"Mr. Stonehaven, hello. You can call me Jennifer."

Jennifer smiled gently, and for a moment the room seemed to brighten. She had the elegance of a red rose in full bloom, graceful and refined, yet somehow distant enough that no one would dare approach carelessly. At the same time, there was something calm and composed about her, like a white chrysanthemum standing quietly in the cold, proud without arrogance, soft without weakness.

Combined with her classical features and poised manner, she left a powerful first impression. A beauty who looked gentle, yet clearly carried confidence in herself.

"Mr. Stonehaven!" Invincible Strong burst out laughing on the spot.

"Pfft."

Tactical Drunkard nearly sprayed out the wine he had just swallowed.

"Jen, haven’t you figured it out yet? Stone’s one of us. No need to be so formal." Invincible Strong pointed straight at Marcus with his usual lack of restraint.

"Stonehaven. My one and only, my Stone. And those three beautiful ladies over there? Calling them sister-in-law wouldn’t be wrong either."

Anya and Alana stood quietly beside Marcus without objecting in the slightest. Chloe, however, instantly flushed pink beneath her mask, heat rising all the way to her ears. Thankfully, no one could see it through the concealment gear.

"Yeah, same here. Just call him Stone. Sounds way closer."

Tactical Drunkard swaggered over to Jennifer and immediately started talking nonsense.

"But Jen, Stone’s a real lady-killer. Especially dangerous for innocent girls like you. Better be careful. Don’t let that dazzling appearance fool you..."

’This guy...’’ Marcus could not be bothered to respond.

"Nice to meet you," Jennifer said, still smiling politely. "Stonehaven. But if that feels awkward, Stone is fine."

Marcus gave her a nod, then took his seat with Anya and the others. The servers had already brought out the dishes. There was no reason to delay any longer.

It was time to eat.

"Stone, cheers!"

They had not shared drinks together in quite some time, so spirits were high from the start. Cups kept clinking one after another, laughter rising louder with each round. Tactical Drunkard and Invincible Strong were especially lively, as if trying to outdo each other in noise. Magnolia Restaurant’s signature Magnolia King wine truly deserved its reputation.

At the other end of the table, Jennifer had already started chatting comfortably with Anya, Chloe, and Alana.

After everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, Jennifer personally entered the kitchen. As expected of the famed Southern Kitchen Maiden, she moved with smooth confidence and precise control, handling every step effortlessly. Before long, she returned with a steaming plate of Serpent Stew.

The meat was tender without losing texture, rich with natural flavor. The broth was clear yet deep, carrying an aroma that lingered in the mouth long after each sip.

Everyone nodded in approval.

No surprise there. The main ingredient was meat from a Divine Beast, the Venomous Horned Serpent. Even if handled by an average cook, it would still taste extraordinary. Mythic-grade ingredients were almost impossible to obtain, and even high-grade ingredients were already treasures most people never touched.

"The most valuable ingredients are usually spices and anything that boosts attributes," Jennifer said after tasting it herself. "Naturally, stat-boosting ingredients are Mythic-grade. High-grade ingredients are already excellent. But meat is consumed in large quantities, so even valuable meat won’t reach absurd prices."

She gave the analysis casually, but it carried the confidence of someone who knew the field inside and out.

Jennifer had been recognized as a prodigy since childhood. She studied Southern-style cuisine from a young age, and by eighteen had already mastered nearly eighty percent of the Southern Kitchen’s techniques. With her unmatched beauty and talent, she became known throughout culinary circles as the Southern Kitchen Maiden.

Together with Lydia Ellman, the Northern Kitchen’s famed Willow Garden Maiden, she was considered one of the two brightest young stars in the culinary world.

This July, Jennifer had graduated from university with a business management degree and officially entered the family business. It happened to coincide with Dominion’s explosive rise, and seeing the enormous opportunity inside the game, her family entrusted this Magnolia Restaurant branch to her and sent her in to develop it. It was both a test and a chance to prove herself.

"Stone," Jennifer said at last, getting to the real matter, "Magnolia Restaurant is willing to buy your Venomous Horned Serpent meat for fifteen thousand gold coins per pound. What do you think?"

"Fifteen thousand gold coins..."

Marcus repeated the number quietly to himself.

That was roughly fifteen hundred dollars per pound.

’Ridiculous.’

Only a world like Dominion, with its massive player economy and endless spenders, could support prices like that.

Instead of answering, Marcus asked, "How long can your restaurant preserve meat?"

Jennifer blinked, surprised by the sudden change in topic.

"Under the system’s restaurant settings, meat can be stored for one month without any loss in flavor. After that, we can spend gold coins to extend preservation time. So in practice, it can be stored indefinitely."

"I see."

Marcus smiled and nodded. "In that case, since we’re practically family here, I’d feel bad charging too much."

Jennifer relaxed slightly. Then Marcus continued.

"I’ll sell you the Venomous Horned Serpent meat for thirty thousand gold coins per pound."

"Thirty thousand?!"

Jennifer’s eyes widened as she stared at him.

If not for the fact that he was Path to Heaven and Invincible Strong’s friend, she would have told him outright to stop joking and go rob someone else.

Yes, the Venomous Horned Serpent was high-grade cooking material. But by market standards, twelve thousand per pound was already an excellent price.

She had offered fifteen thousand only because Marcus clearly had an unusual relationship with Path to Heaven and Invincible Strong. Especially Invincible Strong. Even Tactical Drunkard addressed him casually as Stone.

That alone was strange.

Fifteen thousand had already been the highest offer she intended to make. A bowl of Serpent Stew made from one pound of meat could only sell for fifteen to twenty thousand at most, and that was already outrageously expensive.

Yet this man wanted thirty thousand. Jennifer stared at Marcus, wondering if she had misheard.

"Thirty thousand gold coins... per pound?"

"Yes." Marcus nodded calmly. "Thirty thousand per pound." He said it as naturally as if discussing the weather.

’Insane.’ Jennifer cried out inwardly.

What a waste, too. He looked impressive, memorable even with that ridiculous rabbit mask, but apparently there was something wrong with his head. Either that, or he was hopelessly delusional.

Her enthusiasm for dealing with him dropped straight to zero.

Meanwhile, Path to Heaven immediately understood what Marcus was doing. He glanced at Marcus and gave a faint nod. Between brothers, no explanation was necessary.

Invincible Strong and Tactical Drunkard were confused for only a moment before realization hit them as well.

"Damn, Stone," Tactical Drunkard said, unable to hide his admiration. "Your brain works fast."

"Jen, pay up," Invincible Strong shouted excitedly. "You just won the lottery!"

"..."

Jennifer looked from one face to another, completely dumbfounded.

What was happening here? Had everyone at this table gone mad?