Chapter 384: Serena Sawyer

Chapter 384: Chapter 384: Serena Sawyer

After reading the small card, Lily Hart finally took a look at the customer. She was about half a head shorter, blinking a pair of almond-shaped eyes at her.

’Oh, she’s one of those sweet girls who looks adorable even without smiling.’

’She suddenly realized all the recent prize winners had been girls. That’s great, sweet and lovely girls~’

As usual, Lily Hart asked, "Would you like to redeem your prize now?"

"Yes, yes, yes! Absolutely!" she exclaimed, nodding excitedly. "Hello, Boss Hart! My name is Serena Sawyer."

She eagerly grabbed both of Lily Hart’s hands. Her own were trembling, causing Lily’s to shake along with them.

Lily Hart gripped her hands in return. "Alright, alright, Serena Sawyer. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, okay?"

Serena Sawyer feigned composure, but she was still reluctant to let go.

Lily Hart subtly pulled her hands away and pointed to the empty plots nearby. "Come on, let’s pick a spot~"

The moment she saw the prize, Serena Sawyer had already chosen her spot.

She immediately pointed to it—the empty plot closest to the lottery shop.

"Fine by me. Things are going to be rearranged tomorrow anyway," Lily Hart agreed with a smile.

"Huh?" Serena Sawyer asked, her round, almond-shaped eyes looking at Lily in confusion.

Lily Hart patiently explained, "I’m planning to reorganize the layout of all the shops tonight, so this is just a temporary placement."

"Oh~ That’s fine~ I’ll take this spot for now, then!" Serena Sawyer said decisively.

"Alright." Lily Hart brought over the Lucky Cat and had her personally slide the small card inside.

Everyone saw a flash of white light and looked over, curious. What would be there once the light faded?

"Whoa—" Lily Hart let out a gasp of admiration.

The shop was shaped like a milk tea cup! It made you want to just scoop it up in your hands~

It was round and chubby, with a diameter that grew wider toward the top, and there was even a straw sticking out of the roof. It was a giant, upscaled milk tea cup.

Lily Hart used to love watching SpongeBob SquarePants and had always been jealous of his house—a giant pineapple!

"Come on, come on, let’s go check it out~" Lily Hart said, delighted.

If the outside was this stunning, what would the inside be like? Everyone was curious!

Serena Sawyer was still marveling at the unique exterior when Lily Hart pulled her inside.

The space inside was huge. The main area had several sets of white tables and chairs that perfectly matched the decor.

Beyond that was a counter for placing orders, paying, and so on.

Behind the counter was an open-concept work area, allowing customers outside to clearly see the preparation process, ensuring it was clean and hygienic.

"Wow~" This time, it was Serena Sawyer who gasped in amazement. It looked just like a milk tea shop from her memories of the Age of Civilization.

Lily Hart looked at the menu on the counter. It consisted of three large acrylic boards displaying the names and prices of the drinks.

They were exquisitely made and easy to read at a glance.

There were sections for Pure Teas, Fruit Teas, and Loaded Milk Teas, with hundreds of varieties to satisfy every preference.

Serena Sawyer started to worry. "Boss Hart, what am I going to do? I don’t know how to make milk tea!"

Lily Hart wasn’t the least bit worried about whether the shop owner knew how to do things. She was only concerned with whether the system’s shop had the right robot for the job. As long as it did, there was no problem.

She offered a reassuring, "Don’t worry~" and then started searching for a robot on her Light Brain.

And indeed, there was a robot designed to go with the milk tea shop. All one had to do was input the drink recipes and daily tasks.

For example: cooking tapioca pearls, brewing tea, cutting fruit, washing the equipment, and so on...

The robot could do anything. It wouldn’t get tired or complain, and all it needed was to be fed Crystal Cores on a regular schedule.

Serena Sawyer was pleasantly surprised when the robot appeared out of thin air. ’Boss Hart is so thoughtful!’

Lily Hart simply thought robots were more convenient. If it were a person, she’d have to train them, worry about them making mistakes, and actually interact with them.

’Robots are so much better,’ she thought. ’Completely worry-free.’

There was a QR code on the wall for scan-to-order. After an order was placed and paid for, the robot would receive the command and begin preparation.

Once it was ready, the customer would use their pickup code to retrieve it, preventing any mix-ups.

After looking everything over, they both agreed the workflow was perfect. Serena Sawyer was eager to open for business today.

So, she and Boss Hart set about procuring the necessary supplies.

Fruit tea required fresh fruit, various kinds of tea leaves, and toppings like tapioca pearls, grass jelly, pudding, and red beans.

They had to buy so many supplies that the floor of the work area was completely covered, leaving Lily Hart speechless.

’She was starting to notice a pattern,’ she thought. ’Every time a new shop was getting ready to open, she was there for it, and it was always the busiest time.’

’But what could she do? They were all new shop owners. If she didn’t help them out, who would?!’

This was work the robot couldn’t do yet; it wasn’t in its programming.

The two of them could only resign themselves to the grind, diving in headfirst. They started by unpacking all the necessary supplies and arranging them in the most convenient locations for use.

Just for straws, there were several types: angled-tip straws, large straws, and small straws, plus disposable spoons.

They put all of these in dispensers and set them on the counter for customers to take themselves.

There were also disposable cups for the milk tea, along with sleeves and lids.

And there wasn’t just one type of cup, either. There were large ones and small ones, tall and short ones, wide and narrow ones, and clear ones, all to match the various kinds of milk tea.

Serena Sawyer was getting dizzy just looking at it all. Thank goodness for the robot; as long as the information was entered, it could handle the work.

’There was no way she could remember all of this...’

It was now three in the afternoon. Lily Hart asked, "Are you sure you want to open today?"

"There’s still a ton of prep work to do. We have to brew the tea, cook the pearls, make the pudding, prepare the grass jelly... We have nothing ready right now!"

Serena Sawyer realized that too and started to have second thoughts, but she also knew that Boss Hart was leaving tomorrow.

The residents of Goldwin Base wouldn’t get to have milk tea. She didn’t have many acquaintances here, but she still wanted them to have a taste.

Most importantly, she could show off! To all those people who used to look down on her, hmph!

’Come and see, everyone! I’m the woman who won the first prize!’

The thought of finally holding her head high filled Serena Sawyer with a rush of heroic determination. "We’re opening! Even if it’s just for two hours!"

"Alright! In that case, don’t cook too much. Just enough for today. I suggest you open at ten a.m. from now on. You’ll need time every day to get all this ready."

"Okay~" Serena Sawyer agreed.

The two women and two robots got busy, and it wasn’t until four in the afternoon that the first finished product emerged.

It was from the Pure Tea category, with no toppings at all—just tea and milk, similar to the signature drink from a famous tea brand from the Age of Civilization.

Lily Hart took a sip, and the taste was identical. The name was clever, too—one of those coy, artsy names.

You couldn’t tell what the drink was just by looking at the name, but it made you want to try it anyway.

Once all the preparations were finally in order, Lily Hart opened the door and smilingly welcomed the long-awaited customers.

While they were outside, the customers had already walked a full circle around the giant milk tea cup, playing their scratch-offs while eagerly awaiting the opening.

"Whoa~ I didn’t expect it to be even bigger on the inside!"

"Yeah, I wonder who got so lucky and scratched off this first prize."

"Holy crap, isn’t that Serena Sawyer?!"

"Serena Sawyer? Where? Isn’t it normal to see her here? We’re all customers, what’s so strange about it~"

"No, that’s not it! Why is she standing next to Boss Hart? And they’re laughing and talking together!"

"Huh?" The two of them looked over in unison, just in time to see Serena Sawyer and Lily Hart standing behind the counter. They had no idea what they were talking about, but both of them were doubled over with laughter.