After exiting the shop, Yasenia sent one of the maids back for a few minutes with an extra person while their group continued exploring the city. Evelyn asked. "Why didn't you take the shop's merchandise, Yasenia?"
Yasenia smiled at her. "There is no need. We don't know who the backers of that person are, and there might be some important items in there that the power behind it doesn't want to lose. Hence, risking being bothered for a few mid-level Earth rank items is just not worth it."
Angel clung to one of Yasenia's arms and whined. "Yasenia, can we visit a formation room?"
Yasenia looked at Kaleina and Flame and asked. "What do you two want to do?"
Angel realized and nodded. "Right! Today is Kaleina's and Flame's day. Where do we go play?"
Flame smiled, hiding her laughter. She always found it very amusing being with her Aunty Angel. 'She is so big but acts like a child with Aunty Yasenia.'
Even if she was young, she understood that Angel could do so because of Yasenia's pampering. Flame looked at Yasenia and smiled inside. 'I hope to have someone like Aunty Yasenia in the future.'
Kaleina tilted her head. "I don't know. Flame, where do you want to go?"
Flame blinked, her red phoenix wings flapping as she thought. "Can we visit a park?"
Yasenia nodded with a smile and looked at Alaia. "Guide us to the closest park; we can take a walk there and see if there are other children for them to play with."
Alaia made a formal bow, and they all moved quickly, arriving at an open space enclosed in walls in the city where trees and other meticulously taken care of vegetation could be seen. There were stone paths, ponds, and other types of landmarks like small bridges and such."
At a glance, Yasenia and the others could see parents or grandparents with the young ones following them as the little ones played.
There were all kinds of races and beasts running around, making quite a relaxing but similarly lively atmosphere.
Yasenia held Tatyana's and Flame's hands while Kaleina coiled around her body, with her head sticking from the back and resting on her shoulder.
The little dragoness exclaimed. "There are so many people in the park! Look, there are many mortals there!"
For Kaleina, who was surrounded by high-level cultivators in her everyday life, mortals were even rarer than some exotic animals.
Mortals and cultivators rarely mix together outside business matters. The most contact they had was when a cultivator hired mortal people as servants.
Flame also looked around while happily swinging Yasenia's hand and commented. "There are more people than in Astral Sky City."
Yasenia chuckled. "Well, this is one of the most important main cities of the Mermaid Race, with over 800 million inhabitants. That's why each street is around 300 meters wide, with main streets being almost 1.5 kilometers wide. The buildings are also large to be seen from the sides. Although not too large, as most of the important buildings aimed at cultivators don't need the size because a cultivator can notice them."
Angel asked. "How do mortals live in these large cities?"
Yasenia looked at her with smiling eyes. "Baby, did your parents not explain mortal living conditions in cultivation cities to you?"
Angel shook her head. Yasenia nodded and explained. "Well, it is an environment that it's not easy. After all, with a mortal's walking speed, even crossing those main streets from side to side would take them about 15 minutes. Not to mention that crossing such large streets with a mortal body is dangerous. That's why one of the main causes of death for mortals living in these main cities is actually being bumped by speeding cultivators or their mounts while they cross the streets."
Andrea added. "There are special transports in cities to help mortals cross the streets, something low-level cultivators can do to earn a decent living. After all, the ratio of cultivator to mortal will always be abysmal. Even if each mortal pays a small fee, the cultivator can make a decent profit from just helping mortals cross the streets."
Kaleina, Flame, and Angel listened closely, nodding their heads.
Yasenia looked around and guided them to cross one of the bridges. As the steps on the wooden surface reached their ears, she commented. "Most cultivators in existence care very little for mortals. They won't go out of their way to kill them, but they also won't care if they accidentally kill one. Laws are also very lax in that regard because who would want to offend a cultivator to deliver justice for a dead mortal? Especially if the death was accidental?"
Yasenia continued. "To prevent this as much as possible, Andrea's method is one way. However, there are districts where mortal families gather. Food, clean water, and basic necessities are easy to meet with the many Spiritual Professions."
Yasenia looked to her right, pointing in one direction where a big area with dense housing could be seen from the top of the wooden bridge they were crossing. "Places like those are usually neighborhoods for mortals. Some low-level cultivators might live there for a while after they awaken because of their filial piety, but in general, once a person enters the cultivation path, they go outside their mortal families to explore the World."
Angel asked. "What about food? Aren't there too many people to feed or give clean water to?"
Yasenia smiled and asked. "With Kali's [Paradise Spatial Ring], how many people would you be able to feed comfortably yearly by using only mortal food?"
Angel pondered and said a number. "One million?"
Yasenia laughed. "You missed three zeroes. Around Three billion is the correct answer. The 1,000,000 square meters of garden Kali has in her spatial ring can accelerate the growth of normal crops enough to feed three billion people yearly without really feeling real strain. If we calculate the yield of spiritual crops, the satiety they provide, etc., the numbers start going much higher. Then, if Kali focused on food production only, not only using her ring but also using her skills, alchemy knowledge, etc., she would probably be able to feed all mortals in ten cities as large as Ascending Ocean City."
While Kaleina, Angel, and Flame exclaimed in admiration, looking at Kali with bright eyes, Yasenia looked around and saw a stall set up by a mortal older woman.
The dragoness approached the stall at the side that sold herbs and such, and she asked. "Do you have any mortal food seeds?"
The old woman smiled gently and bent while holding her back, picking up a small pouch. "Here, respected immortal. They are potato seeds that I got from a friend."
Yasenia looked at them and nodded. "Perfect. How much?"
The old woman waved her hand. "You don't need to pay, respected immortal."
Yasenia placed a mid-level Parus on the counter. "This is nothing for me, please accept it."
Then, she turned around without hearing anything more, leaving a grateful owner bowing at her. "Thank you, respected immortal. I hope your life is filled with a thousand blessings."
Yasenia returned to our group and showcased what she just explained. She picked one seed from the small pouch and looked at them. "This is a mortal seed for some kind of potato. If I throw one into my ring's most fertile land…" Yasenia threw it, and after a second, she took out a stalk full of plump potatoes with a spiritual aura around them. "… This happens."
Even the girls were impressed, not to mention Kaleina and Flame, who exclaimed in awe.
Yasenia laughed, guiding them to a set of benches nearby to sit calmly and enjoy the park's atmosphere. "Usually, it would have taken about three months for this variety of potatoes to grow in a common farmland. However, in my ring, it is just an instant. Moreover, these potatoes are not only much bigger than what they would usually give, but the spiritual aura around them is of great nourishment for a mortal. The five potatoes that sprouted from this stalk can probably feed a family for three days or so."
Yasenia smiled and added. "Moreover, they can be replanted…" Yasenia sliced the potatoes into small pieces and threw them into her ring. After two seconds, she waved her hand to summon a pile as tall as a person. "… and this is the result."
Kaleina exclaimed with glittering eyes as her tail wagged. "Wow! So many! And they don't smell bad!"
Flame crouched in front of the pile and picked a plump one, turning it around with curiosity. "It's so big!"
Yasenia laughed gently. "Of course. They've grown under the influence of a Natural Treasure and a ring of extremely high quality. Sadly, these potatoes can never be planted on normal farmlands. My ring's garden has 'pampered' these potatoes, and now they probably would rather wither than eat anything other than the nutrients in my garden."
Angel laughed. "A pampered potato!" Which made Kaleina and Flame also laugh.
Yasenia smiled softly, her back resting on the stone bench as her tail flexibly twisted to not bother her. "And that's just one person. While it is true that I've used very excessive methods and other cultivators can't compare to my efficiency, growing a crop of this quality in an hour is extremely doable with the right tools. How many people do you think a power as large as the mermaids can dedicate to food production? While meat will always be a luxury for mortals, as growing cattle is not as efficient as vegetables and such, there is no problem expending manpower of around 100~200 low-level cultivators to feed all mortals in a city of this size."
Yasenia finalized her explanation. "Moreover, it can be done affordable for them. That's why there exist so many levels of Parus Coins. Even in our Sky Continent, there are different levels of coins. While cultivators of our level always work with the 'highest' type of currency, in Distancia being Flawless or High-level Parus, mortals use the low-tier currencies, in Distancia's case, flawed and low-level Parus. Remember that the exchange between each coin is 1,000. So, a 'rich' mortal would gain around 15 or 20 low-level Parus a year. From what I've investigated, the need to maintain a family of four is around 700 flawed Parus a year, or 0.7 low-level Parus a year."
Kaleina blinked and commented, scratching her cheek with her claw. "Mommy, what were the Parus levels? I can't remember."
Yasenia answered. "I've told you before, so I know you can remember. Come on, baby. Think a bit harder."
Kaleina frowned and closed her eyes, her tail slapping the ground as she thought. Then, her eyes opened, and she exclaimed. "Ah! I remember! There are Flawed, low, mid, high, and flawless levels!"
Yasenia nodded. "Very good, Kaleina."
Kaleina got thoughtful and commented. "So… Knowing that the exchange is 1000 for each coin… One Flawless Parus is equivalent to… One Trillion Flawed Parus?"
The dragoness nodded. "That's right."
Kaleina blinked a few times and asked. "Don't we have a mine that gives a few thousand Flawless Parus a day?"
Yasenia chuckled. "That's right. We've even built formations to stimulate the Spiritual Ore Vein so that it can naturally grow with time and give us more Parus a day in the future. After all, a Spiritual Ore Vein has a certain capacity to replenish itself with the energy of the World. With the right methods, it's an inexhaustible source of income."
Kaleina blinked repeatedly. "So… We are earning a few quadrillion flawed Parus a day, enough to feed around one trillion mortal families a year, which is around five trillion people?"
Yasenia nodded calmly and praised her with a kiss. "You are so good at math, baby. But Mommy is not that poor. That's the gains of the Parus Mine. We have plenty of other sources of income that far overshadow the Parus Mine."
Kaleina felt somewhat speechless. 'My Mommy is a super tycoon!'
Flame, at the side, remembered something and suddenly asked with trepidation. "A-Aunty Yasenia, how much do all the medical concoctions and pills Kaleina and I consume cost?"
Yasenia pondered, tapping her chin with her finger. "Hm… It doesn't cost anything. We grow all of those things in my spatial ring and craft it ourselves. So, the only cost is the cost of the manual labor."
Flame, curious, continued to ask. "Yes, but if placed on the market, how much would it cost to train like us?"
Yasenia asked. "Like taking everything into account?"
Flame nodded a few times.
The dragoness tilted her head, calculating in her head. "Let's put aside the cost of tutoring because there isn't really a staple price in the market. So, for the herbs we use, it should be around 800 Flawless Parus a year. Then… If we add the pills' cost, training rooms, and if we add the clothes, food, etc…" Yasenia did a quick estimate and commented. "Kaleina consumes about 3,000 Flawless Parus worth of resources a year, and you, Flame, consume about 1,700."
Kaleina and Flame froze in place, their minds doing numbers and being somewhat overwhelmed. Yasenia took it as if Flame was hurt that she didn't invest as much, so she used her hand to pat her head. "You consume fewer resources because your body can't take it. It's not that I'm unwilling. Don't feel bad about it, okay, love?"
Flame stiffly nodded and continued to play with the potato robotically, her mind spinning at the ridiculous numbers she had just heard.
Evelyn commented, curious. "So, how many resources do we consume?"
Yasenia looked at Evelyn with a puzzled expression. "You should know that, right? It's quite easy to calculate by adding the cost of everything."
Evelyn's lips twitched. "Love, while we are good at arithmetic, you far surpass us in that matter. I can give you an estimate, but not something as precise as yourself, who takes care of most of those things."
Yasenia nodded, thoughtful. "Well, I'm the one consuming the most resources. About three times more than the most expensive of all of you. Moreover, the expenditure increased after I got the Body Refining method. But the cost should be nearly five million or so a year for you. We use a lot of high-level and peak-level materials that we personally grow. Even one of those can fetch a few hundred thousand in the market. Of course, thanks to my spatial ring, all costs related to Spiritual Herbs are more than covered. Moreover, we have literal mountains of high-level ores, so we are also not lacking there."
Evelyn nodded calmly while Kaleina and Flame petrified even more.