Gardener of Eden

Chapter 96: Chapter 96: Astronomical Profits

Back at the kitchen table of Sunny Vale, the quiet click of Martha’s ledger slate echoed softly in the warm, amber light of the dining room. She carefully tallied the physical currency stacked in reinforced velvet bags alongside the verified digital transactions. When she finalized the math, the grand total for a single afternoon of storefront sales came out to an astounding 2,300 gold coins.

Arthur set down a tray of hot tea, staring at the final figure on the screen with wide, misted eyes. His mind flashed back to just a short while ago, when he ran himself ragged working three physically draining manual labor jobs—enduring midnight shifts at the local ore yards, hauling spirit-grain sacks, and repairing basic arrays—just to bring home 4,100 gold a month to keep a roof over their heads and afford Rowan’s basic cultivation supplies. To earn more than half of that past monthly total in under six hours was staggering.

With their online store selling out in seconds every week and retail demand exploding across Sol-Aethel, the Vance household was now generating between 55,000 and 60,000 gold monthly before taxes and farm operating expenses. In a matter of months, they had transitioned from struggling to cover basic living expenses to pulling in revenue that rivaled established regional merchant syndicates.

”I counted it three times just to make sure the slate wasn’t glitching,” Martha murmured, letting out a breathless, joyful laugh as she leaned back in her chair. ”Rowan, twenty-three hundred gold... in one afternoon.”

Rowan leaned against the kitchen doorway, tipping the brim of his Enchanted Straw Hat with a grounded smile. ”And every piece of gold was earned fairly, Mom. No price-gouging, no political bribes. Just honest land and high-grade crops.”

Arthur pulled out a chair and sat beside his wife, placing his hand over hers. The residual warmth of the ancestral peach was still pulsing gently through his repaired mana channels, giving him a renewed strength he hadn’t felt in decades.

”With this kind of capital coming in consistently,” Arthur said, his voice thick with pride, ”we won’t need to take out loan contracts to expand. We can buy the adjacent plots surrounding Sunny Vale outright.”

Rowan nodded, his eyes glowing with calm ambition. Expanding their acreage would grant them the space needed to scale Eden International while leaving plenty of untouched land to nourish with his domain’s water, securing his family’s legacy for generations to come.

Martha pulled out her mobile phone, dialing the direct line for the Sol-Aethel Local Administrative Office. The call was answered on the second ring, and the moment the Chief Administrator realized he was speaking to Martha Vance—mother of the imperial champion and executive director of Eden International—his tone shifted from routine efficiency to boundless enthusiasm.

When Martha voiced their request to purchase the neighboring plots surrounding Sunny Vale to scale up agricultural production, the administrative director practically jumped at the opportunity. For the local municipality, the expansion of Eden International was nothing short of a godsend.

”Mrs. Vance, we would be honored to facilitate this transaction immediately!” the administrator declared eagerly through the speakerphone. ”Your enterprise is already putting Sol-Aethel on the imperial map. A commercial expansion of this scale will generate substantial local tax revenue—funds that our council can allocate directly into upgrading municipal transport arrays, paving public roads, expanding healthcare clinics, and funding youth cultivation scholarships for our citizens.”

Recognizing the massive economic boost and public benefit the expansion would bring to the district, the administrative office fast-tracked the land titles. Waiving standard bureaucratic waiting periods, they applied regional enterprise discounts and handled the survey filings on the spot. Within twenty minutes of digital signatures and identity verifications, the ownership deeds for two hundred adjacent acres of fertile hillside and valley land were officially transferred to the Vance family estate.

Setting her phone down on the table, Martha let out a breathless laugh, looking at the newly updated land registry map glowing on her screen. ”It’s official. Sunny Vale is no longer just a humble homestead... we now control the entire eastern valley.”

Arthur leaned over her shoulder, marveling at the green perimeter expanding across the blueprint. ”Two hundred acres... I remember when we could barely afford the property taxes on our five-acre plot.”

Rowan stepped out onto the back porch, looking out across the quiet expanse where their old boundary fence stood. Beyond it lay rolling hills of untouched soil, waiting to be enriched by his [Breath of Eden] and nourished with the infinite nectar of the Vessel of the Eternal Tide. With the full backing of the local government, thriving revenues, and an eager community standing right behind them, the true expansion of Eden International was ready to break ground.

Before calling it a night, Rowan stepped out into the cool evening air of their original five-acre homestead. While two hundred acres of expansion lay waiting for tomorrow’s grand project, ensuring their core foundation was thriving remained his immediate priority.

Tipping back the brim of his Enchanted Straw Hat, Rowan rested the Hoe of the World-Tiller over his shoulder and walked to the very center of the plots. Taking a steady breath, he centered his mana core and activated [Breath of Eden - Lv. 2]. A radiant, golden pulse of pure creation energy cascaded across the dark soil, purging lingering impurities and awakening the latent nutrients deep within the earth. The ground hummed beneath his boots like a living entity, drinking in the divine aura.

Following up with fluid grace, Rowan drew the Vessel of the Eternal Tide. Tipping its sea-blue spout, he unleashed a continuous, sweeping mist of golden-blue Primordial Life Liquid across the entire five-acre perimeter.

The transformation beneath the midnight sky was breathtaking. As the infinite, undiluted nectar soaked into the soil, every stalk of spirit-grain, vegetable bed, and medicinal plant surged with unprecedented vitality. Leaves turned a luminous emerald, stems thickened, and the ambient mana density surrounding the homestead spiked to levels rivaling an ancient cultivation sanctuary. The air grew so crisp and potent that simply inhaling it washed away every remnant of physical fatigue.

Satisfied with the astonishing results, Rowan lowered the relic and wiped a light sheen of sweat from his forehead. The original five acres were now fully supercharged, capable of producing incredible yields for Eden International while continuously bathing the family home in a field of restorative energy.

Walking back inside, Rowan quietly slipped off his boots in the hallway. Down the corridor, his parents were already fast asleep, their breathing calm and peaceful after a historic, life-changing day. Rowan headed upstairs to his bedroom, set his tools safely against the wall, and pulled the thick curtains shut against the moonlight. Dropping onto his comfortable mattress, a profound sense of peace settled over him as he closed his eyes, ready to drift into another well-deserved night of rest.