"Yeah, I ate them before going to sleep," Nick answered. There's no point in keeping a secret between them. Furthermore, what kind of secret can be hidden from one another in a shared room?

Of course, there's always an exception, like Nick's second Innate Spirit.

"No wonder..." Shen Mi Kang looked at Nick while thinking about something. "Should I use my Contribution Points to exchange some Yuan Qi Turquoise Fruits too?" he quickly added afterward.

"You know... I feel left behind because you're getting much better faster than I do. Who knows if you'll get posted elsewhere if I don't keep it up?" Shen Mi Kang said. Because they're always together, he had a hint of emotional reliance on Nick.

"Haha... Just get your rental ready first. Who knows if you'll change your mind immediately after three days of work?" Nick teased Shen Mi Kang after his reply. But deep inside, he felt a hint of attachment between them.

Of course, there's a hidden meaning behind Nick's reply, as someone who was once an employer.

Based on his experience and observation, today was the day their real challenge started. The work they did yesterday could be said to be an introduction to the job they're going for and to see if they're suitable or not for the job.

After all, they have only worked for a day so far. And something like this was normal, regardless of which world's practice Nick was taking for a comparison.

Or else, with so many veteran workers around yesterday, how could a newcomer like him work faster than them? Obviously, there's something Nick overlooked if he thinks about this carefully.

Furthermore, most of the kitchen veterans were people who awakened their Innate Spirit before him. Unless there's a difference in their total workload, it is hard to believe that their speed is below a newbie like Nick or Shen Mi Kang.

All his suspicion quickly came true when Nick finished his breakfast and started the second day of his job. Obviously, the difficulty level had raised considerably when he received his box of ingredients.

Even with Nick's cutting skills, it still took him great effort to finish everything before his working time was up.

"How was it so far, boy?" the inventory keeper asked while inspecting Nick's basket with the prepared ingredients.

He couldn't help but be surprised by Nick's tenacity so far. By norm, a big part of the newcomers would have given up their work by now or barely finished a third of their task. But surprisingly, Nick not only finished everything but also within the time limit.

As the one responsible for the kitchen's inventory, the stockkeeper naturally saw a lot during his employment. Someone like Nick was truly an unpolished gem that hardly came across.

"Much more difficult than yesterday, but bearable. Was this what the other seniors do daily?" Nick replied. He suffered from muscle soreness around his wrist from working nonstop from morning to afternoon.

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

Even if Nick prepared them using his Tool Spirit, it would be the same because the ingredients themselves were the problem. After all, they're not naturally grown from the soil but produced by the Plant Spirit Users the Escort Agency hired.

This kind of job was something Ah-Fei should be doing. But the current him was still too inexperienced in his control over the Plant Spirit. It would damage his foundation more than benefit him if he insisted on taking this job.

"Well... Almost similar, I would say. Since you've given your all for today, it is normal for this storekeeper to reward you for finishing your task, correct?" the stockkeeper said. "Here, your daily pay and an extra Yuan Qi Turquoise Fruit," he said and tossed Nick his daily salary.

"Thank you, senior!" Nick pocketed the pay without feeling shame and left. He obviously can't stay here too long and take away everyone else's precious time just to chit-chat with the stockkeeper.

As he left the kitchen, Nick immediately saw Shen Mi Kang, Ah-Fei, and Tian Wenhao waiting for him in a corner. The trio appeared to finish their work faster than he did.

"HEY! Look at who walking out of the kitchen today! Did your workload get lighter?" Tian Wenhao teased Nick loudly by picking on his shameful appearance yesterday.

"Lighter your head!" Nick charged at Tian Wenhao and gave him a flick on his forehead. He's obviously triggered by his words because today's work was more difficult than the one he had back on Earth.

If Nick's body wasn't fitter and younger than before, what Tian Wenhao said would definitely repeat itself for the second time.

"Ah... Since everyone is here, should we just get back to our rooms and rest?" Ah-Fei, the smallest fellow amongst them, complained. Out of everyone here, he was the one who had the roughest day of work.

"We should... Honestly, I am so tired that I don't feel like doing anything else." Shen Mi Kang interrupted. If it was not to wait for Nick, he would definitely be the first to go back to his room and sleep.

...

...

Dinner time.

"My shoulder felt like it's going to break into two." Shen Mi Kang complained as they went to the canteen for dinner. The rest of them were behaving similarly, after working without stopping from morning till afternoon.

As this was their second day, it was natural to feel all this muscle soreness. But the rest was not as noisy as Shen Mi Kang.

Meanwhile, Nick was slightly anticipating their dinner tonight because he could finally try adding the seasoning to his meal and see how much flavor could be brought out. Although Nick could also do it to his breakfast and lunch, he found no reason to do so.

After all, what's the point of adding salt and sesame seeds to their watery wheat congee and deep-fried breadsticks, pancakes, and plain steamed buns?

Luckily, the option for their dinner was much better.

Like today, the menu was leafy greens stirred in hot oil, onion-braised pork, and coarse grains. The menu sounded pitiful, but this was already considered a luxury for the workers.

At the very least, it's better than not having anything to eat like those stragglers and refugees in the West and South District.

"What's in the bottles, Chengzi?" Shen Mi Kang was the first to notice them because he saw Nick was sleeping with the bottles this morning.

Nick decided to share them with the rest because he shouldn't be hoarding these seasoning selfishly. After all, they're just some salt and sesame seeds. And coincidently, there's a meat dish and vegetable dish that would go well with the seasoning.

"I got them when using my Tool Spirit on the ingredient yesterday and today. Should we try adding them into our meat and vegetables?" Nick said and suggested that they piled their dishes together.

The other three immediately agreed to Nick's suggestion. After grabbing two bowls from the food counter, they piled the meat and vegetable dishes in the bowls. At the same time, Nick sprinkled some salt onto the leafy greens and both seasoning on the pork dish.

Shen Mi Kang then used his chopsticks to toss the meat dish around, and Ah-Fei did the same on the leafy greens. When they did what they had to, a lingering flavor was beginning to be released from the two dishes.

The aroma made the two dishes look more appetizing, but nothing beats the next surprises that followed.

"Do you guys feel what I am feeling?" Shen Mi Kang was the loudest out of them, but he spoke the softest right now.

"Our Yuan Qi..." he added.