Chapter 81 How Much?

Since entering the restaurant, King had noticed Iris change her behavior twice. When they first came in, she suddenly became much quieter. Now, she was back to her usual self.

“Hey, why are you smiling so freely on the ninth floor when you weren’t like that on the first floor?”

“Because the first floor is crowded, while it’s quiet up here. The prices on the ninth floor are higher than those on the first floor. Most of the people who eat here also have pretty high status. Since they have high status, they’ll recognize me even if I don’t say anything, so it makes no difference whether I speak or not.”

As they walked and talked, it didn’t take long for the two of them to reach a staircase.

Standing in front of it was a middle-aged man in a black suit, with neatly groomed hair and beard, as if the barber had used an extremely precise ruler when cutting them.

“Would you like to go up to the VIP floor?”

“Yes.”

His sharp eyes swept over the two guests. King’s country bumpkin look was obvious, but so was his arrogant demeanor. As for Iris, it took him less than a few seconds to recognize who she was.

She couldn’t be considered a regular customer or even the biggest spender, but she was one of the most important.

With her status alone, even if she only drank a glass of plain water, she would still qualify as a distinguished guest.

“Then please choose a dining room, miss.”

Since Iris was out enjoying herself, he was sensible enough not to reveal her identity out loud. He simply did his job and handed the tablet to the guests so they could choose a room.

With the complicated procedures here, King couldn’t be bothered to pay attention. He only cared about the strength of this ‘ordinary’ employee.

Even though they hadn’t fought, King’s instincts told him that this man was capable of fighting him.

The middle-aged man’s chances of winning were obviously 0%, but he was strong enough to make King take the fight seriously and use his divine skills.

After looking the man over, his curious gaze shifted to the tablet. Before he could read a single word, the number ‘100,000’ slammed straight into his eyes.

“Damn it! Is this price a joke? Spending six figures just to eat one meal. Are you selling gold or something?”

That six-digit number hit King like an attack, making his eyes feel like they were about to explode. The moment he saw it, he couldn’t help cursing.

His reaction was exactly what Iris had expected, so she only smiled faintly. When she first saw the restaurant charging prices this high, she had reacted just like him.

No one could help being surprised the first time they heard about a meal costing six figures, unless they had no idea how much money was worth.

“You’re leaving something out.”

Seeing King shocked by the prices, the middle-aged man simply smiled and spoke. He looked amused, as if it had been a long time since someone this strange had come here to entertain him.

Except when the restaurant had just opened, everyone who came here afterward already knew all the prices and rules. It was rare to see a clueless country bumpkin like King.

Because he knew Iris’s identity, he was even more curious about who this country bumpkin was to be able to walk alongside her as an equal.

“What’s missing?”

King furrowed his brows. He was sure there was nothing wrong with his eyes. There was no way he could have misread the price.

He had just read the details too. It was basically an all-you-can-eat buffet, but the restaurant provided the dishes instead of letting customers choose for themselves.

King felt that this restaurant was even less impressive than an ordinary restaurant. He had eaten at ordinary buffets like this many times before, and he could even choose his own dishes, unlike here.

“This price doesn’t include taxes and basic service fees. There’s also premium service available, depending on your needs.”

The middle-aged man wore an extremely ‘capitalist’ smile. Looking at him now, it was hard to tell whether he was an employee or the owner of this place.

Judging by his cultivation level, he wasn’t quite qualified to be the owner, but he was probably more than capable of being a senior manager.

As for the professional skills involved in running a restaurant business, they couldn’t be judged as simply as cultivation levels.

“Damn it! Are you robbing people?”

Although King was always confident because he was a reader, an existence above this fictional universe itself, he was now so furious over a six-digit number that he felt like losing his mind.

“Hahahaha, so even your strange way of thinking can become normal when money is involved. Maybe this is the magic of money, huh?”

The more Iris looked at King, the more heartily she laughed. This paradox didn’t just happen to King. It happened to her too.

Logically, people like Iris shouldn’t care about something as trivial as money. Yet when it came to spending money, their way of thinking suddenly became just like that of ordinary people.

Iris could casually unleash a sword qi slash and cause damage worth millions of dollars or earn that much money with ease, yet she still felt reluctant to spend money.

It was like a billionaire who could make money even while sleeping but still ate a three-dollar fast-food meal every day to save money. He barely saved anything, but he kept doing it day after day.

“We’re definitely not robbing anyone. The prices are reasonable. We run this business for the joy of helping hungry cultivators, not for profit…”

“Hmm… Perhaps you’ve never tried eating to your heart’s content before? A high-level cultivator can eat enough to bankrupt an ordinary restaurant.”

King’s situation was quite rare, but not unheard of. Some people still kept their eating habits even after becoming cultivators, despite their bodies needing far more food than before.

After all, a cultivator’s main energy source was spiritual power, which could continuously replenish itself because this entire world was filled with dark qi.

Eating was only meant to replenish the body’s nutrients, so eating less wouldn’t kill them.

“Tsk, as if I’d believe you. Who runs a business without wanting to make a profit? If it’s not for profit, then it’s called charity. Don’t misuse words.”

The middle-aged man’s smooth lie, without a single flaw, made King roll his eyes. He was poor, not stupid enough to be fooled by such ridiculous reasoning.

“Just ignore him. I’ll buy two tickets. We’ll take this room, and the cost doesn’t matter.”

Iris had been laughing so much that she was in high spirits, so now she wanted to go eat right away. The only problem was that someone was already using the room she’d chosen, and it was also the most luxurious room in the restaurant.

“I’m sorry, miss, but that room has already been reserved.”

“I’m not blind. How much?”

Ever since before she entered the restaurant, Iris’s target had been that magnificent room. Even spending several million dollars just for one meal wouldn’t be a problem.