Chapter: The Law of True Fragrance
Tired from reading, Cheng Yu rested his head on the table and dozed off.
When he woke, the sun had dipped low in the sky. Orange light streamed through the window, painting the room in warm tones.
He turned around. Mina sat on the bed with her ears drooping and her expression sullen, like a kicked puppy.
The master-servant contract prevented slaves from running away. Any attempt to escape without permission would trigger painful backlash from the magic.
The bowl of fried rice he'd left on the table was empty.
"Was the fried rice good?" Cheng Yu asked with a confident smile.
Only the two of them were in the room. The culprit was obvious.
Mina wiped a bit of oil from the corner of her mouth and glared at him. "I didn't eat it. A huge rat climbed onto the table and ate it just now. I'm not going to catch rats for hateful humans."
Grumble~
Her stomach betrayed her immediately.
Beastfolk had big appetites. A single bowl of fried rice wasn't nearly enough to fill Mina's stomach.
"I'll make you another bowl."
He'd paid ninety gold coins for this wolf-eared girl. Couldn't let her starve.
Mina turned her head away, silent in the face of his kindness.
She couldn't deny it, though—the egg fried rice really was incredible.
A few minutes later, another steaming bowl appeared in front of her.
"Eat up."
The aroma of rice and fried eggs hung thick in the air, making it impossible to ignore.
Having already tasted one bowl, Mina knew exactly how good this fried rice was. Better than anything she'd ever eaten in her life.
But she didn't want to give in to Cheng Yu. She crossed her arms over her chest and lifted her chin slightly—the picture of stubborn defiance. She'd rather starve than bow her head.
As a wolf girl with dignity, she wouldn't accept food from an evil human.
Seeing her attitude, Cheng Yu's expression soured. "Hey, get your position straight. You're my slave. I didn't buy you to sit around like some pampered princess. You have to work."
"Work? What kind of work?"
Mina blinked, a flicker of doubt crossing her face. She'd heard that human merchants who bought orc girls mostly used them to satisfy their desires.
Did this human mean that kind of work?
There was a master-servant contract between them. If he wanted to force her into bed, she couldn't resist.
What should she do? Would it hurt the first time? Would she get pregnant?
As Mina spiraled deeper into panic, Cheng Yu said casually, "You'll be a server. Help serve food, wash dishes, clean up the shop."
"A server?"
"My restaurant's doing too well. I can't handle it alone. I need help."
"..."
Mina quietly let out a breath of relief. This human seemed different from what she'd imagined.
Unable to resist the temptation of the delicious food any longer, she picked up the spoon and started shoveling rice into her mouth.
The flavor exploded across her taste buds, satisfying her hunger and her cravings at the same time. The double hit of pleasure made her blurt out, "It's so good~"
Watching her eat so happily, Cheng Yu reached out and patted her head. Her hair was still dirty and felt slightly greasy under his palm.
Mina whipped her head around and glared at him, baring her sharp wolf teeth. But she didn't lunge at him like before.
Progress.
"Want more?" Cheng Yu asked.
Mina's brain: No.
Mina's mouth and stomach: Yes.
Before her brain could intervene, the word "yes" slipped out.
Cheng Yu walked into the kitchen and made a massive pot of fried rice. He returned with ten full bowls and set them in front of her.
Mina's eyes lit up when she saw the mountain of food. Her white tail swayed back and forth excitedly as she dug in, a blissful expression spreading across her face.
Cheng Yu had once watched a movie called Wolf Totem that praised wolves as tough, aloof, and unconquerable creatures. He'd believed it at the time.
Then he'd seen a news report about an old wolf king who'd been driven from his pack. The wolf had stopped tourists' cars along the Sichuan-Tibet highway, begging for egg tarts and chicken legs. His pathetic, tail-wagging demeanor had been more dog-like than any actual dog.
Youth had no price. Fried rice melted all resistance.
Whether person or animal, no one could escape the Law of True Fragrance.
Cheng Yu gently stroked Mina's head. With a belly full of delicious fried rice, she was much more docile than before.
"Mina, take a bath after you finish eating."
"Mm."
She nodded. She'd wanted to bathe for a long time but had never gotten the chance.
After polishing off the entire pot of fried rice, Mina touched her stomach. It had been so long since she'd eaten until she was truly full.
Cheng Yu pulled a bar of soap from a drawer—something he'd exchanged from the system shop—and handed it to her. "There's a bucket in the bathroom and water in the kitchen tank. Get some water and wash up."
Mina sniffed the soap. It smelled wonderful. She bit off half of it and chewed twice.
Why did this food taste so weird?
"Wait, what the—are you a husky?! That's not edible! Spit it out!"
Mina spat out the half-chewed soap, her mouth full of foam.
"That thing's called soap. You can't eat it. You rub it on your body when you bathe, then rinse it off with water. It makes you clean."
"Something that smells this good can't be eaten?"
Looking at the remaining half-bar of soap in her hand, Mina seemed genuinely disappointed.
Cheng Yu pulled a piece of rough cloth from the cabinet. "After you bathe, throw out those beggar rags you're wearing. Wear my clothes for now, and I'll take you to buy new ones tomorrow."
Mina took the cloth and headed to the bathroom.
Cheng Yu stood by the window, watching the town of Bailu bathed in the orange glow of sunset.
Half an hour passed without him noticing.
When Mina emerged from the bathroom, she was wrapped in the coarse cloth. She was tall, with long, slender legs and a strikingly beautiful face. Her skin was snow-white, and a pair of ruby-red eyes gleamed beneath her bangs.
Her long white hair cascaded down her back like a waterfall. A pair of pointed wolf ears poked up from her head, and a fluffy white tail swayed behind her.
Her red pupils caught the light of the setting sun, making her white hair shimmer like frost.
Cheng Yu's gaze dropped to her chest.
Damn. That's... generous. No wonder rich merchants like orc girls.
"You... why are you looking at me like that?" Mina lowered her head shyly.
"Ahem. Nothing."
Cheng Yu looked away. All he could say was that the ninety gold coins had been money well spent.
"There's only one bedroom and one bed in the apartment. You can sleep with me tonight. Your master doesn't mind."
Cheng Yu smiled, his intentions written all over his face.
Seeing that sleazy grin, Mina immediately understood what he was implying. She glared at him. "You're a bad guy! I'm not sleeping with you! I'll sleep on the floor!"
"Tsk. If I were a bad guy, I would've had my way with you already," Cheng Yu said dismissively.
It would be a lie to say he wasn't tempted. She was a gorgeous wolf-eared girl, after all.
But as an upstanding young man who'd received nine years of compulsory education, Cheng Yu would never do something as despicable as forcing himself on a girl.
"You..."
Mina was at a loss for words.
Thinking about it, Cheng Yu was right. If he'd wanted to, he could've forced her. The contract made resistance impossible.
And he'd made her that delicious fried rice. It really had been good.
[Host has gained +5 Favorability from Mina]
The system notification echoed in Cheng Yu's mind.
"Favorability? What's that for?"
Cheng Yu was puzzled. Favorability didn't seem to be the same as positive emotion points. He couldn't exchange it for items in the shop.
[When Favorability reaches 100, the host can share one of the target's innate abilities]
Many races on the Celsis Continent had racial talents.
Cheng Yu had read about it in The Complete Collection of Plants and Animals on the Celsis Continent. The Silver Wolf Clan's racial talents included enhanced running speed and the ability to release moonlight shockwaves.
But he'd need 100 favorability with Mina to unlock that.
That night, Cheng Yu slept on the bed. Mina slept on the floor.
The next morning at nine o'clock, Cheng Yu brought Mina to the restaurant to open for business.
Operating hours: 10 AM to 2 PM.
Cheng Yu was lazy when it came to running the restaurant. Four hours a day was plenty.
When they arrived at the shop, more than a dozen people were already waiting outside the door.
When the customers spotted Mina standing next to Cheng Yu, their reactions varied—surprise, envy, concern.
"The boss actually bought an orc girl."
"Orc slaves are expensive. The boss must be loaded."
"I heard beastfolk have incredible stamina in that department. What if she drains him dry? Who's gonna make our fried rice then?"