Chapter 158: Weird Ketchup
Rosetti was in the Silver Cla.s.s’ uniform.
“I can’t believe you left the Diamond Cla.s.s right after I’ve joined. Say, are the learning materials in the Divine Cla.s.s interesting?”
“Agreed! I want to join you in the Divine Cla.s.s as well!”
The two guys were still as gossipy as ever.
Locke rambled at great lengths and he managed to satiate their curiosity.
Lawrence exclaimed, “Let’s go! I’ll treat you to a meal. There’s a new kind of food that’s trending in the Holy City recently. You’ll definitely like it too!”
Being the foodie he was, Locke accepted.
The three of them chatted and laughed as they walked out.
The scene had made many of the students envious.
After all, being friends with Locke was something that was worth bragging about.
The business of the luxury restaurants in Dallas[1] was very good. There were long queues everywhere. However, since Rosetti was a VIP, a waiter immediately rushed to serve her upon her arrival.
“Miss Rosetti, will you be ordering the same set meal as before?”
The meal was Rosetti’s treat.
“Yep!”
Rosetti, who usually acted very lady-like, looked abnormally excited.
Through her reaction, Locke was certain that the meal was delicious.
…
The food served were all high-end Daemon meat. Other than revealing Rosetti’s wealth, Locke did not find it particularly noteworthy.
He stabbed his fork into a piece of deep-sea Daemon’s meat and asked, “I used to eat this often. Is this the dish that you call delicious?”
Lawrence knew that Locke would ask this.
Thus, he took a bottle of something from the waiter and said happily, “The peerless delicacy that we’re talking about is this!”
Locke took a closer look at the bottle.
‘Isn’t this ketchup?!’
‘What’s so great about it?’
“Don’t look so disappointed, Locke. Try it!” Rossetti’s beautiful big eyes sparkled.
Locke picked up a piece of bread, put some ketchup on it, and took a bite.
He tasted it carefully, however, he did not notice anything special about it.
However, his schoolmates’ reactions starkly contrasted his.
They showed great love for this ketchup.
They wanted nothing more than to put it on all sorts of foods.
Lawrence’s reaction was the most exaggerated.
Due to the speed at which he consumed his meal, the waiters had found it difficult to keep up with his appet.i.te.
Locke frowned.
He looked around him, and noticed that everyone was acting similarly to Lawrence.
They loved the tomato sauce very much!
Most had gone overboard. They did not bother to answer their cell phones, and they fought with their tablemates to obtain the last bottle of ketchup!
‘Something’s wrong!’
Locke called the waiter over and asked, “Where is the restaurant’s owner?”
“HAHAA! We’ve made a lot of money! This ketchup is mystically amazing!” The restaurant owner looked at his recent sales and rejoiced.
Suddenly, a quarrel broke out outside.
“Sir, this is an office, and the staff are currently working. What exactly do you want? Sir!”
Before the restaurant owner could even react, Locke had already barged into the room.
Two waiters who were guarding the door followed him in.
“Who are you? This is an office!” The restaurant owner did not look like a simple restaurant owner. There were many tattoos on his hands and neck.
“I’m a customer!” Locke said openly with his hands behind his back.
The owner nodded slightly, stood up and smiled, “Oh! What is it? Is there a problem with the dishes or are you not satisfied with the service?”
He did not recognize Locke.
Locke did not want to cause any more trouble and thus, he cut straight to the chase, “Sir, I want to know more about the ketchup you’re using.”
“Ah, alright? The Holy City’s citizens adore this product very much! Oh… Do you want to talk about it in a business perspective instead?”
The owner turned to looked at the manager and shouted, “What’s wrong with you? Didn’t I already tell you? We are the only vendors who are allowed to sell this ketchup! We don’t need new partners! Haven’t you informed the waiters yet?”
The manager thought long and hard before responding, “But I’ve already informed them…”
However, since the restaurant owner had several connections with the underground, the manager dared not talk back.
He went up to Locke and said with a smile, “Sir, you heard what our boss said. Please go back. We don’t need any partners…”
Realizing that they had misunderstood the situation, Locke explained again, “Boss, don’t you notice a problem with the ketchup sauce? Why is everyone addicted? Where did you get it from?”
Locke’s interrogation did not sit well with the restaurant owner, and his face began to redden. With a fierce expression, he yelled, “A problem?! My restaurant’s food is delicious! What other reason could there be!?”
“Please don’t make any more trouble for us! Get out now!”
The restaurant owner gestured for his subordinates to send Locke out.
“From the looks of it, you have some connection with the underground forces, right? I’ll give you a piece of advice, tell me the source of the ketchup, or else…” Locke maintained a calm expression as he issued the threat.
“Hahahaha… Are you crazy? How dare you talk to me like that? Do you know who I am? This street is my territory! Why should I tell you where the ketchup is from? Are you from the City Hall? Even if you are, I’m not afraid!” The restaurant owner laughed hysterically.
He then turned around and waved his hand, seemingly to dismiss Locke.
“Kid! Our boss told you to get lost!”
“Did you hear that? Are you deaf? Get lost!”
The two guard-like waiters acted as if they had received an imperial edict and began to march forward.
Before the restaurant owner could light his cigarette, however, he suddenly heard screams coming from behind him…
“AH… !”
“My arm!”
Locke, who possessed Tier 2 Body Tempering had effortlessly dealt with the waiters with a single finger.
Two of his men hugged their broken arms and wailed on the ground.
“You… !” The restaurant owner was so shocked that he dropped his cigarette onto the ground.
Locke looked at him and threatened, “I’ll ask you again, where did you get the ketchup from?”
“You! You’re courting death!” The restaurant owner could no longer bear the young man’s contempt for him. He quickly dialed two numbers and said the secret code with a smile. Then, he took out a revolver from the drawer.
“Kid! Are you sent by other restaurants to make trouble for me? Don’t be arrogant! My people will be here soon! My boss will be here soon too!” He loaded the revolver and pointed it at Locke.
He a.s.sumed that Locke would be intimidated by the gun!
Moreover, once his reinforcements had arrived, he would beat Locke up together with his support.
‘Let’s see who’s afraid of who now!’
Locke shook his head slightly and sighed.
After all, things had gone way off rail from what he had intended.
However, Locke was obliged to respond to the restaurant owner’s “hospitality”…
[1] Apparently the Holy City is located in Dallas.