“Come, let’s eat...”
After introducing the two to each other, Wu Yan waved at Asuna and Silica. They approached the table.
“It’s about time we ate, my stomach is almost flat from starvation...”
“Did Wu Yan-nii made all this?”
Silica ran over to the table and she looked at the ten steaming-hot dishes on the table with shining eyes.
“It looks so good!”
“Right, I wanted to ask you...”
Asuna tilted her head in bewilderment.”
“How did you make them like this, didn’t the simplification feature in SAO butcher the outcome?”
“It’s a trade secret, my secret recipe!”
Wu Yan gave her a smug grin.
“I spent half a year researching how to develop a dish like this, how about it? It turned out pretty good, didn’t it?”
Silica vigorously nodded her head while Asuna turned her head the other way with pursed lips.
“Come on, what’s the big deal?...”
“Sit down.”
Wu Yan ignored Asuna’s grumbling and he told her to sit down.
“If my skills weren’t this high, the food wouldn’t stay warm for so long.”
“You’re saying it like it’s my fault.”
Asuna sat down with a helpless look.
“I am used to minor celebrations, I regularly turned their offers down. This time, for some reason, they went to the guild’s headquarter, and I got caught because I didn’t stay in a hotel like I used to.”
“That means Asuna-san is very popular...”
Silica continued.
“Everyone wants to celebrate with Asuna-san...”
“Call me Asuna.”
Asuna giggled and she sighed.
“If you say so, still, it’s very troublesome to deal with so many requests all the time...”
“Just move out and get a place of your own!”
Wu Yan placed cutleries in front of Silica and Asuna.
“It’s about time you buy a house, right? I can’t imagine a girl like you staying in a cold and huge palace like your headquarters. It’s going to cause problems down the road due to your fame.”
“I had the same idea.”
Asuna raised her head.
“I already got enough money to buy a house. I am currently in the market for a house. I should be able to find the perfect house soon!”
Silica chimed in with admiration in her tone.
“That’s so nice, I mean, you will have a house all to yourself...”
“Silica, where do you usually stay?”
Asuna turned her curious gaze towards Silica.
“Me?”
Silica lowered her head in slight shame.
“I used to live in hotels but I started living with Shion-nee and Sachi-nee recently...”
“Shion and Sachi from the Moonlit Black Cats?”
Asuna had a hard time recalling Sachi and Shion’s identity. She nodded after she remembered who they are.
Sachi is an internal admin of the Black Cats. Her role is far from raid activities and strategic meetings. This is the reason why Asuna rarely saw Sachi, the same goes for Shion. After becoming a professional potion master, Shion rarely showed her face in public. The two would spend most of their time hanging out with each other in the HQ of the Black Cats, in a sense, they are living like relaxed cats.
Asuna rarely had any chance to meet the two, but, her impressions of the two of them were good so she smiled amicably as she replied.
“I am sure the three of you must enjoy each other’s company!”
Sachi is warm and docile, Shion is cheerful, and Silica is a bundle of energy and cuteness. The three blended well together.
“Sachi-nee and Shion-nee are very good to me!”
Silica concurred.
“They are kinder than most people I interacted with. I am very thankful to them!”
Wu Yan chortled. He knew about Sachi and Shion’s personality and that’s why he introduced Silica to the Black Cats. He knew they would take good care of Silica after she grew on them.
Wu Yan addressed Asuna.
“You got any ideas on which floor you want to buy a home in?”
“Yes, I do!”
Asuna raised the corners of her lips. It looks like she’s very happy to share her next idea.
“Selmburg on the 61st floor has very good views on the ocean (actually, a very large lake), the geography and the sceneries there just made sense to me. I want to move there!”
“The 61st floor?”
Wu Yan showed her a confused look.
“Isn’t it expensive to buy a home there?”
The prices of homes in SAO are affected by floor number. The higher the floor, the more expensive the home. Granted, factors like the area of the house, sceneries, and other amenities can affect the price. Ceteris paribus, the higher the floor, the more expensive a home can get.
61st floor, it’s a floor that exceeded the 50th floor which means the price would be eye-popping high.
“I already asked around, taking into consideration renovations and furniture, my house is going to set me back by 4 million Cors. It’s pricey for sure but it’s still within my budget...”
Asuna said nonchalantly. Four million Cors is really nothing much for a player of Asuna’s caliber.
“4 million Cors...”
Silica mumbled with a flabbergasted look. For someone who used to operate on the 35th floor, this kind of money is something she couldn’t comprehend.
“Hmm, 4 million cors, you say?”
Wu Yan rubbed his chin and he said something no one can ignore.
“That’s not as expensive as I had imagined. Should I buy a house there so I can stay there when I feel like it?”
“You are going to dump 4 million Cors into a house you’re not sure if you will live in?”
Asuna’s eyebrows started jolting.
“You, seriously, how rich are you?”
“Well, I am just slightly affluent...”
Wu Yan replied while making it sound like he’s only got a bit of cash to throw around. For someone who hunts only field bosses or labyrinth monsters that other players have to team up against, his current net worth made it so that banks would probably be shanking each other to get their hands on his money.
Excluding his items, equipment, materials, and other tools that he can liquidate for more Cors, he reckons he had 8-digit Cors in his account if not 9-digit.
Put it another way, if Wu Yan used his Cors to start another guild, he can buy his way to the top with his money alone. Again, this excluded his power and fame.
Silica felt like she’s not on the same level as the two players in front of her.
“Asuna-nee, once you’re done with your home purchase, can I come and take a look?”
“Of course, you can! You’re welcomed at any time!”
Asuna answered in glee. Silica also beamed back at her.
The two girls added each other as friends. Wu Yan got put on the sideline and he sighed. He just couldn’t wrap his head around how girls can hit it off so easily in such a short span of time. They were kinda awkward around each other just a few minutes ago.
They talked their way through the dinner, Wu Yan’s food did its job in grabbing the girls by their stomachs. Silica is a beginner to food cooked by Wu Yan so her reaction is understandable. But, even an expert like Asuna is hooked on this good food.
Asuna sighed after taking another look at the remaining food on the table.
“You made all these using rare materials, right? Just where do you get the luck to obtain so many rare food materials?”
“Beats me, my drop rate is probably bugged or something.”
Wu Yan chuckled.
“I get more food material than normal loots...”
“I see...”
Asuna’s eyes flashed with a brilliant idea. She grinned.
Shortly after that, Asuna would come knocking on Wu Yan’s door. And, each time, she would walk away with rare food material generously given to her by a certain someone.