Chapter 40 : Chapter 40

Chapter 40 : At the Victory Feast, Always Pick the Expensive Stuff

In the end, the manager led us to her chosen location.

Since they were all used to riding flying brooms, I had no choice but to reluctantly hitch a ride on a senior sister’s broom to get there.

I had to admit, even though I’d been flown before, different senior sisters had different flying habits, and the experience varied.

This time, Senior Tang was my ride, and the whole way I was terrified of falling off.

Now I finally appreciated Bai Yu’s care.

She flew so steadily.

The place we arrived at was a low-key restaurant.

I’d initially thought, given the manager’s personality, she’d pick a lively spot, like a bar or karaoke place, where we could drink freely and let loose.

But it was neither.

On the way, though we were flying through the air, the senior sisters couldn’t resist bragging about their recent exploits.

I pieced together some details from their talk.

For instance, this whole incident was sparked by Manager Xia Li.

And what she did?

I should’ve known already.

She went and “recruited” this year’s top student.

And it seemed she succeeded.

Apparently, Tan Han was already at the academy, being calmed down.

Poor top student.

I took a moment to check the academy system.

The pinned task about recruiting her was marked as completed.

The person who completed it didn’t hide their information, but sadly, it wasn’t Xia Li or the others.

Makes sense they were probably called in to assist.

Why go through the manager when you could just take the academy task directly?

But judging by the manager’s demeanor, she must’ve gotten a good share of the rewards.

What I didn’t fully grasp was that Xia Li only got the price Ying Shiqian negotiated with no extra benefits.

Her joy came purely from taking down a few Holy Angel Academy students.

As for why she was so fixated on this, only she knew.

“This place is reservation-only. I booked the whole place yesterday—a do-or-die move. Today, we’re eating well!”

The manager said as she led us deeper inside.

The shop seemed tucked away in an even more secluded spot.

After a few steps, we were greeted by someone in simple cloth attire, clearly a chef’s uniform.

Seeing us, they smiled warmly and came to welcome us.

“Xia Li! It’s been ages. When I got your reservation call yesterday, I started prepping for today’s dishes”

Okay, the owner seemed pretty close to the manager.

I’d never been to a fancy reservation-only restaurant like this.

But seeing how calm the two senior sisters were, there probably wasn’t much to fuss about.

“Really? What’s the main course? I can’t wait! Oh, and I brought our new employee to celebrate her joining too,” Xia Li said, pulling me forward.

“Let me introduce… uh…”

She froze, her gaze awkwardly shifting to Ying Shiqian.

Clearly, the manager hadn’t bothered to learn my name, only knowing that the senior sisters called me Xiao Han.

“Hello, senior. I’m Yang Yuehan. You can call me Xiao Han,” I said politely, bailing her out.

Wasn’t this manager a bit too irresponsible, not even asking her employee’s name beforehand?

I also learned the owner’s name from the senior sisters.

It felt a bit sad, but it showed I wasn’t exactly a priority for the manager.

I was just a part-timer, after all.

“Xiao Han, nice! You’re a freshman this year, right? Here so early?”

“Yeah, I wanted to get used to academy life.”

“Haha, are you settling in? What happened this morning is rare. Don’t get a bad impression of the academy.”

“No, no, I won’t.”

I quickly responded, then toned down my presence.

In this situation, it was better not to stand out.

Though the manager said this celebration included my onboarding, she was clearly the star.

Should I toast her?

Did this world have that custom?

Probably not.

I didn’t care much about it anyway.

Inside the restaurant, I realized the space was small, with few seats.

It was like the kitchen was brought to the front, cooking right in front of the guests.

So that’s how it worked?

No wonder it was reservation-only and in such a hidden spot.

They didn’t care about foot traffic relying on regular bookings to keep the place running?

The profit margins must be insane.

Or did the owner, like the manager, have a side hustle?

Seeing how close the owner and manager were, it was hard not to suspect.

Maybe the owner was even more formidable than the manager.

It wasn’t impossible.

I watched the owner head to her domain.

Then I noticed a younger, slightly inexperienced girl beside her.

Even so, I’d still have to call her a senior sister.

She was probably the owner’s apprentice.

She seemed a bit awkward like me, but carried herself naturally, staying quiet behind the owner.

Once we sat down, the atmosphere relaxed.

The two senior sisters seemed at ease too.

Though it was a meal, it felt more like a chat session.

Before starting, they asked about my dietary restrictions.

Very professional, at least so far.

Then came the ingredient showcase.

I couldn’t make sense of most of it; many were supernatural creatures I’d never encountered.

These weren’t meats infused with high concentrations of supernatural energy but ingredients from beings with naturally high life essences… at least, they were ingredients now, soon to be on my plate.

The ceremonial presentation was novel, but I was more curious about the taste.

“Xiao Han, want a drink? It’s low-alcohol, like a cocktail,” Senior Tang said, placing a bottle beside me.

The packaging screamed expensive.

“Uh… just a little, please.”

“Go ahead, don’t hold back with the manager. It’s her treat,” Senior Tang whispered in my ear.

Maybe because I wasn’t talking much, and Ying Shiqian and the manager were deep in conversation, she came over to chat with me.

“Xiao Han, see that meat on the display? When it’s served, go hard on it. It’s not just delicious—it’s pricey.”

“Okay… alright…”