Chapter 851
Anton, Paul, and Eric were seated at one of the tables where the replacement maître d' had placed them. Judging by its location, it was probably one of the more prestigious tables in the restaurant. The maître d', host, or whatever title the young man held after replacing the foolish host from earlier, looked extremely nervous.
Anton knew that the new host had probably been informed by the guards that he was a Supreme-Rank wizard and should have been accorded the respect due to someone who had reached such a lofty rank. Instead, he had been disrespected by the previous host.
Once the host took their order—which consisted of Anton simply telling him to bring out the most delicious dishes on the menu, since he did not want to bother reading it—the man hurried away.
"Man, I didn't realize your family was that powerful! What do you think will happen to that waiter?" Eric asked.
Anton simply shrugged. He really had no idea.
Even if the man returned, Anton did not care and would not do anything about it. The matter was trivial, and he had no intention of dwelling on something so insignificant.
"I don't think the fear and respect Anton is receiving is because of his family," Paul said quietly. "I think it's because of his wizard rank."
Anton did not want to elaborate, so he merely nodded.
The two young men knew that he was a powerful mage, especially after he had told them the story of how he and his family escaped the Undead Coalition's pursuit. The problem was that they did not know exactly how powerful he was. He preferred to keep it that way because revealing the truth could easily change how they treated him, and he felt that would spoil their current relationship.
Soon, the food arrived, and the three young men busied themselves eating. They paid little attention to anything else. Besides, after what had happened with the original host, the restaurant staff would not dare disrespect them again. They had seen how the guards treated Anton and knew he was an influential person.
The other customers watched them with amusement. Anton, Paul, and Eric noticed that the wealthy patrons had accepted them as equals and viewed their eccentric behavior as something expected from the rich and powerful. Anton knew that Paul and Eric understood that if they had not been accompanying someone like him, someone both wealthy and powerful, their behavior would have drawn contempt rather than amusement.
After they had satisfied their hunger somewhat, Paul asked Anton about his earlier statement regarding his unfinished story.
"I was exaggerating for dramatic effect," Anton admitted. "The reason my family became wealthy is that I delved into high-level dungeons. With my magic, I can solo the deeper floors of one of Ormunda's high-level dungeons, which allowed me to earn millions of gold coins. While my sister was studying at a magic academy and my father traveled to New Drennor to retrieve the families of his lovers, I purchased a large manor. Once my father arrived in Ormunda with our new family members, we opened several businesses, including the highly profitable cinema business."
"Your family owns the cinema?!" Eric exclaimed.
Even Paul looked extremely excited.
"When you said you could solo a high-level dungeon, which one was it? And what floor did you reach?" Paul asked.
"Yes, our family owns the cinema. As for the dungeon, I mainly delved into the Corridors of Amuneta and reached the sixty-fifth floor on my own."
Paul and Eric were both thrilled by what they had heard. Anton knew that the information had probably convinced Paul that his wizard rank was indeed very high, which explained the respect he received from the guards.
At the very least, Anton was relieved that Paul was not asking for specific details about his rank.
"Where did the movies come from? When Paul and I finally saved enough money, we watched one of them, and it was the greatest thing I've ever seen in my life!" Eric said.
Anton found it amusing that the topic of cinema had suddenly made Eric so talkative.
He explained the process of retrieving the movies and recording them onto magical recording devices so they could be shown in the cinema.
"I wanted to watch more movies, but we can't afford the tickets," Eric said sadly.
Anton did not know exactly how much the tickets cost, but he had always thought they were reasonably priced. When he mentioned this to Paul and Eric, Paul gave him a wry look.
"Your ticket prices are affordable if you're rich. For ordinary families like ours, they're a luxury. To buy a single ticket, we'd have to save for at least a couple of months. Then again, back then, we didn't really have jobs, so the money we saved came from occasional side work. To be fair, a regular worker would probably only need to save a few days' wages to afford one of your cinema tickets."
Anton found Paul's explanation reassuring. According to him, the ticket prices were only slightly higher than those of a typical theater.
"Honestly, a lot of the ordinary families living near the cinema in Ormunda were grateful for it," Eric added as they continued eating. "It encouraged idle teenagers to find ways to earn money so they could watch movies instead of getting into trouble."
"Did anyone cause problems? Like trying to earn money illegally just to buy cinema tickets?" Anton asked.
"No. It's actually pretty difficult for ordinary boys and girls to turn to crime just to buy movie tickets. Criminals usually spend their earnings on other things," Paul replied jokingly.
Anton knew that both Paul and Eric would have been delighted if he had offered to show them some movies, but he refrained from doing so. He was still fascinated by exploring Melinda. As much as he enjoyed movies, television shows, and anime, he would rather spend his time discovering the ship for now. Perhaps once he grew tired of wandering around, he would organize a movie session for everyone.
After finishing their meal, the three decided to continue exploring. Their goal was to roam every corner of the Nobles Section first.
Although they were extremely tempted to enter some of the entertainment establishments they came across, Anton insisted that they finish exploring the entire section before indulging in any activities. Paul and Eric agreed, joking that Anton was technically the boss of their little group since he was paying for everything.
The Nobles Section contained all sorts of attractions. The best part was that every establishment catered to the wealthy, meaning everything was of the highest quality. Paul and Eric were even hesitant to enter some of the shops because they feared that if they accidentally damaged a single item, they would have to sell their entire families to pay for it.
Of course, Paul said this jokingly, but Eric immediately began sweating nervously.
With Anton accompanying them, however, Paul knew there was little reason to worry. Anton could probably afford any item they had seen, even the most expensive ones. They already knew that his family owned several businesses besides the cinema, and based on the rumors they had heard over the years, all of those businesses were highly profitable.
In truth, Anton had no idea how much wealth his family had accumulated over the years. Nor did he have any desire to find out. He had no intention of relying on that fortune. If he needed money, he could simply craft a magical item or delve into dungeons.
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