Lanli Osha?
In Zhe Zilin’s memory, Princess Osha in the game was not the way Ailia had described her.
As royalty, she had been raised deep within the palace since childhood and educated in etiquette.
She was the standard image of a noble young lady — gentle, reserved, and never one to raise her voice in argument.
That was the Osha in his impression.
But Ailia’s serious expression made him maintain his doubt.
Of course, he would never get into an argument with Ailia over a woman who was far away.
Zhe Zilin remembered a famous saying.
Never argue with a woman, no matter the time.
If she expresses her opinion, there is only one thing you should do.
“You’re right, Ailia.”
That was it.
Agree with her and avoid unnecessary trouble.
They had discussed other women enough.
Zhe Zilin did not want to bring trouble upon himself.
He skillfully changed the topic.
“Ailia, how did you make those wild animals so obedient?”
From earlier until now, the animals that were usually so wild had not made a single sound.
They stood quietly in place.
“I put magic potion in the water source. Any animal that drinks it will obey my commands. It’s the same formula as the one you drank before, except they only received a few drops.”
Ailia explained that Zhe Zilin had drunk an entire bottle, while she only needed a few drops for hunting.
What!?
It’s a miracle I’m still alive.
Zhe Zilin did not want to discuss this terrifying topic any further.
Since there were now several animals with low aggression, he planned to slaughter them himself.
He wanted to see if he could gain points and grow stronger like in the game.
At the same time, he could cook a meal for Ailia himself and complete the task.
“Leave this to me, Ailia. Go wait in the kitchen. I’ll make you a big roasted meat feast.”
There was no attempt to hide the doubt in Ailia’s eyes.
She looked him up and down.
Although it was unintentional, it greatly wounded Zhe Zilin’s pride as a man.
He became somewhat anxious and paced back and forth.
“Where’s my sword? Today I’ll kill them right in front of you!”
In Ailia’s memory, Leibang Ed had never killed anything.
His sword was only for self-defense and showing off.
Worried that he would act impulsively, she tried to persuade him.
“It’s fine, Ed. Leave these things to me. The blood will dirty your clothes.”
Just now it had been for gaining points.
But now, he had to prove himself.
“My sword!”
Seeing that she could not dissuade Zhe Zilin, Ailia had no choice but to return to the castle and bring out his sword.
As the Prime Minister’s son, Zhe Zilin wielded a sword forged from the world’s hardest Yaojin stone.
It was capable of cutting through almost anything, slicing through iron as easily as cutting through mud.
Even a single sword made from Yaojin was valuable enough to purchase an entire prosperous territory.
Its preciousness was enough to prove its rarity.
There were only ten such swords in the entire world.
Each one had its own name.
Zhe Zilin’s sword was called Dragon Slayer.
Legend said it was a natural sword embryo discovered at the site where a giant dragon had fallen.
It had been inserted into the dragon’s skull, hence the name Dragon Slayer.
Zhe Zilin took Dragon Slayer and urged Ailia to leave so she would not have to witness the bloody scene.
There were six animals in total.
Because of the magic potion, they all stood neatly in a row, waiting to be slaughtered.
After mentally preparing himself, Zhe Zilin thrust out six strikes.
Dragon Slayer was sharp to the bone.
He easily slaughtered all six animals.
[Slaughtered wild deer, wild boar, and wild cattle. Experience +60]
[Swordsmanship level increased LV1 → LV2]
[Title: Swordsman → Swordmaster]
[Name: Zhe Zilin]
[Strength 15: (Average swordsman strength is 10. Through muscle training, one can reach 15)]
[Agility 20: (Average swordsman agility is 10. Certain talent is required to reach 20)]
[Obtained Swordmaster passive skill: Draw Blade]
[When in danger or saving others from peril, swordsmanship increases by 50%.]
As expected!
Even slaughtering wild animals could give experience points.
After his title upgraded to Swordmaster, Zhe Zilin could now see his own status panel.
He could clearly see the trend of his growth and what he needed.
Dragon Slayer remained unstained by blood.
He cut off several pieces of fresh meat, sheathed the sword, and headed straight for the castle kitchen.
The upgrade in title also represented an upgrade in strength.
He was somewhat carried away and began looking forward to the rewards from completing the segmented tasks.
However, cooking could not be rushed.
As a former shut-in, he had not only eaten pre-made meals to get by.
He had also learned to cook all kinds of dishes.
Now, he intended to let Ailia witness his extraordinary culinary skills.
Ailia sat at the dining table.
From time to time, the sound of knife against cutting board and the clatter of kitchenware reached her ears, along with the sound of stir-frying.
Soon, a fragrant aroma drifted out of the kitchen and into Ailia’s nose.
Just the smell alone made her appetite surge.
Zhe Zilin carried out his masterpiece.
He was wearing an apron he had made himself.
When he walked out of the kitchen, he looked somewhat like a medieval househusband.
Ailia sat at the dining table.
She watched Zhe Zilin’s every move in a daze.
His large strides while walking.
His careful movements while arranging the dishes.
The thoughtful way he prepared the knife, fork, and plates.
Every step deeply imprinted itself in her heart.
For some reason, tears welled up in her eyes.
She smiled.
This was the first time someone had prepared a lavish dinner for her.
And it was the person she loved most.
The feeling in her heart was indescribable.
Perhaps it was… relief.
Zhe Zilin was tidying up the table when he noticed tears sliding down Ailia’s cheeks and dripping onto her plate.
“Did the smoke get in your eyes?”
Ailia came back to her senses and nodded lightly.
“Mm. A little.”
Zhe Zilin quickly fanned the air with his hand, trying to keep the rising smoke from drifting toward Ailia.
“Hurry and try it. How’s my cooking?”
Ailia nodded.
She picked up her fork, speared a piece of potato and beef brisket, and put it into her mouth to chew carefully.
“It’s delicious, Ed. This is almost the best beef I’ve ever eaten!”
She was used to the gamey taste of normal beef.
This was the first time she had experienced beef that was truly delicious.
Not only was there no gamey smell, it had even retained the unique flavor of beef.
As the wealthiest family in the world, Ailia found it hard to believe.
Zhe Zilin’s cooking was actually better than that of the royal chefs in the North.
At the very least, they could never make this potato beef brisket.
She tried the other dishes one by one.
Each one was exceptional.
It was a true feast for the taste buds.
An unprecedented experience.
“Ed, I never expected that you actually know how to cook. And you cook so well!”
Ailia was genuinely happy and gave him high praise.
Zhe Zilin snorted lightly with an expression that said “as expected.”
This meal not only satisfied Ailia completely, it also completed the task.
[Congratulations. You have completed the second task: Cook a meal for Ailia.]
[You have obtained Active Skill LV1: Love Meal.]
[Cook a meal filled with love that strikes deep into the other person’s heart and moves them. Greatly increases the target’s trust and affection.]
This skill… isn’t completely useless either.
If he could increase Ailia’s trust every day through cooking, perhaps over time she would willingly take him away from here.
This was only Zhe Zilin’s imagination for now.
He could not see that future yet.
Ailia looked at the thoughtful Zhe Zilin.
She began fantasizing about their future together.
In that unknowable future.
Her only hope was that Zhe Zilin would stay by her side forever.
But reality was different.
Zhe Zilin wanted to go outside and see the world.
He could not stay in this castle forever.
Some birds were destined to not be caged.