Tongyuan. The Dragon Battle Hotel.
Lu Lin stood outside the door, looking up at this construction over a hundred levels high.
Having come from Saturn to study on Blue Star for six years, Lu Lin was certainly familiar with the Dragon Battle Hotel. This was, after all, a landmark construction in Tongyuan.
But in these six years, Lu Lin had never imagined he would one day come here for a meal.
The greeter at the entrance saw Lu Lin arriving alone and kindly asked which private room he was going to, then led him there.
"Bright Future."
In the private room, Zuo Zhenyu was chatting with Jiang Yueming. When he saw Lu Lin enter, he nodded at him.
Zuo Yiming quickly stood up. "Lu Lin, this is my father."
"Father, this is my classmate, Lu Lin. He has an Earth Talent and comprehended the Stone Skin and War Roar Star Skills this afternoon."
"Student Lu, hello. Please, sit down."
"You and Yiming are the same age. Sit closer; it will be better for you to communicate."
Zuo Zhenyu's face was dark, and he stood an imposing two meters tall, his body covered in well-defined muscles. He had short hair and sharp, chiseled facial features. He appeared serious when silent but spoke loudly yet kindly.
"Thank you, Uncle Zuo, for the trouble today."
Lu Lin bowed slightly and was about to sit beside Zuo Yiming.
"Lu Lin, sit here with me," Jiang Yueming called out, beckoning him over.
Zuo Zhenyu looked at his son, puzzled. Wasn't Lu Lin just a civilian student?
Zuo Yiming shrugged.
"Alright, Master Jiang." Lu Lin smiled at Zuo Yiming, then turned and walked around the table to Jiang Yueming's side.
Jiang Yueming reached out to pull out a chair, deliberately moving it closer to his own, waited for Lu Lin to sit, and then said to Zuo Zhenyu, "General Zuo, look. This Lu Lin is my new disciple."
Zuo Zhenyu's eyes narrowed. Master Jiang had actually taken a liking to Lu Lin? This commoner boy, a student who had just awakened his Talent and comprehended Star Skills, had caught Master Jiang's eye?
"Not bad. He looks quite spirited." In Zuo Zhenyu's estimation, Lu Lin's importance had significantly increased.
Originally, to him, Lu Lin was merely his son's friend—a somewhat talented friend. But now, with Master Jiang backing Lu Lin, his status would naturally rise.
"Spirited? Of course, he's spirited!"
"This kid, despite merely having an Earth Talent, managed to comprehend Double Star Skills. And that's not all; Lu Lin isn't as simple as he appears."
"During the Guiding session this afternoon, Yiming and Luo Ling could only remain in my Ancient Tree Forest Domain for three minutes. But him?" Jiang Yueming patted Lu Lin's shoulder as he spoke.
"Seven minutes!"
"He stayed in my domain for a full seven minutes!"
"He even plucked a handful of my grass and picked four of my fruits!"
"HAHAHA!" Zuo Zhenyu found this amusing and couldn't help but laugh heartily, his voice so powerful it made the water cups on the table tremble slightly.
Lu Lin lowered his head shyly. He hadn't known any better at the time, had he? He had simply seen the sweet, tempting fruits on the tree and casually picked a few.
Jiang Yueming and Zuo Zhenyu laughed for a while before Luo Ling hurried in from outside.
The four people in the private room turned their gaze to Luo Ling. She lowered her head bashfully before greeting the two elders.
Seeing Lu Lin also wearing the Golden Sword High School uniform, Luo Ling instinctively walked over and sat down beside him.
"Let's have the dishes served," Zuo Yiming said, stepping out to give the order.
A stream of various dishes was brought to the table, making Lu Lin's mouth water and his appetite surge.
The food at the Dragon Battle Hotel was actual, real food!
Cold Black Fungus, Ants Climbing Trees, Roast Chicken, Lettuce in Oyster Sauce, Braised Shrimp in Oil, Steamed Bass, Old Duck Pot... There were also various types of staple food such as Fried Baozi, Yangchun Noodles, Osmanthus Cake, and Big Meat Buns...
Just the aroma from the table was enough to make Lu Lin quiver with excitement.
It had been too long since he had eaten real food. Back on Saturn, things were better; his parents grew various crops, so he could eat meals with grains, rice, or fruit once or twice every half-month or month. But since coming to Blue Star, his family was burdened with a large, unpaid debt, so Lu Lin could only subsist on the free nutritional meals provided by the school.
Jiang Yueming, sitting beside him, keenly sensed Lu Lin's excitement. "You young ones, go ahead and eat. Don't be polite."
Lu Lin glanced at Zuo Yiming and Zuo Zhenyu, who both nodded slightly.
To them, these were just ordinary home-cooked dishes. They had primarily ordered lighter, simpler fare considering Master Jiang's age and his teeth.
Having received permission, Lu Lin said, "Thank you for your hospitality," and picked up his chopsticks.
Luo Ling, seated next to him, was also eager to start. Seeing Lu Lin's movement, she too picked up her chopsticks.
Lu Lin kept grumbling to himself as he ate. Mmm, this Braised Shrimp in Oil is great. This Steamed Bass is cooked just right. No, this White Cut Chicken isn't marinated enough; it was served too soon. What a waste of Dragon Battle Hotel's reputation.
Meanwhile, Master Jiang and Zuo Zhenyu had opened a bottle of white wine. They chatted as they drank, occasionally taking a bite of food.
"Excuse me, I need to take this call." Just as they were finishing the meal, Luo Ling suddenly stood up, spoke, and then hurried outside.
"Sis, what's wrong?"
"What? They're not paying you?!"
"Wait for me, I'm coming over right now! Don't cry, don't cry."
"Don't worry, Sis. The federation is so big; I refuse to believe anyone would dare to do such a thing!"
"Don't argue with them, and definitely don't get physical. Wait for me to get there before you say anything more."
"Alright, Sis. I'm hanging up."
Luo Ling ended the call, re-entered the private room, and bowed to Master Jiang and Zuo Zhenyu, saying she had an urgent matter and needed to leave first.
Zuo Yiming was likely the only one in the room who hadn't overheard Luo Ling's phone conversation.
"Student Luo, are you in trouble? Do you need help?" Zuo Zhenyu asked.
"No, thank you, Uncle," Luo Ling declined.
She knew Zuo Zhenyu's identity: the head of the Tongyuan City Guard. If he were to intervene, her sister's problem would be trivial. But Luo Ling didn't want to owe anyone favors. Her problems were her own to solve.
"Alright then... Yiming, you've finished eating, haven't you? Go with Student Luo and see what's going on."
Zuo Yiming swallowed a piece of fish, bones and all, then stood up. "No problem, Father. I'll go with Luo Ling and check things out."
"Master Jiang, Lu Lin, you two continue eating."
Lu Lin glanced at the food in his bowl and stood up as well. "Hold on, let's go together." It was better with classmates around. If both Luo Ling and Zuo Yiming left, he wouldn't be able to eat at ease under the gaze of the two Bosses.
Luo Ling was anxious and didn't try to refuse them. She pushed open the door and strode out.
"Luo Ling, where are we going?"
"Love Home Housekeeping."
Luo Ling explained, "My sister works as an organizer at Love Home Housekeeping. Today was supposed to be payday, but the company claims that last month, when she was organizing a client's house, she stole valuable items."
"They said if she doesn't return them, not only will she not get paid, but they'll also send her to the police station, and she'll go to jail."
"My sister would never steal from anyone!"
"They must be deliberately withholding her wages to cause trouble," Luo Ling said fiercely.
If this had happened before she awakened her Talent, it indeed would have been difficult to resolve. But now that Luo Ling had awakened her Lightning Talent and comprehended Double Star Skills, resolving such a minor issue wouldn't even require calling in favors. It could be handled through normal procedures.
Lu Lin and Zuo Yiming both felt a sense of relief. This was a civilized society now; who would still resort to fighting to solve problems? They just needed to present the facts and reason things out. The federation's laws were fair and just; there shouldn't be any problem.