System: "This is the Cultivation System. All products related to Wood Magic are sold at a discount, so the prices of the Dew Technique and Soil Tilling Technique are their actual prices."
"...Yeah, right," Ron grumbled to himself.
Why hadn't it shown me those two prerequisite spells sooner? It waited until I'd exchanged for the Seed Germination Technique first. How was that not a rip-off?
Hmph!
I wouldn't buy those two spells even if it killed me!
Ron scorned the system and stubbornly dug in his heels.
That was what he said, but even if he did want to exchange for them, he couldn't afford to right now.
This was enough to drive a person crazy!
How had he not thought of this before...
Although Ron had read books like Magic Beginner over the past few days, they mostly covered the basics of the three main branches of magic. He hadn't really studied more advanced topics like composite magic.
The three main branches of magic were White Magic, Cyan Magic, and Black Magic.
Water Magic and Earth Magic were branches of Cyan Magic.
Wood Magic was a composite of Water and Earth Magic, making it a sub-branch of a sub-branch of Cyan Magic.
The related knowledge was bound to be profound and difficult to understand, so Ron had never looked into it in depth.
He'd thought that since the system had given him the Seed Germination Technique, it would work like the Meditation Method: once the knowledge was poured into his mind, he could use it right away.
He hadn't expected to exchange for such a piece of junk.
It was like solving a math problem. A composite problem required two basic formulas to derive a composite formula, which could then be used to find the answer.
The problem now was that he knew the composite formula, but the question required him to derive it from the basic formulas before he could use it. Otherwise, he'd get no credit.
What a load of crap.
Ron plopped down in the recliner, thinking he'd take a step back and calm down.
But holding it in only made him angrier, and taking a step back only made him feel more cheated.
It was just like getting scammed online. The scammer said you had to pay a hundred yuan to claim a prize, then, after you paid, told you there was another five-hundred-yuan security deposit.
At that point, all you could do was call yourself an idiot, delete the scammer, and curse them to have a son without a **.
That was exactly how the system made Ron feel.
Unfortunately, the system couldn't have a son.
After giving the system a thorough dressing-down, Ron finally calmed down. He checked the time and realized it was almost five. He closed up shop and headed next door to the barbecue shop.
Maybe some barbecue would make him feel better...
As he passed the alley, Ron glanced inside without thinking.
The trash can stood alone, with no one in sight.
Ron went into the barbecue shop and ordered his favorite skewers as usual, but deliberately added an extra serving.
Lyle came over curiously. "Are you expecting a friend?"
Ron smiled and shook his head.
Lyle didn't press him. Grinning, he said, "A lot of people have come by to try the barbecue these past couple of days. Business has been better every day. We have you to thank for that."
Ron had been heading back to his shop after eating barbecue these past few days, so he didn't know much about how the barbecue shop was doing.
It seemed to be going pretty well.
Before long, the barbecue arrived. Ron ate his own serving first.
When he'd finished, he told Lyle he was heading out, then took the extra serving and left the shop, stopping at the mouth of the alley.
The sun was sinking behind the Manchester Mountains in the west, and night had already fallen across the eastern sky.
In the fading light, Ron saw a small, somewhat familiar figure rummaging through the trash can for food.
The little figure had sharp instincts. Though his back was turned, he spun around the instant Ron looked his way.
A pair of pale-black eyes fixed on Ron.
Then, without a word, he darted toward the other end of the alley like a startled rabbit.
"Hey! Wait!" Ron called as he walked to the alley entrance and set the skewers, wrapped in greaseproof paper, on the ground. "We've run into each other a few times. Let me treat you to some barbecue."
Ron deliberately peeled back the paper so the aroma of the meat could waft out and fill the whole alley.
The small figure stopped at the other exit. He paused, then turned around, his gaze full of surprise and suspicion.
In the sunset glow, Ron could just make out his face.
But the boy's little face was covered in black mud and smudges, making it impossible to tell what he really looked like.
It seemed as though he'd dirtied himself on purpose.
Ron meant no harm. He just smiled, pointed at the skewers on the ground, and went back to the shop.
The kid was obviously wary. No matter how tempting the smell, he wouldn't come over as long as Ron stayed there.
The small figure hesitated for a while. The rich aroma of barbecue drifted down the alley and curled around his nose.
It smelled so good...
Grrr...
His stomach began to growl.
He'd only been halfway through searching the trash can when Ron showed up. He hadn't had time to find anything to eat.
He hadn't eaten all day.
After hesitating a little longer, he stepped forward and cautiously approached the barbecue. He warily scanned the street and saw that Ron had indeed gone back into the shop.
Only then did he relax a little. He crouched down and peeled back the paper.
The delicious aroma instantly enveloped him.
It smelled so good...
He immediately grabbed a skewer and wolfed down all the meat in one bite.
The fragrance of the meat mingled with the pepper and cumin, setting off a delicious explosion in his mouth.
"Mmm..." He swore he'd never eaten anything this good.
Even the half a steak he'd once managed to snatch from a restaurant's trash can hadn't been nearly as good.
The two weren't even comparable.
In just half a minute, he'd already eaten most of the skewers.
"Cough, cough!" With his mouth stuffed full of meat, he accidentally choked on the seasoning powder.
Clink.
A cup of water suddenly appeared beside him, startling him.
Ron smiled at the way the small figure flinched. He set the cup down, stood up, and stepped back to show he meant no harm.
The small figure glanced at Ron a few times. Seeing his face up close, he was briefly stunned by how handsome Ron was, then quickly lowered his head again.
He hesitated, picked up the cup, and took a small sip.
It was just plain water, but it tasted sweet.
"Thank you," he said in a low voice.
There was a clear, bright note in his voice.
Ron was a little surprised. The voice... didn't sound much like a boy's...
Maybe he was going through puberty...
Ron looked the small figure up and down. His body was wrapped in a shabby, worn-out coat, which hung loosely and made him look flat and slight.
Poor kid...
Ron sighed, smiled at the small figure, and went back into the shop.
He didn't ask any pointless questions like, "Where are your parents?"
They'd only met by chance. What was the point of asking?
Maybe it was the inexplicable loneliness he'd felt since crossing into this world. Every now and then, it made him feel like showing a little kindness.
In any case, it was just a meal. It wasn't much to him.
So when he got back to the shop and sat down in the study to read, he put the incident out of his mind and didn't give it another thought.
Struggling Author's Diary:
Big Shot: Got a few more haters today. Handed out bans right away.
Me: Sob, sob, still no comments today.
Big Shot: I've noticed that when I write 4,000 words per chapter, my average subscriptions go up faster.
Me: Sob, sob, what do I do? I still haven't gotten a contract.
Big Shot: The app's featured slot works pretty well. I gained 1,000 followers today.
Me: Sob, sob, I only gained 3 followers today, and they were all pity follows from friends.
Big Shot: ...I don't think we have much to talk about.
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