Around six in the morning, the sky was just beginning to brighten.
Su Chen woke up on the sofa—not because he enjoyed early mornings, but because he was starving.
He had transmigrated yesterday evening and held out until this morning. After fusing with the gold card, it seemed like his energy consumption had increased as well.
"Hmm!? Doesn't Cunning Hares eat dinner?"
Su Chen clutched his stomach, baffled.
When they first met, the three of them were lying on the ground exhausted. Their energy consumption must've been high.
So why hadn't they eaten dinner?
Little did he know, last night Anby and Nicole had upheld the honorable frugality virtue of the Cunning Hares. "Just endure a bit more—if we can hold out until tomorrow, we save one meal's worth of money."
"Better pull my card first, then make breakfast."
Su Chen opened the system panel in his mind, where a fresh pull opportunity was displayed in the gacha pool.
With a thought, a white card appeared.
[Seele's Autobiography] ×1
"Even if it's a white card—Seele? That Seele!?"
Su Chen was a little excited.
That was his first Quantum DPS in Honkai: Star Rail. Though she'd later become outdated, he still felt nostalgic about her.
Seele's diary—what secrets would it hold?
With anticipation, Su Chen crushed the card. A thick tome materialized in his personal space.
Er… Seele wrote this much?
Su Chen felt something was off. He retrieved the heavy book.
[Mein Kampf – Chinese Edition]
"A failed art student… this is Seele?"
Su Chen winced.
This thing was useless to him. Bread in New Eridu didn't cost 500,000 Dennies.
He raised his hand to toss it into the trash, but after some thought, returned it to his personal space.
If a student picked it up and flunked an entrance exam, that'd be unfortunate.
"Time to make breakfast—may as well make some for the other two as well."
Su Chen muttered as he entered the kitchen.
Even though he now had a cheat, he had no intention of leaving the Cunning Hares.
One, staying here was good for development. Two… Boss Nicole was really well-endowed.
As for why it was just the two of them—well, Billy was a robot. A cup of motor oil might suit him better.
However, upon entering the kitchen, what met his eyes were two giant sacks of potatoes.
After flipping through everything, Su Chen found that potatoes were all there was.
"Is this prison labor? Even prisoners eat better than this, right?"
Su Chen couldn't help but vent.
Just how dire were the Cunning Hares' finances, that the kitchen only had potatoes?
He recalled the [Seele's Autobiography] card he'd just pulled. Seele's allies had farmed potatoes in Siberia till death.
Was this some kind of weird foreshadowing?
"Whatever. Potatoes are still food."
Su Chen sighed and got to work in the kitchen.
Even with only potatoes, there were plenty of ways to cook them.
In fact, potatoes were the ingredient he knew best as an orphan—cheap, filling, and versatile.
In just thirty minutes, creamy mashed potatoes with cheese, crispy baked potatoes with spicy sauce, and golden potato pancakes were ready.
Three potato dishes were neatly arranged on the table, their fragrance filling the air.
"Mmm! Is the neighbor making breakfast?"
Nicole sniffed the air, eyes closed in bliss, as she walked out of her room.
"Nicole, we pulled an all-nighter yesterday. This morning, we need to replenish energy."
Anby opened her door and spoke matter-of-factly.
"Waaah! We're really having breakfast today!"
Billy shouted in surprise. Clearly, breakfast at the Cunning Hares was a rare occurrence.
"Eh?!"
Nicole stared at the food on the table in disbelief.
Even Anby looked stunned.
"Boss Nicole, come eat breakfast."
Su Chen mumbled through a bite of potato pancake.
"Oh."
Nicole and Anby sat down blankly and began tasting Su Chen's cooking.
Their eyes soon narrowed in enjoyment. Compared to their usual boiled potatoes, this was a feast.
Billy sat nearby, savoring the aroma.
Su Chen found himself wondering—this robot might be too intelligent.
Soon, the hearty meal was completely devoured. Nicole and Anby looked visibly satisfied.
"Newbie, turns out you are useful!"
Nicole patted Su Chen on the shoulder.
Originally, she just wanted a free laborer. Who'd have thought Su Chen had such kitchen skills?
"Not bad at all."
Even Anby's gaze softened.
He wasn't some kind of grand master, but far better than either of them.
This suspicious newcomer turned out to be surprisingly capable.
"You flatter me. If possible, we could stock up on a wider range of ingredients."
Su Chen said modestly.
The potato pancakes tasted great—so familiar and comforting.
But still eating these post-transmigration felt… embarrassing.
"Ahem, let's not go that far. Just doing a good job with the potatoes is contribution enough."
Nicole coughed awkwardly.
"So, the Cunning Hares' finances are bad enough that you're living off potatoes?"
Su Chen couldn't help but comment.
"Not quite. It's just that this month we need to pay off a debt, so things are unusually tight."
Nicole spoke seriously.
If not for the huge sum owed to Phaethon, which had to be partially paid to continue their partnership, she wouldn't be living this sad, potato-based life.
Even the Dennies earned from yesterday's hard-fought commission had to be handed over to the Phaethon siblings.
Just thinking about it made her heart ache.
"Got it, Boss Nicole."
Su Chen breathed a sigh of relief.
Surely the Cunning Hares weren't always this poor. Nicole's ample chest was proof enough of good nutrition.
"Right—Su Chen, do you have Ether Aptitude?"
Given Su Chen's usefulness, Nicole decided to consider nurturing him more seriously.
Ether Aptitude referred to one's resistance to Ether corruption. The higher it was, the longer one could remain in a Hollow.
Only a score of 60 or above qualified one as Ether-compatible, granting the right to explore Hollows.
"I don't know."
Su Chen was curious about that too.
Without Ether Aptitude, he'd be out of place in this Hollow-centric world.
Not that he couldn't make a living with his abilities—but Hollow investigations offered far more opportunities.
"Are you some wild man? Even elementary schoolers know how to take an Ether test!"
Nicole facepalmed.
She no longer suspected Su Chen of being a spy.
No spy would say something that stupid.
"Based on Su Chen's expression, he is not lying."
Anby looked at him, her expression complicated.
This guy seemed full of secrets, yet in some ways surprisingly innocent.
After breakfast, Anby and Billy went off to do their own thing.
Nicole, meanwhile, dragged Su Chen to the Hollow Investigative Association, where Ether tests were free.
"You better pray you're compatible with Ether. Otherwise, prepare to be our cook for the next twenty years!"
Nicole shoved Su Chen through the door, snarling.
"That's not necessarily a bad thing."
Su Chen mumbled under his breath.
If he didn't have Ether Aptitude, becoming an assassin might still be viable.
Right now, New Eridu was preparing for an election—taking out a candidate could be worth a lot of money. Not that he had protagonist plot armor like the true MC.
Just a joke, just a joke.
He was a college student. No way he'd become a killer.
With his power level far surpassing your average urban dragon king, working as a bodyguard for some rich loli from Belobog Heavy Industries sounded like a better career move.
As his mind wandered in all sorts of wild directions, Su Chen stepped into the Hollow Investigative Association.
Moments later, a chorus of gasps rang out.
Su Chen strolled out of the building, beaming, with a frantic older man following close behind.
"A genius! A 90-point Ether Aptitude genius! A natural-born Hollow Investigator!"
"The Hollow Investigative Association… needs you!"