"Ai..." Chen Luo let out a deep sigh.
"A'Luo, why are you sighing?" Venti, who arrived at the bar with impeccable punctuality as always, couldn't help but ask with concern.
If the shop owner were gone, how would he get his daily free drinks?
"Why can't you be more ambitious and post a few more commissions?" Chen Luo flipped through the book in his hands while scolding Venti with a tone of disappointment.
"Seriously? You're blaming me for this?" Venti looked at Chen Luo in shock, as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing.
Is this even human language?
"You've been sitting here for half an hour and only contributed 10 Primogems. Don't you feel ashamed?"
Since Venti entered the bar half an hour ago, aside from the Primogems he provided in anticipation of apple cider, he hadn't offered any others.
"Venti, listen, if you don't start providing more Primogems, I'm cutting off your daily free apple cider." Having grown familiar with Venti over the past three days, Chen Luo felt comfortable joking with him.
"Nooo! If I lose my daily free apple cider, I'll be devastated..." Venti let out a dramatic wail.
Money meant little to Venti, but without it, he couldn't drink.
And Venti was perpetually broke.
[Ding! You have a new commission!]
"Fine, I'll agree." After half a second of thought, Chen Luo nodded.
"Good— Wait, did you just use me to trigger another commission? A'Luo, have some decency!" Venti clutched his chest in exaggerated dismay.
His first impression of Chen Luo—a polite, kind-hearted young man, but he was blind
Well, not entirely...
"A'Luo, what's gotten into you today? You weren't this desperate for Primogems before." Venti gave him a puzzled look.
"If you're in trouble, you can tell me." Venti's tone softened with concern.
"Well, it's... Thanks. Finally, I've got enough Primogems." With those last 10 Primogems, Chen Luo had finally reached his goal.
After all sorts of struggles, he had saved up 705 Primogems.
Why 705?
The final stage of the Edge of Taixuan—Eminence—originally cost 1,500 Primogems, but with a 45% discount, it dropped to 675 Primogems.
However, Chen Luo also needed to keep 30 Primogems in reserve for emergencies due to the bar's operations. Thus, he required 705 Primogems before he could comfortably purchase Edge of Taixuan: Eminence.
From today onward, Chen Luo would finally have an ultimate move!
Though, because he hadn't mastered "Sword Mantra", his Sword Mantra remained incomplete, and the other aspects—Form, Sanction, and Ascension Essences—were also lacking. As a result, even if he could use Edge of Taixuan: Eminence, its power would be pitifully weak.
But still, it was Eminence!
"..."
Chen Luo stared at the skill description on his talent panel, which noted that the power might be reduced by at least tenfold, and fell into deep thought.
Maybe... he shouldn't buy it yet.
Perhaps he should save up more Primogems and complete the full set before purchasing Eminence
His physical abilities were already mediocre compared to Valkyries, and while his Vision could barely supply enough energy to execute the technique, the resulting power would be... depressingly weak.
Ding-a-ling!
"Welcome— Huh? Where's the guest?" Chen Luo instinctively looked up at the sound of the bell and began his standard greeting, only to see no one at the door.
"A'Luo, maybe stand up from your chair. You might spot the new guest then." Venti glanced down at the figure crawling inside.
The bar counter was slightly high, and since Chen Luo was sitting, there was a half-meter blind spot near the entrance.
Even Theresa wasn't that short, so Chen Luo had never paid it much mind.
But he never expected a guest to crawl in.
Chen Luo stood up and stepped out from behind the counter, spotting a girl in a skintight outfit and an oversized hat.
"Is that... Mona?" Chen Luo recognized the distinctive attire immediately.
Had she starved to the point of collapse?
"H-Help... F-Food... please... Damn Hydro Slimes..." The girl on the floor lifted her head, revealing a delicate, lovely face as she stared at Chen Luo with desperate hope.
[Ding! You have a new commission!]
[Let Me Die Full]: Feed Mona. Anything edible will do.
Reward: 20 Primogems
Difficulty: 0-Star
[Ding! With 5 unique guests, "Bar Snacks" unlocked!]
"Bar snacks?" Chen Luo blinked in surprise.
"Food? Hold on." Despite his confusion, he quickly attended to the guest.
After all, this was the first time he'd encountered a 0-star commission at its maximum reward level.
0-star commissions were the most mundane daily commissions, and while rewards varied based on the requester's status, the cap was usually 20 Primogems. Anything higher would be a 1-star commission.
Also, to be fair, Mona was incredibly easy to please—she'd eat anything.
Since he'd just unlocked [Bar Snacks], Chen Luo tapped the option.
Suddenly, the liquor cabinet behind him slid aside, revealing a small kitchen space about two meters wide.
It made sense—drinking often called for snacks, so having a kitchen wasn't unusual.
Just like how bars didn't just sell alcohol, and restaurants didn't just serve food.
Drinks and dishes went hand in hand.
At least, that was the explanation from the Talent Panel, though Chen Luo suspected it was pure nonsense.
But for now, completing the commission took priority.
At the same time, the shop interface expanded to include a Cooking Section.
Like the drinks, ingredients cost 0.1 Primogems per dish.
However, while the bar had [void wine], the cooking section featured a 5-Primogem skill:
[Mom's (××) Flavor].
Using this skill would recreate the perfect taste from the guest's memories.
This time, Chen Luo chose a simple dish—rice balls.
If someone was starving to death, they probably wouldn't care what they ate, right.
Twenty seconds later, Mona was presented with a rice ball the size of a human head and a large glass of juice.
"Fank ooo... m' savior..." (Thank you... my savior...) Mona devoured the rice ball, tears of gratitude streaming down her face.
She didn't recognize the dish—maybe it was a specialty from Inazuma—but it was delicious.
[Ding! Commission complete. Outstanding success—Primogem reward doubled!]
When guests were exceptionally satisfied, the Primogem reward could double.