The more Ron thought about it, the more promising it seemed, so he stopped resisting and cheerfully accepted, "Then I thank Your Eminence."
"There's no need to be so formal, Your Highness Ron," Archbishop Ulysses said with a gentle smile. "Since you are now the Goddess's Chosen One, the Church of the Goddess of Harvest will always be your backing."
Backing, huh…
Ron pondered internally... Looks like they really want to use my identity to expand their influence in noble circles…
His thoughts raced, but instead of continuing down that topic, Ron changed the subject: "The Goddess previously granted me the Nether Orchid and the Crimson-Gold Chrysanthemum. Both of these plants are extremely potent—does the Church need to purchase some?"
The Church of the Goddess of Harvest was a massive organization—helping Ron's Wonderful Flower Shop boost some sales shouldn't be a problem, right?
Besides, his Nether Orchids and Crimson-Gold Chrysanthemums were fairly priced and top-tier in quality.
Given that the Church had a Meditation Institute, they were bound to need a large supply of Nether Orchids.
And if they were still training guards, it would make sense to stock up on Crimson-Gold Chrysanthemums as well.
Ulysses's expression froze. He wasn't sure how the conversation had suddenly turned in this direction.
Though Morris had mentioned this Chosen One's flower shop before, and he was indeed somewhat interested in the plants there…
But weren't we just talking about divine matters a second ago?
Shouldn't you be giving me a meaningful look right now and saying something like, "The Church of the Goddess of Harvest will always be my second home," so we can form a proper alliance?
And now you're trying to sell me flowers?!
"Ahem…" Ron coughed awkwardly, but still said honestly, "This flower shop was opened according to the Goddess's will. If possible, I hope the Church can offer some support."
After all, he had spent a full 10,000 wealth points to redeem the [Miracle of the Goddess of Harvest]!
He had to recoup some of that from the Church—fair is fair!
Hearing that, Ulysses's expression grew complicated, even a little guilty. "So it was the Goddess's will…"
"I've been negligent."
The Church of the Goddess of Harvest didn't receive as many donations as others—certainly not on the level of the Church of War or the Church of Healing.
Though the Church had a large following, most of its believers were farmers, so their offerings were meager and relied on sheer volume.
Fortunately, the Church of Harvest didn't rely solely on donations. They'd also invested in other industries—though profits were low, it was enough to keep the Church running.
Still, it didn't change the fact that their total donations couldn't compare with those of the other two churches.
Gods left behind faith in the mortal realm to collect the power of belief from living beings.
Wealth-based donations represented a chaotic but potent form of this belief energy—one of the primary ways for gods to absorb faith.
As the Archbishop, Ulysses understood this very well.
Now, with the Goddess personally choosing a Chosen One and providing special plants for sale, it was clear.
She wasn't happy with the Church's performance.
As the head of the Church, Ulysses naturally felt ashamed—clearly, he hadn't done enough.
So, he readily agreed to Ron's proposal and signed a contract on the spot.
500 Nether Orchids and 50 Crimson-Gold Chrysanthemums per month—totaling 11,500 gold coins monthly.
The Church's Meditation Institute was made up of mages, so their need for Nether Orchids was higher.
As for the guards, their numbers were small, and not all of them were trained in-house, so the demand for Crimson-Gold Chrysanthemums was lower.
But Ron was more than satisfied.
He was practically grinning from ear to ear on the inside.
He had been mourning the 10,000 wealth points he spent earlier…
And now look—he made it all back!
"Your Highness Ron, I won't stay long today. I'll take my leave now," said Ulysses as he stood. "In about ten days, the ceremonial team from the Royal Capital will arrive in the City of Chaos. I'll ask for your cooperation in the rituals when that time comes."
"Of course. It's my duty," Ron replied, rising to see Ulysses off. "Safe travels, Your Eminence."
After getting into the carriage, Ulysses gave Morris an order: "Find a place nearby. I'll be staying here for the next few days. We also need to prepare the Church. Once the ceremonial team arrives, we'll begin setting up for the rituals immediately."
"Yes, Your Eminence," Morris responded respectfully.
Back inside the shop, Ron carefully stored away the contract and, as usual, stepped into his dimensional space to continue his routine production tasks.
Because the Archbishop had used a teleportation array to arrive in the City of Chaos, he hadn't brought the gold reserve notes with him.
So the 11,500 gold payment would have to wait until the ceremonial team arrived.
The transaction would be completed at that time.
Ron wasn't in urgent need of wealth points anyway, so he wasn't in a rush.
He still had over 20,000 wealth points on hand—enough to cover emergencies.
Originally, he had considered exchanging for a few more square meters of breeding space.
But since the passive skill from his Title Badge had gone on cooldown last night—for a full month—he decided to postpone that plan.
Better to ensure his safety first. He would wait until he had 30,000 wealth points before expanding again.
By noon, Ron and Nora had finished lunch.
While Nora cleared the table and went into the kitchen to wash the dishes, Ron stayed in the living room, circling the dining table with a serrated saw in his hand, sizing things up.
When Nora came out and saw the scene, she was startled. "M-Mister Ron? What are you doing?"
"Uh…" Ron coughed, then pulled out the large pot he bought last night from his backpack and set it on the table. "Nothing much, just planning to modify the table a bit. You can go about your business."
As he spoke, he pulled out a pen and traced a circle around the base of the pot on the table.
Then he set the pot aside and drove the saw into the table along the traced line.
Nora winced at the harsh screeching sounds and flying woodchips, puzzled. "Are you… Cutting a hole in the table to put the pot in?"
"Mm." Ron nodded without further explanation.
As a Tier-1 Warrior, doing this kind of thing was easy.
In less than a minute, he cut a circle just slightly smaller than the pot.
When he placed the pot in the hole, it fit snugly and was very secure.
Satisfied, Ron nodded and pulled out the stove he bought last night, placing it under the table right beneath the hole.
Perfect.
After cleaning up the mess with Nora, a simple but curious-looking hotpot setup now sat proudly in front of her.
"We're going to cook and eat at the same time, Mister Ron?" Nora was still confused. She couldn't understand why they wouldn't just cook the food in advance.
"Mm. This method is called hotpot," Ron said with a mischievous grin. "Once I get some ingredients and whip up a few sauces, we can try it out tonight."
He was already eager in his heart.