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[Cheat] Chapter 17: Contract Partner
🕑 Added 2025-03-18 03:50:00 +0000 UTCAmber showed a conflicted expression and said, "How about this — why don't you come over to my place today?"
Just as planned.
Paimon silently grumbled in her heart — poor Amber, she fell for it just like that.
Of course, Zephyr feigned some hesitation on the surface and replied, "Ah, going to your place? Wouldn't that be a bit inconvenient?"
"N-no, it's fine! I live alone anyway."
Paimon thought to herself, Isn't that exactly what gives this scoundrel the perfect opportunity?!
Zephyr smiled and said, "Oh, is that so? Well then, I won’t hold back — after all, we're friends, right?"
"Yeah, yeah!"
Paimon raised a hand, "Amber, actually..."
Lumine shot her a glare.
"Uh... Paimon was just gonna ask, when are we going to eat?"
"Paimon, are you hungry? Then let's go eat right now!"
Amber led Zephyr and the others to her favorite restaurant.
"Welcome to Good Hunter! Good evening, how many of you are dining?"
"Good evening, Sara. Three servings of Sticky Honey Roast and some Mondstadt Hash Browns, please."
"Oh, Amber! Long time no see. Three Sticky Honey Roasts and Mondstadt Hash Browns, got it!"
In addition to that, they ordered some desserts and drinks as well.
Before long, the food was served.
Paimon swallowed hard and exclaimed, "It smells amazing!"
"Hehe, right? This is my favorite meal and my top recommendation — it won’t disappoint you!"
Lumine cut a piece of meat with her knife and fork, placing it gently into her mouth.
A blissful smile immediately appeared on her face.
"This is so good!"
Zephyr tilted his head and asked, "Is it really that good? Why isn’t it glowing?"
Lumine rolled her eyes. "What, do you think this is Cooking Master Boy?"
"Well, you didn’t have a dramatic ‘clothes explosion’ either."
"That's drugged cuisine! That's not real cooking!"
Paimon, stuffing her face with large bites, grumbled through her food, "What are you two even talking about? Paimon don’t get it."
Amber, sitting beside them, seemed quite used to their antics by now.
"So, Traveler, how is it?"
"Mmm! So delicious!"
Lumine marveled inwardly — while the food didn’t glow, it was nearly on par with the legendary dishes from Cooking Master Boy. How incredible... Was it due to special ingredients or maybe infused elemental energy?
Before they knew it, the meal was finished, and everyone sipped on their evening tea as they relaxed.
Curious, Lumine asked, “Amber, can we cook at that stove over there?”
“Yeah, you can! But cooking isn’t easy,” Amber replied.
Zephyr grinned. “That’s fine, I’m not afraid of a challenge.”
[Cooking]
Upon checking, Lumine realized she had learned a few recipes she could prepare: Mushroom Chicken Skewers, Teyvat Fried Egg, Grilled Steak, Radish Veggie Soup, Mondstadt Grilled Fish, and the most familiar dish — Sweet Madame.
Zephyr smirked.
He selected Sweet Madame and chose manual cooking. Using the fowl meat and Sweet Flowers he had gathered earlier in the wild, he skillfully prepared several servings of Sweet Madame in no time.
Amber and Paimon were stunned.
“W-wait, how did you do that? How did those ingredients just go ding and turn into food?”
Lumine crossed her arms and said smugly, “That’s a secret.”
Paimon’s eyes widened. “Oh! Paimon get it now! You're the player, right?”
“A player? Players can do things like this? That's amazing,” Amber marveled.
Zephyr used the remaining ingredients to prepare more dishes, then closed the cooking interface. It seemed this world was still quite realistic — ordinary people had to cook the normal way, while his convenient ding!" method was clearly special.
---
[Later That Evening]
“Ahh, time to head home and get some sleep!”
Upon entering Amber's house, Paimon gasped, “So this is Amber's home! Wow, it’s so pretty and tidy!”
“Oh, it’s nothing… Since I live alone, it’s a bit small. Sorry about that,” Amber said modestly.
“No worries, no worries!”
“As for the bed… How about I sleep on the sofa and you take the bed?”
“No way! You’re the host, and I’m the guest. How could I let you sleep on the sofa? Let’s do this — we’ll share the bed, and Paimon can take the sofa.”
Paimon: “???”
“A-ah… B-but wouldn’t that be a little... awkward?” Amber blushed.
“What’s awkward about it? We’re both girls~”
“Y-yeah, you're right… We're both girls…”
Meanwhile, Lumine was screaming internally: Yeah right, like you're really a girl! You're obviously a total perv! Oh, why couldn’t the one controlling me be a handsome guy instead of this creep?!
Zephyr suddenly sneezed. “Paimon, don’t think I don’t know — you’re definitely badmouthing me!”
Paimon: “???”
Zephyr turned serious. “Alright, back to the topic from earlier. Amber, would you be willing to join my team?”
Amber’s response this time wasn’t as casual as it had been earlier. “Why are you so determined to have me join your team?”
Zephyr smiled. “Because I like you, Amber.”
Amber’s lips parted slightly, as if she wanted to say something, but she held her words back.
Paimon scratched her head. “Wait… Isn’t it because she has a Vision?”
Smack! Zephyr swatted her on the head. “Why do you always have to talk so much?”
“Amber’s my main, okay? You know what a main is? There are tons of Vision holders out there — you think I’d pick someone for such a shallow reason?”
“Well… I guess…”
Amber relaxed her hands a little and said, “Traveler… or rather, Player... Even though we haven’t known each other for long, and even though you’re kind of… unusual, something about your words feels sincere. I’m willing to believe you.”
“Really? Thank you, Amber.”
Zephyr activated the Contract feature. A six-pointed star pattern glowed in Lumine’s palm.
“Amber, put your hand here.”
Amber took a deep breath and placed her hand on top of Lumine’s.
“Amber, will you be my partner?”
“I will.”
> Ding! Congratulations, Player! You have completed the main quest and earned: <
> 100 Green EXP Books <
> 50 Fine Enhancement Ores <
> 100,000 Mora <
> 1 Constellation Activation <
> 1 Brilliant Diamond <
> The Infinite Game Platform is now unlocked. <
Zephyr’s face lit up with joy — I'm rich! I'm rich!
100,000 Mora!
In the past, he wouldn’t have thought much of a mere 100,000 Mora.
But now? Mora was incredibly important.
While chatting with Amber earlier, he had learned that the average monthly wage for Mondstadt residents was around 2,000 Mora, and their recent meal had only cost about 100 Mora.
Now, with this quest reward, he had essentially hit the jackpot — he was practically a wealthy landowner overnight.
On top of that, the quest also rewarded him with EXP books, enhancement ore, and a Constellation Activation along with a Brilliant Diamond — all crucial items for Lumine’s advancement.
But when Zephyr saw the final reward, he paused.
"Infinite Game Platform? What’s that?"
There was no explanation from the system, so he didn’t dwell on it for now.
“Amber, since we're teammates now, I need to tell you a secret,” Zephyr said.
“A secret?” Amber tilted her head.
“Actually… I’m from another world.”
“Huh, is that so?” Amber responded calmly.
Paimon blinked in confusion. “Huh? Amber, isn’t that reaction a bit… too chill?”
“Maybe it's because I've heard about this kind of thing before,” Amber explained. “I’ve never seen someone from another world myself, but I've heard stories about travelers from other realms.”
“Then… what’s your world like? Are there gods there too? Do you have elemental powers as well?”
“Don't worry, don’t worry — I’ll tell you everything soon,” Zephyr assured her.
//END
