Chapter 64: The Price of Divinity
The lanterns had just started to glow across the Academy plaza, their soft, enchanted light shimmering like a thousand captured embers in the evening sky. The festival was in full swing, a symphony of music, laughter, and the distant, thrilling roar of a magical beast from one of the exhibition stalls. But in our small corner of the world, a different kind of drama was unfolding. I stood at the edge of our stall, my arms crossed, and realized with a dawning, sickening horror that the worst-case scenario had just unfolded:
We were almost out of stock.
I hissed under my breath, my hands clenching into tight fists as I gritted my teeth. "I knew this would happen. I should’ve believed in myself more."
We had barely crossed the halfway mark of the festival’s first day, and already, our ramen pots were scraping bottom, the carefully prepared thunderbeast burger patties were dwindling to a pathetic few, and the fries—the precious, golden, and now legendary Shadow Fries—had almost vanished completely.
Three hours left on the clock. And we were about to shut down.
"Julie!" I called, my voice sharp with a sudden urgency. "Inventory! Now!"
"Three portions of ramen, one burger, and half a basket of fries! That’s it!" she yelled back from the chaotic heart of the kitchen, her voice strained with a mixture of pride and panic. "I’m not a miracle factory, Ashen!"
"Yet," Masha added dryly from her command post at the front, flipping a page on her ever-present clipboard without looking up.
I turned my gaze toward the street and paused, my own breath catching in my throat. My eyes narrowed.
A queue. No, it wasn’t a queue. It was an ocean of people.
Where in the hells did they all come from?
A massive, winding line had formed outside our stall, stretching far down the plaza—over forty people long, and growing with every passing moment. There were new customers, more nobles, curious tourists, and a surprising number of students from rival classes. Even a few professors were in the mix, their usual stern expressions replaced by a look of hungry, hopeful anticipation.