“First, cook for me every day. That's not too much to ask, right?”
Flora nodded without the slightest hesitation.
This wasn't even a condition to her; she had already planned to use her cooking skills to pay off her debt.
“Second.”
Chen Mian lowered his hand, looked into those spirited and pure Elven eyes, and took a deep breath.
“Set aside ten minutes every day...” Chen Mian paused, “for intimate contact with me.”
The air went still for a moment.
“L-Landlord,” Flora's voice trembled, her delicate face turning beet red instantly. “P-Please... please don't make such an excessive request.”
She held her staff across her chest as if shielding herself.
This Elf was quite cute.
Chen Mian being so blunt was indeed partly for his own amusement.
But... this really was the condition set by this bizarre system... Was this truly the golden finger he had imagined?
No matter how he looked at it, the tone seemed a bit off.
Flora looked up at him, her beautiful eyes shimmering with moisture. “Letting me... have intimate contact with you... I won't agree to that.”
She couldn't go on. The tips of her Elven ears were so red they were almost translucent. She turned to leave.
“Pounding my back or giving me a massage probably counts as intimate contact,” Chen Mian said after a moment's thought. “Just that. Ten minutes a day.”
The air went still again.
“...That's it?” After a long pause, Flora blinked and stopped in her tracks. She thought she had misheard him.
“That's it,” Chen Mian nodded.
“Are you sure?” Flora's voice carried a hint of disbelief. “Just... massages and stuff?”
“If you feel like you're getting the short end of the stick, I can massage you instead,” Chen Mian said with a smile. “A fair trade.”
Flora's face flushed even deeper. “That's not what I meant!”
She looked away, her Elven ears so red they looked like they might bleed.
“...Why?” she asked softly. “Why such a condition?”
He also wondered what the hell this system was up to.
Could that unreliable goddess have sent him a romance system?
Chen Mian leaned against the doorframe and thought for a bit. “I've been alone for too long... it's more lively with someone living here.”
Flora turned to look at him. His handsome face looked calm under the light.
She could understand that feeling.
Whether it was in a secret realm or during her time fleeing the curse, she understood that bone-deep loneliness better than anyone.
She should refuse.
Even contact like massaging a member of the opposite sex was something she had never experienced.
But right now, she really didn't have a better choice. If the Shadow Cult caught her, her fate would certainly be grim.
Moreover, she only felt an unexpected... peacefulness from this young landlord.
“Okay,” her voice was as quiet as a mosquito.
Chen Mian snapped out of his thoughts. “What?”
“I said... okay.” Flora raised her voice, the blush on her face spreading to her neck. “But no doing anything weird! And you're not allowed to tell anyone!”
“Deal.”
Chen Mian extended his hand.
Flora looked at that hand with its well-defined joints, hesitated for a second, and then gently shook it.
【Tenant “Flora” has officially signed.】
【Obtained tenant recruitment reward: 900 Points】
【Point Shop unlocked!】
【Main Quest unlocked: Upgrade the apartment to max level, fulfill tenant wishes, and make the apartment the warmest harbor for tenants. Reward: ???】
【Initial Quest unlocked: Increase apartment level to Level 2. Quest Reward: Magic level increased by 10, Mana Garden (Level 1) unlocked.】
（Mana Garden (Level 1): The vegetable plot behind the apartment will be converted into mana soil. Crops planted here will automatically absorb mana from the air and grow into magical crops. Normal crop growth cycle is 5 days, crop quality is increased by 1 tier, garden area is 1 acre）
Magic level increased by 10?
Wasn't Level 120 the limit of this world?
Would this level reward still have any effect on him now?
It seemed he would have to try it to find out.
“Welcome, Miss Flora.”
“Thank you! I'll prepare dinner in a little while then.” The blush on Flora's face hadn't completely faded, and her eyes still held a hint of shyness.
“I'll leave it to you then.” Chen Mian paused. “I don't have many ingredients here. Tell me what you need.”
Chen Mian then led Flora into the kitchen.
He spent ten minutes teaching her how to identify things in the kitchen: how to light the gas stove, which pots to use for the induction cooker, the function of the refrigerator, and how to use the range hood.
Flora learned quickly. After one introduction, she could basically use everything normally.
“That's about it.” Chen Mian opened the refrigerator. “The ingredients are all in here. If you need anything else, I'll go get it.”
Flora took a look and smiled, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear. “Mr. Landlord, leave the cooking to me.”
“By the way, Mr. Landlord, I still don't know your name.”
“Chen Mian.”
After settling Flora in, Chen Mian opened the system's tenant tab. The previously empty list now had its first name.
【Current Apartment Level: Level 1 (Points required for upgrade: 1,000)】
【Tenant 001: Flora】
【Race: Elf】
【Mana Level: 78 (Sealed)】
【Charisma: 10】
【Profession: Holy Light Mage】
【Sense of Belonging: Level 1 (Passerby) Note: Can be increased through interaction, improving living conditions, emotional exchange, etc.】
【Daily Output: 50 Points * Sense of Belonging Level】
【Specialties: Cooking, Magic】
【Wishes: 1. Prepare delicious food daily (+50 Points/day) 2. Develop magical cuisine (+300 Points/type) 3. Break the curse (+5,000 Points)】
【Today's Interaction: Blow-dry Flora's hair (+30 Points)】
From the looks of it, the only way to obtain Points was through tenants. It seemed upgrading the apartment would have to be done step by step.
That was fine; at least it wasn't a hassle, and he had someone to cook for him.
Chen Mian clicked on the Point Shop panel.
A row of product lists popped up on the panel, clearly categorized and neatly arranged.
【Seeds】【Farm Tools】【Furniture】【Daily Necessities】【Magic】
He casually clicked on 【Seeds】 and scanned through them.
Tomato seeds, potato seeds, carrot seeds, bok choy seeds, leek seeds... 1kg per pack, price 50 Points. They didn't seem very useful.
He then clicked on 【Daily Necessities】.
Hairdryer (Already owned), Rice Cooker (Already owned), Microwave (Already owned), Electric Blanket, Music Player, Bean Bag Chair, Coffee Machine...
There was also something he almost laughed out loud at when he saw it: an arcade game machine, 1,500 Points.
“Even game consoles?”
He stared at the icon for two seconds and silently noted the price.
Would letting a tenant play video games count as improving comfort?
He really didn't know what that unreliable goddess was thinking... stuffing all sorts of things in here. And how did she come up with this pricing?
For now, the use for Points was upgrading the apartment and buying things from the shop.
Next, Chen Mian clicked on 【Magic】.
Basic Cleaning Spell, Low-Temperature Preservation Array, Weak Light Rune, Low-Level Taming Contract, Fireball, Water Blade...
Chen Mian's gaze stopped on a magic scroll.
“Taming Contract?”
【Taming Contract: Sign a contract with an individual whose mana level is at least 20 levels lower than yours to make them obey orders. Contract limit: 3. Price: 100 Points】
If he had just arrived on the Continent of Cecia, this scroll would have been useless.
But he was already a Mythic Rank adventurer. 99% of the magical beasts in this world were lower level than him. Mythic Rank magical beasts probably only existed among powerful races like the Dragons, who could beat the Demon Race to a pulp.
In other words, even if they had to be 20 levels lower than him, he could turn most people or magical beasts he encountered into henchmen?
That is, if his level could actually increase again.
“Interesting.”
High-level magical beasts in this world were very proud; there was almost no possibility of them being tamed.
He remembered how much effort it had taken him to tame an Epic Rank Griffon back in the day.
“This thing is much more interesting than some attack magic.” Chen Mian bought it without hesitation.
【Low-Level Taming Contract purchased successfully! Points -100】
【Remaining Points: 800】
【Contract has been placed in the inventory. Remaining contract slots: 3】
A parchment scroll glowing with a faint golden light appeared in the system inventory, covered in complex magic array patterns.
Chen Mian wasn't in a hurry to take it out and look at it; he scanned the other magic items.
Seeing that there were no other interesting items, he closed the panel.
Rate on N.U.
