Chapter 14

Moby [1] stood outside the door of the restaurant . On his shoulders was a black, heavy warhammer that was almost as tall as him . His beads of perspiration dripped along his grey beard onto his red and black colour chest . His face, which had turned soot black from working in the smelting furnace all day, had a suspicious expression on it, “Mickey Restaurant? Where did this restaurant come from?”

Yesterday afternoon, this place was nothing but a run-down wooden building . Based on what he knew, a pair of human father and daughter lives inside this building . The man is an invalid, and need a lot of effort just to walk, and walked very slowly . Few people ever talked to him .

The little girl living there would always wear a grey colour hat, and is very adorable . Sometimes she would stand outside the door of his smithy and watch him work .

But in the span of just one night, the wooden building that looks as if it might collapse any moment suddenly transformed into this… beautiful looking 2-storey building .

The first storey of the building even had crystal (glass) that replaced a part of the wall, allowing all to peer inside .

This huge change puzzled Moby .

In the entire Aden Plaza, there are no restaurants as beautiful as this restaurant . The crystal wall gave the restaurant a unique look and made the storefront very professional . The desks inside the restaurant are clean and tidy, and the crystal chandelier that lit up this restaurant is more elaborated in design than that of the palace .

“Could that man be a powerful mage? In just one night, he conjured up a restaurant and decided to cook?” Moby stroked his beard, and immediately shook his head, “It is impossible to second-guess the minds of these cunning humans! But since there is a restaurant nearby, why not give it a try . If it taste good, I need not go so far to eat in future . “

He was certain that this restaurant was owned and operated by the same pair of father and daughter that used to live here . He had peered through the crystal windows and had seen the same little girl that used to live here sitting on the stool inside the restaurant . Today she did not wear her hat, and look even more adorable .

He picked up his heavy hammer and pushed open the door of this restaurant . Above the door there were two bells, and the ringing sound of the bells surprised Moby . He laughed at this ingenious device to tell the store owner that someone had came in, and made his way in .

The interior of the restaurant was much more pleasant than what he had seen from outside of the restaurant . It gives off a homely and comfortable vibe . Although the overall décor is very impressive and grand, the brown colour feel of the walls is not too glaring and give off a relaxing feel .

Moby looked down at his clothes . His clothes had several holes on them that were created by the heat of the smelting furnace . His shoes were full of dust . He looked at the clean and tidy floor of the restaurant, and for a moment, he hesitated .

……

Amy who was waiting for her meal at the counter heard the ringing of the doorbells . She turned around excitedly and when she saw the guest, she immediately cried out, “Papa! A customer has come! It is the grandpa dwarf living next door, arh!”

Michael heard the doorbell rang and Amy’s shout, and was surprised . He also glanced towards the door . Standing at the doorway was an elderly dwarf, equipped with a massive black warhammer . The dwarf had short hair, and a long grey-white beard . He was almost topless, and wearing a leather shirt filled with holes that could not cover the muscles on his chest . The arms of this dwarf were much bigger and more muscular than the tights of men . In his belt, he carried a leather flask that is likely to contain alcohol .

This is the first time that Michael had even seen a dwarf . The dwarf was much taller than he had expected, and reached up to his chest . But because of his muscular frame, he look quite wide .

This man is the boss of the blacksmith next door, the dwarven blacksmith Moby . He is one of the few blacksmiths in the City of Sin . Like all dwarves, his lifespan is a lot longer than humans . He looked as if he was around 200+ years old, but his body is still as fit as a fiddle .

Michael McGonagall seldom interacted with his neighbours and prefers to keep a low profile . Therefore, he does not even know the name of this neighbour of his . But everyday he passed by the blacksmith on the way to work, and he could recognise this dwarf as the owner of the blacksmith next door .

This is his first customer . Michael is a bit anxious and happy . He took a piece of clean cloth to wipe his hands, and walked out of the kitchen . Seeing that Moby was standing near the doorway, Michael noticed the pair of dirty leather shoes on his feet and immediately understood his hesitation .

He did not chase the dwarf away, but just stood next to the counter . He stroked Amy’s hair to indicate that she should keep quiet, and then smiled at the dwarf and asked, “Welcome, are you dining here?”

Moby glanced at Michael, and he was astonished . The man who used to live here was often dressed in rags and unkempt in appearance looked like a beggar . He looked so weak and fragile that even the wind could blow him away .

But right now, the man who was standing in front of him is well groomed, and dressed in a clean and neat uniform . Although he still looked a bit weak and sickly, at least he had straightened his hunched back . It was as if he had become a totally different person .

In his personal opinion, male humans are quite effeminate, especially the weak, skinny ones . He does not like these types of male humans .

Although this human in front of him is quite weak, standing there he looked like an unsheathed sword, and there is no trace of effeminate feeling emitting from this man . This man is not simple .

The smile on his face seemed to be genuine, and he had sheathed the fearsome aura of his sword . These, and the fact that he had stood a good distance away and give him some personal space, made Moby felt quite comfortable here .

The small girl standing beside him did not wear her hat today, and was wearing a black colour gown . On her face was a smile of happiness and it looked as she was looking forward to his dining here . She look absolutely adorable when she smiled .

Moby had no idea what had happened in the span of one night . This man had changed too much, and he could not help but wonder what this man is up to . Right now he is full of anticipation as he can’t wait to find out .

What food would this restaurant sell? Would it match the décor of this restaurant?

Moby did not hesitate any longer and nodded his head . He walked into the restaurant, carrying his warhammer with him . He pulled out a chair and seated himself, and placed his warhammer on the floor, and asked, “Yes, I am here to dine . What type of food do you sell?”

“On the table, there is a menu . You may first examine the menu before placing your order . ” Michael pointed at the menu on the table .

“En?” Moby picked up the menu on the table . His rough hands that had numerous callus slide across the smooth leather surface of the menu . Moby could not help but to be surprise . This feeling on his hands, he could not make a mistake! It was created using high quality leather fashioned from wild bull skin! Just one piece of this leather is worth one dragon coin!

With one menu per table, the cost of creating the menu alone would be insanely high . Even the finest restaurant in Aden Plaza, Fayer restaurant, only used ordinary leather for their menu .

This only increased Moby’s anticipation . This restaurant with such a grand dining area, such a grand menu, should have very impressive dishes . Other than drinking, Moby loves to eat fine food . Although the humans are puny and weak, the food that they made are delicious .

Moby opened the menu and looked on with anticipation, then he just stared at it – in shock .

Such a big menu, and when he opened it, it was blank .

No, it is not totally blank . On the top left side, there were very tiny words on it . Moby tried to make out the words, and read it out softly, “[Yang Zhou Fried Rice] – 600 copper coins for 1 plate . “

“600 copper coins?” Moby was astounded . He blinked . This morning, he had looked into the fire in his smelting furnace for too long, and his eyes must be playing tricks on him . He took a second look at the menu, and confirmed what he just saw – it still reads “[Yang Zhou Fried Rice] – 600 copper coins for 1 plate . “

“Boss, did you make a mistake in your menu?” Moby put down the menu, and glanced at Michael with a suspicious look on his face .

Notes:

[1] 墨白 is pronounced as “Mo Bai” – I translated it as Moby as it sounds similar .