The Mountain God's Little Restaurant [Gourmet]

My other novel is currently serializing: *Welcome to ██ Inn*. I hope you'll give it a chance~ Blurb for this novel: The Mountain Goddess, asleep for a thousand years, hears the echoes of a peaceful and prosperous age. When she opens her eyes, her mountain shrine, with its red walls and glazed roof tiles, has become a dangerous ruin. Her statue is buried beneath the rubble, and the incense offerings have dwindled to nothing. From far away, a loudspeaker broadcasting around the clock echoes with a demolition notice: [Yunxiu Mountain Scenic Area Renovation Project Begins. Qiyun Holdings Group Will Demolish the Dilapidated Buildings at the End of the Month] Something doesn't seem right? The Mountain Goddess blinks. But now that it's come to this, she might as well get something to eat first. So she steps down from her divine seat and rolls up her sleeves. At daybreak, the first wisp of cooking smoke rises from a ruined temple on the outskirts of town. A spring platter of five pungent vegetables for the Beginning of Spring, chilled Chinese toon noodles for the Summer Solstice, chestnut-braised chicken for the Autumn Equinox, winter bamboo shoots simmered with ham for the Winter Solstice... Standing amid the swirling smoke, the Mountain Goddess turns a thousand years into nourishing dishes that heal the heart. Diners are astonished to find their headaches and fevers fading with the aroma of the food. Even the red arrows on their medical checkup reports disappear. Later, Yunxiu Mountain repeatedly trends late at night: #LateNightTempleDinerAtTheMountainShrineHasAQueueAtMidnight# #FreeEntryToYunxiuMountainForever# #TheMountainShrineReallyWorksMiracles# #QiyunGroupCEOChecksInAtTheSummitForThirtyDaysStraight# When reporters crowd her with questions about her secret, she gently strokes the newly offered table made of agarwood and smiles: “There's no secret recipe. Just eat well, and eat plenty.” [Reader's Guide] [There's more to the demolition than meets the eye] [Gentle, sweet-faced-but-secretly-scheming-then-gentle Mountain Goddess x Refined, abstinent tech tycoon] [Spring brews, summer ice, autumn roasts, winter stews: seasonal food is filled with the wishes of humankind] The Mountain Goddess smiles and points next door. “If you'd like more, the neighboring novel is open for business~” *Welcome to ██ Inn* Zhu lights an inn in the middle of the fog. She has lost all her memories, and the only thing on her mind is playing an inn-management game. It's just that her guests are a little strange. They keep saying weird things like “dungeon” and “boss.” Her response is: “I don't understand. We only have Heaven-class rooms, Earth-class rooms, and discounted dorm beds. Would you like a room?” It's been ten years since Blue Star was pulled into the Infinite Game, *The Fog*. Hunger, fear, and the pressure to survive weigh on every player. Just as humanity is on the brink of extinction A light appears in the deepest part of the fog. From that day onward, several rumors spread among the players: 1. When you've reached the end of your rope, try heading into the deepest part of the fog. You'll find an inn. 2. The inn offers meals, lodging, baths, daily necessities, and more. It has everything you need, and each item comes with special effects. 3. The staff who look like dungeon bosses and really are bosses work for the innkeeper here. Don't be afraid, don't ask, and don't touch. 4. Absolutely, absolutely do not ask who the innkeeper is. Don't ask why. What's more, the inn keeps upgrading: It starts out offering only dorm beds, then opens deluxe rooms. It goes from simple meals to a wide variety of delicious dishes. It also adds all kinds of facilities, each staffed by a boss. The [Blacksmith] repairs equipment by hand in the forge, the [Spider Woman] makes custom casualwear in the tailor shop, and there are also a hospital, a school, a plaza... The players' faces regain their color, and light returns to their eyes. Instead of asking, “How much longer can we survive?” they discuss whether to have hotpot or barbecue tonight. Some even feel like decorating their rooms, filling them with stuffed toys, flowers, and broken fragments of the old world. “We have to thank Innkeeper Zhu!” The grateful players offer her gifts they've prepared with care. Countless tentacles gently coil around the gifts. Above the fog, the god who has regained their memories lowers their eyes, a lamp at their brow gleaming with shifting light. Corruption and divinity echo in a whisper: “Welcome home.” This is humanity's last refuge, and the only one still breathing. Theme: The Mountain Goddess urges everyone to eat properly