Young Master in the Apocalypse

Viez could only stare at Viktor with a bewildered gaze as the latter sat with a focused gaze, absentmindedly rubbing his chin in the meantime. The food in front of him, beef stroganoff and a glass of red wine, remained untouched despite the former still being steaming hot.

The way Viktor was staring at his food made Viez wonder, what was currently plaguing his mind?

"Boss, is there something wrong with your food?"

Viktor nodded, "Yes, all of these is… too perfect, for lack of better word."

Of course, Viktor's answer only made Viez question him more. At first, she even thought that Viktor disliked the taste of the food. However, she had known Julia for so long, and he never heard anyone say anything bad about Julia's cooking. Everything she made is bound to be delicious.

Viktor stayed silent, and after a few seconds, he finally explained.

All the foods Julia made require premium ingredients. Due to the way they are stored, they stayed fresh and free of mutations, which made them a delicacy. However, he doesn't have an unlimited amount of them, so when the ingredients inevitably ran out, his business would ne impacted. He would need something more to keep his customers loyal.

Before that happens, Viktor needed to come up with a solution. He needed to sell something that doesn't need premium ingredients, yet still luxurious enough to be sold for a high price.

It was then that Viez realized what was plaguing his mind.

After some time passed, Viez snapped her fingers and smiled. From her twinkling gaze, it seems she had came up with an idea.

"Boss, I have an idea."

Viez' words quickly made Viktor turn to look at her, "What is it?"

"What if we start selling something with beneficial effects? You know how some mutated ingredients can prove beneficial, right?"

Viktor raised one eyebrow, which Viez took as a prompt to explain her plan further.

She explained that they are an upscale club meant for people to relax, so of course, every food they serve would be sold at a high price. In this post-apocalyptic era, only those who could hunt monsters can save up a lot of money. In other words, the majority of their customers would be seasoned adventurers.

A lot of adventurers are willing to shell out a lot of money for delicious food, either for nostalgia reasons or just showing off to others. Meanwhile, in their daily life, rhey would have to still eat mutated meat. Although mutated meat and plant matter tastes bad, they all have certain special effects. Some could increase their vitality, some could enhance their senses, some could even strengthen one's muscles and bone.

So, Viez' idea boils down to diversifying their menu. They would serve not only delicious food, but also delicious food with special effects. That way, adventurers would flock to them still.

Upon hearing that, Viktor nodded in approval.

"So, you want us to sell dishes with buffing effects?"

Viez snapped her fingers. "That's right!."

He couldn't really find anything wrong with Viez' suggestion. If he added dishes made with mutant ingredients, he could hike up the prices of premium dishes due to the difference in class. Besides, with the addition of mutant dishes, he could say that the premium food ingredients were getting harder and harder to source, so even if he sells it with outrageous prices, not many would complaint.

"That's a good idea, Viez." Viktor gave her a thumbs up.

"Think nothing of it, Boss," Viez gave a casual reply.

One problem has been solved, one more to go. That is, he needed to convince Julia to try cooking with mutated food.

…

Clank!

The audible clang of utensils could be heard right as Viktor finished speaking. Julia was gripping the pan on her hands tightly, her knuckles almost turning white from the strain. From her expression, it was clear that she was greatly displeased with Viktor's request.

"So, are you asking me to cook with mutated ingredients? Have you forgotten the reason why I am willing to work under you? You have said that you are willing to let me always cook with the freshest, highest quality ingredients.".

Viktor tried to maintain his smile at the head chef of the kitchen. He knew this would happen no matter how he worded his request. It doesn'tmatter, even if Julia was going to make a big fuss, he had still convince her to cook with mutated ingredients.

He approached Julia and put his arm around her shoulders.

"Come on, Julia. You can still cook with premium ingredients whenever you want. I just want to provide a useful food menu for customers."

Julia still refused. The woman removed Viktor's hand from her shoulder. After that she started reminding her boss that they had previously agreed to separate the matter of kitchen from the management of the clubx.

Her rant doesn't stop there. She also began to complain about the promises that had not been fulfilled, including increasing the number of chefs in the kitchen, replacing the available fridge with a larger on, and adding a storage unit for food related equipment. Julia accuses Viktor that he only thinks about profit.

Viktor kept his mouth shut, he listened to every complaint the head chef made. His brow furrowed as the woman kept on and on complaining for a long time. He knew giving her excuses would make him angrier and persuading her would be even more difficult as a result.

In the midst of Julia's chatter, Viktor had an idea.

"So, stop telling me to make food from mutated ingredients. They will just mess up the taste of the food." Julia snorted and folded her arms. He turned his face away from Viktor.

After Julia finished venting her frustration, Viktor quickly moved. He grabbed Julia's shoulders. His facial expression was serious. Then he looked into the woman's eyes. Of course this surprised Julia.

"Your skills and techniques are unquestionable, as evidenced by the results of your cooking. But are you going to stop there?"

Julia raised one eyebrow. She seemed interested. Viktor saw his chance and he will not let it slip.

"If you really are a great chef, you shouldn't be complacent with your current skill level. You should keep experimenting and inventing new methods for managing bad-tasting ingredients. That way, you will not only make delicious dishes, but also useful dishes, elevating your skills to the next level."

Now Julia was listening with a serious expression. Viktor pressed on and kept trying to convince hwr.

"The taste of the food is important. I agree with that. However, a dish would be at a higher stage if it had some useful effects."

Julia stared at the floor. She had started to think about what Vikor said, and she realized that she had started to become complacent. She complained about the taste of the food because she wasn't sure she could create the best-tasting dishes from mutated ingredients. In other words, Viktor's question was like a slap to her face.

Meanwhile, Viktor continued to stare at Julia with an unyielding glare. Even though inside he was really worried. He wasn't sure if the reasoning he had made on the spot mere minutes ago would convince Julia, considering how difficult it had been to recruit this woman.

"Hm… I think you're right. I'm too comfortable cooking from premium ingredients. I'll try to make a menu with mutant meat. Thank you, Mr Romanov."

Viktor removed his hand from Julia's shoulder. His lips curled into a wide, satisfied smile. He was both pleased and relieved he managed to persuade the head chef..

"Yes, Julia. I want to see you grow and realize your full potential."

Thus the problem has been resolved for a while, but Viktor must find more of these premium supplies somewhere.