"Holy crap! System, didn't you say you gave me this task to expand the restaurant's outdoor seating because the restaurant's level was too low?" Mai Ge was stunned for a moment, then blurted out, feeling like he'd been tricked.
"Yes, but although you've received a renovation package for the outdoor seating area, but you don't have the permission to use it because the restaurant's level is too low. If you want to use this renovation package, please upgrade your restaurant's level as soon as possible to obtain the renovation permission!" the system replied seriously.
"Damn it." Mai Ge rubbed his temples, completely exasperated. He took a couple of deep breaths to calm himself down and said in his mind, "System, check the balance."
"Restaurant Balance: 4,710,021 Copper Coins." The system quickly replied.
"That's the fee for booking the entire venue from the City Lord's Mansion." Mai Ge raised an eyebrow. He was still more than 30,000 gold coins short of upgrading the restaurant, but apart from buying physical fitness points, Mai Ge didn't have any other major expenses for the time being.
He wanted to buy a second set of physical fitness points, but the system was already asking for 50,000 gold coins. At the moment, the most important thing was naturally physical fitness points, as improving his strength was urgent, so he had to save the money.
Anyway, after purchasing physical fitness points today, the restaurant can be upgraded, and the outdoor seating won't be a problem.
"Upgrading the restaurant has many benefits! Besides unlocking the permission to renovate the outdoor seating, various other permissions will also be opened to the host. There's also an upgrade gift pack waiting for the host! Don't miss this opportunity, hurry up and recharge to upgrade!" the system clamored.
"Oh, is that so? But I'm not in a hurry at all. I even want to take a nap first." Mai Ge stretched comfortably. If there are significant changes to the restaurant upgrade, it would obviously be more suitable to work at night, it would be easier to work through the night.
As for the restaurant upgrade, what Mai Ge values most is actually the increase in the restaurant's defense level. This is fundamental to being able to sleep peacefully everyday in this world.
No one can be on full alert 24 hours a day, not even a level 10 expert.
Moreover, if he had to be on guard against all sorts of dangers everyday, he would lose the joy of life, and Mai Ge didn't want to live a life of constant anxiety.
Therefore, his ultimate goal is simple: to one day upgrade the restaurant's defense level to level ten. At that point, he wouldn't care about revealing his identity to the world. It would be an absolutely safe fortress.
Furthermore, back then, Mai Ge • Alex wasn't actually at the point of being universally hated, otherwise, those guys wouldn't have needed to find so many scapegoats to take the fall for him.
He held immense prestige within the military of the Los Empire, to the point of being almost mythologized. This was perhaps the main reason why the person who sat in the Luo Du's palace tacitly approved of what happened back then.
Of course, these things are still far from Mai Ge's reach. As long as he doesn't recklessly flaunt his strength and reveal his identity, he can quietly develop his power and accumulate more resources before the people of Luo Du come knocking. When the world can no longer ignore him, no one will dare to scheme against him.
This resources aren't just about personal strength. Mai Ge • Alex has already proven one thing: no matter how powerful a person is, even if they can easily slay a dragon, human strength has its limits, and the ultimate fate is death.
He's too solitary, he doesn't control the army, nor does he cultivate relationships with officials. He's like a lone wolf, with only Irina by his side.
A powerful but uncontrollable person is seen as a dangerous entity by those in power. If they cannot be used for their own purposes, they become a destabilizing factor, and killing them is the only option.
Ironically, Mai Ge • Alex, a hero of the Los Empire, fell at the hands of his own people.
Therefore, Mai Ge isn't planning on going it alone this time. The simplest and most direct way to increase overall strength is, of course, to establish a faction, cultivate subordinates, and grow into a major power.
However, Mai Ge doesn't intend to do that. His life of playing with Amy and serving dishes to guests is far too pleasant and leisurely, he's unwilling to suddenly transform into a pyramid scheme leader.
Moreover, on the Nolan Continent, it's impossible for a faction to become an enemy of the Los Empire in the short term, not even if led by a level ten knight or a mage.
Of course, there are many ways to increase strength. Mai Ge's current strategy is simple: stop with the nurturing approach and go straight for the binding. He wants to tie himself to some behemoths, creating a mutually beneficial alliance. The more behemoths he has, the greater his influence will be, giving him leverage in negotiations.
Currently, Chaos City seems like a good choice. It's large enough and has the power to negotiate with the Los Empire.
More importantly, Mai Ge feels comfortable in Chaos City, so he's happy to see it improve.
However, Mai Ge isn't the Lord of the Gray Temple. Even if he regains his full strength, he can't expect Chaos City to support him with its entire power. He's aware of this.
The food at Restaurant Mai Mi is a good entry point to get on the radar of Chaos City's administrators, but it's not a strong enough bargaining chip. A mature politician wouldn't risk his life against an empire for a restaurant.
Mai Ge's real trump card was the steam engine, a groundbreaking invention that would usher the world into the steam age.
With economic development, the production of handicrafts in factories can no longer meet market demand. Although magical and endurance races have a great advantage in production, but the market across the continent is constantly expanding and full of potential due to the continuous development of commerce and trade and the increasing consumption of ordinary people in a peaceful environment. A large number of workshops have been established and are in a phase of rapid expansion, and an industrial revolution is brewing.
However, given the various supply and demand contradictions, there is still no power source that can effectively improve production efficiency by replacing human and animal power. If the steam engine were to emerge at this time, it would definitely be able to quickly propel the Nolan Continent into the industrial revolution stage. This is also the reason why the City Lord's Mansion strongly supports the Haider team.
Steam engines, coal, and steel were the three main factors that propelled the Industrial Revolution. Nolan Continent already possessed the latter two. Whoever controlled the core technology of the steam engine held the power to drive the world into the steam age, and this technology was now firmly in Mai Ge's mind.
Mai Ge's task now was to figure out how to maximize the profits from the steam engine, not just how much money it could fetch, but more importantly, how to leverage it to stand on the shoulders of giants and gain a degree of dominance.
Only when that time comes can he avoid what happened three years ago from happening to him again. Then he can happily run his restaurant everyday, occasionally taking time off to take Amy out for trips. This kind of life is a tangible and leisurely one.