“Student Bacher, you just need to take us to the corridor where the Demon King’s Gifted Restaurant is located. After that, go attend your normal class. Once your second class is over, come back to us and continue leading the way. Whether it’s a difficulty level 2 or level 3 classroom, I’ll see you through it.”
Lan Qi looked at Bacher, his tone calm, but the dazzling confidence in his eyes couldn’t be hidden.
Bacher clearly wasn’t keen on spending his precious credit coins. For someone like him, hovering at the edge of being expelled, every surplus coin was invaluable.
“Y-yes, of course!”
Bacher hurriedly bowed in gratitude to Lan Qi.
Even back in the music classroom, when he had fainted, this radiant demon hadn’t taken advantage of him for those two coins.
What Bacher feared most was being marked—or enslaved—by a powerful high-ranking demon.
In this world, the weak were prey.
And yet, his interactions with Lan Qi surprised him. For all his terrifying strength, this radiant demon carried himself with an unusual reasonableness, something almost un-demon like.
Demons with such qualities were usually the most supreme—and most frightening.But correspondingly, as long as one didn’t provoke them, they had no interest in targeting weaker demons.
—
Then, Bacher slipped fully into “tour guide mode.” His reverent voice carried a kind of certainty as he led Lan Qi and Huperion toward their new destination.
After about ten minutes, the scenery around them began to change. The infernal corridors gave way to a refined, tranquil interior space.
They had reached the functional zone. The air was fresh, and compared with the oppressive classroom halls, this place felt like another world entirely.
Here, the stench of the abyss was weaker, replaced by a purer sense of serenity.
“This is the place you asked for. I’ll return after the next class break,” Bacher said, bowing at the entrance of a bright corridor. His voice carried a trace of relief, as though he had just completed a daunting mission.
“Alright. Stay safe,” Lan Qi replied, waving him off as his figure vanished around the corner.
Then, he and Huperion walked down the softly lit corridor, bathed in a crimson glow, until the grand floor-to-ceiling glass revealed the Demon King’s Gifted Restaurant.
The name itself promised an aristocratic experience.
【Time Remaining: 9 hours 36 minutes】
【…】
【Challengers Lan Qi & Huperion: S02 Corridor, Demon King’s Gifted Restaurant】
—
Passing through the revolving glass doors, they entered a restaurant dressed in pure black elegance, with rebellious little details worked into the design—like branches and stones that, upon closer inspection, turned out to be part of the tableware.
The vast windows displayed the hanging void outside the Infernal Academy. Only now did they realize this school was a corridor-castle built atop the abyss.
At night, starlight reflected on the tables, surreal and dreamlike.
“Guests, please look at this first.”
A demon waitress handed them a black leather guidebook as they were seated. The diamond-patterned cover, with its faint leather scent, carried the charm of an older world.
Lan Qi read the embossed letters:
-【No improper attire inside】
- 【No fighting or causing disturbances】
- 【No pets, summons, or familiars allowed】
- 【No dining-and-dashing】
- 【No insulting other guests】
- 【Violators will be executed by the manager】
- 【If your experience suffers due to another’s violation, compensation will be provided】
The neatly stamped rules were lined up across the cover.
“So very demon realm in style,” Lan Qi remarked to Huperion with a sigh.
Indeed, by directly executing violators, the demon realm had somehow cultivated rather excellent etiquette.
“Agreed,” Huperion nodded. She was beginning to adapt to the demon realm—not because of her half-demon bloodline, but because staying beside Lan Qi, who was more demon than the locals themselves, made her adapt at lightning speed.
Inside, the restaurant glowed with warm light, a rich aroma drifting through the air.
Only a handful of students sat scattered across corners, browsing menus or waiting quietly for their meals, their presence deepening the restaurant’s unique ambiance.
After a while browsing the menu, the waitress returned, apologetic.
“My apologies, the delay is due to busyness. I beg your understanding.” Her voice carried sincere respect—especially toward Lan Qi, whose teacher status made her all the more deferential.
“No problem,” Lan Qi replied, carefully studying the refined menu. He ran his fingers across the pages, trying to grasp the essence of each dish.
Finally, his gaze landed on one page.
The Demon King’s Gifted Restaurant fused infernal ingredients with local flavors, creating a new-school demon cuisine.
He didn’t recognize every ingredient, but one dish resembled char-grilled potato spheres with smoked eel, paired with an onion-smoke sauce and eel consommé, topped with a hint of dill oil for freshness.
Another was a black-chocolate custard soufflé, fluffy and warm, paired with crystalline custard cream—likely offering a hot-and-cold contrast, rich yet airy.
Both were limited specials, priced at 5 coins each, and could boost Huperion’s combat stats, enabling her to fight at a fourth-tier level tonight—comparable to a Shadow World powerhouse.
That would give them much more room to maneuver.
Other ordinary, non-buff dishes were cheaper and could be ordered as needed.
But then—
The waitress’s voice faltered, regret seeping through her melodic tone:
“Sir, those two are already sold out.”
“All the limited specials are gone?” Lan Qi frowned.
It was only the first class break, yet they had sold out so quickly? And in such a spacious restaurant with so few diners?
The waitress nodded helplessly and pointed out the few remaining options.
Lan Qi, puzzled, scanned the restaurant.
Then he saw the problem—
At a lavish long table sat a striking demon. His silver hair gleamed like starlight, exuding noble elegance.
But in the briefest glance, Lan Qi caught the disdain and dissatisfaction buried in his eyes.
Waiters swarmed around him like overburdened ants, delivering dish after dish.
Yet the silver-haired demon would only take a bite or two before frowning, pushing the plate aside in contempt.
The untouched food was whisked away—straight into the trash.
The contrast between the staff’s frantic service and his casual wastefulness was stark.
Even the manager stood by, enduring his harsh critiques.
Lan Qi stared, visibly displeased. His gaze soon drew the silver-haired demon’s notice.
Their eyes locked—his gaze cold as ice.
Then, with a faint curl of contempt at his lips, the silver-haired demon let out a disdainful scoff.
Looking over Lan Qi and Huperion as though they were cheap goods, he summoned the manager.
“Every high-grade ingredient you have today—I’ll take them all.”
The domineering words matched his aristocratic air.
It was clear: he wanted to flaunt his superiority before Lan Qi and Huperion, and deny them any chance of savoring fine cuisine.
All because of a single glance from Lan Qi.
Lan Qi’s frown deepened, though he remained silent.
“Lan Qi, let it go,” Huperion whispered gently, trying to defuse the tension.
She was certain that silver-haired student—flush with endless coins—was not someone to provoke, especially here in the functional zone, where fighting was forbidden.
Lan Qi’s usual strategies—sarcasm plus the Poet of Great Love, or silencing and verbal manipulation—were all ineffective in this restaurant where summons were banned.
The silence between the tables was heavy. Lan Qi finally turned from the silver-haired demon to meet Huperion’s gaze.
“Conserving food and preventing waste requires everyone’s effort,” Lan Qi said at last.
“We must consciously uphold the fine virtue of thrift, establish the idea that saving is honorable and waste is shameful, strengthen advocacy for diligence and frugality, and strive to foster a culture of civilized dining and rational consumption.”
He earnestly explained his values to Huperion.
Huperion: “…”
She couldn’t deny his logic.
But coming from him, those words somehow carried the flavor of “official jargon.”
After all, Lan Qi’s understanding of virtue was… a little unique.