Zion Chen quickly slipped out the back door of the kitchen, arriving at his small patch of radishes.
Mia Chen was already there, crouched down and observing the small sprouts poking through the ground.
"Uncle Zion!" she called out when she saw him, a look of surprise on her face.
"What is it, you little brat? Did your grandma let you come over? And don't call me 'Uncle,' we're not related. Just use my name." He felt uncomfortable being called 'Uncle'. She just smiled, stuck her tongue out, and nodded.
Seeing this, he quickly crouched down, chose the largest sprout, and pulled the billiard-ball-sized radish from the earth.
"Oooooh! You're the one who planted this?" The girl in the red dress jumped up, astonished to see such a beautiful radish come from the famously cursed land.
"Yep, that was me. Planted it yesterday. What do you think? Pretty incredible, right?" He bragged, puffing his chest out.
Clap! Clap!
"Yes, yes! I never imagined I'd see this land create life!" The little girl clapped, thoroughly impressed, a huge smile on her face.
"Hahaha! Of course you would! One day, I'm going to have a giant plantation with every fruit and vegetable in the world! I'll even plant medicinal herbs! I'll fill this entire mountain!" With the girl's praise, it was as if Zion's 'Bragging' skill had just leveled up.
"Oooooh!" The innocent girl's green eyes seemed to sparkle.
'Maybe she's just too sincere,' Zion thought, looking at her. His irritation at her for calling him disabled began to fade.
"I'm going to talk with the visitors. You behave. And do not go into the forest. It's dangerous!" After giving his warning and seeing her nod, he ran to the well.
"Hehehe!" As she watched him finish washing the radish and go back inside, a sneaky smile spread across Mia Chen's cute face.
...
Slicing the radish onto a small white plate, Zion Chen glanced down at his clothes for a moment and shook his head.
'I'm still filthy from yesterday. This is exactly why I hate unannounced guests.' Frowning, he returned to the living room.
"I'm back, gentlemen. Now, let's get down to business." He left the plate on the corner of the table. The two old men ignored it; a single plate of radishes wasn't enough to draw their attention.
"What do you want to know about first?"
"The disappearances in the villages. The government is exhausting itself trying to cover it up, but it's only a matter of time before the news leaks. I want to know what, exactly, caused this. I don't believe terrorists would randomly attack remote towns for no reason," Arthur replied quickly, voicing the first question on his mind.
Zion Chen didn't answer immediately. He picked up a slice of the glistening, rose-colored radish from the plate. The two old men watched him, a little impatiently. Zion ate the slice slowly, savoring the flavor.
"Beasts," Zion said.
The two old men sat up straighter.
"Beasts," Zion repeated, pulling out an old, cracked-screen phone he carried.
"Anomalies. Monsters. Call them what you want. It seems nature itself has entered an alarming state of evolution."
He finished and held out the phone, showing them a small photo. The two old men leaned in, curiosity stamped on their faces.
"A Demonic Beast?!" Old Jin exclaimed upon seeing the image: a crocodile the size of a car, colliding head-on with a military vehicle.
Gasp! Old man Arthur sucked in a sharp breath at the animal's sheer size. He had traveled the entire world and never seen a crocodile that large.
"You're familiar with them?" Zion asked, raising an eyebrow.
"No, but there are records in my family. In a previous era, martial artists shone brightly, destroying mountains with their techniques... and they mentioned that Demonic Beasts were used as challenges to temper a warrior. Of course, we always treated it as a fantasy story for the children..." Staring at the screen, he paused.
"But that was the first thing that came to my mind when I saw this," Jin Wei sighed, running a hand over his shiny, bald head, wiping away a bead of sweat.
"You're not entirely wrong. Just look around. Have you two not noticed how the plants are... growing more?" Zion's gaze shifted to the living room window.
The two looked for a moment. The forest was filled with massive trees, their trunks thick and imposing.
"So that's why my head gardener at the mansion asked for more staff," Arthur mused.
"You said your family is from the martial arts world, correct? Don't you have any external contacts with... cultivators or mages?"
Zion asked, a little confused. He knew they existed—he'd dealt with their kind before—but he found it strange that a family as old as Jin Wei's wouldn't be aware of global supernatural affairs.
Ahem... Hearing this, Jin Wei looked embarrassed. He coughed, clearing his throat, and said in a somber tone:
"My family, unfortunately, entered a state of decline over 200 years ago. The strength of our elders and leaders has never been the same since the loss we suffered in the ruins... 200 years ago." He sighed.
"We managed to maintain our economic influence, at least. But even if we had the strength, the relationship between the powers of the supernatural world has always been almost non-existent. Usually, when they meet, one tries to kill the other for resources," Jin Wei admitted, clarifying Zion's doubt.
"How are the governments managing to contain this?" Arthur moved to the next question.
"They're working in conjunction with various supernatural powers that have suddenly emerged. These... cases... are appearing at specific points on the planet." Zion replied, recalling his past. Even the Central Directory was deploying forces to contain the situation—and, perhaps, to profit from it.
"Why is this happening?" Jin Wei stood up, agitated. He understood the situation far better than Arthur. Demonic Beasts were exceedingly rare in the modern day. For many to appear at once was a sign of disaster for all who were weak.
"I don't know why. But I know they've detected the emergence of an energy you use... I believe it's called 'mana.' It's appearing in specific locations, and it's increasing every day." He grabbed another slice of radish.
"Did you say... Mana?!" Hearing that name, Jin Wei lost all composure and shouted in shock.
"What's all the fuss about?" Arthur frowned, annoyed.
"That energy has been extinct for millennia! Its emergence means that we, martial practitioners, can grow stronger just by training in these environments! It's legendary! As the family head, I have access to one small natural cave that produces a tiny bit of this energy, but I can only enter it once a year!" Jin Wei explained frantically, shaking Arthur Morgan by the shoulders.
"Calm down," Arthur said, still not fully grasping it, but sensing he'd struck gold.
Jin Wei took a deep breath and sat back down, calming his tumultuous heart. To settle himself, he picked up a slice of radish from the plate and popped it into his mouth.
The instant the flavor hit him, a strange energy flooded his body. The old man's pupils dilated. He forgot to breathe.
As a martial artist, he clearly felt that energy. It was almost nothing—a wisp thinner than a hair. But, like a single drop of water in a vast desert, his body felt a profound desire for it. It vibrated with pleasure.
"You!!! How dare you!!!" Looking at the plate, a ball of fire ignited in his heart, and an intense rage shot to his head, turning his face red.
An intense aura burst from him. In a flash, he lunged, grabbing the plate and reappearing in the far corner of the room.
"Are you insane, Old Jin?!" Arthur was stunned by his friend's reaction.
"Arthur, this boy dared to serve us a Grade 3 Spirit Plant! This is a treasure even I would kill for!" Jin Wei was barely restraining himself from slapping Zion's smiling face. If he were at the peak of his realm, eating a whole one might let him ascend to the next level!
"Why can't I? It's my plant. At least give me my plate back!" Zion scoffed at the old man's greed, genuinely worried he would break his only plate. How was he supposed to eat lunch later?
Jin Wei used his body to shield the radish, ready to devour it all.
"There's no need for such drama. I'm a farmer. I planted it myself. I can grow as many as I want," Zion bragged, his voice dripping with pomposity.
"Y-You're serious?" Frozen in place, Old Jin looked back, his eyes full of suspicion.
"Of course I am. Why do you think I'd serve you something so good if I didn't have more?" Zion shot the old man a look of utter disdain, as if looking at a poor commoner.
Silently, Jin Wei placed the plate back on the center of the table and sat down like a well-behaved child, ignoring his friend's expression with a "thick-skinned" look.
Arthur looked away, tried a piece himself, and closed his eyes. A moment later, he looked at the young man with wonder. The sensation was divine. Even his old aches and pains felt better.
"Young Master... could you possibly sell one to my family?" Jin asked, his expression positively fawning.
'Ugh... disgusting.' Even the old man's voice had become meek, and he was blinking his eyes like a kicked puppy.
"Actually, that's what I wanted to discuss with you both." He held up two fingers and smiled.
"As I'm a newly established farmer, and my production is... limited... I can offer you two of these radishes today. For 1 million Credits. Each. You will each have a monthly quota of two radishes. And you cannot speak of this to anyone, not even your most trusted servant, until I permit it." Zion had already thought this through.
He wasn't going to be a normal farmer. His earlier boast to Mia had been a joke, but the idea was taking root.
The two men smiled immediately. They didn't even try to negotiate. In fact, the price was cheap for such a noble plant. And they weren't stupid enough to leak this information to anyone; a treasure like this had to be kept secret.
It never once crossed their minds to kill Zion for his secret. Both were fundamentally just men, and more importantly, they feared his background. Few men from the army were ever recruited into the Integrated States Order. Once in, not even a president or prime minister could freely investigate an agent's history.
"Hey, Old Arthur, why are you eating so many? You don't even practice!" Jin yelled indignantly, shielding the plate as his friend took three slices at once.
"Shameless! You were just about to steal it! Of course it's good for my old bones! Get away!"
The two began to bicker over the remaining slices while Zion Chen watched.
'Hehehe, money!'
Or rather, he wasn't watching. He was distracted, imagining his farm sitting on a mountain of gold, while he planted and lived his quiet life.