The negotiation went on for a long time.
In the end, both sides settled on 7,000 Obols per unit for Tier 0 Vitality Grains, and 53,000 for Tier 1.
This was the amount Isaac would get for the Grains after all cuts.
Isaac could tell Selene had conceded more than she intended.
She’d lowered Calloway Conglomerate’s cut on the Tier 1s, which led to Isaac earning 53,000 Obols per Grain instead of 50,000 Obols.
Selene had a calm smile.
The loss could be considered big, but she felt it was worth it.
Isaac had a huge potential, and if gaining a foothold with him meant letting go of a bit of profit, she knew she’d make it back in the long run.
They signed the contract.
Isaac would supply 5,000 Tier 0 grains and 1,000 Tier 1 grains per week, for the next month.
He had insisted on keeping the duration only a month long.
“These are just the first crops I’m growing,” he’d explained. “I might switch to something else soon.”
Selene didn’t press.
She understood that he would wish to dabble into other crops to see how his abilities effected them.
The contract allowed Isaac to keep or sell any excess grains however he pleased.
If the Calloway Conglomerate couldn’t meet his price for extra supply or if they lowered the promised price, he could refuse to deliver without consequence.
After signing, Isaac sold off everything he had stored up.
7,700 Tier 0 Vitality Grains and 3,000 Tier 1 Vitality Grains.
The funds hit his bank account immediately.
[212,900,000 Obols deposited in your account 123X XXX XXX XXX].
Two hundred millions from just several days of work.
Hurray, for farming!
Despite his bubbling happiness, he kept a neutral expression.
“Thank you for the meeting today. We will take our leave now,” Selene said.
“How about you have lunch with us before you leave?” Professor Catherine suggested. “I’m sure you will love Leora’s cooking.”
Leora was staring daggers at her back, but Professor Catherine ignored her.
“Thank you for he offer. But I’m afraid we would have to refuse. We need to return to the stronghold’s market and set up distribution before peak trading hours.”
Selene, Alice and the testers left.
Once they were gone, Isaac, Leora, and Catherine had the lunch.
Afternoon came, and with it, skill training.
Professor Catherine took her usual seat on a stone, while Isaac stepped into the center, already syncing with the land.
“We will train with Sovereign of Land for today,” Catherine said, crossing her arms under her blessed bosoms.
“Actually, there is something I want to try first,” Isaac replied.
“Go on then.” Professor Catherine nodded.
He dropped a seed into his hand and flicked it into the air.
A thick root burst up from the ground, snatched the seed mid-air, and pulled it down into the soil.
The movement was quick, smooth, and fluid.
The root then curled around the impact zone and vanished beneath.
Catherine raised a brow. “You can plant seeds like that?”
“Yeah, I noticed this during the combat training. The roots ’slow’ the enemy. They do this by pulling the target into the ground. It made me thinks, why not use it for planting.”
Professor Catherine’s lips curled, though she hid it behind her palm.
Isaac was truly a genius to come up with such an innovative way with only a single combat training session.
They continued training for two more hours.
“I want to visit the market,” Isaac said, brushing dust from his hands.
“We’ll come too,” Professor Catherine said, already pulling out her comm. “Send us a vehicle.”
Isaac blinked. “Why not just run there? We’re faster on foot.”
He didn’t say it out loud, but the thought came anyway—Awakeners didn’t need vehicles.
Their bodies were stronger than most machines.
His own senses had sharpened so much that if he focused, he could hear insects a hundred meters away.
If he was focusing on human conversations, then the range was even larger.
“You don’t go running into a market like that,” Professor Catherine said. “You’re not a wild beast. You’re a person. Try to maintain some level of dignity.”
“So it’s about appearances?”
“It’s about not crashing into people accidently and turning them into a tomato paste.”
She waved her hand again. “When we went to the training grounds, that was monster territory. Running was fine. But we’re entering human space now. Use a vehicle.”
A few minutes later, it arrived.
The armored jeep had broad chassis, wide tires with reinforced treads, and gunmetal gray plates over the engine and sides. The windshield was reinforced glass that could block light magical blasts.
It showed signs of extensive use, and it was well-maintained.
The driver handed over the keys, saluted Catherine, and, as he was told, stayed behind to watch the house.
Isaac climbed into the back while Leora took the passenger seat. Catherine drove.
They headed out.
The market came into view after twenty minutes.
It had been built over the ruins of broken buildings.
Old concrete shells had been cleared out and replaced with long, broad stalls and small houses.
Most of the structures were wooden. Only a few were built from weak concrete. Not a single one had metal frames or high-tier defenses.
The entire place looked like a young town, hurried into existence.
Vendors stood under cloth awnings, calling out offers.
Smoke rose from food carts.
Steam hissed as meat hit hot stone griddles.
There were potion sellers, scrap dealers, mana crystal traders, gear crafters, and a few rare scroll peddlers.
Most wore dust-stained clothes, and the smell of mana, sweat, and spices hung in the air.
Isaac watched as a pair of young Awakeners haggled with a seller over purified water potions.
Another group was examining a bag of monster bones.
A girl, no older than twenty, shouted at someone over a price mismatch for a used core blade.
“There aren’t many awakeners here.” Isaac noted.
“Yes,” Leora answered. “That’s because the resources here are rare until we can bring in more investors. The biggest problem was food shortage. Though…”
She looked at him.
“That might be solved soon.”
Professor Catherine parked near the end of a row and stepped out first.
“Let’s go. There’s a general supply store nearby, and a few specialty shops past that. We can buy Emily’s gift there.”
