Given Heartvine's characteristics, it could probably be applied to many other fields as well.
But there was no rush—those could wait until later.
After cultivating more than twenty Heartvine plants and transferring them into his backpack, Ron handed the cultivation space back to the puppets in the dimensional plane and returned to the flower shop.
By then, it was already noon.
Although the sun was bright at midday in mid-November, cold winds still swept through the streets.
So lunch was hotpot.
Nora and Sylvie had already grown accustomed to this novel way of eating.
But for Yuna, it was her first time.
Even though Yuna continued to maintain her shy, reserved persona in front of Nora and Sylvie, the occasional flashes of curiosity and excitement in her eyes didn't escape Ron's notice.
After lunch, Yuna helped Nora wash the dishes and tidy up, then slipped into the study.
"How did you come up with this way of eating?"
"And those seasonings—wow, they taste amazing! How did you do it?"
The moment only the two of them were left, Yuna instantly reverted to her true personality.
Ron couldn't be bothered with her and simply replied while taking out a Heartvine, "Natural talent."
Yuna rolled her eyes, then looked at the plant in Ron's hands with curiosity.
"What's this? Another new plant bestowed by the goddess?"
By now, it was common knowledge that the plants in the flower shop came from the Goddess of Harvest.
That was something Ron had deliberately promoted, so of course, he wasn't going to deny it.
He just nodded, then grasped one of the Heartvine's vines.
Receiving Ron's command, Heartvine immediately extended a vine and used its suction cup to attach itself to the Commercial Alliance Contract Law on the bookshelf.
Then several more vines extended.
Two vines supported the book, while another suction cup stuck to the cover and flipped it open.
With only one vine held in his hand and no other movements at all, Ron was able to sit quietly in his chair and read.
Yuna's eyes widened. She circled Heartvine once, clicking her tongue in amazement.
"This thing's super convenient. Give me one?"
Ron glanced at her. "You want one? Then you'll have to pay a price."
Yuna immediately stepped back, crossed her arms, and looked on guard.
"I'm your aunt, you know~ You can't do anything weird!"
Ron's head filled with black lines. "You know what I mean. Give my stuff back."
"Tch." Yuna pouted. "I'm just keeping it safe for you—for the sake of your health."
"I'm worried you'll get obsessed with indulgences, so I'm not giving it back to you," Ron shot back.
"Hmph! Fine, then!" Yuna stuck out her tongue and slipped out of the study.
Ron was speechless and didn't bother chasing her.
While controlling Heartvine to turn pages for him, he extended his consciousness to the puppet far away in the Royal Capital, planning to carry out his daily check-in with Mia.
"Mmm—so good!"
Mia and Eileen sat around a floor hearth, with a hotpot and a grill set up on the table.
Lyle grilled meat nearby, explaining the functions of various seasonings as he worked.
At that moment, a maid entered, leaned down beside Mia, and said:
"Princess Mia, Lady Haiman invites you to afternoon tea today, and hopes you can bring the Element Cards."
Mia didn't respond right away. She turned to Lyle and asked, "Is there anything going on at the hotpot restaurant this afternoon?"
Lyle shook his head. "Staff recruitment and material preparation have only just begun. You haven't finalized the location yet, so there's nothing else for now."
"Tell Lady Haiman I'll attend the afternoon tea," Mia instructed the maid, then turned back to Lyle. "I'll give you my decision on the location this afternoon and send people to handle it with you."
"Alright, no problem."
"Eileen, want to come to the afternoon tea?" Mia pumped her fist enthusiastically.
"Let those ladies and young misses see how powerful our unbeatable duo is!"
Eileen wore a pained expression. She took a piece of freshly grilled meat from Lyle and ate it, easing her inner helplessness before replying, "Got it."
Yesterday, Mia had attended a banquet among noble young ladies, deliberately bringing along the Element Cards Ron had given her to share.
After just one banquet, most of the noble girls had fallen in love with this fun new form of entertainment.
That was why someone invited Mia again today, specifically asking her to bring the Element Cards.
Since Kiel's caravan was still on the road, Mia only had the two decks Ron had given her.
So although she had promoted the Element Cards among the noble ladies, she hadn't actually given any away.
Of course, she could choose to gift a deck.
But there was no need—better to keep the Element Cards fresh and let things fully unfold once Kiel arrived.
After lunch, everyone took a short rest.
Mia used the opportunity to return to her room, planning to talk with Brother Ron.
When Ron extended his consciousness into the puppet, Mia happened to walk in from outside and sit down on the chair in front of it.
Through the puppet's vision, Ron immediately saw his adorable little sister.
But instead of speaking right away, he glanced at the mirror beside her—
An emerald crown on her head;
A pale-gold necklace around her neck;
A dazzling bracelet on her wrist.
A noble crimson long dress;
And—blush on her cheeks?!
Ron immediately "closed his eyes," unwilling to look at such an eye-searing sight again.
A perfectly good communication tool had somehow been turned by Mia into a dress-up game.
Ron had no idea if this was karmic retribution for peeking at the girlish items in Mia's storage space before.
Even though he had "closed" the puppet's eyes, the physical sensations transmitted through the puppet's body were still vivid and real.
Strictly speaking, although he himself wasn't crossdressing, he had experienced the full sensation of it.
This was really…
Ron took a deep breath and silently reminded himself:
This is the puppet crossdressing. It has nothing to do with Ron.
He repeated it three times. Brainwashing successful.
Clearing his throat twice through the puppet, Ron said, "Mia, are you in your room?"
"I am~ Brother Ron~" Mia replied cheerfully, stroking the chibi Ron's skirt.
She still believed Ron had no idea what she'd been doing to the puppet—completely unaware that he knew everything, and could only pretend he didn't.
Ron could feel the dress being adjusted on his body, but all he could do was endure it.
Forcing down the twitch at the corner of his mouth, Ron asked, "How's the preparation for the hotpot restaurant?"
"The preliminary work is already underway~" Mia answered, bobbing her head. "Lyle is recruiting staff and gathering initial supplies."
"Oh, right, Lyle took a tour around the Royal Capital yesterday and shortlisted a few potential shop locations. Brother Ron, which one do you think is better?"
As she spoke, Mia took out the list of locations Lyle had given her and read them out to Ron one by one.