Farm Owner

The news that Little Sam's Card Shop was changing hands surprised the neighbors, and many worried about the mail-order and in-home services.

The employees, led by Sally, were even more anxious, unsure of what kind of person the new owner would be.

In this era, finding a stable job with good income was not easy.

But none of that mattered to Duke anymore.

He had over ninety gold dragons in savings in his Spirit Dragon Card, a box of unsold used cards, and a 2-Ring Thermostatic Card.

His net worth was not low.

He quickly found a place to rent nearby, moved all his belongings, and brought over a set of old machines he no longer used, completely leaving Little Sam's Card Shop behind.

"Boss, I'll miss you." Sally gave Duke a hug as he was leaving.

Levin, who was helping him move, also wanted to hug him, but he hesitated, still feeling a sense of awe towards Duke. Even though Duke was only fifteen, his demeanor rarely seemed like that of a fifteen-year-old.

Duke also disliked hugs; it was a hot summer day and he was already sweating.

He simply patted Levin on the shoulder.

On his way back to the rental, he saw Best standing in the shade at the intersection. Duke had no intention of interacting with him, but Best called out to him.

"You sold Little Sam's Card Shop?"

"Yeah."

He expected Best to gloat or mock him, but instead, Best sighed, "It was forced, wasn't it? Someone asked me about it today too... You're just a kid, scared into selling the shop, but I wouldn't agree to that."

Best's guess wasn't entirely off; there was indeed a suspicion of forced sale in this transfer.

Duke didn't refute it, only asking, "With the Pioneer War starting, Snakehead Town is bound to be chaotic. Are you sure you can handle it?"

"Of course," Best snorted.

"Then I wish you good luck."

Duke turned to leave.

"Hey, don't rush off, Little Duke," Best called out, catching up. "You don't have a shop anymore, you'll need a job. Why not come to my shop?"

"Huh?"

"I'll give you the same treatment as a formal Card Master, the same rules as Little Sam's shop, and commissions! What do you say? We've had some unpleasantness, but it's all for survival, isn't it? I'm not the kind of person to kick someone when they're down." Best raised an eyebrow.

He was quite confident in his spiel, feeling a sense of superiority as he offered to help the down-on-his-luck Duke.

Duke found it amusing to be mistaken for being down and out.

He looked at Best, who was holding his head high, and slowly shook his head. "No, I want to switch jobs."

"Switch jobs? Are you stupid? You were my apprentice for a year, didn't you learn any of my skills?" Best said loudly. "Fine, if you can't repair cards, you can work the counter. I just fired Bob. My skills and your smart brain, we can achieve great things!"

Duke had never repaired cards during the day, so many still believed he was just a beginner Spiritual Apprentice who hadn't mastered card repair techniques.

But Best didn't really care if Duke could repair cards.

He just thought Duke was smart. The initiatives Duke had introduced at Little Sam's Card Shop had almost put his own shop out of business; he was a talented businessman.

"Actually, I'm not very interested in business," Duke waved his hand.

Seeing this, Best's amiable tone faded. "No way, you can't repair cards, and you don't want to do business. Are you planning to farm?"

Farm?

Duke's eyes lit up.

He then smiled gently. "Why not? My biggest dream when I was a child was to be a farmer, raising cattle, horses, vegetables, and wheat myself."

"You're not a Spirit Plant Master, how can you be a farmer!"

"I'm not, but I can hire people." Duke had already made up his mind. He waved his hand and walked away quickly. "Mister Best, goodbye."

Watching Duke walk away, Best grumbled angrily, "Ungrateful fool! He doesn't seem so smart after all!"

In the innermost corner window on the first floor of Snakehead Tower.

Duke pointed to a small, unsold farm on the map, located on the south bank of Little River Bay, and calmly said, "I want to lease this farm for ten years!"

This small farm was only one hundred mu.

Based on the original lease price of 10 silver dragons per mu for ten years, the rent for one hundred mu would be 10 gold dragons for ten years. This amount was no longer significant for Duke.

With the Pioneer War being actively prepared, adventurers were flocking to the area from all over.

The spirit beasts had long since been scared away, and the Little River Bay farm would no longer be threatened by them.

However, the staff member said, "The rent is 20 gold dragons."

"What? It was only 10 gold dragons a while ago."

"You said 'a while ago.' Can it be the same now? With the Pioneer War, how many people are flocking to Snakehead Town? Can the rent be the same? Hurry up, do you still want to rent it?"

"Rent..."

Duke was quite carefree; the doubled price didn't waver him.

Two days later, under the guidance of several town staff, Duke, having completed all the procedures, officially rented the hundred-acre farm.

The staff re-inserted the farm's boundary stakes and said to Duke, "Give the farm a name, and we'll register it."

"Let's call it... Little Duke Farm," Duke continued the tradition.

Basically, all shops and farms in Snakehead Town are named after their owners, just like Little Sam's Card Shop.

After the staff left, Duke wandered around Little Duke Farm.

Since it was a farm reclaimed from wasteland, there were no crops at the moment. The land was covered with waist-high weeds and mugwort.

Undoubtedly, there were no spiritual plants hidden among them.

The entire hundred acres were basically flat, with only a small dirt slope on the west side. The slope wasn't steep, about a person's height from top to bottom.

"I'll build the house on this slope," Duke said, circling the farm and fixing his gaze on the small dirt slope.

Although it wasn't the center of the farm, it offered a height advantage, making it convenient to oversee the entire farm and spot any activity at a glance.

For the next few days, Duke commuted between the farm and the town.

He looked for a construction team to build a house on the farm.

At the same time, he hired people to string barbed wire along the farm's boundaries and even purchased a 1st Ring Arcane Card - Spirit Pressure Conduction.

This Arcane Card could conduct spirit pressure through metal. Anyone who touched the metal would be attacked by spirit pressure.

In short.

This was the otherworldly version of high-voltage electricity.

When connected to the outer barbed wire and powered continuously by a Spirit Storage Card, the Spirit Pressure Conduction could remain active, creating a "high-voltage electric fence."

The Seven Towers Federation had no laws prohibiting the private installation of electric fences. Constructing a metal net with the 1st Ring Arcane Card - Spirit Pressure Conduction was legal, compliant, and in line with tradition. Protecting one's property was a matter of course, and no trouble would arise even if someone was killed.

As the Spirit Pressure Conduction metal net was being set up, the construction team leader approached him. "Boss Little Duke, your interior design is a bit complicated..."

"Can't do it?"

"No, it'll cost extra."