Chapter 53 Continuing Preparations

Byron was the fastest of all to reach for his chopsticks.

In terms of visual temptation, the stir-fried tomatoes and eggs undoubtedly had the upper hand. Moreover, it was a dish he had never tasted before, so Byron's chopsticks moved toward it with unwavering determination.

The picked-up scrambled eggs were golden in color and exuded an enticing aroma. Byron gently blew on them twice before impatiently popping the eggs into his mouth. On the tip of his tongue, the sweet and sour flavor of the tomatoes intertwined with the tenderness of the eggs.

One piece, two pieces, three pieces—Byron's chopsticks did not stop. Mayor Ayla, who had been courteously holding back initially, instantly changed her expression and hurriedly picked up her chopsticks to join the fray of voracious eaters.

Compared to Byron's urgency, Ayla was much more composed. After all, ever since Chi Sui returned from the culinary competition, she had frequently come over for free meals.

While Byron couldn't bear to put his chopsticks down once he picked them up, Ayla, though equally reluctant to set hers down, managed to give Chi Sui a thumbs-up in the brief intervals between snatching food.

The portion of each dish was not small, and Chi Sui hadn't expected the two of them to finish it all, but looking at the empty plates so soon, she was momentarily dazed.

Could it be that food tastes more appetizing when there is competition? She had never seen Mayor Ayla eat with such vigor before.

"This taste is simply superb."

Having eaten his fill, Byron put down his chopsticks with satisfaction and offered his unsparing praise.

"Th—Thank you."

Chi Sui replied with a bit of trepidation, mainly astounded by Byron's elegant dining manner. Although he ate at a lightning-fast, ravenous speed, not a single drop of oil or even a speck of food stained his clothes or the corners of his mouth.

"I've appraised these dishes of yours. Except for the flatbread which is two stars, the rest are two and a half stars. Can you consistently produce culinary works of this level?"

Chi Sui nodded and replied, "Basically, there's no problem."

Even for her, these simple dishes were hard to mess up.

"Frightening..."

"What?"

Byron had spoken in a very low voice, and with some distance between them, Chi Sui didn't hear him clearly.

"Nothing. I'll write the appraisal certificate for you in a moment." Byron smiled and shook his head, continuing, "However, opening a restaurant of such a high standard in this small town—there probably aren't many people who can afford to eat here, right?"

Byron's words were direct and sharp. Mayor Ayla, standing nearby, moved her lips, and finally sighed in agreement.

"Yes, little Sui, there are very few people in town who can afford to consume this..."

"Huh?" Chi Sui was somewhat puzzled and picked up the menu to look at it closely.

It seemed she hadn't priced the dishes yet, so why was everyone saying they couldn't afford them?

The opening time was set for the afternoon, and since Chi Sui still didn't quite understand the pricing system of this world, she had left the prices undecided, intending to discuss them with Chia at noon.

The bigger reason... her procrastination had acted up again.

Little did she expect Byron's subsequent words to be even more merciless: "It's not just a matter of affordability; for the residents of this small town, the energy is overflowing."

Energy overflowing? This was the first time Chi Sui had ever heard such a concept.

With Mr. Stone absent, Chi Sui cast her gaze toward Chia.

Feeling her gaze, Chia broke his silence and spoke calmly, "Everyone's daily life requires energy, but the amount required varies from person to person, and the energy consumed by different activities also differs."

"To give an example, a normal resident's daily consumption is 1. If they engage in physical labor, the consumption increases to 2. However, if someone is naturally as strong as an ox, their daily consumption is 3, and if they engage in physical labor that day, their consumption might become 6."

"For residents with skills and professions, the consumption is even higher. For instance, a merchant with the appraisal skill has a daily consumption of 8. If they perform a simple appraisal that day, the consumption might rise to 10, and if they perform multiple appraisals, the consumption might even double."

Byron took over Chia's words and continued, "A dish's star rating is directly proportional to its energy. Take the tomato and scrambled eggs from Rancher Chi as an example. As a two-and-a-half-star dish, its energy is 22. To cram such a high amount of energy into a container with an original capacity of 1 is impossible just to think about. The excess energy will overflow, and we usually refer to this kind of occurrence as a waste."

Chi Sui let out a gentle sigh. After all that talk, it turned out that ordinary residents eating it would just cause an energy waste of the dish—thank goodness, that was a relief.

As far as she was concerned, finishing all the food on the table was never considered a waste.

Seeing that Chi Sui had little reaction, Byron spoke up again, "A short-term overflow is just a waste, and some residual energy can even strengthen the body and make a person look more spirited. But over time, the container will become fragile, just like a balloon that bursts at the slightest prick."

"This is over-consumption syndrome, also known as balloon disease."

Chi Sui's hand holding the menu froze. Holding it felt wrong, and putting it down felt wrong; it was like holding a hot potato.

She was simply opening a restaurant in good faith; how did it turn into harming people?

Should she still open this restaurant or not?

Byron gave a light cough, glanced at Ayla's unsightly expression, and ultimately refrained from suggesting that Chi Sui go open a shop in Following Wind Territory.

"Mr. Byron is being somewhat alarmist. Setting aside how long 'over time' refers to, if the energy of a two-and-a-half-star dish is too high, can't we just sell it in portions?"

Chia reassuringly patted Chi Sui's shoulder and took the menu from her hand.

"Most dishes above two stars on the market are priced in gold coins. If a single portion is too expensive, we can divide the whole portion into twenty small portions. Not only can the residents in town afford it, but the energy is also dispersed, and customers will feel it's cost-effective. In that case, can we still call it the 'waste' Mr. Byron mentioned?"

Refuted by someone, Byron did not feel awkward at all. He smiled broadly and continued, "Of course that works. As expected of the heir of the Cloud-Painting House; this business acumen is wasted if you don't become a merchant."

"However, I feel this restaurant is still missing something."

"And what does Mr. Byron mean by that?"

"Promotion! If such a great restaurant isn't known to people, that would be the true waste."

Byron picked up the pen and paper he carried with him, his eyes shining brightly.

"Would Rancher Chi be willing to accept my interview once more? This time, the newspaper won't just be circulated in Following Wind Territory; my plan is to distribute it to all territories across Purple Island. If Rancher Chi is willing to trust me, the entire Fu Feng Town will usher in a massive tourism boom."

"Of course, since you are the only chef in the entire restaurant, the sales method can also be appropriately adjusted. For example, outside of regular business hours, certain specific dishes could be sold in limited quantities. Besides, I see from your menu that items change based on ingredients, so you could set up some seasonal limited menus."

Chia looked around the interior environment of the restaurant and joined in the discussion, "If there are newspapers, then the tables and chairs in the restaurant are still too few. For pastries like the radish cake, couldn't we consider letting customers take them away to-go?"

Listening to the two of them going back and forth in discussion left Chi Sui dumbfounded.

Fractions of portions, hunger marketing, takeout services...

This yet-to-open restaurant was brimming with marketing ploys.