Despite Fish Belly Stuffed with Lamb not being a new dish, its debut in Star Luo City caused a sensation no less than that of Boiled Cabbage in Clear Broth. As diners recovered from their initial shock, more and more began ordering it.
By the end of the lunch service, both dishes had sold over a dozen servings each, bringing in nearly 30.000 Gold Coins just from these two items.
This success was enough to make a certain individual, who had been closely monitoring Small Shop, turn green with envy.
"What?" Zhao Fenglai stood up from his seat, his expression full of shock and disbelief. "You say that Small Shop introduced two dishes costing 1.000 Gold Coins each? And they sold over a dozen servings as soon as they came out?"
Were those diners insane? Willing to buy such expensive food? His face first flashed with disbelief, then jealousy.
Ever since he had harshly retaliated against Cao Pingzhi, Zhao Fenglai had stationed a trusted confidant at Small Shop daily, ready to report any news or changes immediately.
At this moment, Zhao Fenglai was deeply puzzled.
Why were those diners willing to pay so much for Small Shop's dishes? His own restaurant's most expensive dishes were priced at just 10 Gold Coins, and even then, few diners chose them. Most of Small Shop's dishes were more expensive than his priciest offerings. Why were so many diners willing to pay?
Could it be… he had been underestimating the enthusiasm of Star Luo City's diners all along?
Zhao Fenglai's eyes lit up with realization.
So that's it. The diners in Star Luo City weren't short on money. They were willing to pay higher prices for dishes; he just hadn't thought of this before, hence missing out on more profit.
If that's the case, Fenglai Pavilion could also introduce more expensive dishes and make the diners pay more.
One thousand—no, it would be wiser to start more gradually. Let's introduce dishes costing 100 Gold Coins first.
It wouldn't be wise to simply raise the prices of existing specialty dishes, as Zhao Fenglai was astute enough not to alienate his customers. Instead, he could just pile on higher-grade ingredients and dress up the dishes to look more luxurious, then sell them as new specialty dishes for 100 Gold Coins. This was entirely feasible!
Excited by his own brilliant idea, Zhao Fenglai's heart raced. He stood up from the private room and hurried to the kitchen to instruct the renowned chefs he had hired.
The sooner the better, so he could start earning more money!
…
Qi Han had no idea that Zhao Fenglai, envious of Small Shop's business, was making such a copycat move. Even if he knew, he would probably just say...
"Short sighted idiot."
With the lunch service over, Qi Han saw off the Qin sisters and then turned to enter the training space.
The training space was something Qi Han had activated after completing the Boiled Cabbage in Clear Broth, and this time he was focusing on a new dish: Triple No-Stick.
Now, the only dishes left to practice were Qing Dynasty Blessed Pork Meat and Triple No-Stick. Given his pace in practicing 3 Star dishes, completing Qing Dynasty Blessed Pork Meat would take at least a week. In comparison, he could finish Triple No-Stick sooner.
With the current time flow in the training space, if things went well, he could introduce it by the afternoon service.
Being a master of time management, Qi Han wouldn't dig himself into a hole over such matters.
Upon entering the training space, before the chef's lingering soul could demonstrate Triple No-Stick, Ru Yi spoke up.
"Congratulations, host."
Qi Han looked puzzled. "Ru Yi, isn't it a bit late to congratulate me on completing Boiled Cabbage in Clear Broth?"
Ru Yi shook her head. "No, no, that's not what I'm talking about."
"Oh?" Qi Han scratched his head. "Is there more good news I don't know about?"
"It's about your Main Quest 6," Ru Yi said with a mysterious smile.
"Main Quest 6 is completed?"
Qi Han's eyes lit up with excitement.
"Uh... not yet." Upon hearing Qi Han's reaction, Ru Yi's expression froze slightly. "But based on our estimates, it should be completed in about three days."
"Three days?!" Qi Han was a bit stunned. "Why so soon? Didn't you say it would take around eight days yesterday?"
Ru Yi looked a bit helpless. "Well, things just happened to work out that way. Because you introduced two 3 Star dishes consecutively, it caused a huge stir and discussion. In the next few days, Small Shop's reputation will increase several times faster than expected."
So that's how it is. Qi Han suddenly understood. When he introduced Fish Belly Stuffed with Lamb at the Shrek Small Shop, there was a similar situation. The Quest completion speed of Main Quest 5 also accelerated significantly due to the buzz created by Fish Belly Stuffed with Lamb.
However, this was good news. The time to complete Main Quest 6 had shortened again, and Qi Han felt that he was not far from receiving the substantial rewards of Main Quest 6.
After speaking, Ru Yi sat on a table by herself, leisurely swinging her slender legs. "Alright, I've said everything that needed to be said. You can start practicing Triple No-Stick now."
"Okay." Suppressing his excitement, Qi Han rubbed his cheeks and seriously observed the lingering soul's movements, starting to learn how to cook Triple No-Stick.
...
"Is it true what His Eminence Star Remnant Douluo said?" Hearing the returning Star Remnant Douluo describe his experience at Small Shop, Dai Yuansheng couldn't help but show a hint of amazement.
A restaurant that was worth the head of Tang Sect personally protecting? And it seemed to have quite a connection with Shrek as well.
"Yes, Your Majesty. Please send someone to investigate this establishment," Star Remnant Douluo proposed again.
After a moment of contemplation, Dai Yuansheng shook his head. "Your Eminence knows what I've been planning recently. I have no intention of provoking a powerful figure like the Sect Master of Tang Sect at this moment. After this matter is settled, I will send someone to investigate the restaurant as you suggested."
"Yes, Your Majesty," Star Remnant Douluo showed a hint of regret, bowed slightly, and said, "Then I shall take my leave."
"Go."
Watching Star Remnant Douluo quickly disappear, Dai Yuansheng narrowed his eyes. "What does Prime Minister Zhao think?"
Zhao Qu had been standing beside Dai Yuansheng, silent as a statue, but now that Star Remnant Douluo had left, he slowly spoke.
"Your Majesty is wise. Given the current situation with Xu Changling and Dai Youyuan, it is indeed unwise to invite further complications. However, ignoring this restaurant completely might not be appropriate either. It would be prudent to conduct a preliminary investigation."
"And how should we do that?" Dai Yuansheng pondered, acknowledging the merit in his confidant's advice.
Such a restaurant suddenly appearing in the busiest street of the capital was indeed unusual.
"In my opinion, it would be best to have the First Prince visit the restaurant for a meal to gather some insights," Zhao Qu suggested promptly.
"The First Prince..." Dai Yuansheng's eyes brightened.
This seemed like the perfect candidate for the investigation.
"Let's send him then."
<+>
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