Two figures stepped into the storage room.
"Where is he?" Commander Webster scanned the dim room, only to see cluttered shelves filled with miscellaneous items. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
"His presence suddenly vanished here—no warning at all," Professor Vosbites said, frowning as his eyes swept across every detail of the room. "There might be a deeply concealed spatial teleportation array… but I can't find any traces."
Webster wasn't versed in such matters and could only guess: "Could he have some kind of portable teleportation device?"
"Don't be ridiculous. A portable teleportation device would have to be in the realm of divine artifacts," Vosbites scoffed. "The energy required to activate one is astronomical. If Ron had such a thing, he'd be drained dry before he could even activate it."
He paced around the storage room again, eventually shaking his head with a sigh.
"This is strange… I didn't sense any magic fluctuation from a formation. There could be a concealment array at play..."
"But there's no residual magical material anywhere, which suggests no array was present to begin with. Even a single-use formation should leave some traces behind."
"And from the moment he vanished to the time we stepped in—barely a few seconds—no one could've cleaned it up that fast."
Vosbites analyzed bit by bit, his brow furrowing deeper with each thought.
"If it's not this or that, then what on earth happened?" Webster expanded his perception across a kilometer radius but couldn't detect a single trace of Ron. He was starting to get a headache.
"It's also possible…" Vosbites hesitated a moment. "...that this place connects to some kind of dimensional pocket, and Ron has a means of entering it. That would explain how he vanished right under our noses."
"Dimensional pocket?" Webster blinked. "You're saying there's a dimensional space inside the shop?"
This shop had previously been vetted by the Radiant Mercenary Corps. If something had been off, they would've noticed it long ago.
Vosbites caught the implication and shook his head. "I'm not saying the pocket dimension resides inside the shop. I mean, there might be a passage to a remote dimensional space hidden within the shop."
"To put it simply: the space itself is located far away, but Ron has some way of creating a shortcut that links it directly to here—allowing instant access."
"If we don't know the method used to enter, even a Legend-rank expert wouldn't be able to detect it, let alone an ordinary person."
Webster nodded in understanding and asked, "This kind of access method… there's no way Ron figured it out on his own. Could the Church of the Harvest Goddess really be backing him?"
"Or perhaps... it was the Goddess of Harvest herself," Vosbites said quietly. "Even the Church would struggle to manipulate a dimensional space, but for a deity, such a thing might be as easy as flipping a hand. Did you notice? Before Ron opened that door, the God's Chosen sigil on his forehead lit up."
The moment he said it, the two exchanged a look.
As soon as that possibility dawned on them, a heavy silence fell over the room.
Inside the Dimensional Space
Ron floated in the void, unconcerned with what was happening outside.
He had already equipped the [God's Chosen of the Harvest Goddess] title badge and was now testing its effects by casting the Seed Acceleration Spell on a growing Nether Orchid.
The Nether Orchid matured instantly, not even taking a second before dropping its fruit. A tall, elegant purple blossom stood in full bloom.
Ron studied it closely and immediately noticed that this particular Nether Orchid was plumper and larger than normal—at least one size up.
Its effects in drawing elemental energy and enhancing meditation were also significantly stronger.
Having used Nether Orchids extensively, Ron immediately felt the difference.
On top of that, if he focused carefully, he could even sense a faint trace of sanctity emanating from the flower...
"...This must be the divine aura the title mentioned," Ron mused, though he wasn't quite sure what the divine attribute was actually useful for.
[System: "A Nether Orchid infused with divine aura can produce substantial effects even for a Legendary Mage."]
Ron raised an eyebrow, immediately understanding the benefit.
Ordinary Nether Orchids had excellent effects for low- and mid-tier mages, and while they were still useful for high-tier mages, the effects diminished considerably.
But for Legend-rank mages, the results were negligible—like trying to fill a lake with a teacup.
However, a divine Nether Orchid was different. Even a Legendary mage could be absolutely entranced by its power.
"Perfect for befriending Legendary mages," Ron thought with a grin. "And once they notice the divine aura, they'll automatically assume it came from the Goddess of Harvest."
The thought made Ron chuckle.
And it wasn't just Legendary mages. If he used the Seed Acceleration Spell on Crimson-Gold Chrysanthemums, he could just as easily earn favor with Legendary warriors.
From now on, Ron would be the new generation's Legendary Social Butterfly~
Not dwelling on it for too long, Ron stayed in the dimensional space for just over an hour before activating the wheat symbol on his forehead and returning to the shop.
The storage room door creaked open. Ron stepped out into the main shopfront and casually closed the door behind him.
The two hidden observers exchanged glances, confirming their suspicions.
"It really is a pocket dimension."
"When he came out, the sigil on his forehead was glowing again. I'm starting to think the pocket dimension might actually belong to the Goddess of Harvest."
"So all the plants sold in this shop were provided by the goddess? And the trading doesn't happen during his trips outside, but right inside this shop's hidden space?"
"But he only became a God's Chosen today!"
"The Goddess of Harvest might've been in contact with him long before this. The dimensional key was probably given to him earlier. The miracle today was just her way of giving him an official layer of protection."
"..."
The two fell silent once more.
Originally, this matter was already serious enough—it concerned diplomacy between the Empire and the Royal Academy, which was why they had resorted to surveillance.
But after what they'd just seen, things were far more complicated than they had imagined.
This involved a deity.
"The gods haven't revealed themselves to the world in ages. The sudden appearance of the Goddess of Harvest—who knows whether that's a blessing or a curse…"
"She governs autumn, life, and harvest—not a god of war or destruction. Maybe her interference isn't hostile..."
"Do you actually believe that?"
"Still, as of now, aside from providing Nether Orchids and Crimson-Gold Chrysanthemums for Ron to sell, she doesn't seem to have done anything alarming. All our conclusions so far are just speculation."
"...It's still early. Let's keep watching."