AWB Chapter 100 : Skyrocketing Favorability
Chapter 100 : Skyrocketing Favorability
Skyrocketing FavorabilityWhen Cecilia, trembling, reached out her hand and brought a spoonful of delicate caramel pudding to the lips of the girl in front of her, a wave of overwhelming guilt immediately arose in her heart.
If Gu Yanxi were to see the current scene, knowing her temperament, once she got jealous—even if it was just an NPC—Cecilia feared she would be kicked out of the front door and forced to sleep in the building hallway.
Just imagining herself barefoot, dressed in only a thin set of pyjamas, curled up and shivering in a dark corner of the hallway late at night, gave Cecilia chills.
Her hand holding the spoon trembled slightly, and the smooth pudding, together with the thin layer of caramel on top, poked onto the corner of Anne, the dessert shop owner's lips, pressing out a tiny dimple.
"Ah... Sorry, I didn't mean to..."
Witnessing this, Cecilia trembled all over and hurriedly apologized in a soft, meek voice.
Because of some sort of underlying Intangible Menace, at this moment, Cecilia—the usually aloof, decisive, and Ruthless "Boss Raider in Human Form"—actually felt deeply afraid in front of a dessert shop NPC, who was so defenseless.
Is this what it feels like to cheat?
Sure, it's exciting, but isn't this a bit too intense...
However, the shop owner Anne didn't mind the small mishap. The thick milk and eggs, after slow baking at a low temperature, along with the slightly bitter caramel, produced an extremely rich aroma that lingered at her nose, causing her mouth to water and her stomach to spasm in longing.
Even though she was the owner of the dessert shop, anne didn't get to enjoy delicious sweets every day. Only when there were leftover trimmings that couldn't be stored did she get to snack on them to satisfy her cravings. Let alone a pudding skillfully crafted by Cecilia, whose Housekeeping skill had reached max, displaying a master-level touch.
So fragrant... I really want to eat it...
Her mind was trembling, nearly losing it...
Finally, anne couldn't resist any longer. With tear-blurred eyes, she took a bite of the little steel spoon at her lips.
The pudding entered her mouth. The rich aroma of milk blended with the smooth egg custard, melting instantly, while the bitterness of caramel mixed with the refreshing sweetness of fruit and sugar repeatedly attacked her tastebuds. Before she could even swallow, the pudding's fragrance had already filled her mouth, and Anne couldn't help but shed tears.
So this is the standard of a master?
Mom...sob...you didn't lie to me...
So there really are such delicious desserts in this world...
"System notification: 'Anne, owner of Anne's Dessert Shop, anne Hilda,' Favorability towards you +1000!"
While Anne was still immersed in the wonderful taste of the pudding, again in Cecilia's mind, she heard System Miss.
Didn't the favorability already go up once? Why is it increasing again!
(A) 侕零衫②澪漆丝坝囷可恶!
If a moment ago she had only a vague sense of foreboding, by now, Cecilia could pretty much confirm that she'd gone a bit too far.
This game didn't even have a favorability meter display. If just this small bowl of caramel fruit pudding maxed out the favorability of the charming NPC in front of her, then trouble was surely looming.
If not for that whole "Angel descended by my side" incident a year later, Cecilia might have really considered staying to work at this dessert shop.
With "Dessert Master" as her secondary class, she could probably gather a loyal following of sweets-loving female fans. No more killing or fighting, she could easily support herself and Gu Yanxi.
However, there were no real what-ifs in this world. Ever since she'd turned into what she was now, if Cecilia wanted to restore her previous gender and identity, she could only keep fighting till the end.
Yet, seeing the teary-eyed girl in front of her, Cecilia really couldn't figure out how to refuse her plea. After hesitating for several seconds, she finally made a difficult decision.
While Anne was still lost in the pudding's flavor, Cecilia carefully put down the dessert, activated [Fearful Blood Shadow], her body growing transparent, and quietly slipped out of the dessert shop's kitchen.
Sorry... If I have time in the future, I'll definitely visit your shop more often...
Sneaking away was the most irresponsible action possible, and once back on the bustling street, Cecilia was wrapped in waves of guilt.
Having gone a long way, Cecilia suddenly felt a tug in her heart. She stopped and looked back from afar.
Hundreds of meters behind, at the dessert shop's door, stood the short-haired girl in an apron, her eyes red, expression mournful, pupils quivering, lips moving as if whispering something.
Feeling a twinge in her heart, Cecilia quickened her steps and walked deeper into the Main City.
......
Though she hadn't been able to buy any desserts this time or properly taste and compare game food to the real world, she had unexpectedly unlocked a new secondary class, which was still a pleasant surprise.
Cecilia had once heard from Little Persimmon Puppy that many online games had a special NPC class called "Mystery Merchant."
Normally, these people were no different from ordinary NPCs—you couldn't even buy items from them. Only by completing a series of quests and building up skills and favorability could players unlock access to rare goods for purchase.
This was a deep lesson Cecilia had absorbed.
In any world, gift-giving was clearly a very high-difficulty technical skill.
But since Cecilia now had a reliable way to raise NPC favorability, she began to consider seeking out a few female NPCs who seemed like Mystery Merchants, and, through gifting desserts, directly maxing their favorability towards her.
But at once, thinking of Anne, the dessert shop owner, Cecilia forcefully shook her thick silver twin tails, shaking that idea out of her mind.
Even if they were just NPCs, bribing cute ladies with sweets and making them fall head over heels to achieve some secret purpose—such a method was simply too underhanded...
Unless absolutely necessary, she definitely wouldn't repeat today's actions.
Her pace quickened, and a few minutes later, Cecilia arrived in the inner city area she rarely visited. Unlike the lively market area outside, many buildings here weren't open to players, so apart from the occasional bored sightseer, there were hardly any people around.
However, just after turning a corner, a bustling crowd on a nearby street caught Cecilia's attention again.