Lucian leaned back in his chair, tapping his fingers lightly on the armrest.
“Still, killing it is a waste of an exotic resource. I see both sides, but if it can be contained… controlled… it might be worth the risk.”
“It’s not just about controlling it,” Catherine said. “If the naga happens to fully awaken it, we won’t get that choice. It’ll turn on everything in sight.”
Dante stood, arms folded, and looked at each of them. “We’re wasting time. Whether we kill it or not, the Sanctum of Masters is at the highest risk. It’s already near the stronghold. If that snake wakes up before we’re ready, a lot will die.”
Leora nodded. “Agreed. We can’t afford delays.”
General Magnus spoke for the first time. “Then preparations must begin immediately. Defense structures around the stronghold need to be reinforced, and awakener squads will be placed on standby.”
Lucian sighed, then straightened. “Fine. I’ll authorize Horizon Institute to send three teams to assist Sanctum of Masters.”
Dante looked at him nodded. “Aeternum University will do the same. We’ll send experienced guards, not students.”
“Good,” Catherine said. “We’ll need them. We’re increasing patrols around the region of ruin near the core of the city. If the naga make another move, we can’t afford to be caught off guard again.”
Vale Rae remained quiet, but his eyes flicked to the image of the sleeping serpent. It hadn’t moved at all.
But all of them felt it. The unease in the air.
The serpent was a predator in slumber.
“We don’t know when it’ll wake,” Leora said. “But we will prepare as if it’ll wake tomorrow.”
The others nodded. The meeting broke up shortly after. Plans were made. Calls were sent.
The human Strongholds in Fortified City 89 were put on high alert.
Outside, the wind howled faintly over broken towers and crumbled streets, and deep beneath the surface, the N’theris Serpent slept on.
…
Isaac’s House
Reaper’s Bounty has reached Level 5 → 6
Isaac blinked at the message but didn’t stop moving.
His hands kept working, carefully extracting measured quantities of diluted essence from the flowers.
The glass vial shimmered faintly as he sealed it, setting it aside next to dozens of other finished bottles.
Another batch of mana potions was complete.
Right beside them were several dozen Velumbra lily antidote potions.
He had been making them throughout the class period, steadily filling crate after crate. His potion stockpile was growing faster than he’d expected.
Still, his attention wasn’t completely on his work.
He glanced toward the front of the class, where Professor Catherine stood, and Leora at the corner of the room.
Isaac narrowed his eyes.
Whenever either of them walked too close to him, his Extreme Mana Resonance reacted.
’Their whole bodies… they feel like they’re made of mana,’ Isaac thought. ’Is it a defensive layer of mana? Or are those not the real Catherine and Leora?’
The idea of mana clones crossed his mind more than once, but each time he tried to follow the thought, he hit a wall.
If they were clones, they were perfect down to tone of voice, reaction time, and mannerisms.
His Mind Echo could not find any flaws in their disguise.
After class ended, Isaac put that thought aside and began filling a Life Stone.
He took one of the red gemstones and carefully pushed life energy into it using his Seed of Providence skill.
Seed of Providence: Level 2 → Level 3
Passive effects strengthened by 120%.
Cooldown: 11 hours → 10 hours
“It finally leveled up again. The long cooldown makes this skill progress slow, but at least it’s growing.”
Lunch came next. It was a simple but warm meal.
Later in the afternoon, Isaac walked to the field.
It was harvest time again.
2,000 Tier 1 Vitality Grain Crops harvested. Mana +1000. Constitution +1000
You have obtained 10,000 Tier 1 Vitality Grains.
3,240 Tier 0 Vitality Grain Crops harvested. Mana +288. Constitution +288.
You have obtained 16,200 Tier 0 Vitality Grains.
Mana: 1000 [1420] → 1000 [2708]
Constitution: 1000 [1411] → 1000 [2699]
Isaac didn’t pause as the messages rolled in.
With practiced movements, he stored the grains, burned the stalks, and began spreading the fertilizer.
That’s when Professor Catherine approached him.
“Isaac, these are the things you requested”
In her hands, she carried a large sealed container.
He opened the container and looked through it.
Potato eyes, garlic cloves, tomato slices with seeds, onion bulbs, and cut cabbage bases. She’d even added wheat kernels and pea pods. All usable for propagation.
“Thanks,” he said
He decided to plant wheat in 0.5 hectare, and the other vegetables in 0.5 hectare together.
Even with the limited amount, yield was not a problem.
Thanks to his skills, hoe, and mana-rich land each harvest was multiplied five to seven times.
He used his Sovereign of Land ability, infusing the soil with the nutrients each plant preferred. He no longer had to guess or rely on instinct.
After recent studies and lectures, he knew exactly what kind of minerals each crop demanded.
Professor Catherine watched silently as he worked. Lines of crops were quickly arranged with precision.
The remaining 18 hectares were planted with Vitality Grains.
After completing everything, he turned to Catherine. “Since I already bought the 20 hectare, how much would it cost if I wanted more?”
Catherine considered for a moment. “Hard to say. It could be anywhere between 400 to 600 million credits. Maybe more. And there are complications beyond just the cost.”
Isaac raised an eyebrow. “Complications?”
“Political ones. For now,” she continued, “focus on earning your first ten billion. Once you cross that threshold, we can talk about acquiring more land.”
He gave a small nod. “Alright.”
Later, Isaac went into town with Leora and Emily.
Their destination was the storefront, a small building near the marketplace with enough foot traffic to keep sales moving, but not enough to attract major attention.
Emily carried a small bag of sandwiches wrapped in cloth. She had prepared them herself.
Freya smiled as she accepted the food. “Thanks. I was starving.”
Emily beamed. “I made extra just in case.”
She also passed Tyr a tangerine she’d plucked herself from backyard earlier that morning. The treant accepted it with a joyful motion.
Isaac, leaving them inside the inner shop room, stepped towards the counter. The customers were already waiting.
Emily started to follow him in, but he raised a hand.
“You should focus on revising today’s lesson.”
She hesitated.
He added, “If I’ve got the time to run the counter, you’ve got the time to revise.”
Reluctantly, she nodded and stepped back. She didn’t want to miss the assignment again, and be scolded.
Isaac took position behind the counter.
Customers began to pour in almost as soon as he did. Most came for his Tier 1 Vitality Grains. Some asked for the cheaper Tier 0 Vitality Grains.
With his Extreme Mana Resonance, Isaac located quite a few customers with immense Mana Pool inside them.
They must be Mage-type awakeners.
Isaac kept his focus on the shopwork.
Before, it would’ve been overwhelming to keep track of the flow, handle the bargaining customers, and explaining dosage instructions alone.
But not now.