9 The Manor

Before leaving, Cen Jiu handed Zhu Ya a silver coin as payment, thanking her for the small favor.

Zhu Ya smiled and placed the silver coin back into Cen Jiu’s hand, reminding her, "You are too generous. That bowl of food seasoned with expensive spices was enough; there is no need for such a large payment just for borrowing the kitchen."

Cen Jiu acted appropriately, feigning a look of embarrassment. "Thank you for the reminder. I thought a silver coin might be just right around here."

Since the game began, she hadn't stepped into any shops, and she couldn't read the tavern menu, so she had simply taken one silver coin from the copper, silver, and gold currencies she possessed, assuming it wouldn't be too excessive or too little.

"You must have heard the rumor in Elias that gold and silver are worthless here. While prices in El Dorado are a bit high, a single silver coin can still buy us several days' worth of groceries," Zhu Ya shared from her own purchasing experience, adding a note of encouragement. "However, I do think that dish you made is easily worth a silver coin if put up for sale."

As Zhu Ya explained, data entries continuously popped up in the lower-right corner of Cen Jiu’s vision.

【You have acquired a new skill: Science.】
【El Dorado: The new continent where you are currently located. In the El region, it has always been rumored to be a land of sunshine and gold.】
【Elias: The old continent from which you departed. The 'El' region where you previously lived is located in its southern part.】

Thank heavens, as a player, she finally knew the name of the place she was in within the game's setting. She had grasped a bit of the world-building; she was now an illiterate person with a bit of scientific literacy!

Seeing Cen Jiu take out the notebook she carried to check something after she finished speaking—though Cen Jiu only glanced at it briefly, enough to show her familiarity with text—Zhu Ya admired her thirst for knowledge but felt a bit curious. "Is this your adventure log?"

"Hmm? Yes, this is my adventure log..." Cen Jiu swore she had only opened the menu in her mind to look at the data. Did that actually manifest as an action in the eyes of the game characters? The game time was supposed to pause when the menu was open!

"My sister and I came here because we heard stories from an adventurer in El while we were in Elias. The origin of those deeds seems to be that adventurer's notebook." Fortunately, Zhu Ya did not intend to probe further.

Cen Jiu felt a little awkward about the system's tendency to troll players, cursing internally, "Seven-Colored Strings, you really scared me by suddenly releasing such an Easter egg that breaks the fourth wall." Outwardly, she politely bid Zhu Ya farewell and prepared to continue toward the Ortega estate.

Walking according to the map, Cen Jiu did not see any other game characters. The place was so quiet it felt like a town where everyone had moved away.

In fact, that was exactly the case. The closer she got to the estate, the more empty houses and vacant lots appeared. If the roads hadn't been well-maintained and the afternoon sun so bright, Cen Jiu would have had the illusion that she was playing a horror game.

The estate maintained a proper distance from the town—far enough not to be disturbed, yet close enough for convenient shopping. At the light jog Cen Jiu maintained, she successfully lit up the location after about fifteen minutes.

【You have discovered a new location: Ortega’s Estate.】

Cen Jiu stood before a fork in the road, facing a signpost she couldn't read. However, based on the system, she was certain one of the signs pointed toward the Ortega estate. She could already see the expansive stone walls extending from the right fork—an aesthetic typical of a wealthy landowner marking his territory.

Before she could even feel happy, a squad of people wearing matching uniforms and carrying iron swords walked toward her. The leader had an extra musket at his waist, looking quite menacing.

"Hello, I..." Before Cen Jiu could finish, one of the men pointed his sword at her, rudely interrupting her opening line.

"Stranger, state your business." The leader remained silent, letting the man with the sword do the questioning while he himself stood to the side, sizing Cen Jiu up.

"I am here to see Ortega. I have a transaction with him." Cen Jiu kept her polite smile, but her tone dropped to freezing point. "Show some respect. Is this the Ortega way of treating guests?"

The man with the sword flinched and looked to his leader for help. Receiving a nod, he immediately retracted his blade.

The leader adopted a slick expression, rubbing his hands together with a fawning smile. "My apologies, Miss. We haven't had many visitors lately, so there was a misunderstanding."

He kicked the man who had pointed his sword at Cen Jiu in the rear, feigning anger. "Apologize to the lady at once!"

At first glance, the woman looked like a standard adventurer, but she was well-dressed with neatly styled long hair. He knew he couldn't afford to offend her, and there were some profits he could skim that would cost him his life if he messed up.

"I am terribly sorry!" The man bowed and scraped after being kicked out.

Cen Jiu watched coldly, noncommittal.

"Go back to your patrol! You, go notify the Master!" The leader dismissed the others and began to lead the way for Cen Jiu, finding an excuse for the earlier behavior. "Miss, please follow me. We recently had some troublemakers, hence the misunderstanding."

Cen Jiu said nothing, though she felt a bit guilty. Could it be that group of pirates?

She had only linked the deed to "Ortega" after hearing the pirates mention the name. However, the character in front of her wasn't a good person either; she wasn't fooled by his attempt to extort a toll earlier.

"Open the gate. This lady has business with the Master," he ordered the gatekeeper, sneaking a glance at Cen Jiu's expression, terrified she might suddenly lash out.

The estate gate was grand, fitting her impression of a wealthy landowner. Inside the walls, a large number of plants were grown in neat, orderly rows. Many dark-skinned laborers, wearing much less than the gatekeepers and guards, were working under the sun, harvesting the crops.

The place where the Master of the house would be was obvious. Beyond the fields lay a garden with an architectural style far more luxurious than the town dwellings. Fountains were hidden among meticulously planted greenery. Maids in black dresses and white aprons moved through the area with garden shears. The ground was paved with colorful mosaic tiles, forming complex floral and leaf patterns that filled the empty spaces of the garden.

Cen Jiu spotted a familiar face among the maids.

Bella looked much healthier; the wounds on her exposed skin were no longer visible. Dressed in a maid's uniform, she followed a stern-looking middle-aged maid, pruning plant branches under her guidance.

As if sensing Cen Jiu’s gaze, Bella noticed her immediately. She paused upon seeing her, then blinked at her unobtrusively—*I see you*—before returning to her work.

Cen Jiu couldn't help but smile. The man leading her turned around, saw her smile, and mistakenly thought she was satisfied with the landscaping, launching into a long-winded explanation.

"This was designed and built by craftsmen specially hired by our Master from the El royal family. Besides being responsible for the Governor's Mansion in El Dorado, that craftsman only worked on the Ortega estate." He pointed to the mosaic patterns on the ground with pride. "This family crest was pieced together by the craftsmen one by one by hand. The building materials were also painstakingly transported from El; twenty years ago, there were no materials to be bought here."

This dialogue triggered an update to the background information.

【Ortega Family: A family that established a presence in El Dorado thirty years ago; they also enjoy considerable prestige in the El region.】

Cen Jiu's expression toward him softened slightly. At least he provided some intelligence, so he wasn't entirely useless.

Seeing Cen Jiu’s attitude mellow, the man continued to brag, but the rest was just sycophantic praise about how the current head of the Ortega family was knighted early and was heroic and mighty—enough to make Cen Jiu drowsy.

Why didn't this game have a function to accelerate or skip dialogue? She had to provide feedback. Cen Jiu added another note to her mental ledger for "Seven-Colored Strings."

Upon reaching the main building, an elderly man with white hair, wearing a monocle and a form-fitting shirt, was waiting. His assessment was hard to detect; if Cen Jiu hadn't had that small perception bonus, she probably wouldn't have noticed him watching her.

His demeanor was composed, much steadier than the guide, and he put on a better act. "That will be all, Garcia. Go back to your patrol. I will take over guiding this lady from here."

"Very well, Butler Bandelas." Garcia saluted him and turned to leave.

The butler's snow-white beard was trimmed neatly, just covering his lip line. Cen Jiu found it difficult to observe his true expressions, as his mouth was mostly hidden when he spoke. Having never seen anyone wear such a beard in the modern world, she couldn't help but take a few screenshots.

What a classic bearded butler look! She had to save these screenshots and share them to her feed once the restriction was lifted, so everyone could see what it looked like when a beard was doing the talking.

Bandelas suddenly felt a chill pass through him, though it vanished in an instant. He suppressed the urge to shiver, kept up his professional facade, placed his hand on his chest, and bowed slightly to Cen Jiu. "How may I address you, Miss?"

Why was there a self-introduction stage everywhere? It was too realistic. Cen Jiu politely gave her game name: "Jiu."

Bandelas kept his expression tight. Perhaps she was just a youngster who didn't want to give her full name. *Hold it together, don't offend her.*

He bowed respectfully and gestured toward the interior. "Please follow me, Miss Jiu. The Master is waiting for you inside."

Cen Jiu nodded and followed him into the building.

The interior was bright, with many triangular knot decorations along the way. Large stained-glass windows cast colorful sunlight into the hall. In the center of the grand staircase hung a huge portrait, as tall as a person.

The painting depicted an old man in ceremonial armor holding a helmet, his gaze dark and authoritative. He looked exactly like the old Ortega knight they had spoken of.

Walking across the carpet and through the hall to the second floor, the butler stopped in front of a parlor door and knocked to announce, "Master, Miss Jiu has come to pay a visit."

Cen Jiu didn't think it was her imagination—she shouldn't have offended this character, so why did it feel like the old butler’s pronunciation was a bit heavy when he said her name?