Although the words of Wang Dong'er and the others could be said to be quite harsh, and this posture looked entirely like someone had come directly to their door to vent.
But Bei Bei did not lose his temper.
He knew very well in his heart that no matter how unpleasant the other party's words were, in the end, it was their Shrek City that was in the wrong first! And it was an outrageous mistake!
In the face of ironclad evidence and the furious glares of the surrounding crowd that seemed ready to devour them, any defense was pale and weak.
Without any hesitation, Bei Bei took a step forward and bowed deeply toward Wang Dong'er, Seele, the other two, and the surrounding diners who had been victimized.
"Young ladies, and everyone present."
Bei Bei raised his head again and apologized in a very sincere tone.
"This matter is indeed a result of our Shrek Academy's poor supervision! It is the negligence of our Shrek City that has caused you all to suffer!"
"I, Bei Bei, guarantee to everyone here that I will definitely investigate the ins and outs of this matter thoroughly! I will absolutely give you, and everyone in Shrek City, a satisfactory explanation!"
Bei Bei's words were resolute, and his speech was filled with sincerity, without the slightest intention of shirking responsibility.
Seeing Bei Bei's sincere attitude in admitting his mistake, the emotions of the originally indignant crowd gradually softened.
After all, in Shrek City, Bei Bei's reputation had always been good; many people knew this gentle and refined Twin Star of the Outer Court.
"With those words from Lord Bei Bei, we can rest easy!"
After calming the surrounding crowd.
Bei Bei turned around, his originally gentle gaze instantly becoming incomparably sharp as it fixed onto the trembling waiter.
Looking at this waiter, Bei Bei actually already had a rough guess in his heart.
To be able to secretly set such ridiculous "guided prices" in major high-end restaurants within Shrek City, and even use means to forcibly detain people in the city to work off their debts.
This was definitely not something an ordinary restaurant owner could achieve!
Behind this, there must be high-level members of Shrek Academy pushing it forward, or even orchestrating it!
And looking at the current high-level members of Shrek Academy, who could come up with such a thing?
Bei Bei's hands were clenched tightly into fists inside his sleeves.
His Ancestor Mu, Mu En, had shown no signs of waking up since falling into a coma a few months ago.
In today's Shrek Academy, the only person truly in control of the overall situation and giving orders was Xuan Zi!
If someone said this crazy money-grubbing, bottomless Yin and Yang price strategy wasn't Xuan Zi's doing, Bei Bei wouldn't believe it for a second!
Aside from Elder Xuan, who else could think of such a rotten idea that not only offended people but also ground the reputation Shrek Academy had accumulated over ten thousand years into the dirt?!
At this moment, Bei Bei felt only a sense of utter helplessness, and even a trace of despair.
He never expected that Xuan Zi, as an elder of the Sea God Pavilion, would do something as short-sighted as "killing the goose that lays the golden eggs" after Ancestor Mu fell into a coma!
Creating these Yin and Yang prices was not only squeezing the blood and sweat out of visiting Spirit Masters but also personally destroying the credibility that Shrek City relied on for survival!
No, wait, Bei Bei suddenly remembered that this Spirit Beast meat was introduced before his Ancestor Mu, Mu En, fell into a coma... but Mu En probably didn't know about it at the time.
Bei Bei had a strong premonition that if his Progenitor didn't wake up soon, Shrek Academy's reputation and fame of over ten thousand years would really be completely destroyed by Xuan Zi!
"Since the matter is clear, your restaurant must provide a compensation plan that satisfies everyone for today's account!"
The waiter's legs gave way, and he fell to his knees with a "thud," wailing without tears.
"I... I've been wronged! I'm really just an employee; I'm not the owner of this shop. These sky-high menu prices weren't set by me, and I have no authority at all!"
"No authority?"
Bei Bei's expression darkened.
"Then go and call out the person here who actually has the authority!"
Hearing Bei Bei's words, the waiter acted as if he had received a great pardon. He scrambled up from the ground, nodding repeatedly, and ran toward the back of the restaurant to fetch help.
After the waiter left.
Bei Bei turned around, facing Seele, Wang Dong'er, and the others again, and let out a deep sigh.
"Young ladies, I am truly sorry for making you witness such a joke. Please wait a moment; I will definitely make this shop provide reasonable compensation."
As he spoke, the Storage Soul Tool on Bei Bei's wrist flashed, and a heavy money bag appeared directly in his hand.
Bei Bei handed the money bag to Wang Dong'er and the others with both hands, his attitude extremely sincere.
"Here are twenty thousand gold coins. Consider it a small token of my personal apology to you ladies on behalf of Shrek City. Please accept it and calm your anger."
As for Wang Dong'er's harsh words earlier about a "Counterfeit Shrek Academy."
Bei Bei surprisingly remained silent, not mentioning it much, let alone refuting or scolding her.
Because Bei Bei knew better than anyone that he simply didn't have the confidence to refute that point!
Bringing up such a thing wouldn't solve any problems; instead, it would only lead to self-humiliation.
He couldn't defeat the students of the Sky Shrek Academy, like Ye Xinglan. Even after training desperately for several months after his return, he still felt powerless when facing Ye Xinglan's Sword Intent.
As for the teachers, Xuan Zi, Yan Shaozhe, and Qian Duoduo—weren't they all top powerhouses of the current age? However, all three had been locked in the Confinement Room before, proving that in terms of teachers, they were also inferior to that Shrek in the sky.
Since their skills were inferior, they could only endure it.
Even if someone pointed at his nose and called them a pirate, he could only swallow his pride.
The atmosphere in the hall quieted down for a moment as everyone waited for the owner of this crooked shop to appear.
They didn't have to wait long.
Soon, accompanied by a series of hurried footsteps, the waiter from before brought a middle-aged owner with a large belly and a greasy face out from the back hall in a hurry.
The owner quickly rushed forward, bowing and scraping as he apologized repeatedly to Bei Bei, Wang Dong'er, and the others.
"Oh my! A mistake! This is all a misunderstanding!"
The owner wiped away cold sweat while speaking with a forced smile.
"The people under me were ignorant and offended several distinguished guests. It's my fault; I failed to discipline them properly!"
The owner patted his chest, putting on a generous facade.
"To express our restaurant's apologies, young ladies and everyone in the hall, all your consumption on today's menu will be completely waived! Let's just call it making friends!"
Hearing the owner's words.
Seele's hand holding her scythe tightened slightly. She looked coldly at the fake-smiling owner and questioned him bluntly.
"Is that all?"
Stared at by Seele's icy gaze, the owner's face instantly turned somewhat ugly.
He swallowed hard, glanced at Bei Bei who was standing nearby with a grim face, and then, as if making a huge concession, took a deep breath.
"Fine! Since you ladies are still not satisfied!"
The owner gritted his teeth and said loudly.
"Then today's signature Spirit Beast meat dishes can also be completely free! Is that good enough now?!"
"..."
Hearing the owner's addition, Xu Xiaoyan was stunned for a moment before bursting out laughing without any concealment.
"My goodness, I've really seen it all now."
Xu Xiaoyan stood with her hands on her hips, her tone full of mockery and disbelief.
"Owner, so when you said 'all consumption is free' just now, it turns out it didn't include the Spirit Beast meat at all?"
Xu Xiaoyan looked at the owner as if he were a fool.
"If we hadn't asked that follow-up question, were you planning to continue selling that bowl of crappy meat to us at a sky-high price of five hundred thousand or even millions of gold coins after 'waiving everything'? I guess since the Spirit Beast meat isn't on your menu, it naturally wouldn't be waived."
As soon as these words were spoken.
Not only were Wang Dong'er and the others shocked by the owner's shamelessness.
Even Bei Bei, standing to the side, was completely stunned after hearing the owner's words.
Bei Bei's eyes widened, and he looked at the fat owner in front of him with utter disbelief, feeling as though his brain could hardly process it.
Is this a normal person?
Is this how compensation is paid?!
Someone comes to crash the place to seek justice, and in the compensation plan you offer, you actually dare to play word games and set traps?!
Looking at the owner talking so shamelessly, Bei Bei almost suspected he was possessed by Xuan Zi! This train of thought was exactly like Xuan Zi's, sprinting all the way down the path of offending people to death!
This wasn't calming the anger; it was clearly adding fuel to the fire!
This shop was already completely in the wrong today and had been caught red-handed.
At a time like this, wouldn't it be better to just admit defeat and pay up? Why did he have to insist on nitpicking and trying to take advantage at this critical juncture, even saying such incredibly moronic things!
Sure enough, upon hearing the owner's remarks that treated everyone as fools, the onlookers, whose anger had just slightly subsided under Bei Bei's comfort, instantly exploded again!
"Shameless! Simply shameless to the extreme!"
"Still thinking of scamming people at a time like this! Smash this crooked shop! He truly has a way that leads to death!"
"Pay us back! Refund all our money from before!"
Everyone was filled with righteous indignation, their eyes red, looking as if they would charge forward and tear the restaurant down.
Seeing the situation spiral out of control in an instant, Bei Bei also felt a massive headache.
Right in the middle of this chaos.
"Shrek City Law Enforcement Team on duty!"
Accompanied by a coarse and stern shout.
A team of fully armed Spirit Masters, exuding a murderous aura, rudely pushed aside the onlookers blocking the door and strode into the restaurant hall.
Seeing this law enforcement team arrive, a flicker of hidden ecstasy instantly flashed in the eyes of the fat owner, who had originally been a bit weak-kneed from fear.
His back straightened instantly as if he had suddenly found his greatest backer, and he immediately regained his confidence.
The owner put away his fawning expression, his face turning grim as he pointed at Wang Dong'er, Seele, and the others, speaking loudly.
"I'm telling you! I've already made the greatest concession!"
The owner's attitude was extremely tough, even carrying a hint of threat.
"If you are willing to accept this waiver today, then the matter is settled. But if you are unwilling to accept and continue to make trouble here..."
The owner sneered and pointed at the law enforcement team entering the hall.
"Then you can go talk to the Shrek City Law Enforcement Team yourselves! Let's see if the law enforcement team sides with a legitimate merchant like me or a group of troublemakers of unknown origin like you!"
Looking at this suddenly appearing law enforcement team and the owner's instantly arrogant attitude.
Standing in front of the crowd, a very bad premonition suddenly welled up in Bei Bei's heart.
Why was it that every time he wanted to handle a situation, things always developed in a worse direction?
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A/N:
I hope all of you are enjoying this story so far. I would appreciate some Power Stones if you can spare any. Leave a review if you like the story. Thank you.