I Will Never Submit to Miss Grim Reaper - Chapter 319
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- Chapter 319 - The Rider is Crossing Mountains and Seas
Chapter 319: The Rider is Crossing Mountains and Seas
“I can’t fit inside this cat carrier, can I?”
Seeing Xiao Mo bring out the super-sized cat carrier that Ouyang Xue had never used since buying it, I was momentarily unsure whether to laugh or cry.
“And… if I’m inside it, will it be safe for Dolly to carry it?”
“The material strength of it is enough to support the weight of a kitten in its elf form.”
Xiao Mo remained noncommittal. “Nuo’er should know that, right?”
“Um…”
I instinctively observed the large carrier.
As Xiao Mo mentioned, this cat carrier was designed with considerations for weight and internal space from the beginning. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be called a “super-sized cat carrier” exclusively for large cats.
Like the largest cat litter box in the shop, it was specially designed for use by large cats like Dingman. Theoretically, it could accommodate a large cat standing up to 1.3 to 1.5 meters tall lying down inside with enough room for movement. Considering that the purchaser might want to fit two or three cats inside, there was definitely enough redundancy in terms of weight capacity.
In other words, it was essentially designed like those small strollers you find in supermarkets for kids, as Dingman’s weight and size were similar to that of a seven or eight-year-old child.
In other words… if I were to be squeezed inside, although it would be a bit tight, if I sat down with my legs curled up, even if two takeout boxes were stuffed in, it would be completely fine to zip up the zipper on top of the carrier.
“I don’t know much about the delivery system in this world, so I can only give them a rough idea. The best way is still for you, Nuo’er, to lead the way and run a few trips with Dolly and Yueyue together. The two kids should understand after a couple of times.”
Seeing that I didn’t have any objections, Xiao Mo had a serious look on her face.
“During this time, I’ll be responsible for looking after the café. Dolly and Yueyue are both good learners. You just need to take them out two or three times, and that should be enough.”
Then, she gave me a look that seemed to say, “You have to take responsibility for the mess someone else caused back then.”
Ah… though she said that, but I’ve never delivered food before either.
“I… I’ll give it a try to see if I can get in.”
Considering that Dolly and Yueyue’s situation really fell under my responsibility as the cafe manager, and Xiao Mo, as a person from another world, wasn’t too familiar with the delivery rules here, I had no choice but to ask Dolly and Xiao Mo to help unzip the carrier and then prop open the top opening.
There’s just no way around it, it’s clearly time for me to show some manly courage.
Xiao Mo didn’t know much about modern society, and I happened to be in the transition phase of taking over as the cafe manager from Ouyang Xue. It was my undeniable duty to help Dolly and Yueyue adapt to society and the work at the cafe. If I were to push this responsibility away or hand it over to Xiao Mo now, it would seem a bit too childish.
How does that saying go again… right — “A hero can’t flee the battlefield.”
*Zip*
With Dolly and Xiao Mo’s cooperation, this oversized cat carrier was opened, revealing a very large opening at the top.
Although the exterior of this cat carrier was predominantly sky blue and white, with a cartoon cat head pattern on the main body, the material used was indeed very sturdy. It was rectangular in shape, like a suitcase, with zippers on both the top and bottom, and a slightly rigid board at the bottom to support and maintain the shape of the carrier.
From the edges of the carrier, you could see that it was made of at least three layers of thick canvas. In the middle was a circular transparent cover that allowed the cat inside to see the outside world. In addition, there were hollowed-out mesh designs on both sides for ventilation. It seemed that even if Dolly and Nuomi were placed together inside, it wouldn’t be a problem.
In addition, the shoulder straps used to support the carrier were also securely fastened on both sides. Just by looking at this design, I couldn’t imagine anything that could break these four straps.
“Can… can I really fit inside this?”
Under the gaze of Xiao Mo, Dolly, and Nuomi, I looked at myself still wearing a maid outfit.
“Should I take off my shoes?”
Although the cafe was cleaned almost every few hours, and there was also a robotic floor sweeper with a sweeping, mopping, and cleaning function that patrolled 24 hours a day, the floor would still get dirty with the constant movement of customers. The flat shoes that went with the maid outfit would inevitably carry some dirt, sand, and cat hair.
“It’s okay. When you go to deliver the food later, Nuo’er, you’ll have to come out from the inside when you arrive at the destination,” Xiao Mo thought for a moment.
“Are you planning to come back with dirty socks?”
Oh, right.
I must have been confused.
Although theoretically… if I were to deliver food, it would be best for me to take off my shoes before entering the cat carrier.
But if something were to happen and I wasn’t wearing shoes, then I wouldn’t be able to get out of the carrier. So, would I have to squat in this carrier holding the food?
With that thought in mind, I lifted my foot and walked into this oversized cat carrier. Hmm, the space is indeed sufficient.
After trying to find a position, I sat down inside the carrier. In an instant, the world was covered by several sturdy fabrics. Can you believe it, this height can actually cover my head! Is this carrier too big?!
With my legs slightly bent and my neck stretched out, I looked at the situation outside. Am I too small? Even the carrier can completely accommodate me…
Although I usually know that my height of less than 1.4 meters makes me look like a child, and my body type tends to be petite, especially in elf mode where my body appears even thinner, this seems to be the first time I have had a clear understanding of my body size.
I didn’t measure the length and width of the carrier carefully, but my first impression of it was that it was similar to the suitcase the uncle at home used before, and it was even much smaller than that suitcase. I can actually fit into this size of carrier.
“This is too big.”
Inside the cat carrier, I tried to pull up the zipper above my head. “Can Dolly really run with me on her back?”
This is my main concern. The cat carrier can handle the weight, and it can fit me entirely, but ultimately, this thing is a backpack. Even if I’m lightweight, I’m still a person. Won’t Dolly get tired from running deliveries with me on her back?
“You underestimate the champion horse. During the war, Dolly, at her age, could run at full speed carrying two adults. It’s basic training for a centaur,” said Yin Xiamo as she came over to help pull up the zipper.
“Even in human form, four Nuo’er are no problem for Dolly. Don’t worry.”
Hmm…
After the zipper above my head was completely closed, the whole world sank into the light blue of the cat carrier.
How miraculous…
I looked outside through the adjacent round transparent cover. This feeling is like when I played the hide-in-the-box game with Xiao Mo in the house before. It’s as if the whole world has quieted down, leaving only me alone, able to comfortably sleep.
However, the space in this cat carrier is slightly smaller. Inside, I can only sit with my legs curled up, unable to fully stretch out my body.
“It seems like the quality of this carrier is pretty good.”
At Xiao Mo’s signal, I suddenly felt the world sway slightly—Dolly lifted me up by the straps and carried me behind her.
There was a noticeable feeling of support from the hard board under my feet. It took me a few seconds to adjust to the sensation of being lifted into the air.
“So light.”
Dolly ahead sighed, “It seems like the weight of elves is about the same as that of kittens.”
With a “rrrr” sound, I opened the zipper and poked out half of my head, asking, “Is it okay?”
“Totally fine!”
Yueyue came over, reaching out to ruffle the tuft of hair on my head. “Lord Hero is so cute…”
“I’ve told you, I’m not a hero…”
“You’re all here… Oh? These must be the two little sisters Nuo’er mentioned before, the ones coming to help with deliveries at the cafe, right?”
Before I could finish my sentence, along with a familiar voice, Ouyang Xue, Xiongxiong, and the Latina girl with wheat-colored skin came down from the second floor. I was startled and quickly zipped up the zipper again, shrinking my head inside.
You can’t see me, I can’t see you…
“The two little sisters are so cute. Nuo’er’s friends are always a pleasant surprise… Huh? Why did you take out this carrier?”
In Ouyang Xue’s approaching voice, I saw the three of them walk over to Yin Xiamo.
“Is a cat sick?”
“No,” Yin Xiamo shook her head. “Nuo’er is inside.”
“Nuo’er?”
Xiongxiong was the first to react. She walked quickly to me, waving her hand through the transparent cover in the middle of the carrier.
“Hi, little kitty?”
“I’m not a cat!”
Seeing no way to avoid it, I directly unzipped the zipper on the top of my head and poked out, saying, “It’s Xiao Mo’s silly idea to have me go deliver takeout like this with them.”
“You’re so cute, Nuo’er…”
Ouyang Xue hurried over, eyeing me inside the carrier. “It’s the first time I’ve seen Nuo’er being able to sit directly inside this carrier.”
Stop teasing me…
“I have a cat treat here.”
Meanwhile, Xiongxiong pulled out a cat treat marked with “80% chicken” and “no additives” and other essential nutrients for cats.
“Nuo’er, if you meow, I’ll open it for you, okay?”
Why are you teasing me too! But come to think of it, what flavor is this cat treat? Is it similar to the chicken mush I usually eat?
“Hello, Sister Ouyang Xue.”
Instead, Dolly helped out. She turned to Ouyang Xue, and naturally, I, behind her, moved to the other side, no longer facing Ouyang Xue and Sikuang Yue.
“My name is Dolly, and this is my good friend Yueyue. We’re both heroes… cough cough, we’re both Master Nuo’er’s good friends here to help.”
“I know, Nuo’er told me about you.”
Ouyang Xue’s voice came from behind. “As expected, she always brings surprises to me. I’m transferring next month, so Nuo’er will be in charge of your work.”
“Nuo’er just changed the setup for takeout, we still need a few things.” Then came Xiao Mo’s voice.
“Two sets of delivery uniforms that fit them, and special delivery boxes.”
“I know. I’ve already discussed the uniforms with the designer. We’ll use the new uniforms from the café. She’s very professional, provided several options. I’ll organize these options and show them to everyone tomorrow. We’ll have a small meeting, and if there are no objections, we can go to the factory to customize the clothes in the evening.”
“As for the delivery boxes… I can design them tonight. Do they need to be this big? Can they fit Nuo’er?”
“No, just regular insulated boxes,” Xiao Mo said.
“Nuo’er’s just temporary. She’ll take them out for a few runs to get familiar with the environment and rules here.”
“No wonder, I thought you were going to send Nuo’er out for takeout,” Ouyang Xue said, turning to me.
“Nuo’er, are you planning to sit in the back of the car like this?”
“Uh… well…”
I quickly dodged, saying, “No, it’s not like that. I’m just trying out how sturdy this bag is.”
“If you use this bag for delivery, you could easily handle ten orders of fried chicken,” Ouyang Xue seemed uninterested in pursuing the matter further.
“Let’s go with that for now. I’ll leave the takeout to Nuo’er, and I’ll take Miss Sikong Yue and her little designer downstairs to discuss some clothing design matters with Big Boss Su Yunjin.”
“Okay.”
Watching Ouyang Xue and her companions leave, I breathed a sigh of relief silently in my heart, only feeling relaxed when I saw the three of them walk down the stairs leading to the basement.
Thankfully, Ouyang Xue didn’t ask about the delivery vehicle, or else it would have been really hard to answer. Dolly and Yueyue both belonged to the type that preferred running for delivery, human transportation in the world of humans was cumbersome for them.
But if I were to be completely honest with Ouyang Xue about this matter, it would be akin to saying, “Miracles and magic are real,” and it would be really hard to explain.
“Ding dong! You have a new delivery order, please confirm.”
Coincidentally or not, just as Ouyang Xue left, Dolly’s phone in her skirt pocket rang with the sound of a new order coming in.
“Here it is!”
I could sense Dolly was a bit nervous too. She took out her phone, tapped on it a few times hesitantly, then said to Xiao Mo, “Two orders of fried chicken, original flavor, and one order of Laba congee.”
“Go ahead, go with Yueyue. If you have any questions, just ask Nuo’er,” Xiao Mo waved to us.
“Nuo’er, are you ready to take responsibility?”
“I got it…”
I stood up, carefully jumped out of the cat bag, and said, “Let’s go to the kitchen and wait. They should have received the order request by now.”
Before Dolly and Yueyue arrived, the café’s delivery orders were outsourced. After a customer placed an order, we had three minutes to confirm, and then there was a step to “call for delivery personnel” to summon nearby delivery staff to accept the order.
But in most cases, because the café is located in a relatively remote area with few nearby restaurants, there are very few delivery drivers lingering around. This “calling for delivery drivers” process usually lasts for more than ten minutes.
By the time a delivery driver accepts the order and arrives, it’s already twenty minutes later. The food often reaches the customers’ hands with a time gap of forty to fifty minutes from when they placed the order, even if it’s delicious, it may lose its taste.
Unsatisfactory food, long wait times, and high prices are normal customer complaints, so developing our own delivery team is necessary.
My idea is to have Dolly and Yueyue deliver separately. During peak dining hours, we can receive up to five or six orders every ten minutes. Dolly and Yueyue will take on these orders together. While Dolly delivers, Yueyue will stay at the café to continue accepting orders.
When Yueyue goes out to deliver, Dolly should be back, thus eliminating the usual “calling for delivery drivers” step and ensuring that the food can be delivered to the customers’ hands more quickly.
Just now, I have removed the “calling for delivery drivers” step on the delivery platform and changed it to “merchant self-delivery.” From now on, Dolly and Yueyue will be responsible for all the deliveries from the café.
“Chef Wang, order number 19.”
With Dolly and Yueyue in tow, I shouted to Chef Wang inside the kitchen, then turned around.
“Usually, if there’s a delivery, this is where the food is prepared. Chef Wang will help pack the food, and you just need to wait here. When your order number is called, take it and put it in the box, which is the delivery box that Ouyang mentioned earlier.”
I gestured toward Dolly and Yueyue’s phones.
“The detailed order information will be on your phones. During peak hours, you may receive three or four orders simultaneously. The system will plan the best route for you. Just follow the map… Once you’re familiar with the area, you can choose your own route.”
“Wow, so advanced…”
Dolly glanced at her phone and then at the kitchen ahead, sighing, “It’s completely different from where we come from!”
“Do they have delivery drivers there too?” I was curious. “Do they deliver food too?”
“Yeah, they do,” Dolly nodded.
“I heard from my mom that a long, long time ago, people couldn’t afford such services at all. But later, with the guidance of the Hero, Miss Momo, and the efforts of all the heroes, the Demon King was defeated, and the world became peaceful. This profession only emerged in some prosperous human empires.”
“But we didn’t have things like phones or computers, or even televisions,” Yueyue added.
“In those super-large empires, only big landlords would call for food delivery. They would send messages through some kind of messenger dragon, and then we would ride on the dragons to the designated area. After getting off the dragon’s back, we would run to the landlord’s house. Sometimes it was a griffin, and we could only deliver one order at a time…”
“Order number 19!”
Just as they were chatting, Chef Wang from the kitchen brought out two paper bags and a delicately packaged bowl of Laba porridge. When he saw Dolly and Yueyue, he was momentarily surprised, then smiled, “More of Nuo’er’s friends?”
“Meow?” Yueyue leaned in curiously, “How did you know, Uncle?”
“I’m getting used to it. Nuo’er’s friends are all as beautiful as fairies, just like characters from an animation.”
Chef Wang chuckled, “Looks like we have our own delivery personnel now. How delightful!”
“Thank you.”
I took the two warm paper bags and the Laba porridge. “Let’s go, we shouldn’t keep the customers waiting.”
“Ding dong!”
At the same time, Dolly’s phone emitted a system notification sound. I recognized it as the sound of a customer message on the delivery app.
“He’s asking… how long until my order arrives?”
Dolly picked up her phone and glanced at the message. Then she turned to me, “Nuo’er, do you need me to reply?”
“Just reply that you’ve received the food and are on your way at full speed.”
As we left the café, I casually remarked, “Just answer truthfully and be patient.”
This is where delivery personnel and customers are most likely to clash. Some customers might not understand the situation and, seeing the delivery person staying in one place for a long time, might bombard them with messages asking when their order will arrive, complaining about the delay, and so on. Some delivery personnel with short tempers might even swear at them, saying things like, “Why are you rushing me? Keep rushing me, and I’ll eat your food myself.”
Like waitstaff, delivery personnel are also part of the service industry. While speed is important in delivering orders, in most cases, it’s best to treat customers as friendly as possible. When customers ask about the timing of their orders, just answer them truthfully.
“From what I’ve seen so far, Dolly and Yueyue both have pretty good personalities. I don’t think they would get into any conflicts with customers.”
“I heard that your restaurant’s delivery is especially slow, but many people who have been there say the food is delicious, so I decided to place an order… He messaged us again.”
After we left, Dolly’s phone chimed again with a “ding dong” sound. She lowered her head to look and then read aloud the message.
“He also said… from your current location by the seaside, he bets you won’t be able to deliver within half an hour.”
I leaned in, asking, “Where is the customer’s address?”
“Number 3-1, Changgang Road, Nanqi District, 4.3 kilometers away. Remaining delivery time, 37 minutes.”
“Do you think you can make it within half an hour for this distance?”
“Unless there’s a wizard blocking our path… we can make it in five minutes.”
“Where did wizards come from in this world…” I chuckled.
“What I mean is… even though it shows a straight-line distance of 4.3 kilometers here, when you’re running, you need to avoid the gaze of pedestrians and not get caught by cameras. Can you do that?”
“We can. We rehearsed with Master Momo in the morning, and she gave us the locations of most of the surveillance cameras in the city. Both Yueyue and I memorized them.”
Dolly looked quite confident. “At full speed, it really only takes five minutes.”
Wow, I remember Momo saying before that Dolly can run over a hundred kilometers per hour. And that’s without using magic, relying solely on physical strength. So, if you do the math, she can run 1 to 2 kilometers per minute. It’s not surprising then that 4 kilometers only take five minutes, is it?
“Well… alright, let’s give it a try. It’ll also give me a chance to see the champion horse’s abilities.”
I had Dolly put down the cat bag behind me, then I sat inside and zipped it up, leaving only a small opening.
“Give me the phone. I’ll talk to this customer.”
“Okay.” Dolly handed me the phone and shouldered the bag. “Miss Nuo’er, are you settled in?”
“I’m settled in. Now, I’ll chat with the customer. Later, when you’re running solo, always pay attention to phone messages, like the notes on the delivery orders, and any messages from customers. Make sure to check and reply promptly… Ah!”
Before I could finish, with a gust of wind, Dolly, carrying me on her back, had already dashed towards the customer’s address on the phone map.
The scenery on both sides of the cat bag was rapidly receding. The hot summer wind kept blowing against my cheeks and the maid outfit’s small skirt. The trees and flowers almost turned into a straight line in the high-speed movement, leaving me bewildered for a moment.
“The sunlight here is so warm!”
Amidst the rapidly retreating scenery, I heard Dolly’s excited cheer from ahead.
“Yueyue, are you getting used to it?”
“I’m fine! Meow!”
Then came Yueyue’s distinctive “meow” accent. “I can charge forward like I used to by the seaside!”
Unlike Dolly carrying me on the ground, Yueyue ran on all fours, continuously using surrounding buildings for various jumps, sometimes using tree branches, sometimes old buildings.
As Dolly said, they indeed avoided everyone’s gaze—because these two hadn’t been on the main roads at all. Surrounding them were either abandoned buildings or some old residential buildings, with hardly a soul around.
This is too fast…
Amidst the roaring wind, I took out my phone and glanced at the map on the delivery app at this moment. Since the map information refreshed every few seconds, and Dolly and Yueyue were moving too fast, I could see the delivery guy’s icon on the map “space jumping” almost every few seconds, as if the signal was bad.
“Do you remember how to get there?”
I held Dolly’s phone. “3-1 Changgang Road, Nanqi District. Pass through this small grove ahead, there’s a lake on the opposite side, and we need to take the left path…
The café’s spicy chicken comes in several layers of packaging. Inside is bamboo leaf and some seasoning sauce, wrapped in aluminum foil for insulation, followed by a disposable plastic box to prevent customers from lacking utensils at home, and finally, a paper box with the café’s logo, containing chili, green onion, garlic, and other condiments.
This time, the delivery order consisted of two of these boxes of spicy chicken, plus a bowl of Laba porridge. In the cat bag, I could only hold this delivery with one hand while using the phone to reply to the customer’s messages.
“We know! We’ve already memorized the map of this city!”
After hearing my words, Dolly ahead loudly replied, “We don’t need to detour around the lake ahead, just use a little magic…”
Use a little magic?!
While I was still dazed, the customer who placed this order on my phone sent another message: ?How about it? Did I hit the mark? I checked out your store, and many of the negative reviews mention that the delivery takes too long. If you can deliver within half an hour, I’ll definitely give you a good review. It’s a pity… I guess someone won’t be able to get that good review.?
Is this guy here to tease us?
With this sentiment, I subconsciously replied to the person: ?We’re very sorry, we’ll make sure to deliver the food to you as soon as possible.?
At the same time, Dolly and Yueyue also arrived at the lake, and the map on the phone showed our “delivery guy” appearing at the largest lake in Nanqi District.
“Wait, what are you guys doing?”
Suddenly realizing, I unzipped the bag and stuck my head out, “You guys aren’t thinking of…”
“Don’t worry, Master Nuo’er, this is a blind spot in surveillance, and there are no pedestrians around.”
Yueyue revealed her fangs, “Dolly is an ice mage of the same level as me!”
“Ice mage?”
While I was still bewildered, Dolly, carrying herself, had already jumped towards the lake surface, and the map on the phone showed the “delivery guy” driving the vehicle directly into the lake…
“Ice and snow…”
Amidst a sweet cry, the surface of the lake beneath our feet froze instantly, and Dolly and Yueyue stepped onto the ice.
“Flame Radiance!”
Maintaining a speed similar to before, Dolly ahead froze the surface of the lake while running forward, while Yueyue behind ran on the frozen lake created by Dolly, simultaneously running and casting fire behind her, melting the ice blocks just formed back into water.
The delivery guy on the phone map also quickly crossed the lake, carrying the label “Delivery Rider is Delivering,” speeding towards the other side of the lake.
?It’s okay, I’m resting today. My friends all say your restaurant’s delivery is slow, but I’m not in a hurry. I’ll play a few rounds of King of Glory. Just call me when you deliver.?
?Can you deliver within forty minutes? I should be able to play three rounds.?
Messages of teasing from customers kept popping up on the phone.
The “delivery rider is delivering” icon on the map had already flown over the lake and arrived at the small road on the other side of the lake.
This…
My current mood was like that of the guy in “The Mermaid” who called the police, seeing the police sketch of a mermaid with “half human, half fish, and no head.”
“We’re almost there.”
Dolly, who had swiftly crossed the lake in less than a minute, said in the rushing wind, “Is it Building 1, Apartment 402 in the residential area at 3-1 Changgang Road, Nanqi District?”
I guessed that there were probably many pedestrians on the road on this side of the lake. Dolly and Yueyue slowed their pace significantly. Nevertheless, we still reached the target residential area within five minutes.
“Oh, right.”
Coming back to my senses, I surveyed the surroundings.
“No, no, this is too fast. Let’s take a break nearby for about twenty minutes before going up. Otherwise, it’ll turn into a paranormal event.”
I checked the customer’s message again, feeling relieved that they weren’t monitoring the order the whole time. Knowing that I probably started playing mobile games by now, I silently breathed a sigh of relief.
“When you take orders in the future… try to control the speed a bit, and don’t walk on the lake. It’s too conspicuous and you might get caught.”
“Do we need to control the speed?”
Although she looked a bit hesitant, Dolly still nodded. “Can we keep orders like today’s within ten minutes?”
“Twenty minutes.”
I pondered for a moment. “If it’s a lot of orders at once, the later orders don’t have to be as slow. Just make sure the delivery time for the first order is at least twenty minutes.”
Anyway, the customers don’t know exactly how many orders the rider has taken. All they can see is the rider zigzagging through different areas. As long as they don’t receive their meal within ten minutes of ordering, not many people will suspect or bother to compare when their orders were delivered.
“We just need to establish a special rule. Except for the first order, all the others can be delivered at full speed.”
Yueyue wagged her tail and said with a grin, “Sounds like fun, meow!”
Phew… I took a deep breath while holding the two boxes of chicken in the cat bag.
Xiao Mo was right. I must accompany these two little ones on their first delivery and point out any mistakes.
Fortunately, this customer was too engrossed in typing messages and didn’t check the map information. Otherwise, a normal person seeing a delivery rider crossing a lake at over a hundred kilometers per hour towards them would probably question their life choices.
“Almost there.”
After spending about ten minutes in the cat bag, I felt that the person ordering takeout at this time should have finished their first game of King of Glory. I signaled Dolly and Yueyue to enter the residential area.
“It looks like we’ll get a good review today.”
“……”
……