"Collaboration?" Jasper sat in his office, his expression serious as he listened to Holt's report, a look of disbelief flickering across his face.
"Yes. I personally heard Professor Hicks say 'pleasure working with you' to His Highness Ron. They even exchanged deposit slips and talked about signing a contract," Holt reported earnestly.
Jasper leaned back in his chair, one hand on the armrest, the other idly fiddling with the tip of his pen as he thought things over.
He had been puzzled before—where exactly had Ron's Nether Orchids come from?
After all, plants with such potent magical effects wouldn't be found in just any random environment. If they were that easy to find, someone would've discovered them long ago.
Ron had lived in the royal palace his whole life. Aside from this sudden move to the City of Chaos, he had never left the Imperial Capital. Where would he have had access to something as rare as the Nether Orchid?
But if the Chaos City Magic Academy was backing him, everything made sense.
The real question was: What is the Academy planning?
Why were they using Ron to introduce the Nether Orchid to the public?
If it were purely for profit, the Academy could've easily handled the entire process itself. At most, they'd need to partner with the Goblin Trading Alliance. There would be no need to involve Ron, the seventh prince who held no actual power.
Surely… they weren't trying to support Ron's rise, using him as a stake in the Human Empire's political game?
Jasper entertained the idea—and was immediately startled by his own boldness.
Backing Ron… backing the seventh prince…
But the Chaos City Magic Academy had always maintained strict neutrality!
That couldn't be possible… right!?
Jasper felt a cold sweat start to form on his back.
He shook his head, trying to dismiss the thought. Too ridiculous.
The Magic Academy's very foundation was built on being absolutely neutral. How could they possibly get involved in the internal affairs of the Human Empire?
Sure, the Headmaster was human—but the two Vice Headmasters, both Legendary Mages, were an elf and a dwarf, respectively. There was no way they'd agree to meddle in the politics of human kingdoms.
Jasper kept trying to convince himself…
But… what if?
People change. Motives shift. Who could say for sure?
Ron himself clearly had no way of obtaining the Nether Orchid. It had to have come from the Academy.
That much was certain.
Even if the Academy wasn't intentionally interfering in the Empire's politics, there must be some other reason for choosing to work with Ron.
Jasper just didn't have enough information to make an accurate judgment yet.
"Leave the Nether Orchid here. You're dismissed for now." Jasper waved Holt away. "Keep monitoring the flower shop. I'm raising your monthly reimbursement limit to 1 gold coin. Report to me weekly."
"Yes, sir." Holt bowed respectfully and left the office.
Jasper looked at the Nether Orchid on his desk, then pulled out a blank piece of letter paper and began to write.
He carefully documented everything related to His Highness Ron—making sure to clearly separate facts from his own speculation so that the Commander would understand the situation.
Now that the issue involved both the Magic Academy and the Human Empire, he had no choice but to escalate it.
Once the letter was finished, Jasper rubbed his temples and exhaled deeply.
Tomorrow, he'd first have a mage from the mercenary corps test the Nether Orchid's effects. Then, he'd go visit Ron's shop again and try to probe his intentions.
With that in mind, Jasper stepped out of his office and handed the letter to a subordinate for delivery.
The Commander was currently stationed in the northern frontier of the Empire, so this letter would take quite a while to reach him.
Fortunately, nothing about Ron's situation seemed urgent, so Jasper didn't feel too pressured.
What happened next would depend on how Ron's flower shop developed.
…
The next morning, Ron woke up and followed his usual training routine, focusing on refining his ability to manipulate "Qi." He could feel he was getting closer to breaking through to Tier-1 Warrior.
After breakfast, representatives from the Magic Academy's Commerce Division arrived at the shop, bringing with them a formal contract.
Ron read it carefully several times, pointed out a few minor issues, and after making some adjustments, both parties signed the agreement—sealing the deal.
The Academy reps stored the 100 Nether Orchids in a spatial container and took their leave.
Ron received a deposit slip for 4,000 gold coins, along with a three-month contract for 600 Nether Orchids.
And right on cue, the system sent a notification—
[Main Quest] – [Open for Business: Sell 100 Nether Orchids]
"[Congratulations, Host! Quest complete. Your reward has been added to your Backpack.]"
[System: "Upgrade quest unlocked.]"
[Upgrade Quest] – [Successfully Grow One Golden-Red Chrysanthemum]
[Objective: Successfully grow one Golden-Red Chrysanthemum in the cultivation space.]
[Reward: Plant Growth Spell, System Level +1]
Ron's eye twitched when he saw the System Level +1 reward.
"What's the point of leveling up the system? Just adds a new pattern to the panel?" Ron grumbled.
System: "[With this level-up, the system will unlock three new decorative panel designs for the Host to choose from. Upon reaching Level 5, panel skins will be available to meet the Host's aesthetic needs.]"
"…Hah. Panel skins…" Ron's mouth twitched. He didn't even know where to start roasting this.
Why don't you go full scummy and make panel skin fragments or something?
Oh no, you're just handing out skins directly? Wow, thanks so much!
He sighed and shook his head, then opened his Backpack.
First, he tapped on [Crimson-Gold Chrysanthemum Cultivation Guide] and absorbed it, instantly gaining full knowledge of how to grow the plant.
Then, he clicked on [Crimson-Gold Chrysanthemum Seed] to view its description.
[Crimson-Gold Chrysanthemum Seed] (1 piece): A perennial evergreen herb. Prefers moist, loose, and fertile soil. Blooms in autumn and withers at season's end. Its fragrance aids in the circulation of Battle Qi. Both leaves and petals can be brewed into tea or consumed directly. They promote Battle Aura circulation and stimulate bodily vitality. Gentle in nature, they are especially effective in boosting Qi condensation.]
"Tsk tsk… We did mages first, and now it's the warriors' turn?" Ron rubbed his chin and grinned. "You're really going for magic-and-martial dual cultivation, huh?"
He was very satisfied with the effects of the Crimson-Gold Chrysanthemum, nodding repeatedly at its description.
Compared to the Nether Orchid, this plant had a much wider audience.
There were far more warriors than mages—especially at the lower tiers. Almost any ordinary person with decent talent and years of training could reach the first rank.
Of course, this was only relative.
In the grand scheme of things, ordinary people still made up the vast majority of the population. The number of actual Battle Aura cultivators was only somewhat higher than that of mages—not nearly enough for it to be considered common.
Still, Ron was currently on the verge of forming his aura vortex, so this plant had come at the perfect time.