After steadying his mood, Emiya prepared some desserts for Bronya to slowly enjoy, while he himself once again threw himself into tense and busy work.
He planned, while guaranteeing quality, to improve his cooking speed as much as possible. Only then could he host more guests each day and earn more mana crystals and task points.
At dinnertime, because the bubble tea had received Bronya's perfect score of approval, Emiya specially took time out to make a whole big pot for everyone to try.
In Emiya's original world, bubble tea was already a bestselling product. Only because of its high calories was it rated as junk food. But in Belobog, high calories instead became an advantage.
Not only that, the raw materials for bubble tea were cheap, and making it was quick and easy. The bigger the pot, the more he could make at once.
The only problem was that the pearls would affect the taste if left too long, so that had to be considered before it could officially go on the menu.
"This tastes so good! The flavor is sweet and rich, and especially these little black pearls inside, soft yet bouncy, the texture is absolutely top-notch."
The one speaking was Gepard. As a tough, burly man, Emiya never expected that he would actually like this even more than the girls did.
Not only did he drink a full liter by himself, he also wanted to pay a high price to pack up the leftovers and bring them back for the Silvermane Guards to try.
"The three kinds of nuts and five types of beans in here must've been carefully chosen too, right? This one cup gathers together all the nutrients the human body needs, plus hot or cold each has its own flavor. It can really bring people a deeply satisfying sense of happiness!"
"Hey, you, just for the sake of giving me face, flattering me on purpose is going way too far. Even I wouldn't dare exaggerate that much in my own advertising!"
Emiya felt that Gepard talked even more like a salesman on the phone than actual telemarketers, cramming in basically every good phrase he could think of. That actually made it sound fake instead.
If Gepard were really invited to be a spokesperson, it might even backfire.
"Mr. Emiya, if you knew what we usually eat, you would know that every word Lord Gepard said came from the bottom of his heart." Nalan let out a quiet sigh and gave a rough description of the "wonderful life" the Silvermane Guards had before Emiya's family arrived.
Belobog's resources were extremely limited. Not only was the Geomarrow gradually running dry, even food was becoming a drop in the bucket. And even then, half of it had to be taken first by the big shots in the city to indulge themselves.
Although the Silvermane Guards were on the frontlines every day, facing crises of life and death, what they could eat was mostly just canned rations and blackened bread.
Even those poorly made foods were strictly rationed. Anyone with a slightly bigger appetite couldn't get full. Eating fresh meat, for the Silvermane Guards, was something so good they didn't even dare dream of it.
Frankly speaking, the meat dishes Emiya and his group had cooked for everyone during their time in the forbidden zone were more than most people would ever get to eat in their entire lives.
Not only that, every year when they asked for death benefits for the warriors who had died heroically, it was always an enormous struggle.
Even if the Supreme Guardian personally went to urge them, the administrators would just ignore it and drag things out for ages before paying.
In recent years, fewer and fewer people were willing to join the Silvermane Guards. Some would rather starve to death in the city than go outside and get stabbed in the back.
"Sorry, I went off-topic." For today's gathering, that subject was a bit too heavy. Nalan noticed everyone's expressions didn't look good, so he hurried to stop his endless words.
"It's fine. From the moment we arrived, you no longer need to be pessimistic!"
Zoe drained her cup of milk tea in one gulp and slapped her small chest boldly. "The Ice Tree will soon be mass-produced. The Decay Tree that stabilizes space is also nearly done. By then the city can be expanded, and resources will naturally follow."
The source of Stellaron energy was, in the end, still the Stellaron itself. Using the Ice Tree to eliminate the snowstorms would at least require Emiya and the others to first take away the Stellaron before it could be accomplished.
Zoe planned to use the Ice Tree as a stronghold, expanding the territory step by step, and building another city, laying a solid foundation for one day establishing her own domain.
By then, she would give any residents willing to move to the new city free machines for processing wild animal meat, as well as war machines to protect the city. She would also introduce hardy, high-yield crops.
Once the Stellaron was taken away, Belobog would immediately become a thing of the past. The newly built city would be the true foundation of Jarilo.
But these words, Zoe wasn't planning to tell everyone just yet. For now, with just Emiya and Acheron's intimidating presence, it was already enough to convince Belobog to divert resources to her.
When everything was ready, then she would give everyone a huge surprise, and give those parasites who only ate and drank a hard, sudden blow.
The celebration lasted until nine at night. The Silvermane Guards still had to go on duty, and Emiya also needed to prepare for opening his shop tomorrow. But everyone was chatting so happily that they still didn't want to leave.
After dragging things out for nearly another hour, seeing that they really couldn't delay anymore, they finally left, unwilling as they were.
"Emiya, as agreed, one prey equals 100 credits. Here's 10,000 in cash." Before leaving, Gepard suddenly remembered the business hadn't been handled yet.
"What time will you come tomorrow? I'll come pick you up."
"Tomorrow afternoon at eight. Come to my house, have dinner with me, then we'll go together!" Emiya didn't refuse and straightforwardly accepted the money.
He had just arrived in Belobog, and money was needed everywhere, not just for the shop and home, but later, when the passages between upper and lower levels reopened, there would be plenty of places underground that required money as well.
"Alright." Gepard nodded, called out to Bronya, and then walked ahead first. "I'll wait for you at the city gate for half an hour. No need to rush."
"Okay!" While Bronya was nodding, Acheron, Vera, and Zoe suddenly slipped quickly back into the house and closed the door.
Emiya held his forehead and sighed helplessly. He silently decided in his heart that tonight he absolutely had to ask them clearly what was going on, or else his curiosity would probably keep him from sleeping.
"U-um, Emiya, can I also come pick you up tomorrow?" Bronya rubbed her little hands, looking like a shy little girl.
"Sure. My house has plenty of bowls and chopsticks. You can come by anytime you want." Emiya instinctively glanced up at the three little heads peeking from the second-floor window.
"The three in my house seem to really like you. You should connect with them more often."
"!" Hearing Emiya's words, Bronya's eyes sparkled with light, nearly blinding Emiya's "pay-to-win dog eyes."
"Then it's settled, you can't go back on it!"
"Mm, you, " Before Emiya could continue, Bronya dashed off like a flash and disappeared.
After sending Bronya off, Emiya went home planning to ask the others to help clean up, but they had all shut themselves in and refused to come out no matter what.
"Ah, fine then!" Emiya could only shake his head helplessly. He resolved deep inside that after serving the last guest, he would immediately go ask them clearly.
This matter couldn't be dragged out any longer. Some things had to be faced sooner or later, it was better to make them clear as soon as possible, for everyone's sake.
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