8. Lavish Meal

'Pahhh… pahhh…' 

A loud smacking sound resonated through the large hall of the Great Magus Pet Store.

Sony, who had snatched the Sky Orb from Kent's hands, fell flat on the ground. Manager Rin, who had smacked Sony without any hesitation, retrieved the Sky Orb from her and handed it to Ria.

"Security, throw this garbage out. Don't let her step into this store again," Rin ordered resentfully. 

He was already worrying about how to appease Kent since it was his mistake to undermine a golden piggy card holder. In addition to his worries, Sony was also creating more headaches for him.

"Mr. Kent, I failed to properly teach my staff. Please forgive me." Rin bowed again with a sincere expression. When Kent was not responding, he turned towards Ria and hinted at her to intervene.

Ria immediately seized the chance and stepped closer to Kent. "Mr. Kent, thank you for doing business with us. Please take your order, and the discount card will be provided on the day of delivery. I apologize on behalf of my colleague," she spoke respectfully.

Kent accepted the orb and golden piggy card from the manager. After completing the formalities, he left the store. 

As the manager nudged Ria, she hurriedly followed Kent, trying to engage in a conversation with him. But Kent just smiled and walked on his way.

"Ria, you've been promoted to senior assistant. From now on, you will handle all the VIP customers. Keep in mind that you must serve that young master very well in the future," Manager Rin, who walked from behind, spoke with a serious face. 

Nonetheless, he looked somewhat depressed since he wasn't able to befriend the golden piggy card holder.

Ria, however, was smiling shyly, like a new bride who was waiting in anticipation for her first wedding night. She had been promoted just after a few days of joining. 

After leaving the pet store, Kent headed towards 'Night Witch Street'. It was already evening, and his stomach was rumbling with hunger. He also needed a place to stay for the next two days. For that, Kent decided to visit Hotel Moonlight, the perfect spot for dining and resting.

'From now on, I should focus more on my magic. Aunt said that my parents are great magicians. I must not disappoint my aunt when she comes to visit me. More than that, I want to see Thea's face when I surpass her,' Kent murmured while making his way towards Night Witch Street, the slender bamboo bag hanging on his back carrying his old and new orbs.

_

"Luna, where are you?" Sony, who stood outside the pet store, called her stepsister.

"My classes just finished. I'm walking home. Wait, are you crying?" Luna asked, hearing Sony's sobs.

"Luna, I just lost my job. I don't know what to do now. Ahuuu… Huuuu…" Sony replied, her voice stuttering as she controlled her tears.

"What…? But why? Aren't you a senior assistant? How can they remove you so suddenly?" Luna asked, confused.

"It's a big story. I will tell you later. Please come here to pick me up. I came with others in the morning." Sony said, rubbing her eyes.

"It's okay… I will be there soon. Don't worry about the job. I will help you find another one," Luna replied assuringly in an elderly tone.

This Luna was Kent's classmate when he joined the school. 

_____

Night Witch Street...

Inside Hotel Moonlight...

"Sorry, sir, we are currently renovating all our regular rooms. Only VIP rooms are available," the lady at the reception replied with an uneasy smile.

"Oh, then I will take the VIP room. Please register a room for me," Kent replied without thinking much.

"Sir, the VIP rooms cost 1 gold coin for every 24 hours. Also, we don't offer any discounts if you don't have a VIP pass," the 30-year-old receptionist, dressed in a tight skirt and business suit, replied with an artificial smile.

"No problem. I will take a VIP room, and most importantly, it should have an aura chamber," Kent replied, placing his golden piggy card on the transparent glass desk.

As an experienced worker, the receptionist knows how to act without mixing her prejudice with business. She immediately picked up the card. 

"Sir, every VIP room is equipped with advanced aura chambers, so you don't need to worry about that. Please let me know how many days you need the room for," she asked while maintaining her composure.

"Two days, mostly."

The receptionist placed the card inside a magic circle behind her and entered a number. Immediately, one gold coin was deducted, and Kent received a message in his sky orb.

Typically, the hotel only charges a small deposit, with the customers only needing to pay the full amount upon departure. However, the receptionist charged more coins to see whether Kent could truly afford a VIP room.

When the transaction went through, she felt surprised for a second. The next moment, her tone became more humble, and a genuine smile appeared on her face.

"Sir, this is the key to your room. Do you have any luggage?" she asked while handing Kent a red keystone and his piggy card.

"Nothing. Thanks for your service," Kent replied as he moved towards the house eagles' station on one side.

By placing the keystone on its head, the house eagle would directly carry the customer to his allotted room. For others, they need to manually direct the pets towards the designated room.

After reaching his suite, the first thing Kent did was order food by using a glass orb placed on the table for customer service. Before the food arrived, he began checking out every room.

The VIP suite included a personal spa, an aura room, a dining hall, a large screen to watch magic competitions conducted all around the world, and a combat room to test their magus level.

Within five minutes, the food arrived directly in his room. A middle-aged man in black and white clothes neatly arranged the food items on the dining table and left without making a sound.

'Ahhh… finally,' Kent sighed, recalling his last meal, where he ate inside a big hotel along with Thea and her grandmother. 'It's already been one year since Grandma passed. I wonder what Thea had for lunch,' Kent muttered while thinking about Thea, who always arranged his meals.

Kent finished every bite without wasting a single grain and entered the aura room to practice magic. 

He had been stuck at the 3rd magus stage for two and a half years because of the Meridian curse and was eager to see how much would be his progress now.

As he stepped inside and sat in a meditative posture, the aura room locked automatically. However, Kent had forgotten to lock the main door.