CHAPTER 89: I WILL UPDATE

Cedric pulled a low-grade mana stone from his pocket, the faint blue light humming in his palm. He dropped it onto the counter with a dull clink, then reached over and plucked one of the tomatoes from the wooden shelf.

Cedric sank his teeth into the tomato with a sharp crunch. Juice burst out, running down his throat in a messy streak.

"Well?" Alric muttered beside him, arms crossed. "It is a normal tomato, right, Cedric?"

Cedric smirked, about to agree, but then his words stalled. His brow furrowed. He blinked once. Twice.

The chatter of the shop seemed to quiet in his ears. His breathing evened. The faint restlessness he hadn’t noticed before and the scattered thoughts that always tugged at the edge of his mind were suddenly gone. In their place was a sharp clarity, like someone had wiped clean a fogged glass pane.

He exhaled slowly, realizing the change, though his pride resisted admitting it.

Alric leaned closer. "Cedric?"

Cedric’s grip tightened on the half-eaten tomato. His voice came out lower and steadier. "...It’s real."

Marn’s eyes widened slightly, while Talia gave the barest of knowing smiles. Rowen, meanwhile, said nothing. He only stood there behind the counter, calm as ever, as if the result had never been in doubt.

Cedric’s jaw tightened as he swallowed the last bite, his pride warring with the undeniable calm flooding through him. He wanted to scoff, to call it coincidence, but the steadiness in his thoughts betrayed him.

Alric’s eyes narrowed. "You can’t be serious."

Cedric wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, avoiding his colleague’s stare. "...I am."

Rowen only inclined his head politely, as though this outcome had been inevitable.

Alric clicked his tongue, glaring at Cedric. "You must be imagining things. A tomato isn’t supposed to do that."

He reached forward and snatched another one off the shelf before Cedric could protest.

Rowen’s gaze flicked to him briefly, but he said nothing.

Alric turned the tomato over in his hand as if inspecting it for hidden tricks. Then, without warning, he bit down hard.

Crunch.

Juice spilled over his lips and slid down his throat. He grimaced at the sourness, ready to scoff

but his words caught in his mouth.

A strange silence filled his head. The usual impatience buzzing in his thoughts quieted, like a roaring crowd suddenly silenced. His shoulders eased without him realizing, and his sharp gaze steadied. For a brief moment, his whole body felt lighter, as though the constant tension of vigilance had loosened.

Alric froze, tomato in hand, his eyes flicking from Cedric to Rowen.

Cedric gave him a knowing look, still chewing slowly. "Told you."

Marn’s brows rose, impressed, while Talia’s arms remained crossed, though a trace of satisfaction touched her expression.

Rowen just stood behind the counter, calm, offering no gloating word, only watching as Alric struggled to swallow both the tomato and his pride.

Alric lowered the half-eaten tomato slowly, his jaw tight. For a moment, no words came. He glanced at Cedric, who was still holding his own fruit, chewing with a reluctant frown that couldn’t hide the focus in his eyes.

The two exchanged a look half disbelief, half shame.

They had walked in ready to tear down a boy, only to be silenced by a tomato.

Alric cleared his throat, his voice rough. "...If he’s charging only two low-grade mana stones for three of these, then..." He hesitated, swallowing his pride along with the lingering taste of tomato. "...That’s cheap. Dirt cheap compared to a potion that can grant this level of focus."

Cedric’s face darkened with embarrassment, but he gave a small, curt nod. "A potion with even half this effect costs more than ten times that. And lasts shorter."

Marn exhaled softly, his expression caught somewhere between amusement and respect. Talia, meanwhile, allowed herself the faintest smirk, her eyes sliding toward Rowen like she already knew how this would play out.

Rowen said nothing. He simply wiped the counter with a rag, calm and steady, as though their realization was nothing more than the natural course of events.

The silence that followed wasn’t hostile anymore; it was heavy with their embarrassment.

Talia stepped closer to the shelf, her sharp eyes catching on a cluster of tomatoes that looked noticeably different. Their skin was deeper in shade, almost glowing faintly under the lamplight, and the faint pulse of mana in them was stronger than what Cedric had just eaten.

She tilted her head, then glanced at Rowen.

"This one..." she said, pointing lightly toward the darker tomato. "It’s new, isn’t it?"

Rowen looked up, meeting her gaze. For the first time in the entire exchange, there was a small shift in his expression not pride, not arrogance, but something quieter. "Yes. It’s from a newer batch. Stronger than the last one you had purchased."

Talia finally reached out and lifted the rare tomato from the shelf. Its skin was smooth and warm from the mana within, the deeper red color.

Without hesitation, she bit into it.

Moments later, her breathing slowed. Her shoulders relaxed, yet her presence grew sharper, more controlled.

"...Stronger," she finally said, her voice calm but edged with certainty. "Much stronger. Comparable to last time."

Marn, who had been silent until now, stepped forward. He hesitated, his eyes darting to Rowen. "May I?"

Rowen gave a small nod.

Marn picked one of the regular tomatoes, still skeptical despite what he’d just seen. He took a bite.

For a moment, his expression stayed doubtful, but then his eyes widened slightly. His posture straightened, and he gave a low exhale.

"This... this level of clarity of mind..." His voice was quiet, almost reverent. "I’ve never had my thoughts settle so quickly. Not even with high-grade potions."

Cedric and Alric exchanged glances, both silent, their earlier mockery completely stripped away.

Rowen moved through the planted space carefully, plucking the remaining apples one by one. The trees had matured faster than he could have imagined. Fifteen of them stood tall now, each bearing five to six apples. By the time he finished, Rowen had nearly eighty-five fruits in total, a number that made his chest tighten with excitement.

The blue screen had already confirmed the fruit cycle: new apples would appear every six hours. If that rhythm held, his supply would never run dry.

His thoughts drifted back to the teachers who had visited his shop. They each carried storage rings, small but priceless artifacts that let them store huge loads with a flick of the wrist. If he had one, all these apples could be taken out instantly. Instead, he was stuck keeping them here in the wooden shade, only able to carry out small batches at a time.

Then another responsibility tugged at his mind. This space needed mana to remain stable. He remembered the earlier instructions; it had to be recharged four times a day. Reaching into his pouch, Rowen pulled out the remaining supply.

"Twelve low-grade stones," he muttered, counting them carefully. He handed the bundle to Fern. "Use these to recharge the space."

Fern nodded, clutching the stones. Without hesitation, he swallowed all twelve one after another.

After that, with nothing to do in space, Rowen stepped out of the portal first, finding himself back in his room.

Rowen stepped down into the shop, his movements steady but a little sluggish from the long night. Once inside, he summoned the portal again. With practiced care, he carried out crates of fresh tomatoes, firm potatoes, and the new apples. One by one, he stacked them neatly onto the empty wooden shelves until the shop looked ready for the day.

When he was done, Rowen pulled out his phone and glanced at the screen. Almost 9:00 a.m. It was time to open.

But there was one more thing to settle.

He looked at the apples on display. Glossy red, faintly pulsing with vitality, they weren’t like normal fruit. These could close wounds and restore stamina. If he underpriced them, he would be giving away treasure. If he charged too much, customers might hesitate.

After a moment of thought, Rowen took a wooden signboard and wrote in clear strokes:

Apple – 1 Low-Grade Mana Stone Each.

He set the sign in front of the display.

"That should do," he murmured. It was fair—cheap enough for adventurers and porters to afford, but still high enough to reflect the fruit’s value.

With that decided, Rowen moved to the front and unlatched the door.

Just like yesterday, a crowd had already gathered outside. This time, though, things were different. The customers who had been here before knew how valuable his goods were. They were already forming a neat line, keeping order among themselves.

As soon as they stepped inside and saw the apples, a wave of excitement spread through the crowd. Murmurs rose quickly.

"New product?" "Apples? Since when does he sell apples?" "They look fresh... but if it’s from his shop, then they must be special."