After wrapping up their earlier conversation, Ron changed the subject and casually asked, "The other nuns who came with you—have they all returned as well?"
"Yes," Sylvie nodded.
Ron rubbed his forehead helplessly. He still had a large piece of land waiting for those nuns.
He had thought the ceremonial delegation wouldn't leave until tomorrow.
Who could've guessed that the Archbishop, to leave Sylvie behind, had taken the entire delegation and quietly slipped away first?
Still, the nuns who came with the procession were all highly talented in magic. Most were already mid-tier mages despite their young age.
To make them farm? That would be a complete waste of talent.
So Ron wasn't too upset about it. He turned to Sylvie and said, "Then, as the Goddess's Acting Representative, I'll give you your first assignment."
"I'm listening," Sylvie said respectfully, lowering her head slightly.
"Send out an announcement to nunneries across the empire, calling for a group of nuns who are usually less busy to come to the City of Chaos."
"Preferably around Tier 2 in strength, with knowledge of the Plant Manipulation Spell. Prioritize nunneries in the southeastern part of the empire, near the City of Chaos."
"Recruit at least thirty. No cap on the upper limit—the more, the better."
"They might need to stay here long-term, so make sure pulling them out won't affect their local nunneries' operations."
"No problem, right?"
Sylvie listened patiently to Ron's request, then asked with care, "So Lord Ron only needs the nuns to know Plant Manipulation, with about Tier 2 strength? No other specific requirements?"
"That's right."
"I understand," Sylvie nodded seriously. "Nunneries mostly only handle daily prayers. Even calling a few hundred wouldn't be an issue. Please rest assured."
Ron smiled in satisfaction, and an image popped into his head of hundreds of nun sisters working the fields under the sun.
"That's all. You should head back to the church and rest early."
Sylvie blinked in surprise. She hadn't expected him to actually let her go back…
Even though she had little interest in romance, she was well aware of her own charm.
And here she was—an attractive woman, practically delivered to his doorstep—yet he didn't even flinch?
Sylvie felt a little strange inside but kept her expression calm. She stood and bowed. "Then I shall take my leave, Lord Ron."
Ron watched her walk away and caught sight of her figure disappearing around the street corner. Just as he was about to return to the shop—
The barbecue restaurant next door opened.
Lyle stepped out, glanced toward the flower shop, and spotted Ron.
With a smile on his face, he said, "Ron, I was just looking for you."
Ron waved him over. "Come on in, let's talk inside."
The two sat across from each other at the tea table.
"Have you made your decision?" Ron poured Lyle a cup of tea and looked up.
He had known from the start that Mia wanted to recruit Lyle but hadn't interfered.
Lyle hadn't come to seek his opinion either, so Ron didn't know what choice he would make.
Still, the barbecue shop wasn't open tonight.
So Ron already had a good guess.
"I have," Lyle took the tea and sipped, watching the tea leaves swirl and settle to the bottom. He let out a sigh. "I've decided to follow Princess Mia to the Royal Capital and open a hotpot and barbecue restaurant there."
"That's a good choice, isn't it?" Ron smiled. "With Mia backing you, everything you went through before will be a thing of the past."
"You're right, Ron." Lyle nodded, then sighed again. "But still… thinking about leaving home to go live in the human capital, I feel kind of heavy inside."
Ron blinked—he hadn't thought of that.
Lyle was a dwarf, and unless he was under Princess Mia's protection, traveling alone to the Royal Capital might actually be risky.
While relations between the Dwarven Kingdom and the Human Empire had improved in recent years, the general public still didn't fully get along.
Here in the City of Chaos, where four races co-governed, cultural integration made things easier.
But in the capital? Lyle's identity as a dwarf might cause issues.
Fortunately, he had Mia on his side.
"Well, since you've made your decision, try to look forward," Ron said. "If hotpot and barbecue become a hit across the empire, by then you'll have built up a solid foundation. You could even take that business model back to the Dwarven Kingdom."
Lyle's eyes lit up—he really liked that idea, and he perked up visibly. "Ron, that sounds amazing!"
"Glad you think so." Ron chuckled, thinking that the rugged vibe of hotpot and barbecue might actually be a perfect match for dwarven culture.
"Well, aside from telling you my decision, there's something else I wanted to ask your help with," Lyle got to the main point.
"Go ahead. If I can help, I will."
"Thanks," Lyle nodded, then explained, "The barbecue shop building—it was left to me by my father. But now that I'm leaving, it'll just sit empty."
"I'm heading out with Princess Mia first thing tomorrow, and I won't have time to find a tenant."
"So, if possible, I'd like you to help me keep an eye on the place. Just have someone clean it now and then."
Oh, so just house-sitting? Ron rubbed his chin thoughtfully. Then, a new idea struck him.
"In that case, why don't you just rent it to me?"
"Eh?" Lyle was stunned, then quickly responded, "Ron, you don't need to do that just to help me. I appreciate it, really, but it's not necessary."
Ron paused, then realized Lyle had misunderstood him, and laughed. "I'm not trying to secretly give you financial help under the guise of rent, okay? You're not some gorgeous woman—I'm not interested in you like that."
Lyle scratched his head, curious. "So you really want to rent it? Planning to start a new business? Or expand your flower shop?"
"Something else entirely," Ron replied. "It's just an idea for now—haven't finalized anything."
"So, what do you think? Rent it to me, I'll pay three years upfront at market price."
"But let me be clear—if I do open a business, I'll definitely need to renovate the place. If that bothers you, then forget it."
Lyle fell silent, clearly deep in thought.
After a while, he looked up, a serious expression on his face. "In that case, why don't I just sell you the shop?"
"Huh?" Ron blinked. "Didn't your father leave that to you?"
"That's not a big deal. We dwarves, don't fuss about those things," Lyle shook his head. "Besides, three years of rent at market price? That's already close to half the shop's value."
"I've already made up my mind to go to the capital with Princess Mia—why hold onto this as some sentimental token?"
"A man should be decisive!"
"I'm going to spread hotpot and barbecue across the continent, so why cling to a little shop?"
"Ron, I've decided. I'll sell the entire shop to you—what do you say?"
A shop in the Ruby District of Aikley Street would normally go for at least 500 gold coins, often over a thousand.
But for Ron right now? That was honestly just a small expense.
So he grinned and nodded.
"Of course. If you're sure about it, then I'll take it."
"I hope you find great success in the capital."