Chapter 73

Over the following week, those who participated in the bee hive raid sold off or traded their rewards for things they needed. As a result, a plethora of materials flooded the market, much to the joy of craftspeople, allowing them to experiment without worry and create many new armor and weapon recipes. In turn, the equipment craftspeople created entered the market, increasing the overall strength of New Hope’s populace. It was a synergistic cycle with everyone growing off each other.

A week and a half after the bee hive raid, what Keith waited for finally occurred: an alchemist had discovered a potion recipe that used Moon Dew Leaf. When news broke out, Hoid contacted Keith and told him to wait until the market figured out the potion’s value.

While Keith bided his time, he grew increasingly manic. Like an addict, he would check the price of Moon Dew Leaf on the auction house a thousand times a day, and at night, he was so excited he’d occasionally giggle in his sleep. Keith was only cured of his craziness when Hoid reached out almost a week after the discovery.

It was time to cash in.

By this point, a month and a half had passed since Keith began growing Moon Dew Leaf in his Farm Simulator, and he now possessed just over 3,000 individual herbs. With their new price, Moon Dew Leafs currently went for 1.4 million gold, meaning Keith had a vast sum worth over 4 billion gold in his hands. Even after Hoid took half, that left Keith with around 2 billion gold.

Thankfully, Hoid had plenty of connections in the alchemy industry, so Keith simply visited his grandpa and handed the herbs over for him to sell. Not even an hour later, Hoid transferred over 2 billion gold to Keith with a wide grin. “Not bad, not bad. Few people could make 4 billion gold in just over a month.”

Keith looked at his inventory’s balance in a daze and asked Hoid, “Should we stock up more Moon Dew Leafs before selling more or sell them as soon as I harvest them?”

“The price will drop when people with farming-related innate gifts join in, so we should sell them as soon as possible,” Hoid answered without much thought.

“Ah,” Keith was dumbstruck. He forgot there were professional farmers out there while he was merely a dabbler. Once they started growing Moon Dew Leafs, wouldn’t his profits shrink considerably?

Hoid knew what Keith was thinking and responded with a smug grin. “Don’t worry – I’ll find another herb for you to grow in a month or two. With me around, we’ll always be one step ahead of everyone else.”

“Grandpa’s the best!” Keith gave Hoid a thumbs up.

“As long as you know it,” Hoid laughed before kicking Keith out of his house.

Stunned for a moment, Keith could only shrug helplessly before returning to his home in New Hope’s upper residential district, located on the southern beech of the lake to the north. It was a little smaller than his previous mansion but still big enough for him, Mariane, Ridger, and Serilla to live in. Markus lived in the property next door, and Mariane would usually visit during the night. Keith tried not to think about it.

When Keith walked in through the front door, he shouted, “I’m home!”

“In here,” Mariane called out.

Entering the lounge, Keith saw his Mom drinking a bottle of alcohol while browsing the magic tablet. As Keith walked in, Mariane tossed the device aside and said, “Sit down.”

“What’s up?” Keith fell onto the couch from the side.

Mariane crossed her arms and gave Keith a look. “Markus and I have been talking recently….”

“You’re getting married?” Keith interrupted with bright eyes.

“Ew,” Mariane scoffed. “No, we were talking about you.”

“I didn’t do anything!” Keith immediately defended himself.

“Would you shut up for a minute?” Mariane glared. With a heavy sigh, she said, “Markus thinks I coddle you too much. I disagreed until Serilla spoke up.”

“Huh, what does that mean?” Keith sat up, aggrieved.

Mariane looked somewhat hesitant and explained, “You’re an adult now, yet you spend all your time at the house or exploring with Serilla and me.”

Before Keith could speak, Mariane shot him down, “How many friends do you have, Keith? Because I don’t think I’ve ever seen you hang out with a peer. And what about getting a girlfriend, huh? Don’t you want to be intimate with a woman? Just look at Annallee and Elora – they’ve been living independently for years.”

“I- well, uh,” Keith struggled to respond.

Mariane rubbed her forehead. “I’ve come to a decision. From now on, you can’t hunt monsters with Serilla and me. You need to find your own party – a group you can trust and become friends with.”

Keith's mouth hung open. “Are you serious?”

“Not only that,” Mariane took a deep breath, “You need to move out.”

Keith was stunned. “You’re kicking me out?!”

“No!” Mariane instantly refuted. “Well, kind of. There are things you can only experience by living on your own. You need to learn to navigate society.”

“What will I do for food?” Keith complained. He didn’t know the slightest bit about cooking.

“Get a butler,” Mariane shrugged.

“Okay,” Keith groaned. “And how do I go about finding a butler?”

Mariane looked at Keith without responding. Her meaning was clear: figure it out yourself. Ignoring Keith’s frustration, Mariane stood up and walked out of the room. Just before she left, she turned and said, “You have two weeks.”

Helpless, Keith collapsed onto the couch and muttered, “I can’t believe this is happening.”

That night, Mariane sat before the fireplace in Markus’ living room. From the kitchen, Markus walked over carrying a bottle of wine, one glass, and a tray with crackers and dip. He joined Mariane on the thick rug made from a monster's hide, placed the tray down in front of them, poured himself a glass of wine, and then handed the bottle to Mariane, who promptly chugged several mouthfuls.

The two didn’t speak and simply enjoyed the snapping of the fire. Occasionally, Markus would eat a cracker in between savoring his wine. A few minutes later, Markus threw another log into the fire when Mariane said, “He hates me.”

“He doesn’t,” Markus replied without missing a beat.

Mariane drank another mouthful and assumed, “You think I’m overreacting, don’t you?”

“I didn’t say that,” Markus responded, knowing that a wrong answer would set Mariane off.

“Well, you’re thinking it,” Mariane scoffed.

Phantom sweat fell down Markus’s back as he inwardly berated himself for giving Mariane such an easy comeback. Trying to play it cool, he said, “Moving out is a normal situation that can be positive if you let it.”

“Cut the bull,” Mariane snapped and looked Markus in the eye. “You said before you don’t care what Keith does as long as he’s happy. Now you want him to move out by spouting crappy excuses like finding friends or navigating society. I don’t believe that for a second. So tell me: what’s the real reason? Did Yara put you up to this?”

Falling silent, Markus gazed at the fire with a slight sneer. He denied, “No, I won’t let Yara interfere in Keith’s life again. This is my decision.”

Markus turned to Mariane, “Do you know what rank Keith got in the Bee Hive Raid? Fourth place.”

“What? How?” Mariane was amazed.

“The roots at the end were his,” Markus smiled.

“Hmph, why didn’t he tell me?” Mariane questioned and cracked her knuckles as if she was about to beat someone.

Markus looked back at the fire and said, “Keith is growing too fast. If this were in the Innate Dimension, I’d have no problem with him pursuing personal strength. But here, his talent makes him stand out.” Markus clenched his hand. “I fear our enemies will target him before I’m strong enough to deter them.”

Mariane grew solemn. “So why force him to mature? Why not tell him to stop leveling up?”

“Nobody has the right to tell someone they can’t grow stronger.” Markus shook his head and expressed his opinion. “If I can’t protect Keith, he’ll need to protect himself. Yet right now, he only levels up for pure enjoyment. That isn’t enough. He needs a purpose – a calling.”

Mariane snorted. “You want him to be like you? A guardian?”

“Of course not. That responsibility is mine,” Markus paused. “I only hope that by having him move out, he’ll form connections with others, learn about their hardships, and take things more seriously. He doesn’t understand how privileged he is. How easy a life you’ve given him.”

When Markus expected Mariane to erupt in anger at his last comment, she simply looked at the fire in a daze. “Did I make a mistake?”

Markus embraced her from the side. “No. I would’ve done the same.”

In the ensuing silence, Markus held his tongue and didn’t tell Mariane how stressed he was. The revelation of the Conceptual Dimension’s destruction and the abrupt arrival of foreigners had shaken his confidence. If the Conceptual Dimension with several level 1,000s could fall, why not the much weaker Innate Dimension?

He hoped time was on their side.