Isaac put the closed sign on the shop’s door at 9pm.
“Good work,” Leora said as she handed both Emily and Isaac a tall glass of chilled juice each.
Isaac took the glass and downed it in a few gulps. The cool, citrusy flavor spread down his throat, leaving him refreshed.
“This is great,” he muttered, glancing at Leora.
“It’s from the tangerines we grow in the backyard.”
He let out a satisfied sigh and leaned back in the chair. His muscles relaxed after standing behind the counter all afternoon.
A moment later, he moved into the inner room and sat beside Emily on the low sofa. She was holding a tablet, scrolling through something when she turned to him.
“So,” she asked, “how much did we earn today?”
Isaac brought up the transaction report on his device and showed her the screen.
[Credited (Within last three hours): 621,700,000]
[Balance (Total): 704,960,000]
Emily stared at the number. Her eyes widened a little.
“That’s… impressive.” She paused. “So we just need to earn…”
“Nine billion and three hundred million,” Isaac finished.
Her smile stiffened.
Isaac didn’t say anything, but he could almost see the mental calculations flashing in her eyes.
They’d been behind during the first two days, and now to make up for the shortfall, they’d need to earn nearly two billion a day.
Emily forced a bright smile. “W-Well, we’ll get there if we keep working hard!”
Isaac chuckled. She was clearly trying to keep up the energy.
In truth, they had finally hit the phase where earnings would accelerate.
The upfront costs of land had eaten away their balance, but now with more fields and more production, the real profits would start to show.
But there was another problem….
“I just checked the storage. We have 5,000 Tier 1 grains left from today,” Leora said as she entered the room.
Her voice was calm, but her tone was heavy.
“If you can’t sell all of the grains everyday, there’s no chance of reaching ten billion.”
“We’ve hit the market cap. Just like Alice predicted.”
They needed to start implementing the strategies Alice and he prepared.
First one was to open the shop 24/7.
Isaac looked at Leora. “If I want to keep the shop open 24/7 starting tomorrow, can I stay here and manage it?”
“No. You have classes starting tomorrow.” Leora shook her head.
“Can’t he skip class for just a week?” Emily said with a pleading, cute gaze.
“No.” Leora cut her off mercilessly. “The assassins haven’t disappeared. In fact, after seeing the stronghold grow due to Isaac, they’re likely grow more desperate. We’re protecting him, yes, but he still needs to be ready for anything.”
She glanced at Isaac. “That means he needs to focus on combat training, and no skipping.”
Isaac sighed. That made sense. But it also meant they needed someone to handle the store.
Just then, Alice and Tyr walked in. Alice opened the upper buttons of her shirt to let the air flow.
“I’ll stay at the shop,” she said, having heard what they were talking about. “It’s not like I’ve got anything better to do.”
Isaac hesitated. “It’s not that simple. What if someone targets the store? What if they go after you?”
Before he could finish, Leora spoke up again.
“Catherine will stay with her. It’ll be fine.”
Isaac raised a brow. “You sure it’s okay to send Professor Catherine?”
“Yes, I’m sure about it. Since you’ll be focusing on combat, I’ll oversee your training. Catherine can help Alice with the shop.”
She seemed almost… pleased.
Curious, Isaac activated Inspect and focused on Leora.
[Status: Catherine has been making her work a lot since she is now a maid. Thus, Leora thinks this is a good way of getting revenge by making Catherine work 24/7 too.]
Isaac held back a chuckle.
“Isaac,” Alice called him.
Since Inspect was still running, her status screen popped up too.
[Status: Doesn’t know why she’s helping you reach ten billion when you two clearly have no future together. Conflicted whether to propose you and accept polygamy, or hate herself for even considering it.]
“Isaac?”
He quickly closed the screen and blinked. “Sorry. Yeah, what is it?”
Alice handed him her device. “We built several shops with Tyr’s help.”
She transferred the earnings.
[Credited: 132,000,000 Obol]
[Balance (Total): 836,960,000]
Isaac looked up. “That’s good amount.”
He gave Tyr a pat on the head. “Thanks, buddy. You’ve worked hard”
Tyr smiled, and puffed his chest out.
Isaac turned to Alice.
“You too. Good work. It’s a good idea to help us maintain friendly relations with others, and earn some money at the same time.”
They returned to the house together.
Dinner was prepared by Emily and Leora. Isaac sat at the table with everyone.
He picked up a spoonful of rice, then paused and looked at Emily.
“Open your mouth.”
“Again?
She looked around shyly before he focused back at Isaac.
Then, she slowly opened her small mouth.
Isaac smiled, seeing her resistance had waned after having been fed by him in morning and afternoon.
He noticed the AP meter flash.
+0.3 AP
He fed her once.
+0.5 AP
Isaac didn’t stop. He smiled softly, feeding Emily another bite.
Another. And another.
+0.5 AP
+0.5 AP
Emily tried to protest after several bites. “I’m full…”
“One more,” Isaac said, sliding another bite into her mouth.
She didn’t argue after that.
As she chewed, her shoulders relaxed. She leaned a bit closer to him, clearly happy.
Isaac watched the AP go up.
After the dinner, he checked the total AP.
AP Balance: 141.945 → 221.014 AP
Operation Feed Emily was showing spectacular results.
In just one day his AP increased by roughly 80.
It also helped that the more time he spent with Emily, the more AP he got. At first he was receiving only 0.001 AP unless he did something.
Now, even if Emily was just sitting, he would receive 0.004 AP per second.
The increase in passive AP meant only one thing.
Her affection for him had increased.
Realizing that, it made him want to spoil her more.
After the dinner, everyone followed their routine.
Isaac like always, he had to harvest the crops at midnight. Until then, he focused on studying.
He went through combat theory, economic planning, and the mandatory coursework from Sanctum of Masters.
At exactly midnight, he stood, stretched his arms, and walked outside.
The night air was cooler than usual. His breath came out in light fog as he stepped onto the field. The land was quiet, save for the faint hum of mana in the soil.
He grabbed his hoe and swung it twice.
600 Tier 1 Vitality Grain Crops harvested. Mana +300. Constitution +300.
You have obtained 3000 Tier 1 Vitality Grains.
4400 Tier 0 Vitality Grain Crops harvested. Mana +396. Constitution +396.
You have obtained 22,000 Tier 0 Vitality Grains.
Constitution: 100 [1000 → 1000]
Mana: 100 [1000 → 1000]
The vitality grains came loose from the stalk with clean, satisfying cuts.
He stored the grains, took a moment to breathe, then burned the stalks, and spread them as fertilizers.
He exhaled, wiping the sweat from his forehead.
Just as he knelt down to plant the seeds, footsteps echoed behind him.
Isaac turned his head and saw Alice walking over.
She wore her usual nightshirt, which emphasized her large bosoms. Her hair was a little messy, and her were eyes sharp.
“You should grow Tier 1 grains on five hectares tonight,” she said directly.
Isaac paused. “You sure? We already hit the market cap on those. They won’t sell much until more people come to the stronghold, and that’ll take a few more days.”
Alice shook her head. “That’s exactly why I said it. Look at this.”
She held out her tablet.
It wasn’t the latest model, and did not have holograms, or voice commands. Just a basic display.
Isaac stepped closer to see the screen, and as he did, their shoulders touched.
She didn’t flinch at first. But the moment she caught the scent of his sweat, her body stiffened slightly. Her face stayed composed, but her ears were red.
Isaac suppressed a smirk and activated Inspect.
[Status: Wants to say you shouldn’t stand so close to another girl when you already have a girlfriend. Feeling aroused.]
Isaac held back a laugh.
Her status hadn’t lied—Alice really was a closet pervert. And apparently, she had a thing for his sweaty body.
Isaac wasn’t someone who would point fingers at someone’s fetishes, not when it benefitted him.
And right now, he had a goal.
If making her flustered helped, then so be it.
“Alice,” he said, gently.
She flinched again. Her shoulders stiffened for a second, then she took a slow breath.
“Look at our posts,” she said quickly, clearly trying to push past whatever she was feeling.
She opened the Family account on the tablet. It displayed photos from earlier that day.
They showed Isaac with a polite smile behind the shop counter, a long line of customers, the name board painted brightly, students holding vitality grains like prized treasures.
Alice tapped the newest photo and opened the comments.
Isaac leaned in a little more to read.
A surprising number of comments were from girls.
One said he was the “cutest shopkeeper she’d ever seen.” Another shared her social media ID and asked him to message her. One went as far as writing she’d feel blessed if Isaac “spent even a single night” with her.
“Shameless bitches,” Alice muttered under her breath.
“Huh?”
“Nothing.” She cleared her throat quickly and scrolled to the top comment.
It had the most likes by far.
[CeliaRae: That’s a big line! I guess we’ll have to wait a long time when we come to the shop tomorrow!]
Isaac blinked. “CeliaRae? Isn’t she…”
“Yeah. That’s Celia Rae. The idol of Fortified City 89.”