Timeline Player

At the critical moment, he chose to confirm, and almost simultaneously, the captain of the guard opened the door to the VIP room.

Even now, looking back, Chi Que still feels lingering fear.

However, what intrigued him even more was what made this maid so special that she was a derivative of the singularity.

He looked at the maid: "What's your name?"

"Kelei," she replied.

It sounds like a North American name, and they seem to be good at making games, with themes like famine and oxygen deficiency...

Hmm... still white hair. Combining the previous information, it seems that he was enslaved due to the war and was bought by the duchess?

Chi Que deduced in this way.

I don't know where this stereotype of high-latitude Europeans having white hair comes from.

"Where are your parents?" Chi Que continued to ask.

"My father is dead, and my mother... I don't have a mother," Claire replied.

In other words, he never saw his mother after he was born.

"Do you have any other relatives?" Chi Que continued to ask.

For some reason, this feels like a census check...

"There was another sister, but she was killed by the duchess," she replied with the same emotionless expression.

Upon hearing the other party's answer, Chi Que immediately perked up, but he was worried that continuing to ask questions would stimulate the other party's mental state.

However, given this mental state, it feels like even stimulation wouldn't be very effective.

"Never mind." Chi Que ultimately couldn't bring himself to do something so naive.

"Tell me the Duchess's secret," he changed the subject.

"I don't know," Ke Lei replied honestly.

"You don't know? Then what conditions did you discuss with me before?!" Chi Que was taken aback, then burst into anger.

He selectively forgot about his previous acts of deceiving minors.

"I never said I knew any secrets," she said.

It really is.

Chi Que recalled the previous conversation and realized that it seemed to be true; he had been prejudiced from the start.

He got up somewhat irritably; this guy was clearly a big problem, like a hot potato.

It's neither good to discard it nor to keep it.

"I'm hungry." She pointed to the oven, from which the aroma of baking bread wafted.

"...Here you go." As a resident of a great Eastern country, Chi Que couldn't bear to see anyone go hungry, so he cut off a piece of toasted white bread and handed it to Ke Lei, who reached out her hand.

She immediately lowered her head and started eating, but instead of chewing like a normal person, she nibbled at it little by little, like a squirrel.

Seeing this, he hesitated, wondering whether he should take her in.

But after much thought, Chi Que still felt there were many problems.

Or should we just return her to the Duchess?

He even thought about it half-jokingly.

At this point, the game displayed a prompt:

[You delivered a culinary experience beyond comprehension to a special diner, earning 100 points of Chef Proficiency.]

[The chef's level has been raised to blue.]

I must hire Ke Lei immediately.

"Ahem." Chi Que cleared his throat and tried to put on a kind smile.

The maid raised her emotionless blue eyes and gave a soft "hmm" to indicate that she was listening.

Chi Que was carrying out his plan of deception: "It's dangerous for you outside, but you need a place to stay. I happen to be short-handed here. You can work for me, with room and board provided, how about it?"

"Food and lodging included?" Ke Lei repeated, slowing her pace as she ate her bread. "You mean... there will be food, always?"

"Yes! Always!" Chi Que immediately seized the opportunity, patting his chest to assure them, "As long as you work here, you can eat as much bread as you want, and there's even better stuff!"

He started making empty promises to his employees.

Chi Que chuckled inwardly.

Kelei seemed to be imagining the possible dishes, then she nodded: "Okay, I'll get to work."

The agreement was made with unusually quick and decisive action, without any consideration of the job content, duration, or other aspects of the compensation.

This is practically the ideal, chosen worker for capitalists.

Chi Que was overjoyed and immediately pressed his advantage, saying, "Alright, then we've reached an agreement."

He extended his hand in a gesture of friendliness.

Ke Lei looked at his hand, then at the remaining bread, and chose to stuff the bread into her mouth first. Only then did she reach out her little hand and pat it weakly.

"The contract is established!" Chi Que withdrew his hand with satisfaction, although it was somewhat different from what he had imagined.

"Then, I'll give you your first task: familiarize yourself with your work environment, especially the oven. Today, you'll be in charge of baking bread!" He quickly explained how to take care of the oven and bake the bread properly.

Ke Lei listened attentively, nodding her head intermittently.

Then, Chi Que found a bread knife and handed it to Ke Lei: "Here, this is your kitchen utensil, use it carefully."

The maid took the bread knife. Her hands were so small that she couldn't fully grip the handle. She lowered her head and examined it expressionlessly, turning it slightly, a cold arc flashing across the blade.

That posture, that look, coupled with her expressionless face...

Chi Que's heart skipped a beat.

This scene... the more I look at it, the more something seems off?

Kelei looked at the oven: "Shall we start baking now?"

"...Okay, let's begin. Watch the heat, and be careful not to cut your hand," Chi Que swallowed and gave him a word of advice.

So Kelei gripped the knife and walked toward the oven; no matter how you looked at her back, it seemed as if she was going to complete a deadly mission.

Dinner time flew by.

Chi Que hung up the "Closed" sign at the shop entrance, returned to the kitchen, and looked at the expressionless maid with undisguised surprise in his eyes.

She was preparing dinner for the two of them, focusing intently on dividing the freshly baked white bread. Each slice was the perfect thickness, stacked neatly as if measured with a ruler.

What's even more remarkable is that while maintaining this quality, she also has amazing efficiency, single-handedly completing all the bread cutting and plating during peak periods.

"Well done." Chi Que walked over, carrying two stews from either side, and pushed one of the plates in front of Ke Lei.

The maid placed the sliced ​​bread on a plate, picked up the plate, and sipped her drink, her pupils dilating slightly, almost imperceptibly.

"That's not how you eat it." Chi Que shook his head and demonstrated the correct way to eat it, dipping bread in it.

This child probably really lacks common sense.

Ke Lei imitated him, picked up a piece of bread, dipped it in the stew, and chewed it carefully: "Delicious."

She quickly finished the bread in front of her.

"Don't eat too much at night." Chi Que decisively took the plate away: "Otherwise, it will affect your digestion."

The maid stared at him for two seconds, then suddenly raised the bread knife beside her, its cold light flashing—

"Hey! Don't eat like this!" Chi Que sighed and rubbed his forehead. "The stew is all gone, but I remember there's some bread left in the oven. Go cut some off and eat it."

Ke Lei nodded, and Chi Que pushed open the shop door at that moment, calling out to her, "I'm going out for a bit, watch the shop."

He planned to go see Isaac.