[Genshin Impact]: I can become stronger by cooking.

Upon hearing about Chao Ke's long lease term, the middle-aged man's smile was harder to suppress than AK's.

“Oh, that’s great, Mr. Chao Ke.”

"However, according to the usual practice in Fontaine, Mr. Chao Ke, you need to pay me at least one-third of the rent amount first. Is that alright with you?"

"That's no problem. Come on, let's sign the contract first. After we sign the contract, I'll transfer the rent to you."

Chao Ke readily agreed and signed his name on the contract.

The middle-aged man hesitated for only a moment before readily signing his name.

After all, according to the laws of Fontaine, if Chao Ke fails to pay the agreed amount within the stipulated time, he will not only have no right to take over the shop, but will also have to pay liquidated damages proportionally to the total amount of the contract.

The contract was made in duplicate, and after it was signed, both of them took their respective copies for safekeeping.

Seeing that the two had completed the contract signing, Alue gave up, sighed, and got up to leave.

"Perhaps this shop was never meant to be for me. Oh well, let's go check out Baisong Town instead. The rent there is cheap and it's quite popular."

Ignoring the dejected Alue, the middle-aged man rubbed his hands together with a broad smile, "Mr. Chao Ke, you see, the contract has been signed, so how are we going to pay the rent?"

"A check, please."

As Chao Ke spoke, he took out a check from the Northern Bank from his pocket, filled in 35 million Mora in the amount column, and handed it to the middle-aged man.

"Here you go, this is five years' rent."

"Oh my, Lady Funina, thank you! Mr. Chao Ke, you are so generous."

The middle-aged man's smile filled his entire face, making him look like a blooming chrysanthemum from a distance.

First, I checked the amount in the check column. No problem. Then I felt the material of the check. No problem. Finally, I glanced at the logo of the issuing bank. Hmm, Northern Bank. It's a big bank. No problem there either.

Wait! Northern Bank!

The middle-aged man's pig-like screams echoed through the street.

"You, you, you, how did you use a check from the Northern Kingdom Bank? You must just be an ordinary person with a deposit in the Northern Kingdom Bank, right? Oh! There's a branch of the Northern Kingdom Bank in Liyue Harbor, yes! You must just be a Liyue resident with a deposit in the Northern Kingdom Bank, you must be!"

The middle-aged man's flustered demeanor attracted the attention of others on the street, but he remained oblivious, muttering to himself as he clutched the check in his hand.

"Pat pat!" Chao Ke lightly patted the middle-aged man's shoulder twice.

"To be honest, I am just an ordinary Liyue person."

The middle-aged man slowly breathed a sigh of relief, his heart finally settling down.

"Hey, this is all a misunderstanding, Mr. Chao Ke, I'm so sorry..."

However, before the middle-aged man could finish speaking, Chao Ke interrupted him.

"Although I am just an ordinary person from Liyue, I have been quite favored by fate. Thanks to the trust of the Ice Queen, I have also held a minor official position in the Fatui."

Upon hearing Chao Ke's words, the middle-aged man's heart finally died. Large beads of sweat poured from his forehead as he looked at the contract he had signed and knelt down helplessly.

"It's all over! If the guild master finds out I sold this shop to the Fatui, he'll tear me apart..."

"Pfft, hahahaha"

Alue, who hadn't gone far, couldn't help but laugh when he saw the middle-aged man's actions. Although he didn't have a good impression of the Fools, he was quite satisfied to see his landlord, who had tried to swindle outsiders, get thwarted.

"Although I couldn't rent the shop I wanted, watching a farce for free wasn't so bad."

Chao Ke ignored the two of them. Now that he had the lease agreement, there was no point in staying there any longer.

The clearing and handover work can be handled by my older sister sending a few "professionals".

I might as well get up and leave. If I walk fast, I can still make it to the mansion's dining hall for lunch.

Chapter 6 Fimini

Inside the Boufati Mansion.

Since it was past lunchtime, there wasn't much left in the cafeteria except for a basket of cold croissants and lukewarm seafood soup.

"Excuse me, Lord Chao Ke. Would you mind waiting a moment while I pan-fry some foie gras for you?"

The canteen manager said to Chao Ke with trepidation.

Chao Ke waved his hand, not wanting to make things difficult for him, "No need, just give me two croissants and some seafood chowder."

"Okay, okay, please have a seat. I'll heat it up a bit for you and bring it over when it's done."

Chao Ke glanced at the injury on his leg, but did not refuse Mr. Torre's kindness in offering him a seat. He then used his cane to find a table and sat down.

"Click-squeak-"

Not long after Chao Ke sat down, a child pushed open the cafeteria door.

The boy was wearing a black leather jacket and was holding a wet diving helmet. Through the gaps in his leather jacket, you could vaguely see the Ice God's Eye strapped to his leg ring.

"Fimini, huh..."

Fimini must have run all the way here; he stood in front of the food counter, panting heavily, and it took him a while to catch his breath.

"Uncle Torre, could you please get me a bowl of seafood chowder and a few croissants?"

"Fimini?"

Upon seeing Fimini, Torre was taken aback for a moment, then quickly gave the boy a meaningful look.

Fimini was also a perceptive child. After noticing that Uncle Torre's expression was off, he quickly looked in the direction he was pointing.

Sure enough, sitting at the dining table was none other than Asaka, the same Asaka who had arrived with Lady Arecino yesterday and single-handedly wiped out all of the Dean's confidants.

As an intelligence officer, keen perception is a must. The moment Fimini looked over, Chao Ke sensed his gaze.

Chao Ke looked up and met Fimi's gaze.

Fimini quickly averted his gaze. Not good at socializing, he grabbed his diving helmet and prepared to jog away.

"You are... called Fimini, right?"

Chao Ke's words made Fimini stop in her tracks. "You...you know me?"

"Yes, I've seen your file. Come on over, let's have lunch together."

As Chao Ke spoke, he gestured for Fimini to come and sit down. "Mr. Torre, please get Fimini a meal too."

"Understood, Lord Chao Ke." Torre replied, then picked up a few more croissants and heated them up.

At the dining table, Fimini sat stiffly, her head bowed low, only daring to exchange glances with Chao Ke out of the corner of her eye.

Chao Ke sighed helplessly. Fimini's situation was no longer simply a matter of being bad at socializing; she was probably showing signs of autism.

But it's understandable. After all, his already unhappy childhood, coupled with the torment from the "headmaster," makes it quite remarkable that he's maintained his current state. This child will probably require his older sister to put in a lot more effort.

"Sit up straight and lift your head."

Upon hearing the order from Chao Ke, Fimini instinctively complied.

"That's right. You should eat properly. Being sullen and dejected not only affects nutrient absorption but also reduces the quality of task completion."

"I...I understand, Lord Chao Ke."

"Fimini replied, straightening her posture and meeting Chao Ke's gaze," she said.

"Lord Chao Ke, your food is ready."

Torre came over carrying the food for the two of them, putting down two large bowls of seafood soup and a small basket of warmed croissants.

It's clear that Torre added extra ingredients to these two seafood chowders. Besides the obvious mussels and prawns, there were also a lot of simmered seafood pieces. They smelled exceptionally delicious, making my salivary glands water uncontrollably.

"Let's eat."

Upon hearing Chao Ke's order, Fimini did not dare to stop. Even though the freshly heated seafood soup was still very hot, he scooped up a spoonful and put it in his mouth.

Faintly, Fimini seemed to hear Chao Ke's faint sigh, but she didn't dare to ask and continued to eat quickly.

The lunch was finished in a very reserved manner by Fimini. After eating, Fimini did not dare to leave and just sat at the table, waiting for Chao Ke's next instructions.

Seeing Fimini's expression, Chao Ke lost his appetite. He put down his cutlery, paused for a moment, and then spoke.

“Fimini, whether you believe it or not, I want to tell you this—we are not like the [Dean].

“We are also children who came from the House of Hearths. Not everyone agrees with the Dean’s philosophy of turning the children of the House of Hearths into tools.”

"I think you will discover our differences as you get to know each other better."

After saying that, Chao Ke leaned on his cane and got up to leave first.

At the dining table, only Fimini remained, sitting alone, pondering Chao Ke's words.

If Lord Asahi and Lady Arecino are truly different from the [Dean], would I then have a chance to find my mother's whereabouts...?

...

After leaving the restaurant, Chao Ke didn't wander around aimlessly and went straight into his older sister's office.

Pushing open the door and going inside, sure enough, my older sister was sitting upright in a chair, still flipping through the files left by the previous manager.

Looking at my older sister's furrowed brows, I'm afraid she's not in a very good mood right now.

I picked up my older sister's empty teacup, refilled it with strong tea, and served her a few pieces of crystal snail cake as a snack.

“Take a break. The crimes of the Dean and her cronies cannot be fully investigated in a short time.”

"Ah."

Arecino closed the document, picked up a piece of tea and put it in her mouth, then took a small sip of strong tea to refresh herself.

The two had developed a tacit understanding over time, and Arecino only glanced at Chao Ke to guess that Chao Ke most likely had something to discuss with her.

"Speak, what do you want from me?"

"Hehe." Chao Ke chuckled twice, took out the rental contract from his pocket, and handed it to his older sister.

“I rented a shop, but there might be some trouble with the handover process.”

Arecino took the contract and began to carefully examine the details and clauses. "This is... the lease agreement for the shop next to the mansion? How strange, members of the Fontaine Merchant Guild would rent it to us Fools."

It's clear that my older sister is truly dedicated to her work; she has such a detailed understanding of the power dynamics surrounding the mansion.

After a moment's thought, Arecino placed the lease agreement on the table. "I understand. I'll send a few debt collectors to 'communicate' with the Fontaine Chamber of Commerce in a bit. Since the contract is genuine and legal, the Chamber has no reason to obstruct it."

Then, turning his gaze to Chao Ke, he asked, "What are your thoughts on this shop? Should we operate it legally? Or should we develop it into a stronghold for our Fools?"