Gardener of Eden

Chapter 5: Chapter 5: Purpose

The room grew quiet, save for the faint hum of the kitchen stove. Martha’s hand tightened slightly on Arthur’s shoulder, a subtle gesture that spoke volumes.

Arthur looked down at the dark liquid in his mug, the broad grin from earlier softening into a quiet, introspective stillness.

”The news never shows the full picture, Rowan,” Arthur said softly, his voice carrying the weight of experience. ”They show the victorious returns, the shining gear, the speeches on floor thirty. They don’t show what it takes to survive when the Tower decides to twist the rules.”

He lifted his gaze to meet Rowan’s.

”Your mother and I... we weren’t always working double shifts and tending to local town walls,” Arthur continued, offering a bittersweet smile toward Martha. ”Back then, we had a good team. Five of us. We pushed all the way to Floor 29. We were ambitious, coordinated, and we thought we were ready for the milestone floor.”

Martha spoke up, her voice gentle but firm with the memory. ”We were prepared for Floor 29’s normal ecosystem. What we weren’t prepared for was a floor-wide migration. A high-tier monster horde unexpectedly descended from the 30th floor—a anomaly that shouldn’t have happened. We were pinned down, outmatched, and the exit gate was too far.”

”Someone had to draw the aggro and hold the choke point,” Arthur said plainly, as if describing a routine job rather than a life-or-death sacrifice. ”If I didn’t hold the line, the whole party—your mother included—would have been wiped out right there.”

Arthur slowly pulled back his right sleeve. Beneath the worn fabric, faint, irregular scar lines traced down his forearm, pale against his tanned skin—not physical blade marks, but the lasting signature of shattered mana pathways.

”I held them long enough for the team to escape, but forcing my channels past their absolute limit shattered my mana circuits,” Arthur explained, his tone free of bitterness, filled only with honest acceptance. ”It ended my career as an adventurer on the spot. But every time I look at this house, at your mother, and at you... I’d make that exact same trade every single day of the week.”

He leaned forward, placing a heavy, warm hand on the table near Rowan.

”So when you look at those heroes on the news, son, remember: the Tower demands a price for everything it gives. Never forget why you’re fighting, and never leave your teammates behind.”

Arthur’s expression softened into a warm, reassuring smile, the heavy weight of the past lifting from his shoulders as he looked across the table at his son.

”However,” Arthur said, reaching out to pat Rowan’s shoulder with a coarse, sturdy hand, ”you don’t have to worry about the Tower. You have awakened an agricultural profession.”

Martha smiled, moving around the table to place a fresh plate of hot bread between them, her eyes shining with quiet pride. ”Your father is right, Rowan. The world spends so much time obsessing over who can swing the sharpest sword or clear the deepest floor, but they forget the foundation holding it all up.”

Arthur nodded in agreement, taking a slow sip of his tea before meeting Rowan’s eyes with steady conviction.

”Your job is to feed the masses and keep the population healthy and thriving,” Arthur said, his voice ringing with simple, honest authority. ”A raid party can’t push a floor on an empty stomach, and the cities in the inner district would collapse in a week without the crops grown right here in the outskirts. It’s noble work, son—work that builds life instead of taking it.”

Rowan nodded, listening to his father’s words, before turning his attention toward the kitchen counter.

”Mom,” Rowan asked, ”do we have any seeds lying around? Fruits, vegetables, leafy greens—anything, really. I was thinking... now that I’ve registered, I want to try growing food for us right here in the yard. If I can set up a proper plot, we won’t have to rely so much on the market prices in town. It could give us a good level of self-sustainability.”

Martha’s eyes softened with affection as Rowan spoke, a proud, gentle smile blooming across her face. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

”Self-sustainability, huh?” Martha said softly, resting her palm against Rowan’s cheek before walking over to the pantry. ”That’s a sensible goal, Rowan. Buying fresh produce on the outskirts gets more expensive by the month, and relying on the market shipments is always a gamble.”

She rustled through a shelf in the kitchen cabinet, pulling out a small, tied linen pouch and setting it down on the table.

”I’ve been keeping a small stash of heirloom tomato, sweet pepper, and winter squash seeds from the harvest last autumn,” she explained, untying the string to show the dried seeds resting inside. ”I can reach out to the local greenery supplier in town tomorrow morning, too. I know the owner from my old adventuring days—she can get us high-quality starter seeds for leafy greens, root vegetables, and maybe even a few berry cuttings.”

Arthur grinned, leaning back in his chair with a hearty chuckle. ”Look at that, Martha. Our boy hasn’t even had his registration paperwork processed for twenty-four hours and he’s already planning our winter provisions.”

He looked at Rowan, his expression turning encouraging and serious. ”It’s a smart move, son. Being able to feed your own household means no matter how hard things get out there, you’ve always got a foundation beneath your feet. Tell me—what kind of setup do you have in mind for the backyard plot?”

Rowan rubbed the back of his neck with a sheepish grin. ”I’m not quite sure yet, I’ll go online to browse some forums on home gardening layouts.”

Arthur gave a warm, booming laugh that rattled his tea mug slightly. ”Fair enough, son! No need to rush into digging up the dirt before you’ve got a plan. Measure twice, cut once—or in your case, map the soil before you drop the seed.”

Martha slid the linen pouch of heirloom seeds toward Rowan, wrapping her hands around his. ”Take your time with it, Rowan. The back plot has good sunlight, but the soil near the east fence gets a bit packed down during rainstorms. Whatever layout you pick, we’ll help you clear the ground once you’re ready.”

”Just don’t stay up too late staring at screens,” Arthur added with a wink, rising from his chair to stretch his broad shoulders. ”Some of us have the wall patrol shift in four hours, and I plan on catching a quick catnap before the cold night air hits.”

Rowan gathered the seed pouch, feeling a steady sense of anticipation building. With his parents’ backing and the whole evening ahead of him, it was time to see what the regional farming forums had to say about turning a modest suburban yard into a thriving, self-sustaining garden.