, then signaled Caicai to cut the music.
Only then did she push open the kitchen door and step out into the dining area.
The visitors in black uniforms hadn’t taken seats; they remained standing near the entrance in disciplined formation.
Seeing her emerge, the man leading them spoke first: “Greetings. May we make a purchase now?”
“You may,” Ling Jing nodded. “However, you can’t just order whatever’s listed on the menu right now. It depends on what’s currently in stock.”
“…”
“Items like the one-pot stew and Malatang skewers aren’t available at the moment; you’ll have to wait until we open tomorrow. As for the rest, they’re in stock, but as for the quantities…”
“We’ll take everything.”
Yves didn’t hesitate for a fraction of a second.
…
The authorities were loaded, alright—dropping “we’ll take everything” without batting an eye.
Many of the restaurant’s items were automated now, already refilling and restocking themselves right after closing hours.
The Tier-3 Roaster held a full load of 78 potatoes and 30 sweet potatoes, plus the fifty-slot temporary holding bin, bringing the total to 108 potatoes and 50 sweet potatoes.
A full pot of boiled corn yielded 28 ears.
There were 20 bowls of rice porridge, 33 bags of sugar-roasted chestnuts, and 47 tubs of pickled vegetables.
The total came to 1,323 City Coins.
With after-hours pricing doubled, the final tally hit 2,646 City Coins in one go.
A major client indeed.
Ling Jing watched as the group neatly divided the haul into two equal shares.
“Beverly, take your squad and transport this half back into the city immediately to reinforce the South Wall. Keep the tactical buffs of each food item firmly in mind. Brief Strike Team Captain Mori and have her distribute the rations.”
“Yes, sir!”
“Jack, take your squad to the Black Fields Quarantine Sector in the north. Hand these provisions directly into Chief Overseer Nelson’s hands without fail.”
“Yes, sir!”
The two soldiers acknowledged their orders with crisp salutes.
Ling Jing caught the commander stepping closer to murmur a few final, quiet instructions.
Standing behind the counter tallying the coins, she didn’t pry into their conversation, catching only stray snippets like “barrier,” “testing,” and “run trials before deployment.”
The brass was visibly far more cautious than ordinary scavengers.
With orders dispatched, the eight uniformed soldiers fastened their face visors and departed into the dark, carrying the crates and parcels.
The man in charge stayed behind.
Stepping up to the counter, he reviewed the menu board once more before asking, “Excuse me, if we return tomorrow, will the one-pot stew and Malatang skewers be available for purchase?”
Ling Jing countered with a question of her own: “How much do you need daily?”
“…Do you mean just those two dishes, or across all categories?”
“Everything.”
Seeing the man sink into thought, Ling Jing asked smoothly, “How should I address you, sir?”
“I am Yves. Forgive our intrusion; arriving in the dead of night, I neglected proper introductions.” Yves seemed to snap out of his purchasing fervor, extending a gloved hand toward Ling Jing. “I am the Commander of Seed City.”
“Hello. You may call me Boss Ling.”
Ling Jing reached out, giving his hand a brief, firm shake. “Shall we sit and talk?”
“Gladly.”
The two took seats at one of the four-person tables.
Keith stepped up cautiously behind Yves. Looking up, he noticed that the square-headed robot had rolled up behind Boss Ling as well.
It even flashed an emoticon at him: ovo
…
“I recall you mentioned having inquiries when you first arrived,” Ling Jing prompted.
“Yes. I saw the container standing outside your doors.” Yves let out a quiet sigh. “Your establishment offers remarkably low prices, and you have provided the populace with a means to trade mutated flora and fauna for currency, allowing them to secure food and warmth through honest labor. In these grueling post-cataclysmic times, where the administration failed to account for our most vulnerable citizens, Boss Ling stepped in to extend a helping hand, delivering relief to the suffering. I am deeply humbled.”
Ling Jing arched an eyebrow.
On the surface, the Commander’s words sounded like high praise, but playing along would easily trap her on a moral pedestal, backing her into a corner.
Not to mention the subtle probing woven into the flattery.
Testing her allegiances, was he?
In commercial negotiations, maintaining control of the tempo was vital; one could never blindly dance to the counterparty’s tune.
“You overstate the matter, Commander. I am merely a restaurateur running a business. In commerce, one speaks strictly of trade; everything I do is for the interests of this restaurant. My prices are clearly posted, transactions are settled cleanly, and there is no talk of delivering relief to the suffering.”
She brushed aside the flattery entirely, stating her position with flat neutrality.
“Boss Ling uses City Coins to purchase corrupted flora that holds zero value in this broken world, and even takes in mutated flora and fauna. In the eyes of the common folk, that makes you a profound benefactor.”
Ling Jing countered, “Doesn’t Seed City also use City Coins to buy up energy crystals scavenged beyond the walls? On that front, our operations are identical.”
There was no need to hoist her onto a pedestal of saintly charity.
Hearing this, Yves clasped his hands together, his tone laced with probing curiosity: “Seed City buys crystals with City Coins because the powers backing Seed City… the authorities above us require crystals.”
Ling Jing nodded slightly. “Then you may simply understand it as the Chinese Restaurant…”
She paused, allowing a calculated silence for Yves’s imagination to run wild before delivering the rest of the sentence:
“…requiring the very things you consider worthless.”
Ling Jing kept her words intentionally ambiguous.
Yet it was the literal truth.
The City Coins inside the Item Exchange Box were provided directly by the system.
Anything the box accepted held inherent value to the management system.
“…Understood.”
Yves gave a slow nod, though heaven only knew what conclusion he had reached.
“Boss Ling, if we purchase provisions from you on a daily basis, may we also settle payments using the items specified on the exterior box?”
“Naturally.”
“Allow me to confirm one detail. Though the plaque specifies crystals, does that category extend beyond the standard small, medium, and large varieties?”
Ling Jing rested her hands together, a sudden possibility dawning in her mind. “You mean?”
“The alternative manifestation of crystals,” Yves stated evenly.
“Beast cores and plant cores.”
