Seeing the disappointment in Paige Summersâs expression, Rhonda Rhodes felt a stir of apprehension.
He was also well aware that jade wasnât valuable in this era. The problem was that it was difficult to find; at least, he had no way of finding more on his own.
If Paige Summers were to deliver it to him, the round trip alone would cost time and energy.
Without a suitable item for trade, would she still put her best effort into it?
Back on Aethelgard, Rhonda Rhodes had never needed to consider such things.
The Longpeak Sect was only a Mid-tier Sect, but as the Sect Leaderâs head disciple, he had a bright future and had never wanted for resources.
Back then, his mind was solely focused on Cultivation, paying little attention to worldly matters.
But things were different now.
Now, he not only had to think, but he had to be thorough.
âThis counts as a kind of training, I suppose!â Rhonda Rhodes thought, trying to find some humor in his predicament.
He took a breath and broke the silence. "Since youâre interested in these things, I have some seeds on hand that might be of use to you."
"Seeds?" Paige Summers blinked. âHe really has some!â
In fact, when Rhonda Rhodes had said it was best not to eat those plants, she had been wonderingâjudging by his attitude, he clearly didnât eat them himself. So, in an age where most people survived on them, where was he getting his daily food from?
She feared he might have already reached the cultivation level described in Cultivation novels where one could abstain from food entirely. If so, she was out of luck.
Apparently, that wasnât the case.
Her subsequent disappointment had been genuine, but it was also partly a strategic retreat, a way of probing him.
She hadnât expected him to bring it up on his own.
Paige Summers couldnât help but feel a secret delight.
âSeeing how he had managed to restore Hugo Perryâs body to such a perfect state, I know that Cultivators have their methods. The seeds heâs offering are probably quite exceptional, too!â
As she was thinking this, Rhonda Rhodes nodded and turned to enter the inner room.
A moment later, he returned carrying a large cloth sack and handed it to her.
Paige Summers didnât stand on ceremony. She opened it, and a look of genuine, astonished delight spread across her face.
The seeds inside were wheat, which she thankfully recognized.
But this was clearly no ordinary wheat.
The oval grains were much plumper than any she had ever seen, and each one was so crystalline it almost seemed to glow.
"This... this is wheat seed, right?!"
Rhonda Rhodes gave a faint smile. "Itâs a Spirit Plant from my plane of existence. Naturally, itâs different from ordinary wheat seeds."
"A Spirit Plant..." Paige Summersâs expression shifted slightly. She tempered her excitement and asked probingly, "I imagine itâs much harder to care for, then. Can these seeds really grow in ordinary soil?"
Rhonda Rhodes nodded. "They can. To be honest, I was saving these seeds for my own use. Their life force is extremely tenacious, and they can purge impurities from the soil on their own. However..." He hesitated for a moment before admitting, "There is a limit. Without the support of Spiritual Power, the wheat seeds harvested from a mature plant will just be ordinary seeds. Iâm afraid they wouldnât be able to survive in this land."
Then his expression turned serious. "But for you, consuming these Spiritual Objects will allow you to absorb more Spiritual Energy, which is highly beneficial for your Cultivation!"
Hearing this, Paige Summersâs heart surged with excitement!
âIn ordinary soil, these wheat seeds are a one-time use item. But what about the soil in my space?â
âIf the results are only better and not worse, wouldnât eating this wheat every day be like absorbing Crystal Cores every day?â
âEven if the amount is small, every little bit adds up!â
The more she thought about it, the more excited she became. She did her best to suppress her overwhelming joy, allowing only a moderate amount to show. "In that case, thank you so much! You can count on me for the jade!"
Rhonda Rhodes grunted in acknowledgment, his expression gradually returning to its initial indifference.
Paige felt she had gotten a huge advantage. She was about to say she would bring him the jade soon, but before the words could leave her mouth, she felt something strange in her body!
âPoison?!â
âNo, no, this feeling isnât quite like poison, but itâs definitely something affecting my body!â
Her gaze swept over Rhonda Rhodesâs expressionless face, then dropped to the cloth sack in her hands... Her lips twisted. âNo wonder he was so quick to give me the seeds first. He had another trick up his sleeve!â
âBut why does this plotline feel so familiar?â
âOh, right. When I first met Andy, he also used a drug to gradually weaken me because he was afraid I would abandon him.â
âThatâs it.â
âThis guy must be afraid Iâll leave and never come back, causing him to lose the seeds for nothing. Thatâs why he resorted to this.â
âBut... even though Iâm not afraid and I understand that this is normal between two people who donât trust each other, itâs still really damn annoying!â
She stood up, casually hoisting the sack of wheat seeds onto her shoulder, a brilliant smile on her face. âSo he wants jade? Fine, I can get it for him. But heâs going to have to wait just a little bit longer for it!â
"If thereâs nothing else, Iâll be going. Thanks... for the seeds!"
"No need," Rhonda Rhodes said quietly. âItâs just an equivalent exchange. Iâm sure weâll meet again soon.â
Paige was in no mood to say more. She turned crisply and left.
Outside, Zephyr Mercer was waiting impatiently. When he saw them emerge, his expression softened slightly.
"Are you done talking? Then..."
"Weâre done!" Paige Summers cut him off. "We can talk when we get back."
Zephyr had wanted to ask Rhonda Rhodes more about the Energy Introduction heâd mentioned earlier, but Paigeâs solemn expression suggested something was wrong. His heart skipped a beat, and he decided it was best to go back with her first.
Rhonda Rhodes glanced at him and opened his mouth, but in the end, he said nothing. He simply nodded, didnât see them off, and went back inside.
On the way back, Zephyr Mercer offered to carry the sack of wheat seeds several times, but Paige Summers refused.
Zephyr was sure it wasnât his imagination; she was definitely acting strangely. He couldnât help but ask, "What on earth happened? Is that Rhonda... oh, no, is Hugo Perry really an old friend of yours?"
Paige shook her head gravely. "No, heâs not."
"So you were mistaken!" Zephyr let out a breath of relief. âTo be honest, itâs rare to see Paige so "worked up," and all that childhood sweetheart stuff is so annoying! Itâs good that itâs not true. Now I can ask him for advice without any awkwardness.â
His thoughts were simple, but Paige wasnât so relaxed. She asked solemnly, "What did he say to you when you were in the room?"
Zephyr didnât hide anything from her, recounting the conversation in full detail.
"He said my current Cultivation only trains my muscles and bones, not my inner self. He has a Cultivation Technique thatâs very suitable for me, and if Iâm willing, he can teach it to me and make me much stronger. But thereâs a condition..."
"What condition?"
Zephyr said innocently, "He didnât get a chance to say. You finished your Promotion just then, so we came out."
"I see."
Paige turned her head, her mind racing.
She wasnât sure what condition Rhonda Rhodes would have proposed, but there were two likely possibilities.
One was jade, and the other was Zephyr Mercerâs protection.
Sheâd thought of the latter based on her own deductions.
His refusal to find the jade himself, his use of a relatively simple Array for protection, and finally, his tactic of drugging her to ensure she kept her promise... All these signs indicated that although Rhonda Rhodes was a Cultivator, his Level was not high. He was still a long, long way from being one of the legendary masters who could command the wind and rain. Until then, he was likely in desperate need of a bodyguard.
Originally, his willingness to teach the Cultivation Technique would have been a good thing, provided Zephyr himself agreed.
Zephyr Mercer wasnât a member of Bloodfall. He didnât need her permission to do anything, so she had no reason to stand in his way.
The problem was, it would be one thing if Rhonda simply wanted a mutually beneficial arrangement. But if he used this as an opportunity to control Zephyr through some underhanded means, things would get troublesome.
After all, Zephyr had come here with her.
If something really happened to him, as the person who introduced them, she would never be able to absolve herself of responsibility with the Mercer Family.
After much thought, Paige came to a decision. She had to warn Zephyr Mercer about this. If she explained everything clearly and he still insisted on dealing with Rhonda Rhodes, then at least she would have done her part.
Paige turned her head. "I donât know if youâre aware, but Rhonda Rhodes is a Cultivator."
A surprised smile spread across Zephyr Mercerâs face. "I suspected as much. My familyâs ancient records have some mentions of them. But how did you know?"
Paige answered vaguely, "Iâve also read similar records. Listen to me. I just made a deal with him. He needs a lot of jade to speed up his Cultivation, just like Superpower Users need Crystal Cores. But for some reason, he canât go find it himself. So he gave me a bag of high-quality wheat seeds in exchange for me helping him find some jade. This would have been normal, except... just as I took the bag, I discovered it had been poisoned..."
The moment the word "poison" left her lips, Zephyr was so startled he nearly jumped out of his skin. He reached out to snatch the bag and throw it away, but Paige dodged him.
"You-you-you, you know... and youâre still..."
"Will you just listen to me! Am I that stupid? Do you think Iâd be talking to you so calmly if I were really poisoned?!" Paige rolled her eyes. "Since I discovered the poison and didnât call him out on it, I obviously have a way to deal with it!"
Zephyr finally caught on, his face flushing red.
He scratched his head and muttered, "I was just worried, thatâs all."
Paige sighed. "Alright, thanks for your concern, but Iâm really fine. Actually, itâs probably not a lethal poison. I donât recognize it, but Iâm guessing itâs some kind of control-type drug."
Zephyrâs brow furrowed even deeper. "Even if you werenât poisoned, this is unacceptable! That Rhonda Rhodes is despicable! He made the deal with you willingly. If he was worried, he could have just said the items had to be exchanged at the same time. Why resort to such a dirty trick!" He said resentfully, "And I was even thinking... Tch, damn him!"
Though he didnât say what heâd been thinking, Paige could guess. As long as the conditions werenât too harsh, Zephyr, who was practically obsessed with martial arts, would have probably agreed.
She looked up and sighed.
âAs a disciple of the Mercer Family, can he really be this naive?â
âI have no idea how his father, the Clan Leader of the Mercer Family, raised him. Itâs been over twenty years since the apocalypse began, yet thereâs still a man this innocent... Oh well, itâs not my problem.â
"Iâm telling you this to remind you that Rhonda Rhodes is not an easy person to deal with. If you think it over and still decide to talk to him, I just hope youâll be extra careful not to get tricked by him."
Zephyr gave a low grunt of acknowledgment, lost in a tangle of conflicting thoughts.