New Home

Mid-October.

The renovation of the Little Duke Farm house was finally complete, the well was drilled, and the pipes were connected.

It was also on this day that Duke, along with Levin, officially moved into Little Duke Farm.

Of course.

Duke lived in the new three-story house with a basement, which he named "Villa." Levin, along with six Four-eared Hound pups, moved into the first room of the staff dormitory.

"Woof woof!"

"Woof woof!"

After their cages were opened, the six Four-eared Hound pups darted out, cautiously and curiously exploring the environment around the house.

Levin set out their food bowls one by one, then filled their water bowls.

Afterward, he quickly trotted over to help Duke organize his room. In reality, there wasn't much to organize; most of it consisted of card repair machines, equipment, and materials.

"We're still missing a lot of Spirit Tools," Duke said, meticulously placing flowerpots on the balcony of the second-floor breeding room. These were his carefully tended Earth Orchids, to which he had added a lot of Energy-Boosting Fertilizer, but they had yet to bloom and refine spiritual energy. "I'll make a list this afternoon, and you can run it over to Duolong Spirit Tool Shop."

"Understood, Boss."

"Have Boss Duolong hire a vehicle to deliver them, and tell them to use my name," Duke instructed.

On Second Vertical Street, his name was quite well-known, and he had frequent dealings with Duolong Spirit Tool Shop, having helped repair cards and even acted as a purchasing agent a few times.

When the farm near Little River Bay was first cleared, there were only straight, muddy paths.

In the afternoon, Boss Duolong himself drove a small truck along the muddy road to Little Duke Farm.

His store employees, along with Levin, helped move the larger Spirit Tools into the Villa.

Duke and Boss Duolong stood by the railing of the Villa's small attic, looking out at the clear, flat farmland.

"Not too long ago, you were the owner of Little Sam's Card Repair Shop, and now you've already started your own farm."

"It's good, being free."

"Honestly, I preferred it when you were the owner of Little Sam's Card Repair Shop. You were so enthusiastic and the prices were so cheap back then. Now I can barely afford to get my cards repaired," Boss Duolong lamented. "That Luonka, his prices change daily."

Luonka was the nephew of Boss Lucius and was responsible for managing Little Sam's Card Repair Shop.

Duke replied, "What about Best's Card Repair Shop? I heard he's changed it to a single-person operation now. Since they're old neighbors, maybe it'll be cheaper."

"Bah! Best isn't one to lose out. If others raise their prices, he raises his too."

Boss Duolong complained for quite a while.

The rapid increase in prices in Snakehead Town had caused a lot of trouble for the local residents. Although wages were also rising, they always lagged behind the price increases, leading to widespread grumbling among the residents.

"The Snakehead Tower should stabilize prices soon, right?"

"Who knows? The Black Snake Family... maybe they've already hoarded supplies and are planning to make a fortune from this opportunity."

Snakehead Town was the Black Snake Family's fiefdom, and Boss Duolong dared not say too much. After a couple of complaints, he quickly changed the subject: "Several of my Spirit Cards are broken, and I haven't taken them for repair yet. To be honest, with the money it would cost to repair them, I might as well buy new ones... Sigh, new cards are expensive too!"

Duke's brow furrowed slightly. "What kind of new cards are you looking to get?"

"Spirit Storage Cards, lantern cards, drive cards... I'll need quite a few. My shop has many Spirit Tools, so it needs many corresponding Spirit Cards."

"How about refurbished cards?"

"Refurbished cards?"

"Refurbished second-hand cards aren't as good as new ones, but they're not much worse. Compared to new cards, they're definitely more cost-effective," Duke said, and then led Duolong to see the cards. "You can compare them yourself."

He took out a few refurbished Spirit Storage Cards and used them on the purchased Spirit Tools on the spot. The effect was no different from new cards.

"Hmm!" Boss Duolong's eyes lit up. "They're indeed good. How much per card?"

"On the market, new Spirit Storage Cards are 10 silver dragons. My refurbished cards are all 5 silver dragons each. If they break within a month, you can just return them to me."

The refurbished cards were half the price of new ones.

The key was that Duke's craftsmanship was excellent; the refurbished cards were almost indistinguishable from new ones in appearance, and their performance was very stable.

Boss Duolong thought for a moment, then nodded. "I trust your character, Boss Little Duke. Old Sam wouldn't be wrong about people. In that case, I'll take three Spirit Storage Cards, two lantern cards, and... how much is all this?"

"37 silver dragons."

"Deal."

"If you find them useful after you get back, Boss Duolong, please help me promote them when you sell Spirit Tools," Duke said.

"No problem."

After Boss Duolong drove away, Duke looked at the brand-new house and brand-new Spirit Tools, a sense of accomplishment welling up inside him.

Compared to the cramped house converted from the Little Sam's Card Repair Shop's warehouse and the dilapidated rental apartment, this Villa finally had a touch of modern home living. The large kitchen, large bathroom, spacious living room, dining room, and workshop all made him feel refreshed and invigorated.

"Chirp chirp!"

Little Dou quickly adapted to the new home, running around the spacious breeding room. It was growing quite fast and already had the demeanor of a Spirit Beast.

The fish tank had also been moved into the breeding room. The 0-Ring Spirit Beast – the Golden Belly Ink Carp – swam around idly.

The Earth Orchids, planted in pots, stretched their leaves, greedily absorbing the free-floating spirituality in the air. Unfortunately, they couldn't yet inhale and refine it.

"Levin, help me shovel some soil over here." Duke tucked Little Dou into his pocket.

"Coming, Boss."

Levin entered the breeding room with a bag of soil on his back.

Outside the breeding room was a corridor, specially reinforced with waterproof materials. Duke planned to fill this area with soil to grow flowers and plants.

Of course, the main purpose was to grow spiritual plants, making it convenient to channel spiritual energy at close range and form a spiritual energy field on the second floor.

Fill the soil, water it, and fertilize it.

Then transplant the Earth Orchids from their pots.

"I'll buy some more Energy-Boosting Fertilizer later. If I practice the breathing technique every day without interruption, I don't believe the Earth Orchids won't be able to channel spiritual energy... Then I'll buy a few 0-Ring Spiritual Plants. Channeling spiritual energy together shouldn't be much worse than 1-Ring Spiritual Plants."

Practicing the breathing technique didn't require Duke to do it himself.

All Xiao Yi needed to do was add a new process and allocate some power for idle operation.

"Boss, dinner is ready," Levin called from downstairs.

Duke finally went downstairs to eat.

The meal was simple. Levin's cooking skills were far inferior to Aunt Abby's and not as good as Duke's, but it was enough to fill their stomachs.

"I need to hire a few long-term workers later for weeding, watering, fertilizing, and pest control... It would be best to hire a long-term worker who can cook. Although I'm not picky, I can't mistreat myself every day." After finishing his meal, Duke took Levin out with him.

They were going to inspect Little Duke Farm and, at the same time, practice the Rainfall Breathing Technique and resonate with the seeds in the soil.

This was the daily work of a Spirit Plant Master.

Duke didn't plan to hire a Spirit Plant Master; he would do this job himself, considering it a daily stroll.

It was also a form of cultivation for his Qi Sea.

"Boss, I'll bring Black Tongue and the others along," Levin said.