Gathering Wives with a System

Chapter 657: Farming Talent, Evolution Bloom

Isaac opened the status panel and focused on the first upgraded skill. His eyes settled on the familiar name as the System displayed the changes.

Seed of Providence (Transcendent Rank) → Seed of Providence (Transcendent+ Rank)

A grin spread across his face. Just as he had expected, the skill had evolved alongside his Talent. Without wasting any time, he began reading through the updated description.

The first change immediately caught his attention. Originally, the skill could only germinate a single seed instantly. After reaching the Transcendent rank, it had expanded to instantly germinate multiple seeds, but only if they belonged to the same species.

Now, that restriction had disappeared completely. Anything within the skill’s range could be germinated instantly, regardless of what it was. The description sounded simple, but Isaac immediately understood how significant that change really was.

This wasn’t merely a convenient improvement. It completely changed how efficiently he could manage his farms, especially now that his territory continued expanding. By his estimate, this alone would increase his farming speed by at least forty percent.

The timing couldn’t have been better. Food production was becoming more important with every passing day, and this upgrade solved one of his biggest bottlenecks—one with Happy Bunnies—before it could become a serious problem.

He continued reading through the description. A new active ability had been added.

[Evolution Bloom]

Isaac read the description twice to make sure he understood it correctly. Once every day, he could use the ability on any crop, and it would guarantee that the crop evolved into a higher life stage.

He frowned slightly as he considered the wording. What exactly counted as a higher life stage? Did it refer to the crop’s level, its rank, or even its tier?

There wasn’t enough information to know for certain. Even so, whatever the System meant by life stage, it was obvious that the ability was extremely valuable. Since it could only be used once on each crop, he naturally wanted to use it on something important.

His thoughts immediately drifted toward the Vitality Grain Seed Tree. If Evolution Bloom worked the way he hoped, perhaps the tree could evolve enough to produce Tier 4 Vitality Grains. That possibility alone made the skill worth testing as soon as possible.

The third addition was another passive ability.

[Season Override]

Any crop grown through Seed of Providence could now ignore seasonal restrictions completely. As long as Isaac supplied enough mana, the crop could grow regardless of the climate or time of year.

It wasn’t as flashy as Evolution Bloom, but Isaac appreciated practical upgrades more than flashy ones. Being able to grow any crop whenever he wanted would remove countless limitations from his farming plans. Since mana was something he had in abundance, the cost hardly mattered.

Finally, he reached the last improvement. The passive effect that previously gave a twenty percent chance of doubling a harvest had increased to fifty percent.

Isaac couldn’t help smiling. Half of all successful harvests would now produce double the yield, making his future food production far more efficient. Combined with the earlier upgrades, Seed of Providence had become an even more terrifying farming skill.

Satisfied, he closed the description and moved on to the next upgraded skill.

Sovereign of Land (SSS+ Rank) → Sovereign of Land (Transcendent Rank)

The first improvement was straightforward. The skill’s effective range had doubled, which was already enormous before the upgrade.

Isaac nodded in approval before continuing. The second improvement interested him much more than the first.

The skill now allowed him to express true dominion over the land. Previously, Sovereign of Land mostly manifested roots and granted him indirect authority over the terrain, but now he could directly manipulate earth and mud by infusing them with mana.

The ground itself could become a weapon. He could shape earth into walls, spikes, restraints, or countless other forms depending on the situation. His roots had also become far more versatile than before.

Previously, the roots had mainly been useful for binding or dragging enemies. Now they could attack, defend, and move much more freely according to his will. The increase in combat potential was obvious.

Even so, the final improvement was the one that truly caught Isaac’s attention. He could now extend his dominion over every crop and plant growing within the skill’s range.

Every tree, every vine, every blade of grass, and every crop growing from the earth could answer his command. Of course, the System also explained that the effectiveness of this control depended on several conditions.

Mana difference was one factor. Soul strength was another, and any resistance-type skills possessed by the target would also weaken the effect. Fortunately, resistance skills were exceptionally rare.

That meant most confrontations would simply come down to mana and soul strength. Isaac wasn’t worried about either of those. His soul had already evolved twice, while his mana reserves were large enough to dwarf dragons.

The thought made him grin. He was looking forward to testing the skill in an actual battle. With another satisfied nod, he moved on to the final upgraded skill.

Seed Imprinting (SSS+ Rank) → Seed Imprinting (Transcendent Rank)

Unlike the previous skills, this one had received only a single enhancement. Yet after reading it, Isaac looked at the description again to make sure he hadn’t misunderstood it.

A new active ability had been added.

[Gene Simulation]

Isaac slowly read through the explanation. Instead of immediately combining genetic traits and risking valuable materials, he could first simulate the result before performing the real experiment.

The simulation wasn’t an actual experiment. It was the System’s prediction of what would happen if he combined certain genes, allowing him to see the likely outcome before consuming any resources.

If the projected result was unstable or failed completely, he could simply abandon the attempt. If the simulation showed a successful combination, only then would he carry out the real experiment.

Isaac couldn’t stop smiling. Previously, every failed experiment permanently wasted valuable genetic material and time, forcing him to rely on trial and error. Now he could avoid almost all of those unnecessary losses.

The amount of time, effort, and resources this ability would save was impossible to measure. It transformed Seed Imprinting into an even more powerful research tool. Every future crop experiment would become dramatically more efficient.

Isaac leaned back with a satisfied smile. Every upgraded skill had exceeded his expectations. As he gained more classes in the future, his Transcendent-rank Talent would continue producing even stronger skills.

After closing the final skill window, Isaac spoke with a smile, ’System, share the Talent upgrades from Alice and Celia, and show me Celia’s upgraded Talent rank!’

A new notification appeared before him.

[Total Talent Fragments: SSS ×1 → Transcendent ×3, SSS ×1]

Isaac grinned after reading the notification. Celia’s upgraded Talent had provided a Transcendent-rank fragment, and together with the Talent fragments gained by both of his wives, his total had risen to three. That was excellent progress.

’System, how many Transcendent+ Talent fragments do I need to upgrade my Talent again?’ Isaac asked.

The System answered immediately.

[Talent Fragments required for the next Talent upgrade: Transcendent+ Rank ×5.]

Isaac let out a quiet hiss as he read the requirement. Five Transcendent+ Talent fragments would not be easy to gather, but considering how powerful every Talent upgrade had been so far, the requirement made sense.

He closed the System window with a satisfied smile. There was nothing more to check tonight. Quietly, Isaac lay back on the bed and turned his attention to his wife sleeping peacefully beside him.

For a long moment, he simply looked at Celia’s face. He was suddenly reminded of just how beautiful she truly was. Even back on Earth, her appearance would have left all people bewitched, and in this world, Isaac was certain that people of every race would acknowledge her beauty without hesitation.

Of course, only he knew the truth behind that flawless appearance. The graceful and innocent image she showed everyone else disappeared the moment she was alone with her family. Beneath that elegant exterior was an absolute gremlin who loved causing trouble whenever she had the chance.

Isaac couldn’t help chuckling to himself. If he ever called her a gremlin to her face, she would definitely try to bite him in retaliation. Knowing Celia, she would insist she was only defending her dignity while chasing him around the house.

His hand gently wrapped around her waist as he pulled her a little closer. A warm smile naturally appeared on his face. No matter how much trouble she caused, he never actually found it bothersome.

If anything, her little antics always felt strangely adorable to him. More importantly, he knew exactly how deeply she loved him. Catherine’s trial had proven that beyond any doubt, and Isaac had no intention of ever forgetting it.

”I’ll protect you no matter what happens,” Isaac silently promised himself.

The heavy thought lingered only briefly before he let it drift away. Looking at Celia’s peaceful sleeping face, he instead remembered the strange phenomenon that had happened when her Talent upgraded. Both of them possessed the same Talent, the same bloodline, and nearly identical physiques.

Yet when Isaac’s Talent had evolved, nothing unusual had happened. Celia, on the other hand, had created an enormous disturbance that everyone nearby had sensed. The difference clearly wasn’t caused by their Talent alone.

’The change must’ve came from her soul. I wonder if I’ll eventually be able to share the unique properties of my wives’ souls as well,’ Isaac thought quietly.

There was no answer waiting for him. Before he could think any further, sleep quietly claimed him.

...

The next morning, Isaac slowly opened his eyes. The first thing he noticed was the light weight resting on his chest. Still half asleep, he rubbed his eyes before looking downward.

Emily was clinging tightly to him while sleeping soundly, her arms wrapped firmly around him as though she had no intention of letting go. Beside him, Celia remained asleep as well, although her tail had somehow wrapped itself around his wrist possessively.

Isaac stared at the two of them before letting out an amused sigh.

”How did this happen?” he muttered.

Neither of them responded. Emily simply buried her face deeper against his chest, while Celia’s tail tightened slightly around his wrist as though refusing to release its prize. Isaac couldn’t help laughing quietly.

He pulled Emily into a gentle hug before leaning down to plant a soft kiss on the side of her neck. Emily shivered instinctively before letting out a sleepy smile. Without even opening her eyes, she tried to squirm away from the ticklish sensation.

Isaac chuckled at her reaction and kissed her neck once more before finally letting her go. Only then did he stretch his body and fully wake himself up.

As his mind cleared, another question suddenly surfaced.

’How did Emily get here?’ he wondered.