"Sir, here are your orders."
The waitress placed three plates on the table, each holding a honey-glazed pastry with a scoop of ice cream slowly melting on the side. The sweet smell drifted up with the steam, and Ryan was already reaching for his fork before the waitress had even finished setting them down.
Soren shook his head at Ryan’s eagerness while getting prepared himself.
"Enjoy your meal." The waitress smiled as she finished. "Please let me know if there is anything else you need."
"Actually, can you prepare five more, but for takeout?" Soren asked, looking up. "We will take them with us when we leave."
"Of course, sir," the waitress replied politely, "I will have everything packaged and ready for you at the counter."
"Thank you."
With that, the waitress took her leave, leaving three of them to enjoy their treats.
"Let’s dig in then, shall we?"
Soren said as he took a small spoonful of ice cream and gently held it to Ethea. She swallowed it gracefully.
"How is it?" Soren asked, noticing Ryan’s anticipated stare.
"...Tasty." Ethea smiled. "You try it too."
Soren nodded and ate another spoonful himself.
"It’s really good."
"Told ya." Ryan grinned, satisfied with both of their reactions.
"Ok, I admit it." Soren chuckled as he continued to feed Ethea. "You really picked a great place."
Ryan puffed up with pride and dug into his own plate with renewed enthusiasm. Soren and Ethea ate at a relaxed pace, savoring the pastries. By the time their plates were clean, the crowd had begun to thin.
Ryan paid for three of them and three of the take-outs, while Soren paid for the two. Taking the boxes, they headed out.
Next, they went to a family restaurant where they ate Kalmira’s best dumplings. Obviously, Soren enjoyed it the most. And as a thank you for treating them today for their favorite meals, Soren drove Ryan to his home.
"Goodbye, brother Soren." Ryan waved as Soren turned the car. "Goodbye, sister-in-law. Have a good night."
"You too. Say hello to your family." Soren smiled. "Then, see you tomorrow."
"Yes, see you tomorrow."
With that final farewell, Soren and Ethea headed back home.
───────
After returning to the villa, Soren accompanied Aunt Clara for the next lesson. Fortunately, he was starting to get a little better at handling himself when helping Ethea. By the time they left, he should be able to take over the task fully.
However, the Emperor didn’t return, so Soren could only train by himself, repeating the exercises he was taught in the morning.
"..."
His focus was disrupted when he heard a familiar sound ring in his head.
[Ding!]
"..." Soren barely stopped himself from reacting and stopped the exercise as naturally as possible, collapsing backward to the floor and closing his eyes.
’Let’s see...’
───────
[Investment Detected]
[Target: Nick Vil]
[Analyzing Investment...]
[Investment: You covered the full cost of the target’s father’s medical treatment when no one else would, lifting a burden that had crushed the target’s family for weeks. Additionally, you provided the target with access to a premium cultivation room at no cost, allowing him to cultivate in an optimal environment during a critical phase of his recovery and growth.]
[Analyzing Target Response...]
[The target has successfully broken through to the 2nd Circle, Early Stage. The weight lifted from his shoulders, combined with the optimal cultivation environment, allowed him to push past his limits. The target is unaware of your direct involvement but carries a deep, subconscious sense of gratitude for you. He has resolved to work harder than ever, uncover the identity of his benefactor, and repay the kindness shown to his family.]
[Evaluating Investment Significance...]
[Evaluation Complete.]
[Investment Grade: High]
[Calculating Returns...]
[Calculation complete.]
[Applying Authority Modifier: Amplification (Passive) (Baseline bonus applied. Reward tier scaling upgraded.)]
[Returns Granted:]
[1. Permanent Mana Capacity Expansion (+5,000)]
[2. +3000 Refined Mana]
[2. Advanced Health Potion x10]
[3. High-Grade Mana Crystal x100]
[Integration initiated...]
[...]
[Integration complete!]
───────
’Oh, he finally succeeded, huh?’
Soren’s lips curled up faintly as he read the messages.
Actually, he had asked the president to help find Nick at that time as well. The other day, he learned their situation: Nick’s father, Sir Moro, was still bedridden, and they didn’t have enough money to cover the remaining treatment costs.
He also heard Nick had dropped out of the academy to work as a Hunter and find money. But... since he was just a 16-year-old boy with no experience, well, bad experience, and only at the 1st circle, he was rejected by almost all the parties he applied to. And the ones that accepted him only used him as a porter.
Anyway, Soren helped him secretly, and now the results were finally showing.
’I guess he cultivated non-stop to be the first one to break through.’
Nick’s potential was 5th circle, and he had around seven thousand mana, while some of the other candidates the president recommended and three of Ryan’s classmates had 6th circle potential. So that was the only logical explanation.
’Returns are good too.’
While he expected the capacity expansion, getting refined mana as a return was a surprise. As for the potions and crystals, they were a welcome bonus.
[Ding!]
’Hmm?’
[A Thread of Return has formed.]
[Target: Nick Vil]
[Active Threads: 0 / 5]
[Would you like to bind this thread?]
[YES] [NO]
’Oh! Is this it?!’
Soren’s heartbeat sped up. This was one of the new features he had been waiting to test. If he understood it right, this was exactly what he had hoped for when he started lending out cultivation rooms for free.
He selected [YES] without hesitation.
The thread bound itself somewhere deep in his awareness, a faint pulse of connection that hadn’t been there before. It was subtle, like a strand of spider silk stretched across a great distance, but he could feel it. Nick was on the other end, unaware, and through that thread, a tiny trickle of refined mana would flow back to him every day. Fortunately, the thread had no effect on the target, or else it would have been no different from stealing.
’With this, I can increase my cultivation even faster!’
Soren tightened his fists in satisfaction.
’And tomorrow, I will put the new ability to the test.’