Chapter 10: The Grand Opening

2 Months Later, 

Nyx checked the progress and estimated that they could open the restaurant in about a month. Now, he could move on to the next step. Advertisements. Of the 300,000 Credits that he had left, he put aside 100,000 for the wages of the staff. He used 50,000 to get an alcohol license and bought various types of liquors such as wine, whiskey, scotch, and rum 

Then, he put another 100,000 aside for emergencies. He decided to invest the 50,000 Credits that were left into advertising his restaurant. He hired a group of inconspicuous people to spread rumours all around the Clan that he, Nyx Ironheart, the son of their beloved Clan Lady and fearsome Clan Head was opening a restaurant. 

He also got people to spread fliers that could be used as coupons for a 50% discount all around the Scholar's District. The catch was that this offer was only available to the first 75 people. This was obviously a tactic to pull customers. 

A month later, all of the preparations had been finally completed. The restaurant had been renovated, the staff had finished their training, and the rumours had been spread. He decided to hold the grand opening of the restaurant a week later.

He also sent formal invitations to the Clan Head and his family, the Council of Elders along with their families, his fellow Young Clan Head Candidates, and other important people in the Clan as guests. He sent a separate invitation to Magnus, inviting him as the Chief Guest.

Of course, he could have just invited them casually as most of these people were his close family members but he wanted them to see him as an entrepreneur and not as a kid. When he had finally done all the work, he took a rest. These three months had been quite hectic for him. 

Inwardly, he kept on consoling himself, 'Just 4 years more. After I awaken my Anima, I can rest.' 

This was the motto that he used to motivate himself. whenever he felt like giving up. He would tell himself, 'Work now so that you can rest later.' After giving himself a little pep talk, he got back to work. Over the next week, he checked every little detail to ensure that everything was perfect. 

Finally, it was the day of the Grand Opening Ceremony of the new Uncle Roger's Kitchen. They weren't going to change the name of the restaurant because they couldn't think of a better one. And Uncle Roger's Kitchen already had a reputation for serving delicious food among those who knew about it. Or at least, that was the plan. But Brandon suddenly had a great idea and they named the restaurant 'H2D'. 

The ceremony began at 7 pm with Magnus cutting the ribbon. Then they all moved inside the restaurant. The guests, especially the ones who had visited Uncle Roger's Kitchen before, were shocked at how much the place had changed. 

Before it was just a normal restaurant with great food but now, it had a warm and cosy vibe. Now, it was the kind of place they would bring their family to. The waiters helped all the guests to their seats.

When everyone had settled down, Nyx walked behind a podium. He was wearing a royal blue coat, a white shirt and black pants. And he was looking incredibly cute, to say the least. With his chubby body and confident appearance, everyone was curious about what he had to say.

"With great happiness, I would like to welcome you all to my restaurant, H2D. I would like to thank our Chief Guest, Magnus Ironheart, the 24th Head of the Ironheart Clan, for gracing me with his presence on this auspicious day. I would also like to thank the 25th Clan Head and Lady along with the Council of Elders for joining us today. 

All of those who have joined us today on this occasion must be wondering why, I, Nyx Ironhheart, the son of Clan Head Xander suddenly decided to open a restaurant. Alright, maybe not all of you cause the world does not revolve around me but at least some of you must be curious."

This elicited a small laugh from the guests. Nyx paused for a moment, examining the guests and inwardly nodded, for he had succeeded in arousing their curiosity. Meanwhile, Xander, Magnus, and the members of the Council were also very curious. But not for the same reason as the rest of the guests. 

They were curious as to what excuse would Nyx make as it was forbidden to tell the ordinary clansmen about this stage of the trial. Only the Council of Elders and the people above them knew about it. And it was supposed to remain that way, to keep the trial fair. 

Nyx continued, "As you all can easily see," he patted his belly, "I love eating delicious food." Everyone laughed again. 

He said, "But at the same time, I also love living so I know that I can't just eat food that tastes good. I also need food that keeps me healthy even if its taste is subpar. Like the food in the canteen of the Scholar's Building. 

A quick shoutout to the nutritionists there for making the healthiest foods that should taste absolutely horrendous, taste better. Unfortunately, that just wasn't enough for me. So I made it my mission to make healthy food taste heavenly. 

So, after 20 years..cough...I mean 2 months of research, me and my team succeeded. We have created a menu that can rival and even surpass the canteen's nutritional value. As for the taste, I'll let you be the judge. And the best part, it's extremely affordable."

Nyx suddenly checked his watch and said, "Looks like I've been so excited that I didn't even realize that it's time for dinner. Let's fill some bellies. And once again, welcome to Horrendous 2 Divine"

With that, he ended his speech and clapped his hands. The waiters jumped into action, handing out menus to all tables. Nyx went ahead and sat at his parent's table. His father looked at him and said, "Any suggestions?"

Nyx asked, "Should I order for you?"

Xander nodded. Nyx called the waiter and said, "One medium rare steak with mashed potatoes and asparagus. One shakshouka, a chicken shawarma bowl and a beef wellington. Use unprocessed Demon Beast meat for all dishes. Also, bring me a bottle of Petrichor."

The waiter nodded and walked away. While they were waiting for the food to arrive, Magnus was staring at Nyx intently. It was because he had been informed of his grandson's status as a Successor Candidate. Xander didn't know this but he knew how strange his Clan was. 

He had begun travelling as soon as he had passed on the position of Clan Head to Xander. He had thought that things like the Baptism and the Ancestral Rites Ceremony were normal. Oh how wrong he was. Sure, medicinal baths for the young and ceremonies to pay tribute to the ancestors were the norm among strong Clans. 

But nowhere near the level of the Baptism, not to mention the Ancestral Fire. Unlike their Clan, where every child experienced the Baptism, the medicinal baths were only available to the children of the officials of the Clans. He was a smart man and had guessed that their Clan harboured some secrets that were unknown even to him. 

 But then, 'that' happened. The horrifying tragedy is known as the Purge. If he hadn't been away at that time, those snakes wouldn't have dared to even think of rebellion. His son wouldn't have sacrificed his potential for temporary strength and would have surpassed even himself right now. After the incident, he vowed that he would protect his family. 

Now, he was a veritable Level 51 Anima King. His breakthrough was the reason his return to the Clan had been delayed. To his absolute surprise, his grandson had the chance to become the First Ancestor's true inheritor. 

Just then, the waiter returned with their food and wine. The waiter placed their food in front of them and then uncorked the bottle of wine and served it to the adults. The food looked amazing. The adults hoped that it tasted as good as it looked. And they were not disappointed. The food tasted just as advertised. 

The family chatted while eating, with Magnus telling tales of his travels. Once they were done, Nyx excused himself from the table and went back to the podium.

He said, "I hope everyone enjoyed their food cause I certainly did. But after eating, you must be wondering, 'Is it really as healthy as the food in the canteen?' To clear any such doubts, I would like to invite the Head Nutritionist of the canteen, Rachel Ironheart."

Nyx and the guests started clapping and a woman walked to the podium. She said, "My name is Rachel and I'm the Head Nutritionist of the canteen. My job is to curate a suitable diet for the future of our Clan. Nutritious food often comes at a price, taste. So imagine my surprise when Nyx approached me saying that he had found a way to rectify that. 

At first, I was skeptical. But after carefully examining each and every recipe on the menu of H2D, I can guarantee that everything that you ate today was extremely healthy for you."

With that, she returned to her seat. Soon after, the event ended. Everyone returned to their homes. Nyx lay in his bed in his dorm. He was happy because the event was very successful. 

The next morning, he was woken up by Brandon. He woke up groggily and asked, "What happened? It's a holiday today. Let me sleep."

Brandon said, "You can sleep later. We're in trouble."

Nyx asked, "Trouble?"

Brandon said, "We got too many customers and not enough space."

Nyx stared at Brandon speechlessly. He said, "That's a good thing...right? I mean we just opened yesterday."

Brandon laughed and replied, "Oh I know it's a good thing. I just wanted to mess with you."

With that, he escaped the room. Nyx took a second to process what had just happened and then shouted, "BRANDON, YOU'LL PAY FOR THIS"

Soon, four years went by.