What do you call a rich lady? A tactical lean-back!
Big Watermelon and Melee God of Magic both sucked in a sharp breath when they saw the latest second-stage quest.
Just preparing lunch was worth 10,000 Experience Points!?
And it came with a random "Fine Grade" item or weapon?
If they posted a screenshot, wouldn't all the other Beta Testers—who were still running around miserably, busying themselves with all sorts of villagers' affairs, only to possibly earn a few dozen Experience Points in the end—go crazy with envy?
How could the gap between NPCs be so huge!?
"Miss Vivian, what would you like for lunch? Just say the word! No matter how difficult it is, we'll do everything we can to get it for you!" The two players scampered over to the girl.
"Ah, n-no need. I'll just eat some of the flatbread I brought with me."
Vivian hurriedly waved her hands, then, as if to prove that she really did have something to eat, rummaged around in her clothes and pulled out a tattered cloth bundle.
When she opened it, they saw that it contained a palm-sized piece of blackened flatbread, with a quarter of it remaining. No one could tell what it had been made from.
Liao Zixuan was curious too. He leaned over and sniffed it, only to kick out his legs on the spot and flop onto his back in a comical, corpse-like pose.
It reeked of mold!
No wonder the girl was skinny as a stick, without a scrap of flesh on her. Eating this awful thing every day—of course she couldn't put on any weight!
Throw it away!
The Wolf Cub pounced, snatched the black flatbread from the girl's hand, and, before Vivian could react, ran far away with it dangling from his mouth.
"Little Black! Little Black, stop fooling around!" Vivian came to her senses and immediately grew anxious. That was her food for the next several days.
Good grief, and that was supposed to last several days!?
There was no way the girl could stop Liao Zixuan. By the time the Wolf Cub came bouncing back, the awful flatbread was nowhere to be seen. Who knew where he had thrown it?
"You!" Vivian was so angry she nearly cried. She had grown up in a poor family. Though it was only a small piece of stale bread, it had probably taken everything she had to save it.
What the girl hated most was people who wasted food. Every bit of food they wasted could have saved someone who couldn't get enough to eat and was nearly starving.
Vivian raised her hand several times, wanting to give the Wolf Cub, who was looking at her innocently, a good beating. In the end, however, her raised hand still did not come down. Instead, it turned into a caress.
She couldn't help it. Her heart was simply too soft, and she couldn't bring herself to hit him—especially when Liao Zixuan deliberately conveyed his thoughts to her through Telepathy.
Just one word.
"Meat!"
That was right. She could endure hardship and eat flatbread, but Little Black was clearly a wolf, a monster. How could he eat vegetables like her?
She had considered everything for herself, yet had not thought at all about what Little Black should eat. Hadn't she just been telling others that she treated Little Black like family?
At that thought, Vivian became angry again. This time, however, she was no longer angry at Little Black, but at herself.
Sometimes, it was particularly interesting.
The girl couldn't bring herself to lower her pride and ask others for help, yet for someone she cared about, she could immediately set aside her dignity and beg.
"I'm sorry. I forgot about Little Black just now. I'll have to trouble you two, then, to hunt around here. Um... Little Black may have a very big appetite, so let's split up the work."
"Gotcha! Leave everything to us. You've worked hard for so long, so just rest here, Miss Vivian!"
The two players dashed off after receiving their instructions, rushing to find ingredients and leaving the girl behind, looking somewhat helpless.
Vivian had intended for everyone to prepare the meal together, but who could have expected them not to give her the chance?
What the girl didn't realize was that this was only the beginning. The real "suffering" was still to come.
A dozen minutes later.
"What are you doing!? Sit down! Miss Vivian, you're not allowed to move! Leave the firewood chopping to us!"
"Stop, stop! How could we let you do dirty work like washing vegetables, Miss Vivian?"
"Stop!!! Miss Vivian, do you look down on my cooking? Put down the meat and let me roast it! Just sit there and wait to eat!"
After being sent around in circles, the idle girl eventually held Little Black in confusion and leaned against the shade of a large tree. She watched the two Outlanders across from her bustle about, busily preparing lunch.
It was the first time Vivian had done absolutely nothing and waited for someone else to serve her.
While the girl was feeling uneasy and beginning to feel guilty, the two Beta Testers on the other side were also muttering anxiously to themselves.
Melee God of Magic and Big Watermelon had both noticed the special condition Liao Zixuan had newly added for unlocking the next stage of the quest chain.
Namely—
Vivian's Favorability.
That was why the two players had been running around like servants, treating the girl like a revered ancestor.
They wanted to raise Vivian's Favorability!
But what troubled the two of them was that despite doing so much, Vivian's Favorability had pitifully increased by only five points!
Yes, why had it only increased by five points?
Wasn't that obvious!?
Because the Favorability system was entirely controlled by Liao Zixuan alone!
Even those five points had only been added for testing.
"Vivian, what do you think of these two?"
"They're v-very nice. They just get a little too enthusiastic sometimes." The girl quietly stuck out her tongue at the Wolf Cub.
Liao Zixuan then raised Vivian's Favorability toward the two players by five points.
"What about now, Vivian? Do you suddenly feel fond of them deep down? Do they suddenly seem more pleasing to the eye?"
"What are you talking about? Don't spout nonsense, Little Black! You're becoming more and more shameless!" Vivian angrily patted the Wolf Cub on the butt.
Phew.
Now he could relax.
He could safely proceed with his immediately forthcoming "borrow a wolf and return nothing" plan!
"Miss Vivian, d-do you still want anything else to eat? How about I catch another snake and make snake soup?"
"Ah, no, no! This meat is already more than enough!"
"Then, Miss Vivian, are you thirsty? I'll find a spring and bring you some water!"
"No need, no need! I haven't finished the water in my canteen yet."
"How about I massage your legs and shoulders, Miss Vivian? I'm not bragging, but my massage skills are absolutely superb!"
Vivian: "..."
"You really don't need to worry about me anymore. I-I'm fine. I don't need anything else!"
The girl wore an earnest expression, but the two players across from her did not believe her at all.
Their quest display showed that Vivian's Favorability was still stuck at -5 (Indifferent), a full fifteen points short of reaching 10 (Neutral).
What did that mean? It meant that they clearly hadn't satisfied Vivian, the Witch rich lady.
So... what exactly were they still missing!?
Just as Big Watermelon and Melee God of Magic scratched their heads in puzzlement, a dialogue box suddenly popped up before their eyes.
The Witch Vivian has opened the "Shop" system to you.
Hmm?
An NPC shop!?
What was this supposed to be?
The two players looked at the girl, who was tearing roasted meat into pieces with her small hands and feeding it to the Wolf Cub in her arms, as if she knew nothing about this and was ignoring them completely. They were utterly confused.
After they clicked into it, they discovered that the Witch's shop contained only two products.
(1)
Offer your strength to the great Witch Vivian!
Price: 500 Experience Points
Product details: You will gain 1 Favorability point with Vivian.
(2)
Offer a sacrifice to the great Witch Vivian!
Price: Any item/equipment
Product details: Depending on the sacrifice's rarity, you will gain Favorability with Vivian.
Big Watermelon: "..."
Melee God of Magic: "..."
Recalling how Vivian had looked completely innocent when she said that she "didn't need anything," the two Beta Testers once again understood what it meant to—
eat people without even spitting out their bones.
WITCH!
Before you continue