The Interstellar Queen of Scavengers

Chapter 760: Chapter 760: Schemes! Nothing but Schemes!

Free?

Where on earth can you find such good deals? Haven’t you heard that nothing comes for free?

The endless tricks of the merchants, the best way to avoid being bled dry is to stay alert from the start and eliminate all possibilities of being duped.

So—

With a cold heart, Ji You turned down the enthusiastic recommendation of the sales robot. Seeing that Ji You and the others had no intention of entering the store, the robot didn’t persistently bother them. He gently raised his hand, pointed to the rest area seats nearby, and said with a smile: ”Respected guests, your spaceship’s energy refill will take 2 hours and 30 minutes. During this period, you and your friends can rest in the lounge. We offer comfortable recliners, free afternoon tea, and various leisure and entertainment games for guests to pass the time.”

The lounge was not far from the energy supply station, approximately 100 meters away. Following the direction pointed out, Ji You took a look and then nodded: ”Please notify us immediately once the energy refill is complete.”

The robot smiled: ”Okay.”

Ji You took the lead toward the lounge.

Soon, the group entered the lounge, which looked unremarkable from the outside, but once inside, it was a whole other world with luxurious and classy decor. The lounge was not just a single room; apart from the spacious hall, there were individual rest rooms along the curving corridor for guests who needed privacy.

Ji You glanced around. The hall was already filled with quite a few people, but there were still a dozen empty booths. She pondered for a moment and asked the others: ”Do you want to sit in the hall or a private rest room?”

Everyone replied in unison: ”A private rest room.”

That’s what Ji You thought as well, so she turned to the nearby service robot and requested: ”Mr. Robot, please arrange a private rest room for us.”

The robot smiled: ”Of course, guest. Do you need the luxury type or the convenience type?”

The question immediately set off alarms in Ji You’s mind: ”Wait... first tell me the difference between the two... Ah! Tell me first, which one incurs a charge?”

The smile on the service robot’s face was still formal as it said: ”Guest, both the luxury and convenience type rest rooms are charged. The difference is...”

”Wait a moment...” Ji You frowned and said: ”The robot at the docking port mentioned that you offer free rest booths here.”

The service robot seemed to have heard this kind of comment countless times before. It continued to smile with its electronic voice stating methodically: ”Yes, we offer free rest booths, but this does not include private rest rooms. If you and your friends would like to use a free booth, please feel free to find an empty space in the hall.”

So only the hall was free.

But!!!

Ji You sensed a scheming merchant smell. She turned to look at Chu Jiaojiao, Shen Changqing, Sheng Qingyan, Yue Qiguang, and the others, asking: ”What do you say, shall we sit in the free hall or the charged private rest rooms?”

The nine people almost didn’t need to think before they said in unison: ”The free ones.”

The service robot: ”...”

A twitch appeared at the corner of Ji You’s mouth: The choice of a bunch of penny-pinchers was indeed as expected.

Then, Ji You turned to the robot and said with a smile: ”Thank you for your assistance. We’ll just find a free place to sit.”

The service robot: ”Of course, please make yourself at home, guests.”

It must be said, aside from the sales pitch at the beginning, the robots here exhibited a very Zen-like attitude, as if they didn’t care whether the customers spent money or not.

Ji You was pleased with this.

Then, the group found an empty table, which was just the right size for 10 people, and sat down.

Next.

Without needing Ji You and the others to give instructions, less than 1 minute after they sat down, a robot carrying afternoon tea appeared. Before the robot even got close, the sweet aroma of the very appetizing afternoon tea wafted into everyone’s nose.

As the robot approached and was about to place the afternoon tea for 10 people on the table, Ji You asked nervously: ”Wait, tell me first, is this charged?”

The robot shook its head: ”No charge, please enjoy it with peace of mind, guests.”

Ji You glanced at the afternoon tea. There were 10 cups of 200ml milk tea, 10 servings of strawberry-filled rolls, 10 servings of fruit salad, and 10 servings of mini grilled wings!

These mini grilled wings were made from the wings of a relatively small Long-legged Chicken. The preparation was similar to a certain recipe from Ji You’s past life, and just by smelling it, one’s appetite was greatly stimulated.

The amount of food provided for afternoon tea is so huge!

And, they look so colorful, fragrant, and delicious!

The key point is that it’s free!

Free!

In a flash, including Ji You, the pupils of all ten members of the squad dilated!

With delicious food right before their eyes, Ji You still remained vigilant. She repeatedly confirmed whether there were any hidden traps and, after receiving only negative responses, she finally let her guard down.

The robot left.

Ji You glanced at her companions and then, looking towards everyone, she cleared her throat and said with restraint, ”One portion each, everyone eat slowly. After finishing, we can rest for a bit. I estimate our spaceship will be replenished by then.”

As soon as she finished speaking, everyone couldn’t hold back any longer and began to feast!

Ji You first picked up her milk tea, took a gentle sip, and upon tasting, felt a smooth milky flavor followed by plump, rounded particles sliding into her mouth. She lightly bit down, and the soft, sweet chewiness combined with a springy texture was simply...

Indescribable!

Ji You forcefully resisted the urge to finish it all in one gulp and then slowly pinched a strawberry cream roll, placing it gently into her mouth.

Immediately after, her pupils shone bright!

This!

This is way too delicious!

The perfect blend of just-right sweetness and the slight tang of strawberries...

So delicious it’s... indescribable!

Ji You tried to control herself but the palm-sized strawberry cream roll still disappeared into her stomach in the blink of an eye.

Once the wicked cravings were unleashed, almost impossible to restrain, Ji You then devoured the fruit salad, gulped down the milk tea, and finished off a pair of small roasted wings.

When Ji You put down her chopsticks and wiped her mouth clean with a napkin, she raised her head only to see nine pairs of eager eyes staring at her.

Ji You: ”...”

Such delicious afternoon tea, no one dared to take it lightly. Not only Ji You, but the others also guarded their finished portions with their elbows. Ji You’s mouth twitched as she said, ”What are you looking at? I’ve finished eating.”

”Cough cough...” All nine faces looked a bit awkward. Chu Jiaojiao stepped forward and asked Ji You, ”Uh, Ji You, are you full?”

Ji You gritted her teeth and said, ”No!”

Chu Jiaojiao and the others chorused, ”Neither are we!”

Then—

Everyone looked down together to see a sudden appearance of a holographic advertisement on the table:

[Haizailai Restaurant, where it’s always a good idea to come back for more. Now offering a super deluxe Buy One Get One Free meal package (note: includes one free afternoon tea). Additionally: Groups of more than 10 people get an 8.88% discount.]

Following that.

There were holographic simulations of various fancy dishes—

Ji You: ”...”

Damn it!

It’s all a setup!

All tricks!