“Thank you for the help, Celia.”
“No problem.” She smiled.
The idol left after giving him her number, saying he could contact her in future if he needs her help again.
Isaac turned back to the glass pod where Alice lay.
He didn’t know how long he stared at her before Leora’s voice came from behind.
“You should head home.”
“I’ll stay.”
“You staying here won’t help her,” Leora said plainly, walking up beside him. “She needs time to stabilize. You hovering here changes nothing.”
He turned to look at her. “I want to be here when she wakes up.”
“She’ll come home soon,” Leora said. “You should focus on harvesting the crops. You already skipped two rotations, and it affected your earnings. Anymore and she might have to return to Calloways.”
He frowned.
The logic hit him like a slow-moving train. He let out a long breath and nodded begrudgingly. “Alright.”
They walked out to the military jeep in silence.
The night had settled over the walls of the central facility, casting dark shadows hue over the stone.
Inside the jeep, Isaac sat beside Leora. The engine roared to life as she took the wheel.
He pulled up his interface.
AP Balance: 278.82 → 810.22
He nodded to himself
’Four hundred thirty-two AP came from the passive gain Alice and Emily are generating now, and the rest came from the duration Alice awakened to until she collapsed, which should be roughly a minute.’
The spike in AP was massive. But it wasn’t enough. He needed more.
That reminded him of the gift for Emily he wanted to prepare.
He reached into his spatial ring and pulled out a small wooden box. Inside were two crimson flowers. Their petals looked like gemstones, glinting slightly.
Leora glanced over. “What are you doing?”
“Preparing food for Emily,” he said.
Leora’s hands tightened on the steering wheel. The motion was subtle, but Isaac caught it.
He turned slightly to her.
“You know food and life stones taste bland to her, don’t you?”
She didn’t respond immediately. But the silence answered plenty.
“Yeah,” she said at last. “The taste of a life stone depends on the quality of life force it absorbed. It’s not easy to find… ’tasty’ ones. As for food, it depends on mana content. We’re already feeding Emily the highest-grade food we can get. This is the best we can do.”
Her voice was steady, but Isaac heard the undertone of guilt.
“It’s fine,” he said. “I have a way.”
He held one of the death blood flowers in his palm. Then he activated his skill Seed of Providence.
He felt a pulse as mana surged through his arm.
It flowed into the flower like water filling a dry cup. But that wasn’t all. His life force was being siphoned too.
The flower glowed faintly, its petals unfurling. Each red petal bloomed like crystal, hardening into small, gleaming red stones—life stones.
The skill had matured the plant in seconds.
Seed of Providence always did that. It absorbed mana and nutrients from its surroundings, but if the surroundings lacked nourishment, it took more mana from the caster.
This time, it had used Isaac’s life force as ’nourishment’.
“Did… you use your life force?” Leora asked.
“Yeah,” Isaac said, feeling slightly tired. “Emily likes my life force. So these should taste good to her.”
Leora stared at him.
“I can recover over time,” he added. “No big deal.”
She nodded and turned back to the road.
Internally, her opinion of Isaac rose again.
They reached the gates of the house. Emily was already outside on the porch, waving the moment she saw the jeep.
Her small frame was outlined by the light coming from the house behind her.
“Auntie said something happened to Alice,” Emily said the moment they got out. “But she wouldn’t tell me anything. Is Alice okay? Why didn’t she come back with you? She’s alright, right?”
Her voice was fast and a little shaky.
Isaac’s hand moved before he knew it and he patted her head.
“Alice is alright. She awakened her Talent, bloodline, and physique. It took a huge toll on her, so she had to be admitted to complete it safely. She’ll be back by tomorrow.”
Emily’s eyes lit up. “She awakened? Really?”
“Yes.”
Isaac smiled as he watched her excitement grow.
They walked into the house.
As usual, Professor Catherine was sprawled on the couch in the living room. Her outfit today was even more relaxed than before. She wore short shorts and a thin-strapped top.
Leora frowned slightly.
Emily didn’t seem to notice or care.
She rushed past into the kitchen, probably to prepare something before dinner.
Isaac had grown used to Catherine’s fashion choices by now. In her own apartments and when she barged into his during the night saying she was bored alone, she used to wear even less.
“Welcome back,” Catherine greeted casually. After a moment, she looked toward Leora. “I’m starving. Can you cook early today?”
Leora stared at her for a beat. Her expression was blank.
Then she sighed. “Sure.”
Isaac glanced at her. He could swear Leora had been contemplating whether to throw Catherine into the stew pot instead.
The wooden table was set soon.
Leora moved about the kitchen, serving plates with warm food. Steam rose from the dishes, filling the dining area with a soft, savory scent.
Isaac sat down and motioned Emily to join him. She skipped over, rubbing her eyes lightly. The tiredness from the combat training with Professor Catherine was catching upto her.
Despite the yawn she tried to suppress, there was a smile on her lips.
But when she sat, she blinked. Her plate was empty.
“Uh…” Emily tilted her head. “Am I not getting food today?”
Leora paused for a moment, then glanced at Isaac.
Emily’s followed her gaze and looked at Isaac.
Isaac wiped his hands with a napkin and faced her. “I asked Leora not to serve you food today.”
Her expression froze. “Why…?”
He rested his elbow on the table and looked her in the eye.
“Emily, tell me honestly. Does the food actually taste good to you, or have you been forcing yourself to eat it because I asked you to?”
“What? No!” Emily shook her head. “Of course, it tastes good—”
Isaac let out a long breath, cutting her off.
“You twist your toe fingers when you lie,” he said quietly.
Emily blinked. She glanced down, her cheeks warming slightly.
“I picked it up through Mind Echo. You might’ve thought you were hiding it well, but…”
He sighed again, then reached into his spatial ring. A faint shimmer of light rippled as he pulled out a glowing Life Stone and placed it on her plate.
“From today onward, your diet will be Life stone only. Until I can grow proper vegetables, that is.”
She stared at the Life Stone, surprised not by the object, but by Isaac’s tone. It wasn’t cold, or harsh, but it was firm.
He never spoke to her with that tone.
Emily lowered her head and mumbled, “Sorry….”
That made Isaac pause. He didn’t understand why she apologized, and when he understood, his lips ended up curving slightly.
“There’s nothing to apologize for, Emily. Just be honest with me from next time, alright?”
Emily nodded softly.
They started eating in silence.
Emily placed a hand over the Life Stone and activated her Life Drain. A warm sensation spread across her tongue almost instantly.
Her body stiffened. It wasn’t bland and instead it was delicious.
A vibrant, deep flavor bloomed in her mouth, like a sweet fruit that somehow also tasted like fire-grilled vegetables. It didn’t make sense, but it worked.
She looked up at Isaac with a silent gaze.
+0.8 AP
+0.8 AP
+0.8 AP
+0.8 AP
Her AP rate jumped. She understood why those life stones were delicious and had a familiar yet addicting taste.
But more than the taste, she was simply happy that Isaac had noticed how food tasted to her and that he cared enough to act. The taste was just a bonus.