"Thank you, my savior." After finally filling her stomach, Mona sincerely expressed her gratitude to Chen Luo once more.
"Hello, I'm Chen Luo. You can just call me 'Boss.'"
"My name is Astrologist Mona Megistus, but you can just call me Mona. By the way... can I take the leftovers to go?" Mona asked sheepishly, her cheeks slightly flushed.
A rice ball bigger than Mona's head was impossible to finish in one sitting, no matter how hungry she was.
"And, uh... I don't have any money on me right now, so can I owe you? I swear I'll pay you back!" Mona tugged at her hat awkwardly, clearly embarrassed.
Mona was a proud yet thin-skinned character—at least in front of others, she cared about her dignity. Unlike a certain someone...
At this thought, Chen Luo glanced at Venti, who freeloaded drinks daily.
"How about this? I love hearing stories. If you tell me how you ended up in this state, I'll waive the bill. Deal?" Chen Luo conveniently omitted the fact that the food was already free.
Venti, standing nearby, didn't correct him either—partly because he was curious, and partly because he just enjoyed stirring up trouble.
"R-Really? Well... alright then." Mona was taken aback by the offer but quickly agreed.
"It's like this. I hadn't eaten enough today, so I went out to... ahem—I mean, I went out for inspiration! To gather material for my research! But my luck was terrible—I got trapped in a domain. And not just any domain, but one filled with nothing but Hydro monsters! A whole swarm of Hydro Slimes! Can you believe it? The worst part is, the domain had a time-lock mechanism, so I was stuck there for an entire day before it finally spat me out."
"Then, by some cruel twist of fate, I got teleported onto a mountain—probably Mt. Aocang. Not a single soul in sight! Sure, there were Qingxin flowers everywhere, but I'm pretty sure those aren't edible... I was this close to starving to death. If I hadn't met you, I don't know how much longer I could've lasted." Mona shuddered at the memory.
As everyone knew, Hydro mages like her had two worst nightmares: Hydro monsters and Cryo monsters.
The former were immune to her attacks, and the latter could freeze her solid while she struggled to break their shields...
"Luckily, I might not be strong, but I'm fast. If those Hydro Slimes had caught me... ugh, just thinking about it makes me cringe." Mona wrinkled her nose in disgust.
"But because I ran around so much, by the time I escaped, I was practically fainting from hunger. Anyway, Boss, you did promise to waive the bill, right?" She looked at Chen Luo expectantly.
"Just kidding." Chen Luo grinned.
"Huh?"
"Even if you hadn't told me your story, I wasn't going to charge you in the first place."
Money ruined relationships, after all.
And honestly, looking at the two broke "Genshin characters" in his bar, Chen Luo was more convinced than ever that refusing payment was the right choice. If he demanded even a single Mora from them, they'd never come back.
Compared to Primogems, what was Mora worth? Could Mora summon waifus from the gacha?
...Wait, were there even waifus in this summoning pool?
"Y-You mean... this bar really doesn't charge money?!" Mona's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Of course not. If it did, that penniless bard over there wouldn't be here every single day."
"Ehe!" Venti stuck out his tongue playfully when both of them turned to look at him.
"Then... my savior, c-can I come here every day? No, wait—every two days! If I eat once every two days, make it last, and take some to-go... maybe I can survive..." Mona muttered under her breath.
[Ding! You have a new commission!]
[Scraping By]: The astrologist Mona, broke to the point of eating dirt yet incredibly skilled, has stumbled upon a free bar. A match made in heaven! Mona wishes to visit every two days for a free dinner.
Reward: 50 Primogems + Random Item
Difficulty: 1-star
"..."
"W-What? Is my request too much?" Mona asked nervously.
"No, you're practically my lucky star! In fact, forget coming every two days—come daily. I'll give you dinner and pack you breakfast to go!" Chen Luo declared, slapping the counter.
Good guy.
In a single day, Chen Luo had witnessed two commission reward limits:
One is the 20 Primogem limit of 0-star commision, and the other is the 50 Primogem limit of 1-star commissions.
Mona was a godsend!
...Though it was also clear she was desperately hungry.
Back in ancient times, people only ate two meals a day—which seemed perfect for Mona's situation.
"R-Really?! Boss, you're too kind! You really don't want anything in return?!" Mona looked at Chen Luo in disbelief, as if she had heard something impossible.
"Once a promise is made, it cannot be taken back."
[Ding! Commission complete. Outstanding success—Primogem reward doubled! Guaranteed 3-star or higher weapon or item in the random item drop.]
"You two are made for each other..." Venti muttered, watching the tearful mutual appreciation between Chen Luo and Mona.
Chen Luo needed Primogems—the stronger the wish, the bigger the payout.
Mona needed food—and she'd stumbled upon a free bar.
Tsk tsk.
"At least now Chen Luo won't pester me every day for commissions."
With Mona as a far more efficient Primogem-generating tool, surely Chen Luo would leave him alone now, right?
In high spirits, Venti downed the last of his apple wine and slammed his glass on the counter.
"Another round!"
[Ding! You have a new commission!]
"Now, now—what would you like for breakfast tomorrow? Should I pack it now, or would you prefer to come by in the morning? My bar never closes; it's just sometimes empty." Chen Luo smiled warmly at Mona.
Where did this blessing of a customer come from?!
"Thank you so much, Boss! I knew there were still good people in this world!" Mona was genuinely moved.
"Now I can finally save all my food expenses and buy that new astrolabe..."
"..." Hearing Mona's words, Chen Luo fell silent for a moment.
Unlike Venti, Mona wasn't naturally broke—her poverty was entirely self-inflicted.
The reason she was always penniless? Her research equipment was expensive, and she always wanted the latest models.
Basically, she was the academic equivalent of a shopaholic.
But since it was all for her career, Chen Luo couldn't really judge.
Besides, if Mona kept coming back daily to deliver Primogems, he'd be thrilled.