Chapter 1222

In fact, Lin Cheng, accompanied by President Huoerde and the various elders, had passed the eighth assessment of the Zaoshigong Society and become the empire's fourth eighth-rank Forgemaster—an achievement that had already made him famous overnight.

It was just that this news had not yet been made public; he believed it would not be long before the whole nation learned that Lin Cheng had become the empire's fourth eighth-rank Forgemaster.

"So he lives at the Flying Fox Restaurant." President Huoerde and the others put on a look of sudden realization, but in truth they had never heard of the Flying Fox Restaurant—they only knew a few first-class great restaurants within the fortress cities.

Yet this did not stop the forgemasters below from extolling the Flying Fox Restaurant's many outstanding qualities; being chosen at a glance by Master Lin Cheng, it must surely possess some uncommon excellence.

Lin Cheng stood to the side with a dry laugh, unsure whether he should expose the truth; at this moment he finally understood what it felt like to be blindly idolized—even though they understood nothing, that did not stop them from flattering him.

By the time Lin Cheng was escorted back to the Flying Fox Restaurant by this group, he had inadvertently brought a great deal of business to the Flying Fox Restaurant as well.

After only one day of recruitment, the Flying Fox Restaurant had naturally regained some of its liveliness, and the kitchen and hall staff were barely complete.

Sister Zhang had assumed it would take a month before things gradually returned to their former bustle, so much so that she had already prepared herself for a month of losses; she never expected that by dinnertime such a large group would arrive.

A rough estimate put the number at no less than a hundred.

From the Forgemaster badges pinned to their chests, one could tell they were members of the Zaoshigong Society. Sister Zhang was still puzzling over why such great figures would descend on her humble establishment when she suddenly spotted Lin Cheng along with President Huoerde and the other elders.

These even greater figures walked in chatting and laughing, and the badges on their chests—representing sixth, seventh, and eighth-rank forgemasters—gave Sister Zhang quite a fright.

These high-rank forgemasters were the true great figures of Boulder Fortress City!

At this point Sister Zhang understood.

So Lin Cheng had brought them to patronize her own restaurant. She could not help but feel her fondness for Lin Cheng rise another notch; the Flying Fox Restaurant had just revived, and now it welcomed such a large group of great figures—undoubtedly the best advertisement for the restaurant.

Even if she earned a little less on this meal, she would still serve these gentlemen well; she immediately gave orders for the staff below to be especially respectful and courteous to these forgemasters.

Meanwhile, Sister Zhang had just seated Lin Cheng and President Huoerde and the others in the finest private room on the third floor, when Lin Cheng stepped out of the room, found Sister Zhang, took out his treasured green tea, and asked her to bring a pot of boiling water to each table before the dishes were served, and place some tea leaves in it.

Although Sister Zhang did not know what these fragrant little leaves were,

she knew they must be something good, and immediately did as instructed.

Before the dishes were formally served, Sister Zhang, following Lin Cheng's instructions, brought a pot of tea to each table. The forgemasters were just wondering what on earth was so special about this Flying Fox Restaurant.

When they saw a waiter bring up a pot of tea, one cup per person, the tea liquor was crystal clear to the bottom, with fully unfurled tea leaves floating on the surface.

As the steam rose, a strange, faint tea fragrance spread through the air; the forgemasters who smelled it were all startled, their eyes lighting up—they sensed this was something good.

At once, the forgemasters seated around the table fell upon the pot of tea and drank it down like cattle; one pot was not enough, and they hurriedly called the waiter over to add more water.

Inside the third-floor private room.

Lin Cheng, President Huoerde, the vice president, and seven elders—ten people in all—sat around a round table, with Sister Zhang personally serving the tea.

The president and the others were quite curious at first, but when Sister Zhang poured each of them a cup of tea and the tea fragrance filled the entire private room,

the president's and all the elders' expressions changed at once.

"This fragrance—I never expected such a small restaurant to actually have imperial tribute tea!" An elder raised his teacup, deeply inhaling the familiar yet strange tea aroma; only after his furrowed brow gradually relaxed did he drain the tea in his cup in one gulp.

The familiar taste spread rapidly through his mouth, and a reminiscent smile appeared on his face.

"Indeed, years ago I had the good fortune to taste it once with President Huoerde at the City Lord's residence—the taste of tribute tea is unforgettable."

"Excellent, excellent—delicate and lingering on the palate, the fragrance lingers between lips and teeth—worthy of imperial tribute tea!"

"Are these tea leaves very precious?"

The elders' unanimous praise of the tea left Lin Cheng somewhat puzzled.

From the information they let slip, he gathered that he should not have been the first to invent tea; before him, someone (King Zhao Zhao) had already discovered tea's true use, though the yield was very small.

It had even been linked to the imperial family, becoming the imperial tribute tea offered every year!