26 Waiting for the Right Moment

Everyone working at the manor knows about the mutual hostility between Maria and Banderas. Within the Ortega estate, apart from the master himself, the only person capable of keeping Butler Banderas in check is Head Maid Maria.

When the dispute between the guest and the butler first broke out, the maid immediately slipped away from the hall to find her superior, Ms. Maria. She had no intention of helping this eccentric guest; she simply knew that if things truly escalated, they would all be held accountable.

When the maid found her, Maria was busy processing paperwork—a collection of trivial, minor matters, yet she never approached them with anything less than full attention. Upon hearing the maid’s brief account of what happened, she arched an eyebrow in silence and waved her hand, signaling for the maid to return to her duties. Seeing her reaction, the maid felt reassured and went back to work. The stern Ms. Maria would always protect them.

"It’s that adventurer who has been the talk of the manor lately, isn't it?" Maria tucked her quill away. She remembered that this was also the adventurer who had saved Bella. As it happened, she was quite interested in an adventurer capable of causing Banderas to lose his composure.

...

Seeing Maria appear, Banderas straightened his posture; he was unwilling to be seen as subordinate to this woman in any setting. She had surely come to see him make a fool of himself.

"Butler Banderas, it was merely a branch full of natural vitality. Master Hesse used to do the same, did he not?" Maria’s standard smile was like a polished dinner knife; every word she spoke felt like a stroke across Banderas’s face.

"Heh, it’s a pity the young master isn't here to follow suit." Banderas chuckled, his twitching shoulders betraying his true emotions. "That was how many years ago? If you’re so hung up on the young master, Ms. Maria, perhaps you should return to the old estate."

It was a classic scene of two characters locking horns. At this moment, all the player needed to do was stand quietly to the side and listen to the information being thrown about. Cen Jiu was caught in the middle, struggling to suppress the urge to ask, "Who is Master Hesse?"

"Having not seen him for over a decade, it is only natural to miss Master Hesse." Both were people who had lived through more than half a lifetime; naturally, Maria knew exactly where to strike to cause pain. She wore a warm, concerned smile. "As for you, Banderas, shouldn't you attend to important matters instead of concerning yourself with a guest's personal interests?"

Ms. Maria’s gaze fell upon the guest listening in. She bowed, appearing entirely sincere. "Guest, please allow me to offer my most sincere apologies for Banderas’s rudeness. He is simply too dedicated to his duties, which led him to use the wrong approach."

She turned to Banderas and snapped, "Banderas, return to your work!"

Banderas knew full well that his arch-rival was seizing the opportunity to mock him, but she had also provided him with a graceful way to step down. For the sake of his own face and the honor of the Ortega family, he had no choice but to take it. He bowed, nodded, and departed in silence with the miners.

As soon as he left, Maria immediately switched to a look of disdain and said to Cen Jiu, "He is just like that—nitpicky. If he continues to get this worked up for a few more years, he’ll probably drop dead. I hope you won't take it to heart."

"It's fine, it's fine. He's already like that; he’s quite pitiful, really." Cen Jiu had no intention of arguing with the old man anyway, especially since she had already obtained the hidden achievement. Besides, players had seen plenty of distinct, bizarre characters in games; someone getting explosive over a guest playing with a tree branch wasn't even that unusual.

The matter of the angry bearded man was put aside. Maria turned to the main topic: "Miss Jiu, let us move to a different place to talk." This adventurer was very much to her liking; perhaps she could be recruited as an asset.

Maria brought Cen Jiu to her private office. As soon as they entered, Cen Jiu began to openly observe the interior. Unlike the lady's crisp and serious appearance, her workstation was filled with all sorts of handicrafts. There were many sewn dolls and small figurines, some crooked and clumsily cute, clearly not items that would be sold on the market.

Maria served warm tea, the floral and fruity aroma releasing fully at the perfect temperature. Seeing the curious gaze Cen Jiu cast upon these items, she explained meticulously, "These were gifts from my subordinates. Please excuse the mess."

"You all have a very good relationship." Cen Jiu picked up the tea and took a small sip. The tea was mellow and refreshing, with the unique taste characteristic of sun-dried plants steeped in water.

[Consumed Sky-Wheel Fruit Tea: Perception bonus +7%, minor acceleration of wound recovery (Duration: one hour)]

The tea served to guests provided quite excellent attribute bonuses; drinking it was a gain.

Maria’s smile was faint but carried great presence. "Well, I heard from them that you had something to discuss with me, Miss Jiu?"

"That's right. I keep feeling that the atmosphere here is a bit strange?" Cen Jiu set down the teacup, the porcelain base clinking crisply against the saucer.

Upon hearing this, the lady’s smile faded, and her expression turned serious. "Miss Jiu, from whom did you hear this?"

Maria’s sudden change in expression did not frighten Cen Jiu. She answered directly, "I sensed it myself. Besides, I have a good friend working here."

"As an adventurer, it is only natural to solve my friend's problems." With that, she drained the tea in one gulp.

"Guest, it seems you are quite fond of the tea here." Maria remained composed, refilling the cup for her special visitor.

Cen Jiu picked up the cup again and took a sip. "Naturally. Tea brewed with care should be appreciated, shouldn't it?"

"Thank you for your kindness. If you like it, I will have Bella prepare a portion for you to take with you." Maria smiled, giving her answer.

The system popped up a quest progress notification:
[Professional Butler (Optional): Wait for the right opportunity; await contact from Maria.]

It seemed to be a long-term quest. Cen Jiu was a bit speechless. Her conversation with Maria felt like they had discussed everything and yet nothing at all; she had reached a consensus without even fully clarifying what had happened. Fortunately, the system's judgment was honest. She suspected that all the intellectuals in this game had a tendency to speak in riddles.

Not wanting to waste any food, Cen Jiu finished the entire pot of tea before leaving. Maria’s attitude toward this remained unchanged, and she explained warmly, "Sky-Wheel fruit is a plant unique to Pachacan. It helps with wound healing and is beneficial when consumed daily. It is very suitable for you to carry on your travels."

"Thank you for your hospitality. If I have the ability to change things, I will do my utmost; otherwise, it would be a waste of my status." Cen Jiu still had many things to do and needed to leave the manor.

Not long after leaving Maria’s office, a manservant came to deliver the reward for the night patrol—a bag of silver coins with significant weight. The night patrol quest was complete, but the item-seeking quest it triggered was far from over. Given that creatures like water droplets were deceptive in nature, she wouldn't get any clear information from the servants.

The only thing she could be sure of was that the item she needed to find was within the main house. Based on her gaming experience, Cen Jiu speculated that this item was either gathering dust in some obscure corner as trash or was being heavily guarded. Both options were closely related to another pending manor side quest. Once she built up a good relationship with the manor staff, wouldn't obtaining the relevant information be a breeze?

It was just that the player had to wait for the in-game time to pass for these quests to progress. To waste such a large area, the developers of *Seven-Colored Strings* were truly painstaking in their efforts to lengthen the player's time spent there...

It was exactly noon. As Cen Jiu walked along the manor road, some servants were sitting in the shade of the trees lining the cobblestone path, drinking water and eating. From a distance, she had thought their skin color was simply due to working in the sun, but now she could see it was natural. Their facial features were similar to the kind little girl who had pointed the way when Cen Jiu first arrived on the shore; they were clearly from the same region.

However, their clothing was dusty and soaked with sweat. The servants’ faces showed only a copy-pasted numbness as they rested and ate, completely ignoring Cen Jiu’s act of stopping to observe them. Cen Jiu recalled that she hadn't seen this group of characters in the staff dormitory at all; the characters living there all had lighter skin tones.

As for the field sheds she had seen during the night patrol, she had assumed they were for the patrols to rest in, but now she realized they must be where these field-working characters lived. The living conditions were far worse than that double room—was this really fit for human habitation?

Cen Jiu caught the scent of a quest achievement and stepped forward to greet them. "Hello..."

Before she could finish her opening, the group of women seemed to have triggered some kind of switch. They hesitantly observed Cen Jiu’s appearance, then quickly hoisted their baskets from the ground and ran off into the fields.

These weren't just simple ambient NPCs... they were avoiding the player, just like that child. But there was no character like Juya appearing to issue a quest at this moment, so Cen Jiu helplessly gave up on the idea of continuing to explore. Perhaps after completing certain side quests for the manor, the storylines for these servants would be triggered; she would check back then.

No wonder this place wasn't considered a safe zone by the system; everything about it was wrong.

Cen Jiu returned to the church. After circling around, she finally found Raphael in the kitchen.

"Ah Jiu, you've returned." Raphael was sitting at the dining table. When in the kitchen, he would take off his robe and put on an apron. Cen Jiu had returned at the perfect time; he hadn't yet touched his lunch.

The meal was still quite simple—the same bread and corn porridge from breakfast, with the addition of a single egg. Moreover, it looked cold, as if it were leftovers from the previous meal. Seeing this meager lunch, Cen Jiu asked in surprise, "Raphael, are you eating lunch?"

Even from the perspective of the Ortega family kitchen, which shared the same sect, there were no such ascetic dishes. The church should have no difficulty obtaining supplies that the Black Camel Tavern could get. The kitchen supplies were, if not extravagant, certainly fresh; if she were the one cooking, it would definitely look better than this.

"Yes, you didn't return last night, so I prepared to eat it." As he said this, he glanced at Cen Jiu and then lowered his head. Yesterday, she hadn't explicitly said she wouldn't be back all night, so Raphael had thought she was just returning late and had prepared dinner for her. The result had far exceeded his expectations; she hadn't returned until morning.

Cen Jiu sensed a hint of resentment. Was it because she had stood him up last night that he had ended up eating leftovers?

So, she rolled up her sleeves. "Let me eat it!" She hadn't eaten lunch yet either.

"I will go prepare something new." Raphael shook his head, stood up, and headed toward the stove.

"Wait, wait, wait!" Cen Jiu grabbed the hem of his robe. She didn't want to miss this chance to practice her skills for free and suggested, "Let me do it. Can you help me from the side?"

Her action of pulling his robe closed the distance between them. Raphael lowered his eyes. Her rapid breathing from the quick reaction was clearly visible on her heaving chest. She shifted her gaze upward, meeting her expectant smile.

"Is that okay, Raphael?"

He had absolutely no room to refuse.