The Verdant Merchant

After the group of students from lower school left, Rowen counted the mana stones resting in the wooden drawer. Twenty-three low-grade mana stones. He tapped his fingers against the wood, thinking over what to do next.

Fern, sprawled across a chair and still half-asleep, let out a soft snore. Rowen walked over and nudged him gently. "Hey, wake up."

Fern groaned and rubbed his eyes. "Huh… what?"

Rowen tossed the mana stones toward him. "Take these. Six for recharging the land, seventeen for upgrades."

Fern's eyes went wide

Fern nodded, guiding the magical energy to a gentle pause. Shade stretched and gave a soft, approving meow, as if satisfied with what she had seen.

Rowen stepped toward the portal, Fern following, and Shade padded behind silently. In a shimmer of light, the three of them vanished from the independent space, leaving the plot to quietly continue its growth cycle.

Back in the shop's backyard, the portal closed softly behind them. Rowen exhaled, running a hand through his hair. "Everything's in place for now. The next batch will be ready soon."

After everyone had left, the shop went quiet.

Rowen stood behind the counter, looking down at the ten low-grade mana stones sitting by the register—payment from Darian.

It wasn't a huge amount, but it was something.

As he reached for the pouch to store them, a shimmer moved near the back wall.

Fern floated into view, still a little groggy, arms loose at his sides. His hair was messy, and his eyes were half open—but as soon as he saw the mana stones, he lit up a bit.

He looked hungry.

Rowen sighed. "You're still burning through energy that fast?"

Fern just gave a small shrug, not bothering to answer.

Rowen didn't count them. He picked up the whole stack and tossed it to him.

"Recharge the land. Whatever's left—use it for the upgrade of the land."

Fern caught low-grade mana stones in one hand, eyes bright now. "Finally."

The stones dissolved into his body in a quiet, pulsing glow.

Rowen watched him for a second.

If this worked, the farm would be one step closer to the next stage.

Just when Rowen was thinking of future plans, the soft jingle of the shop's front bell drew his attention instead.

The door swung open, letting in a breath of cool air. One female customer stepped inside, her boots tapping lightly against the floorboards as she shut the door behind her.

She stared at Rowen, surprised to see him.

Rowen looked back, recognizing her instantly.

Lyra Anwell

They'd studied together at the lower academy here in the border town. She was at a similar age and in the same class, of course. Rowen always topped the theory exams, and Lyra was second every time.

She hadn't seen him since the awakening ceremony.

She knows that at the awakening ceremony, Rowen didn't awaken at all.

Meanwhile, that day she had awakened as a fire mage, with Adept-tier potential.

The annual exam was coming up soon.

She planned to take the exam—like everyone else her age—with the hope of getting into at least a decent mid-tier university.

Federal University was out of reach. It only accepted the best: students with master-level potential or higher. People like Darian.

She wasn't aiming that high.

It wasn't that she lacked ambition—she just understood what it meant to have Adept-level potential as a mage.

With her Adept-tier potential, her goal was more realistic: a solid academy, slow but steady advancement, and maybe one day a stable position—teaching or working field support.

She was from a poor family; they live in a lower town area like Rowen. Her family had always struggled. But after her awakening, the academy had given her a small reward—a few low-grade mana stones, part of the school's basic support program.

It was just enough.

Her parents had used it to start venturing into the wilderness. They hunted weak monsters, gathered mana cores, and sold them to keep the family going.

They couldn't afford real potions or advanced training gear. Most of their progress came from long days, careful planning, and barely scraping by.

Still—she kept studying. Practicing. Doing what she could with what little resource she had.

She hadn't planned to end up here.

Today was her day off from the academy, and she'd spent the morning walking through town, checking shops—looking for anything that might help with her next hunt. A recovery potion, maybe, or something to keep her mana recovered after a fight, and she could then hunt more monsters.

But even the cheapest potions were well out of her budget.

She didn't have many mana stones left. Most of what her family earned went to essentials.

She was getting desperate.

So when she overheard a few people arguing about a strange shop that claimed to sell focus-boosting tomatoes and mana-recovery potatoes, she hadn't believed it. Sounded like a scam.

Three tomatoes for a whole low-grade mana stone?

That was absurd. Even high-quality produce wasn't priced like that.

But what if it wasn't a scam?

What if the effects were real?

She needed the help—and if it worked, it would be cheaper than any potion she could buy. So she followed the small crowd and stepped inside.

That's when she saw Rowen.

He was standing here, behind the counter of a quiet shop.

"…Rowen?" she asked softly.

And now—Rowen. The one who vanished without a word after Awakening Day. The one who never awakened at all.

He was standing here, behind the counter of a quiet shop.

"…Rowen?" she asked softly.

She opened her mouth, about to say something—but before the words came out, Rowen silently pointed toward the shelf.

She followed his gesture.

The potatoes were carefully stacked on the shelf of the store, just like people had described.

For a moment, she just stared at them.

She remembered what others in town had said—that this place was a scam. That the prices for food are ridiculous. That no food, no matter how fresh, could really have mana recovery effects.

And yet… the potatoes were right there. Labeled clearly.

She didn't want to believe he was desperate enough to trick people.

Still… doubt lingered.

Quietly, she reached into her pouch and pulled out a single low-grade mana stone. Her hand hesitated halfway—just for a moment.

After everyone had left, the shop went quiet.

Rowen stood behind the counter, looking down at the ten low-grade mana stones sitting by the register—payment from Darian.

It wasn't a huge amount, but it was something.

As he reached for the pouch to store them, a shimmer moved near the back wall.

Fern floated into view, still a little groggy, arms loose at his sides. His hair was messy, and his eyes were half open—but as soon as he saw the mana stones, he lit up a bit.

He looked hungry.

Rowen sighed. "You're still burning through energy that fast?"

Fern just gave a small shrug, not bothering to answer.

Rowen didn't count them. He picked up the whole stack and tossed it to him.

"Recharge the land. Whatever's left—use it for the upgrade of the land."

Fern caught low-grade mana stones in one hand, eyes bright now. "Finally."

The stones dissolved into his body in a quiet, pulsing glow.

Rowen watched him for a second.

If this worked, the farm would be one step closer to the next stage.

Just when Rowen was thinking of future plans, the soft jingle of the shop's front bell drew his attention instead.

The door swung open, letting in a breath of cool air. One female customer stepped inside, her boots tapping lightly against the floorboards as she shut the door behind her.

She stared at Rowen, surprised to see him.

Rowen looked back, recognizing her instantly.

Lyra Anwell

They'd studied together at the lower academy here in the border town. She was at a similar age and in the same class, of course. Rowen always topped the theory exams, and Lyra was second every time.

She hadn't seen him since the awakening ceremony.

She knows that at the awakening ceremony, Rowen didn't awaken at all.

Meanwhile, that day she had awakened as a fire mage, with Adept-tier potential.

The annual exam was coming up soon.

She planned to take the exam—like everyone else her age—with the hope of getting into at least a decent mid-tier university.

Federal University was out of reach. It only accepted the best: students with master-level potential or higher. People like Darian.

She wasn't aiming that high.

It wasn't that she lacked ambition—she just understood what it meant to have Adept-level potential as a mage.

With her Adept-tier potential, her goal was more realistic: a solid academy, slow but steady advancement, and maybe one day a stable position—teaching or working field support.

She was from a poor family; they live in a lower town area like Rowen. Her family had always struggled. But after her awakening, the academy had given her a small reward—a few low-grade mana stones, part of the school's basic support program.