CHAPTER 111 - TRIPLE 1'S! CHEERS TO THE 'UNATTACHED' - MAY YOUR SPIRITS STAY 'UNMATCHED'!

🙞❤︎🙜

The next day, everything went without a hitch. I planted more tea while the kids planted crocus flowers. At this point, normally we would go back to the main house for a lavish feast to mark the end of the planting season. However we'd just had a feast with the head of the Fox clan, and I thought that it would be ridiculous to have two in the same week.

That’s why I decided to let the kids go on a shopping trip to Anwei instead. They deserved it after working hard last year. Before they left. I asked them an important question. “Tell me, do you feel that anything has changed? Do you have more energy? Something like that.”

The three of them exchanged looks. Lari scratched his head and said, “I noticed that even when my energy bar is almost empty, I don’t feel exhausted anymore.”

“That’s true. I haven’t felt like I’m about to collapse,” said Mo, who was the one who often had problems regulating her energy.

“Is it because we leveled up?” asked Kharli.

“No, it’s because of the mushrooms that I gave the chef to use,” I said. “They’re supposed to boost our stats slightly, but I haven’t seen any indication of it in the System.”

When the cave mushrooms had been added to the team, they had added status effects like Clarity, Regeneration, Bravery, Stone Skin, Haste, etc. but that had been removed later because it made combat too unbalanced. Nonetheless, the mushrooms should still give a small boost to a player's stats.

“We ate magic mushrooms?” Kharli’s eyes widened.

I nodded.

“Can we have more tomorrow?” asked Lari.

“Why not? I’m afraid that by telling you about it now, your imagination might run away with you and we won’t be able to know for sure if the mushrooms work,” I said. The placebo effect could be quite powerful. “I notice that I have a little bit more energy, but really not a lot. It could just be that I had a good night's sleep.

“I haven’t really noticed anything,” said Kharli.

“Never mind, it’s fine. Maybe the mushrooms I had were just too low-level,” I said. “Go and have fun in the city. Remember, don’t go over your budget.”

Fengying and I had already discussed the amount of money that they could use, and what they could use it on, which was primarily new clothing.

“Yes, Teacher.” They bowed and then left, chatting merrily about all the things that they wanted to buy in the city. Kharli wanted some new skirts. Mo wanted more trousers. Lari wanted nicer jackets.

As for me, I planned to spend my afternoon using my inventory to replenish our pantry. Most of the items in my inventory were bound to me and, therefore, couldn’t be used by other people unless I processed them first. I believe the reason behind this was that, for example, the [Strawberries] in my inventory were different from [Sliced Strawberries]. All I had to do was use my knife on the fruits and I could then give the sliced fruits to the Demon Chef for him to use however he saw fit.

I had been unable to do this before until my “cooking curse” was resolved by a quest. Due to my low cooking level, I still sometimes failed in slicing fruits, but it was worth a try.

“It’s just you and me, Yinuo,” I said to the head maid. We were in the large industrial kitchen that I had set up in the inner courtyard. Unlike the other rooms which were exquisitely decorated, this part of the house was purely functional. Three huge refrigerators dominated the southern side, while the western side gleamed with stainless steel cooking ranges and ovens. The northern side was full of shelves containing every sort of kitchen supplies one might need, such as pots, pans, knives, mixing bowls, whisks, measuring cups, etc. “Are you sure you’re okay with staying here instead of going on the shopping trip with the others?”

“Yes, Baroness. I’m saving my money for my dowry,” she said.

“Oh, who’s the lucky man?” I asked.

“I haven’t found one yet,” she said.

Yinuo was a tall, bony woman of around thirty. She had long black hair down to her knees and large brown eyes. I thought she was rather pretty.

“Okay, let’s get to work. I’ll slice the fruits, and you will put them in these containers.” I gestured at the porcelain bowls, small glass jars, and large clay pots piled up beside my workspace. There was plenty of counter space on the island in the middle of the kitchen where I had decided to work.

She nodded. Without further ado, I took out a dozen [Strawberries] from my inventory and a knife from my System toolbelt. Yinuo was used to how my apprentices and I seemingly pulled out items from nowhere. Clan members and cultivators in this world had a “soul space” where they could use the stored items, so this wasn’t something too unusual.

The System guided my hands in cutting the fresh strawberries into quarters.

“Oops.” Instead of turning the [Strawberries] into [Sliced Strawberries], they somehow turned into [Burnt Strawberries]. “I don’t understand how these could have gotten burned.”

“The chef said that cursed ingredients are hard to cook,” said Yinuo.

I sighed. “These aren’t cursed. Can you try touching them?”

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I pushed a [Strawberry] towards her. She reached out her hand towards the fruit then withdrew it.

“There seems to be a force that is preventing me from touching it,” she said.

“It figures,” I said. That was the effect of the item’s bound status. The natives of this world perceived it as a “cursed item.” I tried three times more and produced three bunches of [Burnt Strawberries] which my maid placed into a trash can. Thankfully, I was able to make some [Sliced Strawberries] on my fifth try. “That’s more like it!”

Yinuo clapped.

Was she mocking me? I examined her expression. Maybe?

“One down, fifty more to go!” I said.

Slicing fruits was an extremely monotonous activity, and my maid was with me not just to help with organizing the fruit, but also to keep me company and entertain me.

“Shall I begin reading this book out loud?” She held up a copy of “Secrets of the Ruler’s Court, Volume VII, Illustrated Edition.”

I giggled. “Why not?”

Yinuo started reading it out loud to me. “Courtly love among the nobles of the Vermillion Bird clan is a highly mannered and elegant affair full of poetry, drama, and public displays of extravagance. The twenty-fifth king, known for his thousands of lovers, once said ‘A day without courtship is to be avoided at all costs.’ Chivalric romances are not complete without at least a dozen stories of destined lovers, amorous adventures, and humorous erotic entanglements.”

“Erotic? Wait, how spicy is this book?” I asked.

“It’s actually rather dry. This volume is about historical romances,” she said.

“Okay, continue.”

The first story was about the legend of the Peony Maiden and the Prince of Eagles.

Yinuo read the story to me as I continued slicing more [Strawberries].

“When the world was young, the Prince of Eagles was soaring through the sky in search of adventure when a flash of color caught his eye. At the edge of a cliff, was the most beautiful flower in the world, the Crimson Pearl Peony. Awestruck by its magnificent color, gracefully furled petals, and ravishing scent, he fell madly in love at first sight.”

“Oh my,” I said as I failed my cooking task yet again.

Yinuo dutifully slid the [Burnt Strawberries] off the counter and into the trash can before continuing the story. “The Prince of Eagles, eager to prove his devotion, flew East of the Evening Star and West of the Dawn to collect fresh morning dew from the Parasol Tree to water the flower every day for ten thousand years.”

“Ten thousand years?” I raised an eyebrow while I continued making more [Burnt Strawberries] and [Sliced Strawberries].

Yinuo shrugged. “These stories always say ‘ten thousand years,’ but I think it just means a long time.”

“I see.”

“Millennia passed while the Prince waited patiently for his beloved to respond to his affection, but she remained silent. At last, the Prince’s long lifespan came to an end and he died.”

“What? He died? What kind of love story is this?”

“There’s more!” Yinuo turned the page and continued reading. “Even in death, the Prince of Eagles’ great love didn’t falter. Blood from his heart continued to water the flower, turning the soil around the peony red. Finally, the Crimson Pearl Peony was moved. Transforming herself into a lovely young human maiden, she gathered up the Prince’s bones and heart and sought to return him to Grandmother Eagle’s home East of the Evening Star and West of the Dawn. She walked so far that she wore out ten thousand iron shoes.”

I made a sound of appreciation.

“In those days, the world was still young, and Grandmother Eagle could be found chasing the sun dogs or at home roosting on the Parasol Tree. The Peony Maiden showed Grandmother Eagle the bones and asked for her help.” Yinuo showed me the beautifully illustrated page where the Peony Maiden, clad in gorgeous blood-red robes, knelt in front of a giant tree. “Grandmother Eagle said, ‘His blood flows because his heart still beats for love of you. If you wish for him to return, all you need to do is to bury his heart in the place he loves the most.’ The Peony Maiden understood and immediately ate the heart.”

“Ah! Cannibalism?! This story is hardcore!” I said.

“Her belly swelled and nine moons later she gave birth to a boy as fair as the sun and as gentle as the moon. And they lived happily ever after.”

“That was a very weird story.” I was going to ask her to read the next one when I heard the chiming of the doorbell.

“My lady, I’ll go see who that is,” said Yinuo. She left and returned with a small box and an official-looking scroll in her hands. “A messenger from the Fox clan asked me to give this to you.”

The velvet-lined wooden box contained a seed and the message on the scroll read, “Hey, Witch, I found this Crimson Pearl Peony seed in a treasure room. Why don’t you try growing it?”

It was unsigned, but obviously it was from Lady Hoshi.

The System pinged me with a popup notification.

[New Quest Available: Curing Infertility Part 2]

Yinuo, who was standing beside me reading the scroll, too, looked incredulously at me and said, “Baroness, this is related to the story I was just reading!”

“Yeah.” I nodded absentmindedly and picked up the seed.

[Crimson Pearl Peony Seed:

A legendary seed that has been passed on for generations since time immemorial. The long-extinct Crimson Pearl Peony was said to be the main ingredient of the Paramount Serendipitous Celestial Pill, the ultimate fertility drug.]

Whoa, that sounded pretty awesome. I mentally clicked on the [Accept Quest] button.

[Curing Infertility Part 2:

Plant the Crimson Pearl Peony seed.

Requirements: Black Soil, Spirit Water, and Mysterious Goo.

Reward: Farming Exp]

The soda water I got from the Mines was the same thing as [Spirit Water]. I would have to create [Black Soil] on the farm and unlock the [Mysterious Goo] by using the recipe when I unlocked the ingredients.

“D-don’t you think that’s strange?” asked Yinuo. Her eyes darted around the kitchen as though looking for something. “I read the legend of the Peony Maiden and this seed appeared… Was someone listening?”

“Who? There’s no one but us here.” That didn’t make sense. Even if someone had heard, they would’ve had to report it to Lady Hoshi and return with the seed while running at the speed of light.

Yinuo bit her lip and then pointed up at the ceiling.

I automatically looked up, but, of course, there was nothing there.

Yinuo gave me an agonized look.

“Someone…” She pointed up again then clasped her hands as though in prayer.

“Oh, you mean, um, I don’t think so. I’m sure it’s just a weird coincidence,” I said. Come to think of it, in the game things always happened this way, didn’t they? I mean, the player would talk to an NPC about a certain legend or rumor and then receive a related quest right after that. It wasn’t until now that I realized how bizarre that would be in real life.

Yinuo did not look convinced. “If you say so, my lady.”

“Maybe we should put the book away and just chat about something,” I suggested as I sat down to cut more [Strawberries]. I’d barely managed to fill one bowl.

Yinuo shot one more scared look at the ceiling before standing beside me at the kitchen counter once again. “Yes, that might be for the best.”

“Hey, at least we were only talking about a love story. Just think what might have happened if you had read the story about…” I took the book and leafed through it. “The Black Beast of Drakmorth.”

Yinuo took the book from me, turned the pages to chapter nine, and showed it to me. “How about I read the story about the most handsome man in the world?”

“Who is that?”

“Prince Arjun of the Vermillion Bird clan. They say he’s so gorgeous that red flowers spring up wherever he walks.”

“Wow! But I already have someone…”

“I don’t.” Yinuo looked up and said, “If someone’s listening, please I would like to see a man so stunningly beautiful that the birds in the sky fall down when they catch sight of him.”

Seconds later, the doorbell chimed again.