Be Careful When Agreeing to Terms and Conditions

1. Mond (7)

Late at night, in the headquarters of the Phebonius Knights, in the commander’s office.

The sweet scent of tea, out of place for the hour, filled the room.

I gratefully accepted the tea Jin had brewed and took a sip. It was refreshing, enough to clear my mind in an instant.

“I’m not sure if it suits your taste. It’s the tea I drink when working late…”

Jin’s voice revealed an unmistakable weariness.

I let out a sigh and lowered my head.

“No, it’s better to have something that clears the mind.”

Yes, it was a relief to have something to clear my mind in this way.

To close the street stall… I was at a loss for words at the shocking order.

Of course, it was natural. The street stall had been my workplace, where I had put all my effort and energy into for a month.

To suddenly be told to close such a place, it was only natural for me to be bewildered.

But I couldn’t argue with Jin about it. There was no fault in his reasoning.

It was an ‘unlicensed street stall’, a fatal flaw. It seemed that I couldn’t shake off the perception of Tibet as a “world in a game,” despite it being a reality to me.

In a place with a normal administrative system, taxes had to be collected, and to collect taxes, it was a natural procedure to register the store.

Why hadn’t I thought of that?

Not long ago, I had been unable to properly utilize the game functions because Tibet seemed too real, and now I was making mistakes by mistaking it for a world in a game.

I couldn’t help but feel self-reproach.

Perhaps, it was because I was thinking of the food cart that used to appear in the dramas I watched when I was young. It was an unlicensed street stall, but it did well in business.

However, my street stall has become so famous among the people of Mondstadt that there is hardly anyone who doesn’t know about it, and the sales were incomparable to those of a simple illegal street stall.

From the perspective of the Favonius Knights, who are responsible for maintaining the order of the city, this was a problem that could not be ignored.

As if she could read my gloomy expression, Jean, the acting Grand Master, let out a deep sigh.

“It may sound like an excuse, but… even from the perspective of the Knights, it was unavoidable. Already, many restaurants were complaining about outsiders coming in and taking away their customers in this difficult time with the threat of the Stormterror looming.”

She said as she lay down wearily on the reception room sofa, and massaged her temples. She seemed quite worn out from accumulated fatigue.

“Xiao, you are a companion of the honorary knights, right? The honorary knights have been a great help to Mondstadt, and your food has been a support to the frontline knights. But… the essence of the Favonius Knights is to uphold the order of Mondstadt. I hope you can understand our situation, even if it may sound unreasonable.”

She was not wrong. I simply nodded silently in response to Acting Grand Master Jean’s words.

“It may not be much of a consolation, but with your skills, you would be welcomed anywhere. Otherwise, you could work for the Knights. Or if not, going through the process of registering as a citizen of Mondstadt and officially opening a shop might be… “

“It’s okay. The restaurant was never my goal in the first place.”

I cut off Acting Grand Master Jean’s ensuing suggestion.

After all, the street stall was just the first step in my plan. The only reason it was important in my plan was that it didn’t require much time to earn money.

I needed to secure a large sum of money as quickly as possible.

However, working for a salary or waiting to officially register a shop would take time in various ways.

I felt a throbbing in my head. Come to think of it, the fatigue I had been enduring all this time seemed to hit me all at once.

Enduring the exhausting days to accommodate the overflowing customers had taken its toll.

Come to think of it, fatigue… I recalled the dishes I had checked in the ‘cooking’ function.

There were still inactive recipes, and among them, there was one with

Fatigue and anger had built up, driving me to the brink of madness. Even as I thought this, I made an utterly unexpected request to Jin.

“By any chance, does the knight order possess a recipe book?”

“Um, huh? I think there should be one.”

Jin seemed a little flustered. Well, it was understandable. It must have been quite out of the blue for a guy who had been brooding and sullen to suddenly bring this up.

Nevertheless, Jin seemed to have a natural inclination to not refuse a request, as he promptly pointed to a corner of the bookshelf with his finger.

“Probably over there…”

I sprang to my feet and walked briskly to the bookshelf.

Numerous materials related to the knight order were on display, and when I reached the corner, instead of documents, I found ordinary books.

Could these be books that the previous leaders of the Phoebonius Knight Order read as a hobby?

It didn’t take long for me to come across an intriguing book. “The Culinary Encyclopedia of Tibet” – the name alone gave off a distinct recipe book vibe.

As soon as I laid my hand on the book, golden pages flowed into my hand like a cascade of light, absorbing me.

The process was so natural that I was left bewildered, not knowing what had just happened.

[Recipe Acquired: Smoked Arctic Chicken]

[Recipe Acquired: Chilled Pork Slices]

[Recipe Acquired: Mushroom Pizza]

Oh, I even forgot about the situation I was in and let out a small sigh.

My recipe collection was expanding!

Among the newly discovered recipes, I could even confirm a dish with yellow crosses that I had been pondering.

“Smoked Arctic Chicken,” I pondered silently for a moment.

Then, as if a good idea had suddenly occurred to me, I turned around.

Jin was looking at me with deeply suspicious eyes. She said she would check the recipe book, but as she quickly flipped through the pages with her hand, nodding to herself, I felt like I would have done the same thing if I were in her position.

But the words I was about to bring up would be even more unexpected.

“Perhaps, would you like to have a late-night snack?”

Jin’s face became even more unreadable.

**

From today’s visit, I’ve realized a few things.

The Teyvat continent may be a world in a game, but it has its own system, and one must understand its rules first.

When you find a recipe book, you can find recipes that are locked in your cooking abilities.

And finally, Jin the manager finds it really hard to refuse a request.

I learned the last fact after coming down to the empty Favonius Knight’s dining hall with Jin the manager.

In front of us now, there was a dish.

[Perfect]

[Delicious Smoked Poultry from the North] x2

It was cooked to preserve the crispiness of the surface, like rekindling smoked meat, and added richness to the flavor. The vegetables were sliced and rinsed in cold water to bring out their crunchy taste, while the sauce, based on honey, exuded a subtle aroma as it flowed thickly over the surface of the meat.

“…Well, thank you for now. I’ll enjoy this.”

With that, she began her meal with a dignified posture, as if the etiquette of the Knights had been ingrained in her.

She cut a piece of meat with her knife, put it in her mouth, and her eyes widened.

Then, the speed of her fork and knife subtly increased.

As always, it seemed well made today too.

Thinking that, I picked up my fork and knife.

It was indeed a great taste. The smoky aroma of the smoked meat blended with the sweet scent of the sauce, creating a savory flavor, and the crispy vegetables with a tangy dressing balanced out the somewhat heavy texture of the smoked meat.

And there was something refreshing about this feeling.

Yes, this was it. The yellow cross I wanted to know about, the ‘stamina recovery effect.’

Glancing at the serious demeanor of the head chef, it seemed she hadn’t yet realized, as she was engrossed in her meal, but she too appeared visibly fatigued.

Her skin regained its vitality, and the hazy azure eyes, which had been dulled by fatigue, now sparkled with light.

She was already beautiful, but with her regained energy, her beauty shone even brighter.

As the late-night banquet, which had come about so unexpectedly, neared its end, I asked Jin, whose face was tinged with a subtle sense of satisfaction.

“How do you feel? Do you feel a bit more energized?”

At my words, Jin, with a puzzled look as if not understanding English, tilted her head, then soon seemed to detect the change in her body.

Twisting her upper body this way and that to check her physical condition, Jin soon showed a face of wonder.

“I’ve heard rumors, but I never thought such a thing would be possible…”

After marveling for a while, Jin soon wore a bitter smile.

“…I, it may be a presumptuous question, but may I ask why you are showing me kindness?”

Jin seemed a bit dejected.

After all, she had been called to close down the stall, and it might have seemed like a show of skill to treat her to a meal. Otherwise, she might have felt even more uncomfortable with my kindness, thinking she had a sense of guilt.

In truth, I had treated her without much thought, but my thoughts changed a bit while cooking.

Since I was already treating her to a meal, it wouldn’t be so bad to accept Jin’s kindness.

The closing of the stall was already a done deal. There was no room for argument. What I needed to do was maintain a constructive relationship, not to trouble anyone.

Moreover, Jin was the acting head of the Phebonius Knights and was entangled in a personal relationship with Lumine.

I decided to comfort her a little.

“I’ve thought about it a bit. Why would the acting commander bother to summon you?”

Indeed, a matter important enough for someone of the acting commander’s standing to call me in was not a trivial one.

Of course, my stall’s reputation is lofty, but that’s one thing and this is another. There is no room for dispute, and there is no need for an acting commander to take charge in a matter that is clear-cut.

The real commander chose to remain silent. Only his deep blue eyes, like sapphires, reflected my figure.

“I have many regulars at my stall. Among them are the knights who order large quantities of food every morning, my friend Amber, and Lumine, the honored knight of the Favonius.”

Yes, there are many people intertwined with my stall.

So, no matter who the Favonius sends, there will be some discomfort. That’s why it’s better for the acting commander, Jin, to step forward.

That way, even I, who receive the closed notification, can save face in my own way. At the very least, I can leave the impression that the commander of the Favonius paid attention.

“Regardless of who is sent, it would be awkward for both parties. So, if there’s any discomfort, the acting commander will do it. I thought it was such an obvious reason.”

A trivial reason, so if there’s any discomfort, Jin’s willingness to endure it led me to come here.

Jin is a good person. That much was certain. He has a considerate heart for his subordinates, and he politely asked for my understanding without defending himself.

“In truth, I don’t know much. I’m just an ordinary merchant…”

I gauged Jin’s reaction. She was just staring at me silently.

Did I miss the mark? It would be embarrassing if so.

But I had come this far already. Since I couldn’t stop now, I concluded my words with a determined spirit.

“…Still, I have a principle to treat good people with kindness.”

It’s a lie. Just a month ago, I had taken advantage of Amber’s kindness and taken her money.

But what could I do? I repaid the money I borrowed from Amber with double the interest, so in hindsight, the transaction between Amber and me ended up benefiting both of us.

So even if I said I had a principle to treat good people

Darkness, whether it’s there or not.

Deceiving the voice of my conscience like that, I once again gauged Jin’s reaction.

At that moment, Jin’s eyes drew a gentle line.

“Well, I see.”

With that, she closed her eyes as if relieved, and a smile played on her lips.

“I think I know why a knight of honor is with you. Thank you, Xiu.”

Her smile was so beautiful that I thought:

If I’ve earned the favor of such a beauty, it’s not too bad.

Men were creatures as sad as this.

***

However, even if I bought Jin’s favor, nothing was resolved.

I realized this after arriving at the inn.

When Jin scolded me, I was captivated by her beauty, and closing down the stall felt like no big deal. But upon reflection, it was quite a significant problem.

Could it be that Jin scolded me, calculating all of this?

The Favonius Knights, was it really a formidable strategy…

“Xiu, um, no matter what you do, I think you’re an amazing person.”

“Yeah, anyway, Xiu, your incompetence was your charm, right?”

Lumine and Paimon tried to comfort me in my distress, but it didn’t ease my heart.

Rather, is Paimon mocking me? Is that supposed to be comforting?

I let out a deep sigh. It wasn’t a problem that would be solved by being sad anyway, and now that I had plenty of time, there was ample time to contemplate.

The captain gave a 15-day grace period until the closure of the street stalls, but I refused.

It was a small revenge against the restaurants where I had filed complaints about my street vending.

Technically, I might be at a disadvantage, but human feelings are not that simple. If Mondstadt’s specialty disappeared without a word, it was only natural for regulars to vent their resentment on the restaurants I had complained about.

There were negative rumors circulating, saying that I lacked affection or that I couldn’t win with my skills.

Of course, the impact of that was significant enough to make the restaurant owners uncomfortable.

In truth, it was my fault, but my nature made it difficult for me to completely let go of my attachment to the street stalls without enacting some small revenge.

So, I gave up the street vending and lately, I have been experimenting with a new feature.

It was a newly opened feature called “Wish” and “Shop” after Lumine drove away the Stormterror.

“Wish” seemed to be some sort of gacha system. I had about 5,000 primogems, so I rolled about 20 times, and when a character came out, it was exchanged for “Stardust” and “Starglitter” along with an error message.

The equipment seemed to go directly into my inventory. If I could steadily acquire high-grade equipment, this could also be a great source of income.

But since I couldn’t find the source of these “primogems,” it wasn’t very appealing.

As I was browsing the “Shop,” I was looking at the menu for “Stardust Exchange.”

There were items listed that could be exchanged, and among them, one thing caught my eye.

[Mora x10,000] – 10 Stardust

“Huh?”

I could exchange Stardust for Mora?

I felt a spark of inspiration.

I immediately purchased 100 Stardust for 100,000 Mora as an experiment.

And just like that, 100,000 Mora filled my backpack.

“Huh, what?”

Suddenly, my heart began to beat rapidly.

As if sensing my surprise, Faemon fluttered over when I swallowed my breath, and asked with a curious voice, examining my expression.

“What’s wrong, Xiu?”

“M-m-money…”

Perhaps frustrated by my stumbling words, Faemon furrowed her brow slightly and demanded, “What did you say? Spit it out!”

Unable to hold back any longer, I finally shouted in response to Faemon’s persistent questioning.

“The money is being duplicated!”

The devil’s money duplicator had been activated.

I needed to quickly figure out the source of the primal gems.