Universe Infinite Canteen

Ma Lu finished delivering food to the starving Zhen Ye and informed her that she could go home tomorrow before finally returning to the rental with Old Wang.

While brushing his teeth, he browsed his phone, as he had been too busy to do so earlier in the day.

It was only now that he had some free time to notice the numerous unread messages, mostly congratulations on his new store's opening.

Ma Lu even found a message from a city management person at the end, wondering where that pigeon got a mobile phone from.

Additionally, the group of Valkyrie Dwarves who rode mice that he used to know had sent him celebratory messages too. The wording at the beginning was rather formal, probably written by Jigina, but it changed tone towards the end.

The message was full of envy for his stable financial income and complaints about how difficult it was to find work in the big city.

Thinking it over, Ma Lu replied—It is rather difficult.

Here, many positions at the local offices required at least a master's degree. The Valkyrie had no formal education, and their unique physique completely closed off the option of factory work. Ma Lu couldn't think of anything else they could do.

Next was a message from Yan Wu. The hardware store owner had said he would come to support the opening but ended up taking an urgent order to install doors and windows in a nearby county, only finishing now.

Since it was too late, he decided not to come back and found a cheap motel to spend the night.

But Yan Wu was still thoughtful, having already shared the news of Universe Infinite Canteen's opening in his customer group. He mentioned that someone had come to check it out today but then left without doing anything.

Surprised by the potential Star Currency walking through the door, Ma Lu quickly called the hardware store owner to ask why the person had left.

Yan Wu's answer was simple, "Because your shop was too crowded. Not all Different Dimension visitors living in this city can show up in front of ordinary people as easily as I or Old Wang can. Why don't you set up some private rooms?"

"Because private rooms take up too much space," Ma Lu replied truthfully. "The space for one private room can fit at least two more tables. If I set up two private rooms, there won't be much space left for other tables."

"But that really isn't convenient for some special customers. How is your secret menu coming along?" Yan Wu lit a cigarette. "Send me a copy to have a look first."

"I was too busy today and haven't even started writing it," Ma Lu said. "By the way, Boss Yan, you often deal with Different Dimension visitors, what kind of delicious meals do you think they would be willing to pay Star Currency for?" Explore stories on empire

"Actually, the taste isn't the only influential factor, of course, everyone naturally wants to eat sufficiently delicious food," Yan Wu said. "But that dish you guys made for me before, The Call of the Wild, truly moved me, and I, too, would be willing to pay Star Currency for it."n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

"However, to appeal to a customer, you first need to understand them. Now that I'm running a store, I don't have much time to understand each customer," Ma Lu said, troubled.

"You can hire people to do that," Yan Wu's foxy tail started to show.

"Hire people? How many people would I need to hire to achieve that, and who would actually be that idle?"

"Those people are actually ones you've met before, and their hiring costs aren't high—it won't cost you much."

"Are you talking about the Valkyrie People?" Ma Lu asked, surprised.

"Exactly. They can move about the city for you, they have the advantage of numbers, their small size means small pay, and they can also be of help in the kitchen, be it chopping vegetables or cleaning, they are quite skilful."

Ma Lu ventured to ask, "Are you saying this... because others are unwilling to hire them?"

"......"

"I can only say that prejudice exists in every species, especially towards those of smaller stature. It's not that the Valkyrie People can't find any work; it's just that they have their own job standards, refusing to do things that violate their dignity and values," Yan Wu said seriously.

"No wonder they have trouble finding jobs."

"What did you say?"

"Nothing, just tell me more about how they could help me understand the customers," Ma Lu said.

"Actually, it's quite simple, most people know what they want to eat, and if you ask them, they'll tell you. Some may not be very sure of their own preferences, so by chatting with them more and gathering information, you should be able to make some inferences, just like you did with me previously."

"But... for chatting, can't we just use mobile phones? Boss Yan, don't you have the contact information of other Different Dimension visitors? You could just give it to me directly," Ma Lu said, half-skeptical. "Why do I feel like you are creating a need for me on purpose just to find work for those Valkyrie People?"

"I've said before, not everyone who comes to this dimension chooses to integrate into your society. Some of them don't use mobile phones or computers," Yan Wu explained.

"Then may I ask, what percentage of these eccentrics are there among all Different Dimension visitors?"

"That's not important," the hardware store owner said bluntly.

"So, it's not many, then. I could also choose not to cater to these people."

Seeing his ruse exposed, Yan Wu simply stopped pretending and became stubborn, "If I don't give you their contact information, how will you reach them?"

"..."

"Alright, you win."

Ma Lu realized he didn't really have a solution for Yan Wu, and after a brief chat with Liliem last time, he found that those Valkyrie People weren't very demanding about their salaries. Hiring a hundred wouldn't cost as much as an hourly worker at KFC.

Capitalists would cry hearing this, for the sake of Star Currency there's nothing wrong with even just keeping them around for nothing.

But this made Ma Lu even more puzzled. He asked Yan Wu, "You also aren't short of money, and you have that courtyard house. Why not just find some work for them yourself instead of making it complicated?"

"Don't say that to those Valkyrie People," the hardware store owner quickly warned. "They have a lot of pride, and they came down from the mountains this time to prove to their kin that they can survive in human society with their own strength, so they hope to make a real contribution through their work."

"They haven't been tempered by society yet," Ma Lu commented. "They probably don't realize that having a cushy job where they can slack off and still get paid is what many people dream of."

After a pause, he added, "I could take them in, but would they accept running around outside every day to scout potential customers and also working in the kitchen?"

"No problem," Yan Wu said. "The Valkyrie People love to work; they are a very industrious race, refusing only to be enslaved and oppressed."

"Which job doesn't involve being enslaved and oppressed," Ma Lu shook his head. "I'm hiring employees, not ancestors. Forget it, let them come and give it a try. If it doesn't work out, we'll replace them. If they don't want to do it, there are plenty of others who will."