Chapter 258
“Not bad.”
Stephen even showed George the story, and George also nodded in approval.
With that, the two immediately started promoting the risotto restaurant as a traditional specialty of Celestial City.
The restaurant quickly partnered with influencers and online promoters to recommend their risotto online. As people learned about the risotto’s backstory, they were deeply moved.
“They met and regained their memories because of risotto. I’m in tears! I must try it out!”
“It’s not far from my place, so I’ll check them out first!”
“This story is so touching! But that old priest is so wicked for erasing their memories.”
The risotto restaurant became an overnight sensation. Many people came, attracted by the news, all eager to taste the risotto that was said to have been shared by the priest and the troll.
Seeing the demand, the restaurant kept raising the risotto’s price until they were fifty dollars a plate, with each plate barely containing any protein. Moreover, the taste was mediocre. It was no different from risottos sold at other places.
Although everyone had their opinions, they held back considering it was a traditional specialty and the story of the priest and the troll.
With the risotto restaurant’s boom in popularity, tourism in Celestial City surged. Stephen was delighted that everything seemed to be going well now.
Many businesses, recognizing Celestial City’s immense potential, began to invest in the city. Celestial City’s economy was steadily thriving, and Stephen and George thought they could finally relax.
A month later, the food hall was completed. The development zone also opened up its properties for pre–sale, with many businesses and homebuyers rushing to buy in. However, since the area was close to the tourist spots, the prices of apartments were quite high, comparable to those in the city center.
The housing price was set at 50 thousand dollars per square meter, while office spaces started at 30 thousand per square meter, with rental prices at ten dollars per square meter per day and a minimum one–year lease.
James announced to the public that each office building would have at least thirty floors,
with the tallest being fifty floors and each floor being 200 square meters.
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Chapter 258
+25 BONUS
As Celestial City’s economy rose, everyone was optimistic about its future. In less than a week, all office buildings and housing units were sold out, allowing Celestial City’s GDP to further increase by several hundred billion!
Though Stephen and George were happy, they knew not to let their guard down. They did not want any accidents to happen at such critical moments. There had been too many close calls before!
Stephen and George established numerous rules for the food hall, including not exceeding the standard pollution emissions and no excessively high food prices. Aqua City’s tourism industry was ruined by environmental pollution and prices, so they did not want to repeat the same mistake.
Once the rules were out, however, many businesses were dissatisfied. The food hall’s rent was already expensive, ranging from hundreds of thousands to millions. Now, not only was there a maximum food price restriction, but there was also a prohibition of dumping high–pollution waste.
Waste management came with a high price. At that rate, it would take them at least eight to nine months to break even, leaving three to four months a year of profit. If they wanted to make big profits, they had to either secretly dump their waste or cut corners in their operations.
Many restaurateurs thought they could get away with it. ‘With 2,000 stalls here. If I’m the only one secretly dumping waste, I surely won’t get caught!‘
Meanwhile, many tourists came with high hopes, eager to try the various delicacies in the food hall, only to notice that a single scoop of ice cream was priced at 10 dollars and a small cup of milkshake started at 20 dollars!
Although the prices were steep, people accepted it, assuming it would reflect their taste. However, once they tried the food, they frowned. The taste was mediocre, and some were even pretty bad.
For the same price, they could buy several portions of similar quality elsewhere! The difference in expectation and reality left the tourists beyond disappointed.
“Are they seriously selling such low–quality food at this price? Do they think we’re idiots!”
“These prices are outrageous. I’m calling the regulators.”
“They’re just disrupting the market!”
James personally brought his men to investigate. He explained to the crowd that the prices were set based on regulations from Stephen and George and that the ingredients used by the businesses were all of high quality.
“These prices are totally reasonable.”
