Lumina Square, Sea Overlord Buffet.

At 20,000 Dennies per person, it was already in the luxury tier.

Seafood, river delicacies, beef, poultry—everything you could imagine was on offer.

But the restaurant's most famous item was still its Krabby Supreme Burger—juicy, flavorful, downright delicious.

Rumor had it that this burger's secret recipe originally belonged to another boss surnamed Old Man Krabs.

The current owner, Boss Sheldon, had once engaged in a love-hate rivalry with Boss Krabs over the recipe.

After the Old Capital fell, Boss Krabs, lacking Ether Aptitude, eventually became an Ethereal.

Boss Sheldon, though finally obtaining the recipe as he wished, grew depressed—forever missing the thrill of outwitting his old rival.

Even though the Sea Overlord was now earning money hand over fist, he could only sigh in melancholy for his late friend:

"Ah, Old Man Krabs… If you saw how much I'm making now, you'd probably jump out of your grave."

Anby, holding a burger, finished recounting the history of Sea Overlord with a solemn tone. "This is the origin of Sea Overlord—the truly moving friendship between Boss Krabs and Boss Sheldon."

Billy, with a power battery in one hand and a hydro battery in the other, scoffed: "Anby, that's just the plot of this place's promotional film. If I'm not wrong, it's adapted from some Old Era cartoon. Which lazy writer came up with this nonsense?"

Sol, on the other hand, listened with great interest.

He hadn't expected people in this world to have imaginations this wild—turning SpongeBob into a tragic, knife-twisting tale.

A born creative genius—should be sent straight to work in MiHoYo's game writing department.

After hearing Anby's story, Sol picked up a big crab and began eating happily: "Come to think of it, it really wasn't easy to get here for this luxury buffet you promised, Nicole. I almost thought you were gonna back out."

First, she'd said they'd come after the Hollow daily sweep.

Then she changed it to after finishing Qingyi and Zhu Yuan's commission.

And honestly, even if Nicole had bailed after the Bangboo Boo-Nappers job, citing "psychological trauma," he wouldn't have been surprised.

"How could I! I'm very true to my word!"

Nicole's voice jumped in reflex, almost defensive.

She couldn't help recalling Anby's earlier warning—it seemed Sol might already be a bit dissatisfied with the Cunning Hares.

Her sense of crisis rose immediately.

First, Belle had jokingly tried to poach him.

Then Bertha from the Hollow Investigative Association.

Then that Void Hunter lady during dinner.

And now even the Criminal Investigation Special Response Team's sheriffs were eyeing him.

From where she stood, the outside world was full of ill-intentioned talent poachers.

And the worst part? Compared to those forces, the Cunning Hares didn't seem to have much competitive edge at all.

Just thinking about the possibility of losing such a dependable, all-around good guy made her grit her teeth.

"I believe you."

Sol smiled warmly.

Nicole knew he didn't. So, she asked: "Sol, how do you feel about the Cunning Hares?"

"Boss Nicole is beautiful, Anby is cute, Billy…" Sol paused, catching Billy's hopeful gaze. "Billy is also handsome."

The big Cunning Hares family was a comfy place for him.

Sure, he'd originally joined hoping to find a wife, but now it felt more like being the dad of the group.

Not that being "dad" was bad—Billy, the loud but thoughtful "good son," and Nicole and Anby, who made life cheerful—it was all quite nice.

"Yeah! Sol, you get me!"

Billy leaped with joy. He knew he was the most handsome—Sol clearly had taste.

Nicole's eyes, however, narrowed—like Holmes spotting the truth.

Praising their looks but saying nothing about other merits?

That was basically saying the Cunning Hares were just a pretty face—lacking strength, lacking perks.

Damn it… So, in Sol's heart, that's all we amount to?

Which meant he already had the shameful thought of switching sides.

Not that she could really blame him—if the Cunning Hares couldn't outshine those flashy outsiders, the risk was obvious.

No… She had to do something to win him over again.

Nicole leaned toward Sol, her tone warm and gentle: "Sol, do you have any wishes you'd like to fulfill? Tell your boss, and I'll make it happen."

She felt like she was using up ten lifetimes' worth of tenderness in one sentence.

But Sol shivered.

Nicole's exaggerated softness made goosebumps rise all over him.

Her voice… sounded like a doctor breaking bad news: Eat well, drink well, and rest in peace.

"Nicole… Do you need a favor from me? If so, you can just kneel and ask—you don't have to be this dramatic."

Nicole's anger meter: +99.

Kneel and ask? This guy's clearly got treacherous ambitions—eyeing my boss's seat!

Still, if she wanted to keep him, she had to swallow her pride.

Taking a deep breath and forcing a smile, she said: "Don't joke, Sol. I'm serious. To thank you for your outstanding contributions to the Cunning Hares, I've decided to grant you one wish."

"I see." Sol nodded knowingly. "You're feeling insecure because the Public Security Bureau invited me, aren't you?"

"Of course not! Why would I feel insecure?" Nicole blurted, flustered. "Our Cunning Hares' benefits are amazing. Tons of people want to join and can't!"

"Now hurry up and tell me your wish—miss this chance, and you won't get another!"

She wasn't insecure about just the Bureau… it was the whole pack of talent thieves outside.

Seeing her expression, Sol knew he'd guessed right.

"You're right, Nicole—the Cunning Hares are such a great place, I really can't bear to leave." Sol decided not to spell it out, smiling as he added: "And I do have a wish you could help with."

As he spoke, his eyes swept over her from head to toe.

Hearing the first half, Nicole relaxed—seemed he really wasn't thinking of leaving.

But the second half made her tense up again.

His gaze made her feel like ants were crawling over her skin—deeply uncomfortable.

"Tell me. But if it's too much, forget it!"

So… has this guy developed some kind of… feelings for the boss?

She'd read this kind of story before—the underling trying to climb ranks by seducing the boss's woman.

Except here, she was the boss. So… wouldn't that be a straight shot to the stomach?