"So, the problem lies with the food made by those chefs?" Nolan asked, taking a slow sip of his tea.
Eliza also took a sip and was pleasantly surprised by its refreshing taste. A happy smile spread across her chubby face as her eyes curved into crescent moons.
"Something like that." Shion let out a soft sigh, rubbing her temples. "I asked the management of each restaurant about their departure, and they all gave the same answer—they wanted to gain experience. But honestly, I suspect someone is working behind the scenes."
"Oh?" Nolan smiled faintly. "And what makes you think that?"
Shion straightened her posture, her expression turning serious.
"Master, ever since the collapse of the Red Obsidian Trading House—which later became White Lotus—several other trading houses have tried to take advantage of the chaos," she explained. "Of course, I didn’t allow that. I worked with Claire to suppress them and restore White Lotus’s power to its former peak, just like when it was still Red Obsidian. However..."
Her expression darkened as she continued, "They’re being unusually bold—showing no fear of the Blue Moon Trading House. It feels like someone is secretly pulling the strings to manipulate them. I suspect those nine chefs were deliberately lured away with promises of wealth or valuable goods to resign all at once."
"If it weren’t for that, there’s no way they would’ve all resigned at the same time. It’s still just speculation, but I’m confident my guess is right."
After finishing her words, she took a sip of tea to moisten her dry throat.
It wasn’t that the Blue Moon Trading House feared those rival groups—rather, they simply lacked solid evidence.
As she’d said earlier, it was only a guess. If she wanted to take action against them, she first needed proof.
Otherwise, it would violate the rules—and the palace might use that as an excuse to put pressure on them later.
Nolan listened to Shion’s explanation, lost in thought.
Her suspicions had become his own—he was thinking the same thing.
The mastermind behind it all was still uncertain, but one name came to mind—Roswell Kleith.
Prime Minister Roswell was the most powerful person after his father, the Emperor.
If anyone dared to challenge the Blue Moon Trading House, it would surely be him.
Of course, the challenge wouldn’t come directly but through someone else’s hands.
In this case, those hands belonged to the trading houses that were trying to disrupt the three restaurants under Blue Moon’s ownership.
If that’s true, this just got more interesting, Nolan murmured with a chuckle. Roswell must have realized the connection between Blue Moon and me. I’m sure he wanted to test the waters and confirm my ties to them.
If his suspicion was correct, Cedric might make a bold move soon. The Asbourne family—one of the Transcendent families—was already on his side.
Still, since his father’s birthday party, Cedric hadn’t acted. Well, that was typical of him.
Nolan had a feeling Cedric might have reached out to one of the powerful noble families—perhaps the Marquis, or even... the Duke.
"All right, I understand. This is a surprising problem, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be solved," Nolan said casually. "Coincidentally, I brought someone who can handle it."
"Someone who can handle it?" Shion asked, surprised. "Who is it, Master?"
Nolan turned to Eliza beside him and gently pinched her chubby cheek.
"It’s my beloved little sister."
Eliza: "Hmm?" (╹-╹)?
***
The Tears of the Dragon Restaurant was located in the city center, not far from the main building of the Blue Moon Trading House.
Nolan, Eliza, and Shion arrived there by horse-drawn carriage.
When they stopped in front of the restaurant, two staff members on duty immediately stepped forward to greet them.
"Welcome, customers," one of them said politely. He glanced at them one by one before asking, "How many people would you like to make a reservation for?"
Shion waved her right hand lightly. "I’m not here to make a reservation. I came to see Ronald. Is he inside?"
At the mention of Ronald’s name, both staff members stiffened.
Ronald was the manager of the Tears of the Dragon Restaurant—a position far above their own.
They hadn’t expected such a beautiful and elegant woman to come looking for him.
Could she be someone important from the Blue Moon Trading House? they thought almost at the same time.
Not daring to speculate further, they quickly bowed respectfully.
"Mr. Ronald is in his office. Would you like me to take you there?" The staff member who had greeted them asked.
"No need. Thank you for the information."
Shion then turned to Nolan, who was carrying Eliza, and said respectfully, "Let’s go inside, Master."
Nolan gave a brief nod and followed her into the restaurant.
The two staff members stood frozen, stunned by how Shion had addressed Nolan. They exchanged silent, bewildered glances.
***
The Dragon’s Tears Restaurant had three floors. The first floor was open to regular guests, while the second floor was reserved for VIPs who owned special cards.
The top floor served as the office area for the restaurant’s executives. It was quite spacious, even featuring a lounge for important guests who wished to meet them.
At the moment, in one of those offices, a middle-aged man sat looking lethargic and helpless.
He had short gray hair and wore an elegant golden-white robe—simple yet refined.
Square glasses rested on his face, enhancing the authoritative air he usually carried. But this time, his expression was filled with worry, as if countless burdens weighed on his mind.
"This is really troublesome. Those three damn chefs must have a hidden agenda!" he muttered angrily.
The three were key employees of the restaurant, yet they had left without warning, throwing the restaurant’s operations into chaos.
Although replacements had been found, the new chefs lacked the skill of their predecessors.
As a result, many customers complained—and some even stopped coming altogether.
As he was lost in his dizziness, the sound of footsteps echoed from outside.
Moments later, the door opened, revealing the beautiful figure of Shion, accompanied by Nolan and Catrine.
The man was startled—especially when he saw Shion.
"Leader Shion?" he exclaimed, quickly rising to his feet. "Why are you here? No, I mean... Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?"
His heart pounded anxiously. Shion’s sudden appearance could only mean one thing—bad news.
"Am I going to be fired?"
The thought made him clutch his chest instinctively, unwilling to accept such a possibility.
This job was the best he had ever had, and he couldn’t afford to lose it for any reason.
While his thoughts spun in chaos, Shion stepped inside and spoke firmly.
"I’m here to resolve the restaurant’s crisis. Call those three new chefs immediately!"