“Which direction, Blacky?” Anselm asked. They were all looking at the middle-aged man, excited.
“West, east, north, and south,” Blacky said earnestly, pointing.
Anselm slapped him on the head. “You may as well have said they were on this continent!” he said angrily.
“I’m saying they are probably still in this square, Boss,” Blacky said, aggrieved.
Anselm nodded, thoughtful. “Memorize this list and let’s go!” he told his men.They found themselves in a bit of a predicament—they could never memorize so many items.
“I found the same list here, with addresses, Boss,” the youngest one said, picking up a golden-red piece of paper beside a ballot box.
“Good,” said Anselm. “Let’s go! Keep your eyes open!” They walked towards the Dukas Restaurant.
“They look suspicious, Boss,” Monkey said to Barzel.
“One of them wanted to kill a woman just now,” Barzel said gravely. I sensed bloodlust in them. They are killers. Dangerous killers. The whiskered one may be even stronger than me.
These hunters had aroused suspicion not long after they entered the city. That was why the crime rate here was 10 times less than that of Rodu.
“Go to Mamy Restaurant, Monkey. Tell Lord Brandli about this when he comes out. They might have not committed any crime, but I fear they will soon. They’re dangerous,” said Barzel.“Yes, Boss!” Monkey ran towards the restaurant. The boss said they’re dangerous, so they must be above 5th-tier. The population is dense here; we have to make sure they don’t hurt anyone.
…
“Don’t forget to pick Amy up in the afternoon,” Krassu said to Mag after he paid his check.
Mag nodded. “I won’t.”
“Bye, Master Half-beard!” Amy said, waving at Krassu.
“Bye, Amy.” Krassu smiled, and took his leave.
The busy lunch hours were finally over. “How many ballots did you give out?” Mag asked Sally.
Sally counted the ones left in her hand. “380,” she answered calmly. Still, she couldn’t hide the excitement in her eyes. After all, it was she who had given them out, and they would decide if the dishes would make the list or not.
Mag nodded. 2,000 ballots are not enough. Dinner time is longer and busier. I think we can hand out over 1,000 today.
“All the five dishes deserve to reach the top 10. No one is a better cook than you, Boss,” Yabemiya said.
Mag smiled. “It’s not easy to get into the top 10.” Many people come to the square every day. There is a lot of large restaurants that can hand out thousands of ballots each day, and some of their dishes are even more expensive than mine.
Mag didn’t care much about the rankings as long as one of his dishes ended in the top 30. At this rate, he was convinced he could do it. He had an inkling that he would get more missions like this one soon, so he didn’t want to rank too high; otherwise, the system might ask him to rank first next time.
“Your dishes should take the first place, Father. They’re marvelous,” said Amy.
Mag smiled and touched her head. “One day they will.” He lifted her up in his arms. “Let’s go take a nap, and then I’ll take you to school.”
“Yes, Father.” Amy put her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes.
“Meow, meow.” Ugly Duckling clawed at Mag’s leg and looked up at him with a sad face. It was afraid to be left behind.
“I almost forgot you.” Mag crouched down and picked it up. “I’ll leave the rest to you,” he said to Yabemiya and Sally. “You can get some rest first if you’re tired.”
“Yes, Boss.” His two waitresses nodded and watched him go upstairs.
“You have got even better, Aisha. You’re such a quick learner,” Yabemiya said, and gave her a thumbs-up.
“Thank you, but I still have much to learn from you.” There was a glimmer of joy in Sally’s eyes.
When Mag and Amy came back downstairs, the restaurant was super clean. Sally had left, and Yabemiya was leaning on a table, sleeping.
“Let’s be quiet and not wake her up. She’s very tired,” Mag whispered.
Amy nodded, and shushed Ugly Duckling with a forefinger to the lips. They walked out softly with the bike.
It was past lunchtime, so not many people were walking on the street, but they stared when they rode by.
On the second floor of a teahouse stood a girl wearing the same white dress as she had worn when she met Mag the other day at the west gate. She recognized Mag and Amy.
