Chapter: The Master-Servant Contract
The dungeon air was cold and damp against Cheng Yu's skin.
He handed Marcus ninety gold coins, and Marcus snapped his fingers at one of his men. The guard moved forward and unlocked the iron door to Mina's cell.
The moment the door cracked open, the wolf girl's demeanor shifted instantly. Her lips pulled back in a snarl, and she lunged forward with wild eyes—ready to tear someone apart.
The chains snapped taut. Her wrists and ankles jerked to a stop, the shackles bolted to the wall keeping her just two meters from the doorway. She strained against them anyway, growling low in her throat.
Beastfolk were naturally stronger than humans—one orc could match two or three regular people in a fight.
Watching her thrash against the chains, Cheng Yu felt a flicker of concern. "She looks pretty feral. What if she bites me after I take her home?"
"Relax." Marcus still wore that greasy grin. "The mage will establish a master-servant contract between you two. Once that's done, she won't be able to hurt you. You can do whatever you want with her."
He dragged out those last four words with heavy emphasis.
"I'm buying her to work as a server. Stop looking at me like that."
Marcus's lecherous stare made Cheng Yu feel like he needed a shower.
At that moment, a figure in black robes emerged from behind Marcus—a mage holding a wooden staff. Without a word, he began muttering an incantation under his breath, syllables twisting together in an arcane rhythm.
Sleep magic.
The spell took effect almost immediately. Mina's fierce expression softened. Her red eyes grew unfocused, glazed over, and then her body crumpled to the floor.
The black-robed mage produced a contract document and handed Cheng Yu a small knife.
"This is the master-servant contract. Press your blood fingerprint on the lower right corner."
Staring down at the parchment, Cheng Yu felt a strange sense of déjà vu. It reminded him of signing his first employment contract fresh out of college—handing his soul over to some corporate overlord.
Except this time, he was the overlord.
He pressed the blade against his index finger. Blood welled up, and he stamped his fingerprint onto the lower right corner of the contract.
The mage walked over to the unconscious wolf girl, pricked her finger with the same knife, and pressed her fingerprint onto the lower left corner.
Holding the document aloft, the mage chanted another spell. A glowing red magic circle materialized on the cell floor, intricate patterns spreading outward like spilled ink.
The contract ignited with golden light and vanished.
A triangular mark appeared on the back of Cheng Yu's hand. At the same time, an identical mark burned itself onto Mina's back.
As her master, Cheng Yu now held absolute authority over the silver wolf girl.
The mage sagged like someone who'd just finished a twelve-hour shift hauling bricks. Contract magic clearly took a serious toll.
"The sleep spell lasts two hours on beastfolk," he said, voice weary. "She'll wake up in two hours."
Marcus waved at one of his subordinates. The guard stepped forward and unlocked the chains binding Mina's wrists and ankles.
"Congratulations, Brother Cheng Yu. This beautiful silver wolf girl is all yours."
Cheng Yu bent down and scooped up the unconscious girl. She was surprisingly light, her body limp in his arms. She also smelled terrible—like she hadn't bathed in weeks. Dirt clung to her skin and hair.
Having just closed a big deal, Marcus was in high spirits. He even offered a carriage to take Cheng Yu back to Bailu Town.
Back at the restaurant, Mina was still out cold. Cheng Yu laid her on his bed, then sat down by the window and opened the system panel.
A translucent holographic interface materialized in front of him, displaying his personal information on the home screen.
Host: Cheng Yu
Cooking Level: Max
Strength: 368
Defense: 368
Skills: None
Equipment: None
In the upper right corner, his current balance glowed faintly: 5277 Positive Emotion Points.
This morning he'd had 4,966 points. That meant he'd earned 311 points in a single morning session. Not bad.
He tapped the shop icon. The interface shifted, and rows of purchasable items appeared.
1 Strength Point: 100 Positive Emotion Points 1 Defense Point: 100 Positive Emotion Points 500g Green Onions: 30 Positive Emotion Points Bottle of Sesame Oil: 20 Positive Emotion Points 30g Peppercorns: 50 Positive Emotion Points Large Steamer: 300 Positive Emotion Points Dish Soap: 90 Positive Emotion Points Yeast: 20 Positive Emotion Points Plastic Bags (100 count): 100 Positive Emotion Points Dragon-Pattern Golden Knife: 5000 Positive Emotion Points ...
Cheng Yu had been saving up for the Dragon-Pattern Golden Knife for weeks. Today, he'd finally hit the threshold.
"System, exchange for the Dragon-Pattern Golden Knife."
[Host has spent 5000 Positive Emotion Points. Dragon-Pattern Golden Knife acquired. Remaining balance: 277 points.]
A golden kitchen knife materialized in the air and dropped into his hands. It had real weight to it—solid and perfectly balanced. A dragon pattern was etched along the blade, shimmering faintly in the light.
The system shop sold plenty of everyday goods. Cheng Yu usually only exchanged for items that didn't exist on the Celsis Continent—MSG, sesame oil, baking soda, things like that.
Other people had tried copying his fried rice after seeing how much money he made. None of them came close.
First, Cheng Yu had max-level cooking skills. His control over heat and seasoning was flawless.
Second, he added MSG to his fried rice. The Celsis Continent didn't have MSG.
"Use the remaining 277 points on strength and defense," Cheng Yu said.
[Host Strength +1, Defense +1]
The attribute panel updated.
Host: Cheng Yu
Cooking Level: Max
Strength: 369
Defense: 369
Skills: None
Equipment: Dragon-Pattern Golden Knife
When he'd first awakened the system six months ago, his base stats had both been 10—the average for a normal person.
Over the past half year, Cheng Yu had dumped every spare emotion point into strength and defense after buying essentials.
This world was dangerous. The higher his stats, the safer he felt.
A noise came from behind him.
Cheng Yu turned. Mina was stirring. She sat up slowly, cross-legged on the bed, rubbing her eyes. Her white ears drooped sleepily.
"You're awake," Cheng Yu said with a smile.
The moment Mina's eyes focused and she saw him, rage flared across her face. She launched herself off the bed like a predator going for the kill.
"Human, die!"
"Shit!"
Cheng Yu's expression shifted.
Didn't Marcus say he could do whatever he wanted?
Just as Cheng Yu mentally cursed Marcus's name, the triangular contract mark on the back of Mina's hand flared black.
A sharp, stabbing pain shot through her body. She dropped mid-lunge and hit the floor hard, her face contorting in agony.
Cheng Yu let out a breath. The master-servant contract actually worked.
Mina lay sprawled on the floor, her cheek pressed against the wood. She turned her head sideways to glare at him through strands of messy hair. "What... did you do to me, human?"
Cheng Yu raised his hand, showing her the contract mark, and smirked. "Cute little puppy, you're my slave now. Don't try to resist or run away, or you'll regret it."
"Damn... despicable human."
Mina's eyes burned with pure hostility.
Cheng Yu knew the master-servant contract wasn't exactly honorable. But if he hadn't bought her, someone else would have. And if she'd ended up in the hands of another wealthy merchant, her fate might've been far worse.
He remembered reading somewhere that if you pet a dog's head, it makes them happy and strengthens the bond between owner and pet.
Wolves were basically dogs, right?
Worth a shot.
Cheng Yu crouched down and reached out toward Mina's head.
She bared her teeth immediately, eyes wild. Before his hand even got close, she snapped at him—jaws going for his fingers despite the pain still wracking her body.
Cheng Yu jerked his hand back just in time.
"Which idiot told me petting a dog's head brings you closer together?"
Mina's jaws clacked together on empty air. Her teeth ached from the impact, and tears pricked at the corners of her eyes.
"Are you hungry? I'll make you some fried rice."
This was a ninety-gold-coin investment. He couldn't let her starve to death or waste away from malnutrition.
Mina turned her head away stubbornly. "I'm not hungry. Even if I starve to death, I'll never eat anything made by a human."
Ignoring her, Cheng Yu stood and walked into the kitchen.
Fifteen minutes later, he returned and set a steaming bowl of fried rice on the floor in front of her.
"Eat if you're hungry."
He sat down by the window and opened a book.
Mina had barely eaten anything in the slave traders' dungeon—certainly never enough to feel full. The aroma from the bowl in front of her made her mouth water involuntarily.
But her pride told her humans were an evil race. She couldn't accept their food.
Cheng Yu flipped through The Complete Collection of Plants and Animals on the Celsis Continent. If he wanted to make truly great food, he needed to understand the flavor profiles of every ingredient this world had to offer.