When he woke up in the morning,
He could still smell the delicious aroma wafting from the kitchen.
Chen Mian got out of bed, pushed open his door, and walked to the bathroom to wash up.
Loviki was standing in front of the sink, washing her face.
She had woken up earlier than usual today. Her black hair wasn't tied up, cascading loosely over her shoulders, and droplets of water still clung to her face.
She still looked half-asleep, carrying a faint air of laziness.
Hearing Chen Mian, Loviki paused. “Good morning.”
Then, pretending as if nothing were out of the ordinary, she went back to washing her face.
Chen Mian walked over to her side, picked up his toothbrush, squeezed some toothpaste onto it, and filled his cup with water.
The Continent of Cecia didn't have toothbrushes or toothpaste; most people used teeth-cleaning vines instead. Although they cleaned well, they were highly inconvenient.
These items were among the amenities that came with the apartment after the system awakened.
The two stood side-by-side in front of the sink.
The mirror reflected their figures.
Loviki kept her head down, brushing her teeth with extreme focus.
Well... she was a bit too focused, keeping her eyes glued to the cup in her hand.
Chen Mian brushed his teeth a few times, then tilted his head to watch her for a moment.
Loviki's brushing speed immediately picked up.
“You're up early today.”
“I was thirsty and wanted some water,” she replied, her voice sounding perfectly normal.
But Chen Mian couldn't help but feel that something was off.
Sensing Chen Mian's gaze, Loviki quickly finished brushing, rinsed her mouth, and wiped her face with a towel.
Throughout the entire process, she kept her head lowered, staring intently at the water cup in her hand.
Chen Mian continued brushing his teeth.
Loviki hung up her towel and turned to leave the bathroom. After taking two steps, she paused. “Spar with me in a bit.”
“Sure,” Chen Mian said, watching her back. Her pace was noticeably faster than usual.
Tsk. Was she starting to feel self-conscious?
He wiped his face and stepped out of the bathroom. The crackle of the hearth fire drifted up from downstairs.
Today, Flora was making thick mushroom soup and toasted bread.
Luolin stood by the stove, carefully slicing washed mushrooms. Though the slices were of uneven thickness, she was working with utmost concentration.
Miya was squatting in a corner, holding the rabbit and whispering softly to it.
“Morning,” Chen Mian said as he walked into the kitchen.
“Good morning, Mr. Chen Mian,” Luolin said, pausing her work.
Flora glanced back at him with a smile. “Why did everyone wake up so early today?”
“Hungry.”
Flora blinked and laughed. “It'll be ready in just a moment.”
“Loviki came down earlier, drank a huge cup of water, and went right back up. She's still acting a bit strange, but she seems to be in a pretty good mood,” Flora said as she placed the freshly boiled mushroom soup on the table.
A moment later, footsteps echoed from the stairs.
Loviki had come downstairs. Her loose black hair was now tied into a high ponytail, and she had changed into her training gear.
Her expression had returned to its usual composure. She walked into the kitchen, picked up her bowl, and sat down opposite Chen Mian.
“Good morning, Flora,” she said.
“Morning.” Flora brought over the bread.
“Luolin, how is your wound recovering?”
Luolin stood up and spun around. “It doesn't hurt anymore!”
Her white cat ears twitched with her movement, making her look full of energy.
“Then starting today, I'll leave the vegetable garden in your care,” Chen Mian said, standing up. “Flora will teach you.”
“Okay!” Luolin's eyes lit up.
Miya hopped off her chair while holding the rabbit and ran over to her sister. “I want to help too!”
After breakfast, Flora led the two sisters to the back of the house.
The vegetable patch was a lush expanse of green, laden with all kinds of vegetables. Even the golden tomatoes, which had been planted last, were now heavy with fruit, gleaming brightly under the sunlight.
“These are golden tomatoes,” Flora said, squatting down to pluck one and handing it to Luolin. “Give it a try.”
Luolin took it, took a bite, and her eyes widened. “So sweet...”
Flora smiled. “It's not just sweet. Feel the mana inside your body.”
Luolin finished the rest of the tomato and closed her eyes.
After a moment, she opened her eyes and looked down at her hands in disbelief. “My mana... increased?”
“Mm,” Flora said, standing up. “The crops in this garden are all magical crops.”
Luolin stared at the lush green garden, her mouth slightly agape.
She had lived here for several days and had always felt the vegetables here were different from normal ones.
Flora's voice was gentle. “But we have too many crops right now. We can't possibly eat them all ourselves.”
Luolin nodded vigorously. “What do I need to do?”
“Walk with me first. I'll tell you the maturation cycle and harvesting method for each type of vegetable.”
Flora led her slowly along the ridges of the field.
“Magic tomatoes take about three days from flowering to ripening. When harvesting, support the bottom of the fruit with your hand and gently twist upward. Pulling too hard will damage the vine.”
“Moonlight Grass can be harvested once the leaves reach knee height. Use scissors to snip them at the stem, leaving about three fingers' length. New shoots will grow back in a few days. The leaves can be used for tea or cooking.”
“The golden tomatoes, like the one you just ate,” Flora pointed to the golden tomatoes in front of them, “grow a bit slower, taking about seven days to ripen. Once ripe, their skin turns a golden yellow. It's very thin and easily damaged.”
Flora introduced over a dozen types of crops in one go, explaining each one in great detail.
Luolin listened very intently.
Once Flora finished, Luolin took a deep breath. “That's so many...”
Miya squatted by the edge of the field. The rabbit hopped out of her arms and scurried under the tomato trellis.
“The rabbit ran away!” Miya cried out.
“It's fine,” Flora said with a smile. “It'll come out on its own later.”
Chen Mian stood at the apartment entrance, watching the three in the garden.
Flora walked ahead with Luolin following closely behind, while Miya chased the rabbit back and forth along the ridges.
Loviki leaned against the doorframe, rapier in hand. “When are we sparring?”
“Now.”
【System Notification: Today's Interaction Quest has been updated: Have Loviki maintain eye contact with you for 1 minute. Reward: 30 Points.】
The system had been quiet for a while, and now it was stirring up trouble again.
Staring into each other's eyes for a minute... no matter how you looked at it, it felt a bit like intentional flirting.
Given Loviki's current state, she would definitely blow a fuse.
【Current Points: 5,040.】
He wasn't short on these few points.
What was currently holding back the apartment's upgrade was the number of tenants. If he wanted to level up the apartment, he would have to look for that 'ghost' he might encounter in the dungeon.
Still, having a 'ghost' as a tenant felt bizarre no matter how he thought about it.
He really had no idea what was up with this system.
And that goddess who frequently appeared in his dreams was definitely trying to convey some message to him.
It was just that her appearances had grown less frequent lately. If she was a goddess, shouldn't it be easy enough for her to just show up here and tell him in person?
“Let's go,” Loviki's voice called from ahead.
Chen Mian looked up and caught her eye, only for Loviki to quickly avert her gaze, her eyes glistening with embarrassment.
“I say... Loviki, are you feeling shy?”
Rate on N.U.
