Chapter 17 - Daily Life

In the Capital City of Fearei Kingdom:

The king of the kingdom, Magnus, was sifting through a pile of documents when a knock suddenly came.

"Come in."

"I've seen your majesty," Shadow bowed.

"It's you, Shadow. Do you need something?"

"It's my subordinate; he found this on his table after he came to work," Shadow said as he handed Magnus the letter.

"This," Magnus suddenly stopped as he scanned what was on the letter.

"The cult leader is here?!"

"Did you find the source of this letter?" Magnus quickly asked.

Although it's been a few months since the death of his son Felix, he was still heartbroken.

He had been keeping an eye on possible movements of cults, but nothing was found.

Even the people from the Etherium Embassy who came found nothing.

But now, written in this letter, the leader of the cult is hiding within his kingdom.

"I don't know; it seemed to just suddenly appear."

"I have used all my detection methods, but no traces are found," Shadow explained.

"Sigh," Magnus didn't know if he should be worried about the cult or the one who sent the letter.

"Anyway, be alert in case."

"Furthermore, call the people at the Etherium Embassy to standby."

"Let's see if that cult leader can still escape," Magnus said grimly.

Although having people from the Etherium Embassy on standby is costly, there is nothing he can do.

"I will, your majesty," Shadow bowed.

...

A month passed, and nothing much happened, everything was still peaceful.

After he sent the message to the king of the Fearei Kingdom about the cult leader's possible activities, there was no other news.

It seemed that nothing had happened.

But based on the Phantom Organization investigation, the kingdom's security had tightened.

Moreover, people from overseas were seen patrolling the kingdom secretly.

As for the trace of the cult leader, it seemed to disappear into thin air.

Even with meticulous searches by the Phantom Organization, there was not a single clue.

While he was thinking, a knock came.

"It's you Robert, What the matter?" 

"I've seen Count Maximus" Robert bowed.

"I'm here to report about the sales of the wine."

"I see. It's been over a month since we began selling it," Maximus nodded, recalling the timeline.

"So how is it?"

"It's been a tremendous success, Lord Count!"

"Originally the sales have been stale, until a few weeks ago"

Robert then began the tale of the wine that is not afraid of deep alleys.

Initially, people were skeptical about such an expensive wine.

Many even scoffed and criticized it for being overly pricey.

However, as word of mouth spread, some wealthy nobles caught wind of it and began to stock the wine in their cellars after tasting it.

Others soon followed suit, experiencing what made the wine so highly sought after.

Like a domino effect, the wine became so famous that there was not enough stock to meet the demand.

"How much did we earn in this?"

"We only had a stock of about a thousand bottles, so we earned approximately half a million gold," Robert exclaimed excitedly.

"So much" Maximus also got excited.

Although he appeared to make a significant profit from reselling system products, it was a one-time thing.

In contrast, this wine business was a long-term business and didn't need to be hidden.

While it was somewhat high-profile, it wasn't enough to attract attention, especially with the protection of his two Tier 3 Earth Knight Generals

"Good, continue with your work!" 

"After we have enough money, I will invest in additional resources to expand the farm," Maximus encouraged.

"I will do my best Lord!" Robert replied with excitement.

Robert's passion lay in tending the farm; it was something he lived for.

He had been pleading with Maximus to expand the farm every day, like a wronged daughter-in-law.

However, Maximus always cited insufficient funds for additional resources.

Now, with the profits from the winery, his dream of providing enough food to the world was closer to reality.

...

Two months later, in Moonshadow City:

The city had a festive atmosphere, with people talking and laughing with each other.

"Hey, it's our second harvest this year!"

"Yeah! Who would have thought that we would also plant our own food?"

"It's thanks to the lord; I heard that he is an array master."

"Yes, I heard that it's a pretty rare profession that can only be found overseas."

A bunch of farmers talked among themselves as they glanced at the huge plain with various crops blooming and ready for harvest.

Compared to the first harvest, it's livelier today.

After all, people didn't expect much when they first planted.

But now, they were full of hope, unafraid of a future where they would die of hunger.

...

In the castle, Maximus was also having the time of his life, bonding with his wives and children.

"M-mommy, is brother there?" Liam stuttered as he pointed at Erica's belly.

Liam and Lily just learned to speak fluently a month ago.

Thanks to the sufficient nutrition that Maximus bought from the system, they were developing quickly.

At only 9-10 months old, they can already speak and articulate simple sentences.

"It's s-sister~" Lily cutely said.

Both Hazel and Erica laughed at the siblings' interaction.

Now their bellies are bulging, with only a few months left before giving birth.

"B-but I want a brother," Liam said, looking at his mischievous sister.

Liam had had enough of his sister always bullying him.

Although he was physically stronger, based on his father and mother's teachings, he should not bully his sister.

"No! I want sisters!" Lily pouted, about to cry.

"How about a sister and a brother?" Liam said, noticing that there were two pregnant mommies.

"No! I want two sisters!" Lily didn't back down.

"I-I..." Liam, on the other hand, was conflicted.

Liam was only a few months old so didn't understand the complexity of his feelings.

He felt like hitting his sister, but at the same time, he also wanted to agree with her.

"Mommy, it's sisters, right?" Lily asked Hazel.

"Uh," Hazel didn't know what to say.

Based on her husband, the child in her stomach is a boy.

But seeing Lily's pitiful and cute eyes, she didn't have the courage to say it.

"Mommy~" Lily urged her mother.

"I don't know, can this big sister just wait for her younger sibling?"

"Big Sister?" Lily looked puzzled, not knowing the meaning of the word.

"It means Lily has grown up."

"Grown up like daddy?" Lily put her finger on her lips, thinking.

"Yes, look, Liam is a big brother."

Liam, who heard his name, looked at them puzzled.

"Big brother like daddy?" Lily didn't really understand.

"Yes, Liam is a big brother"

"Oh~" Lily stood up and thought of something.

Lily staggered as she walked to Liam then opened her arms, "Hug~" 

"Huh?" Liam was puzzled at his little sister's incomprehensible action.

"Big brother, grown up," Lily said.

Lily thought that Liam was like Daddy and should be given a hug.

"Hug~," Lily said again.

"Oh-" Liam didn't know what was the matter, but he hugged his sister anyway.

"Kiss~" Lily requested.

Liam then gave his sister a kiss on the cheek.

"Hmm, brother grown up," Lily patted Liam's shoulder and went back to Hazel.

"Grown up?" Liam looked at his mother, Erica, in puzzlement.

"It means you should protect your sister."

"Protect..." Liam muttered as he deeply thought about the word.

Seeing Lily laughing and playing, he vaguely guessed its meaning.

"Maybe I should make my sister always happy," Liam thought.

Maximus, seeing their interaction, sighed.

"My kids really grow up fast."

He remembered when they were still babbling and always fighting, with Liam always ending up on the losing side.

Now, Lily learned to be sweet like a little padded jacket.

"Lily, come to daddy, also give me hugs and kisses."

"Daddy!" Lily walked toward him unsteadily, giving Maximus what he wanted.

"Hmm, my little Lily has grown up," Maximus muttered as he rubbed his cheeks against Lily's.

"I-im a Big Sister!" Lily, as she heard the word "grown up," associated it with the world.

"Yes, yes, little Lily will be a big sister," Maximus laughed happily.