Teacher by day, Farmer by passion - Chapter 228

Chapter 228: Royal Crisis [2] (NEW!)
Ace strolled leisurely out of the academy grounds, hands tucked behind his head, his robe fluttering gently in the breeze.

“Hmm… I wonder what’s really going on now in the Royal Capital,” he mused aloud.

“Having heard some things I probably shouldn’t have now I’m really curious. Tch, tch…” He clicked his tongue and smirked. “First, I’ll pick up Lily and—wait… what about Yuu? Where is she, anyway?”

Ace continued down the path, only to see two familiar figures approaching—Emilia and Anna.

“Professor!” both girls called out in unison, waving excitedly.

“Emilia, Anna,” he greeted with a light smile.

“You both should know I’m no longer a professor, I just got fired, in case you two missed the memo.”

Anna, replied in an unbothered tone, “We know. Lin Zhaoyu used his family name to push the decision through.”

“Ah, of course he did,” Ace chuckled. “So, what brings you two here?”

Anna nudged Emilia. “Go on, you said you wanted to talk to him.”

Emilia hesitated for a moment, fidgeting with her sleeves before stepping forward. “Professor… can I be your assistant?”

Ace blinked, then gave her the exact same serene, almost holy smile Headmaster Amon had shown him earlier.

“No,” he said, utterly calm.

Emilia, who had braced herself for any answer except rejection, stood frozen, eyes wide in disbelief.

“Eh? Ah—uh… but… why?” she stammered, her voice trembling.

Ace gave a lazy shrug, his tone calm but firm. “Why? You’ll be in my way.”

‘After all,’ he mused inwardly, ‘alchemy’s not really my end goal. I don’t even know what I want… maybe I’ll just go back and start a farm.’

He offered them a small nod. “If that’s all, then I wish you both well.”

And with that, Ace turned and began to walk away.

But Emilia wasn’t ready to give up so easily.

“Professor!” she called out, her voice ringing with desperation. “Will I ever see you again?”

Ace paused mid-step.

He didn’t turn around. Instead, he tilted his head slightly, and with a quiet sigh, said:

“Probably not in this lifetime… unless you achieve something truly extraordinary.”

Then, without another word, he walked off with a subtle grin tugging at the corner of his lips.

“Oh man,” he chuckled to himself, “I’ve been dying to drop a cool exit line like that. Hah… maybe next time I’ll go full ‘Kamui’ in front of a bunch of kids. Hahaha.”

Ace’s figure faded into the city streets, leaving behind two stunned girls and a silence heavier than before. By the time the sun had shifted past the academy spires, he was weaving through a bustling market square…

“It’s about time I bought a map and made sense of my surroundings,” Ace muttered to himself, rubbing his temples. “I’m probably not the only one who doesn’t know what this world actually looks like.”

After weaving through a few bustling streets and sidestepping a haggling merchant or two, he finally found what he was looking for. A detailed regional map, inked on aged parchment and mounted on a wooden scroll.

Unrolling it, Ace narrowed his eyes.

“So… the kingdom I’m in is called Tharz Kingdom, fancy, I feel like I’ve been told that before,” he murmured. “And this is aetheria city which,yeah I know… hmm I wonder where Catfish Village is. I’m sure it’s northeast.”

His eyes traced the lines and markings carefully. The kingdom itself wasn’t that large. In fact, from a bird’s-eye view, it felt rather… quaint.

To the northeast, marked by a soft curve of forested terrain, was Catfish Village.

“Aha right there, huh where it all started. It’s funny ain’t it, 200+ in and i haven’t really achieved anything…” he muttered.

Nearby stood whiteoak City, a mid-sized hub overseeing the entire northeastern region. Not far from it, nestled among rocky peaks, was a small emblem that read:

Flying Sword Sect.

“Oh of course,how could I forget about them too. Huh, they have quite the huge territory.. And to think there’s 5 sects and many more smaller sects despite the kingdom being small.”

He chuckled and continued scanning northward. Just a bit higher on the map, another sect came into view.

White Ice Sect.

Ace raised an eyebrow. “Seriously… why is every ice-themed sect always in the north? It’s like a cosmic rule at this point.”

He rolled his eyes with a grin before spotting three more sects listed across various directions on the map—each marked with unique symbols and distinct elemental themes.

“Well,” Ace nodded to himself, folding the map with care.

“Now, where do I even head if things go South—which, apparently, is the universal direction for disasters. And no way am I crossing that cursed place, the Black River Valley.”

He traced his fingers around the map, frowning. “I’ll also need to steer clear of anywhere Sarah’s been spotted… which means I can’t go where Lily is either.”

He paused. “Man, sometimes I amaze myself with how dumb I can be. Why didn’t I consider the communication issue before sending her on that mission?”

Just then, with perfect timing, a soft ding echoed in his mind—and a translucent blue screen shimmered into existence before him.

[Host, as the Spirit Bot of the Divine Garden, Lily’s consciousness is directly linked to the Divine Garden.]

[Communication is available.]

“Wait… so I can just type a message and it’ll reach her instantly?”

[Affirmative.]

“Heh, neat.” He cracked his knuckles like he was about to write a life-altering love letter and began typing with a smirk.

To: Lily

Message:

“I have embarked on a journey to the neighboring kingdom to begin building my farming empire. Yes, farming. Don’t ask questions, I have always had a burning passion for it, okay? If you are done, you may come over to Falmuth Kingdom. It’s… part of the plot, okay?”

“Perfect,” Ace grinned as the message whooshed off into the ether. “Now all I need is to take in a third disciple. Maybe one who’s obsessed with calligraphy and thr likes of it. Get the kid to start scribbling in some exotic terms like reincarnation, isekai, truck-kun… introduce a whole new genre to this world. Hoho Maybe I should aim for world domination with wealth.”

He chuckled, his footsteps lighter, confidence blooming with every step.

“Oh yeah… the plan’s coming together. Can’t wait to make my dream come true.”

Ace chuckled to himself and casually strolled off in the direction opposite the ominous Black Sea Valley.

Meanwhile, chaos erupted in Whiteoak City.

“What do you mean every disciple of your clan is dead?! And how in the heavens does that make me or our family the culprit?” Hua Ting snapped, visibly offended.

Across from him stood two formidable figures—Azu Real, Patriarch of the Azu Clan, and Boa Henhen, Matriarch of the Boa Clan.

The two powerful leaders had joined forces in a rare, tense alliance to confront the Hua Family.

Their combined presence alone sent waves of pressure through the grand hall.

“Your family was the only one unaccounted for during the mission,” Azu Real growled.

“And the only one to return untouched,” Boa Henhen added coldly, her sharp eyes narrowing. “That’s too much of a coincidence, don’t you think?”

The air crackled with accusation, and Whiteoak City trembled on the edge of a new storm.

“We clearly had no intention of joining this year’s Abyss Exploration! We exchanged our slots to send in our benefactor and look! He’s dead!” Hua Ting protested, trying to clear the growing storm of misunderstanding.

His tone was firm, but there was a flicker of unease in his eyes.

Boa Henhen’s gaze sharpened. “Can you tell me why exactly did you withdraw your disciples at the last minute?” she asked, voice like ice. “Because you had… indirect news about what was to come?”

The implication hung heavy in the air like a blade poised to strike.

“Sounds more like foresight than coincidence,” Azu Real muttered darkly, folding his arms as suspicion deepened.

“Hey!” Hua Ting snapped, his voice rising in rage.

“What? You want a fight? I’m not afraid of you!” Azu Real stood up from his seat.

Boa Henhen raised a hand, her tone steady and unbothered. “Calm down. We’re here to discuss rescue plans, not to waste time trading accusations.”

Azu Real sneered sitting back down, “Easy for you to say. His family didn’t lose a single soul in the incident.” The accusation burned, but still, no one made a move.

Boa Henhen sighed, her eyes shifting toward Azu Real. “And who was it that called the Hua family cowards for retreating from the Abyss? Just because the gates opened naturally this time instead of being forcefully pried open like before?”

Azu Real’s mouth opened—then closed again. No words came.

Boa turned to Hua Ting. Her voice was firm, but not hostile. “Patriarch of the Hua family. We don’t know if you received a warning about what was coming, but it is a fact that your household suffered no casualties.”

Hua Ting drew himself up. “It was my granddaughter’s quick thinking that saved them.”

“Have you approached the Xiao family yet?” Boa asked smoothly.

“We did.” Hua Ting replied.

But before the conversation could move forward, Azu Real exploded. “You—and that wench—you both definitely knew something!” Azu Real’s voice cracked like thunder. He slammed his fist against the armrest, shaking the room.

Boa Henhen’s eyes narrowed. But she didn’t deny as she also stared at Hua Ting.