Ron left the shop and looked to either side.
On either side of his shop stood a barbecue shop and a clothing store, making them his neighbors.
It was already evening, and the smell of grilled meat drifting out of the barbecue shop made Ron's stomach rumble.
So he went inside, planning to have dinner there and meet his neighbor while he was at it.
Business was pretty good. About half the seats were taken, and the smell of meat grew even stronger as he entered.
The owner of the barbecue shop was a dwarf, currently sitting at the counter doing his accounts.
Ron stepped forward to greet him. "Hello, I'm Ron Andre, the new owner of the shop next door. It's nice to meet you."
The dwarf's table and chair were clearly shorter than a human's, so when the owner heard Ron's voice, he tilted his head far back to look up at him, a hearty smile spreading across his face.
"A new neighbor, eh? I'm Lyle, the owner of this shop. Nice to meet you."
"I'd like to have dinner here. What do you recommend?"
"Leave it to me. Just sit down, and dinner's on me!" Lyle said warmly.
Ron accepted his offer, thanked him, and found a seat.
Dinner went fairly well, though the grilled meat was a little bland. Salt was the only seasoning, and after eating too much, his mouth felt a bit dry.
Still, the meat tasted pretty good.
After finishing his meal, Ron said goodbye to the shop owner, Lyle, and asked where the nearest bookstore was.
Then Ron strolled down the street.
Chaos City was just as lively at night, especially on Eckley Street.
People of every race streamed through the streets, humans, elves, goblins, dwarves, and beastfolk all mingling together.
System: "Daily quest triggered."
[Daily Quest]—[Stroke a Passerby Elf's Pointed Ears]: "Requirements: Approach a passerby elf nearby, make the request yourself, and stroke their pointed ears." "Reward: Satisfying your curiosity is the best reward for you!"
The moment Ron heard the system's notification, he hurriedly pulled back his gaze, which had been sneaking glances at other people's ears.
"Could you stop issuing quests like this?" Ron said, exasperated.
System: "This quest aligns with the host's inner expectations. The system deems it necessary."
Ron gritted his teeth. "How does it align with what I want!?"
System: "The host has triggered two daily quests, both related to elves. This indicates that the host has a particular fondness for this species, and the system has a duty to help the host satisfy his needs."
Bullshit!
Was he really that kind of person!?
[Shop] [30-second mental interference that makes a passerby elf think having their ears stroked is normal]: 20 Wealth Points (Temporary item; deleted in 1 minute)
Tsk!
He was kind of tempted...
Ron shook his head to clear it, then closed the System Panel and headed straight for the bookstore nearby.
He bought A Brief History of Magic, Magic Beginner, Outline of Battle Qi, Chronicle of the Continent, and history books about the various races.
He also bought books about plants, including An Analysis of Continental Plants, Encyclopedia of Rare Plants, and Extinct Precious Plants.
The shopkeeper rarely got customers who bought so much, so he threw in two uncensored copies of the Elf Illustration Album for free.
Ron couldn't very well refuse, so he accepted them without hesitation.
After returning to his shop, Ron went upstairs and put his purchases on the study's bookshelf. Then he took down a copy of Compendium of Rare Plants, planning to learn about the plants of this world.
Late that night, Ron took a bath, lay down in bed, and continued absorbing fragments of the original owner's memories.
The memories Ron had absorbed so far were all about the original owner's ordinary life in the palace. They'd helped him understand some details of the original owner's past, but hadn't been of much use in his current situation.
But tonight, he'd finally absorbed something useful—
Bright Sword Canon—
One of the Human Empire military's battle qi cultivation methods. It could help someone condense Light Battle Qi and was a powerful technique for becoming a Light Knight.
According to legend, Bright Sword Canon was a cultivation method personally created by Emperor Andre, the founding emperor of the Human Empire. Ordinary people could cultivate it too, but only those with Andre blood could unleash its true power.
Unfortunately, the memories Ron absorbed only contained the first two volumes of Bright Sword Canon. They were enough to let him cultivate to the Mid-Level Warrior stage, or Tier Four Warrior realm, but the original owner hadn't obtained any of the cultivation methods beyond that.
Ron knew better than to be greedy.
Warriors, like mages, had seven tiers of cultivation, divided into four stages.
Low-Level Warriors, Mid-Level Warriors, and High-Level Warriors each had two realms, while above Tier Six Warriors stood Tier Seven Legendary Warriors.
Webster, leader of the Glorious Mercenary Group, was a Tier Seven Legendary Warrior.
Mages were classified in the same way.
For Ron, who wasn't even a First-Order Warrior, the first two volumes of Bright Sword Canon were more than enough for now.
After absorbing these memories, he slowly drifted off to sleep.
Early the next morning, Ron got up and went into the bathroom. After admiring his own good looks as usual, he went downstairs to the back courtyard and practiced Bright Sword Canon.
After an hour of training, Ron returned to the shop drenched in sweat and took a bath.
Then he received a notification from the system.
System: "The first-floor shop renovation is complete. The host may open for business at any time."
"It's finally finished?" Ron's eyes lit up. Then he grumbled, "Open for business, my ass. I don't even have any products yet."
Just then, the System Panel displayed another notification—
[Quest]—[Upgrade Quest]—[Successfully cultivate one Nether Orchid]: "Requirements: Cultivate one Nether Orchid through the Cultivation Space." "Reward: First volume of the Natural Meditation Method, System Level +1."
"The Natural Meditation Method?" Ron asked curiously. "Is it the kind of meditation method that tempers the soul and condenses magic power?"
System: "The Natural Meditation Method is an advanced meditation method in the field of Wood Magic. It has a high affinity with water and earth elements, and can gradually improve the user's affinity for both."
Ron had skimmed Magic Beginner the previous night, and with the memories he'd absorbed from the original owner, he'd gained a basic understanding of the magic in this world.
Magic was divided into three major categories: White Magic, Cyan Magic, and Black Magic.
Cyan Magic was also called natural magic, and focused mainly on using various elements.
The four basic elements of nature—water, fire, wind, and earth—formed the foundation of the four branches of elemental magic, which made up Cyan Magic.
Wood Magic, meanwhile, was a combination of water and earth magic. It was a more advanced form of Cyan Magic, and harder to master than magic based on a single element.
The Natural Meditation Method provided by the system was clearly designed for Wood Magic.
"So it really is going to keep me on the flower-growing path forever."
Throw your votes at me and crush me! (:3っ)
.
Before you continue