They talked for hours.
Plans, projections, strategy breakdowns.
Isaac had walked into her room to talk about something else entirely, but Alice hadn’t let him.
’Is this her way of saying she won’t accept polygamy?’
’Or… is she just afraid I came to tell her that I never had any feeling for her and I only love Emily?’
Isaac glanced at Alice again. She was flipping through a notebook, her expression as unreadable as always.
’Dammit… which is it?’
There was too much at stake now. He couldn’t afford to get rejected. Not when it would help Alice awaken and break his stat limit.
’I guess I’m going to have to seduce Alice…’
The thought made him exhale through his nose. The idea sounded ridiculous. And staring at Alice’s expressionless face, he wasn’t even sure if it was possible.
Eventually, he gave up trying to say anything and excused himself. The Sovereign of Land had already pinged him; it was time to harvest.
He swung his hoe several times while taking rest to recover his mana.
600 Tier 1 Vitality Grain Crops harvested. Mana +300. Constitution +300.
You have obtained 3000 Tier 1 Vitality Grains.
3960 Tier 0 Vitality Grain Crops harvested. Mana +352. Constitution +352.
You have obtained 19,800 Tier 0 Vitality Grains.
Isaac, Leora, Tyr, Alice, and Emily headed to the market. They parked the jeep and walked through the now-familiar streets.
But today, something felt different.
There were more awakeners roaming around. The market was noticeably livelier.
“Maybe it’s because today’s Sunday,” Isaac murmured.
Once at the shop, he unlocked the door and opened it up for the day. Emily smiled beside him, already slipping into her ’job clothes’, which included a cute apron.
She wore a bright, cheerful smile that made her look more charming than usual.
Students started gathering fast.
Isaac noticed more than half the line was girls.
They were whispering, giggling, sneaking glances at him. When he greeted one of them with a polite nod and a casual smile, she turned red.
A few minutes later, a girl stepped forward with a small box in her hands.
She was the one who gave him sandwiches in the morning.
She looked shy, and her eyes darted between Isaac and the floor. She finally handed the box to him.
Inside were two sandwiches and a pink flower.
“I-I made this for you,” she said. “I hope you like the ones from the morning.”
“Thank you,” Isaac said, taking the box. “And those sandwiches were quite tasty.”
She turned bright red.
“Um… Isaac, could I… could I get your number?”
“Same! I mean, if it’s okay I’d love to talk sometime.” Another girl shouted from the line in a confident tone.
Isaac smiled politely. “I’m really sorry, but I’m not allowed to share my number. It’s a security rule.”
She blinked in surprise, then nodded quickly.
“Ah, that makes sense! You’re an SSS rank awakener. I shouldn’t have asked—sorry!”
“It’s okay,” Isaac said calmly. “Thanks for understanding.”
It wasn’t only her who asked for his number. But Isaac gave the same response to everyone.
’Having a handsome appearance makes life so much easier with the opposite gender.’ Isaac thought, noticing the girls sneaking glances at him.
He sighed. ’If only seducing Alice was also so easy.’
…
Alice POV
The sun was dipping behind the horizon.
Tyr walked beside Alice. It was easy to see something was bothering him.
His small wooden limbs shifted uneasily, and his glowing green eyes darted from face to face as they moved through the growing crowd.
Alice glanced at him. “Is there a problem, Tyr?”
Tyr didn’t respond.
A group of students passed by, whispering among themselves. A few glanced at Tyr. One even pointed.
Tyr stopped. Then, without a word, he transformed into his larger form.
He stood at eight feet tall as a humanoid figure of bark, vine, and glowing veins. It made some passersby flinch. Others stared.
He seemed more nervous than before.
Alice stopped and looked up at him.
“If you do a good job,” she said plainly, “Isaac will be happy.”
The words had an immediate effect. Tyr straightened his back. His glowing eyes flickered. Then, suddenly, he gave a firm nod.
Nervousness was replaced by aim of earning Isaac’s praise.
Alice blinked.
She herself was introverted. She didn’t like crowds and had always kept to herself. That’s why people thought she was cold, and arrogant.
But here she was, walking in a crowded market, giving pep talks to a walking tree child, since he seemed more nervous than her.
She sighed softly and kept walking with Tyr until she spotted a familiar face.
“Paul?”
Paul turned from the half-constructed wall he was glaring at.
“Hm? Oh— Miss Alice, right? From the Family shop?”
Alice nodded. “I saw your post about wanting to open a smithy. Still having trouble?”
Paul rubbed his neck. “Yeah. The builders are all booked solid. The ones who aren’t are charging five times the normal rate.”
She looked around, then pointed at Tyr.
“He can build your shop.”
Paul raised an eyebrow. “The monster can do that?”
“Tyr,” she corrected. “He Isaac’s bonded beast. He can grow buildings from the ground, shape wood into whatever you want, and finish the whole thing in minutes.”
“Right,” Paul said, clearly skeptical. “But no offense, wood’s not ideal for a smithy. The heat would ruin the place.”
“Tyr’s bark is fire-resistant. It’s completely immune to standard forge temperatures. You can test it yourself after it’s built.”
Alice saw he was hesitating. She decided to deal the final blow.
“You can upgrade the smithy later if you are dissatisfied. It will be easy. Also, your goal should be to open your shop as quickly as possible right now, so think carefully if you want to wait for the builders.”
Paul hesitated. He looked at Tyr, who now stood with arms crossed and a determined glow in his eyes.
“How much?”
“Forty million for a standard-sized forge. You’ll get a front room, back room, and proper ventilation.”
Paul frowned. “That’s a bit steep.”
“Then fifty million,” Alice said.
He blinked. “Wait—what?”
“Tyr’s work is fast and clean. You don’t lose time. And if this shop gets built today, you’ll be the first public blacksmith shop in Akaza Ruin. That advantage alone is worth the price.”
Paul looked at the tools and materials piled up behind him. Then he looked at his unfinished foundation.
“…Alright. But if this turns out weak, I want my money back.”
“Tyr.” Alice turned.
She knew the main reason he accepted the deal was because he thought he owed Isaac a favor.
It was why she approached him first.
’With him, we can show everyone how good Tyr is.’
Tyr stepped forward, crouched, and placed both hands on the ground. From beneath the dirt, thick roots twisted upward, forming the structure of a building.
Walls of sturdy bark stretched outward, shaped into planks and beams. Vines hardened into railings. A chimney formed from a tightly bound spiral of fire-hardened branches.
The whole process took less than three minutes.
Paul stood frozen.
Alice gestured. “Test it.”
Paul walked forward, pulled out a portable blowtorch from his kit, and ignited it. He placed the flame against the wall.
The bark darkened slightly but didn’t catch fire. There was no smoke, or smell.
He turned around, wide-eyed.
“That’s… that’s real,” he muttered. “A fireproof smithy built from wood in three minutes.”
Then he turned to Alice and opened his wrist device. Alice told him her account number.
A moment later, there was a ping.
[Received: 55,000,000 Obols – From: Paul_Walker]
Alice raised an eyebrow. “You overpaid.”
“Please take it,” Paul said. “You guys just saved me days of delay. I’m always being helped by big bro and Family. Thank you!”
He bowed to her.
Then as he walked inside to inspect further, other shopkeepers who’d been watching from the side started moving.
One of them, a woman in a green cloak, approached cautiously. “Is he available for hire?”
Another man followed. “Can he do larger structures? Like multi-level buildings?”
Alice stood silently as more and more shopkeepers approached. Tyr was suddenly at the center of attention.
Tyr looked nervous again, but when he turned to Alice, she gave a small nod.
He puffed up his chest—or bark—and stood straight.