Gardener of Eden

Chapter 77: Chapter 77: Eden’s Popularity

Outside the glass storefront of Eden International, the main street of the district was practically gridlocked.

What had begun as a steady morning for the Vance family’s flagship store had exploded into chaos the moment the imperial broadcast network locked its primary holographic feed onto Sector 07 of the academy arena.

Floating high above the store’s entrance, a large projection crystal beamed the live trial footage across the plaza. On the screen, Rowan—wearing his signature Enchanted Straw Hat—slammed his hoe into the earth, sending waves of emerald and golden mana pulsing through the soil as a flawless purple orchid bloomed in seconds.

”He took first place! Undisputed first place in the whole academy trial!” someone in the crowd shouted.

”Look at the diagnostic metrics on the screen—100% purity! Is all the produce in this shop grown using that same Eden mana?!”

In an instant, the crowd surged forward. The heavy oak doors of the storefront pushed open as a tide of eager patrons, local grocers, guild buyers, and high-tier alchemists squeezed inside, filling the display aisles to absolute capacity.

Behind the polished wood counter, Arthur Vance wiped a light sheen of sweat from his forehead with a hand towel, his eyes darting frantically between the ledger book, the chiming register, and the roaring crowd.

”Please, everyone! Form a orderly line!” Arthur called out, his voice competing with the constant chime of incoming merchant inquiries on his communication slate. ”We have fresh shipments of mana-enriched crops in stock, but please—one transaction at a time!”

”I’ll buy out your entire stock of Moon-Grown Cabbage!” an alchemical guild representative yelled from the front, slapping a heavy purse of imperial credits onto the glass counter. ”Double market price! Triple if you can guarantee it came from Rowan’s personal domain plot!”

”I need three crates of vitality apples!” a local noble’s butler chimed in. ”My lord was watching the live trial stream and demands Eden International produce for tonight’s banquet!”

Beside the central display case, Martha Vance held a crate of freshly packaged produce against her hip, her hands trembling slightly—not from the overwhelming crowd, but from tears of immense pride welling in her eyes.

She looked past the sea of shouting customers and up at the wall-mounted crystal mirror playing the live arena feed. There was her boy, standing tall in his field gear on the grand colosseum floor, his name shining at the absolute top of the imperial leaderboard while the entire continent cheered.

”Arthur... look at him,” Martha whispered, her voice choking up slightly as she tapped her husband’s arm. ”Look at our Rowan.”

Arthur paused mid-stroke with his register quill, glancing up at the screen. Seeing Rowan slinging the Hoe of the World-Tiller over his shoulder with that calm, confident smirk under his hat, Arthur’s chest swelled. A deep, emotional smile broke through his stressed demeanor.

”He really did it, Martha,” Arthur said softly, resting a warm hand over hers. ”From our modest fields back in Greenvale all the way to leading the rankings in the Imperial Academy...”

Before Martha could wipe away a happy tear, the store’s main communication rune flashed with a high-priority gold glow—indicating a direct bulk contract request from the Imperial Supply Division itself.

”Arthur Vance?” a high-ranking merchant registrar called out as his holographic portrait materialized over the desk. ”Following Cadet Rowan Vance’s performance in the trial, the Imperial Logistics Board wishes to establish an exclusive supply contract with Eden International for high-purity mana crops!”

The entire store fell into an awed hush.

Arthur looked at Martha, who gave him a glowing, supportive nod. Straightening his coat, Arthur adjusted his spectacles and stepped up to the terminal with newfound pride.

”Eden International is open for business,” Arthur declared warmly to the shop and the registrar alike. ”And as Rowan’s family, we guarantee every single batch lives up to the Eden standard.”

***

Leaving the brightly lit arena floor behind, Rowan hoisted the Hoe of the World-Tiller over his shoulder and adjusted the brim of his Enchanted Straw Hat as he climbed the stone ramps leading back up into the grand colosseum. The thunderous cheers of the stadium crowd were still echoing off the high stone arches, celebrating his undisputed first-place finish on the imperial leaderboards.

As soon as his boots hit the floor of Squad 07’s reserved section in the stands, a sudden chorus of excited shouts cut through the ambient noise of the crowd.

”There he is!” Barney roared.

Before Rowan could even set his hoe down, the rest of Squad 07 lunged forward in unison. Barney led the charge, grabbing Rowan in a bone-crushing bear hug that lifted him completely off his feet. Seraphina, Caelen, and Mirei piled in right behind him, wrapping their arms around their squad leader in an enthusiastic, chaotic group hug.

”You absolute monster!” Barney laughed, giving Rowan a heavy pat on the back that rattled his chest. ”First place in the entire trial! You blew everyone else’s scores completely out of the water!”

”That was incredible, Rowan,” Seraphina said, her face glowing with a wide grin as she let go of the hug. ”The pure mana purity metrics you pulled off with Breath of Eden had even the senior evaluators in shock!”

”Honestly, watching you turn a barren dirt plot into a blooming paradise in seconds was insane,” Caelen added with a whistle, giving Rowan an appreciative slap on the shoulder.

Mirei nodded eagerly beside them, a bright smile on her face. ”The whole stadium went quiet the moment your score locked in at 100%. We knew you were good, leader, but you completely dominated today.”

Rowan stumbled back slightly as Barney finally set him down, laughing as he straightened his tilted straw hat.

”Thanks, guys,” Rowan said, his smirk returning as he looked around at his teammates. ”Couldn’t let Barney take all the glory with his second-place finish in forgecraft. We’ve got a reputation as Squad 07 to uphold, after all.”

”Damn right we do,” Barney grinned, extending his heavy, soot-stained fist.

Rowan met Barney’s fist with a firm bump, then looked back up at the massive glowing leaderboard floating over the center of the arena. Squad 07 was standing stronger than ever, and the competency trials were only just beginning.