CHAPTER 27: SUDDEN SURGE OF NEW CUSTOMER

When Rowen returned from the space, it was already past three in the afternoon.

He leaned back on his chair behind the counter, a small smile tugging at his lips. The sight of the ripe batch he had just harvested—plump tomatoes and sturdy potatoes—left him satisfied. The baskets were full, and the faint glow of magic still lingered on the vegetable produce.

He rested for a while, letting Shade curl up lazily on the counter while Fern quietly hovered nearby, invisible to the other people. The thought of upgrading the space soon made him even more content.

Just as Rowen was about to close his eyes, the bell above the door jingled once. He barely looked up, expecting an ordinary customer. But then it jingled again. And again.

Within minutes, the quiet shop turned noisy. Students from the lower school barged in, one after another, still in their uniforms, some even sweating from their early exploration of the dungeon.

"Is this the place?" one boy whispered loudly, pointing at the baskets.

"I told you, this is where Lyra’s group bought them!" Another replied, eyes shining.

Rowen straightened, caught off guard as more and more students flooded in.

The small shop, which usually felt empty, now felt packed to the brim.

Their gazes locked on the vegetables like hawks, their chatter buzzing with excitement.

Rowen sighed, realizing exactly what had happened. So the rumors really spread...

Rowen raised a hand, cutting through the noise.

"Hold on. If you’re here for the vegetables, listen carefully." His voice was calm but firm, and the crowd of students quieted down, though their eager eyes didn’t leave the baskets.

"I’ll only sell a limited amount to each person," he said. "Three tomatoes or three potatoes each. No exceptions."

A groan rippled through the group.

"Only three?"

"That’s barely enough!"

"Come on, Rowen, at least five—"

Rowen shook his head. "If I let you take as much as you want, the first ten of you would clear me out. Then the rest of you would leave empty-handed. This way, everyone gets a share."

The complaints didn’t stop, but the reasoning was solid enough that no one dared push further. The students lined up, one after another, low-grade mana stones clinking onto the counter as Rowen portioned out the glowing produce.

Shade sat perched on the counter, flicking her tail, watching the vegetables vanish basket by basket. Fern hovered invisibly, clearly amused by the commotion.

Despite the grumbling, many of the students left with excited faces, clutching their share as though it were treasure. Rowen could already imagine the next wave.

Still, as he glanced at the half-empty baskets, he muttered under his breath, "At this rate, all the baskets are going to be empty..."

After some time, it was now already past 5 pm after the last customer left with empty hands because there was no stock left to sell.

Fern had already planted the next batch, and they were going to be mature at 6:30 pm.

Rowen exhaled, rubbing the back of his neck. All the baskets were empty.

"That’s enough for today," he muttered.

He walked to the door, flipped the wooden sign from OPEN to CLOSED, and pushed the door shut with a quiet click. The sudden silence filled the shop, broken only by Shade’s soft meow and Fern’s faint hum in the air.

Rowen leaned against the counter, a small grin tugging at his lips.

Rowen pulled open the drawer beneath the counter where he had been storing all the mana stones from today’s sales. A faint glow leaked out as the wooden drawer slid open. He reached inside and scooped out the pile, pouring the dull, glowing stones across the counter. They scattered with soft clinks against the wood as he began to count, lips moving silently.

"Twenty-six... not bad," he murmured with a small nod.

Without wasting time, he separated six stones from the pile and pushed them toward Fern. "Here. Use these for the upgrade."

Fern’s eyes gleamed. He opened his mouth wide and swallowed the stones one after another. The faint glow in his body brightened for a moment, and a low hum filled the air.

Rowen watched intently, waiting for something dramatic to happen—the portal to flare, the air to tremble, or even a ripple across the counter. But nothing changed. The shop was still quiet, with only Shade’s tail flicking lazily as she lay nearby.

Rowen frowned. "That’s it? Nothing happened?"

Fern floated closer, his tone calm. "The changes won’t appear here. You’ll need to enter the space to see what’s different."

Rowen let out a short breath, scratching his cheek. "Figures. Nothing’s ever that simple." He glanced at Shade, who lifted her head with a curious meow, before nodding. "Alright then. Let’s check it out."

Rowen walked to the back of the shop and unlatched the rear door. Stepping outside, he moved to the quiet corner behind the building. Fern drifted forward, his faint glow pulsing. With a soft hum, the air shimmered where he hovered, rippling outward until the familiar veil of light formed in front of them.

"The portal is open," Fern said calmly.

Without hesitation, Rowen stepped through, Shade padding close at his heels and Fern drifting alongside.

The Independent Space welcomed them with its usual calm breeze, but almost immediately Rowen noticed the difference. The farmland stretched farther than before—the once small patch of soil had nearly doubled in size, rows upon rows of tilled earth now ready for planting. The air itself felt richer, carrying a faint energy that prickled against his skin.

Rowen blinked, stunned. "It’s... bigger form before."

Shade trotted ahead, her nose twitching as she sniffed the fresh soil.

Rowen stood there, letting it sink in. His grin widened slowly.

Fern’s hum carried a note of satisfaction. "This is only the beginning."

Rowen looked around once before raising his hand.

"Status," he called firmly.

The air in front of him trembled.

A translucent blue screen appeared out of thin air, hovering at eye level. Its faint glow lit up Rowen’s face as lines of text began to arrange themselves neatly across the display.

Fern drifted closer, watching quietly, while Shade tilted her head, ears twitching at the strange sight.