BATTLE FOR STARS

“No, that won’t happen,” the female intimate partner explained patiently. “The system is controlled by the central computer. It automatically adjusts the positions of all the suites. That way, every guest gets the best possible view without interfering with anyone else.”

“So different classes mean different prices too?” Ding Yufei asked.

“Yes. The usage fee for the Special Class suite is one hundred thousand Latir. First Class is fifty thousand, and Second Class is thirty thousand.”

Ding Yufei immediately realized something.

That was only the suite fee.

It didn’t even include the cost of food.

And after looking around, he noticed the restaurant had no public dining hall at all—only private floating suites. In other words, anyone who came here was forced to rent one.

That really did feel a bit like mandatory premium spending.

Lina and Little Chubby clearly hadn’t expected the suite prices to be this outrageous. Both of them looked uncomfortable.

Lina had never come here before, nor had she cared much about places like this. She only knew it was a famous Gold-class restaurant.

Little Chubby knew even less. Given his circumstances, he would never normally have the chance to learn about establishments like this.

Ding Yufei, meanwhile, was the most innocent of them all.

Not long ago, he didn’t even know what a single Latir could buy. As a visitor from Earth, he had only recently learned that one Latir had roughly the purchasing power of ten Chinese yuan.

Before that, he had no idea how expensive Gold-class restaurants actually were.

Still, as a long-time “kept man” living off Belina—and someone raised with Earth-style frugality—he instinctively felt a little pained by the prices despite knowing Belina was absurdly wealthy.

“Honestly, First Class and Second Class probably aren’t that different,” he said carefully. “Second Class is just a bit farther back. We can float a little higher anyway. Nothing will block the view, so the scenery should still be great.”

Naturally, he couldn’t suggest changing restaurants entirely. After all, Belina was the one treating everyone.

“That works. Let’s get a Second Class suite,” Belina said calmly.

Before her trip to Earth, she probably would have insisted on the Special Class suite.

But after everything she had experienced during those two years on Earth, things like status and exclusivity no longer mattered much to her.

Besides, from another perspective, she actually preferred not to be too close to whoever was occupying the Special Class suite.

“Very well. Please follow me.”

Once the reservation was confirmed, the female intimate partner led them onward.

“Oh right,” Belina suddenly remembered. “Our friend hasn’t arrived yet. Do we need to wait for him before entering the suite?”

“That won’t be necessary,” the attendant replied politely. “As long as you provide his information, we’ll arrange a dedicated transport vehicle to bring him directly to your suite later.”

“Perfect.”

Belina signaled for Lina to forward Mor’s information to the restaurant.

Under the attendants’ guidance, the group arrived at the floating suite platform below.

The platforms and dining layouts here could all be customized according to guest preference.

Based on the number of people dining, Belina selected a circular suite over twenty meters in diameter. The dining table itself was shaped like a pentagon so that each person had their own side.

The suite could not only float across the lake, but also rotate slowly, allowing everyone to fully enjoy the scenery from every angle.

Around the outer edge stood a transparent waist-high barrier.

The barrier could extend and contract freely. It could function as a safety rail or expand into a sealed transparent dome. Small ventilation openings across the surface adjusted the airflow inside the suite.

The group sat down around the table as the floating room slowly drifted toward the center of the lake.

Each guest had an attendant standing behind them.

Then a supervisor-like servant gestured lightly, and projections of dishes appeared before everyone.

“Distinguished guests, you may now place your orders.”

“What do you guys want to eat? Don’t be shy, just order whatever you like,” Ding Yufei said to his two new friends.

Lina and Little Chubby cautiously browsed through the menu projections.

Sure enough, nothing here was cheap.

The least expensive dishes started at two thousand Latir, while the more extravagant options exceeded ten thousand.

After looking through the menu for a while, neither of them could bring themselves to order anything.

Seeing this, Ding Yufei simply took over himself.

Though some dishes were unfamiliar, he had already eaten at enough restaurants over the past few days to get a basic idea. Besides, every dish came with holographic previews and detailed descriptions.

Estimating portions for five people, he selected seven or eight dishes.

Belina then added several desserts and a variety of drinks, making the meal quite lavish overall.

By the time they finished ordering, the floating suite had already reached the middle of the lake.

Although their suite was positioned toward the back, the scenery was still breathtaking.

Birds skimmed across the water, hunting and playing among the waves. A cool breeze drifted through the air, making the atmosphere especially relaxing.

The group sipped drinks and chatted casually.

Not long afterward, Lina’s male intimate partner finally arrived.

Mor had rushed over immediately after hearing that Lina’s friends were treating them to a meal at a Gold-class restaurant.

To him, this might very well be a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

He had even rented a small flying bike specifically to get here faster.

Of course, on Boman, almost all public services were technically open to slaves as well.

As long as you could pay, you could enjoy the service.

The problem was that very few slaves could actually afford them.

Lina herself was already considered relatively high-income among slaves. Even so, after mentally calculating the suite fee and meal cost, she estimated that one visit here would consume nearly half a year of her income.

If not for Belina treating them, she would never willingly spend that kind of money herself.

There were simply too many other things that required money.

“This is my male intimate partner, Mor,” Lina introduced. “He’s a sword fighter. He’s already changed owners twice, but his performance has always been excellent.”

“Hello, everyone,” Mor greeted politely as he sat beside Lina.

Ding Yufei glanced over at him.

Mor was indeed heavily built with well-developed muscles. One look made it obvious he trained seriously in combat.

But what stood out even more were the fresh wounds on his arms.

“Mor, I heard you joined some of the carnival entertainment events,” Ding Yufei said while they waited for the dishes to arrive. “What kind of event was it exactly?”

“It was basically accompanying guests in sword fighter matches,” Mor answered.

“And the guests could actually beat you?” Ding Yufei looked confused.

From his perspective, tourists challenging professional sword fighters was like amateurs using hobbies to compete against trained experts. It sounded like they were just volunteering to get crushed.

“Not real matches,” Mor explained. “Mostly just practice sparring with them.”

“Then how did you end up injured?” Ding Yufei asked while looking at the fresh cuts on Mor’s arm.