Arc 4Divine Protection and Card Ventures

Ron survived the remaining assassin through the Goddess of Harvest’s protection and gained church backing and lucrative flower contracts. He explored mass-producing Elemental Cards and ended by asking Gil to investigate their market before committing to a partnership.

  • Wosbaits refused to protect Ron from the assassins, and Webster claimed to have killed his pursuers despite Ron’s unfinished mission.
  • Ron took Nora out for dinner and shopping, and Bursting Vitality turned the surviving assassin into a tree when he attacked.
  • Ron received the Everchanging Radish Cultivation Method and grew imitation objects and cards while investigating production costs.
  • Ulysses offered to protect Ron, announced plans to name him the Goddess’s Representative, and agreed to buy flowers for the church each month.
  • Ron gave Nora a Scale Vine for protection, secured another flower contract with Wosbaits, and offered Guy a job managing his funds.
  • Ron hosted a hotpot dinner and discussed magic arrays with Ilya while Mason arranged a meeting with a potential Elemental Cards investor.
  • Ron began selling Scale Vines and received a quest to sell five thousand of them.
  • Gil proposed distributing Elemental Cards through his family’s caravans, and Ron asked him to research the market while he verified Gil’s claims.
Chapters 77–103 Vol. 1 Read

Ch. 77A Turtle Who Cowers in Three Seconds

Ron had Harper and Edith test the defensive properties of his Scale Vines, then left to seek protection from the Magic Academy’s headmaster because assassins were still targeting him. He planned to offer the headmaster a Nether Orchid as a gift and would ask Professor Hicks for help if needed.

  • Ron brought Scale Vines to Harper and Edith, who explained that detailed testing would require many experiments and volunteers.
  • Harper and Edith found that the Scale Vines could withstand beginner-level magic without mana or battle aura and slowly recover from damage.
  • Harper took charge of further tests and considered using the Scale Vines to modify the Academy’s Puppet Testing Ground.
  • Ron left the laboratory and told Edith he wanted to see the headmaster because he still bore an assassin’s Shadow Mark.
  • Ron considered offering the headmaster a Nether Orchid with a trace of divinity and decided he would ask Professor Hicks for protection if the headmaster refused.

Ch. 78Ilya’s Noon

Ron saw Ilya studying the Chinese characters “At Noon,” which the dean had given her, then entered Wosbaits’s office to meet the dean. After Ron presented him with a divinity-bearing Nether Orchid, Wosbaits asked whether Ron was being followed.

  • Ron recognized the paper Ilya was carrying as “At Noon” and guessed the dean had distributed mysterious writings from Ron’s study to mages for research.
  • Ilya took out “At Noon” again and eagerly studied its symbols as she walked away.
  • Edith escorted Ron to the dean’s office, then left for the laboratory after Ron said he would miss barbecue with Mason and the others.
  • Ron entered Wosbaits’s office, where a middle-aged mage had just received another sheet of mysterious writing from the dean.
  • Ron gave Wosbaits a Nether Orchid bearing a trace of divinity, and Wosbaits secretly accepted it before asking Ron whether he was being followed.

Ch. 79The Middleman, Wild Rose

Ron learned from Wosbaits that his status as the Goddess of Harvest’s Favored One could have made him a target, and that Wild Rose might be hosting a bounty on him. Wosbaits refused to intervene, but Ron changed the subject by offering to reserve rare Nether Orchids for him.

  • Wosbaits spotted a shadow-type mark on Ron and identified it as a technique likely placed by a sixth-rank warrior.
  • Wosbaits explained that Ron’s new status as a Favored One could threaten the balance between the Human Empire’s churches and attract powerful enemies.
  • Wosbaits suggested that a bounty might have been posted through Wild Rose, whose missions could be claimed by up to ten assassins.
  • Ron realized the three assassins he had encountered had likely been competing to claim the bounty and kill him.
  • Wosbaits declined to help Ron, citing the academy’s neutrality and the possibility of internal imperial affairs.
  • Ron dropped the request for help and offered to set aside rare Nether Orchids for Wosbaits in the future.

Ch. 80Webster’s Lies

Ron sought Wosbaits’s help against the assassins targeting him, but the dean refused to involve the academy in church conflicts. After Webster claimed he had killed the pursuers, Ron’s system showed that one assassin remained, leaving him suspicious of Webster’s account.

  • Wosbaits refused Ron’s offer of divinity-bearing Nether Orchids in exchange for help, citing the academy’s neutrality, while Ron argued that neither the city patrol nor the local Harvest Goddess church could reliably protect him.
  • Wosbaits worried that Ron’s presence at the academy could force him to intervene if an assassin attacked, while Ron regretted that his Favored One status had drawn him into trouble.
  • Webster climbed through the window and told Ron that the assassins following him had been dealt with.
  • Ron checked his system and saw that the Evade Assassination mission was still incomplete at 2/3, despite Webster’s claim that the pursuers were dead.
  • Webster confirmed that a bounty had been placed through Wild Rose and said he had killed one fifth-tier and one sixth-tier assassin, but Ron suspected he was concealing the survival of a third assassin.

Ch. 81The Date Begins!

Ron suspected Webster had deliberately concealed the third assassin and sent him out as a target, while the system assured him that his title badge would protect him. Believing the assassin was still waiting for a chance to strike, Ron went out with Nora to buy supplies and dinner, leaving their destination open.

  • Ron left the Magic Academy convinced Webster had lied about the assassins and might be trying to kill him by using the survivor.
  • Ron returned to his shop without being attacked and reasoned that the third assassin was still nearby because his system mission remained incomplete.
  • Ron decided to leave the shop and draw out the assassin, trusting the title badge's Bursting Vitality to keep him safe.
  • Ron invited Nora to go out for dinner near the place where she planned to buy supplies and told her to replace her patched old robe with new clothes.
  • Ron and Nora closed the shop and stepped out onto the street.

Ch. 82A Tanghulu Date

Ron realized he had been neglecting Nora during their date and shifted his attention to enjoying the outing with her. In the eastern slums, he bought Nora candied hawthorn and teased her as she ate, leaving their shopping trip still underway.

  • Ron noticed Nora had grown quiet and realized he had been treating their outing like a supply run rather than a date.
  • Ron and Nora walked through the poor eastern district, where a vagrant recognized Nora and was deterred by her glare.
  • Nora eyed a candied hawthorn skewer but refused to spend her money on the treat.
  • Ron bought a skewer and teased Nora by pretending to withhold it until she finally took a bite.
  • Ron gave Nora the remaining candied hawthorn and continued poking her puffed cheeks as she struggled to chew.

Ch. 83The Author Says a Sour Stench Came Rushing at Him (Asking for Recommendations

Ron took Nora to a ramen shop, where she struggled to reconcile his casual manner with his identity as the Seventh Prince. After Nora paid for their meal and the owner mistook them for a couple, they left to buy supplies, with Nora holding the hem of Ron's clothes.

  • Ron led Nora through the crowded food stalls to a ramen shop she remembered from her past.
  • Nora tried to wipe a greasy chair for Ron, but he sat down casually and told her not to treat him as a pampered prince.
  • The ramen shop owner recognized Nora and recalled that she used to scavenge leftover food from his trash bins.
  • Nora insisted on paying for the ramen, and the owner advised her to cherish Ron and rein in her fierce temper.
  • Ron and Nora left to buy things, and Nora tentatively held the hem of his clothes as they walked.

Ch. 84Hot Pot, Coming Right Up~

Ron took Nora shopping and bought a pot and iron stove so they could make hot pot at the shop. When a sixth-rank assassin approached to kill him, Ron’s power transformed the attacker into a tree in the middle of the street.

  • Nora bargained for bedding and bought clothes and shoes with her wages while Ron stored her purchases in his Inventory.
  • Ron bought a large pot and iron stove, then explained that he planned to make hot pot at the shop.
  • The system warned Ron that a sixth-rank assassin was approaching, and Ron took Nora’s hand before leading her to a cake stall.
  • Ron stepped away to buy drinks and confirmed that the disguised assassin was moving directly toward him.
  • The assassin tried to stab Ron from behind with a battle-aura-coated skewer, but Ron’s power rooted him in place and turned him into a tree.

Ch. 85Bursting with Life

An assassin attacked Ron, but Bursting Vitality transformed him into a tree before he could hurt Ron. Ron explained the incident to the patrol, while Webster left to report to Andre III and planned to conceal Wild Rose’s involvement.

  • An assassin attacked Ron, and Bursting Vitality turned the attacker into a tree as Nora ran to Ron’s side.
  • Webster watched from a rooftop and realized the Goddess of Harvest had given Ron powerful automatic protection.
  • Webster left for the Imperial Capital to report to Andre III, planning to blame the assassination on someone else.
  • The system announced that Ron had completed the Evade Assassination mission and placed his reward in the Inventory.
  • Ron told the patrol captain that the tree had been an assassin who was struck down by the Goddess of Harvest’s protection.

Ch. 86Plant a Gold Coin, Harvest a Tree of Gold Coins! (Asking for Recs

After Ron and Nora parted ways, Ron tested the Everchanging Radish Seeds and discovered they could imitate an object's appearance but not its function. He abandoned his hopes of growing real gold coins and began considering other uses for the plant.

  • Ron left the patrol to deal with the frightening tree and walked Nora homeward before offering to escort her the rest of the way.
  • Nora declined Ron's offer to visit her home and turned down his invitation to live at the shop, then carried her new bedding home alone.
  • Ron returned to the shop and absorbed the Everchanging Radish Cultivation Method from his inventory.
  • Ron planted an Everchanging Radish Seed with a gold coin and used his plant-growing techniques to make a vine bearing gold coin lookalikes.
  • Ron squeezed a fake coin and found that it was a flexible leaf, not real money, then considered growing books and other objects that only needed to look convincing.

Ch. 88Feasibility Analysis of Mass-Producing Legendary Killers

Ron discovered that Everchanging Radishes could grow durable Legendary Kill cards and began considering how to mass-produce them. He concluded that the Cultivation Space was too small and that growing enough radishes outside would require hundreds of plants, leaving the production plan unresolved.

  • Ron exchanged 10 Wealth Points for an Everchanging Radish seed and used magic to grow a radish that produced [Peach] cards.
  • Ron tested the cards’ flexibility and durability, found them better to handle than cards from his original world, and considered selling Legendary Kill in batches.
  • Ron calculated that a full set of Legendary Kill would require seventy or eighty Everchanging Radishes and far more Cultivation Space than he had available.
  • Ron considered growing the radishes outside but realized that slow regrowth and the difficulty of hiring mages would mean he needed four or five hundred plants or more.

Ch. 89How a Scumbag and a Young Woman Act After a Date

Ron considered producing Elemental Cards from Everchanging Radish but became overwhelmed by the land, labor, and sales channels he would need. Nora returned to her shack with new bedding and struggled with her feelings for Ron, ending the chapter unable to sleep.

  • Ron calculated that Elemental Cards would need at least fifty-four Everchanging Radishes and considered planting them near a large water source.
  • Ron realized he had no clear way to sell the cards and considered seeking help from the Gem Trade Alliance, though he knew no one there.
  • Ron abandoned his plans for production and sales for the moment and took out an Ilya special-edition illustration album.
  • Nora brought home bedding, robes, and boots, then arranged her new belongings in her shack and enjoyed her warm bed.
  • Nora recalled her date with Ron and his status as the Seventh Prince, resolving to remain a competent employee and keep her distance.
  • Nora remembered holding Ron's hand, then became discouraged by their difference in status and lay awake, unable to sleep.

Ch. 90The Archbishop Pays a Personal Visit

Archbishop Ulysses traveled to Chaos City to investigate the divine tree and meet Ron, the Goddess of Harvest’s favored. Ron grew wary after reading Webster’s letter about the assassination attempt and resolved not to rely too heavily on the system.

  • News of the assassination attempt spread, and followers of the Goddess of Harvest fenced off the divine tree while church clergy considered establishing a place of prayer nearby.
  • Archbishop Ulysses arrived in Chaos City and asked Bishop Maurice to take him to the site where the assassin had received divine punishment.
  • Ulysses sensed the Goddess of Harvest’s residual power in the divine tree, then decided to meet Ron.
  • Ron postponed mass-producing Elemental Cards and read Webster’s letter claiming the assassin had likely been sent by another faction.
  • Ron dismissed Webster’s account as a lie and became more vigilant about threats in a world where powerful individuals could endanger his life.

Ch. 91Cheap Labor from the Convent

Archbishop Ulysses visited Ron and asked to stay nearby to protect him until the Church of the Goddess of Harvest held a ritual ceremony naming him the Goddess’s Representative. Ron learned that the position gave him authority over the Empire’s convents and considered using their Wood Magic mages to help cultivate his Everchanging Radishes.

  • Nora told Ron that someone from the Church of the Goddess of Harvest had come to see him.
  • Bishop Maurice introduced Archbishop Ulysses, who asked to stay in Chaos City and protect Ron after the attack.
  • Ulysses explained that the church would hold a ritual ceremony to announce Ron as the Goddess’s Representative, a position with authority over the Empire’s convents.
  • Ron learned that convent members were Wood Magic mages and thought of having them help him cultivate Everchanging Radishes.

Ch. 92Shearing the Sheep, Shearing the Sheep

Ron secured a monthly contract with the Church of the Goddess of Harvest for Nether Orchids and Golden Red Chrysanthemums, with payment due when a ritual delegation arrived in Chaos City. Later, he modified the dining table to make a hot pot for a meal with Nora.

  • Ron offered the Church of the Goddess of Harvest Nether Orchids and Golden Red Chrysanthemums, and Ulysses agreed to buy 500 Nether Orchids and 50 Golden Red Chrysanthemums each month for 11,500 gold coins.
  • Ulysses told Ron that a ritual delegation would arrive from the Imperial Capital in about ten days and asked him to cooperate with the ceremony.
  • Ulysses arranged to stay nearby and instructed Maurice to prepare the church for the delegation's arrival.
  • Ron returned to the Dimensional Plane for his daily work and postponed buying more Cultivation Space until he had replenished his Wealth Points.
  • Ron cut a hole in the dining table, fitted his pot into it, and placed a stove underneath to create a hot pot for himself and Nora.

Ch. 93Mages Are Another World’s Greatest Productive Force

Ron gave Nora a Scale Vine for protection and planned to use his new authority as the Goddess's representative to recruit nuns to cultivate Everchanging Radishes. He also began looking for land and a sales channel for his products, considering poaching Guy from the Gold Depository.

  • Ron gave Nora a Scale Vine and explained how she could bond with it and use it for protection.
  • Ron planned to deploy mage nuns to cultivate Everchanging Radishes after he became the Goddess's representative.
  • Ron considered finding idle land outside Chaos City for large-scale radish cultivation and worried that the nuns might resent being assigned farm work.
  • Ron identified the Gold Depository manager Guy as a possible professional manager who could connect his Elemental Cards with major merchant caravans.
  • Ron arrived at the Magic Academy while considering whether to poach Guy.

Ch. 95Inviting Ilya

Ron invited Edith, Harper, and others to dinner so they could try his new sauces, and asked Edith to bring her sister Ilya because he wanted her advice about magic arrays. Before leaving the academy, Ron was summoned to the dean’s office after a professor failed to find magical meaning in the mysterious symbols.

  • Ron gave Harper another batch of Scale Vine and invited him to dinner, then asked Edith to bring Ilya because he had questions about magic arrays.
  • Ron invited Mason to dinner during their magic practice, while Edith left to find her sister and Ron prepared to buy more ingredients.
  • A sixth-rank mage told Wosbaits that the symbols in the verse could not function as magic-array patterns, so Wosbaits suggested they might be connected to the Goddess of Harvest.
  • The professor left the dean’s office with renewed enthusiasm for researching the symbols, and Ron arrived after being summoned by an assistant instructor.

Ch. 96Poaching from the Savings Office

Ron secured a monthly sale of divinity-infused Nether Orchids to Wosbaits, then tried to recruit Gold Depository manager Guy to manage his finances. Guy was tempted by Ron’s offer but left his decision open as Ron departed.

  • Wosbaits agreed to buy five divinity-infused Nether Orchids from Ron each month for two thousand gold coins apiece and paid him ten thousand gold coins upfront.
  • Ron visited the Gold Depository and had Guy transfer the ten thousand gold coins to his Black Gold Card.
  • Ron offered Guy a job managing his funds, with a base salary twice Guy’s current pay and additional commissions.
  • Guy said he would ask around for suitable candidates, while considering the offer for himself and recalling Ron’s substantial deposits.
  • Ron left the Gold Depository, and Guy watched him go while weighing whether to take the job.

Ch. 97Better Hide the “Stolen Goods”

Ilya learned that Prince Ron was a Favored One of the Goddess of Harvest and agreed to meet him, hoping to ask about the mysterious symbols she was studying. Ron prepared hotpot for his guests and hid his embarrassing illustration books before Ilya arrived.

  • Ilya rejected Edith's invitation to dinner until Edith revealed that Prince Ron had become the Goddess of Harvest's Favored One, then agreed to go see him.
  • Ron prepared several dipping sauces and hotpot ingredients, and invited Nora to join the meal with Mason and the others.
  • Ron hid his illustration books, including an Ilya special-edition book, beneath his bed before the guests arrived.

Ch. 98Hot Pot Party~

Ron hosted Mason, Edith, Ilya, and Harper for hotpot, and the guests sampled his sauces while struggling to use chopsticks. After Mason reported that a wealthy student wanted to meet the inventor of Elemental Cards, Ron became interested when he heard the student’s family was tied to the Gem Trade Alliance.

  • Ron explained how to eat hotpot and showed the guests how to use chopsticks.
  • Ilya nearly ate raw black fungus, then later dipped tofu into sour plum juice, amusing the others.
  • The guests enjoyed the hotpot and sauces while Ron chatted with them; Nora left after eating to watch the shop.
  • Mason told Ron that a student from his academy wanted to meet the inventor of the Elemental Cards and might be interested in investing.
  • Ron stopped eating when Mason mentioned the Gem Trade Alliance.

Ch. 99Cost: 2 Silver Coins

Ron asked Ilya about using magic to grow Everchanging Radishes faster and calculated whether enchanted wands could make Elemental Cards affordably. Ilya spotted hidden symbols in Ron’s study, while Ron ended by asking how to extend a wand’s lifespan.

  • Mason told Ron that a student’s father was a caravan leader under the Gem Trade Alliance, and Ron arranged to meet him the next afternoon.
  • After dinner, Ron invited Ilya to the study to ask whether a magic array could repeatedly stimulate plants to grow leaves.
  • Ilya explained that a wand fitted with water and earth Elemental Stones could let someone cast the Plant Growth Technique, though the stones would run out after several hundred uses.
  • Ilya glimpsed a folded sheet in Ron’s drawer and recognized the symbols for “Grain Sun At Noon,” along with two preceding symbols she had not seen before.
  • Ron calculated that wand costs would make each deck of Elemental Cards cost two silver coins and asked Ilya how to increase the wand’s number of uses.

Ch. 100The Fantastical Vision Comes Crashing Down to Earth

Ron questioned Ilya about magic arrays and explored fantastical inventions from his old world, learning that high costs and the world's existing magic made most of them impractical. He left the discussion disappointed, concluding that magically modified tabletop games were still his most reliable idea.

  • Ron asked Ilya how magic arrays worked and why ordinary people got fewer uses from them than mages.
  • Ilya explained that magic arrays required costly materials and that ordinary people wasted energy because they could not guide surrounding elements.
  • After Nora reported that Edith had fallen asleep and the guests had gone home, Ron told Nora to leave while Ilya stayed to talk.
  • Ron described ideas such as cars, telephones, the internet, and Gundam, and Ilya discussed their feasibility from the perspective of magic arrays.
  • Ron realized that magic or powerful warriors made most of his inventions impractical, so he decided magically modified tabletop games were the most reliable option.

Ch. 101An Enchanting Night

Nora found Edith and Ilya staying overnight in the guest bedroom and felt relieved after Ron explained why they had stayed. After the Elves returned to the Magic Academy, Ron harvested more plants and began selling Scale Vines at the shop.

  • Nora encountered Edith and Ilya after they emerged from the guest bedroom and briefly imagined an intimate scenario before realizing they had only stayed the night.
  • Ron told Nora that he had talked with Ilya about magic arrays until late and let the Elves stay because it was too late to return.
  • Edith and Ilya finished breakfast, said goodbye to Ron, and returned to the Magic Academy.
  • Nora cleared the breakfast dishes and opened the shop while Ron replenished Nether Orchids and Golden Red Chrysanthemums and harvested over a hundred Scale Vine daughter vines.
  • Ron transplanted the Scale Vines to the shop's first floor and began selling them for five gold coins each.

Ch. 102It’s Someone I Know!?

Ron put Scale Vines on sale and received a quest to sell five thousand of them before earning Emerald Cypress seeds and a cultivation method. At the Magic Academy, he came face-to-face with a student he recognized from Ilya’s class, leaving them both surprised and Ron feeling awkward.

  • Ron learned that Scale Vines cost five gold coins each and received a main quest to sell five thousand of them for Emerald Cypress seeds and a cultivation method.
  • Ron explained the Scale Vine’s functions to Nora and instructed her on how to describe it to customers.
  • Ron visited Harper’s laboratory, where Edith told him Harper’s Explosive Potion work was progressing and the new Meditation Potion might soon enter batch production.
  • Ron went to the Magic Academy to meet a student interested in Elemental Cards, and Mason brought the student into the office.
  • The student pointed at Ron in shock, and Ron recognized him from Ilya’s class.

Ch. 103Kiel Comes Clean

Ron met with Gil, a half-goblin student who proposed partnering to mass-produce and sell Elemental Cards. Ron was impressed by Gil’s preparation but left the decision open, asking him to study the market further before they spoke again.

  • Mason introduced Ron to Gil, who had recently advanced to a first-rank mage with help from Ron’s Nether Orchid.
  • After Mason left, Ron and Gil concealed their shared connection to the private sale of Ilya illustration books and discussed why Gil sold them for extra money.
  • Gil proposed producing Elemental Cards for a wider market and explained that he lacked the capital and family support to do it alone.
  • Gil offered to give up his share of the profits and described how his family’s trade caravans could distribute the cards.
  • Ron questioned Gil about his plans and market expectations, then said he would verify Gil’s claims and asked him to study the cards’ prospects before they met again.
Arc 4 of 15