"Your Highness Ron, are you currently running a business here in the City of Chaos?" asked Guy, the goblin manager, as he stood to the side. His short stature happened to bring him eye-level with Ron, who was seated.
"I opened a flower shop—just a small business," Ron replied with a cheerful smile.
Small business, my tail!
Guy resisted the urge to roll his eyes as his mind began to turn rapidly.
A flower shop...
What kind of flower shop could bring in this much money?
Last time it was 6,000 gold coins, and now, just a few days later, another 10,000+?
Even a professional street robber wouldn't make this kind of daily profit.
If it weren't for the very clear seal of the Radiant Mercenary Corps stamped on the promissory note, Guy might've suspected that His Highness Ron had robbed some noble's treasury.
Just two visits, and Ron's personal account now had 16,500 gold coins.
Even in the City of Chaos, the capital of trade, that amount was considered a small fortune.
Especially since this was all personal wealth.
With that in mind, Guy tentatively asked, "Does Your Highness have any investment plans at the moment? If not, the Gold Reserve Bank has some excellent projects I could introduce to you."
Ron glanced at him, immediately understanding his intentions.
It was just like how banks in his previous world offered financial products to wealthy clients.
But Ron had only recently arrived in this world. He was still unfamiliar with its economic systems and didn't plan to invest prematurely.
So he shook his head. "Not for now. But if I ever do consider it, I'll come find you."
"Understood." Guy didn't press the matter. As long as he planted the idea in Ron's mind, that was enough. "If you ever need anything, please come find me. I'll be at your service at any time."
"Sounds good." Ron nodded.
At that moment, the elven receptionist returned, having completed the transaction.
Ron accepted his Black Gold Card, thanked Guy, and left the Gold Reserve Bank.
As he walked back toward the flower shop, he opened his system panel.
Wealth: 17,061
The shop had sold over a dozen Nether Orchids that afternoon, and with the 10,500 gold deposit, his wealth had broken past 17,000.
Even after spending 10,000 wealth on the [Miracle of the Goddess of Harvest], he still had over 7,000 remaining.
Not exactly rolling in riches, but enough to be comfortable—he was finally out of the "poverty stage."
"Welcome back, Store Manager!"
As soon as Ron stepped into the flower shop, he was greeted by Nora's energetic voice, and his whole mood brightened.
"We're skipping the barbecue tonight. Clean up a bit, then come upstairs for dinner," Ron instructed as he headed up to the second-floor kitchen to prepare the meal.
Harper, caught up in his obsession with explosive potions, had already declined tonight's dinner.
Edith had a gathering to attend with her sister—an event among the elf community in the City of Chaos—so she wouldn't be coming for skewers either.
Mason had plans to play Elemental Cards with his coworkers, so he was out too.
And honestly, after eating so much grilled meat lately, Ron was getting a bit tired of it. He decided to just cook a homemade meal himself.
Skewers are good, but moderation is key. Too much grilling is bad for your health.
After dinner, Nora obediently headed into the kitchen to wash the dishes, while Ron returned to his study to continue working on his Legendary Kill project from the night before.
[Undead Invasion]: All players except the one who played this card must use a "Kill" card or lose 1 HP.
[Falling Meteor Shower]: All players except the one who played this card must use a "Dodge" card or lose 1 HP.
[Blessing of the Life Goddess]: All players with less than full HP regain 1 HP.
[Demon's Hand]: Choose one player and randomly take one of their hand or equipment cards.
[Berserk]: Use with a "Kill" card. If it deals damage, add +1. It can also be used when dying to regain 1 HP.
[Mana Barrier]: Nullifies the effect of a skill card on a chosen target.
Ron was thoroughly enjoying the process of reworking Three Kingdoms Kill to better fit this world. He renamed the strategy cards with fantasy-style terms to make it easier for people here to understand and accept.
After spending over two hours, Ron had created 25 character cards, over 40 basic cards, and more than 20 skill cards.
Once he added some health cards and role cards, version 1.0 of Legendary Kill would be officially complete.
But there was no rush. For now, he just made a couple of basic health cards, then pulled out the [Goddess of Harvest] character card and neatly organized the rest.
With a stack of cards in hand, he headed downstairs.
It was late, and the flower shop had no customers.
Nora, unable to sit still, was counting the coins in the register for the tenth time. Her eyes sparkled with excitement.
When Ron came down, he saw her leaning over the counter, poking at the coins with her finger. He couldn't help but chuckle.
Nora jolted upright at the sound of laughter. When she saw Ron, she immediately greeted him in a small voice, "Store Manager."
"There aren't any customers now. Want to play a game with me?" Ron asked as he sat down by the coffee table and held up the stack of cards.
"Huh? I don't really know how to play games…" Nora mumbled, but she still obediently sat across from him, curiously eyeing the cards in his hands.
Ron set the Legendary Kill cards on the table and said calmly, "Don't worry—it's easy. Play a few rounds, and you'll get the hang of it."
Nora picked up a card, glanced at it, then looked up hesitantly and said, "Store Manager… I can't read… I don't understand it…"
"…"
Ron's hand froze mid-shuffle as he realized a huge oversight.
Thankfully, the basic and skill cards all had illustrated icons, so with some extra explanation, Nora was able to memorize what they did.
The real issue was the character cards, which came with unique skills—over 40 abilities spread across 20+ characters. That was way too much for Nora to remember.
So Ron gave up on using the character cards altogether and just had them play using blank default characters.
Nora had clearly never played a game like this before. Everything was fresh and exciting to her, and she had a blast.
Ron, having left his old world for more than half a month, was also enjoying the nostalgic thrill of this tabletop game in a completely new world.
Before they knew it, it was already 9 p.m.
Ron collected the cards and returned to his study.
Nora, just like the night before, changed out of her uniform in the bathroom, washed both her clothes and Ron's, and cleaned every part of the house—except the bedroom and study.
Then, she knocked softly on the study door.
"Come in."
Nora peeked her little face through the crack in the door, looking a bit timid.
She didn't leave right away this time. After hesitating a bit, she asked in a quiet voice, "Store Manager… I want to learn how to read. Do you know any good way to do that?"
Ron was surprised and turned to look at her.
Seeing the hope in her eyes, he paused in thought, then smiled and said, "I can teach you—but not for free."
"I-I can pay you…" Nora's face flushed red. As soon as she said that, she realized how silly it sounded.
The Store Manager didn't look like someone who needed money…
But if it wasn't money, what else could count as not free?
Surely it couldn't be that…
Seeing the expression on her face, Ron turned back to his book and said slowly, "From now on, you'll be responsible for cleaning the second and third floors, plus doing the dishes and laundry. If you're okay with that, I'll find time to teach you. Sound good?"
Nora's eyes lit up, and she nodded eagerly. "Mhm! I'm fine with that!"
"Then it's settled," Ron said. "You should head home now. Stay safe on the way."
"Okay! Thank you, Store Manager!" Nora said happily, then gently closed the door. "Good night, Store Manager!"
Her light footsteps echoed down the stairs, full of joy.
Ron flipped another page in his book and smiled knowingly.