"Heh." Ron rolled his eyes, completely speechless.
He opened his [Backpack] and saw two new items inside.
[Natural Meditation Technique] (Volume I): Nothing more needed to be said—just tap to learn.
"How wonderfully concise…" Ron twitched his mouth and tapped it.
A green light emerged from the system panel and shot straight into Ron's head.
True Quantum Learning—You Deserve It!
With the system's direct download, Ron successfully mastered Volume I of the Natural Meditation Technique.
Just like the "The Sword Canon of Light", Volume I of the meditation technique only included Tier 1 and Tier 2 training methods—equivalent to the level of a beginner mage.
Although it was just the first volume, Ron wasn't dissatisfied or impatient.
After all, it was a system-produced skill. There would definitely be Volume II, Volume III, and more waiting for him in the future.
"So I'm officially training both magic and martial arts now? Standard protagonist setup, huh?"
He muttered to himself, then looked at the second new item in his backpack—
[Nether Orchid Fruit]
Ron took it out. The blue fruit, about the size of a marble, fell into his hand.
He popped the fruit into his mouth, bit into the flesh, spat the seed back into his backpack, and swallowed the rest.
Then, he sat cross-legged on the sofa and closed his eyes to meditate.
The Nether Orchid's petals could attract surrounding elemental energy, and its fragrance enhanced a mage's meditation efficiency. Its fruit had a similar effect, only even stronger.
As Ron closed his eyes, he immediately felt a cool sensation in his mind, like his nerves had been untangled, letting him clearly perceive his surroundings.
He activated the 'Natural Meditation Technique'. In the pitch-black landscape of his consciousness, tiny points of light slowly appeared, flickering like fireflies.
These lights came in red, green, white, purple—but most were blue and yellow.
As soon as the meditation technique activated, the blue and yellow points surged toward Ron's mind, washing over his soul and gradually transforming into his own magical energy.
Half an hour later, Ron opened his eyes.
He could clearly sense that a mass of mana had taken form in his mind, sharpening his focus and mental clarity.
The threshold for a Tier 1 mage was forming a mana seed in the mind—Ron still had some ways to go.
But since the effect of the Nether Orchid fruit had worn off, he didn't want to waste time meditating inefficiently. It was time to get back to planting.
There was no way he could open for business yet. What's he gonna sell—with just one flower?
Even with just a single type of plant, he needed to grind out at least a hundred or so before he could really begin!
So, over the next few days, Ron poured the same passion he once had for gaming into flower farming, diving headfirst into the Dimensional Plane and transforming into a diligent old farmer.
Of course, he didn't spend all his time growing flowers.
Each morning, after waking up, he would head into the backyard to practice the 'Light Sword Codex'("The Sword Canon of Light"). Only after completing the daily training requirements would he enter the Dimensional Plane to start planting.
A quick lunch break at noon, then back to flower cultivation all afternoon.
After dinner, he'd move to the study to read books and deepen his understanding of this world.
At night, he replaced sleep with meditation—replenishing energy while training mana.
His room was already filled with several blooming Nether Orchids, and he consumed the fruit daily, significantly increasing his meditation efficiency.
On top of that, he bought a bunch of ingredients and started experimenting with cooking.
Because food in this world was painfully bland. It was mostly just grilled or pan-seared meat—no variety, not even the concept of "stir-frying."
Although Ron liked the grilled meat from Lyle's place next door, it got boring fast. So he had no choice but to try his hand at cooking.
His early attempts were… catastrophic. The stir-fried dishes came out either black or purple.
But after a few days of trial and error, he finally managed to make something barely edible.
Still, the result was worth it.
He gradually grew to enjoy this fulfilling yet relaxing lifestyle—so much so that he almost didn't want to open the shop anymore.
But of course, the system had other ideas.
[Quest] → [Main Quest] → [Open for Business: Sell 100 Nether Orchids]:
"[Requirement: After opening the shop, accumulate sales of 100 Nether Orchids.]"
"[Reward: Seeds and cultivation method of the Crimson-Gold Chrysanthemum.]"
System: "[Please actively complete your quest, Host.]"
"How much does an Nether Orchid sell for?" Ron asked. "Do I set the price myself?"
System: "[The price is 20 gold coins per orchid.]"
Ron rubbed his chin. "That's… pretty reasonable. Honestly, I could go higher."
System: "The selling price is calculated independently. The host cannot modify it."
Ron didn't argue. After growing over fifty Nether Orchids, he finally pulled up the shop's shutter and officially opened for business on the afternoon of Day Five.
And… not a single customer came in that entire afternoon.
Only the owners of the neighboring barbecue shop and clothing store dropped by to say hello.
The dwarf Lyle, owner of the barbecue place, was particularly enthusiastic—he even offered to treat Ron to dinner to celebrate the grand opening.
The clothing shop owner introduced her shop and tried to sell Ron several enchanted garments—clearly eyeing him as a potential long-term customer.
After politely seeing them off, Ron stayed behind to mind the shop.
With dozens of Nether Orchids on display, the elemental density in the shop was unusually high. Ron took the opportunity to meditate while watching the store, wasting no time.
Since the quest didn't have a deadline, he wasn't in any hurry.
A flower like the Nether Orchid—with special effects—wasn't going to be easy to sell at first.
After all, 20 gold coins per flower was way out of reach for regular folks.
But Ron's target customers weren't ordinary people. He was aiming at rich mages.
All it would take was one mage to try it. Once word spread through word-of-mouth, sales would naturally follow.
The only problem now was… how to advertise the Nether Orchid.
Ron had read many botany books over the past few days and found nothing similar to it.
Some plants could be used as ingredients for potions that enhanced meditation, but none of them had such effects on their own.
Even worse, potions built up tolerance over time. The Nether Orchid didn't. It was a sustainable, repeatable benefit.
So, in terms of user experience and overall effect, the Nether Orchid was undoubtedly the best option.
The only downside? No one in this world—except Ron—knew what an Nether Orchid was.
If he wanted people to believe in its effects, he had to come up with a strategy.
After a fruitless first day, Ron recognized the issue. That night, while reading, he also began thinking seriously about how to promote the flower.
System: "Daily Quest triggered."
[Daily Quest] → [Convince a Mage to Buy an Nether Orchid]:
"[Requirement: Use persuasive or enticing means to get a mage to proactively request to purchase an Nether Orchid.]"
"[Reward: You will experience the joy of your first sale—and receive 20 gold coins.]"
"…That 20 gold isn't extra, is it?" Ron stared at the system panel, black lines forming on his face.
System: "[Of course not. As previously mentioned, daily quests do not include bonus rewards.]"
"…Heh." Ron shut the system panel with a flick of his hand and went off to take a very grumpy bath.