During breakfast, Nora kept sneaking glances at Ron with a sweet expression. When he caught her, the two would simply smile at each other.
Sitting across from them, Yuna felt like the atmosphere itself was hostile.
Why did Sister Sylvie have to move back to the convent?!
How am I supposed to endure this alone?!
Yuna kept rolling her eyes, seriously considering going out on a mission—out of sight, out of mind.
Just imagining having to watch these two act like this every day was already unbearable…
After breakfast, Yuna followed Nora into the kitchen, clearly planning to "get revenge."
Ron, meanwhile, headed straight downstairs and entered the dimensional space.
Time to get to work.
He opened the [Inventory], absorbed the Element Potato Cultivation Method, and began reading its description.
[Element Potato]:
"A one-year herbaceous plant. Prefers warmth, fears cold, not frost-resistant, highly drought-tolerant, and adaptable to various soil conditions."
"The underground portion forms round, oval, or spindle-shaped tubers. Depending on the nutrients supplied during early growth, the tubers store different elemental attributes—water, fire, wind, earth, light, and dark."
"The flesh is off-white, while the skin color corresponds to its element."
"Fire: dark red; Water: light blue; Earth: pale yellow; Wind: cyan; Light: gold; Dark: purple."
"The elements within the tubers are extremely stable. Even after being harvested or having their energy extracted, they can continuously absorb elements from the air to replenish themselves."
"The replenishment speed depends on ambient elemental density—the higher it is, the faster the recovery."
"Direct consumption can temporarily increase the casting power of the corresponding elemental magic."
--------
Ron clicked his tongue in amazement.
Isn't this basically a plant version of an Element Stone?
And a rechargeable one at that?
And eating it boosts spell power, too? That's practically a power-up pill!
Element Stones weren't exactly rare for major magic academies or mages, but they were one of the most widely used and demanded magical resources.
They were essentially a cornerstone of magical experimentation.
Currently, large deposits exist mainly in the Manchester Mountains along the western coast and the Bondelers Mountains of the dwarves.
Other regions had limited, specialized deposits:
Frozen Tundra: water and wind
Forest of Freyst: water and earth
Dwarven Kingdom: fire and earth
Human territories: all types exist, but scattered and uneven
Even though total reserves were sufficient, that was only in relative terms.
Mass usage among ordinary people was basically impossible.
But Element Potatoes?
In theory, they could be mass-produced infinitely.
And not only replicate Element Stones—but also enhance spellcasting.
The value was enormous.
He continued reading.
"The leaves are broad-oval, and the flowers are umbel-shaped. Their colors match the tuber's element."
"Consuming leaves or flowers grants temporary buffs to the corresponding element."
"Leaves increase casting speed; flowers increase casting precision."
"Combining two different elements enhances composite magic."
"However, consuming three or more types will destabilize a mage's mana seed."
"In severe cases: regression, mana loss, or even mental collapse."
Compared to the tubers, the leaves and flowers had more specialized effects.
As for the risks, Ron didn't even need the warning.
This kind of side effect was common in elemental enhancement potions.
Also, light and dark elements were unique—they couldn't combine with others.
Otherwise, magic wouldn't be divided into White, Azure, and Dark categories.
So:
Light/Dark can't mix with others
Light + Dark together? Probably disastrous
Ron took out the seeds and exchanged them for 6 square meters of cultivation space.
Cost: 24,000 Wealth Points.
He winced.
Back in the day, that could've bought 240 square meters…
Even if it was now just "a tiny fraction" of his wealth, it still hurt.
And worse, the remaining area was only 44 square meters before prices increased again.
Probably doubling to 8000 per square meter.
Just thinking about it made his face twitch.
This cursed pay-to-win system…
When will I ever rise?!
He planted the seeds.
Soon, sprouts emerged, vines spread, and light-blue flowers bloomed.
------
[Upgrade Quest Completed]
[System: "Rewards issued."]
[System: "Main quest triggered."]
[Main Quest] — Organize Elemental Magic Tournament:
100+ participants
1000+ audience
Reward: Devouring Magic Bamboo + cultivation method
-------
Ron barely glanced at it and closed the panel.
He planted five more variants—fire, earth, wind, light, dark.
Each plant yielded 3–5 tubers.
Replant one → infinite cycle.
The rest → usable as Element Stones.
After several rounds, he harvested dozens of each type, plus plenty of leaves and flowers.
Then he handed mass production over to his puppets and returned to the shop.
After spending some time with Nora, he left in a carriage toward Royal Capital Magic Academy.
It was now February 1st.
The City of Chaos had already warmed up—winter fading away.
Time really flew.
From September to now—five months.
And his system had reached Level 7.
Opening the system panel:
[Shop Update]
Dynamic Custom Skin — 10 Wealth Points
(Customizable animations for characters, backgrounds, objects)
Options included:
Character: smile, wave, wink, blush, etc.
Background: meteor, sparks, falling leaves, etc.
Object: shake, rotate, expand, etc.
Each purchase = single-use per target
Ron's reaction:
What a scam.
Same animation = buy again for another character.
Classic.
He opened his skin inventory and found the reward:
"Wink"
Applied to the Goddess of Harvest — Hervesta
At first glance, nothing changed.
But then—
Every few seconds, the goddess blinked playfully.
As if she were actually looking at him.
Ron waved at her.
Even tried teasing gestures.
Then got bored and closed the panel.
Just blinking wasn't that interesting.
And even if it only costs 10 points—
No way he'd waste money like that.
He had standards.
Back then, he wouldn't even spend 10 points to peek at an elf girl's skirt.
And now?
Spend it on a 2D goddess?
Absolutely not.