“Thank you?” Isaac looked back at her.
’Were they really taking care of assassins during the combat training class? I thought it might happen since I had left the stronghold, but to think it actually happened.’
Catherine smiled faintly. “These students will remember this. The food. The hospitality. The kindness. They’ll be your friends because you treated them well, not just because you’re strong. I’m helping you build connections.”
“Oh, you were talking about this.” Isaac paused for a moment, then gave her a simple nod. “Thank you.”
Catherine blinked, caught off guard by the sincerity.
“I didn’t think you’d actually say it,” she murmured.
The fire crackled.
The smells rising from the pot were rich and layered with smoke, spice, and the faint fiery essence of the Molten Bullhorn meat.
As the food finished cooking, the mood shifted again.
Chairs were pulled close. Plates were passed. Conversation slowly returned.
And then the food hit.
It didn’t take long.
Kael went first. He set his bowl down, eyes wide, then dropped to his knees in front of Leora.
With tears in his eyes and both hands clasping hers, he looked up at her like she was a saint.
“Thank you,” he said, trembling. “This food… I can die happy now.”
Thalia followed seconds later. She wrapped herself around Leora’s leg and wept openly.
“They stopped giving us proper food after we came here,” she sobbed. “Those Sanctum of Masters bastards charge us so much in name of fees and feed us garbage. Leora, you’re my godmother now. I’ll do anything for you. No, let’s just marry instead.”
Leora stood still. Her expression said she was calm.
But only Professor Catherine knew she was quite flustered.
Moments where her master’s calm façade broke were rare. Catherine nodded, feeling content seeing the rare sight.
Vax, now leaning back in his chair, looked toward Isaac.
“Seriously,” he said. “Thanks for this. If you ever need anything—anything at all—you’re welcome at the barracks.”
“Is food really that bad?”
“It’s bad enough that everyone was fighting for the sweet Vitality Grains that appeared in the barrack’s cafeteria,” he said. “To be honest, I think you have already a few worshippers there. Just today I saw three friends of mine praying that you sent more Vitality Grains.”
Nero gave a nod.
One by one, the students stood, thanked him, and left the house with full stomachs and quiet smiles.
Isaac watched them go before he returned to the house and helped Leora clean up the place.
Then, Isaac took his hoe and went to his field to harvest the Vitality Grains.
He quickly noticed something was different.
The Vitality Grain Crops looked… off.
Each crop, bearing twenty two grains last time, now bore only ten.
The Vitality Grains were smaller.
Their greenish hue had deepened into a richer, darker shade.
Isaac crouched next to one and picked it up, weighing it in his hand.
“Did I overdo it?” he muttered to himself.
Maybe too many nutrients.
He’d been pumping the land with nutrients to increase the growth of the crops. Pushing growth was good, but excess wasn’t always rewarded.
“Nothing is good in excess,” he said softly.
Behind him, a familiar voice answered.
“Let’s just harvest them today. We’ll test them in the lab tomorrow. Then we’ll know if they’ve gone bad… or changed.”
Isaac turned. “You’re still here?”
Professor Catherine strolled up with a cigar in her hand. Her sharp golden eyes glinted with amusement, and her hair was tied up loosely. A loose blouse draped off her shoulder, hinting at curves, while the snug jeans traced her hips and long, shapely legs.
“Of course I’m here,” she said. “You’re not going to send a defenseless woman out at night, are you? What if someone with impure intentions attacked me?”
She pressed a hand to her chest dramatically. “For my safety, I decided to stay the night.”
Isaac rolled his eyes.
He turned back to the field and swung his hoe twice.
A pulse of mana rippled through the soil.
The grains were harvested along with the stalk.
200 Tier 1 Vitality Grain Crops harvested. Mana +100. Constitution +100.
You have obtained 1000 Tier 1 Vitality Grains.
Constitution: 100 [125 → 225]
Mana: 100 [165 → 265]
The stat increase was downright ridiculous, but that was not what he focused on.
’Tier 1? But the previous crops were all Tier 0.’
Professor Catherine tilted her head. “What happened?”
“These are Tier 1 Vitality Grains while the previous ones were Tier 0.”
“And how exactly do you know that?”
“I wonder how much these will sell for. They’ve clearly undergone some kind of qualitative change,” Isaac muttered.
It was a blatant dodge. Anyone could see it.
But to her credit, she didn’t press.
Every Awakener had secrets they didn’t want to explain. And Isaac clearly had plenty of them.
“I can’t tell you how much they’ll sell for,” she said. “Actually, we didn’t even know crops could be divided into Tiers until you mentioned it during your Class Advancement quest.”
“We searched our archives, asked the top agricultural researchers, but no one had a clue.”
“That’s why you haven’t brought a Tier 2 seed yet,” Isaac said.
“Exactly.”
Isaac looked over the darker crops again. “Maybe I can upgrade my current seed into Tier 2 like this…”
He didn’t sound convinced, even to himself.
Evolution wasn’t usually that simple. But he had to start somewhere.
“We’ll test these Tier 1 Vitality Grains tomorrow,” Catherine said. “Once we get the results, I’ll tell you what they’re worth.”
She paused, glancing over the field.
“Speaking of money,” she added, “I have an update on the land price.”
Isaac turned toward her again.
“You can buy one hectare for 50 million Obols.”
His brows lifted. “That cheap?”
He had expected the number to be at least in the billions.
This was inside the Stronghold.
Owning land here meant he’d be under the protection of the Sanctum of Masters.
No risk of monsters wandering through the streets. No risk of looters or mercenaries.
Catherine grinned. “You’re being given a discount. You’ve proven yourself to be worth investing in.”
“What’s the catch?” Isaac crossed his arms.
“That’s the right question,” she said. “It’s good you know how business works.”
She pointed toward the crops. “We want you to sell us 5,000 Vitality Grains each week.”
She paused. “Tier 0 ones. The number can be negotiated if you offer Tier 1s instead.”
Isaac considered it, then nodded.
“That’s doable.”
He was harvesting nearly two thousand fruits in a single session now.
Three harvests a day meant he’d meet the quota in one day.
Besides, as he got more land, he could grow more crops, profit more, and maybe increase the number of Vitality Grain he harvested at once.
“You’ve got a deal,” he said.
“I’ll draw up the contract once you have the money ready.”
Money. That reminded him he had something else to prepare.
He turned toward Professor Catherine.
“Are there any shops around here? Or will I need to go back to the city?”
“Why?”
“I need to buy a gift.”
“For Emily?”
“Yes.”
A small smile curled on her lips.
“We do have shops here. In fact, there’s already a functioning society growing inside the Stronghold—shops, inns, market stalls, even a few cafes. The goal was always to expand society into Akaza Ruin.”
Isaac nodded. “Can we go tomorrow?”
“We can.”
They began walking back toward the house.
Just before reaching the porch, Isaac spoke again.
“Tyr reached Level 10.”
Catherine looked at him. “That’s fast.”
“I want to know if there’s a way to check his evolution condition. He can’t level up until he evolves.”
“I don’t know a method for that… but,” she frowned slightly, “have you tried asking him?”
“Asking?”
Catherine turned fully to face him. “Tyr was smart enough to understand your combat plan. He followed instructions, hid himself, moved independently. He clearly has basic intelligence. You can ask him to write down what he sees on his status screen.”