The dawn over the Aurelus Empire—the "Golden Empire"—was usually a spectacle of light reflecting off the city's gilded spires. But today, the city guards at the North Gate were preoccupied with a far more confusing sight.
Creaking down the main trade road was a wooden wagon that looked like it had been held together by prayer and luck. It was being pulled by a regular-looking brown ox that had a strangely depressed expression, as if it were questioning its entire existence.
The Cargo Zeno carried was full of Cabbages that can heal missing limbs and meat from a Level 249 Demon.
"Halt!" State your business and pay the 5-gold entry tax!"
the lead guard shouted, stepping forward. He was Level 45, a veteran who had seen everything from dragon-kin to shadow assassins. But as the wagon stopped, his "Danger Sense" didn't just tingle—it short-circuited.
Behind the simple "Farmer" in the straw hat sat two women. One was an emerald-haired beauty whose presence felt like the weight of a mountain range; the other was a silver-haired elf whose eyes held the sharp, predatory gleam of a beast god.then they look at the Elven Princesses acting as his servants, and then they see Reil (in wolf form) staring at them like they're appetizers.
"Business in the Capital?" the guard asked, his voice cracking. He tried to look at the cargo, which was covered by a rough burlap tarp.
"Just selling some surplus, officer," Zeno said with a polite smile. "A few cabbages, some garden herbs, and maybe a piece of meat if the market's good."
"Right... 'surplus,'" the guard muttered. He lifted a corner of the tarp and immediately felt his Level 45 cap crumble. The "cabbages" were vibrating with enough mana to power the city's defense arrays for a century. The "meat" smelled like the roasted soul of a disaster-rank demon.
"That'll be... uh... five copper for the entry tax," the guard stammered, deciding that "ignorant and alive" was better than "thorough and dead."
Zeno reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, glowing seed. "I'm a bit short on copper. Will this 'Golden Sun-Seed' cover it? I use them as bird-feed back home."
The guard looked at the seed—a legendary [Rank-S Divine Artifact] that could regrow a forest in a desert and then at Zeno's clueless face.
The guard wondered if he was willing giving them this ,which was worth thousands.
"Yeah... yeah, that'll do," the guard choked out, waving them through. "Welcome to Aurelus. Please... try not to destroy the economy too much."
The wagon rolled into the High District, where the nobility lived. In Zeno's old story, this was where the drama happened—political backstabbing, hidden assassins, and arrogant young masters. To Zeno, it was just a place with really annoying cobblestones.
"Master," Elara whispered, clutching her cloak tight. "The Royal Palace is right there. Are we really just going to walk in and drop off potatoes?"
"Alistair said the Emperor loves them!" Zeno chirped. "He said the last batch helped the Emperor's 'night-vision.' I think he just meant his cataracts were getting better."
Gaia let out a soft, humming giggle, her ample assets swaying as she adjusted her "low-key" sundress. "My Lord, the Emperor isn't seeing better because of 'night-vision.' He's seeing better because your potatoes are [Eyes of the Origin]. He's currently the only mortal who can see the flow of the world's mana."
Potato, po-tah-to," Zeno shrugged.
As they reached the Palace Gates, the same knights Zeno had "healed" three years ago stood at attention. Sir Alistair, now a [Hero Candidate], didn't even wait for a formal introduction. He sprinted down the steps and dropped to one knee before the wooden wagon.
"THE SAINT HAS RETURNED!" Alistair bellowed.
"Alistair, buddy, stand up!" Zeno hissed, his face turning crimson. "I told you, I'm just a farmer! I've got your order! Ten crates of 'Mortal-Grade' Spuds and a side of 'Mystery Beef'!"
The surrounding nobles froze. They saw their Empire's strongest Paladin bowing to a man in a straw hat. They saw the "Mystery Beef" which was currently emitting a faint, crimson-black smoke.
"Master Zeno," Alistair said, his voice trembling with reverence. "The Emperor has been... awaiting your arrival. He has prepared a feast. And... he wishes to discuss a 'small' problem in the Northern Border."
Zeno sighed, looking at his wagon. 'I knew it. I can't even deliver groceries without a quest popping up.'
"Alistair, chill out, man!" Sakura hissed, practically trying to hide under his straw hat as the Paladin's shout echoed off the marble walls. "You're making a scene. I'm just here to drop off the groceries and move on!"
Before Alistair could protest, Sakura hopped off the wagon. On the corner of the street, he spotted an old beggar, his clothes in tatters and his eyes cloudy with age. The man looked like he hadn't eaten in a week, ignored by the shimmering nobles passing by.
Sakura felt a pang in his chest—he remembered being the "burden" in his old life. He walked over and tossed a handful of gold coins into the man's wooden bowl. "Here, get yourself something nice to wear."
But he didn't stop there. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a [Heavenly Peach of Longevity]—a fruit that only grows once every ten thousand years in the highest layer of the God Realm. "And eat this. It's good for the digestion."
The beggar took a bite.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
[Target: 'Nameless Beggar' has consumed 'Fruit of the Origin']
[Cataracts: ERASED]
[Broken Limbs: RECONSTRUCTED]
[Level: 1 -> 450 (ASCENSION IN PROGRESS)]
In front of the entire High District, the old man didn't just heal; he transformed. His grey hair turned jet black, his muscles filled out, and a pillar of golden light shot from his body into the sky, clearing the clouds for miles. The "beggar" stood up, looking at his hands as if he had just been reborn as a War God.
"A MIRACLE!" the crowd screamed, dropping to their knees. "THE SAINT OF THE BARRENS! HE GRANTS DIVINITY WITH A SNACK!"
"Oh boy, here we go again," Sakura muttered, his face turning a lethal shade of red. He grabbed Gaia and Reil by the arms. "Run! Before they start asking for autographs!"
Using his [Speed: 180,000], he blurred out of the square so fast the crowd thought he had vanished into thin air. A second later, the trio skidded to a halt in front of a much rowdier building: The Adventurers' Guild.
The air here smelled of cheap ale, sweat, and monster blood. It was the perfect place to disappear.
"Master," Elara panted, her elven ears twitching. "You just turned a homeless man into a National Hero. You really don't know how to be 'low-key,' do you?"
"I gave him a peach, Elara! A peach!" Sakura complained, pushing open the heavy oak doors of the Guild. "How was I supposed to know it would do that?"
The interior of the Guild went dead silent as they walked in. A group of Level 150 'S-Rank' adventurers looked up from their drinks, their eyes narrowing at the "Farmer" and the two incredibly beautiful women behind him.
"You lost, kid?" a scarred warrior asked, resting a massive sword on the table. "The petting zoo is down the street. This place is for people who kill things for a living."
Sakura didn't even blink. He walked up to the counter and slammed the [Platinum Axe of the Void] down on the wood. The weight of the purified divine metal cracked the counter in half.
"I'd like to sell some scrap metal," Sakura said calmly. "And maybe pick up a quest. Something easy. Like... picking flowers?"
Sakura reached into his pocket and pulled out a pouch that felt lighter than it should, considering it was packed with [Condensed Astral Gold]. To a mortal, a single coin from this pouch could buy a provincial city; to Sakura, it was just "spending money" so the girls wouldn't feel left out.
"Here," Sakura said, handing the pouch to Elara and Mina. "I'm going to be stuck here doing paperwork and 'scrap' appraisals for a while. Go explore the market. Buy some new dresses, some jewelry, or whatever it is High Elves like. Just... try not to buy the whole street, okay?"
The sisters looked at the pouch, then at the "Farmer" who was currently being sized up by a dozen hostile S-Rank adventurers.
"But Master," Mina whispered, glancing at the scarred warrior who was still glaring at Sakura. "Are you sure you'll be okay? These men look... aggressive."
Sakura let out a short, breezy laugh. "Mina, I just swatted a Demon Bull into the next zip code. I think I can handle a guy with a rusty butter knife. Go have fun. Gaia, keep an eye on them?"
Gaia gave a slow, elegant nod, her emerald eyes shimmering. "Of course, My Lord. I shall ensure they select only the finest fabrics befitting the staff of the Creator." She leaned in, her lush assets grazing Sakura's shoulder one last time. "And I might find something... 'restrictive' for myself as well."
As the three goddesses walked out—turning every head in the Guild and causing at least three adventurers to fall off their chairs—Sakura turned back to the Guild counter.
The receptionist, a young woman named Sarah, was staring at the [Platinum Axe] as if it were a ticking time bomb. Her hands were shaking so much she couldn't even pick up her quill.
"So," Sakura said, leaning on the cracked counter. "About that quest? Do you have anything like... 'C-Rank: Herb Gathering'? I'm really trying to keep a low profile today."
The scarred warrior from before stood up, his heavy boots clanking on the floor. He walked over and looked down at Sakura, his shadow looming over the "Farmer."
"Scrap metal, huh?" the warrior growled, reaching out to grab the handle of the Platinum Axe. "You shouldn't carry toys you don't know how to use, kid. I'll take this off your hands as a 'stupidity tax'."
The moment his fingers touched the handle, the warrior's face went from arrogant to ghostly pale.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
[Target: 'Iron-Gut' Grog (Level 160) attempted to lift 'The Author's Executioner']
[Result: WEIGHT INCOMPREHENSIBLE]
The warrior's knees buckled. The floorboards beneath him shattered. Despite using both hands and screaming until his veins popped, the axe didn't budge a single millimeter. It was like trying to lift the entire planet with a toothpick.
Sakura blinked, looking at the struggling man. "Oh, sorry. It's a bit heavy if you don't have the right grip. Here, let me move it for you."
Sakura picked it up with his pinky finger and set it back down gently.
The entire Guild went deathly silent.
The scarred warrior, Grog, saw red. The humiliation of not being able to lift the "scrap" while the kid used his pinky was too much. "You're using some kind of gravity magic, you little cheat!" he roared, drawing his massive Grade-A steel claymore.
In a blur of steel, he swung. The blade whistled through the air, aimed straight for Sakura's neck. The onlookers gasped—a Level 160 S-Ranker attacking a "civilian" was a death sentence.
But the blade never touched skin.
A small, silver-furred dog that had been lounging at Sakura's heels suddenly exploded into a whirlwind of divine mana. In a literal heartbeat, the "dog" was gone, replaced by Reil in her beast-girl form. Her silver tail lashed once, creating a shockwave that shattered the Guild's windows.
CRACK.
Reil didn't even use a weapon. She caught the massive claymore with two fingers and snapped the steel like it was a dry twig. Before Grog could even blink, she delivered a casual palm strike to his chest.
The warrior turned into a human cannonball, crashing through three heavy oak tables and embedding himself five inches deep into the stone wall at the back of the hall. He didn't even have time to groan before he passed out, his Level 160 pride shattered along with his armor.
Reil immediately de-transformed, her wolf ears twitching as she turned back to Sakura. She wagged her tail so hard it sounded like a helicopter blade, her golden eyes sparkling with a "Did you see that?!" look. She sat at his feet, panting happily, practically leaning her head into his hand for a "good girl" headpat.
Sakura, however, didn't reach down. He just stared at the hole in the wall, then at the terrified receptionist, and finally at the vibrating wolf-girl.
"Reil," Sakura said, his voice flat and heavy with a massive headache.
Reil's ears perked up. "Yes, Master? Did I shred the trash well? Should I go pull him out of the wall and do it again?"
"No," Sakura sighed, rubbing his temples. "We talked about this. The Mortal Protocol. Rule number one: No breaking the locals. Rule number two: No structural damage to public property. You just turned a man into a wall-hanging and destroyed three tables. We're going to have to pay for those!"
Reil's ears flattened against her head. The "happy puppy" energy vanished, replaced by the pout of a dejected wolf. "But... he tried to cut your neck! I was protecting the Creator!"
"I have 53 million Defense, Reil! His sword would have bent into a pretzel if it hit me!" Sakura groaned. "Now sit. No treats for the rest of the day."
'Seriously?' Sakura thought internally, looking at her whimpering. 'Does she really expect me to praise her for turning the Guild into a construction site? My "low-key" life is a total disaster. I'm never getting that herb-gathering quest now.'
He turned back to the receptionist, who was now hiding under her desk.
"So... uh... sorry about the wall," Sakura said, pulling out a [High-Tier Regeneration Potion] and placing it on the counter. "Give this to the guy in the wall. It'll fix his ribs. And do you have a quest that doesn't involve me being challenged to a duel?"