"This is our menu, Sir Patrick." Dylan handed the menu to Patrick, who casually picked it up with a detached, polite air.
"I will have whatever you recommend, young master Dylan," Patrick offered smoothly, clearly expecting standard home-cooked fare despite the grand decor.
"Then I shall prepare the French Herb-Crusted Rack of Lamb for you, Sir Patrick. And for you, Victoria?" Dylan asked, turning toward her with a gentle smile.
"I will have the Persian Saffron & Citrus Roast Chicken this time, please," Victoria replied eagerly.
"En."Dylan nodded, taking their orders before vanishing into the quiet kitchen.
Within twenty minutes, the heavy wooden doors swung open, and Dylan stepped back into the courtyard carrying two steaming plates that filled the open air with an intoxicating fragrance of woodsmoke, crushed citrus, and toasted herbs.
Victoria took her first forkful of the roasted chicken, savoring the crisp, sumac-dusted skin and tender meat. She let out a contented sigh, her eyes shining as she looked across the table. "This dish is just as good as the last one I ordered! Honestly, Dylan, every single plate you serve feels like a gift. You never miss."
Patrick, who had been listening with polite indulgence, picked up his knife and fork. "The young miss praises your efforts highly, Dylan. Let us see..."
He cut into the rack of lamb. The blade slid through the meat like warm butter, revealing a succulent, rosy core coated in a golden, herb-flecked crust.
"Mhm?!" The instant Patrick placed the morsel into his mouth, his eyes went completely wide. He froze mid-chew. The rich gamey flavor of the lamb was cut perfectly by the sharp tang of Dijon, while the aromatic rosemary and buttery sourdough crumbs exploded across his palate in a cascade of refined flavors.
"This is amazing..." Patrick uttered absentmindedly as he sat completely stunned, his fork suspended in mid-air.
'This is impossible...' his mind screamed, his heart hammering against his ribs as he swallowed the heavenly bite. A boy who was a cripple until yesterday? Cooking with this level of absolute mastery and refinement?!
He thought, 'I looked down on him... I treated him like an inconvenient commoner leeching off his sister! But it seems that he can pull his own weight in some places. He could be a professional chef with his skills!'
"Sir Patrick?" Victoria asked, amused by his sudden rigidity. "Is something wrong?"
"I..." Patrick stammered, his neck flushing with a deep, burning shame mixed with profound awe. He set his fork down with trembling fingers, looking at Dylan who was calmly wiping down a nearby counter.
He now had newfound horror and respect. "I was wrong. To possess such extraordinary skill... this isn't just basic cooking, Princess Victoria. This is the work of a master. I am flabbergasted that I ever doubted his capabilities."
Victoria let out a soft chuckle, taking a sip of her iced herbal elixir. "I told you, Sir Patrick. Dylan isn't someone you can measure by ordinary standards."
...
As the afternoon sun dipped lower toward the horizon, casting long golden light across Cirrus Cloud Town, the chatter surrounding the Garden Ford Tavern evolved into a full-blown sensation. Garden Ford Tavern was no longer just idle gossip among market vendors.
It had become an undeniable phenomenon!
In the bustling town square, merchant shopkeepers actively negotiated shift swaps just to catch the evening rush at the Vast Ocean Courtyard. Off-duty guards at the barracks debated the mysterious herbs in Dylan's marinades over card games.
While traveling merchant caravans arriving through the town gates skipped the local inns entirely, heading straight toward the eastern edge of town after hearing travelers rave about the "Fox Spirit Manor's nature paradise."
Every street corner produced a new tale, each spreading through every corner of Cirrus Cloud Town,
"Did you hear? The Food Critic Society's President tried to hire the owner on the spot!"
"Even Darren's unruly gang went there and ate while behaving themselves!"
"They say the atmosphere in that courtyard cures a day's fatigue the second you step through the gate!"
These rumors ignited an even greater wave of curiosity, turning the Garden Ford Tavern into the undisputed heart of Cirrus Cloud Town.
By five in the afternoon, as the town bells chimed for the start of the dinner rush, a massive crowd had already gathered outside Dylan's gates. Rather than dying down, the line doubled in size from the morning rush, stretching far down the cobblestone alley.
Dylan stepped out into the courtyard, lighting the hanging lanterns attached to the wooden pergolas. The soft, golden glow illuminated the vibrant mix of arriving guests: wealthy merchants in silk robes sat alongside dusty craftsmen, while young couples waited patiently along the wooden benches outside.
"Scarlet!" Dylan called out softly as his little sister rubbed her eyes, stepping out onto the porch after her rest.
"I'm awake, Big Bro! I'm ready to help!" Scarlet beamed, smoothing down her maid dress with renewed energy.
"Welcome, everyone! Garden Ford Tavern is open for dinner!" Dylan announced, opening the grand gates.
The crowd filed in with gasps of delight as the evening ambient lighting turned the Vast Ocean Courtyard into an ethereal, romantic wonderland. Orders flooded in immediately!
Plates of Argentine Asado Beef Tomahawks, Italian Wild Boar Ragù, and bowls of Szechuan Spiced Duck Dan Dan Noodles flew out of the kitchen one after the other.
Dylan moved between his ten cooking stations like a whirlwind, juggling dozens of meals without missing a single beat.
Meanwhile, Scarlet glided between tables as usual like a tiny red-haired fairy, delivering drinks and appetizers to absolute squeals of adoration from the patrons.
By the time the stars twinkled brightly in the night sky, Dylan had served another hundred and eighty customers, completely exhausting their food inventory for the day.
Standing at the gate to bid farewell to the last satisfied group of diners, Dylan looked back at his peaceful, glowing courtyard with a weary yet deeply satisfied smile, knowing that his tavern had officially taken the town by storm.
...
Meanwhile in the Cosmic Gad Space,
Dylan Vastocean was seeing the hundreds of Primal Stones pouring out of the Cosmic God Mansion.
He rejoiced seeing the sheer number of cultivation resources in front of him, "Hahaha, with this amount of Primal Stones, we can definitely Reach Spirit Veins Realm immediately!"
Then, he noticed something unusual from the hundreds of glowing white stones in front of him. There were four distinct stones that had a different design than the others.
Unlike the Primal Stone that had a gradient like pattern from a light blue hue from the outside to a whiter and brighter color the closer it got to the center, these four stone had a golden ring with the inside being increasingly white and the outside of the ring being black.
"What are these?"
...
Eventually, the day came to an end. Scarlet was already sleeping after the long day of hard work.
Dylan was sitting on the dining table, accounting today's revenue.
Eventually, the day came to an end. Scarlet was already sleeping after the long day of hard work.
Dylan was sitting on the dining table, accounting today's revenue.
A massive, gleaming pile of copper coins overflowed from wooden trenchers onto the polished tabletop. Beside them rested a neat pouch containing shining silver coins, a silent testament to the evening's wealthy patrons.
Dylan reached out, his fingers sliding through the cool metal coins as he began stacking them into neat rows of fifty.
'Three hundred and thirty customers in total between the lunch and dinner rushes...' Dylan calculated internally, a weary yet deeply satisfied grin breaking across his face.
He tallied up the numbers on a piece of scrap parchment:
Day 2 Total Revenue:
Regular Orders: 8,450 Copper Coins
Generous Payments: 4 Silver Coins (one Silver Coin each from the Food Critic Society President, Elder Frank, Sir Patrick, and Victoria)
Tips: 1000 Copper coins.
Total: 9,450 Copper Coins + 4 Silver Coins = 13,450 Copper coins or 13 Silver Coins!
"This far surpassed the revenue I thought we will be getting today!" Dylan was over the moon, seeing the amount of profit they were able to get today!
"Though, since I blew up the house, I had to spend 10,000 copper coins. So, the net profit for today is only 3,450 copper coins..." Dylan also sighed remembered today's unexpected expenditure. But the three craftsmen brother had already fixed the backside of his residence within the day.
"But with the remainder of the loot, I'm still at around fifty thousand copper coins." Adding this to the remainder of the loot Victoria had helped unseal from the assassins' Spatial Pouches, Dylan realized their financial crisis was officially a thing of the past. They didn't just have capital to sustain the tavern; they had a thriving, highly profitable enterprise.
'Not only did we cover all our initial renovation and setup costs, but we also built an absurdly strong reputation in just forty-eight hours,' Dylan thought, leaning back into his chair and staring up at the wooden ceiling beams.
However, the rapid growth brought its own set of immediate challenges. He needed to find employees.
'If the crowds keep doubling like this, I won't be able to run this place with just me and Scarlet...' Dylan mused, his eyes narrowing slightly. He was starting to consider more and more about future plans to expand. 'I need to hire kitchen assistants and dedicated waitstaff by tomorrow or the day after. But they must be trustworthy...
He begun looking outside, to his backyard as he considered, 'I also need to expand the Vastocean Courtyard to accommodate more customers. I have already made use the side of manor. The only space that's left is the backyard....'