Diona had only intended to treat Bonanus's words as a joke.
But when she heard the words "recipe for the worst drink ever," her eyes lit up.
A feeling of curiosity and eagerness surged within her.
Did a recipe for the worst drink really exist? If what the woman said was true, what did she want in return? She would have to test her first.
With that thought, Diona put on a suspicious look, brushing aside her earlier excitement. She spoke in a dismissive tone.
"How do I know you're not lying?"
"Just lend me your counter and shaker. That shouldn't be too hard for you, right?" Bonanus grinned.
She could easily just trade with the system. Come to think of it, she hadn't traded for anything in a while.
"I don't mind, but I need Ms. Margaret's permission. She's the owner. I'm just the bartender." Diona shrugged.
"Where is Ms. Margaret? I don't see her." Noelle asked, confused. Aside from the servers and drinkers, the owner was nowhere in sight.
"Ms. Margaret went to ask the Knights for help finding her cats. Two of them ran off again." Diona rubbed her ears gently.
Cats kept running away every day, and they never listened.
She sighed and glanced at the people playing Genius Invokation TCG while drinking. Her tone was helpless.
"I wanted to go with her. I'm good at finding them. But there are too many drinkers today, so I had to stay."
"Oh, that sounds rough." Noelle covered her mouth. Ms. Margaret made Diona stay and watch the tavern. That was really asking a lot.
Diona just shrugged and shook her head without saying more. At least there were servers around so she didn't have to deal with the drunks herself.
"So Ms. Margaret went to the Knights for help, and she left you in charge. That means you're the temporary boss here." Bonanus smirked at Diona.
Since the owner wasn't around, things were simpler.
"Pretty much." Diona nodded. Even if she was in charge, she didn't care to manage things. She had no interest in serving drunks.
She could leave that to the servers. She only mixed drinks.
"Then it's easy. We don't need Ms. Margaret's permission." Bonanus hopped off her stool and walked to the right side of the counter where there was an entrance.
"Hey! Don't just barge in!" Diona rushed over and blocked her with her soft paws.
Since Diona was short, she could only reach Bonanus's thigh.
"Oh, don't worry about that. You're in charge right now. If you say yes, I can go in."
"Besides... don't you want to see the recipe for the worst drink ever?" Bonanus's voice was tempting. At least for Diona, it was.
"But... but... fine! If you can't actually make it, I'll be mad!" Diona crossed her arms and stepped aside.
To get the true recipe for the worst drink, she had to let the woman try.
Meanwhile, Noelle was still sitting at the bar, watching. She was just enjoying the show, quietly sipping her apple juice and watching the Genius Invokation players.
It looked really fun. She wanted to try it.
"Sister, can I go play?" Noelle finished her juice and looked at Bonanus expectantly.
"Go ahead. Just don't get addicted." Bonanus waved casually. Noelle didn't really need her permission. She wasn't her boss.
"Okay. I'll be right back!"
Noelle hopped off her stool happily. She was just going to learn the rules. It wouldn't take long.
Knights often played Genius Invokation TCG together. Noelle heard about it sometimes, but she was too busy with her duties and etiquette lessons to try it. This was a good chance.
"Wait, Noelle. Do you have a deck?" Diona called out.
"A deck? Sorry, I'm a beginner." Noelle looked embarrassed. She didn't even know what a deck was.
"Ah. You can't play without a deck. Here, use mine for now. Return it when you're done. If you get the chance later, you should build your own."
Diona shrugged, pulled a box out from under the counter, and handed it to Noelle.
"Ah, thank you so much!" Noelle took the box gratefully. Miss Diona was actually very kind. She just sounded a bit tsundere sometimes.
"Don't mention it. As long as you don't drink, it's nothing." Diona put her hands on her hips. She really liked being around people who didn't drink.
"Oh, and there's a blonde girl in room two who calls herself the Prinzessin. She's looking for someone to teach Genius Invokation. She'd probably be happy to help you."
Diona pointed at a room nearby. That blonde girl was an adventurer who called herself a princess. She came here after every commission.
She was really strange. She was clearly underage, but she insisted she was an adult. She also spoke in all sorts of odd phrases.
"By the way, she talks a bit strangely. You might not understand her, but don't worry. She has a black crow with her. It'll translate for you." Diona added.
"Got it. I'll go now." Noelle smiled, took the deck, and walked toward room two.
After watching Noelle enter the room, Diona turned back to Bonanus, crossed her arms, and asked flatly,
"Can we start now?"
Bonanus nodded. But they didn't need to start. She was already done.
She slid a drink across the counter toward Diona. The liquid was colorful and bright.
"While you were talking to Noelle, I already finished." Bonanus leaned on the table, poked the drink, and looked at Diona.
"How? I didn't hear a thing! What about the process?!" Diona was confused. They had only talked for a moment. How was it already done?
"It's just mixing drinks. It doesn't take long. And I don't do fancy tricks." Bonanus answered dismissively.
The truth was, she hadn't mixed the drink at all. While Noelle and Diona were talking, she had entered the system shop and bought a bottle called "The Worst Rainbow Drink Ever."
The shop even threw in the recipe for free. Perfect timing. That was exactly what she needed.
It only cost her 100 karmic debt. Current balance: 993.
She wasn't worried about the quality. Anything from the system was top tier.
"But it's so colorful... is it poisonous?" Diona hesitated. She wanted to make a bad drink, but she didn't want to poison anyone.
She picked up the glass and sniffed it lightly.
It smelled so good. Could something that smelled this good really taste bad?
"Don't worry. It's not poisonous. In fact, it's refreshing and helps with hangovers. It's just really terrible." Bonanus said reassuringly.
"Fine. I trust you. And my hunter's instinct tells me there's no danger." Diona held the glass and looked around, searching for something.
She needed someone to test it on.
She stepped out from behind the counter, looking at the drinkers playing Genius Invokation, then at the drunk man passed out on a cat sofa.
Perfect.