"One serving of stir-fried pork with chili, Miss."
The girl stood to the side, a small notebook in her hand, recording.
She had never seen such a refined young man in the Middle Hive; everyone who came here to eat, more or less, needed to do physical labor.
The rare customer made the girl unable to resist looking a few more times, and due to her distraction, even her writing became erratic.
"'Bean Blood Jelly'?" Horatio looked at the drink on the picture, which resembled tofu pudding, his eyebrows rising and falling, his expression strange.
"Sir, this is made according to our family's secret recipe. You can try it! It's very delicious, with both savory and sweet flavors," the girl introduced with an enthusiastic smile.
"Why do you call this 'Bean Blood Jelly'?"
"Because it's made from beans, and it looks like blood jelly, 'duang~ duang~' and very elastic!" the girl explained vividly.
Horatio pondered for a moment: [Well, compared to tofu pudding, 'Bean Blood Jelly' seems more acceptable to people. After all, Imperials probably wouldn't dare order something called 'brain' to eat.]
"One serving, sweet."
"As you wish, Sir."
The girl, beaming, noted down the order, and then, under her recommendation, Horatio ordered two more dishes that looked very tempting.
"That's all for now," Horatio closed the menu.
"Total consumption after tax is 380 credits, Sir."
"Huh?! Is the consumption tax that high?"
Horatio saw the price suddenly jump significantly. Looking at the four dishes he ordered, he recalculated in his mind; the consumption tax was actually 33% of the total price!
He was instantly deeply shocked by the heavy taxes on this planet.
"As the galactic war escalates, supply routes have been severely disrupted. Everyone's lives are difficult now, and if the conglomerates want to live comfortably, they have to bleed the people below, so..."
The girl's face was full of helplessness as she shrugged.
If it weren't for the commercial prosperity of Abyss Port, which, in the broader environment, allowed most people on the planet to get a share, the dissatisfied populace would have rebelled long ago.
However, even if they rebelled, it wouldn't amount to anything. The Upper Hive residents are the beneficiaries; they form the main body of the Planetary Defense Force.
The only thing Middle Hive residents can join is the Imperial Navy's Naval Shore Troopers.
These red-clad Soldiers are responsible for the defense of the Naval Sector.
The Naval Sector is a special zone spread throughout the Abyss Port Hive City, exclusively serving the Imperial Navy. It is a characteristic unique to military port planets like Abyss Port.
Functionally, it is divided into a series of complex and rich support systems, including industrial production zones, logistics reserves, ordnance and arms zones, aviation bases, naval recuperation zones, and so on.
These areas are guarded by Imperial Navy Aviators from sealed or resting warships, Voidsmen-at-Arms, Naval Officers, and Naval Shore Troopers, which are Planetary Defense Forces directly under the Gothic Sector Navy Department.
No one would dare to rebel against the Imperial Navy, not even a thought. After all, it's not the Imperial Navy oppressing them, and while the Navy is known for its liberalism, in terms of military discipline, the Imperial Navy is famously strict.
As the well-known saying goes: 'The gallows in the square and the nine-tailed whip in the Voidsmen-at-Arms Officer's hand maintain the Imperial Navy's prestige and the Captain's authority.'
[Even though I have money now, with so many different taxes, I don't know how long 100,000 will last. This Guild Alliance is truly despicable!] Horatio cursed in his heart.
He still needed to make money to transition. He wasn't the type to freeload.
"Sir, your consumption after tax is also over 300 credits. Let me offer you a cocktail," the girl said with a wry smile, gripping the receipt where the tax amount seemed almost worn through by Horatio's gaze, and stepped forward to suggest.
"Thank you," Horatio sighed, replying with a smile.
A drink indeed makes one feel a bit better.
"You can take a seat at the bar first, Sir." After handing the order to her father, the girl placed a small folding sign at Horatio's dining spot, then pulled open a small door and entered the bar.
Horatio stood up and smoothly took a seat at the chair in front of the bar.
"What would you like, Sir? Any item on the sign is fine."
Horatio looked at the exquisite drink menu. It seemed the girl had drawn it herself, and quite well.
"One..." He scrutinized the menu, then, after choosing his drink, looked into the girl's eyes and smiled: "Sweet Martini, light ice, thank you."
"Alright, Sir, please wait a moment."
While ordering, Horatio's peripheral vision caught sight of glasses, books, and practice problems behind the bar. One geometry problem had many erased and rewritten marks, and even the parts that were written out only proved a portion, far from the two-sided relationship required by the problem.
[She really is a student. No wonder she was sitting in the back wearing glasses earlier. She was doing homework.]
Although education is a perfectly normal thing, in this cold, dark, and unfamiliar world, it seemed so out of place.
Although Horatio had disliked books and homework since he was young, at this moment, it evoked a familiar warmth in his heart.
[I wonder what the education system on this planet is like.]
"Can't you do this problem?" Horatio asked, looking at the homework book.
The girl, who was about to mix a drink, first froze. When she realized what Horatio was asking, her face flushed.
"Ah... that problem is very difficult. I've tried many times but can't solve it. I plan to ask the teacher at school," the girl explained awkwardly.
She still maintained a charming smile, but she didn't think Horatio would understand what was written on it, because people who came here usually weren't very cultured or educated, even if they were well-dressed, they were basically nouveau riche.
Horatio looked at the problem and was silent for a moment.
"Why don't you try proving it from its diagonal parallel lines?" Horatio looked at the girl, pointing with a smile at the opposite direction of the figure she had been trying to prove for a long time.
The girl's eyes widened. She quickly put on her round-framed glasses and instantly entered study mode: "But, aren't there very few conditions on that side?"
"That's intentional by the question setter."
Horatio pointed at the figure and said, "This problem outwardly gives you so many conditions precisely to trick you into trying to solve it from where there are many conditions. The conditions given by the question setter are not meant to be used at the beginning at all."
"Really?" The girl's eyes widened further. She began to prove the problem starting from the figure with the fewest conditions, following Horatio's advice.
"Of course, you still need to be careful here, this figure..."
Horatio held his glass, patiently guiding the girl while pointing at the figure.
"Ah!" The girl looked very surprised: "Sir, how do you know so much? It's amazing!"
Then, she blushed again because she had previously guessed the young man was a pampered young master from a nouveau riche family in the Middle Hive.
It turned out he was not only well-dressed and handsome but also knowledgeable!
[Amazing, right? I'm a certified Master from Ancient Terra, a regular Coast Guard enforcer. I got through all that back then, let alone this little high school math?]
Horatio smirked triumphantly, smiling but saying nothing.
Of course, he wouldn't tell the girl these things, but her gaze towards him had unconsciously changed from initial shyness to a sparkling admiration and incredible wonder.
"Next time you encounter this type of problem, be careful not to fall into the question setter's trap again."
"Since you taught me how to do the problem, I'll treat you to a dish as thanks!" The girl excitedly said, crossing out the price of the most expensive dish on the bill with a flick of her wrist.
"One thing at a time, it's not easy for you to earn money, so I really shouldn't..."
Before Horatio could decline, the girl gave a wink ξ(＞) and ran off.
[What a well-mannered girl.] Horatio adopted a comfortable sitting posture, smiling helplessly.