Xie Sen miscalculated. He'd shredded the potatoes, but only half filled a plate. So he cut the other half into small cubes and made a potato stew with meat.
The potatoes were premium, acquired through the system exchange, and the meat was wild-caught. The two stewed together created a particularly alluring aroma.
Xie Sen swallowed hard. He couldn't resist after so long without vegetables!
He poked them with chopsticks to make sure the potatoes and meat were cooked through. He poured two bowls out and finished them when he heard an argument at the door. He hurried out.
Maine, with his left hand against the doorframe and his right against the door's edge, blocked the entrance. Uncle Xu Da, clutching Maine's left hand with both hands, craned his neck to peer inside, sniffing. "Let me in and see what you're cooking! It smells so good!"
Seeing Xie Sen, the uncle raised a hand and waved. "Xiao Sen, what are you cooking again?"
Xie Sen was helpless. This uncle's nose was too sharp. He wondered if there was a range hood that wouldn't waft in the aroma.
Maine frowned, his face stern. "Uncle, let go. I'm closing the door."
"Let me see what smells so good, and I'll let go," the old man said, his eyes sparkling as he looked at Xie Sen. "Same as last time. Whatever it is, I'll pay double the price. Sell me half a pound!"
Xie Sen spread his hands. "No more." He'd cooked an entire potato.
"You were just cooking it in the kitchen. I don't believe you ate it all by yourself. Sell me some!" The old man looked at him expectantly. "Your price is up to you. I'm sick of smelling something delicious and not being able to taste it. I can't rest for days."
Xie Sen looked at Maine. Maine's face was grim, but he hadn't exerted any strength against the door. If he had wanted to close it, it wouldn't have been difficult, but he might have hurt Maine.
Xie Sen smiled. All the tenderness and kindness in Maine reassured him, and it made him feel like Maine was a completely different person from the villain in the book.
He'd seen the old man's insistent ways before, so he thought for a moment. "It's a small bowl, two hundred star coins, okay?"
"Sure, sure!" the old man agreed eagerly, extending his hand to reveal a wristband. "Quick, I'll transfer the money."
"Wait a moment," Xie Sen said, turning back to the kitchen. He poured the remaining potato stew into a plastic container and handed it to the old man. "Return the container tomorrow night. We might not be here during the day."
"Okay." The old man's eyes were glued to the container, and he quickly transferred the money. He took the container and walked away swiftly.
Maine closed the door and turned to look at Xie Sen. "What are you doing?"
Xie Sen had looked up information on vegetables on Brandt Star. Potatoes were available, but in very limited quantities. They were still only sold at the "Rich Supermarket." Like the cabbage, there was a weekly limit, but the cabbage limit was thirty kilograms, and the potatoes were limited to ten, each at two thousand star coins.
Ordinary people wouldn't buy potatoes, and even wealthy people who wanted to buy them might not be able to find them. The quantity was simply too small.
"Potato stew with meat." He didn't hide it; you'd know once you tasted it.
Maine asked, slightly surprised, "How did you snatch it?"
Xie Sen smiled and said, "I guess I was lucky. Go take a shower, or it won't taste good if it gets cold."
Maine glanced at him, then replied and went to the bedroom to wash up. Xie Sen put Maine's soup bowl on the warming stove and began eating first.
After just one bite, his eyes narrowed. It was delicious! Although the ingredients were minimal, it tasted even better than modern dishes with more abundant ingredients.
The potatoes were soft and fragrant, the meat was savory and tender, and the sweetness filled the mouth after chewing them together. The potatoes and meat blended together without being greasy at all. It was delicious.
He was halfway through eating when Maine came out of the shower. He told Maine where the soup bowl was, and Maine went to get it herself, then sat across from him and began eating.
He took a bite, paused, and looked at the energy 1 indicator in front of him. The corners of his mouth curled up. "Is it delicious?"
Maine nodded and continued to eat.
Xie Sen pushed the plate of shredded potatoes toward him. "Try this, it's pretty good too."
While the potatoes had doubled in size and diluted their flavor, the quality of the food exchanged by the system was truly exceptional. For someone who hadn't eaten vegetables in a long time, or had never eaten them before, it was an absolute delicacy.
Maine took a bite and ate. "Delicious."
He didn't say anything else, eating silently and attentively. Xie Sen drank the last sip of his soup and slumped back in his chair, feeling satisfied. "Happy!"
"How much did you spend? I'll transfer half to you," Maine asked as he finished and cleared his bowl.
Xie Sen pointed at the house. "That reminds me, I haven't paid you rent yet!"
Maine said, "No, my rent hasn't changed since you've lived here."
Xie Sen laughed. "Neither do I. Cooking every day counts as rent. So, you're the one losing out."
"One potato can cover almost a month's rent," Maine disagreed. "I'm not losing out."
Xie Sen shrugged. "Anyway, I think I'm making a profit. Isn't that perfect for a win-win situation? Let's not talk about paying anyone. "
Maine looked at him, chuckled, and nodded. "Okay."
Maine went to the kitchen to wash the dishes, while Xie Sen returned to his room to train the pepper tree and potato.
At first, he could only train them individually, but after three hours, he could summon them simultaneously and give them commands to fight in coordination.
He had to work the next day, so he stopped training at ten o'clock to shower and go to bed.
The next day, he went to work at Gold Medal. After clocking in, he went to see Sun Mao. "Manager Sun, I'm playing in a league on the 8th and 9th and would like to take a day off. Can
I move next week's weekend off to the day after tomorrow?" Sun Mao glanced at the calendar. "The day after tomorrow? Then you'd have to work eight
days in a row. Is that possible?" "Sure." Xie Sen had already checked the calendar. His workday was from 8:00 to 5:30, which was easy. He had no other work, so he wouldn't feel tired even if he worked a month straight.
Sun Mao nodded. "Okay, I've applied for you. After you start work on the 10th, go to the HR department to complete the formalities." "
Thank you, Manager!" Xie Sen's eyes lit up. His internship salary was 25 yuan per hour, but after becoming a regular employee, it would be 50 yuan per hour, with paid weekends off. That would bring his monthly salary to 12,000 yuan, a much better deal than now.
Xie Sen worked even harder, helping out everywhere. By 3:00 PM, he had earned 16 energy points, for a total of 26.
He glanced at the next blank page. The bottom line showed 26/200.
This meant that activating the third plant would require two hundred energy points. At his current rate of accumulation, if he didn't use energy, it would be activated in less than two weeks.
He was curious about what the third plant would be.
Just as he was thinking, the communication suddenly rang. Sun Mao's voice was urgent and rapid: "Xiao Sen, where are you?"
"Just got out of the large animal bath. What's wrong?
" "Come to Area 4 of the Feeding Department!" Sun Mao's voice was urgent, and there was a chaotic noise nearby.
Xie Sen was stunned. He had spent two days in the Male Division's Feeding Department, visiting Areas 1 through 3, but never Areas 4 and 5, because there were no contracted beasts in those areas.
The contracted beasts raised in Areas 1 through 5 of the Feeding Department were D, C, B, A, and S levels, respectively. A and S-level contracted beasts were few in number and almost entirely wild, making Areas 4 and 5 of the Feeding Department virtually nonexistent.
Sun Mao asked him to go to Area 4. Was there a new A-rank contracted beast?
Xie Sen ran towards Area 4, deeply curious about what an A-rank contracted beast looked like and how it came to be.
From a distance, he spotted four security guards standing at the entrance. He approached, and the guards carefully checked his ID. After confirming it was correct, they warned, "Hurry up and get in."
The moment the door opened, the roar of a massive beast filled his ears, accompanied by the shouts and roars of people.
Xie Sen froze for a moment. Someone pushed him from behind, and he stumbled inside. The next moment, the door slammed shut behind him, shutting out all sound from Area 4.
He stood firm and peered inside, as if he had arrived at an indoor football field. It was a vast expanse of grass covered by a massive curved canopy.
The canopy's ceiling was transparent, letting in sunlight, making it feel like he was outside.
Not far away, on the grass, a massive lion, about three meters tall, was surrounded by four contracted beasts, each over two meters tall. The atmosphere was tense, and the beasts roared warningly, as if a fight was imminent.
A person stood beside each of the contracted beasts, shouting something.
Xie Sen's heart raced. These people were so bold! These beasts could easily crush them to death with a single step.
"Xiao Sen, come here!" Sun Mao was terrified. If a fight broke out, there would be heavy losses. He kept glancing toward the door, and when he saw Xie Sen, he breathed a sigh of relief and waved.
Xie Sen had no choice but to cautiously move in that direction, stopping three meters from Sun Mao. "Manager Sun, isn't this... too dangerous?"
"Go and comfort the giant lion beast. It's injured."
Giant lion beast? Xie Sen was stunned, looking at the giant lion. It was practically an enlarged version of the lions he had seen before. The golden fur on its neck was stained with blood and drooped, revealing a hideous wound on its back.
"How did it get injured?" Xie Sen couldn't help but ask. It looked so strong.
"He got into a fight with two giant eagle beasts and was discovered by our search team and brought back."
Xie Sen glanced at Sun Mao, then at the unfriendly expression on the giant lion beast's face. He knew it wasn't just a simple 'take'.
"It didn't seem very satisfied," Xie Sen said tactfully.
Sun Mao shrugged helplessly. "High-level contracted beasts rarely submit unless they meet a master with an exceptionally high synchronization rate. They prefer to remain free in the wild. Don't worry, just calm it down first. We'll find someone to form a bond with it as soon as possible. Everything will be fine after that."
Xie Sen frowned. "What if it refuses?"
"As long as the synchronization rate reaches 50%, there's a way," Sun Mao said. The giant lion beast suddenly roared even louder and scratched the ground with its front paws. Sun Mao hurriedly said, "Quickly calm it down."
Xie Sen took a step forward, frightened by the giant lion beast's overwhelming pressure. "I'm scared!"
Sun Mao helplessly walked over to him, pulling his arm and leading him to the giant lion beast. "The higher the level of the contracted beast, the higher its intelligence. They won't easily harm humans unless we take action."
Xie Sen trembled as he was led to the giant lion beast's front paws. The giant lion beast lowered its head and let out a warning sound from its throat.
Xie Sen's legs weakened. He reached out and touched its front paws, trying his best to be friendly, his mind filled with only kindness.
The giant lion beast tilted its head and, after a moment, stepped back in front of Xie Sen, looking down at him. It was so tall that even with its head lowered, it still towered over Xie Sen.
Xie Sen tiptoed and reached out, gently touching the side of its neck: "I'll treat your wound."
The giant lion beast tilted its head and nuzzled his hand with its chin, obedient as a cat.
Sun Mao said happily, "I'll have someone prepare some medicine right away." Glancing at Xie Sen's posture, he added, "And have them send a stool for you to stand on."
Xie Sen's mouth twitched. Standing on tiptoe felt tiring. He withdrew his hand, and just as he did, the giant lion beast tilted its head and nuzzled him. He simply stood close to the giant lion beast. The mere contact between them was a comforting feeling for the animal from his natural aura.
Sure enough, the giant lion beast calmed down, resting its chin on its paws.
Xie Sen rubbed the mane on the side of its neck, opened the bracelet and sent a message to Maine: "Come to Gold Medal quickly, a new giant lion beast has arrived today, contact me when it arrives."
The people arranged by Sun Mao quickly delivered medicine and a stool, but the giant lion beast lay down, and the stool was useless.
Xie Sen turned up the volume of the communication to the maximum to avoid missing Maine's communication.
He carefully cleaned the wound of the giant lion beast. While cleaning, he heard Sun Mao's communication ring, and then heard Sun Mao say: "Please ask them to come over."
Xie Sen quickly turned his head and asked: "Who is here?"
"The young master of the Kes family, he is the owner of the giant lion beast." Sun Mao said.