Chapter 498: Dragon and Whale

Da Wang's usual haunt was Hejian Restaurant, but the top‑tier restaurant in Magic City happened to open today—too bad he couldn't eat there.

Near the riverbank in Magic City stood a building under constant renovation; the ding‑dong sounds had gone on for almost a year, which was highly unusual in this prime downtown real estate. After all, the neighboring street was the famous pedestrian promenade, and this building's location offered the advantages of the central bustling district without the neighboring street's noise. Everyone thought it would remain vacant like this, but who would have expected that, as the year‑end approached, it suddenly sped up, and after a bustling two months of renovation, it opened on the second day of the lunar new year.

At an auspicious morning hour, the opening was lively; the plaque revealing the three large clerical‑script characters "Dragon and Whale" one story high, combined with the building's antiquated décor, complemented each other perfectly.

Xiao Tong and her best friend came to Magic City to play for two days; tonight's plan was the famous pedestrian street and the riverfront night view. Since tourist spots were hard to hail a taxi to, they walked over from nearby, and upon reaching this street they instantly saw the brilliantly lit Dragon and Whale.

"Wow, so many flower baskets—looks like it just opened today? The décor is gorgeous!"

"I'm so hungry—why not eat here first, then go to the riverbank after I'm full?"

"This building houses a single huge restaurant—won't it be expensive? Let me check… there's nothing on the review site…"

"A new store opening should have some discounts, right?"

From the main entrance, the two saw only a bustling lobby with nothing special; what they missed was the underground parking entrance at the back, where luxury cars were packed solid.

When the two reached the lobby entrance, the attendant, hearing there were only two of them and judging them young, directed them to the second‑flood lobby; actually, whatever he said, the two customers clearly didn't understand, and they were stunned by the lobby's underwater world.

This restaurant even set up its own ocean hall!

That underwater world rose three stories high; diners on the second and third floors could see this super aquarium, and at a glance there was a full assortment of coral and tropical fish.

The lobby's attractions went far beyond that; in the center stood a museum‑style display case, inside which lay—surprisingly—a bronze vessel.

Xiao Tong swallowed, feeling the place was high‑end; even the lighting of the azure‑bronze artifact display case was no different from what she'd seen that morning at the Magic City Museum. Several older customers were gathered there taking photos, and the two of them also went over for a quick look.

"This bronze vessel looks so genuine…"

The waitress in ancient costume who led them to their seats smiled and said, "This is the genuine article, you know—this bronze vessel is our restaurant's treasure, well preserved and actually nearly three thousand years old. Moreover, it bears an inscription, making it especially precious."

The two stood there stunned—could ordinary people really own such a bronze vessel? Are you sure we won't get in trouble for entering?!

Going around to the elevator area upstairs, they found that behind the display fish were tanks of live seafood—lobsters longer than an arm, groupers as big as a washbasin, and many other creatures they didn't recognize at all. The vibe of the place felt off, and the two began to sweat for their wallets.

Going up to the second floor, they discovered the restaurant's dining area was also quite private—despite its size, tables were spaced far apart, and altogether there weren't many of them, making their hearts race again. When the server brought over the exquisitely crafted menu, Xiao Tong opened it and realized she had been presumptuous.

"Si Tui would dare to walk into any restaurant! Just a glance shows there isn't a single dish under four digits!"

She didn't know that the private rooms on the third floor and up had a separate menu; the one in her hand was already quite affordable.

Pinching their noses, they ordered two dishes and the bill came to over two thousand; if it weren't for Si Tui dragging them in willingly, they'd even have thought about calling the price bureau or reporting it to the police.

They had thought this meal would be nothing but chives, but once the dishes arrived and they took a bite, they were astonished. The vegetables and steamed fish were the most delicious things they had ever tasted—the produce from Da Wang's vegetable garden combined with two‑thousand‑year‑old unpolluted wild fish; you could say it's expensive, but you can't say it isn't worth it.

They had their reasons for being pricey; all we could do was lament that this place just didn't match our wallets.

The two immediately couldn't help but pull a CD stunt, and the various acquaintances filling the upstairs private rooms were much the same. They had originally thought they were just making up numbers to support Bai Yang's event, and at first they felt Lao Bai was bold to charge such a price, but after tasting the food they couldn't help but add a few more dishes, and even took some to go.

The restaurant's system settles accounts at 9 p. m., with anything after counted as the next day; once 9 p. m. passed, Bai Yang saw the revenue and went to the Phoenix Group to confront Da Wang.

Da Wang heard that Dragon and Whale's takings today were nearly two million, silently converted it into ingots, felt pleased, then grew resentful: "It's just that you have spending power…" In Youzhou he couldn't manage that—back and forth, the only things he could afford were a few chives.

"This is only the pre‑9 p. m. settlement; Magic City's nightlife is just getting started, and even if we close at midnight, half the takings are still unsettled—our restaurant definitely has profit potential."

"Today's opening had discounts—will there still be this many customers later?"

"Don't worry. Once you've tried our Dragon and Whale, you can't get away! Our food's quality is practically like opium—I now feel like I'm eating grass when I have supermarket vegetables. If you have a bit of money, it's even harder to quit."

Da Wang simply figured out his share; mainly, this is a steady income, and he's delighted.

The next day, as they set out again, Wei Shen noticed that the listless Da Wang from yesterday was now radiant—"Did you pick up money?"

"Superficial! This King is thinking that the imperial exams are coming up soon, and I feel bright about the prospects in the northern borders—makes me happy～"

Wei Shen snorted, shook his head at Wei Ke to signal, "Do you believe that?"

Wei Ke curled the corner of his mouth, "I do!"

Wei Shen was taken aback, "Ah, you…"

Da Wang had already put his hands on his hips and glared at him, "The gap between cousins is huge! Just wait—I happen to need to write a letter to Changzhou when I get back."

Wei Shen: ……