Chapter 34
Alex searched diligently, removing everything from the box, shaking it, and even attempting to pry it open, but he found nothing. He began to realize that the interior volume of the box must be larger than what he could see at the moment. His divine sense was unable to penetrate it, no matter how much he urged it to do so.
A fleeting idea crossed Alex's mind – he could use his sharp machete, one of the items he retrieved from the space ring, to force the box open. However, he quickly dismissed this thought, fearing that the precious contents inside might be damaged in the process. The machete was too sharp, and if he were mistaken about the box containing a treasure, he would be left feeling regretful.
"What if I ruin something valuable in my haste?" Alex pondered, reluctant to take such a risky approach. He needed to find another solution to unlock the secrets concealed within the mysterious box. With renewed determination, Alex continued his quest to decipher its enigmatic contents.
With determination, Alex continued trying to unlock the secrets of the box until exhaustion overcame him. Despite the time difference between the outside world, which is slower than the space within the ring, his physical body was still flesh and blood, susceptible to fatigue.
Finally, Alex emerged from the ring room, drenched in sweat and sporting a weary expression. At that moment, he coincidentally ran into Lily. Seeing her husband's disheveled appearance, Lily couldn't help but wonder what had transpired inside.
Recalling their recent argument, Lily assumed that Alex had been deeply affected by their words and interactions, and perhaps he had retreated to the room to conceal his tears of guilt and remorse for his actions. This thought stirred feelings of both sympathy and guilt within Lily.
She never meant to put pressure on her husband; she was just having a hard time and accidentally let herself explode.
Alex then smiled at his wife and continued to the bathroom to take a shower.
Lily, who saw Alex's broad back showing exhaustion, couldn't help but blame herself. She thought that she had been too insensitive. Her husband was dealing with many troubles and unexpected things. She assumed that Alex was just trying to make amends by indulging the girl.
However, Alex was oblivious to his wife's turmoil, as he didn't notice her disheveled appearance. If he had known, he might have felt a little down. The reason he looked fatigued was not because he felt guilty or blamed himself, but because he was playing!
Yes, playing! Who doesn't like to play? Men just change the games they play as they grow older!
If Lily knew that her husband was tired from playing, she wouldn't feel sorry and sad at all; instead, she might be angry because her husband was so inattentive.
Fortunately, humans can't easily hear what goes on in other people's heads, which prevents a misunderstanding in Alex's household.
…
After taking a shower and packing up, Alex didn't go back into the ring room at all. He wanted to rest and enjoy a warm dinner with his little family.
With this in mind, he cooked using ingredients soaked in the diluted dew of life. As each dish was almost finished and ready to be served, a group of people arrived at his house with a slightly surprised tone.
"Hey Mom, just listen to what I'm saying, Brother bought a cool car! Lilith and I rode it this afternoon."
"Ahhh, is this your brother's car?" an older woman asked.
"Yeah, if you don't believe me, just ask him later!"
Alex, who was in the kitchen, overheard this and knew who the people who had come were.
When Alex walked into the dining room, he was greeted by his family.
His mother, in a hurry, immediately approached Alex with a worried expression.
"Your son! Why did you buy such an expensive car? How can you be extravagant when you still have debts!"
Alex was immediately hit by his mother's hand, though he didn't feel any pain at all.
"Mom, please calm down. I can naturally repay the debt. Didn't my uncle and aunt say that my vegetables were good last time? I have already sent money to my uncle for them to pay the bank, and this is the rest," Alex explained.
Hearing this, Mrs. Greenfield didn't calm down or control her anger at all. Instead, she yelled at Alex.
"Then if there's anything left, why don't you save it? Your daughter has a lot of money to spend, not to mention you're not always guaranteed to get this money every month! Why are you so extravagant!"
Upon hearing this, Alex decided to defend himself.
"Relax, Mom. I have my knowledge and can assure you that I have a steady income every month."
Mrs. Greenfield wasn't convinced and still wanted to complain, but before she could voice her anger, Mr. Greenfield intervened.
"Alright, that's enough. This kid has grown up and knows right from wrong. Let's not overdo it."
"But-" Mrs. Greenfield still seemed displeased.
Mr. Greenfield gently shook his head, signaling his wife to stop.
The atmosphere became awkward as a result.
To break the tension, Alex, still holding a hot dish in his hand, decided to initiate a conversation.
"Okay, now that Mom and Dad are here, let's eat together."
Greenfield's mother and father didn't object at all; in fact, they were more than happy to be invited by their child.
"Brother, am I not invited to eat too?" asked Rose with a pretentious look.
Alex snorted in response to Rose's attitude but didn't protest further.
Ignoring the smirk on Rose's face, Alex continued with the meal, and the family enjoyed the delicious food. There was no fear of running out as Alex had cooked a huge amount.
Everyone was puzzled as to why Alex had cooked so much as if he already knew that the whole family would be dining together tonight.
Moreover, Alex's cooking was exceptionally good, as if he had spent 10 years training to become a chef instead of being a soldier.
As a man, Greenfield's father was interested in Alex's car and asked about it several times. Alex, noticing his father's obvious fondness for the car, couldn't help but ask casually, "Do you want me to buy the same car? Dad's sedan and mini pickup are old and should be retired."
"How much is your car worth?" asked Greenfield's father, showing curiosity.
"Actually, the price of that type of car is maybe only $60,000, but because the car I took was a modified version, the price went up to $90,000. Nonetheless, I am very satisfied with it," explained Alex.
Instantly, the room fell silent. Alex felt a little confused and shifted his gaze from the plate in front of him to the expressions of everyone around him. He noticed odd looks on their faces, including his mother's reddened face as if it were a boiled crab.
After that, deafening sounds started to hit Alex's eardrums repeatedly.
"YOU ARE UNDISCIPLINED, WASTING MONEY INDISCRIMINATELY...."
Mother Greenfield screamed so loudly that her jugular veins bulged like wriggling worms.
Alex, who was being lectured, finally realized that he had casually mentioned a large amount of money in front of his family. It was not entirely his fault; back on Earth, the currency of his country had a high nominal value. For instance, 14,000 in his country was probably equivalent to just 1 dollar. So unknowingly, he underestimated 90,000, which was a number he usually used only to buy three servings of food in his country. Moreover, Alex already had 100 million dollars in the ring space, which naturally made him look down on these relatively small bucks!
Alex could only feel stupid, wondering why he had casually mentioned this large amount of money when he still had a debt hanging over his head while being with his family.
Even now, Greenfield's father didn't stop Greenfield's mother and even complained a little about their daughter's extravagance.
Seeing his mother's unyielding expression, Alex became concerned that she might fall ill due to anger. Reluctantly, he came up with an idea that he was hesitant to implement.
"Mom, calm down. Actually, I have savings of three million dollars."
Everyone who heard this was clearly in disbelief.
Mother Greenfield then roared, "YOU KIDS CAN STILL LIE AT TIMES LIKE THIS!"
Seeing this, Alex continued, "Haven't I ever sent money home before? I kept it very carefully for the family."
Without waiting for his parents' response, Alex went to his room and returned with a black briefcase in hand. Confusion filled the room as everyone wondered if Alex was playing a prank on them or making up excuses.
However, Alex was serious, and he placed the suitcase in front of everyone, opening it without hesitation. At first, they remained skeptical, but as the suitcase opened, their jaws dropped in shock. They couldn't believe what they were seeing.
Even Greenfield's mother rubbed her eyes in disbelief, trying to comprehend the sight before her.
Meanwhile, Rose knowingly pinched her nephew, and the room echoed with the sound of the milk girl's scream.
"Aghhhh!" Lilith cried out, feeling wronged and complaining, "Little aunt, why did you pinch me!"
Rose, with a shy expression, replied, "Don't you want to know if this is a dream or not?"
Lilith snorted in response, clearly unhappy about being taken advantage of. The room fell silent once again as everyone stared at the opened briefcase in disbelief.
Alex couldn't help but smile wryly. What would happen if he told them that his actual savings were not three million but one hundred million! They might all faint at once.
...
thanks to: John_Carlo_Jalasco, yasir321, DaoistRqGZq8, isaias_vedastoiii, and Moondragonfire for power stone.