“Again? Is something happening?” I asked.

“No. I guess maybe she’s just giving you time to sail away,” said Day. “Are you sure you’re not staying?”

“Yes, I’m sure. We’d better hurry.”

We half-walked, half-ran to where the others were. Lari met up with us, and the islanders crowded around, handing us leaf-wrapped packages of food.

“Teacher, we have to leave before the Turtle dives again,” said Lari. His arms were full of cloth-wrapped bundles.

I gave the food to Kharli and Mo while I went over to the chief’s table to say our goodbyes. Before we left, I took out boxes of tea and fine silk as a parting gift.

“Goodbye! I had a wonderful time!” I said to the ladies. Dawn, Day, and Dusk kissed me on the cheek and we hugged. They tried to refuse, but I pressed bottles of [Dewy Glow Potion] into their hands, explaining that it was an herbal skin elixir.

Then we swiftly made our way to the beach where the items I had asked to buy were in crates, ready for me to put into my inventory. I paid the waiting islanders with sacks of spirit rice. When my business was done, I summoned the [Traditional Chinese Ship] since I felt that the [Viking Longship] was too difficult to use at night with poor visibility. From a distance, the ship looked like a sailing ship, but it was actually a flying ship that hovered six feet above the water. Hollers and cheers of amazement echoed from the islanders upon seeing our magnificent mode of transportation.

[Traditional Chinese Ship:

A pleasure boat that has a single mast and crimson sails. Its shallow keel ensures smooth passage through narrow waters. Passengers can relax on opulently cushioned benches, and enjoy unobstructed views of the scenic surroundings.]

We boarded using the gangplank and stood at the rails waving goodbye at the people on the beach until they were out of sight.

“What an incredible adventure!” Impulsively, I hugged my three apprentices. “Did you have fun?”

While we chatted about everything we experienced today, we went to the dining room and put down the gifts the islanders had given us.

Lari had spent most of the day touring the island with the other teenagers, and he told us all about what he had seen. “They have fishponds that are open to the sea except for a stone wall that lets the small fish in and keeps the big fish out. They have a lot of clever things like that. Their farms are small and they use fish scraps as fertilizer a lot. Teacher, we should do that more! Didn’t we plant a tree with fish under it once?”

“Yes, but it grew the same as the ones we planted with regular fertilizer,” said Kharli.

“The fertilizer from the System isn't ‘regular fertilizer.’ It’s clearly magic,” said Lari.

“Let’s eat while we talk.” I led them to the elegant formal dining room which was paneled with golden wood and had a large crystal chandelier hanging above the round table that was large enough for twelve people. I opened the port holes so we could enjoy the sea breeze and then sank into a plush seat in the ship’s dining room. “Hand me some of that roast pork! Did they give us any crunchy skin?”

Lari opened a food package and handed it to me.

The aroma hit me first and made my mouth water in anticipation. As I pierced the bronze, almost caramelized pork skin with my fork, it crackled enticingly. I took a bite and the crunchy skin shattered into delicious shards of flavor.

“That hit the spot!” I said.

We got busy opening all the packages and plating the food before eating it. I poured us glasses of ice and peach juice.

“Not as good as the chef’s,” said Lari.

“Still great though,” said Kharli.

Mo nodded.

“The ribs are to die for.” I cut some pieces of the roast pork ribs and put them on my apprentices’ plates along with some rice and vegetables.

“The men packed some of the prime cuts for us.” Lari took another rib and placed it on his plate. “They told me the ribs are nearest to the herb stuffing, so they absorb more flavor.”

I made a sound of pure contentment as I continued eating.

The girls told Lari about our spa day while he regaled us with tales of his adventures. He claimed that there was a shortage of eligible men on the island and that he had received a dozen marriage proposals.

“Everyone is related to everyone else, you know.” He drank some juice and smiled smugly as he opened one of the cloth-wrapped bundles and showed us an embroidered vest. “The women gave me a lot of presents. I could’ve had a harem if I had stayed.”

Kharli rolled her eyes. “So could I! Mo, too. And Teacher could probably have the biggest harem in the world!”

“No, not me. I don’t like harems.” I laughed and continued eating as they chatted.

“I loved the coconut and coconut water,” said Mo.

“The System has seeds for coconut trees, but they need to grow in good soil in a sunny place,” I said. “We can plant tropical fruit trees after we finish transforming the desert into a green land.”

Kharli placed the last pork rib on my plate. “The crates you got from the people at the beach were full of seeds and cuttings, right?”

“Yeah, but I plan to sell them to others. They’ll go for a good price since they’re from the mystical island. Hand me the rice platter, please.”

By the time we arrived at the farm, it was almost midnight, and we went straight to our bedrooms. Tomorrow was the last day of the harvest season and we had a lot to do.

***

The next day, I woke up from a dream of a baby dragon. The two of us were having fun when, in the way of dreams, I thought of turning into a rabbit. I used the System to do it, of course. The fact that I could suddenly use the System in my dreams felt natural. Using a holiday item, the Easter Bunny Token, my real body became invisible, and an illusionary form of a cute little white bunny with red eyes appeared in front of me. The rabbit form copied whatever I did. We played around like that, with me hopping around, and him flying in his dragon form for a few days. The animal transformation was fun, but not a useful thing to do since the spell was broken whenever anything touched either my invisible body or the rabbit illusion.

Yawning, because I had gotten home late last night, I tried using the Easter Bunny Token in real life, but I got bored of it pretty quickly. I guess that was the difference between reality and dreams. It was already midmorning by the time I left my house to eat breakfast.

“Teacher, I saved some crunchy pork skin for you!” Mo took out a plate of food from her inventory.

We were eating, or, rather, pigging out on the leftovers from the feast last night.

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“Oh my goodness, this is almost too good.” I made a sound of pure bliss.

The savory meat, slathered with a sweet and vinegary gravy, and paired with fluffy white rice, was amazingly delicious. The crunchy pork skin, of course, was everyone’s favorite. We washed it all down with glasses of iced peach juice. The three plates of mixed vegetables and assorted side dishes were untouched until I reminded the kids that they needed to replenish their energy by eating more of the special mushrooms I had “Foraged.” None of them knew that I periodically went back to the Chitinous Caverns to gather supplies and harvest crops.

“By the way, I have bad news for you. The chef says that the [Kola-Kola Soda] is unhealthy.” I raised my hand in a “what can I do” gesture. “I know, I know! It’s very good for replenishing our energy, but I don’t want our health to suffer. From now on, we can only use it once a week.”

“No…” Mo looked horrified. “I was counting on using the soda to get more exp!”

The others nodded.

I shrugged. “You have the bonus exp from the Fairy Blessings.”

That pretty much brought the conversation to a close since they were still feeling guilty that they got a bonus that I didn’t.

“Anyway, we still have the mushrooms and the hot spring. Those are very good at restoring energy,” I said. “Now, eat your dessert, and let’s get going. I want to finish our work before noon.”

I would have said that the Demon Chef outdid himself with today’s dessert, peach cobbler with vanilla ice cream, but his desserts were always excellent so… he just did himself.

Each forkful enveloped my taste buds in the sweet embrace of juicy baked peaches and buttery pastry. The coldness of the ice cream contrasted with the warmth of the filling in the most pleasant way imaginable. We all had seconds.

“Let’s go,” I said when we finished eating.

Outside, the air was sweet with the scent of blossoming flowers and the earthy aroma of the freshly turned soil where we had planted the [Wild Seed Mix] a few days ago. As we walked through the fields to clear any random rocks and tree stumps that were in the way, a gentle breeze tousled my hair. We inspected the bees, worms, and chicken eggs. Everything was in order.

I led them to the field we were going to plant rice on and took out a [Hoe]. “Alright, it’s the last day of the harvest season. Let’s spend four-fifths of our energy plowing a field to prepare for tomorrow.”

“Yes, Teacher!” they said.

The kids and I scattered to the four corners of the field and started tilling.

Of course, seeds could only be planted during the planting season, but we could plow a field today. I made Mr. Bear as big as a real bear and had him hold a cute pink umbrella with a teddy bear design over me as I worked.

“This is fun! I never get tired of this!” I said to Mr. Bear.

All I had to do was lightly touch the ground with my [Hoe] and the ground was tilled. It was like magic. When my energy bar was half empty, I put my gardening gloves on and fertilized the soil with the [Mysterious Goo].

[Mysterious Goo:

An extraordinary blend of slime excreta and worm-made compost, this potent fertilizer fuels flora with a potent cocktail of nutrients. Can only be applied to soil once a year. Do not touch with your bare hands.]

We were done in no time.

“Alright, are your energy levels okay?” I waited until they nodded before discussing the next order of business. “Now we have to say goodbye to our beloved [Soy Machine]. It’s time to build another [Greenhouse].”

“Yes! More exp!” said Mo.

“We’re planting more tree seeds for the desert farm?” asked Kharli.

“Yes, we’ll spend all of summer and autumn preparing for our winter in the desert,” I said.

“I like the desert,” said Lari. “Teacher, I’d like to volunteer to do all the desert trips from now on.”

That surprised me. I knew Lari was the most social of my three apprentices and got along very well with the clan members at the southern farm, but he never asked for more work. “Huh? Why?”

Lari gave the other two a look. After a few seconds of fidgeting and avoiding my eyes, Mo elbowed Kharli.

Kharli rolled her eyes dramatically before she finally spoke up. “None of us except Lari likes traveling back and forth to the desert. Especially during the summer! It will be extremely hot, won’t it, Teacher?”

She did have a point, but still…

I frowned at the girls. “Don’t you think it’s unfair to dump all the hard work on Lari? Don’t worry, I will be reducing the number of trips anyway since the clan members can feed the [Lizardwings] and it seems the demand for more [Lizardwings] is waning.”

This year, I sold a lot of baby farm animals to other farms and found out that both humans and clan members could take care of them after they hatched. I had already modified the System’s privacy settings to allow the public to enter the [Lizardwing’s] habitat, so all I had to do was send them more [Animal Feed].

“I’m not surprised people don’t want to buy those stinky poop machines!” Lari laughed and made a big show of pinching his nostrils shut with his hand. “Whenever I think about them, I remember that terrible stench.”

Mo wrinkled her nose. “Stop, you’ll make me puke!”

Using the System's [Build] tab, I destroyed the [Soy Machine] and replaced it with a [Greenhouse]. We planted as many tree seeds as we could in the [Greenhouse] until we were almost out of energy. Then we walked back to the house to take care of one last task.

We went to the crafting room in the inner courtyard which was full of shelves stocked with every crafting tool imaginable and had a large wooden table in the middle.

“Here we go!” I covered the surface of the table with a fine white cotton cloth then placed four plates in front of our chairs before dumping the [Crocus] flowers in the middle. They made quite a pile of vibrant purple petals atop slender green stems, providing a cheerful contrast against the pristine tablecloth.

“They’re so pretty.” Mo picked up a single blossom and took a deep breath, enjoying its sweet, delicate scent. She yawned.

“All we have to do is to gently pull out the crimson stigmas from the flowers. Those are what are sold as saffron.” I carefully reached into the mound of flowers, and, one by one, I plucked the “threads” from the center of each blossom, placing them on the plate in front of me. Each flower only had three threads.

The others were silent as they concentrated on their work. Once the stigmas were dried, they would become spirit saffron, an extremely valuable spice that cost more than thrice its weight in gold.

When we were around halfway through the pile, Lari frowned at the plate in front of him. “Teacher, there are so few! Can this be sold?”

“Hmm.” I finished pulling out the threads from the flower I was holding before replying. “We’ll have to hand this over to the chef and see what he thinks.”

Mo moved her plate closer to her face and tried to smell the saffron. “It doesn’t seem that special.”

“It will be special when it’s cooked,” I said.

I examined a thread, but no System information appeared. We had successfully produced something new without using the System directly. We continued working, and when we were done, Lari groaned in dismay when he saw the pitiful quantity of saffron we had. There was barely enough to fill a teaspoon.

“This is impossible! There are too few to sell,” he said. “Even if it does cost more than gold by weight, it’s useless since this must weigh less than a teaspoonful of water.”

I carefully stored the spices and flowers in my inventory. “Saffron is rare, that’s why it’s expensive. Never mind the gold price, the important thing is that the chef will surely create a masterpiece for us with this!”

Kharli flicked Lari in the forehead. “Stop whining! Don’t you know this is an ingredient only the richest people use? We’ll be feasting like kings tomorrow.

“No, no, not tomorrow. This has to be dried first. We’ll have a feast right after the planting season is over. Go and soak in the hot spring and rest. We need to refill our energy bars.” I shooed the kids away and went to the kitchen to offer the saffron to the chef.

Then I went back to my [Ranch House] to relax, but Yinuo accosted me as I was about to step through the front door.

“My lady, I’d like to take a few weeks off,” she said.

“Have you told Fengying?” Though I had the final say on everything, Fengying was my housekeeper and was the one who was really in charge of day-to-day matters regarding the staff.

“Yes, she said I could go with your permission, my lady.”

“Sure. What is this about?”

“I’m getting married!” Yinuo grinned at me with a very smug expression on her face. “The matchmaker finally found me a handsome husband. Look!”

She handed me a portrait. It was painted with colored inks on canvas and was the size of my palm, showing a very handsome man with striking features. He had high, chiseled cheekbones and a strong, square jawline. His dark brown eyes were piercing and seemed to stare right through the viewer. Thick, dark brows arched over his eyes, and his hair was a tousled mane of black locks that fell to his shoulders. Though the portrait was small, the artist had captured the man's charisma and an air of confidence that commanded attention.

“Whaaaat…? Where did the matchmaker even find a person this handsome? Why is he still unmarried? Oooooh, you better watch out, this one looks like a heartbreaker!” I couldn't help but tease Yinuo mercilessly.

She still had a smug expression on her face. “He’s unmarried because his family is in debt. I will have to buy him from the family he’s indentured to, but it will be worth it if he’s as handsome as this picture.”

In this world, indenture was a type of contract labor in which a person worked for someone without pay in order to repay a loan. Local laws and customs were very strict about the proper treatment of indentured workers, so it wasn't too bad, but it was hardly an enviable position to be in.

"How much?" I asked.

"It's a secret," she said.

"Hmmm." Yinuo was older than me, but I felt it was my duty as her friend to lecture her a little bit about how good character was more important than good looks. “You won’t rush into this, right? A handsome face is one thing, but a good heart is more important.”

She just pooh-poohed my concerns and took the portrait back before leaving. “My lady, remember the wedding gifts…”

I only realized I should’ve asked for more details when she returned weeks later with a big surprise.