"Greetings,"
I said, my voice maintaining a perfect, steady deadpan as my crimson wings gave a polite, welcoming flutter.
The man blinked, surprised by how calm and human I sounded despite my intimidating appearance. The incredible aroma of the steaming adobo seemed to overpower his shock, and his stomach let out a loud rumble. He nervously walked over and took a seat at one of the newly placed tables with the bright crimson tablecloths.
I quickly walked into the kitchen, scooped a generous, steaming portion of the tender chicken, pork, and rich, glossy garlic sauce into a polished ceramic bowl, and brought it out to his table.
"That will be only 10 copper coins," I said smoothly.
The worker picked up his spoon and took his first bite of the savory, tender meat. His eyes instantly lit up, completely forgetting his fear.
"Wow! This is absolutely delicious!" he exclaimed, chewing happily before eagerly digging out 10 copper coins and placing them on the table.
He took another bite, savoring the thick sauce, but then looked around the table with a slight frown.
"You know, better yet, it is delicious when you top it off with a side dish, like a bread or something to soak up all this amazing gravy."
I gave a slow, internal nod. Of course. In my past life on Earth, adobo was a viand meant to be eaten over a massive scoop of hot white rice, but rice simply didn't exist in this fantasy region. Eating the rich, savory sauce completely by itself was a bit too intense.
'He's right, Eirene! 'You need some heavy carbs to balance out that soy sauce and vinegar. This isn't a high-class tasting menu, it's a working man's lunch!' Plasma chimed in inside my head, finally acting useful.
'Agreed,' I thought back. I mentally took note to visit a bakery in the industrial district first thing tomorrow morning to secure a steady supply of fresh, crusty bread for our future metrics.
Before I could even reply to the man, the front doors creaked open again. Then again. And again. The incredible, garlicky scent of the adobo was drifting right out into the street, and within minutes, more and more hungry factory workers began streaming into the tavern, completely filling up our 13 tables.
Elicia rushed over to the counter, her silver hair bouncing as she picked up a stack of clean bowls to help me serve. She leaned in close, a huge, excited grin on her face as she nudged my shoulder.
"Woah, little Ren, look at this crowd! We've barely been open for five minutes and the place is already packed! We are gonna need a way bigger pot if this keeps up!" big sister whispered happily, totally throwing out her formal academy tone.
I looked down at the iron pot. It was completely scraped clean… nothing left but a few flecks of black peppercorn and a faint layer of savory oil. I glanced up at the dining hall; there were still exactly 20 hungry customers sitting at the tables, eagerly waiting for their lunch.
"The pot is empty, I need to restock our inventory immediately. Big sister, please take over as the waiter and keep the crowd entertained." I whispered to my sister in a calm but urgent deadpan.
Elicia saluted me with a big, energetic grin.
"You got it, Chef Ren! Leave the front line to me. Go work your magic!"
I hurried back into the kitchen, my crimson wings giving a tight, fast flutter as I went into hyper-drive. Since this was an old abandoned tavern, a quick scan of the deep cabinets revealed a treasure trove of extra cast-iron pots and wooden ladles scattered around, left behind by the previous owner. I grabbed two large pots, scrubbed them down in seconds, and dumped in fresh piles of charcoal to get the heat roaring.
Following the foolproof recipe from my past life, I moved like a blur: chopping a mountain of garlic, searing the pork belly and chicken bone-in pieces until they had that perfect golden crust, and pouring in the dark soy sauce, vinegar, and bay leaves.
"Double time, Eirene! The crowd is getting restless out there! Don't skimp on the garlic!" Plasma shouted inside my head, acting like a frantic sous-chef.
'I know what I'm doing,' I snapped back mentally, letting the vinegar bubble out uncovered for exactly four minutes before stirring.
Within fifteen minutes, the fresh, rich batch of adobo was thick, glossy, and perfectly rendered. I hauled the steaming pots back out to the dining hall, moving swiftly from table to table. Elicia had already perfectly managed the seating, so I seamlessly distributed the hot, savory bowls to the remaining 20 customers.
As the final worker took a bite and let out a satisfied groan, Elicia wiped an imaginary bead of sweat from her forehead and beamed at me.
"Phew! Incredible recovery, little Ren! You cook faster than a high-tier fire mage. We actually fed every single one of them!"
A few hours passed in a blur of chopping, simmering, and scooping, and the brilliant midday sun finally gave way to the soft, purplish hues of twilight.
When we first mapped out our business model, big sister and I had organized a strict 10-hour operational shift: opening the doors at 9:00 AM and closing things down at 7:00 PM. Now that our first official day was over, Elicia and I sat behind the counter and dumped the heavy leather cash pouch onto a crimson tablecloth. We carefully counted up the day's revenue.
Thanks to the massive waves of hungry factory workers, we had earned a staggering 1,480 copper coins… or simply put in higher currency, 14 silver coins and 80 copper coins!
"Oh my gosh, Ren! Look at this! For a grand opening with absolutely zero advertising, we practically made a small fortune! You are officially a master chef!" Elicia squealed, jumping up and cheering as she shook my shoulders playfully, her silver hair bouncing.
I looked at the pile of gleaming silver and copper, a genuinely proud, thoroughly human smile breaking across my face as my crimson wings gave a happy, rhythmic flutter.
"The data proves our culinary metrics are highly successful, big sister. Thank you for handling the customer service."
But a successful day meant a mountain of messy aftermath.
"Alright, no time to slack, I will handle the heavy artillery in the kitchen."
I hurried back into the kitchen, fired up the last of the charcoal heat to warm some water, and began vigorously washing the massive pile of ceramic plates, bowls, and wooden ladles. Meanwhile, out in the dining hall, big sister took up the balding broom, humming a cheerful tune as she swept up the stray dust, wiped down the 13 crimson-covered tables, and neatly stacked the 52 chairs.
"Not a bad day's work, vampire hunter, Though tomorrow, I demand we find that bread you promised. My ghostly soul requires carbohydrate synergy." Plasma muttered inside my head, his tone surprisingly cozy and content.
'Tomorrow,' I agreed in my thoughts.
Within an hour, the tavern was completely spotless. Elicia and I met by the front entrance, both of us exhausted but deeply satisfied. We left a single, low-burning glass lantern resting safely on the main counter to keep the interior dimly lit, stepped out into the cool evening air of the industrial district, and securely closed the heavy wooden doors of the tavern behind us.
We stepped away from the tavern and began our long walk back home to the 3rd district. As we walked under the dimming evening sky, I noticed Elicia's hand was still resting gently near my shoulder, the borrowed rings on her fingers pulsing with a faint, continuous glow as she kept casting her sun-protection magic on me.
"No worries, big sister, It is already twilight. The sun has completely set, so I am perfectly safe from turning into a crispy marshmallow now. You can turn off the magic." I said, a soft, amused smile breaking across my face as my crimson wings gave a relaxed flutter.
Elicia let out a playful, melodious chuckle, finally letting the spell dissipate.
"Oh, right! Force of habit, little Ren. It just feels like yesterday you were a tiny vampire hiding in the darkest corners of the bedroom closet, refusing to come out unless I brought you a plate of snacks under a heavy blanket!"
I let out a rare, genuine laugh at the ridiculous memory.
"My survival instincts were simply highly active back then."
"Hey, don't look at me, I would have stayed in the closet too if it meant free snacks," Plasma chimed in with a snicker inside my head.
As we approached the massive stone archway dividing the sectors, we ran into the 1st district gatekeeper, a burly, friendly guard named Carlos. His eyes lit up the moment he saw us.
"Well, hello there, Eirene! I actually managed to visit your new shop earlier during my lunch break, and let me tell you, that chicken and pork dish was absolutely delicious! The whole guard barracks is talking about it." Carlos called out with a wide grin, leaning on his halberd.
"Thank you very much, Carlos, Your patronage greatly supports our local culinary metrics." I replied, my voice returning to its steady, appreciative deadpan.
"Haha, you've got a unique way of talking, kid, Anyways, business is business. Toll and status card, please." Carlos laughed, straightening up his uniform.
I pulled out my identification card and handed over a few of our newly earned copper coins for the gate fee. Carlos stamped the log smoothly, waving us through with a cheerful,
"Have a good night, hero!"
We stepped through the gate and proceeded into the bustling streets of the 2nd district, navigating the evening crowds all the way until we finally reached the border of the 3rd district. Standing guard at the final checkpoint was the familiar, sharp-eyed gatekeeper, Renny, who watched us approach with a curious expression.
Renny leaned against the stone guard post, squinting through the twilight torches as my massive crimson blood wings came into view. He let out a low whistle, a smirk playing on his face.
"Well, well, what do we have here? I swear, I thought you were a straight-up demon flying in to raid the district for a second, but it's just you. Glad you're back in one piece, kid. Anyways, you know the drill… toll and status card." Renny chuckled, shaking his head.
I pulled out my status card and a few coppers from our day's earnings, keeping my face in a relaxed deadpan.
"I assure you, Renny, my demonic aesthetics are strictly for theatrical effect. I am just a humble restaurant owner returning from a highly successful business shift."
Elicia giggled, leaning over my shoulder with a playful grin.
"Yeah, Renny! If she were a demon, she'd be bringing fire and brimstone, not the best-smelling garlic sauce in the entire kingdom. You seriously missed out today!"
"Oh yeah? I'll have to stop by and try it then, alright, you two are cleared. Go get some rest."
We waved goodbye, passed through the heavy iron gates of the 3rd district, and finally made it down the quiet residential streets to our front door. After a long, chaotic day of scrubbing graffiti, buying furniture, playing the violin, and feeding a small army of hungry laborers, we finally unlocked the door, stepped inside the cozy house, and kicked off our shoes, completely exhausted but incredibly proud.