Chapter 25: Your generals have been recruited and their cards have been credited to your account.
When the shopkeeper tried to drive him away, Aman tried to explain.
"Auntie, I was so hungry just now that I didn't have the strength to hold it properly, please let me try again..."
However, the shopkeeper was busy with business and didn't want to pay any more attention to her.
Seeing that there was no excitement to be had, the crowd dispersed.
Ah Man was so hungry that her vision was blurry. Seeing that no shopkeeper on the street was willing to hire her, she had no choice but to drag her weak body and lean against the wall to leave.
“This young lady.”
However, at that moment, a voice rang out from behind her, suddenly calling out to her.
"My master invites you to this restaurant for a meal." The speaker was a woman dressed as a guard.
Upon hearing this, Aman thought she had misheard and asked in a muffled voice, "Who is your master? I've only just arrived here, I shouldn't know your master... Why are you offering me food out of the blue?"
“My master and the young lady do not know each other. But my master is usually very kind and hospitable and likes to make friends. The young lady will know when she arrives,” the guard said.
Ah Man was completely bewildered, but considering that she was penniless and had nothing of value to offer, and since she couldn't find work anyway, she figured she might as well go with this man and see what would happen. So she followed the guard into the restaurant.
Yuan Yan sat at the table, where a table of food and wine had already been set out.
Aman spotted Yuan Yan as soon as she arrived. For some reason, despite the large number of people in the restaurant, Aman immediately assumed that Yuan Yan was the master the guard had mentioned.
"Master, the person has been brought." Yu Liu said respectfully.
Ah Man stood in front of the table, unsure how to address the young woman before him.
She was dressed in black, sitting at the table drinking alone. Her every move exuded a commanding aura, clearly indicating that she was no ordinary person.
"Sit down, don't be shy... I called you over because I have some questions for you. Let's talk and eat." Yuan Yan said, gesturing for Aman to sit down.
"What is the woman's name and where is she from?"
"My surname is Zhang, I don't have a given name, I'm from Zhangjia Village. Because I'm strong and have a lot of brute strength, I'm a master at farming, and everyone in the village calls me Aman."
Aman sat down. But looking at the table full of food and wine, she had never seen such a sumptuous meal before. She swallowed hard, but dared not touch her chopsticks until the host had started eating.
Yuan Yan saw the longing in her eyes, chuckled, and took a sip of wine. "Eat, it's alright."
"Since you're a farmer from the village, why are you here looking for work?" she asked again.
Ah Man hesitated upon hearing this, glancing around the restaurant. "I really ate a lot... The food here doesn't look cheap, and it would be bad if I ate too much..."
Yu Liu, who was standing by, couldn't help but say when he heard A Man worrying about the cost of the meal, "Young lady, don't worry about eating! My master is quite wealthy, and there's definitely enough money for a meal."
Ah Man then reached for the bowl. As soon as the food entered her mouth, the aroma awakened the cravings in her stomach, and she could no longer suppress her hunger, wolfing down the food.
“...I am strong and have a big appetite. Our family's land is small, and every year after paying the grain tax, there is not enough left to eat. Last year, my mother gave birth to a younger sister, which made things even more difficult for the family. We had no other choice but to come out and find a way to make a living.”
She ate her food heartily while answering Yuan Yan's questions.
"Has that woman found work yet?"
As Yuan Yan spoke, he saw A Man devour most of the food on the table in just a few words. He then beckoned to the waiter to refill the table.
"No, I never..." Ah Man felt ashamed upon hearing this question, and her face flushed red.
“In that case, would you be willing to join my household as a guard? Although the work of a guard in the household is not easy, the food is plentiful and the monthly allowance is not lacking. After joining the household, the monthly allowance will be the same as that of a second-class guard in the household… I wonder if you are willing?” Yuan Yan said.
Yu Liu, who was standing nearby, was surprised to hear that His Highness wanted to recruit this Aman as a guard.
But on second thought, judging from Zhang Aman's physique, he is indeed a promising talent worthy of cultivation. Perhaps His Highness has taken a liking to talent and wants to cultivate this person.
She had nothing but strength, and she never expected that this important person would be willing to hire her as a bodyguard.
Upon hearing this, Aman was shocked and immediately knelt down.
"Yes, I'm willing! My benefactor not only gave me food but also work; he's an incredibly kind person... As long as I can have enough to eat, I'm not afraid of hardship or fatigue; I can do anything!"
"Alright, just for what you said, I'll take you in."
After Yuan Yan finished speaking, he turned to Yu Liu and said, "After we return to the manor today, take her downstairs to change her clothes, and then she can train with you."
"Yes, Master," Yu Liu replied.
However, at that moment, the long-silent system suddenly reappeared.
[Congratulations, host! Your blue general card has arrived! You have successfully added the corresponding character to your team, and the card information is now fully unlocked.]
As he spoke, the blue card he had seen before jumped out and appeared out of thin air in front of Yuan Yan.
[General Card]
Name: Aman
Wisdom: 51
Strength: 63 (Can be improved)
Ambition: 12
Loyalty: 89
Commander: 45 (Can be upgraded)
...
Unlike the card art we saw before, the name and loyalty sections, which were previously marked with question marks, are now fully unlocked, and a new leadership section has been added. Although the stats aren't high, like the combat stat, they are marked as being upgradable.
The system happily announced: "Host, congratulations on successfully acquiring your first card. Your authority has slightly increased. Achievement gained: 'A Talented Individual Begins to Attach Him,' reward: 3000 achievement points."
Are you happy now?
"System, explain this to me. If Aman is the character card I drew, why didn't you give me any notification when she appeared?"
"Luckily, I had time today and asked someone to stop and take a look. Otherwise, what if I had missed it if they hadn't stopped?"
Yuan Yan was not as happy as it had imagined; instead, it immediately expressed its dissatisfaction with the system's unreliable functions.
[Host, rest assured, the situation you described will not occur.]
From the moment the host draws this character card, the host's fate becomes intertwined with that character's; you are destined to meet and become acquainted.
"How this process unfolds depends entirely on the host; the system cannot interfere. Whether the host can successfully subdue the character, and the character's initial loyalty to the host, are all determined by the host's own actions..." the system explained earnestly.
It's quite rare for a character card to start with 89 loyalty; such high loyalty means the character is unlikely to betray you.
[According to the system's calculations, this is partly due to the character's personality, and partly because the host's actions today have inspired her to be loyal and repay kindness.] The system didn't forget to praise Yuan Yan.
However, no matter what the system says, it cannot change the fact that it is useless.
Fortunately, Yuan Yan hadn't expected anything from it anyway. Seeing that A Man had finally eaten her fill, she stood up.
Yu Liu called out, "Shopkeeper, please settle the bill."
The waiter hurried over and said, "Sir, this table has cost a total of three taels and seven mace of silver."
When Aman heard that she had spent so much money in one meal, she was immediately shocked and then felt so distressed that she couldn't speak.
You have to understand that her family works hard all year round farming and can't even save a lot of money... and now she's eaten it all up in one meal at this restaurant!
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