The Max-Level Chef’s Magical Town Game

After returning to the restaurant, Ye Mu told Ivy and the others about Billy’s situation. The three were shocked, but considering that Billy had always been somewhat unmotivated at work and had privately complained to them about Ye Mu not teaching them culinary skills, they felt there had been signs of this behavior.

Previously, for easier communication, Ye Mu had created a chat group for the four employees. Tonight, during the transaction, she caught Billy in the act, and knowing there was no way for him to argue, she was discussing this matter with the three when she noticed in the chat that Billy had left the group, even refusing to take his wages for the past few days.

Ye Mu scoffed: Ha, you think you can just walk away? No way!!!

Grinding her teeth, she opened the panel and directly clicked on the default pinned chat for the [Dragon Town – Police Station].

This world does have police stations, established by various territories, and they should have some usefulness.

She hadn’t intended to make things look so bad, but after tonight’s events, she couldn’t let this slide. So, she typed out a detailed account of the incident to the police, including Billy’s theft and the attempted murder by the owner of the Giselle restaurant.

Her demands were reasonable and straightforward: 1. The owner who attempted murder should go to jail, 2. Billy should compensate her for all her losses, specifically the money lost due to his theft.

Aside from that, considering that Billy was only fourteen, she didn’t expect him to be sent to jail as well.

Then, she listed out some evidence in detail.

Before tonight, the only evidence she could provide were some automatically recorded accounts by the system and the statements from the staff.

These pieces of evidence, all from her own hands, might not be trusted, especially without catching Billy in the act, if he refused to admit to it, she would face a long, drawn-out process.

But now, she had many witnesses. Not only including Xibel’s team but also those customers who had been “enthusiastically helping” at the Giselle restaurant.

Although those customers weren’t aware of Billy’s theft, the whole incident was coherent, there was no reason for Billy to just appear there, and both parties had no reason to start a fight. These illogical elements were intertwined, and she believed that as long as the police were thinking rationally, they could unravel the truth.

Having completed this series of routine actions, Ye Mu had another expectation in her heart.

However, that kind of development, while aligning with human nature in some sense, didn’t follow the norm, so it might not happen and wasn’t something she could explicitly state.

Turning off the panel, Ye Mu clicked her tongue. The three employees also saw the notification that Billy had left the group. Ivy said, confused, “I don’t understand… We’re here working and gaining experience, and even getting food experience. What’s he not satisfied with? Why did he have to become a thief? Doesn’t he think that’s terrible?”

“And that boss too… Opening a business and doing such underhanded things is one thing, but wanting to kill someone? Is that normal?!”

“Not everyone has such high moral standards.” Ye Mu sighed and shook her head, then told them, “After we close up, don’t rush to leave. I have something to discuss with you.”

“Oh…” Ivy and Jeff exchanged glances, thinking she was going to talk more about Billy.

But once the business day ended and they all sat at the table, Ye Mu said, “I might not be opening the shop.”

Ivy, Jeff, and Della: “Huh???” The three were surprised, their mouths agape.

Ye Mu continued, “It’s not that I won’t open… but I’m moving to a different location, not in Dragon Town anymore. Since you all live here, you probably can’t come with me, so let’s just say we’ll meet again if fate allows!”

“However, since I’m suddenly laying you off, I’ll pay you for the half month’s salary.”

Last month’s wages had already been settled, and since this month had just started, her offer of half a month’s salary was a small compensation for their unexpected unemployment.

But Jeff didn’t care about the salary, he was focused on getting into the Nascar Magic School next year, which was difficult for commoners like them, even though he had decent talent. Working here had given him a glimmer of hope, and now that Ye Mu was suddenly leaving, that hope was fading.

So Jeff immediately asked the first question: “Where are you moving to?”

“To Qiana Town,” Ye Mu explained, feeling a bit guilty. “It’s a new territory that seems to have just been expanded by a nearby lord.”

Jeff furrowed his brow, he hadn’t heard of that town, but he guessed it must be near the Qiana Mountains, which were nearby.

Ivy asked the second question: “When are you moving?”

“Tomorrow, I think,” Ye Mu replied.

Della, in disbelief, looked up. “So soon?!”

Ivy frowned. “Someone wants Miss Ye’s life… It’s definitely safer to leave sooner.”

While she said that, she was reluctant to see Ye Mu go, as well as to lose this job.

So, that night as they left the restaurant, except for the youngest, Della, who didn’t show much emotion, Ivy and Jeff both looked worried.

They ate at the restaurant every day and could take home employee meals in the evening. Ivy took a portion of the “Farmhouse Bowl” and rice back home.

She lived with her mother, bringing meals home for her every day. Her mother, named Mira, was never a disappointing parent, she always praised the dishes Ivy brought back.

Of course, since the food from Nightfall Restaurant was genuinely delicious, Mira’s compliments weren’t forced. Ivy usually felt happy and would describe the flavors in detail, urging her to eat.

Today, upon seeing the [Farmhouse Bowl of Fragrance] Mira exclaimed, “Wow, this looks so good! Is this egg? Why does it smell so nice?”

However, this time, she didn’t get an enthusiastic response from Ivy, who listlessly said, “I’m going to sleep now.”

Mira was taken aback, looking up to see only Ivy’s tired back as she walked toward her bedroom.

Mira placed the food on the table and followed her in. She found Ivy lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling, and asked with concern, “What’s wrong? Are you sick? What kind of attributes? I can find some suitable potions for you.”

“I’m not sick,” Ivy replied, shaking her head wearily, followed by a sigh.

“Then what’s wrong?” Mira entered and sat at her bedside.

Ivy sat up with a droopy face: “I lost my job.”

“Ah?” Mira exclaimed in surprise, “You were fired?”

“…Not exactly that kind of firing.” Ivy forced a smile, and although she lacked energy, she detailed the events of the evening to her mother, finally telling her, “So, for safety… Miss Ye plans to leave Dragon Town and move to Qiana Town.”

“Qiana Town?” Mira echoed.

Ivy nodded, “Yeah, it’s supposed to be a new town, not sure which nearby lord just expanded it. From the name, I think it should be near the Qiana Mountains.”

“I see…” Mira sighed helplessly. “There’s nothing you can do about it, today’s incident was too dangerous. If she stays in Dragon Town, she might really lose her life. Anyone would leave in her situation.”

“Yeah.” Ivy nodded repeatedly. “I just feel it’s a pity, this job was really good. I think since I started working at Nightfall Restaurant, your health has improved a lot.”

Mira had a complicated expression: “Yes…”

How could her health not be poor? For many years, she had often felt fatigued, actually due to a negative effect that accelerated the decrease in her stamina when she was pregnant with Ivy. This effect couldn’t be cured, so her stamina declined faster than others’, needing rest after even a little work.

But recently, the meals Ivy brought back not only had decent base values but also restored a large amount of stamina, with occasional bonuses that could provide sustained recovery, perfectly offsetting her accelerated decline.

Now that Ye Mu was moving, it was regrettable for Mira, but they couldn’t move together.

In this world, moving wasn’t actually troublesome. You simply packed everything into a backpack, sold the old house, and bought a new one in the new territory.

But the problem was, selling a house incurred a lot of taxes! The layout of the houses might not even be the same, and they might need to buy some new furniture, which was another expense.

In addition, they had to consider the taxes and costs in the new territory.

Now, all the lords were trying to squeeze more money from commoners like them, but they were already struggling to scrape together more funds. All unnecessary expenses had to be suppressed.

Therefore, Mira and Ivy completely dismissed the idea of leaving with Ye Mu. However, seeing Ivy’s low mood, Mira thought for a moment and took 200 copper coins from this month’s rare surplus, giving it to her and saying, “Once Miss Ye settles into her new shop, you can buy her a housewarming gift.”

Ivy accepted the coins and nodded, “Okay.”

It was only right, although their wages weren’t much, the meals they brought home each day were worth more than 200 copper coins, and she genuinely wanted to give Ye Mu a better gift.

But they truly didn’t have more money.

—

In another house, Jeff sat at the table in deep thought after returning home. Unlike Ivy and her mother, who relied on each other, Jeff’s family was large, including not only his parents but also his grandparents, several uncles, and several siblings.

So, having Jeff in the house didn’t make much of a difference. Although Jeff couldn’t consider “moving” either, he could contemplate leaving home on his own to join Ye Mu in Qiana Town.

He seriously considered the feasibility of this, imagining if he told Ye Mu he didn’t need a salary but needed food and shelter, whether she would be willing to take him on.

Or, as a fallback, if Qiana Town had cheap shared hostels, he wouldn’t mind paying for a bed himself.

Right now, the most important thing for him was to level up and apply to Nascar Magic School. Given his age, he couldn’t go out and hunt monsters, so working for Ye Mu had already been the fastest way for him to level up.

Jeff first shared these thoughts with his parents. Although they were somewhat worried about him leaving home alone, they didn’t strongly oppose the idea.

After all, he was already fourteen. Nowadays, life was getting harder for everyone, and at fourteen, many kids were not only working in other towns but also venturing into the black market to find people who could use dark magic to alter their age and trick the system, risking it all to hunt monsters.

In the end, Jeff’s mother said, “You should ask Miss Ye first. If she agrees, then you can go, but it’s best if you can leave together. The roads outside are long, and some monsters will attack passersby.”

With his parents’ consent, Jeff felt a little more confident.

Meanwhile, Ye Mu, who was packing her backpack in the restaurant to make a hasty escape, received an exceptionally long message.

Jeff, placing too much importance on this matter, wrote a lengthy message to Ye Mu, reflecting on the care he had received over the past month and looking forward to the future.

At first, Ye Mu was somewhat touched, but as she read on, she felt it was overly intense and ended up smiling.

Why is he being so emotional???

She thought for a moment, skipped a few paragraphs, and went straight to the end, finally finding the main point of the letter.

Her reaction was—so I’m this charming!

He hoped for food and lodging without a salary, just to work for her? He even said that if necessary, he could do without accommodation?!

After some complicated feelings, Ye Mu replied to him: “Food and accommodation are covered, salary as usual. But I plan to leave tonight, are you able to come with me?”

After this message, Jeff didn’t respond. About ten minutes later, he arrived in person.

When Ye Mu opened the door to let him in, she noticed that Jeff’s backpack was also bulging, clearly indicating he was ready to set off with her.

However, Jeff hesitated: “…Should we leave at night? It’s dangerous out there!”

Everyone knew that monsters were often stronger at night. Plus, it was too dark to notice them.

Ye Mu smiled: “It’s fine.” She looked up, “Just hold on to me tightly.”

“Ah?” Jeff didn’t understand but trusted her and did as told.

Ye Mu took out the teleportation rune that Isaac had given her, and, as Isaac had taught her, she tore it forcefully!

In the next second, Jeff felt as if he were almost dizzy from the rushing wind, but before he could even call out, the wind suddenly stopped.

He looked around in confusion and realized they had left the Nightfall Restaurant and arrived in an unfamiliar place. In front of them was the administrative hall of a small town, with rows of houses neatly lined up, but it seemed there weren’t many residents, as most of the lights were off.