Blizzard Zero · Starship Restaurant
Following Captain Zachary Chase's orders, all one hundred half-orc female crew members were present.
"Why are you all standing? Come on, sit down." Captain Zachary looked at the neatly standing female crew members and waved for them to sit down.
With some restraint, these female crew members slowly sat down.
"Charlotte, come help me distribute these meals." Captain Zachary opened all the bags of meal boxes that Vice Captain Charlotte had just brought over.
Instantly, a rich aroma filled the entire restaurant.
It should be known that half-orcs' sense of smell far surpassed that of humans, so they were even more attracted by these aromas.
Charlotte stared at the meal boxes emitting tempting aromas for several seconds, stunned.
"Don't just stare. Hurry up and get to work. Otherwise, it will all get cold and won't taste good." Captain Zachary urged.
He personally acted as the 'kitchen mom,' evenly dividing the food in these meal boxes into one hundred portions, and then had Charlotte distribute the plates containing the meals.
In fact, if it were just the dishes, distributing one hundred portions would basically be a single bite for each person. But besides that, there was also a large basin of white, fluffy food.
Rice!
Looking at the white, fluffy rice, many half-orc female crew members swallowed their saliva.
"Are these… all to be distributed?" Charlotte didn't understand what Captain Zachary was really planning.
"What's wrong? This is everyone's lunch today," Captain Zachary said casually.
Lunch? These delicious dishes that make one's mouth water just by smelling them?
Hearing Captain Zachary's words, Charlotte and the one hundred female crew members present were stunned, looking incredulously at this captain they were gradually becoming familiar with.
"Hurry up and serve them. Everyone is still waiting." Captain Zachary urged, seeing Charlotte still in a daze.
It was then that Charlotte began to work, carrying the meals to the female crew members.
In a short while, more than thirty portions had already been distributed.
Captain Zachary took a moment to look up, only to find that none of the female crew members who had already received their food had started eating. Although some were already drooling over the delicacies in front of them, they still sat upright.
"Why are you all just standing there? Eat. Those who have received their food can eat first, and those who haven't can wait a bit longer. Don't worry, everyone will get a share." Captain Zachary said.
Seeing that no one was still moving, Captain Zachary pretended to be angry and said, "This is an order!"
At this point, the female crew members who had received their food finally began to eat. At first, they were a bit reserved, eating in small bites. But very quickly, the stimulation on their taste buds made it impossible for them to maintain their composure or calm down.
Their taste buds, which had been tormented by artificial food for many years, were like people in a desert finally getting a drink of water.
One by one, they began to eat the food frantically, even directly grabbing it with their hands.
One portion of food was eaten in less than three minutes, and everyone was still licking their plates and utensils, wanting more.
Looking at the way those female crew members with beast ears licked their plates, Captain Zachary found it somewhat cute, but also a bit heartbreaking. Many of them were younger than him, and some were even minors.
Of course, this was according to Captain Zachary's thinking; in the half-orc race, there was no definition of minors and adults. As long as they could fight, they were already considered adults. So, generally, half-orcs aged twelve or thirteen would be put into combat and work, regardless of gender. Only through combat and work could they earn their daily rations.
Soon, all one hundred portions of food were distributed.
The last portion of food was personally brought to Charlotte by Captain Zachary: "Hurry and try it. It tastes very good. Especially this fruit!"
Charlotte looked at the generous food on the plate, as well as a small crescent-shaped apple slice and finger-sized small fruits. She looked at Captain Zachary: "Then you…"
"I've already eaten, and I'm quite full. If you don't believe me, look at my belly." Captain Zachary unceremoniously patted his bulging belly.
Charlotte chuckled, then lowered her head and began to eat the food.
After a few bites, Captain Zachary noticed that Charlotte's head was lowered even further, her entire face almost parallel to the plate.
At first, Captain Zachary didn't understand what was happening.
But when he saw the glint of moisture in the corner of Charlotte's eye, peeking out from her white hair, he understood what Charlotte was trying to hide.
"Wuwuwu…" At this moment, Captain Zachary heard crying coming from the restaurant.
Some female crew members cried while eating, the food mixed with tears being stuffed into their mouths.
Perhaps they cried because the food was too delicious, or perhaps because this wonderful experience reminded them of their past hardships, of their brothers and sisters back home who struggled with all their might just to survive.
For the first time, they realized that food was not just for filling their stomachs, but such a wonderful and enjoyable experience.
"Everyone, while you eat, I'll announce something." Captain Zachary suddenly spoke, startling all the female crew members in the restaurant.
Some female crew members who were still eating also stopped their movements.
"It's fine. You all continue to eat; just listen to me." Captain Zachary gestured for the female crew members to continue eating, but they still looked at him.
Helpless, Captain Zachary could only look at Charlotte, who had also stopped eating and was looking at him.
Charlotte understood his meaning and took the lead in continuing to eat, but her movements clearly slowed down.
"What I want to talk about is everyone's welfare benefits. Before, we agreed that you would work for me for three years, and I would give you freedom, right? But there are some detailed matters that we haven't clarified yet. For example, the issue of crew members' welfare and treatment." Captain Zachary looked at Charlotte: "What was the meal treatment for crew members in your previous fleet?"
Charlotte was stunned, then said, "A meal standard of 0.01 star coins per day."
Captain Zachary's mouth twitched slightly. 0.01 star coins? This was basically the price of the most basic single portion of artificial food per day—just one portion! Which meant they had a one-meal-a-day system back then.
"Well, I've calculated it, and we will eliminate artificial food. In the future, all our food will consist of natural food. However, it won't be as lavish as today. But we can guarantee three full meals a day. Our set meal standard is 0.3 star coins per person per day, not exceeding 10 star coins per month. As for what exactly we'll eat, I'll discuss it with the logistics department responsible for meals later." Captain Zachary announced this matter casually.
But everyone present was stunned.
After a long while, a fifteen-year-old half-orc female crew member, with a crying voice, softly said, "Then… does that mean… I can… eat… rice… with every meal…"