Called me boss? Here to eat?

As long as she’s not here to eat me… Chen Qi turned around helplessly to look at the person behind him.

It was a young woman with short golden hair, dripping wet, dressed in a clean and efficient professional outfit.

Strapped to her waist was a heavy vintage-style camera and a gold-trimmed revolver.

Whether it was the expensive camera or that flashy revolver, both clearly showed she was someone of high social status.

A rich person, then. Chen Qi gave her a once-over.

Overall, she had a sharp and spirited look. Her most striking feature was a pair of bright golden eyes.

But she had just fallen into the water, and hunger had dulled her once star-like gaze.

A camera? A reporter? Photographer? Chen Qi asked curiously:

“Uh… you are?”

At his question, the golden-haired woman’s eyes lit up suddenly, snapping into high energy as if from reflex:

“Chief gold-tier reporter of the White Dove Times, two-time winner of Moonstone City’s Individual Journalism Achievement Award, and the highest-paid reporter and news writer—Peru Lann.

Of course, you can call me by my industry nickname—Miracle Reporter!”

Peru?

Miracle?

Chen Qi wasn’t great with names like that, but when he heard “Miracle Reporter,” a flood of memories rushed in.

This was someone truly famous!

Previously, whether it was An, Captain Blackeye, or the somewhat well-known Little Crow, they were all relatively niche characters in the game forums.

But this woman? She was more famous than the Witch herself, a superstar figure with endless titles!

The King of Chaos, The Fearless One, The Shield of the Goldenfinch Kingdom, One of the Royal University’s Three Legends, The Cheapest Info Broker, Enemy of the World, Miracle Reporter Peru!

Chen Qi was silently stunned.

Some characters were memorable for their looks, bodies, charm, or amazing plotlines.

But Miracle Reporter Peru stood out simply for her presence!

As a journalist, she worked day and night, riding her little white dove to cover every major event in the Witch’s Sea.

You could find her at nearly every major incident.

And with her simple-and-violent interview methods and explosive chaos-making skills, she left an unforgettable impression.

Take, for instance, the Moonstone City tycoon’s embezzlement of railway funds from her background story.

Normally, this would require a detailed investigation, navigating political factions, and gathering evidence behind the scenes.

But Peru? She snuck into the tycoon’s mansion and took scandalous photos of him cheating with his mistress.

Then she threatened him with the photos, shoved a microphone in his face, and forced an interview!

The tycoon, a seasoned schemer, refused to confess and taunted her instead, saying spreading the photos might even excite him more.

So she pulled a gun on him.

Through blackmail and thievery, she found the evidence hidden in his home and turned what should’ve been a bland piece into Moonstone City’s hottest headline within a single day.

In short, she was a chaotic journalist who’d stop at nothing for her newspaper sales!

Chen Qi looked again at the drenched woman in front of him.

This real-life Peru was nothing like her literary, glasses-wearing, polished image in the newspaper photos.

Total photo fraud.

At that moment, Peru’s stomach growled loudly. She weakly asked again:

“So… Boss, is your restaurant open? I’ve been running around all day—I’m starving…”

“Yeah, it’s open.”

Chen Qi walked into the boat house and tidied up the kitchen.

He figured it wouldn’t hurt to serve her.

This woman had insane chaos potential—getting involved with her was sure to attract some trouble.

But in Moonstone City, many journalists had wider information networks than actual informants.

They roamed the city, collecting leads on big scoops.

As Moonstone’s most famous reporter, Peru not only had tons of intel but also a large number of informants.

And, crucially—unlike those mysterious, riddle-speaking intel dealers—Peru was a chatterbox.

Information that could fetch sky-high prices? She could blurt it out casually.

Among players, she had the nicknames “The Cheapest Info Broker” and “Riddle-Killer.”

If you wanted intel, she was a great choice.

Of course, tracking her down was a matter of luck—she was always zipping around.

Chen Qi opened the fridge in the boat house:

“What do you want to eat?”

Peru followed him inside and looked over his rather humble fridge:

“Your boat house is so tiny. And these ingredients? None of them are my favorites. Are you really a chef? Can you even cook?”

Between the plain décor and the lackluster ingredients, Peru frowned—but her stomach was growling too hard to be picky.

“I can cook.”

So she was doubting his skills now, huh? Chen Qi resisted the urge to snap back.

On the surface, Peru’s aura was faint—just a gutsy Tier 1 Transcendent with solid backing.

But based on game forum info, her actual Transcendence level was unknown, and her durability was insane.

She was likely a hidden BOSS-tier character, perfectly concealing her true strength.

Chen Qi pulled out the ingredients and said:

“The place just opened, so there’s not much to work with, but it’ll taste good. I can make spicy dishes too.”

“Oh? You’ve got spice?”

Peru’s eyes lit up. She loved spicy food—extra kick!

“Anything in the fridge—just add chili, and I’ll take it all!

Oh, and give me four raw fish. My pet needs to eat.”

“Pet?”

“Yep! And my little white dove too!”

As she spoke, Peru went over to the edge of the boat and reached into the water.

With a splash, she pulled out a one-meter-tall giant dove from the sea.

No illusion, no optical trick—this was a genuinely huge pigeon!

The splash from earlier had come from this bird.

Chen Qi’s eyes sparkled. Before he transmigrated, his main game account had been a pet trainer from the Goldenfinch Kingdom.

He knew tons about pets—basically a walking encyclopedia.

A Travel Dove, a traveling-type exotic beast—capable of carrying passengers through the air, with exceptional directional sense and stamina.

It was a pet worth at least ten million Beli.

Only the wealthy could afford a Travel Dove.

Chen Qi took four raw fish and placed them in front of the dove’s beak:

“Fifty Beli per fish—two hundred total.”

The starving dove teared up and gobbled the fish.

In Damarro Town, twenty Beli for a fish was already expensive.

Hearing the price, Peru’s eyes sparkled again. She folded her arms and said:

“That’s dirt cheap!

Boss, you're too honest! Give my dove two more.

Actually—no, it’s fat enough already. Just fry two of those for me!”

The white dove let out a pitiful squawk. It felt like its owner still hadn’t figured out why it fell in the water.

Honest? Chen Qi was a little surprised—he’d actually charged double the market price.

But restaurant boats were like eateries in tourist spots—prices were always a bit higher.

Judging by Peru’s reaction, he’d still priced it too low.

Without hesitation, Chen Qi grabbed more ingredients from the fridge.

He was a chef, after all—and he was using rare ingredients like Devil’s Chili.

Charging a bit extra? Totally fair.

Alright, these dishes that cost under twenty to make—he’d price them all above one hundred!

Peru plopped into a dining chair, rubbed her nose, and waved grandly:

“Everything in your little fridge—use your best spices and best cooking skills. I want it all!”

“No problem.”

Soon, several delicious-smelling dishes were served.

As he cooked, Chen Qi chatted with Peru.

He wanted to get some intel on Moonstone City.

But Peru, being a full-blown chatterbox, didn’t give him any chance to speak.

With a mysterious look, she said:

“Boss, today’s your lucky day!”

“?”

Peru had a strong desire to share.

Getting info from her didn’t even require careful coaxing—she’d spill it on her own.

Grabbing a bottle of booze from the table, she took a swig and exclaimed excitedly:

“Meeting me today means you’ll be the first person in the Witch’s Sea to know tomorrow’s White Dove Times headline!”

“What headline?”

She said immediately:

“The Flower Witch—and the Blackfin Crew!”

“Oh.”

Chen Qi kept cooking.

Even though she was a famous reporter, when it came to these two topics, he might actually know more than her.

So indifferent? Peru stared at him. Looks like this guy had high standards for what counted as “breaking news.”

But no matter—her next bit of info was sure to blow him away.

Sigh, another fan incoming. Peru raised her head thirty degrees, turned slightly, and said proudly:

“Hmph! Boss, what I’m about to tell you is top-secret news.

All four Pirate Emperors—the Blackfin Crew and the Blood Blade Pirates—are chasing the Deep Sea Hunter’s treasure!

And based on the intel I’ve gathered, this isn’t a rumor—the treasure is real!

I risked my life to get this!”

“Oh.”

Chen Qi kept cooking, barely responding.

What the h*ll, not even that shocked him?!

Looks like this little boss didn’t care about sea treasure at all…

Peru cleared her throat and prepared to drop another bomb, trying to sound casual:

“Did you know, just yesterday, the Flower Witch appeared on a passenger ship.

And based on my info, the Blackfin Crew isn’t just after the treasure—they’re also tracking the Witch!”

“Hm?”

Chen Qi’s tone shifted slightly.

Finally, some useful info.

The Flower Witch knew a lot of the Witch’s Sea’s secrets, which was why so many factions were after her in-game.

He hadn’t known the Blackfin Crew had started tracking her this early.

Still, not too surprising.

Seeing his mild reaction, Peru started getting a little red-faced—but then immediately regained her composure with another mysterious look:

“Boss, do you know what I’m about to do next?”

Not only did she love spilling other people’s secrets—she loved sharing her own too.

“What?”

Chen Qi asked. She was even more talkative than he imagined.

Peru smiled slightly:

“I’ve decided—I’m going to track down Captain Blackeye of the Blackfin Crew’s Saw Shark, and that plague-on-legs ship doctor, Little Crow, to interview them! I’ll get them to spill the truth about the Deep Sea Hunter’s treasure!”

Originally, she’d planned to head back to Moonstone City for a meal.

But her paper’s intel network had discovered the Saw Shark’s location.

Brazen pirates—daring to approach Moonstone’s waters!

So she made a snap decision. She’d chase the Saw Shark down—even without eating!

Once she got the juicy secrets from them, she’d shock this little restaurant owner—and the whole sea!

Peru had a vivid imagination. She could already picture Chen Qi being awed by her charm and offering her free meals for life.

“That’s actually kind of interesting,” Chen Qi said.

The Saw Shark was chasing him, and now the reporter was chasing the Saw Shark.

If Blackeye and Little Crow got tangled up with this chaos-maker, maybe they’d stop hunting him for a while.

Good news. Chen Qi continued plating dishes.

As they chatted and joked, the ravenous Peru devoured an entire table of food.

Her appetite rivaled that of two full-grown men.

After finishing, she shed her drowned-rat appearance and was back to being full of energy.

“Delicious, delicious!”

Peru lay back in her chair, rubbing her belly with a satisfied smile.

She couldn’t believe her luck—falling into the sea and running into a restaurant boat.

She’d thought it’d be a tourist trap.

Who knew it’d taste this good?!

What the heck did he put in this stuff? Peru praised without holding back:

“Boss, you’ve got real skills! Next time, I’ll bring my coworkers from the paper!”

Chen Qi tallied up the dishes and smiled:

“Two bottles of wine included—it comes to 3,000 Beli.”

“3,000 Beli? Boss, that’s a steal! If you spruce up your décor and get a bigger boat, you could charge 5,000 no problem!”

The generous Peru stood up, patted her waist, and searched for that all-important thing called a “wallet.”

Hmm… where was it?

“Ahem.”

Peru coughed twice and blinked:

“So, uh… all my money got soaked. How about… I give you an autograph instead? I am famous, you know—my signature’s worth a lot.”

“Huh?”