"Thank you, Klee. I'll keep these fireworks for you. Go to the Serenitea Pot first and play with Yuanbao and the others. I'll call you out when it's time to set them off!"
Feng Yi's eye twitched. He quickly took the backpack off Klee's shoulders and then put her into the Serenitea Pot.
When Lisa arrived later, Feng Yi would have to ask her to thoroughly inspect Klee's fireworks, as he worried they might contain something extraordinary. If they were lit without inspection, his tavern might have to close for repairs before it even opened!
"Feng Yi, who is that child?" Lumine, wearing a waitress's apron, emerged from the tavern and asked curiously. Having received so much care from Feng Yi, Lumine wanted to repay him and had voluntarily offered to work as a tavern waitress. However, wearing the waitress outfit gave her the air of a maid.
"That child's name is Klee. Her mother is away on business and has entrusted her to the acting Grand Master Jean of the Knights of Favonius. Um... a friendly reminder, although Klee looks innocent and harmless, influenced by her mother, she has a special fondness for bombs..." According to Albedo, while Klee's current destructive power was less than a hundredth of Ms. Alice's... she was still not to be underestimated, for the title of "Lord of Burning Mountains" was not earned in vain!
"Mhm, I'll be careful!" Lumine smiled back at Feng Yi and didn't pay much mind. How destructive could a child really be?
Klee: Exactly! What bad intentions could an innocent and cute child have?
The Seelies blown away by Klee's bombs: ...
"Feng Yi, I'm not late, am I? This is my congratulatory gift: specially made Slime Condensate Honey. Its sweetness and texture are several times that of ordinary Slime Condensate Honey. I think it would be excellent for making cocktails..." Sucrose, who had stopped her experiments, rushed over from the alchemy workshop and handed Feng Yi the congratulatory gift with a hint of shyness.
"No, no, Sucrose, you're very early! There's still some time before the tavern's official opening! Why don't you come into the tavern and take a nap? I bet you've been doing alchemy experiments all night and haven't had a wink of sleep," Feng Yi said with certainty, glancing at Sucrose's dark circles.
"That... um, I can't help it. If I don't finish the experiments, I just can't sleep..."
Sucrose: Please, staying up all night doing alchemy experiments is so cool!
Feng Yi: Stop that edgy behavior!
Feng Yi settled Sucrose on the sofa in a private room of the tavern and found a thick blanket to cover her, to prevent her from catching a cold.
About an hour later, the tavern's dedicated bartender, Diona, finally arrived.
"Feng Yi, although I'll mix drinks for you as agreed, my appearance fee is quite high!" Diona placed a small stool behind the counter and stood on it, barely showing her upper body, and said with a proud demeanor.
"Hmm... a basic salary of ten thousand mora per day, and if you work diligently, three dried fish and a can of fish meat as extra rewards. What do you think?" Feng Yi, after discreetly inquiring, learned that Charles, the bartender at the "Angel's Share" tavern next door, earned only five thousand mora per month. Feng Yi decided to double Diona's salary during her trial period! If Diona performed satisfactorily during the trial period, her salary would increase, with performance-based bonuses, where the more you earned, the more you got, with no upper limit!
"Hmm, it's a deal! Can I get today's three dried fish and one can of fish meat in advance? *Cough*... Don't misunderstand, I just think delicious food will improve my mood, and thus the quality of the drinks I make!"
Diona: Hmph~ I'd never tell you that I'm just... simply craving food! I really wouldn't!
"Wait a moment, I'll get them for you!" Feng Yi seemed to see through Diona's pride, chuckled, which made Diona look flustered and pout, glaring at him angrily.
'Considering you're offering dried fish and canned fish, I'll generously forgive you today!' After Feng Yi brought the dried fish and canned fish, Diona unconsciously swallowed her saliva, thinking to herself.
"Hehe, three dried fish and a can of fish meat a day as an appearance fee, not bad!" After Feng Yi left, Diona, hugging her "treasures" on the counter, said joyfully. As for the ten thousand mora, it didn't seem as appealing as dried fish!
Feng Yi: Let's just say, is there a possibility that with ten thousand mora, you could buy a lot of dried fish?
Diona: Wooow... I would obviously think of something so simple! (Actually...)
"Feng~ Yi~ We've come to help too!" Feng Yi sat on a stool in front of the tavern's entrance and heard Noelle's cheerful call from afar. Her voice arrived before she did, and Noelle, pulling Barbara along, hurried towards Feng Yi's tavern.
"Feng Yi, your tavern is just opening, and I figured you might be short-handed, so I've come to help!" Noelle said enthusiastically, but her next sentence revealed her true intentions. "Of course, for compensation, just a cup of hot Slime Jelly Milk Tea will do!" Recalling the rich and mellow deliciousness of the Slime Jelly Milk Tea, Noelle couldn't help but lick her lips and grinned at Feng Yi.
Feng Yi: Compensation with Slime Jelly Milk Tea is fine, but why are you staring at my fingers? Feng Yi, remembering how Noelle had burned her tongue last time and almost drained his Life Water, shuddered. Sensing Noelle's ill-intentioned gaze, Feng Yi's heart skipped a beat, and he instinctively took a step back. His Life Water was not a beverage!
Noelle: Are you serious about stepping back half a step?!
"Eh? What is Slime Jelly Milk Tea? Is it a kind of drink?" Barbara asked curiously. This was the first time she had seen Noelle so obsessed with something, even though the name sounded a bit strange.
"Slime Jelly Milk Tea, oh, it's a very, very, very... delicious drink! Barbara, do you want to join me? Work for Feng Yi and earn milk tea. Believe me, the sweetness of Slime Jelly Milk Tea will definitely not disappoint you!" Before Feng Yi could speak, Noelle had already finished the work of luring free labor.
Feng Yi: Well done, Noelle! I'll reward you with ice cream made from green swan eggs another day!
A moment later, Noelle and Barbara also changed into the same waitress maid outfits as Lumine...