Chapter 398 - 397: I Will Not Fail Your Trust

Chapter 398: Chapter 397: I Will Not Fail Your Trust

The waiter’s tone became more solemn, though the excitement on its face hadn’t completely faded. "Please allow me to draft a temporary processing agreement. This isn’t out of mistrust, but out of respect for an S-Class ingredient. It’s also our restaurant’s code!"

Seraphina Sinclair took it and looked it over.

The so-called temporary processing agreement actually only emphasized two points.

The processing fee and the processor.

The waiter made it clear: the processing fee would be completely waived for Seraphina Sinclair. However, since it didn’t ultimately have the authority to waive the fee, it had specifically added a sentence at the end of the agreement: "Should the processing fee need to be paid, Chef 881 will pay it on her behalf!"

’Whoa, isn’t Chef 881 the waiter itself? Talk about sincerity!’

And in the "processor" column, the name "Chef 881" was locked in, showing the waiter’s determination.

’Then again, it makes sense. For the chance to process such an ingredient, the waiter was even willing to invest in a rookie human. That kind of dedication...’

’...was a rare and precious thing, even in The Black Mist World.’

Though it was a bit out of place, Seraphina Sinclair suddenly recalled the words mocking chefs on the public screen at the auction house.

This world might be filled with the law of the jungle and cold, hard rules, but there were always people who, for the things they loved, would clumsily but resolutely bet everything they had.

As for everything else, the terms in the agreement were written very loosely; Seraphina Sinclair could raise an objection at any time if she had one.

Willingly, Seraphina Sinclair signed her name, the nib of the pen SCRITCHING across the paper.

The smile on the waiter’s face widened bit by bit, but then its nose suddenly tingled, and tears streamed from its eyes.

This was the first time Seraphina Sinclair had ever known the waiter could cry.

The waiter itself was also very confused. "How can this be?"

Seraphina Sinclair ignored its tears, simply handing the agreement back calmly. "Well then, the ingredient is yours, Chef 881."

The waiter accepted the agreement with both hands, its fingertips turning slightly white from the force of its grip.

It took a deep breath. When it looked up again, there wasn’t a trace of tears in its eyes, only the focus belonging to a chef.

"I will not fail your trust, guest."

The waiter bowed, then produced some packing materials from who-knows-where and started climbing all over the Dragon Corpse. After a good while, it finally had the massive corpse wrapped up.

It gave Seraphina Sinclair a stiff but sincere smile and said, "I’ll take it back now. The tools are all at the restaurant. Don’t worry, I have experience processing S-Class ingredients. I will absolutely not fail it!"

Seraphina Sinclair certainly trusted it. She nodded and waved, watching the waiter leave.

The Lightgate it could open to the restaurant wasn’t large, only big enough for itself to pass through.

Thus, the waiter had to struggle back and forth several times before it managed to expand the Lightgate and successfully move the Dragon Corpse inside.

At points where the Dragon Corpse might have been damaged, it even used its own body as a cushion, carefully maneuvering the precious S-Class ingredient into the Lightgate.

The waiter’s almost instinctual reverence could not be faked.

Seraphina Sinclair felt at ease entrusting the ingredient to it.

Just as the Lightgate was about to swallow the Dragon Corpse, a chill ran up Seraphina Sinclair’s spine. She subconsciously raised her hands and rubbed her arms, trying to warm herself up.

But in the next second, she realized where that chill was coming from.

’If the waiter just takes the Dragon Corpse away like this, won’t the tens of thousands of E-level monsters behind me swarm forward and devour me completely?’

At this thought, Seraphina Sinclair acted almost instantly.

She stepped into the Lightgate the waiter had summoned and shouted, "Wait!"

The waiter, completely focused on moving the last part of the Dragon Corpse, was already halfway through the Lightgate. It froze at the sound and turned its head in surprise. "Guest?"

Seraphina Sinclair didn’t have time to explain, her words coming out in a rapid-fire burst: "Don’t close the Lightgate! Keep it open! Can I go to the restaurant with you?"

Her sharp gaze swept over the pairs of crimson eyes staring intently at her from behind. Without the suppression of the dragon’s aura, the monsters were growing incredibly restless.

Seraphina Sinclair could almost imagine how they would react once the Dragon Corpse disappeared.

She took a deep breath, forcing herself to remain calm, but her hands were already on the Dragon Corpse, trying to pull the body back out.

This only confused the waiter more. It answered Seraphina Sinclair’s question subconsciously, but its hands were much more honest, clamping down on the Dragon Corpse as if terrified that Seraphina Sinclair, having signed the agreement, was now regretting it.

"It’s closing time at the restaurant right now, of course you can’t come with me!"

"Besides! The agreement has been signed, you can’t go back on it! There’s a penalty for breach of contract! It’s only ten thousand Black Fog Coins, but... how could you back out now? You promised I would be the one to process it!"

Seraphina Sinclair could hear the hoarse desperation in the waiter’s voice, but if she really stood by and watched it drag the Dragon Corpse inside, her own death wouldn’t be far behind.

"I’m not backing out!" Seraphina Sinclair practically roared, pulling with all her might while speaking at lightning speed. "It’s the monsters! The E-level monsters outside are about to charge! Without the Dragon Corpse’s aura to suppress them, they’ll attack me! Either let me leave with you, or leave the corpse here until dawn, until these monsters disappear!"

Before her words had even faded, as if to prove her point—

"ROAR!!!"

A hoarse roar erupted from behind Seraphina Sinclair, immediately followed by a cascade of shrieks.

They were clearly getting impatient.

The waiter froze, finally realizing the situation.

It immediately let go. The force that had been playing tug-of-war with Seraphina Sinclair vanished, and the Dragon Corpse was instantly pulled back out.

And Seraphina Sinclair herself landed flat on her butt.

This was the first time Seraphina Sinclair had been in such a pathetic state since she started growing stronger.

"Guest! Guest! Are you all right?"

Seraphina Sinclair: "I’m ’all right,’ you **********."

Seraphina Sinclair took a deep breath, dusted off her butt, and stood up. She glanced back at the E-level monsters, which had settled down again, and finally felt a sense of relief.

The Lightgate swirled silently behind her, illuminating the waiter’s face, a mixture of remorse and dawning realization.

Behind her, the agitation of the E-level monsters was forcibly suppressed once more, but their crimson eyes were practically overflowing with impatience and greed.

"It was my oversight, guest!" The waiter bowed repeatedly, its tone thick with self-reproach. "I was too focused on the ingredient and completely forgot about the environmental threat! I was... so derelict in my duty!"

Just looking at its face made Seraphina Sinclair angry. For the moment, she didn’t want to argue with it, so she just said:

"Right now, you have two choices. Either process the Dragon Corpse here, or wait until dawn to process it."

The apologetic look hadn’t yet faded from the waiter’s face. Hearing the two options, it immediately made its choice: "The necessary equipment can’t be moved at all. I will have to wait until you are safe before I can process the ingredient."