The following day was chaotically busy. Milia decided to do some advertising that morning before I woke up and soon, parents were practically being dragged to our store for a shot at the world’s cheapest candy. Did you know candy was expensive in this world? Because I didn’t. The bastard nobles here made it nearly three, sometimes even four times the price, making it practically a luxury good. Add import taxes too, since no one made it locally and parents hissed at the slightest glance at the bite-sized sugar attacks.
On the bright side, kids were at least healthy. Despite this being an F-ranked town, somehow the people were at least well-fed, had a volunteer teacher that accepted donations only, and most basic facilities. The only thing one could do in Kyushu was die of boredom, but with kids, they’d find some way to be entertained. Perhaps skipping stones across the river while chatting about… whatever. Okay, maybe I’d have to introduce something later, not that I was really a kid person. I didn’t hate them, per se, but those little booger-flickers on Earth were great at getting on my nerves. Did you know that if you opened a potato chip bag, one could hear you from outside? Facts.
In order to keep things a little balanced, I actually implanted my own little grading system depending on the candy we made. Caramel was the most common item on our list, being quite easy to make. At least for me. From there, we had a blast using it as a base to create many other things. If you were newlywed or dating, loved cooking, had a special one with a sweet tooth, then a candy-making night may be the odd idea that brought you closer together. Or get you a strange look.
Caramel wasn’t the only thing we used as a base, as sugar syrup, fruits from the garden, and certain cinnamon-like herbs joined the fray. Milia wanted to try everything.
Thank fuck we hired Chenzu to handle the farm. He and I instructed the teenagers on how to do everything from milking the cow, to collecting any eggs, to feeding the animals. I thought that the bull would be a problem, but he didn’t pay us any mind. The problem animal turned out to be one of the elicrones. Something about it made me instinctively uncomfortable. I thought it was me, perhaps tiredness from making candy all night, but Wolverine kept away from it too. The darker elicrone was a female, I believed. The birds were actually magical beasts like Beakwing and officially off the menu, much to Harmony’s dismay. However, when the female seemed to insist on being eaten or at least it seemed that way, the blue-haired teenager changed her mind.
The male elicrone almost looked embarrassed with his overly familiar mate. I expected Cheetara to pounce them or something, but she got along with the mana birds just fine.
The candy outsold the potions significantly and within an hour, I received a system notice.
[Quest completed! Reward received. System notice. Never get complacent as a shop keep. Please try getting to know your customers.]
I honestly wondered if the system’s sass was a result of Wanda, though I wasn’t entirely sure she had anything to do with its administration.
During a break, Lucas sat with the new farmhand in chairs outside, still humbled by the fact that Sir Nate attracted another nonhuman so far east. The teenager still felt more human than dwarf, especially being so tall for one, but he still wanted to embrace that side of his blood. Most non- or demi-human beings either became adventurers, specialists, or lived within their own species-dominated domain. Humans in general were experimental and would often marry other beings in a heartbeat, so there wasn’t much animosity between the races. Except for the goblins and, if they counted, demons. Even the orcs were civilized, long gone the days of war in favor of building and surpassing the humans. The only thing odd about orcs these days was their inherent fear of female humans, but most people believe witches caused this.
Lucas knew one, but as powerful as she was, that person possessed not a shred of hostility toward others. Unless threatened, of course, but who wouldn’t?
“I fail to understand the human fascination with sugar,” Chenzu said after munching on a bowl of meat slices mixed with some kind of gravy and rice. “It just makes me sick.”
Lucas gave him a sad smile but didn’t bring up a known fact that canines and sugar didn’t exactly get along. Constantly feeling Chenzu’s strong, but bizarre, aura, the new magician couldn’t help but ask a question.
“Chenzu… how did you learn about magic?” Lucas asked. Chenzu looked at him with a bemused expression. “We’ve trained with Sir Nate and Lady Milia for some time now, meditated, and… well, I fail to understand the path of fire.”
“We beastkin were born attuned to the music that makes up magic,” Chenzu replied. “Papa taught us how to harvest it, make it something that provides peace and pleasure to those around me. Although not every beastkin sees magic as the universe’s music.” Lucas noticed his expression darkening. “Some see it for brutality, war, darkness.” Chenzu shrugged. “If it was viewed as something other than a tool, then we wouldn’t be living in fear of the Peace Spawner.”
Lucas nodded and truly pondered the beastkin’s words. He wasn’t a violent person either, but after the bandits pillaged his village, the teenager had changed. He did not ever want to feel helpless again. Perhaps he took Milia’s sword lessons too seriously, perhaps not.
Lucas wanted power, but not at the cost of losing himself. He desired to make it up to his village, to contribute, to bring home an array of achievements as a man carrying both dwarf and human blood. Maybe if his parents were still out there somewhere, they’d learn of his accomplishments, rush to him. But Lucas also knew that was just a silly dream. Nia took him in as a child, and he’d never heard anything regarding his missing parents since, except for the whispers of an unfortunate encounter with the Peace Spawner. However, the teenager knew those silly rumors couldn’t possibly be true. He doubted his parents were important enough to attract that kind of attention. However, if the Peace Spawner really did kill his parents, Lucas would go out of his way to avenge them, so that they might rest in peace, no longer eternally plagued by the Lord of Darkness.
“There’s a look in your eye that shows something far deeper than a simplistic, honest kid,” Chenzu suddenly said after minutes of silence. “You feel weak, hopeless to catch up with some of your peers, but also contain a desire for power that eclipses even my own. Be careful with these thoughts, my angsty friend. You do not want to become a lemon. For when a woman bites into you, she’d frown at what she tastes and flee.” The beastkin shrugged. “Not that I’m without faults. I think I’m the last person that you should consider taking advice from before consulting with anyone else.” He laughed. “Perhaps we should be aware of the darkness within all of us. As for Sir Nate, well, let’s protect his overwhelming beacon of light.”
Lucas could only nod, shocked that the beastkin saw right through him. Maybe his line of thinking really was too simple, mediocre. Maybe he needed to change things.
He glanced at Harmony sitting at a table with Mandi. Cheetara the kitten was in her lap as the blue-haired girl read something.
Lucas felt grateful that Master Nia taught him how to read as well as arithmetic long ago. The young man would certainly feel shame in front of both girls. Sure, they were nobles, though unlike any he’d ever encountered. They didn’t treat the boy like garbage waiting to be swept up by a shopworker. At first, Lucas thought it was because of a schoolgirl desire for Nate, but their actions slapped away that thought quickly. They were, in a sense, just like him. Seeking power to protect others.
Lucas sometimes wondered what it was like to have parents but slapped that ungrateful thought away. Master Nia did feel like a mother, but at some point, Lucas started avoiding her, feeling shame over certain thoughts.
Master Nia probably caught onto this and like the kind person she always was, provided him with an alternate, less awkward path. He did not enjoy viewing his Master in such a shameful way, but those dwarf instincts kicked in more often than the young man liked. He wanted to maintain the tough, motherly image of Master Nia, honor her legacy as a skilled blacksmith, and follow in her footsteps.
She was his hero. Nate being his second hero, of course.
Realizing he was in a meditative state, Lucas snapped back into reality as his realm increased for the first time. The others smiled at him.
“I see you’re not slacking off after all,” Harmony said.
“So lucky,” Mandi said, pouting. “If only my powers would awaken already.”
Beakwing huffed out what Lucas wondered was his own version of a “Well done.”
I felt Lucas’s power increase while making my way back to the lab, eager to check on my new MMABS option. Harmony’s candy idea was a hit, allowing us to easily conquer the system-generated quest. However, I refused to believe that things would be so lax. The system planned to give me this new building option anyway and just wanted to make me sweat for it.
[Current options. Buildings. Tools. Garden. Forges. Equipment and Devices. Farm. Shop.]
Eyes widening, I selected the option, bracing myself for what was surely going to be some crazy spirit coin costs.
[Shop. Currently unlocked.
1. F-ranked Physical Building Upgrade. Price: 100 spirit coins.
2. F-ranked Messenger Spirit Bird System. Price: 2,000 spirit coins, D-ranked shop.
3. Apprentice Rank System. Price: 8,000 spirit coins, D-ranked shop.
4. Mana-Powered Vending Machine and System. Price: 20,000 spirit coins, C-ranked shop.
5. Remote Debt Collection System. Price: 50,000 spirit coins, C-ranked shop.
6. Mana-Powered Vending Machine Network. Price: 55,000 spirit coins, C-ranked shop.
7. Platinum to Hybrid Spirit Coin Conversion System. Price: 5 heavenly spirit coins, B-ranked shop.
8. C-ranked Mana Potion Recipe and Liquid Mana System. Price: 50 heavenly spirit coins, B-ranked shop.]
This was a lot to unravel. First of all, vending machines? I inspected the D- and C-ranked shops of Wingston and saw no such things. Maybe these were exclusive to me or higher-ranked shops? God, this world’s obsession with ranks was starting to drive me nuts, but I felt even more determined to climb the mountain to reach the summit. Fuck, even that F-ranked building upgrade cost one hundred spirit coins. A messenger spirit bird system would toss me leagues beyond my competition.
System, who exactly am I competing with? I thought. The system replied as I made my way back to the front room to sit by Milia, who was currently meditating. I decided to do the same while we still had some time.
[The top shops in the world.
1. Matriarch Aria’s Repository. Rank: A.
2. Alexander the Magnificent’s Hall of Treasures. Rank: A.
3. Muddy Waters. Rank: A.
4. Rip-off Gary. Rank: B.
5. Western Dungeon Store. Rank: B.]
Once again, I couldn’t help but be baffled at what the system showed me. At least I could take solace in the fact that it didn’t make it a pain in the ass to view the top five list. Some of the names were… well, stupid. Or maybe genius, depending on the perspective.
I wasn’t sure who’d shop at a place called Rip-off Gary, but being the fourth best shop in the world wasn’t anything to sneeze at. The system didn’t specifically bring out potion shops, making this list a little bit iffy. I wasn’t expecting to ever muster the ability to compete with what were clearly nobles. A matriarch was a female leader of a sect, for example. In this case, likely a very large one with resources I could only dream of getting my hands on.
So many things in the shop were out of reach. Milia had a plan and maybe I should be patient and wait on it, but something about that just felt a bit too passive for me. That left only one real solution. Train. Train as hard as possible so that I could overwhelm the fallen angel. I may not be an adventurer, but fuck, I needed spirit coins and the A-ranked dungeon provided a shot at getting them. There were problems with just relying on the dungeon. For one, I’d need the hero’s party. Two, fifty spirit coins per grueling run would be the most painful grind known to man. Add the dungeon’s once a day limitation and I could forget about ever being able to afford anything worth a damn.
Meditating on the Dao of Creation didn’t bring any new insights, but it gave me a nice peace of mind. Milia’s follow-up kiss, which annoyed the teenagers, restored the rest of my spirits.
“In case you’re wondering, no, I hadn’t forgotten about taking you to the dungeon to train,” I told the teenagers. “Mandi will receive the basic training outside the dungeon, but you two, in you go.” I looked at Chenzu. “It’s an E-ranked dungeon, but treasure is treasure. You up for it? I’m going to whip these kids into shape.”
“Sure, I don’t mind tagging along,” Chenzu said. “Maybe I’ll find some cheap E-grade spirit wine inside.”
“You know, I still feel weird about not being able to help your mom more,” I told Mandi. “She practically threw us out of the city.”
Andros and the Black Cross pushed through the night and morning at top speed until, finally, they made it to the city of Wingston.
Yet, nothing seemed to be amiss. People were out and about this cloudy afternoon, going about their day, carefree. There were even street performers attracting audiences, happily enjoying their day.
Andros was no fool. This meant one thing. The hero’s party somehow convinced the Red Star, a normally selfish bitch according to his men, to erase their trail. Even if it risked alerting them.
He frowned, finally reaching a breaking point. How dare these insects interfere with an official operation, one in which he couldn’t afford to fail? The hero could be long gone now! His frown became a grimace, then rage beamed from his eyes.
“Bring her to me! Split up. Check every building to make sure the hero’s party isn’t in hiding. The only other city is about two weeks out, northwest. We won’t leave without being certain. Raid the adventurer’s den too.”
Andros munched on dried meat while waiting for his men to report. They returned with a man, but not the woman known as the Red Star.
“We found her son, the guard captain, sir,” the Black Cross said, shoving the bound man to the ground.
Andros placed a foot on his chest and removed the silencing tape.
“You’re under Black Cross jurisdiction,” Andros said, voice dark. He let out a killing intent that covered the entire city and more land, several hours, perhaps days away. He turned to his Black Cross subordinate. “What’s his name?”
“Hector, sir.”
“Hector, son of the Red Star,” Andros said, his voice filled with calm rage. “Tell me, where is your mother hiding? Or is she simply out on a few errands? With a title like that, she doesn’t come across as some sniveling coward. However, what could have possibly motivated her to cover up the hero’s trail? What kind of spirit treasure did he pay her? You’d better answer truthfully, boy.”
On the third dungeon run in a row, I coached Harmony and Lucas on fighting the dungeon boss. Fortunately, it didn’t retain its S-ranked evolution, allowing even the brats to take it down by working together.
Mandi still practiced fighting the demonic beasts using a staff and a short sword. Milia made sure no harm came to her but didn’t hold back on her training. She wanted to make sure the petite redhead imprinted the basics into muscle memory.
I mainly sat back and chatted with Chenzu. He didn’t find anything useful in the chests but did help me gather some plants and herbs. Also, we laughed at the teenagers and shouted encouragement.
I hoped to gain myself a new recipe, but the system probably scoffed at me for so much as thinking about returning to an E-ranked dungeon. The training of the apprentices was too important to neglect, regardless of whatever the system thought. Especially Harmony. A girl whose broken core received a repair by a nearly impossible-to-find potion thanks to the dryad. And from there, I sensed boundless potential.
One day, I’d be able to simply leave without worrying about the town’s safety, assuming she decided to stay. If not, she’d probably create her own legends, depending on her ambitions. Lucas, a half-dwarf, was nothing to sneeze at, of course. The gift I gave him would certainly forge something crazy.
[Heavenly Forge Hammer. Item rank: S. Item quality: Excellent. Infused with some of Atsuki the fallen angel’s mana, it’s capable of forging tools and weapons of Superior and Extraordinary quality. With the right skilled blacksmith, he or she can infuse the tool with various manas, including dark mana.]
About an hour later, we stepped out of the dungeon, training complete, teenagers panting, sweaty, and probably feeling like dying, just as things should be. Despite the intensity of the exercises, Harmony didn’t glare at me. Rather, she gave me a smile that stated she could handle it.
“Keep up the good work,” I said. “All of you. Be ready for work tomorrow.”
Abruptly, I froze as I felt some really fucking serious power emitting from somewhere. Power so strong that I had to pause, reminding myself the fallen angel couldn’t leave the dungeon. My eyes widened upon realizing the direction it came from. How fucking strong were these guys? Nope, I couldn’t risk investigating, especially with the teenagers with me. The Red Star could take care of herself.
Fuck, I had a really bad feeling about this shit.
