Chapter 3

The next morning, Rao Ke was jolted awake by the tablet's alarm.

She forced her eyes open and checked the time—it was just past eight.

After a reluctant struggle to get up, she washed up and changed into warmer clothes: a white silk blouse paired with a gray wool skirt, finished with a light green cloak.

The cloak was a magical one from Sesame Paste—warm in winter, cool in summer, and able to shift color and style at will.

Through the glass window, she saw the world outside completely covered in snow, a vast white expanse that felt eerily still.

"By the way, Sesame Paste, since this world has magic, my shop and I should be safe, right?" Rao Ke asked, munching on a small bread roll with some cereal for breakfast.

These were things she'd stocked in the kitchen earlier. Rao Ke felt a flicker of relief that she'd always liked to hoard supplies at home.

"Of course! The protective barrier will appear when the host is attacked. However... it costs 200,000 points per month for maintenance," Sesame Paste added, its tone tinged with guilt.

"What?!" Rao Ke nearly choked on her bread. "Why does everything cost money with you?"

"This is the top-tier barrier! With it, you can walk all over this continent without a care!" Sesame Paste quickly boasted.

Rao Ke opened the system panel and stared at her asset—a mere 500 points. She fell silent. "Thanks, but I prefer walking upright."

"Of course, as a newbie benefit, you can use this barrier for free for the first month!" Sesame Paste said hurriedly.

Rao Ke sighed, thinking she'd have to start hustling again. "Fine."

But she also believed in getting what you paid for, and maybe because she felt she didn't have long to live, she liked to spend whatever she earned and never shortchanged herself.

If this was the highest quality barrier, then the price wasn't actually unreasonable.

"Time to make money again. Looks like life just can't escape money," Rao Ke said, standing up.

"But at least the shop is yours now; you're working for yourself," Sesame Paste reassured her.

Rao Ke had just been venting, really, so she reached out and patted Sesame Paste's head.

"Let's go." After breakfast, Rao Ke set off with Sesame Paste toward the nearest wandering town, empty-handed.

About ten meters from the town's entrance, Rao Ke and Sesame Paste hid sneakily behind a large tree, watching a squad of heavily padded soldiers patrol and check people coming and going.

"So how do we get in?" Sesame Paste wagged its tail, staring curiously at the patrol.

Rao Ke observed for a while and noticed that most people wore a bracelet. Those without one had to queue for questioning, but that process seemed relaxed, with a high pass rate.

"Let's go." Rao Ke pulled up her hood, and Sesame Paste jumped into her arms on its own.

"Hello, what brings you to No. 7 Wandering Town?" A woman with a delicate face and gentle demeanor asked Rao Ke kindly.

"Buying and selling goods," Rao Ke answered simply.

The woman, Ailier, nodded. As a patrol member, she often encountered outsiders like this.

After a few more questions and finding no issues, Ailier let Rao Ke pass. "Outsiders staying overnight need to register; if you don't, please leave by 5:30 PM."

"Not staying." Rao Ke said, then walked in with Sesame Paste in her arms.

Ailier stared at Rao Ke's retreating back. "Seems like someone interesting has arrived. I should notify the mayor..."

As soon as Rao Ke stepped into No. 7 Wandering Town, she noticed it was small and somewhat run-down, but the layout was orderly. Passersby wore ragged clothes, yet their spirits seemed decent.

Patrol members were everywhere on the streets, and the roads were clean. Rao Ke didn't spot any bullying or violence.

The town wasn't large, so Rao Ke wandered around with Sesame Paste for nearly an hour.

"Let's head to the market," Rao Ke said, carrying Sesame Paste toward it, drawing many eyes along the way.

A black-robed figure holding a sleek black cat strolling lazily down the street looked pretty formidable.

Besides, there had indeed been a few such odd visitors to No. 7 Wandering Town lately.

"Looks decent," Rao Ke remarked, eyeing the bustling market, and mingled with the crowd.

But stalls selling food were scarce; most sold herbs, ores, and magic beast corpses.

After browsing, Rao Ke turned toward a potion shop.

No. 7 Wandering Town had only one potion shop. Its interior was dimly lit, and when Rao Ke walked in with a basket, she saw no one.

The shop looked big from outside but turned out to be small inside, with assorted potions arranged on wooden shelves.

"Hello, may I help you?"

The sudden voice startled Rao Ke. She whipped her head around to find a man with a head of golden curls right in front of her.

"Sorry, I'm Laiensi, the owner of this potion shop," the man apologized, realizing he'd surprised her.

Rao Ke waved a hand. "Do you have any potions that can be used for seasoning?"

Laiensi was a bit taken aback. Usually, customers came to buy healing or attack potions; this was the first time someone had asked for flavoring potions.

"Of course," Laiensi said, a spark of excitement in his eyes, and led Rao Ke to a small corner, introducing his seasoning potions.

Back when Laiensi was studying potion-making in the imperial capital, he'd loved concocting all sorts of weird potions. Though others didn't get it, he remained obsessed.

Now, sensing he'd finally met someone who understood him, he launched into a fervent explanation, covering everything from taste to production philosophy to future dreams.

Rao Ke, who'd just wanted to buy seasoning, thought: ... My ears hurt. I'd rather have asked Sesame Paste.

But she endured it all because Laiensi wanted to gift her all his seasoning potions—to his "kindred spirit."

Rao Ke only picked a jar that resembled salt, one like MSG, and a spicy one, then returned the rest of the odd-flavored potions to him.

"By the way, these are for you, as thanks," Rao Ke said, buying five packs of instant noodles and handing them to Laiensi.

"Open the package and you'll find a noodle block and a few small seasoning packets. Add them to taste. Boil the noodles for about three minutes, depending on how you like them," Rao Ke explained briefly.

"Thanks! Oh, what's your name?" Laiensi accepted happily, realizing he didn't know his new friend's name yet.

"Rao Ke. Laiensi, do you know how to rent a stall here?" After a moment's hesitation, Rao Ke decided to ask him. He seemed like a nice guy so far.

"Stalls can be registered at the town center. It's 10 coppers a day, but monthly rentals are cheaper—around 279 coppers," Laiensi told his new friend in detail.

"Great, thanks." With the info she wanted, Rao Ke checked the time—nearly five.

"Oh, here you go!" Rao Ke pulled out a flyer and shoved it into Laiensi's hand.

"?" Laiensi opened it.

"It's a flyer for my shop. Come find me if you get a chance," Rao Ke said with a smile.

Laiensi nodded. The flyer simply listed the three items the shop currently offered, plus a rough address.

"I'll come by if I can!" Laiensi replied with a bright smile.

"Great, see you." It was almost 5:30, so Rao Ke turned to leave.

After Rao Ke left, Ailier emerged from the potion-making room. "What do you think?"

"Can't tell her strength, but she's definitely not ordinary. She might be a higher magic user than me," Laiensi shook his head. "But she's friendly and polite."

"And she's got great taste, don't you think? She can appreciate my special potions!" Just mentioning it got Laiensi riled up.

Ailier smiled helplessly. "All right, the mayor said there's a meeting at the town center, third floor, tonight. Don't be late!"

"Got it!" Laiensi responded, then spotted the five packs of instant noodles Rao Ke had left him. "I'll cook these for everyone tonight!"

"Fine, just check them first," Ailier reminded, then turned and left.

Meanwhile, Rao Ke had already left No. 7 Town, strolling leisurely along with Sesame Paste back to Keke Shop.

"So?" Sesame Paste lounged comfortably on Rao Ke's shoulder.

"How about grilled chicken with instant noodles for dinner?" Rao Ke replied, completely off-topic.

Sesame Paste's mouth watered at the thought. "Yes, yes!"

"Then go catch one." Rao Ke smirked, pointing at a googoo beast that had just appeared ahead.

Without a second thought, Sesame Paste pounced, and Rao Ke ended up with a plump googoo beast carcass.

"Good thing I have some seasonings in the kitchen." Rao Ke rarely cooked at home, so she had few seasonings—barely enough, and not much.

The pair walked through the snow, leaving a trail of footprints that were quickly buried by falling snowflakes, vanishing without a trace.

Back at the shop, Rao Ke headed straight to the kitchen on the second floor, dug into the fridge, and eventually found a packet of Orleans marinade among a heap of fruits, snacks, and drinks.

Then she pulled out the tablet and searched for a beginner-friendly Orleans grilled chicken tutorial.

[Unlock requires 10 points~]

"..." Rao Ke fell silent.

In the end, Sesame Paste used its authority to sneak her in through the back door.

"From now on, you can view Blue Star content privately for free."

"Perfect! I knew you were the best, Sesame Paste!" Rao Ke scooped up Sesame Paste and gave it a full-body massage, showering it with compliments. "Being your host is such a lucky break!"

Sesame Paste was thoroughly charmed. "Heh, no big deal."

"Now go play outside; I'll call you when it's ready." Rao Ke reopened the tutorial and started following it.

Rao Ke had some cooking skill. Growing up in the orphanage, she often helped Director Grandma in the kitchen.

After she got older and had her own place, she'd cook from time to time when she had spare moments.

So she quickly handled the googoo beast, removing the head, innards, and tail, punching small holes over the body, and then marinating it with the seasoning while giving it a massage. She wrapped it in plastic wrap and stored it in the fridge to marinate.

"I have to wait six hours?!" Rao Ke stared at the tutorial, feeling like the sky had fallen.

"We can have the roast chicken tomorrow. Let's just have instant noodles tonight," Sesame Paste consoled her.

Rao Ke resigned herself to cooking the noodles.