No matter how many times I turned it over in my head, it just wouldn’t click.

Father made it sound simple. Stop forcing it. Cultivation isn’t about what you create, it’s about who you become.

Yeah. Right.

Easier said than done.

I had sat there for hours, staring at my grimoire, waiting for some kind of revelation—some hidden meaning to just… appear.

It didn’t.

Eventually, exhaustion won. I didn’t even remember falling asleep.

The next morning, I woke up groggy but refreshed.

Routine kicked in.

Bobo first. Always Bobo first.

He sat perched on my desk, waiting, tail flicking. The moment I placed food in front of him, he dug in, scarfing down every bite.

I placed a hand on his back, activating Growth Factor, helping his body absorb every last bit of nutrients.

It was working.

Every day, he grew. Not just in size, but in strength. In awareness.

I watched his muscles tense, his posture straighten. His fur had taken on a healthy sheen, and his frame was more solid than ever.

Pride swelled in my chest.

Then, morning routine.

Wash. Dress. Make sure Bobo wasn’t eating something he wasn’t supposed to.

Everything was normal.

Until I went downstairs.

And found her.

The soft clink of porcelain. The low hum of conversation. The warm scent of tea drifted through the morning air.

And there she was.

Anya.

Seated on the veranda, drinking tea with my mother, chatting, laughing—completely at ease.

The sun had barely crested the horizon, but they sat there, bathed in golden light, as if nothing in the world could bother them.

I blinked. “... Miss Anya?”

Her sharp green eyes flicked to me, and a wide smile spread across her lips.

"Ah! My favorite nephew. You can just call me Auntie."

She stood gracefully, arms opening. Before I could react, she had pulled me into a hug, firm yet warm.

I sighed. "Do you have other nephews?"

"Exactly, I don't. Which makes you my one and only favorite nephew."

Mother chuckled behind her teacup. “He’s growing fast, isn’t he?”

Anja pulled back, tilting her head as she gave me a once-over. “Hmm. He is.” Her eyes sparkled with amusement. “A little taller. A little sharper. Still grumpy in the mornings, though.”

This felt weird. I'm sure I just met her a week ago or so, but she is acting like we have known each other our whole lives.

I rolled my eyes, sitting down across from them. “Did you just come to bully me, or…?” I would just play along for now.

She smirked. “Well, I do enjoy that. But no.”

She set her cup down, fingers lacing together.

“The reason I came to visit today…” Her voice turned more deliberate. “I have a proposition.”

I paused.

Mother sipped her tea. Said nothing.

I straightened. “A proposition?”

Anja’s smile deepened.

“Something that might interest you.”

Anja leaned forward, lacing her fingers together.

“The proposition is simple.”

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Her voice was smooth, confident, but her eyes gleamed with something sharper—something calculating.

“I want you to work for me.”

I frowned. “Work for you?”

She smirked. “Not as an employee. As a partner.”

I blinked. “A… partner?”

Mother hummed, sipping her tea. Watching. Waiting.

Anja barely spared her a glance. “I’m not interested in hiring you to do errands. I want us to start a business together.”

She paused. Then, almost too deliberately, she added—

“You won’t be in the public eye. I’ll handle Everything.”

Mother’s smile didn’t waver, but something about it sharpened. Anja noticed. Of course she noticed. That was for her benefit.

“Why me?” I asked slowly.

Anja exhaled, settling back in her seat. “Because I recognize a golden opportunity when I see one. And you, dear nephew, are sitting on one of the biggest opportunities I’ve ever come across.”

I raised an eyebrow.

She chuckled. “Oh, don’t play dumb. You know exactly what I mean.”

I didn’t say anything.

She tilted her head. “You improved Bobo. Drastically. What if we could do that for other beasts?”

My chest tightened.

She didn’t stop. Her voice was smooth as silk. “You don’t understand just how much people would pay for something like that.”

"The truly rich? Really wealthy people? They don’t buy their beasts from public markets or open auctions. They get them through exclusive channels, private rings, and tight networks."

She tapped her fingers against the table. “And I happen to have access to one such channel.”

A chill ran down my spine.

Anja smiled. “I could bring you clients willing to spend fortunes on a single beast. And not just gold—resources. Things you can’t just buy with money. Artifacts. Materials. Exclusive items. In this world, value is traded for value. And what you have?” She gestured vaguely toward me. “It’s worth more than you realize.”

I swallowed.

“How much is… a lot of money?”

Her grin widened. “Let’s take Bobo, for example.”

I stiffened.

“The first time I saw him, I estimated his worth at around twenty to thirty thousand gold.”

I nearly choked. “Thirty—wait, what?”

She smiled. “That was before. Before the concoction. Before the Growth Factor. Before he turned into what he is now.”

Her eyes gleamed, watching my reaction.

“Now? Bobo’s estimated value is at least one hundred and fifty thousand gold.”

Silence.

I stared at her.

She smirked. “And that’s just for a physical-type beast. Imagine if we applied the same process to a rare elemental beast—one that already starts at hundred thousand gold.”

My heart pounded.

Anya leaned in slightly. “This isn’t just about selling enhanced beasts. This is about positioning ourselves in a network where resources flow beyond simple wealth. It’s about leverage. Connections. Access to things most people can’t even dream of obtaining.”

She shrugged. “And of course, the money’s nice, too.”

I exhaled slowly.

This was… bigger than I thought.

Anja sat back, waiting.

Mother set her teacup down.

Then, finally, she spoke.

“Get to the point, Anja.”

She was smiling.

That dangerous smile.

Anja chuckled. “I just did.”

Mother’s fingers drummed lightly against the table. “And what exactly do you want from him?”

Anja didn’t hesitate.

“His talent. His ability. And, more importantly—”

Her eyes locked onto mine.

“His time.”

My time ?

Anya had left.

And she left with a knowing smile, giving me space to think. But her words lingered, threading through my thoughts like vines I couldn’t untangle.

I turned to my mother. “Mom… what do you think?”

She took a slow sip of her tea, eyes half-lidded as if weighing something far heavier than the question I asked.

Then, she set the cup down, exhaled softly, and looked at me—really looked at me.

She reached out, brushing a stray lock of hair from my forehead before resting her warm palm against my cheek. It was brief, just a second, but I felt it... something weird in my heart.

Then, she spoke.

“Anya is a good woman,” she said first. “But she is also a very ambitious one.”

I frowned. “So, you don’t trust her?”

Mom hook her head. "I have known her for many years, from a place far beyond this one. Honestly, I was surprised that someone like her resides in a city like this."

"It's not about trust. It's about understanding who she is. Anya sees opportunities before anyone else, and when she finds something promising, she doesn't hesitate to act on it."

I'm sure she had spent days planning everything out. She is far from the reckless type, like you."

That… was true.

"She is a woman who will calculate every action and every decision; she will play every scenario over and over again. She doesn't take risks; she takes opportunities—well-calculated opportunities."

Mother tapped her fingers against the wooden table. “She’s right about one thing, though. And those people she’s referring to? They aren’t from our city.”

I blinked. "Wait... not our city? Then who might they be?"

She gestured toward the window, toward the horizon beyond the enclosures, beyond the city.

“Akul, this world is vast. You’ve barely even seen our city, but beyond it?

It’s not just a web of towns and villages. It’s more like…” She tapped her fingers on the table. “Islands in an untamed sea.”

I tilted my head. “Islands?”

She nodded. “Think of the snow globes your sister plays with. Each city is like one—self-contained, with its own rules, its own dangers, its own stability.”

She paused, her expression darkening. “But outside of them? There’s only wilderness. Wildlands. Places where beasts, magic, and things far worse dictate the rules."

A small chill ran through me.

Mother continued. “Cities are ranked. C-grade, B-grade, A-grade. The higher the grade, the stronger its economy, its defenses, its resources.

C-grade are hard to live in, but they are still full of humans. Our city?” She leaned back, exhaling. “B-grade. Not weak, but not the strongest either.”

I absorbed that slowly.

“Then… Anya’s business dealings would be with A-grade cities?”

Mother’s lips pressed together in thought. “Likely. And that means the level of resources she spoke of is far beyond what most people here can imagine.”

Gold was one thing. But resources? Those were the real currency.

Mother sighed, shaking her head. “The benefits are real, Akul. I won’t deny that. And because Anya is taking on the risk, it isn’t a direct threat to us. But…”

She looked me in the eyes now.

“You are growing up.”

Something in her expression softened.

I didn’t miss the way her gaze lingered, the way she studied me like she was seeing something she hadn’t noticed before.

Then, with slow, careful movements, she cupped my face in her hands.

Her thumbs brushed against my cheekbones—gentle, grounding.

“And soon,” she murmured, “you will have to start making decisions like these on your own.”

I felt weird, uncomfortable, not by her actions, but by her word.

“This is a good opportunity,” she admitted. “But is it the right one? Is it safe? Is it something you truly want to do?”

She leaned forward, pressing a light kiss to my forehead before pulling back.

“Think, my boy.”

Her voice was softer now, but no less firm.

“Think.”

The weight of her words settled over me.

I swallowed, my fingers brushing against my artifact at my side.

I realized that I can't forever depend on my mom or even my dad. This was my decision to make.