“Loviki, a new tenant,” Chen Mian said. “This is Flora, she also moved in recently.”
“Hello,” Loviki said with a slight nod.
“Hello.” Flora’s gaze fell upon Loviki’s academy uniform, then shifted to the rapier at her waist and the silver star badge on her chest. “A Special Class Student from the Royal Magic Academy?”
“Yes.”
Flora glanced at Chen Mian, a trace of complexity in her eyes.
Chen Mian led Loviki to the second floor, walked to the room at the end of the hallway, and pushed open the door.
The room was very clean, devoid of any unnecessary decorations.
Loviki stepped into the room, walked to the window, and pushed it open.
A breeze blew from the direction of the forest, carrying with it the rustle of leaves.
Then, something massive shifted amidst the treetops.
Loviki’s pupils constricted violently.
The creature was as large as a house, crouching in a scorched clearing at the edge of the dense forest, where the surrounding trees were nothing but bare, blackened trunks. Its dark red eyes were currently staring in this direction.
One of the overlords of the Forest of Death as announced by the Adventurers’ Guild, an Epic Rank magical beast—the flame demon bear.
This terrifying magical beast, rumored to be capable of bringing disaster to an entire nation, was right there in the forest outside the apartment.
Loviki’s hand pressed against her sword hilt, trembling slightly.
“Don’t be nervous,” Chen Mian’s voice came from behind her. “It won’t come over here.”
Loviki turned to look at him.
Chen Mian’s expression was perfectly calm.
This was an Epic Rank magical beast; did this man simply not understand, or was he truly not afraid?
“You aren’t afraid of the flame demon bear?” Her voice was slightly tight.
Chen Mian leaned against the doorframe. “Well, it actually has a pretty good temper.”
Loviki remained silent for a long time before slowly lowering her hand from her sword hilt, though her heart still refused to slow down.
That terrifying magical beast was still watching this place...
“How is this room?” Chen Mian asked.
“It’s very clean.”
“Then it’s settled.” Chen Mian extended his hand. “The conditions were stated before. First, spar with me every day. Second, you teach me swordsmanship.”
“You need me to teach you?”
“Those are the conditions.”
Loviki took a deep breath.
“Fine.”
She walked up to Chen Mian and reached out. “I look forward to working with you, Mr. Landlord.”
Chen Mian shook her hand.
【Ding! Tenant “Loviki” has officially signed the contract.】
【Acquired Tenant Recruitment Reward: 900 Points】
【Apartment Level: 2. Requirements to upgrade to Level 3: 3,000 Points and two tenants.】
【Mission Complete: Reward of 300 Points + Mana Orchard unlocked.】
【Current Points: 1,310】
【Mana Orchard is available for unlocking. Unlock now?】
【Yes】
Chen Mian tapped the panel.
【Mana Orchard has been unlocked. (Level 1)】
【Mana Orchard: A portion of the open space behind the apartment has been converted into a Mana Orchard. Fruit trees can be planted here, and any trees planted in this area will automatically transform into magical fruit trees. Fruit quality is enhanced. Growth cycle: 60 days. Plantable area: one mu.】
【New items in Shop: apple sapling, orange sapling, moonlight fruit sapling, mana berry sapling, grape seedling...】
Chen Mian scanned the list and closed the panel.
There was no rush for now; he needed to get this guest settled first.
“You get settled in first. Dinner will be in about two or three hours.” He turned to walk out of the room, then paused after two steps and looked back. “By the way, Flora is a great cook. You’re responsible for the dishes.”
Loviki, who was organizing the clothes in her spatial bag, stopped her movements. “Why am I washing the dishes?”
“Because you can’t cook.”
“...How do you know that?”
“Just a guess.”
Loviki looked up, a flash of indignation in her ruby eyes, but she ultimately didn’t argue.
She truly didn’t know how to cook; rather, she had never even stepped foot in a kitchen. The Lorenz Family’s kitchen had dedicated chefs, and during her six years at the Royal Magic Academy, she had always eaten at the dining hall. The only time she had ever tried to cook, she failed to control her magic intensity and burned a hole straight through the pot.
Chen Mian turned and left the room.
Loviki stood by the window, glancing at the faintly visible dark red eyes in the distant forest.
Her face was tense as she silently closed the window.
...
Chen Mian went downstairs.
Flora was standing in the kitchen, holding a handful of Moonlight Grass sprouts, seemingly lost in thought.
Hearing footsteps, she snapped out of it and placed the Moonlight Grass on the cutting board.
“Is she settled in?”
“Yeah.”
“Mr. Chen Mian, why did you suddenly start taking in tenants?” Her gaze didn’t leave the cutting board. “You said you’ve lived alone for a long time.”
Chen Mian leaned against the kitchen doorframe and thought for a moment. “Well, like I told you before, it gets a bit lonely being by myself.”
Flora nodded and lowered her head to continue chopping vegetables.
The sound of the knife hitting the board was rhythmic, but the pieces of Moonlight Grass she cut were uneven in length, clearly indicating she was distracted.
“Flora.”
“Yes?”
“Is something on your mind?”
Flora’s hand jerked, the knife nearly nicking her finger.
She looked up, her ears turning slightly red. “No! I was just wondering... what is your standard for recruiting tenants, Mr. Chen Mian?”
“Hmm?”
“All of your tenants are pretty girls, aren’t they?” Flora’s face turned even redder after she finished speaking.
“It does seem that way...”
“So, did you let us stay because we’re good-looking?” Flora’s voice was small but her speech was rapid, as if she were afraid she would regret saying it if she went too slowly.
“No, it’s because of fate.”
“Fate?” Flora blinked.
Chen Mian said without skipping a beat, “Yeah. From the first moment I saw you, I felt like you were meant to live here.”
He couldn't exactly say it was because of the system’s prompts; to someone who had never seen a system, that would sound even more absurd than fate.
“Oh...” She lowered her head, her voice soft. “Then... go ahead and get busy. I’ll call you when dinner is ready.”
Chen Mian nodded and turned to leave.
Behind him, Flora’s hand holding the knife paused for a moment before she shook her head and continued chopping.
Dinner was lavish.
Flora had prepared four dishes and a soup, and she had even specially fried an extra plate of magical beast steak.
Loviki sat across from Chen Mian. She had just showered, her black hair still damp, and she had changed into a plain set of casual clothes.
Once the three of them were seated, Loviki used her fork to pick up a piece of braised pork and took a light bite. Her ruby-like eyes widened slightly. “It’s delicious.”
The tips of Flora’s ears twitched. “Thank you.”
“It’s truly wonderful,” Loviki said, taking another bite. “Better than any restaurant I’ve ever been to in the Royal Capital.”
The corners of Flora’s mouth curled up slightly.
Flora was always happy whenever someone praised her cooking.
The rabbit crouched at the corner of the table, happily nibbling on a vegetable leaf.
Chen Mian picked up a piece of braised pork. As his chopsticks gripped the edge of the meat, the sauce dripped down the grain. He put it in his mouth; the meat was very tender, a rich savory flavor mixed with a hint of creaminess and the charred aroma from high-heat roasting.
He was once again amazed by Flora’s culinary skills.
He had to admit, letting her stay was a very wise decision.
What on earth had he been eating before this...
The dining table was quiet for a while.
The only sounds were the faint clinking of chopsticks against the bowls.
Loviki suddenly spoke up. “Miss Flora, were you also kidnapped by this guy?”
Flora nearly choked on her soup, covering her mouth as she coughed twice. “Kid—Kidnapped?”
“It’s not kidnapping,” Chen Mian said without looking up. “It’s a formal rental.”
“And the rental condition is to have intimate contact with him?” Loviki put down her fork, picked up her soup bowl, and took a slow sip. She looked at Flora with a trace of unmasked mischief in her eyes.
The air went still.
Flora’s face turned red from her neck to the tips of her ears. “H-How did you know?”
“He just told me,” Loviki said, putting down her chopsticks and speaking unhurriedly. “He said one of his tenants agreed to the condition of ‘ten minutes of intimate contact every day’ and told me not to overthink things.”
Flora turned to stare at Chen Mian.
Chen Mian remained unfazed. “I was telling the truth.”
“I—I—I...” Flora bit her lip, her ears so red they looked like they might bleed.
Watching this scene, the corners of Loviki’s mouth quirked up slightly before she picked up her bowl to continue her soup.
Chen Mian shot her a glance.
She did that on purpose. This girl was absolutely doing it on purpose.
The subtle atmosphere at the table lingered for a while.
Flora kept her head down for the rest of the meal, the redness in her ears never fading.
Loviki, on the other hand, ate with a clear conscience. After finishing, she even took the initiative to gather the dishes and go wash them.
Chen Mian leaned against the kitchen doorframe, watching Loviki stand at the sink with her sleeves rolled up, seriously scrubbing a bowl.
Her movements were very clumsy.
She had used too much dish soap, creating a massive pile of bubbles.
“Um... Miss Loviki.” Flora stood beside her, hesitating for a moment. “You don’t need to use that much for washing dishes.”
“I know,” Loviki’s voice was calm. “I just wanted to try it out.”
She tried for five minutes and broke a plate.
Chen Mian looked at the white porcelain plate shattered into three pieces on the floor. “I’m deducting that from your rent.”
“You said it was free,” Loviki said, turning to look at him, soap suds still dripping from her fingers.
“Then it’s a labor mortgage.”
Loviki was silent for two seconds. Then she crouched down and began picking up the shards, moving very carefully as she pinched them one by one into her palm.
Flora quickly brought over a broom to help, sweeping the tiny fragments Loviki hadn't noticed into a pile.
Chen Mian turned and left the kitchen.
Before heading upstairs, he opened the system panel and scanned it.
【Current Points: 1,310.】
He was still a long way from the 3,000 points needed to upgrade the apartment.
The Mana Orchard was unlocked, but he needed to plant saplings, which could be bought from the shop.
Fifty points per sapling; planting two would cost a hundred.
Although he could go into the wild to find things to transplant, some of these fruit trees didn't exist in this world—like grapes and oranges. At least, he hadn't seen them in all these years... and he really wanted to eat them.
However, points were limited right now.
Just as he was about to close the panel, he remembered today’s Interaction Quest.
【Today’s Interaction: Watch the night view with Flora (+30 Points)】
As for Loviki’s, it hadn’t refreshed yet.
Chen Mian glanced out the window; it was already completely dark.
As for a night view, he happened to know a very beautiful spot.
END
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