You are truly starving.

"Anyway, just go back and read all the basic materials I gave you first. A general understanding is enough."

At the doorway of the laboratory, Ye Zhi shoved several yellowed, heavily thumbed books into Mo Bai's hands. "As for the issue of not having a Prime Master resonate with you yet, don't worry about it for now."

"Learn to walk before you try to run. Don't aim too high, or you'll pull a muscle."

"If you run into anything you don't understand, you can always come find me."

"Fine." Mo Bai looked at this pile of bizarre books that seemed to sit somewhere between the Western Zhou and Upper Zhou dynasties, and couldn't help asking, "Generally speaking, for a total novice like me, how long does it take to make a reliable ritual vestment?"

Hearing Mo Bai's question, Ye Zhi fell into deep thought. After a few seconds, he slowly replied, "Hard to say."

"Alchemy, after all, is essentially the exchange of one miracle for another. Anything happening is normal."

"If you just want to craft vestments rather than peer into the fundamental source..." Ye Zhi shrugged, "Who knows, you might stumble upon a material that has a high affinity with you, and it might just refine itself into a vestment without any effort on your part."

It was just like an experienced angler fishing, only for the fish not to bite the hook, but instead fly straight out of the water and into the fisherman's bucket.

Mo Bai narrowed his eyes. "So at the end of the day, it still all comes down to luck, huh?"

Superstition couldn't save the unlucky, but cash could alter one's fate.

"You can think of it that way." Ye Zhi yawned and waved his hand. "Alright, get back. It's almost time for me to get off work."

"The laboratory is closing."

After successfully chasing Mo Bai away, Ye Zhi's gaze dimmed. He walked over to his exclusive throne inside the laboratory and leaned back against it with a deadpan expression.

"Ah, ah, ah..." He let out a long string of sighs. "Not a single Prime Master answered his call?"

"Such a problem is not entirely incomprehensible, but..."

Ye Zhi took a record out of the drawer. Written on it was the name Mo Mo.

The time was a year ago.

"The situations of these two siblings are simply identical..."

"One could still be considered a coincidence, but two of them..." Ye Zhi wore a self-deprecating smile. "It can only be an inevitability, right?"

"What on earth are those big shots in Shangjing trying to do?"

"Guide the momentum without forcing the shape?"

Through the laboratory window, he looked toward the horizon where the firmament and the earth met. A tattered gloom descended from above, gradually eroding the world.

Amidst the darkness, a wispy crimson hue faintly intertwined.

Right there within the spreading darkness, Ye Zhi slowly closed his eyes and sighed.

"Time to get off work."

...

After many days away, Mo Bai finally returned to work.

In the morning, the moment he stepped into the maid cafe, he saw Xie Zijun sitting inside with a dazed expression. Hearing the commotion, she slowly turned her head.

When she caught sight of Mo Bai's face, a single line of clear tears slowly welled up in the corners of her eyes.

Then, she let out a howl reminiscent of a weight plate clanking.

"Oh my god, Bai-ge, you're finally back to work!"

"What is this, what is this..." Mo Bai narrowed his eyes at the suddenly lunging Xie Zijun, complaining, "I was just hospitalized, not dead."

"The way you're howling, I reckon if I actually died, you wouldn't be this sad."

Xie Zijun pulled out a tissue, wiped her face, and looked deeply aggrieved. "Bai-ge, you have no idea what kind of days I've been living through these past few days."

"Ever since you left, the task of coming over early every morning to open the shop fell entirely on me." Xie Zijun clenched her fists. "And the ingredient preparation before opening, the cleaning, all kinds of miscellaneous chores..."

"I've had to sleep one hour less every day!"

Xie Zijun held up a finger. "A whole hour!"

"Sister Li and the others completely couldn't wake up. Only at a time like this can I truly appreciate how wonderful you are, Bai-ge."

She raised her fist. "Bai-ge, for my sake, please be an uncomplaining corporate workhorse for the rest of your life."

"Go on, go on..." Mo Bai tapped Xie Zijun on the head. "Usually you spend every day saying I'm useless, and now you realize my worth? Too late."

Mo Bai said ominously, "When your big brother gets rich and buys this cafe, the first thing I'll do is set up a little hut at the entrance and stuff you inside."

"Ew, Bai-ge, you're so perverted." Xie Zijun blinked. "Also, why target just me? What about Xiaoxiao?"

"Doesn't she mock you every day too?"

"Hah." Mo Bai's smile grew even more sinister. "Her? I'm gonna hang her on the signboard to serve as a sunshine teru teru bozu."

When that day came, Xie Zijun would be the mascot, Gu Xiaoxiao would hang on the signboard, Sister Li would be the maid, and Lu Chun would pound his back and massage his shoulders.

Just imagining this future made Mo Bai ridiculously high!

Sugoi ni hai teiyada!

Xie Zijun looked at Mo Bai with sympathy. "It seems that staying in the hospital for a few days really fried your brain, Bai-ge."

She stated with certainty, "A mere mortals like Bai-ge could never possibly save up any money."

"Anyway, as long as you're happy, Bai-ge."

Ignoring Mo Bai, who was still lost in fantasy, Xie Zijun walked into the locker room.

As time passed, the other employees of the maid cafe arrived one after another. Gu Xiaoxiao and Lu Chun likewise offered warm regards to Mo Bai, expressing that this place truly could not function without a workhorse like him.

After all, humoring those customers was exhausting enough without having to do all sorts of miscellaneous chores. Gu Xiaoxiao even patted Mo Bai on the shoulder, saying with a serious expression that she would never mock Mo Bai for being useless ever again.

Instead, she would mock him for having a deficient kidney, since he suddenly had to be hospitalized for a few days for unknown reasons—what an absolute bottom-feeder he was.

Clearly, the grand objective of tying Gu Xiaoxiao to the signboard needed to be put on the agenda as soon as possible.

Sister Li was still the last to arrive. Seeing Mo Bai sitting at the front desk with nothing to do, she raised an eyebrow, walked over, and ruffled Mo Bai's hair. "Yo, you're okay now?"

"Your sister suddenly asked for a few days of leave from me, and it gave me quite a start."

"I thought you were actually going to the dental department to treat your athlete's foot."

"And your sister wouldn't even tell us which hospital you were in, jeez."

Mo Mo didn't say? No wonder nobody came to visit him while he was hospitalized.

Mo Bai gave an awkward laugh. "It wasn't a big deal to begin with. It's just that the hospital insisted on playing it safe and wouldn't let me be discharged."

"So, the moment I got out, I came straight to work." Mo Bai patted his chest. "Really, I just adore working."

Sister Li smiled cheerily. "Alright, as long as you're fine. Take better care of your health next time and stop staying up late."

"Also, your full-attendance bonus is gone."

Mo Bai: "!"

This time, it was his turn to howl: "No!!!"

"My full-attendance bonus! I had already kept it going for almost a month, how could it just vanish..."

"Without this attendance bonus, watashi..."

Before Mo Bai could finish his freak-out, a customer pushed open the door. It was a young man who sneaked into the shop like a thief. "Um, excuse me, do you have food?"

"Yes, yes!" Xie Zijun, who had just changed into her maid uniform, rushed out, guided him to a seat, and opened the menu. "Goshujin-sama, what kind of service would you like?"

"Bring two plates of egg fried rice first, plus a plate of curry rice, oh right, and an order of fried chicken snacks..."

Was it his imagination, or did Mo Bai feel like this guy's eyes were practically glowing green?

Someone actually came to a maid cafe purely to eat food?

How was this any different from watching Japanese adult films strictly for the plot?!

Xie Zijun had never seen such a scene either, and asked quietly, "Then, do you need me to provide the delicious magic spell for each plate of rice..."

"No need!" He slammed the table. "I want food! Rice! I want to eat, give me food right now, gogogo!!!"

"Eep..." Xie Zijun was so frightened she hurriedly bolted into the back kitchen to heat up some rice, while Mo Bai nodded in affirmation.

You are genuinely starving.

Soon, the dishes requested by the young man were served one after another. He immediately dug in, wolfing them down in a manner that rivaled Mo Bai eating five meals a day in the hospital.

No, he was even more formidable because he was eating with both hands!

The two pairs of chopsticks were wielded with god-like mastery, acting like divine weapons, actually giving Mo Bai a sense of smooth fluidity akin to an all-you-can-eat feast.

One plate, two plates, three plates, five plates...

His eating speed practically kept pace with the kitchen's heating speed!

Sister Li stopped doozing off and said with reverent awe, "In all my years in this industry, this is my first time seeing someone come to a maid cafe for an all-you-can-eat buffet."

"Does he not know how ridiculously expensive the food here is?"

Mo Bai: "Who knows?"

After about half an hour, the young man finally finished eating, leaned back against his chair in supreme contentment, and let out a burp.

He had eaten a total of eight plates of food.

Simply preposterous.

Mo Bai walked over. "Sir, your total consumption this time comes to 296.7 yuan. Will that be cash or QR code payment?"

"Huh?" The young man raised his head, revealing a gaze that was both pure and utterly foolish. "You actually have to pay for food?"

Mo Bai: "?"

Holy crap, a legendary eccentric had arrived!

Signaling Lu Chun at the door to lock it tight, Mo Bai sat down across from him and flashed an alluring, wicked smile.

"So..."

"You're trying a dine-and-dash, aren't you?"