[System Level: 3]
[Host: Ron André (Title Badges ×2)]
[Bloodline: Human / Foxkin Hybrid]
[Gender: Male]
[Age: 18 (Patterned)]
[Class: Rank-One Mage, Rank-One Warrior]
[Wealth Points: 25,001]
[Quests]
[Main Quest] — Sell 500 Crimson-Gold Chrysanthemums (Incomplete)
[Progress: 181 / 500]
[Daily Quest] — Find a universally convincing explanation for the shop's supply chain (Incomplete)
[Inventory]
[Nether Orchid ×481]
[Crimson-Gold Chrysanthemum ×562]
[Nether Orchid Fruit ×673]
[Crimson-Gold Chrysanthemum Petal ×2,939]
[Crimson-Gold Chrysanthemum Leaf ×2,033]
[1,037 Gold Coins, 32 Silver Coins]
[Black Gold Card]
[Elemental Cards]
[Magic Academy Pass]
[Fine Longsword]
[Ordinary Staff]
[Shop]
[Cultivation Space]: 1,000 Wealth Points per m² (Max: 20 m²)
[Nether Orchid Seed]: 10 Wealth Points each
[Crimson-Gold Chrysanthemum Seed]: 15 Wealth Points each
[Rainfall Spell]: 1,000 Wealth Points
[Earth Wave Spell]: 1,000 Wealth Points
[Plant Manipulation Spell]: 200 Wealth Points
[Permanent Mental Interference]: 100 Wealth Points per person (Auto-deletes upon quest completion)
[Miracle of the Goddess of Harvest]: 10,000 Wealth Points per use
System Notification:
["Congratulations to the Host on successfully advancing to a Rank-One Warrior. New achievement unlocked."]
[Achievement: Rank-One Warrior]
[Title: Cautiously Brave Beginner Warrior]
[Effect: The first Battle Skill learned by the wearer has a double effect.]
(This is a permanent effect and works even without equipping the badge.)
Ron shut the system panel with a look of helplessness.
"Can't you give these titles better names?" he muttered, then added, "Still… the effect's pretty solid."
He headed to the second floor for a quick shower.
By the time Nora arrived at the shop, Ron had already prepared breakfast.
After eating, Ron followed his usual routine and entered the dimensional realm, while Nora cleaned the dishes and brought a book downstairs to manage the shop and practice reading.
The two of them each went about their daily routines, long since comfortable with each other's presence. They had developed a rhythm of peaceful cohabitation that suited them both.
After lunch, Ron was reading in the study when Nora, seizing the chance while the shop owner was still around, stepped in to ask for help with some reading difficulties.
Over the past few days, Ron had noticed Nora had a strong desire to learn. If she'd had access to a proper education growing up, she'd probably be a top student.
But he also noticed she often squinted at books. After asking, he found out Nora was nearsighted.
It turned out her eyesight had been badly damaged from long-term exposure to the juice of the Ink-Dye Flower.
In this world, minor issues like nearsightedness could usually be resolved with a free blessing from a church.
However, the blessing would also purge the Ink-Dye Flower's residue from her eyes, which meant her unique dark pupils would return to their natural pale red color.
So Nora had never gone for the blessing.
Since the blessing was so effective, this world had glass products but no need for eyeglasses.
Fortunately, nearsightedness wasn't a big deal, and since Nora was insistent, Ron didn't push her.
Besides… he had to admit, seeing her squatting in front of the coffee table, squinting at her book with full concentration—it was kind of adorable in a dopey way.
That afternoon, when Nora entered the study to ask Ron a question, she immediately noticed a huge white sheet of paper spread across the desk, with a thick, strange brush lying beside it.
"Boss, what are you working on?" Nora asked curiously.
The paper was already covered with strange, abstract patterns. She leaned in for a closer look.
"Ahem…" Ron scratched his nose awkwardly.
What was drawn on the paper were Chinese characters, written with a homemade calligraphy brush. His handwriting was average at best.
But that wasn't what embarrassed him.
What really made him sweat were the characters he'd written:
"Hoeing grain under the noonday sun."
"Along the River During Qingming Festival"
"Draw the bow and shoot the great eagle."
"Compound Forsythia Capsules"
"Did the boss draw these?" Nora asked, eyes wide in admiration. "They look so cool and artistic!"
Chinese characters were completely different from the written language of this world. Without being told, no one would assume they were words at all.
Viewed purely as art, the brush strokes and lines really did have a certain mysterious charm.
Ron chuckled awkwardly, neither confirming nor denying it. He quickly steered the conversation back to helping Nora with her reading questions.
He hadn't actually practiced calligraphy in his previous world, let alone with a brush.
He'd just made a makeshift brush and doodled for nostalgia, trying to relive a bit of his past life.
No need to explain all that to Nora.
Especially since those lines were a bit… hard to justify…
Still, they rhymed nicely.
After Nora went back downstairs, Ron cleaned up and, as usual, headed off to the Chaos City Magic Academy for his lessons.
Time flowed by peacefully.
Ron's daily life was full and well-ordered.
He stuck to his routines of meditation, morning training, and flower cultivation.
He helped his shop assistant learn to read, hung out with his friends from the Magic Academy, and enjoyed barbecue and card games.
It was a slow-paced, pleasant life.
During this time, he had also completed a delivery of Nether Orchids and Crimson-Gold Chrysanthemums to both the Chaos City Magic Academy and the Radiant Mercenary Group.
The Radiant Mercenary Group had since paid him another 3,000 gold coins from the remaining 5,000 they owed.
Word had started spreading among the mercenaries about the effects of Crimson-Gold Chrysanthemum, and more individual customers had started showing up to buy them at Ron's Wonderful Flower Shop.
As a result, Ron's Wealth Points quickly surpassed 30,000 and continued rising steadily toward financial comfort.
That weekend, Ron visited the Church of the Goddess of Harvest as usual, donating 50 gold coins and receiving a personal welcome from the bishop.
After confirming that the church had begun paying close attention to him, Ron was ready to move on to the next phase of his plan.
Next time—or the time after—when he visited the church for prayers, it would be time to redeem the [Miracle of the Goddess of Harvest].
Once he used the Goddess's name to rationalize every oddity in his flower shop, he'd finally be free to relax and enjoy life as a humble florist, safely surviving the early stages of this world.
He'd never wanted to be a king or a conqueror.
A simple, peaceful life—that was all he asked for.
Becoming emperor or whatever? Way too exhausting.
And just as Ron was having those thoughts, far to the north of the Human Empire, the leader of the Radiant Mercenary Group, Commander Webster, received a letter from Jasper.
Not just the initial letter—after reaching a deal with Ron, Jasper had sent several follow-ups, detailing everything he knew about Ron.
"Nether Orchids that assist with meditation…"
"Crimson-Gold Chrysanthemums that enhance Battle Aura Vortex formation…"
"Support from the Chaos City Magic Academy?"
Commander Webster frowned, rubbing the edge of the parchment, a serious look in his eyes.
"What exactly is Vosbites up to?"