The Collection Bag had unlocked an additional feature after being upgraded to Level 6: the ability to carry fresh ingredients.
Ma Lu asked Old Wang about it and learned that other high-dinsional artifacts could also unlock new functions after being upgraded to a certain level.
With the Double Twelve shopping festival fast approaching, many shopping platforms had started their promotions a month in advance. Ma Lu took advantage of the discounts and ordered a large batch of electronic products.
Once all these items were delivered, Ma Lu upgraded his Chef's Knife from Level 2 directly to Level 6, spending a total of 3000 new points.
Converted to RMB, that was about 270,000, saving 30,000 compared to the usual price, which amounted to a 10% discount.
Ma Lu looked at the upgraded Chef's Knife in his hand, its attributes had beco—
[Chef's Knife]
Level: Level 6
Function: Slices all ingredients without damage. Increases damage by 50%, ingredient processing efficiency by 100%, and can be recalled.
The 50% damage boost and the 100% ingredient processing efficiency were standard improvents—simple, straightforward, and very practical.
There's not much to say about the ingredient processing efficiency since it relates to a chef's basic skill. It could also be useful for Ma Lu when collecting ingredients in the wild, saving him a lot of ti.
As for the increase in damage, it further enhanced the knife's value as a weapon.
Although in the second different dinsion, non-witches couldn't inflict any damage on Energized Plants.
However, after practical testing in the previous dinsion, Ma Lu was certain that the Chef's Knife's increased damage was effective simply by carrying it.
It didn't need to be the primary weapon.
Furthermore, this kind of increased damage was an independent multiplier and wouldn't be diluted by the increase from blessings.
What did this an?
It ant that as long as Ma Lu lent the knife to a designated witch during a battle, even if she didn't take it out, it could still boost her dps by another 50%.
This effect was incredibly powerful!
It would not only allow him to pass the initial difficult period with ease, but as his witches grew in strength, the Chef's Knife's increased damage would also beco even more potent.
Moreover, after being upgraded to Level 6, the Chef's Knife unlocked a new feature, just like the Collection Bag—recall.
It was only a two-character function, but it turned out to be quite useful.
Right after the upgrade, Ma Lu tried it out imdiately.
He pictured the Chef's Knife in his mind and silently commanded it to return.
The next mont, the Chef's Knife that had been on the coffee table was in his right hand.
Interesting.
The second ti, Ma Lu tried from a bit further away. He walked downstairs and then ntally commanded the knife to return. The next second, he easily retrieved his Chef's Knife again.
For the third attempt, Ma Lu locked the Chef's Knife in an iron box and placed it in the bedroom drawer. He also locked the bedroom door and the front door.
He then rode his tricycle to the Universe Infinite Canteen. When he repeated the previous steps, the Chef's Knife still appeared in his right hand as agreed.
Was it directly teleported over? Impressive.
With this function, even without considering different dinsions, Ma Lu now felt completely safe wherever he went.
In China, firearms are banned, and in most places, it's also illegal to carry regulated knives, so being able to summon the Chef's Knife in tis of danger was a ga-changer, not to ntion that it ca with a 50% damage increase.
Even if he couldn't beco Lu Bu on the spot, he could at least be Han Dang.
Moreover, thanks to Ma Lu's divergent thinking, it didn't take him a whole day to co up with new tricks.
He discovered he could use the Chef's Knife as a throwing knife.
By tossing it out and then summoning it back imdiately, the Chef's Knife wasn't just for close combat anymore; it also gave him a way to attack from a distance.
Now, in this dinsion, Ma Lu truly felt like he was Lu Bu, though, of course, the knife mainly ca into play in different dinsions, since public security in China was quite good anyway.
...
In the first week since Universe Infinite Canteen opened, the public's opinion was pretty mixed, with most of the criticism from the more than twenty fan groups targeting the restaurant's new pricing.
Many people accused Ma Lu of forgetting his initial aspirations and betraying the vast number of students who had supported him; many turned from fans to haters.
Others complained about the diocre decor of Universe Infinite Canteen and the subpar service.
Regarding the latter point, Ma Lu was already seeking improvents, asking Shen Yue to help find more students from the school who were willing to work part-ti at the restaurant.
The positive reviews were mostly focused on the taste, especially from the first batch of custors who had tried the dishes; they were nearly unanimous in their high praise of the flavors, particularly the Fragrant Yearning Konjac Noodles.
Additionally, several food bloggers Ma Lu had invited also gradually ca to the restaurant, one of whom hinted as soon as he entered that Ma Lu could pay him and he would help promote the place in his video, or else... those in the know understood the implication.
Ma Lu ended up kicking him out, and that evening the blogger posted an update criticizing the poor service at Universe Infinite Canteen and labeling the owner arrogant and dismissive due to his prior internet fa with a street stall.
Consequently, many fans echoed the sentint below that post, vowing to spread the word and "warn others to avoid the thunder."
Soon, a news story headlined "The Universe's Number One Snack Stall Has Beco Pretentious" topped the local trending searches.
However, the rest of the food bloggers were quite well-behaved, queuing and ordering in sequence. A few of them even fild videos crouching by the roadside, and after trying the food, they all without exception gave it rave reviews.
The release of their videos helped Universe Infinite Canteen recover so of its reputation, but there were still many doubts, mainly focused on the price.
In fact, City B had no shortage of high-priced restaurants, so of which charged several tis more than Universe Infinite Canteen for a dish.
But firstly, many of these establishnts were ti-honored brands with a long history, luxurious decor, and excellent service, and you'd see million-RMB cars parked outside, frequented by the wealthy.
Secondly, and most importantly, without exception, the top chefs of the industry, renowned both dostically and internationally with nurous followers, were working at these restaurants.
Thus, everyone could accept the high prices for dishes ticulously crafted by such masters.
In contrast, Universe Infinite Canteen, which started as a roadside stall, was still seen by most as a place that should have Sand County Snacks-level pricing, even if Old Wang had produced dishes that already surpassed those of Michelin-starred chefs or national banquet masters.
Nevertheless, there's a saying that all publicity is good publicity, and such controversy actually brought a surge of traffic to Universe Infinite Canteen.
And once the attention elevated, there were always those curious and well-off individuals willing to put themselves to the test and personally sample the dishes at Universe Infinite Canteen.
So, over the following days, although the flow of custors had decreased compared to the first day, the drop wasn't significant. Every day, they managed to sell 200 bowls of Fragrant Yearning Konjac Noodles and about 300 portions of Spinach Cheese Chicken Breast, and the appetizers sold even more.
The average daily revenue remained around 100,000 RMB, and Ma Lu was quite satisfied with this number.
Reviews
All reviews (0)