Alex watched Emily disappear at the doorway, feeling an inexplicable pang of heartache. Sweet crisp cakes were a type of coarse grain cake that cost one copper coin each, but for the past two years, he and his daughter had barely scraped by on the odd jobs Alex Miller picked up at the guild, and Alex would only buy one for Emily to eat during festivals.

Emily was also very well-behaved and sensible. Although she wanted to eat them, she never asked for them.

But where did that system run off to after blurting out that random sentence?

Alex pushed himself up from the bed with both hands, dragging his straw sandals across the floor to stand before a battered bronze mirror on the wall, examining his appearance.

Due to malnutrition and years of sun exposure, his skin was a bit sallow. His features were about seventy or eighty percent similar to his previous life, except for the long, chestnut-brown hair that curled down his back and a full beard, making him look rather unkempt.

What a waste of good looks, Alex couldn’t help but complain. He’d probably scare children just by going out. With such an adorable little girl at home, he didn’t even bother to clean himself up a bit.

After that incident, his predecessor had almost given up on himself. If not for Emily, he might have chosen to end his once-glorious life that night three years ago.

The little one has suffered a lot with you; from now on, let me make it up to her! Alex clenched his fist, but felt as if he had no strength at all.

With broken limbs that couldn’t muster any strength, Alex felt like a useless person, finding it hard even to make a fist.

And now, the family’s situation could only be described as utterly destitute. There was only one bed in the room, and the only small blanket on it was what Emily used when she slept.

Let alone being a god of cookery—once the last two copper coins were spent, even tomorrow’s meal would be a problem. It seemed the key to solving everything still lay with the system.

“The system issues the first mission: Own a restaurant of your own. The host only needs to provide the land for the restaurant, and the system will fully renovate it according to the style chosen by the host. The mission has a three-day time limit. Upon completion, there will be a reward; failure will result in punishment.” At that moment, the system’s neutral voice sounded again.

Own a restaurant? Alex was stunned for a moment. Hearing the rest of the system’s words, he couldn’t help but smile, suddenly feeling that this system wasn’t so unreliable after all.

Although his predecessor had fallen on hard times, the most reliable thing he did after arriving in Chaos City was to buy this two-story building. Though it was old and located in the farthest corner of Aden Square, the entire building was his.

And although it was a bit out of the way, the first floor could still serve as a storefront. People had tried to rent it before, but his predecessor’s stubbornness always refused them. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have ended up so poor that even a sweet crisp cake was a luxury.

Alex slowly made his way downstairs, supporting himself against the wall. The wooden floorboards creaked with age, and some of the steps were already broken—it was practically a dangerous building.

After finally making it downstairs, Alex gasped for breath. His physical condition was truly terrible. Once, he could tear orcs apart with his bare hands, but now he had to stop and rest after just a few steps. Alex suddenly understood why his predecessor had given up on life; if it were him, he probably wouldn’t have had the courage to go on either.

“System, is there a reward for improving my body after completing the mission?” Alex asked in his mind, subconsciously clenching his fist.

“Not at the moment.” The system’s cold voice replied.

Not at the moment—does that mean there might be in the future? Alex’s eyes lit up. If he had to keep living in this body, he wasn’t sure how long he could last. But if the system could restore his body, even if he couldn’t reach the level of the first knight, just being able to live normally would be enough.

In his previous life, he had money, women, power… he had it all. He stood at a height others couldn’t reach in a lifetime of effort, simply by being born. So for a long time after turning thirty, he began to ponder life, trying to figure out what he really wanted, but he couldn’t find a goal.

At that time, critiquing food and restaurants was the thing that interested him most. He was even a bit nitpicky and addicted to being sharp-tongued, but it was just a momentary thrill. Looking back at those reviews later only made him feel emptier.

But now it was different. He had an adorable daughter and lived at the bottom of society. Whether it was restoring his body or giving his daughter a better life, learning to cook and opening a restaurant were things that would require long-term effort.

Having a clear dream and goal suddenly made Alex feel as if his heart had started beating again.

Nobles stomping their feet in long lines, elves disregarding their manners to eat skewers, dragons holding ladles and sitting around a hotpot, demons eating cute dumplings… Alex imagined the scene and found it even more amusing.

The first floor was quite spacious. Removing the half wall in the middle would leave nearly eighty square meters of space, with some planks and other junk piled on the floor, and a dark, shabby kitchen in the back.

Such a space left idle and not rented out—no wonder he was so poor, he couldn’t blame the heavens… Alex shook his head. But the previous owner planted the tree, and the later one enjoys the shade. At least the conditions for the first mission were met. He said directly in his mind, “Providing one restaurant site.”