To get here, you had to walk through the main gates of the Vane estate, pass a hidden wall, and cross a large garden.
The hall was beautiful. It was decorated with pine plants, and carvings of trees covered the walls. Lord Vane used this special room to welcome important guests.
Kaelen walked in through a side door. He saw his father, Lord Vane, sitting in the main chair. In the guest chair sat a young girl.
She was barely ten years old, but she was very cute. She had pale skin and looked like a perfect little porcelain doll.
"Kaelen, come sit," Lord Vane said, smiling.
Kaelen's father was a thin man with a kind face. He looked like a nice person. Kaelen's mother had died right after Kaelen was born, so Lord Vane loved his son more than anything. Whatever Kaelen wanted, Kaelen got. This was why Kaelen had grown up to be so lazy.
"Father," Kaelen said, pretending to be a good son.
He looked at his fiancée. Her name was Lady Elara. She was from the Thorne Family. All Kaelen knew was that she brought him medicinal soup every month.
"Brother Kaelen! You are here!" The little doll, Lady Elara, stood up quickly. Her voice was sweet.
"Ah, hello, hello." Kaelen nodded.
Being born into a rich family was great. He didn't even have to look for a wife; he already had one. The only problem was that she was just a kid. Kaelen didn't like little girls. He liked grown-up women with long legs.
"Brother Kaelen, I made this myself," Elara said seriously. She pointed to a clay pot on the table. "It is Old Hen Soup with red berries and Ginseng root. It is very healthy. Please drink it all."
In Whitewater City, there were three Noble Families and five Major Clans. The Vane Family was a Noble Family (the top rank). The Thorne Family was a Major Clan (one step lower).
The Thorne family wanted to be friends with the Vane family very badly. That is why they sent gifts all the time. Elara came to visit often to make sure Kaelen liked her.
But the old Kaelen only liked gambling and partying. He never cared about Elara.
"Butler Godfrey," Lord Vane called out.
"Yes, My Lord."
The butler, who was standing behind Lord Vane, stepped forward. He walked to the table and picked up the clay pot.
Elara didn't see it, but Butler Godfrey was very fast. He pulled a silver needle from his sleeve and poked it into the pot's lid to check for poison.
The needle stayed clean.
Then, he took a tiny sip of the soup on the needle. It tasted fine.
Once he was sure there was no poison, he handed the pot to Kaelen.
Kaelen watched this. He was impressed. Butler Godfrey is a pro, he thought. He must have done that a thousand times.
"Kaelen, Elara worked hard to make this soup," Lord Vane said warmly. "She is a good girl. Drink it. Don't waste her kindness."
Because Kaelen was the only heir to the family, they had to be careful. Even though Elara was his fiancée, they still checked the food.
"Okay," Kaelen said.
He picked up a porcelain spoon, lifted the lid, and took a sip.
The soup was golden yellow. Inside, there was a whole chicken (without the head or feet), red berries, and white Ginseng roots floating around. It smelled delicious.
It tasted great, too. Kaelen took a few more sips. He looked happy.
Elara smiled widely when she saw him enjoying it.
Suddenly, the text appeared in his eyes.
[ Attributes ]
• Strength: 0.4 (Weak) [+]
• Agility: 0.3 (Slow) [+]
• Constitution: 0.3 (Poor) [+]
• Spirit: 0.9 (Normal) [+]
• Charm: 0.8 (Plain) [+]
• Divine Essence: 1
[ Skills ]
• Stealth (0/10): Beginner [+]
• Dagger Throwing (0/10): Beginner [+]
"Huh?"
Kaelen froze. The Divine Essence points, which were zero before, had changed to 1.
It must be the soup!
Kaelen started drinking faster. He put down the spoon and picked up the whole clay pot with both hands. He tilted his head back and chugged the soup. Gulp, gulp, gulp.
Lord Vane was shocked. My son usually hates healthy food. Why is he drinking it like a starving wolf?
Elara was confused too. Was my soup that good today? Usually, he only takes one sip.
"Butler Godfrey," Lord Vane said with a serious face. "Go buy one hundred old hens. From now on, make chicken soup for the Young Lord every single meal."
"Yes, My Lord."
Kaelen finished the soup. He licked his lips.
[ Divine Essence: 3 ]
It had gone up to 3!
Kaelen started thinking. Is it the broth? Or the stuff inside?
He reached into the pot and pulled out a chicken leg. He ate it.
Nothing happened to his stats.
Then, he looked at the Ginseng roots at the bottom of the pot. They looked like dry, wrinkly roots.
He picked one up.
"Kaelen, you..." Lord Vane started to speak.
Chomp.
Kaelen ate the whole Ginseng root in one bite.
It was very nutritious, but it tasted terrible. Like eating bitter dirt. Kaelen made a sour face. If he didn't need the points, he would have spit it out.
[ Divine Essence + 1 ]
The number changed again!
It's the Ginseng! Kaelen realized. It's because Elara put magic herbs in the soup!
The others in the room didn't know about the System. They just saw the rich Young Lord drinking soup like a maniac and eating raw roots.
If they didn't know he was rich, they would think he was a starving beggar.
"Butler Godfrey," Lord Vane whispered. "Forget the chickens. Buy ten cows and ten sheep. And go to our pharmacy shops. Bring all the Ginseng back to the mansion."
"Yes, My Lord."
"Actually, wait," Lord Vane added. "Just buy me a whole slaughterhouse. Whatever Kaelen wants to eat, kill it fresh."
Butler Godfrey: "..."
Elara blinked. She thought, I didn't know Brother Kaelen loved Ginseng so much. I only put two roots in today. Next time, I will put in a whole bunch so he doesn't think I'm stingy!
After swallowing the root, Kaelen now had 5 Divine Essence points.
He looked at the second root in the pot. Should I eat that one too?
Suddenly, he felt a rush of heat in his nose.
Drip.
Two streams of hot blood shot out of his nose, staining his white robe red.
Is the Ginseng poisonous?!
Thump!
Kaelen fell to the floor.
The last thing he heard before he passed out was his father screaming.
"Doctor, is Kaelen okay?"
"He is fine, My Lord. The problem is... the Young Lord is weak. He parties too much and never exercises. His body is like a paper bag. Ginseng is very strong medicine. He ate too much energy at once, and his body couldn't handle it."
"Oh, that is good. That is good."
"For the next few days, no more tonics. Just give him plain porridge and noodles. And tell him... no girls and no wine. He needs to exercise."
"I will remember."
When the room finally went quiet, Kaelen opened his eyes. He let out a long breath.
"Eating Ginseng until I faint... that's a new one," he thought. "I guess I have to be careful. If I eat too much magic food with this weak body, I might actually explode."
He called up the Super Assistant System. He was ready to spend his new points.
[ Attributes ]
• Strength: 0.4 (Weak) [+]
• Agility: 0.3 (Slow) [+]
• Constitution: 0.3 (Poor) [+]
• Spirit: 0.9 (Normal) [+]
• Charm: 0.8 (Plain) [+]
• Divine Essence: 5
As the doctor said, Kaelen's body was trash. He needed to fix his health first before he could do anything else.
To get here, you had to walk through the main gates of the Vane estate, pass a hidden wall, and cross a large garden.
The hall was beautiful. It was decorated with pine plants, and carvings of trees covered the walls. Lord Vane used this special room to welcome important guests.
Kaelen walked in through a side door. He saw his father, Lord Vane, sitting in the main chair. In the guest chair sat a young girl.
She was barely ten years old, but she was very cute. She had pale skin and looked like a perfect little porcelain doll.
"Kaelen, come sit," Lord Vane said, smiling.
Kaelen's father was a thin man with a kind face. He looked like a nice person. Kaelen's mother had died right after Kaelen was born, so Lord Vane loved his son more than anything. Whatever Kaelen wanted, Kaelen got. This was why Kaelen had grown up to be so lazy.
"Father," Kaelen said, pretending to be a good son.
He looked at his fiancée. Her name was Lady Elara. She was from the Thorne Family. All Kaelen knew was that she brought him medicinal soup every month.
"Brother Kaelen! You are here!" The little doll, Lady Elara, stood up quickly. Her voice was sweet.
"Ah, hello, hello." Kaelen nodded.
Being born into a rich family was great. He didn't even have to look for a wife; he already had one. The only problem was that she was just a kid. Kaelen didn't like little girls. He liked grown-up women with long legs.
"Brother Kaelen, I made this myself," Elara said seriously. She pointed to a clay pot on the table. "It is Old Hen Soup with red berries and Ginseng root. It is very healthy. Please drink it all."
In Whitewater City, there were three Noble Families and five Major Clans. The Vane Family was a Noble Family (the top rank). The Thorne Family was a Major Clan (one step lower).
The Thorne family wanted to be friends with the Vane family very badly. That is why they sent gifts all the time. Elara came to visit often to make sure Kaelen liked her.
But the old Kaelen only liked gambling and partying. He never cared about Elara.
"Butler Godfrey," Lord Vane called out.
"Yes, My Lord."
The butler, who was standing behind Lord Vane, stepped forward. He walked to the table and picked up the clay pot.
Elara didn't see it, but Butler Godfrey was very fast. He pulled a silver needle from his sleeve and poked it into the pot's lid to check for poison.
The needle stayed clean.
Then, he took a tiny sip of the soup on the needle. It tasted fine.
Once he was sure there was no poison, he handed the pot to Kaelen.
Kaelen watched this. He was impressed. Butler Godfrey is a pro, he thought. He must have done that a thousand times.
"Kaelen, Elara worked hard to make this soup," Lord Vane said warmly. "She is a good girl. Drink it. Don't waste her kindness."
Because Kaelen was the only heir to the family, they had to be careful. Even though Elara was his fiancée, they still checked the food.
"Okay," Kaelen said.
He picked up a porcelain spoon, lifted the lid, and took a sip.
The soup was golden yellow. Inside, there was a whole chicken (without the head or feet), red berries, and white Ginseng roots floating around. It smelled delicious.
It tasted great, too. Kaelen took a few more sips. He looked happy.
Elara smiled widely when she saw him enjoying it.
Suddenly, the text appeared in his eyes.
[ Attributes ]
• Strength: 0.4 (Weak) [+]
• Agility: 0.3 (Slow) [+]
• Constitution: 0.3 (Poor) [+]
• Spirit: 0.9 (Normal) [+]
• Charm: 0.8 (Plain) [+]
• Divine Essence: 1
[ Skills ]
• Stealth (0/10): Beginner [+]
• Dagger Throwing (0/10): Beginner [+]
"Huh?"
Kaelen froze. The Divine Essence points, which were zero before, had changed to 1.
It must be the soup!
Kaelen started drinking faster. He put down the spoon and picked up the whole clay pot with both hands. He tilted his head back and chugged the soup. Gulp, gulp, gulp.
Lord Vane was shocked. My son usually hates healthy food. Why is he drinking it like a starving wolf?
Elara was confused too. Was my soup that good today? Usually, he only takes one sip.
"Butler Godfrey," Lord Vane said with a serious face. "Go buy one hundred old hens. From now on, make chicken soup for the Young Lord every single meal."
"Yes, My Lord."
Kaelen finished the soup. He licked his lips.
[ Divine Essence: 3 ]
It had gone up to 3!
Kaelen started thinking. Is it the broth? Or the stuff inside?
He reached into the pot and pulled out a chicken leg. He ate it.
Nothing happened to his stats.
Then, he looked at the Ginseng roots at the bottom of the pot. They looked like dry, wrinkly roots.
He picked one up.
"Kaelen, you..." Lord Vane started to speak.
Chomp.
Kaelen ate the whole Ginseng root in one bite.
It was very nutritious, but it tasted terrible. Like eating bitter dirt. Kaelen made a sour face. If he didn't need the points, he would have spit it out.
[ Divine Essence + 1 ]
The number changed again!
It's the Ginseng! Kaelen realized. It's because Elara put magic herbs in the soup!
The others in the room didn't know about the System. They just saw the rich Young Lord drinking soup like a maniac and eating raw roots.
If they didn't know he was rich, they would think he was a starving beggar.
"Butler Godfrey," Lord Vane whispered. "Forget the chickens. Buy ten cows and ten sheep. And go to our pharmacy shops. Bring all the Ginseng back to the mansion."
"Yes, My Lord."
"Actually, wait," Lord Vane added. "Just buy me a whole slaughterhouse. Whatever Kaelen wants to eat, kill it fresh."
Butler Godfrey: "..."
Elara blinked. She thought, I didn't know Brother Kaelen loved Ginseng so much. I only put two roots in today. Next time, I will put in a whole bunch so he doesn't think I'm stingy!
After swallowing the root, Kaelen now had 5 Divine Essence points.
He looked at the second root in the pot. Should I eat that one too?
Suddenly, he felt a rush of heat in his nose.
Drip.
Two streams of hot blood shot out of his nose, staining his white robe red.
Is the Ginseng poisonous?!
Thump!
Kaelen fell to the floor.
The last thing he heard before he passed out was his father screaming.
"Doctor, is Kaelen okay?"
"He is fine, My Lord. The problem is... the Young Lord is weak. He parties too much and never exercises. His body is like a paper bag. Ginseng is very strong medicine. He ate too much energy at once, and his body couldn't handle it."
"Oh, that is good. That is good."
"For the next few days, no more tonics. Just give him plain porridge and noodles. And tell him... no girls and no wine. He needs to exercise."
"I will remember."
When the room finally went quiet, Kaelen opened his eyes. He let out a long breath.
"Eating Ginseng until I faint... that's a new one," he thought. "I guess I have to be careful. If I eat too much magic food with this weak body, I might actually explode."
He called up the Super Assistant System. He was ready to spend his new points.
[ Attributes ]
• Strength: 0.4 (Weak) [+]
• Agility: 0.3 (Slow) [+]
• Constitution: 0.3 (Poor) [+]
• Spirit: 0.9 (Normal) [+]
• Charm: 0.8 (Plain) [+]
• Divine Essence: 5
As the doctor said, Kaelen's body was trash. He needed to fix his health first before he could do anything else.
To get here, you had to walk through the main gates of the Vane estate, pass a hidden wall, and cross a large garden.
The hall was beautiful. It was decorated with pine plants, and carvings of trees covered the walls. Lord Vane used this special room to welcome important guests.
Kaelen walked in through a side door. He saw his father, Lord Vane, sitting in the main chair. In the guest chair sat a young girl.
She was barely ten years old, but she was very cute. She had pale skin and looked like a perfect little porcelain doll.
"Kaelen, come sit," Lord Vane said, smiling.
Kaelen's father was a thin man with a kind face. He looked like a nice person. Kaelen's mother had died right after Kaelen was born, so Lord Vane loved his son more than anything. Whatever Kaelen wanted, Kaelen got. This was why Kaelen had grown up to be so lazy.
"Father," Kaelen said, pretending to be a good son.
He looked at his fiancée. Her name was Lady Elara. She was from the Thorne Family. All Kaelen knew was that she brought him medicinal soup every month.
"Brother Kaelen! You are here!" The little doll, Lady Elara, stood up quickly. Her voice was sweet.
"Ah, hello, hello." Kaelen nodded.
Being born into a rich family was great. He didn't even have to look for a wife; he already had one. The only problem was that she was just a kid. Kaelen didn't like little girls. He liked grown-up women with long legs.
"Brother Kaelen, I made this myself," Elara said seriously. She pointed to a clay pot on the table. "It is Old Hen Soup with red berries and Ginseng root. It is very healthy. Please drink it all."
In Whitewater City, there were three Noble Families and five Major Clans. The Vane Family was a Noble Family (the top rank). The Thorne Family was a Major Clan (one step lower).
The Thorne family wanted to be friends with the Vane family very badly. That is why they sent gifts all the time. Elara came to visit often to make sure Kaelen liked her.
But the old Kaelen only liked gambling and partying. He never cared about Elara.
"Butler Godfrey," Lord Vane called out.
"Yes, My Lord."
The butler, who was standing behind Lord Vane, stepped forward. He walked to the table and picked up the clay pot.
Elara didn't see it, but Butler Godfrey was very fast. He pulled a silver needle from his sleeve and poked it into the pot's lid to check for poison.
The needle stayed clean.
Then, he took a tiny sip of the soup on the needle. It tasted fine.
Once he was sure there was no poison, he handed the pot to Kaelen.
Kaelen watched this. He was impressed. Butler Godfrey is a pro, he thought. He must have done that a thousand times.
"Kaelen, Elara worked hard to make this soup," Lord Vane said warmly. "She is a good girl. Drink it. Don't waste her kindness."
Because Kaelen was the only heir to the family, they had to be careful. Even though Elara was his fiancée, they still checked the food.
"Okay," Kaelen said.
He picked up a porcelain spoon, lifted the lid, and took a sip.
The soup was golden yellow. Inside, there was a whole chicken (without the head or feet), red berries, and white Ginseng roots floating around. It smelled delicious.
It tasted great, too. Kaelen took a few more sips. He looked happy.
Elara smiled widely when she saw him enjoying it.
Suddenly, the text appeared in his eyes.
[ Attributes ]
• Strength: 0.4 (Weak) [+]
• Agility: 0.3 (Slow) [+]
• Constitution: 0.3 (Poor) [+]
• Spirit: 0.9 (Normal) [+]
• Charm: 0.8 (Plain) [+]
• Divine Essence: 1
[ Skills ]
• Stealth (0/10): Beginner [+]
• Dagger Throwing (0/10): Beginner [+]
"Huh?"
Kaelen froze. The Divine Essence points, which were zero before, had changed to 1.
It must be the soup!
Kaelen started drinking faster. He put down the spoon and picked up the whole clay pot with both hands. He tilted his head back and chugged the soup. Gulp, gulp, gulp.
Lord Vane was shocked. My son usually hates healthy food. Why is he drinking it like a starving wolf?
Elara was confused too. Was my soup that good today? Usually, he only takes one sip.
"Butler Godfrey," Lord Vane said with a serious face. "Go buy one hundred old hens. From now on, make chicken soup for the Young Lord every single meal."
"Yes, My Lord."
Kaelen finished the soup. He licked his lips.
[ Divine Essence: 3 ]
It had gone up to 3!
Kaelen started thinking. Is it the broth? Or the stuff inside?
He reached into the pot and pulled out a chicken leg. He ate it.
Nothing happened to his stats.
Then, he looked at the Ginseng roots at the bottom of the pot. They looked like dry, wrinkly roots.
He picked one up.
"Kaelen, you..." Lord Vane started to speak.
Chomp.
Kaelen ate the whole Ginseng root in one bite.
It was very nutritious, but it tasted terrible. Like eating bitter dirt. Kaelen made a sour face. If he didn't need the points, he would have spit it out.
[ Divine Essence + 1 ]
The number changed again!
It's the Ginseng! Kaelen realized. It's because Elara put magic herbs in the soup!
The others in the room didn't know about the System. They just saw the rich Young Lord drinking soup like a maniac and eating raw roots.
If they didn't know he was rich, they would think he was a starving beggar.
"Butler Godfrey," Lord Vane whispered. "Forget the chickens. Buy ten cows and ten sheep. And go to our pharmacy shops. Bring all the Ginseng back to the mansion."
"Yes, My Lord."
"Actually, wait," Lord Vane added. "Just buy me a whole slaughterhouse. Whatever Kaelen wants to eat, kill it fresh."
Butler Godfrey: "..."
Elara blinked. She thought, I didn't know Brother Kaelen loved Ginseng so much. I only put two roots in today. Next time, I will put in a whole bunch so he doesn't think I'm stingy!
After swallowing the root, Kaelen now had 5 Divine Essence points.
He looked at the second root in the pot. Should I eat that one too?
Suddenly, he felt a rush of heat in his nose.
Drip.
Two streams of hot blood shot out of his nose, staining his white robe red.
Is the Ginseng poisonous?!
Thump!
Kaelen fell to the floor.
The last thing he heard before he passed out was his father screaming.
"Doctor, is Kaelen okay?"
"He is fine, My Lord. The problem is... the Young Lord is weak. He parties too much and never exercises. His body is like a paper bag. Ginseng is very strong medicine. He ate too much energy at once, and his body couldn't handle it."
"Oh, that is good. That is good."
"For the next few days, no more tonics. Just give him plain porridge and noodles. And tell him... no girls and no wine. He needs to exercise."
"I will remember."
When the room finally went quiet, Kaelen opened his eyes. He let out a long breath.
"Eating Ginseng until I faint... that's a new one," he thought. "I guess I have to be careful. If I eat too much magic food with this weak body, I might actually explode."
He called up the Super Assistant System. He was ready to spend his new points.
[ Attributes ]
• Strength: 0.4 (Weak) [+]
• Agility: 0.3 (Slow) [+]
• Constitution: 0.3 (Poor) [+]
• Spirit: 0.9 (Normal) [+]
• Charm: 0.8 (Plain) [+]
• Divine Essence: 5
As the doctor said, Kaelen's body was trash. He needed to fix his health first before he could do anything else.