Chapter 1896 - 2-star Restaurant

Chapter 1896 – 2-star Restaurant
Half a year and 40% of the profits for 45,000 Gold? Shi Feng fell deep in thought after hearing the Elf administrator’s final results.
Once the Forest Traveler introduced the meal that granted the Forest Blessing buff, the various major powers would visit before any major operation. However, as the restaurant’s business was limited by its size, and its overall income wasn’t much more than a large hotel’s. Players would only gain the Forest Blessing buff when they ate the food that provided the buff in the restaurant. The food would not grant the buff if consumed elsewhere.
Hence, Shi Feng had considered giving the Forest Traveler up, selecting a dozen or so ordinary restaurants and hotels instead.
However, the Forest Traveler’s latest conditions were far better than they had been, especially the 40% profit-sharing. This would grant him twice as much income as normal from the restaurant. With the Forest Traveler’s advantage, it could generate enough income to rival a dozen or so establishments.
“Alright, I agree to the owner’s conditions,” Shi Feng said after giving the matter some thought.
Although renting a single restaurant for 45,000 Gold was a little extravagant, not only would he get double the profits in return, but he would also have an advantage when gaining the Forest Blessing buff. This would ensure that Zero Wing’s members wouldn’t have to wait in line for hours to get a seat before raiding an important Team Dungeon. He could simply reserve a table for Zero Wing’s exclusive use.
No power had taken control of the Forest Traveler in his previous life; it had been under NPCs full control. As a result, the restaurant’s development had been left to the system’s discretion. Compared to player-managed hotels and restaurants back then, the Forest Traveler’s development speed had been pitiful.
If he managed the Forest Traveler, the restaurant’s development speed would increase by a significant margin. After all, with the Forest Blessing buff, the restaurant would not lack popularity or income. If he played his cards right, he could earn a fortune through the restaurant.
Immediately, Shi Feng signed a lease contract with the Elf administrator. In addition to the 45,000 Gold for the Forest Traveler, he spent another 70,000 Gold to rent 23 hotels and restaurants. Although the hotels and restaurants he had rented varied in size, they were all situated in strategic locations throughout the city. They were all near important buildings and special establishments.
Once the city’s second seal had been removed, which should happen in the next few days, a large number of players would surge into the Sea of Trees. At that time, his hotels and restaurants would officially begin to make money. The 24 hotels and restaurants he rented should generate even more profit than Silverwing Town’s teleportation service.
Silverwing Town’s teleportation service would lure players to the town and increase its competitive edge. As a result, the town could only earn a small amount of money from each player with the teleportation service. However, such considerations weren’t necessary when operating the Sea of Trees’ hotels and restaurants. Even if he only received 20% of the profits from each customer, he should earn at least ten times more per customer than from Silverwing Town’s teleportation service.
Once Shi Feng had rented his establishments, he left the VIP reception room.
The three superpowers’ merchant players were still carefully selecting Lands for purchase. Over 20 of the available Lands had already been bought, many of which were located in the city’s inner area. Shi Feng had to admit that these superpowers’ spending power was astonishing. Zero Wing simply couldn’t compare.
If these superpowers had known the value of leasing the city’s hotels and restaurants, they would’ve claimed half of the city’s establishments by now. They would’ve monopolized every hotel and restaurant, not including those in the central district, by the time the second seal was removed. They wouldn’t leave other powers the opportunity to claim a share of the profits.
However, the value of these establishments had been discovered quite late in the past, and the various major powers had still rented quite a few for themselves.
As Shi Feng returned to the lobby, the superpowers’ representatives spared him a glance before returning to their lists.
Now that my business here is done, I should take a proper look at the Forest Traveler. After glancing at the other players, Shi Feng left the City Hall, making his way towards the Forest Traveler. He was not interested in competing with the three superpowers over the city’s lands in the slightest.
His lack of reaction wasn’t due to a lack of interest in purchasing the city’s Lands, but because he didn’t qualify to do so. Purchasing a plot of Land and setting up a Shop here would easily cost more than 10,000 Gold. Although these Shops would pay for themselves in the long run, he currently needed his money. He could not afford such long-term investments right now.
After riding his Demonic Flame Tiger for half an hour, Shi Feng arrived before a two-story restaurant near the edge of the city. This area wasn’t as lively as the central district as there were only a dozen or so NPCs roaming the street. Meanwhile, the street’s few Shops only sold groceries, and the highest-class building was a three-story smithy. Smoke swirled out of the smithy as the sound of metal on metal echoed down the street.
The view here was one-of-a-kind. A sea of clouds enclosed the district, and flying beasts occasionally soared by. Due to the refreshing scenery, many leisure players would settle here long-term.
Sure enough, business here is bleak. When Shi Feng entered the Forest Traveler, he noticed that, aside from the restaurant owner and two staff members, there was nobody inside the restaurant.
The two waitresses were members of foreign races. One was a female Catkin with cat ears and tail, while the other was a female Foxkin with a pair of pointed ears atop her head and a bushy tail. The restaurant owner was a long-haired Elf, but unlike most Elves, the man was burly. He looked like a natura卜bom Shield Warrior or Berserker. Based on the scars gracing the Elf’s arms and neck, it was clear that he had once been an adventurer.
“Welcome, Lord Demon Hunter. Thank you for renting our restaurant. I am Joseph, the owner of this establishment,” Joseph the Elf said respectfully when he noticed Shi Feng enter the restaurant. “May I know what business you have here?”
When the two Half-beastwomen saw Shi Feng, they nervously lowered their heads. They did not even dare to look Shi Feng in the eye.
Of course, Shi Feng didn’t find this strange. Although the Sea of Trees was a trade city that welcomed both humans and members of neutral races, the secret land that contained the Sea of Trees was still within the Dark Night Empire’s borders. Meanwhile, humans weren’t generally friendly towards other races. Hence, surviving in the Sea of Trees wasn’t easy for them. The Half-beastwomen couldn’t afford to provoke nobles, in particular. A single mistake could even result in their enslavement.
“I wish to see all of the information available on this restaurant Can I trouble you to prepare it for me?” Shi Feng asked.
Although he had rented the restaurant, he only had partial management rights. This was the case for other NPC-operated establishments, as well. It was impossible for players to acquire full management rights over an NPC establishment. Players could only gain full rights over the establishments and Lands sold at the City Hall.
“Alright, please wait a moment,” Joseph said.
A short moment later, Joseph returned with a thick tome. He then set the book before Shi Feng.
Amazing. This restaurant has two Master Cooking Recipes. It’s a pity that the required materials are so rare. The Shopfront is also the cheapest variety. It’s no wonder why business is so terrible. Shi Feng was surprised as he read the restaurant’s information.
Many players in God’s Domain had chosen the chef subclass. Not only were chefs capable of creating delicious dishes, but some of those dishes also provided additional effects, such as temporary Attribute increases. Master Dishes, in particular, provided significant Attribute boosts, high enough to rival the effects of Master Potions.
Although players could cook Master Dishes after becoming Master Chefs, producing one of these dishes was actually quite difficult. The first issue was the lack of recipes. Even a Master Chef would struggle when concocting a Master Cooking Recipe. In the past, eight out often Basic Master Chefs lacked a Master Cooking Recipe. The second issue was the lack of materials.
Yet, the Forest Traveler actually possessed two Master Cooking Recipes, which gave it an advantage over larger restaurants. Unlike the Forest Blessing meal, these Master Dishes would still be effective when consumed outside of the restaurant.
Meanwhile, the Attribute increase they provided was even superior to Master Potions. Both dishes would see very high demand. If he could mass-produce the dishes, he could make a fortune.
When Shi Feng inspected the restaurant’s Shopfront, he noticed that the Forest Traveler already met most of the conditions for its upgrade to a 2-star Restaurant. All it lacked was sales. However, even NPCs weren’t willing to visit the area. How could the restaurant earn an income without any customers?
If the restaurant wanted to attract NPC customers and increase its sales, the easiest way to do so was to upgrade the Shopfront. Only, upgrading the Shopfront would require 1,500 Gold.
The thought of gaining a 2-star Restaurant tempted Shi Feng. Immediately, he chose to upgrade the Shopfront. Suddenly, the system deducted 1,500 Gold from the 3,000-plus he had remaining in his bag.