Blood Rose Tavern

[This was a city with stories to tell.]

"Please. What city doesn't have a few stories?"

After confirming his identity at the guards' post, Li Xunsheng finally stepped into this weathered city.

[Notice Board: If you want to obtain some basic quest information, you've come to the right place.]

"Got it, got it. Let's see..."

After stopping in front of the notice board and looking over the various daily quests above, the young man soon found himself dazzled by the choices...

"Ugh... Do they all require such high cooking levels?"

[Drunken Flower House Recruiting Apprentices — Requires a cooking level of at least thirty.]

[Lingyue Pavilion Recruiting Assistants — Requires a cooking level of at least twenty.]

"Ah, none of these will work. Don't you have anything simpler?"

As he scanned one notice after another, Li Xunsheng finally discovered a strange piece of information through the Eye of God.

The notice board read:

'Recruiting a head chef. Required cooking level: eighty.'

At first glance, there was nothing wrong with it. In fact, the requirement was even rather high. However, Li Xunsheng discovered that the owner of the notice was merely the proprietress of a small restaurant—Mo Rui.

The main problem was...

Li Xunsheng stared at the cooking level of eighty written on the notice, concentrating as he pondered it...

[Once a Life Skill reaches eighty, its user may be called a master. Such people are as rare as phoenix feathers and qilin horns.]

"Then how could such a small restaurant possibly accommodate an expert like that?"

The answer was, of course, no. So why had this woman posted such a notice?

[Well, in reality, this woman wasn't sincere, so she had made up the level requirements. It seemed that anyone could go and give it a try.]

"I'll go take a look."

The address clearly placed it in the prime district of Lone Star City, yet the place showed no intention of doing business at all... Even the recruitment notice was perfunctory.

This woman had successfully piqued Li Xunsheng's interest.

She definitely had ulterior motives! There might even be some hidden circumstances!

Based on Li Xunsheng's many years of gaming experience, this situation clearly indicated a hidden quest!

While everyone else was busy grinding levels, he had to seize the opportunity!

After swiftly passing through several streets, Li Xunsheng arrived in front of the shop listed on the notice.

Sure enough, just as he had expected, the female shopkeeper had no intention of opening for business. The storefront was deserted despite being on this bustling street, completely out of place amid the surrounding prosperity.

[Blood Rose Tavern]

Li Xunsheng stepped forward and knocked on the door. Since he was in a safe zone, he wasn't worried about his safety at all and waited openly for the owner to answer.

"Hm? Who is it?"

A soft, alluring voice came from behind the door. After a faint click, the wooden door opened, and a beautiful, purple-haired woman in a black mage robe poked her head out.

"Hello. I'm here to apply for the head chef position. My name is Li Xunsheng."

[Mo Rui Lv70 ??? (Due to the Eye of God being incomplete, no further information can be obtained)]

"Hm? Recruitment? Ah... yes, yes, there is that."

The voluptuous boss lady froze for a moment before immediately revealing a charming smile and gesturing for the young man to come inside and talk.

"You don't usually open for business? That notice looks like it's been posted for quite a while... And your shop is really conspicuous on this street..."

Gazing at the graceful figure beneath the woman's black mage robe, Li Xunsheng's pupils contracted slightly.

[This woman has been in Lone Star City for some time, but she has never officially opened for business. She seems to be using business as a cover while doing something else...]

"Haha, perhaps my previous requirements were too high, so no one applied."

With a smile, the woman brought over a cup of tea and sat down in front of Li Xunsheng, her face beaming as she looked completely harmless.

Perhaps it was just his imagination, but Li Xunsheng always felt that this woman gave off a faint, elusive air of seduction... Whether it was her appearance and figure or her soft, sweet voice...

"What is your cooking level?"

"Lv.2."

"???"

Li Xunsheng made no attempt to conceal his cooking level, causing the corner of Mo Rui's mouth to twitch.

"But our requirements are..."

"Alright, Miss Mo Rui. Let's be frank with each other."

[Forbidden Barrier]

Taking his gaze back from the doorway, Li Xunsheng sighed softly. He decided not to continue with the pretense and to achieve his goal first.

"I've already figured it out. The reason you opened this little shop in the city seems to be that you're merely disguising your identity. But I'm an outsider. I have no prejudice against any faction or race. I just want to find a place to stay for now and make further plans afterward."

Ignoring the surprise in Mo Rui's eyes and the viciousness that occasionally flashed through them, Li Xunsheng remained as steady as a mountain and continued speaking calmly.

"It's not right for you to keep the shop closed. Doing nothing in such a prime location will only attract more suspicion. Posting absurdly high recruitment requirements has the same effect. In my opinion, if you want to remain hidden in this city, you should operate normally."

"However, you don't seem suited to showing your face in public. So hiring a hardworking and inexpensive laborer to run the shop seems like the best choice."

Under Mo Rui's increasingly terrifying gaze, Li Xunsheng tugged at his collar.

"What do you think of me? My cooking level is low right now, but I'm confident I can raise it quickly. Ah, and I don't have high salary requirements. Room and board plus seventy or eighty Silver Coins a month would be enough for me."

"Heh. Aren't you clever, little brother?"

Suppressing her murderous intent, the cautious Mo Rui stared fixedly at the human boy before her and said through clenched teeth:

"Are you threatening me? If I refuse, what are you going to do?"

"If you refuse... then I'll go stay wherever it's cooler. I don't want to provoke someone like you. I just want to find a place where I can freeload for food and lodging."

Mo Rui's reaction was even more intense than Li Xunsheng had anticipated. But the young man knew that the moment he knocked on the door, there had already been no turning back.

"You think you've got me figured out?"

The man's calm, composed expression completely enraged Mo Rui. Black mist surged from the beautiful woman's body as she stopped concealing her true form...

Black horns, wings like a bat's, and a tail shaped like a spade...

Mo Rui curled her lips upward, revealing sharp fangs.

"A demon..."

Li Xunsheng's expression turned solemn. The situation had now exceeded his control somewhat.

He had originally thought that this older sister was, at most, a spy from another city—or perhaps an intelligence agent from another country, or the vanguard of some strange organization.

But he had never expected that this sister was actually a member of another race!

The differences between races would probably make it difficult for today's farce to end peacefully... His godly passive skill might be forced to activate.

"You really want to fight? You might regret it."

In any case, Li Xunsheng didn't want to fall out with her just like this, so he could only make one final attempt.

"Hmph! Do you think you still have a chance?"

Mo Rui thrust out both hands at a speed too strange to follow and seized Li Xunsheng by the shoulders. Red light blazed in her eyes as immensely powerful mental chains surged toward the young man's soul.

A man who dared to come alone must have some kind of reliance.

Therefore, in an instant, Mo Rui unleashed her strongest means of control, determined to completely dominate the man's mind in one move!