Chapter 1625: Personal Gain Through Public Affairs
For a Gluttony Believer like me, the temptation of a buffet is to eat as much as one can. So, from the start, I loaded up a big plate of meat and gorged myself, not holding back since the host was Karina.
But Karina was also wolfing down food, leaving the unaware Margaret and Weis stunned. How could these two eat more than werewolves?
Via, who normally doesn’t eat normal food and only drinks blood, was already full because I had fed her earlier. She only took tiny sips now.
Lorna had already turned invisible, so she didn’t have a seat. She floated nearby, tasting each food item and eating more of whatever she found delicious.
While eating, Karina said, “Originally, I planned to arrange some Bards or musicians inside to perform dances for the guests, but it didn’t have a good effect. It was too noisy, and people were too busy grabbing food to listen. There wasn’t even enough space.”
“Heh, a buffet restaurant is indeed a bit different from a traditional tavern.” I chuckled. Having bards and dancers perform was a common way for taverns to attract customers, but it was clearly not suitable for this environment.
“But it’s good too. Not having to hire Bards, musicians, and dancers saves a lot of money, which can be invested more in food,” Karina added with a smile.
“Speaking of which, can you still control your costs here? Are you making any profit?” I asked. When I first proposed the buffet restaurant plan, I saw it as a way to earn funds. Now that the business was so prosperous, I figured she must have made quite a bit.
“Uh, well, logically speaking, it should be profitable. These Black Forest People love to drink here, and the yeast for brewing was mutated by me, greatly increasing the yield, so we can supply it infinitely,” Karina said, a hint of hesitation in her voice for some reason.
“Then you should be making a lot. I didn’t expect you to learn how to modify bacteria too. Congratulations,” I said with a smile. No wonder she dared to offer unlimited drinks, and many of the wines and beers were high-quality. It turned out they were brewed from mutated yeast.
In this era, grain production wasn’t very high, and not much of it was allocated for brewing, so the price of alcohol remained high. Moreover, with the increase in workers after the Industrial Revolution, water pollution, and increased public stress, the demand for alcohol was still rising.
Karina’s ability to modify yeast to increase alcohol production, from another perspective, reduced the total amount of grain consumed in brewing and better met public demand. It could be considered a significant innovation.
Offering unlimited drinks was something no other tavern at this time would have conceived of, and the cost would likely be prohibitive. In this context, Karina’s offer of unlimited refills was a game-changer, a “dimensional reduction attack.”
It was no wonder a well-run buffet restaurant had turned into a beer hall for the guests. Every table was filled with beer towers and cups, and they were drinking to their heart’s content.
However, beer also fills you up. Drinking after eating bread, meat patties, and the like would certainly make them feel fuller, thus reducing their consumption of meat.
While Karina could increase beer production with yeast, she couldn’t yet increase meat production. Therefore, the cost would decrease further, making the business very profitable. I couldn’t help but admire Karina’s business acumen.
Unexpectedly, Karina’s face showed embarrassment. “Well, right now it’s just a small profit, and sometimes I even lose a bit. But when I expand the scale, it should be more profitable.”
“That’s not right. Based on my calculations, you should have a considerable profit. Is there a problem with my calculations?” I asked.
If even Karina, with her improved brewing process, couldn’t make money, then others would have even less of a chance. I needed to bring this up at the next meeting to prevent them from making futile investments. I couldn’t swindle church members.
“No, actually, it is possible to make a profit. It’s just that due to my personal reasons… ah, you can see for yourself,” Karina said, looking towards the entrance hall.
Because the banquet hall was a duplex structure, the first and second floors were connected. Directly opposite the entrance, a large staircase led straight to the second-floor corridor. Just then, a young girl was descending the stairs.
Although I couldn’t see the girl directly, I could sense the immense Gluttony Magic radiating from her. It was even purer than Karina’s own magic. She must be one of Karina’s Senior Management.
As the girl descended, she clasped her hands together, and the magic within her began to boil. She actually intended to use magic directly in the center of the restaurant, with so many people still present.
But since this was Karina’s territory, and she mentioned her personal reasons, there must be another purpose. I quietly watched.
Her magic spread out, affecting everyone in the hall and even reaching outside the winery. Guests dining in the garden were also affected by this Spell.
“Is this…?” I felt the magic spread to me. Although it was ineffective against me, I could easily analyze its effect.
In fact, it was obvious without analysis, because after the Spell was cast, the guests in the garden ate even more ravenously, as if possessed by hungry ghosts, and began to devour their food.
“That’s right. This is a Spell that increases appetite and promotes digestion,” Karina said. She had her subordinate use Gluttony Divine Technique to stimulate the guests’ appetites so they could eat more.
In the territory of a Gluttony Believer, conducting Gluttony activities would generate a large amount of faith, much like how the Murder Church conducts murders through Rituals. This was a dedication to God.
As a Reward, a large amount of Divine Power descended from the void. About half of it went into Karina’s body, a small portion into the girl who cast the Spell, and the rest was distributed among other Gluttony Believers.
No wonder the Gluttony Magic within that girl was so vast and pure. They must have collected Gluttony Magic this way countless times. With this many guests, repeating it five or six times a day should be no problem.
“What’s going on? Didn’t I say that this kind of appetite-enhancing Spell should be a Treatment for VIP members?” I asked. Allowing people to eat to their heart’s content was a privilege of member-only restaurants. If this benefit were removed, how would we attract people to join the cult?
“Ahem, I couldn’t help it. The speed at which this Gluttony Divine Power is generated is just too enticing. I never imagined I could obtain so much Divine Power so easily. So, I couldn’t help but do it, even if it meant losing money. It’s still a profit,” Karina said somewhat sheepishly.
This was supposed to be the next step in the Saintess’s plan, but she had used it to pursue Divine Power, making Karina feel a sense of guilt for seeking personal gain within an important grand plan. In fact, it truly was.
It could only be said that most Cultists had transcended such petty desires as money. Spreading the faith and gaining belief were what they valued most, even if it meant losing money.
