Chapter 34: Explosive Popularity part 1
The manager looked at the price list, then at the new City Lord, and finally at the exotic beast meat skewers neatly arranged in the box. His body swayed slightly.
Itās over, he thought. The City Lord has lost his mind.
Just because the nutrient solution shopās business was bad, there was no need to self-destruct like this. He had watched them skewer the meat with his own eyes this morning.
One catty of exotic beast meat made five skewers. That meant the cost for five skewers was roughly one hundred star coins.
Yet, the City Lord was actually selling them for one thousand star coins per skewer!
What kind of sucker would buy this? How could anyone be willing to pay that?
After all, even the flavored nutrient solutions were only a thousand star coins a tube, and those contained the unique flavor of the Ancient Blue Star strawberry, a rare species.
But just roasting exotic beast meat over a fire… didn’t that still make it exotic beast meat?
The manager could already foresee the tragic scene at closing time when all these skewers would have to be thrown away unsold. That was a cost of hundreds of catties, amounting to tens of thousands of star coins.
Just when the manager thought that was the end of it, he saw the new City Lord leisurely take out a smaller sticker and slap it right at the top of the price list.
The manager focused his eyes on it and went completely numb.
[Limit: 5 skewers per person]
Ning Yunyi glanced at the manager, who looked like he had a million things to say but couldn’t get them out, and simply pretended not to see him.
The manager took a deep breath, intending to offer some advice, when suddenly an excited voice came from the door.
“Eh? Mr. Bai! It really is Mr. Bai!”
Ning Yunyi hadn’t expected customers before they had even officially started.
Turning around, he saw familiar faces.
“How did you guys find this place?” Ning Yunyi asked the two people walking in. It was Hao Yan and his friend, who had brought them into the Underground City earlier.
Previously, Hao Yan had led them to the auction house. Before Ning Yunyi confronted Anselm, he had asked the two to leave first to avoid implicating innocent bystanders.
Seeing that Ning Yunyi was safe, Hao Yan finally let out a sigh of relief. “That day, Mr. Bai told us to leave first. Since my friend and I don’t have spiritual power, we left. Later, we got worried that you might have gotten into trouble, so we came back to check.”
They had been worried they wouldn’t be able to find any information. However, when they arrived at the auction house and described Mr. Bai’s appearanceāalong with the child and the big catāthe manager there was incredibly polite and directed them to the Food District.
They had only come over to ask around when they saw someone here.
Unexpectedly, Mr. Bai was actually here.
Hao Yan looked around, immediately spotting Young Master Bai posed and ready, and then looked at the exotic beast meat. He instantly understood. “Mr. Bai, is this your shop? You’re selling… barbecue skewers? Then give me ten skewers to start!”
This was his life-saver. He couldn’t help with anything else, but he definitely didn’t lack money. He would treat this as supporting his benefactor.
The friend beside him also saw the exotic beast meat. Hearing “ten skewers,” his face turned green. Remembering a tragic experience of eating burnt exotic beast meat in the past, his face scrunched up, and he silently took a step back. “I drank too much nutrient solution on the way here; I’m stuffed. I won’t join you, haha.”
He would fight alongside his brother, but eating exotic beast meat? Sorry, not even for a blood brother.
As for the price, to them, it was pocket change. It didn’t matter at all.
The manager beside them was numb. So, there really are suckers in this world.
Hao Yan thought about the impossible-to-swallow taste of exotic beast meat, but remembering this was Mr. Bai’s shop, he gritted his teeth and glared at his friend. “Fine, I’ll eat them myself.”
The friend immediately beamed. “Hehe, I’ll wave the flag and shout encouragement for you from the side.”
Without sheer willpower, that stuff really couldn’t be swallowed.
Ning Yunyi watched the silent exchange between the two. Knowing they weren’t short on money, he didn’t stop Hao Yan’s intention to repay the favor. “Each person can only buy five skewers.”
The friend gave Ning Yunyi a strange look. Other people limit quantities because they sell too well. Good heavens, is this Mr. Bai too confident, or is this hunger marketing?
But the prerequisite for hunger marketing is that the product sells well. The problem was… did anyone really eat exotic beast meat?
Hao Yan didn’t hesitate to swipe his magnetic card for five thousand star coins.
Anyone who could enter the Underground City was a member and would load money onto their cards, though most spent it in the [Entertainment District].
Young Master Bai glanced at Hao Yan. “Do you eat spicy?”
Hao Yan looked confused. “Huh? What spicy?”
Young Master Bai grinned, showing his teeth, and enthusiastically promoted his homemade chili powder. “There are two flavors in total. However, adding spice costs extra. The spicy flavor is one thousand one hundred star coins.”
Not only had Hao Yan never heard of it, but his friend was also confused. Is it some new flavor?
Hao Yan hesitated for a moment, then swiped another hundred. “Add it to one skewer.”
Young Master Bai cheered excitedly, “Coming right up!” He just hoped the guy wouldn’t regret it later. After all, having tasted the spicy skewers himself, Young Master Bai felt that calling it a divine delicacy wasn’t an exaggeration.
At first, he thought he couldn’t handle it and his mouth was on fire, but after eating more, he felt he could eat another hundred skewers!
Driven by curiosity, Hao Yan and his friend lowered their heads, peering through the glass window as Young Master Bai lit those black, unidentifiable lumps.
But as the scarlet flames flared up, they only smelled a faint, unique scent wafting over.
The manager and Bonnie couldn’t curb their curiosity either. They had seen exotic beast meat, but they had truly never seen barbecue skewers.
As a handful of skewers sizzled and lined up on the grill, the manager felt a pang of heartache. The shop owner was too risky. This customer only ordered five, but Young Master Bai had clearly put at least twenty on the grill!
If the other fifteen didn’t sell, that was a loss.
But the next moment, as the grease sizzled and dripped onto the fruitwood charcoal, the flames leaped up to lick the meat. The exotic beast meat, which usually had a strange smell, seemed somewhat different despite looking the same as before.
And this was just the beginning. When the skewers were about done, Young Master Bai lifted his eyelids and smugly glanced at Hao Yan and the others, whose faces were almost pressed against the glass. He rolled up his sleeves: Time to show off!
They watched as Young Master Bai skillfully flipped the skewers with one hand while snapping open the honey jar with the other.
Under the stare of four pairs of unworldly eyes, he took a delicate little brush and began to coat every skewer with honey.
Drip, sizzle. A little honey fell, and the scent of fruitwood charcoal mixed with the aroma of grease and heated honey created a rich, unique fragrance that spread through the small shop.
Especially for Hao Yan, who was closest to the windowāhe unconsciously swallowed his saliva.
Is exotic beast meat… supposed to smell this good?
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