Chapter 1629: Farm and Apple pie

While Adam and Silvana were preparing to meet Tron and Riska in a remote part of the Citadel, someone noticed his return.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

The rubber ball bounced off the wall, returning to the man, only for him to throw it back. It was nothing more than a ritual for someone who was bored or deep in thought.

"He’s back, again."

Gladius smirked, lying on iron crates more suited to a laboratory than a typical warehouse.

"You know what his conditions are, don’t you? What are you going to do about it?"

The man on the other side of the room sat at a simple table, sipping hot, black coffee. His amber eyes were as deep as ever, full of wisdom, coldness, and calculation.

"Are you suggesting something? As I see it, he’s doing just fine without our help."

Gladius shrugged, catching the ball.

"Yeah, but... How much more time will it take him to reach the next level? Five years? Maybe ten? Now, he’s confident he’ll reach the Second Rank quickly, but will it really happen as fast as he wants?"

After a few moments, he smiled slyly.

"The sooner he realizes he’s facing an insurmountable wall, the sooner he’ll figure out how to break through it. We’ve all been through that at some point."

With a deep sigh, Aiden shook his head.

"Do whatever you want, but make sure you’re not sending him to his death."

Gladius turned, his eyes narrowing.

"Will you be really mad at me if he dies? Hah, in this round, you’ve decided to bet everything on the remaining contenders, haven’t you?"

Strangely enough, Aiden just shook his head.

"No. I’ll just start all over again, like I always do. Still, I can’t remember the last time I had such a good chance."

A gleam flashed across Gladius’s eyes.

"Aren’t you afraid this might be our last chance? Sooner or later... their patience will run out. We’ll all have to act, and even we won’t be an exception."

Aiden set the cup aside.

"I can’t act based on that logic, otherwise, there’d be no point in even starting. All we can do is try our best."

Gladius threw the ball back against the wall.

"Great. Then you won’t mind if I do this? I mean, it’s one of the things that really matters to you."

"If it increases our chances and you’re sure about it, then do what you think is best."

Darkness fell over Gladius, revealing only his bright, blue eyes.

"That’s what I wanted to hear."

...

The day after their date, Adam and Silvana left the First Ring, heading straight for the Second Ring.

They weren’t going to some government building or the Dark Order’s facilities. No, their destination was the most ordinary of places — a farm.

In fact, Adam had never been to a farm. There simply wasn’t room for them in the slums. Most farms were located in the Second Ring, because of how vast that area was, there simply wasn’t enough land for productive farms in the Third Ring, let alone the First Ring.

Sure, technology had long been a part of any farm, actively helping to grow as many vegetables, fruits, berries, and livestock as possible. However, people and heavy machinery remained the core elements, just like fertile soil.

"A farm?" Adam raised an eyebrow, looking at the endless fields outside the window. "Why did Tron tell us to come here specifically?"

Silvana shrugged.

"I don’t know, but he said this is the best place. Maybe there’s something we don’t know?"

Adam smiled bitterly.

"Hah, maybe. When I was just a human, I thought that if I ever became a Phantom, I’d learn all the secrets of this world. But... even at our level, we still don’t know everything, and things we never even imagined keep popping up. On one hand, it’s scary, but on the other, it’s intriguing."

A few minutes later, they stopped in front of a simple, two-story house that marked the beginning of the farm. Ahead of them lay fields with various crops, as well as barns and pens for various livestock.

"We’re here," the driver said dryly. "Mr. Tron is already waiting for you on the first floor."

Adam and Silvana nodded and got out of the car. The driver didn’t wait long and immediately drove off, eager to return to the First Ring as soon as possible.

"Maybe we should buy a car?" Adam suggested.

Silvana glanced at him, confused.

"Hmm? Why is that the first thing you thought of when we got to the farm?"

"I don’t know. It’s just that someone always drives us to our destination. Wouldn’t it be convenient to have a car of our own?"

"Huh, neither of us even has a driver’s license!" She snorted.

Adam raised an eyebrow.

"Agh? You think learning to drive a car is harder than fighting monsters? It’ll only take me a couple of days!"

She waved her hand.

"Whatever. Don’t we have more important things to do right now? Come on, let’s not keep Tron and Riska waiting any longer."

"Sure."

In the distance, Adam saw a simple pen with cows, on the other side was something similar but with pigs, while in another part of the farm was an apple orchard. The trees were planted in a single row, neatly and methodically, to maximize the harvest.

"Hah, maybe the life of a hunter in the wild like Goen’s isn’t for me, but the farm looks like a calmer option, right?" he thought.

Crackle.

Silvana opened the door as the scent of fresh berries and herbs enveloped them.

Inside, as expected, were two people: Tron and Riska.

Tron was sitting at the table, pouring juice into glasses. He wore nothing but a white shirt and simple, loose-fitting pants. His gray hair fell in strands down to his unusual amethyst eyes.

He noticed them but didn’t say anything, because Riska beat him to it:

"Oh, you’re finally here! Don’t be shy, have a seat — the apple pie is almost ready!"

She put on oven mitts and leaned toward the oven.

Adam smiled.

"Hah, juice and pie? That’s just what we need to start the day!"