"Huh? Mason, you guys are here too?"
When Ron walked into the backyard of Lyle's Barbecue Shop, he spotted Mason, Harper, and Edith sitting around a table—grilling skewers while playing a game of "Magic Duel."
Before Mason could say anything, Harper had already called out, "Yo, Ron! Your element cards are way too plain—only about fifty spells. Half my combos won't even work!"
Mason winced. "You've already figured out over a hundred combos, and you're still complaining?"
Meanwhile, Edith was frowning at the cards in her hands, clearly stumped. In the end, she slammed her cards onto the table in frustration. "Ugh! Lost again!"
The moment the elven girl slapped the cards down, the three guys' gazes were instantly drawn over.
Nice move!
Ron took a seat with them, waiting for his barbecue while watching them shuffle and start the next round, smiling as they immersed themselves in the game.
The way they played "Magic Duel" was a bit like a hybrid between 'Three Kingdoms Kill' and 'Yu-Gi-Oh!'. When using element cards, Ron felt something was missing from the experience.
But since it was everyone's first time playing this kind of game, they were clearly having a blast, without the same nitpicky feelings Ron had.
Before long, Ron's barbecue arrived.
The four of them ate skewers, played cards, and chatted casually.
They talked about various things happening around the Magic Academy, and eventually the topic shifted to a meditation potion that Harper had made.
"Oh? You can use Nether Orchids as an ingredient?" Ron raised an eyebrow, intrigued. That also explained why Professor Hicks had wanted to work with him.
"Of course," Harper replied while laying down a card. "Using Nether Orchid as the primary ingredient, plus a few common additives, it's easy to brew a potent meditation potion. With further refinement, we could probably make something three or four times stronger than the Orchid alone."
Ron raised his brow. "You're doing that kind of research?"
"No, no." Harper shook his head. "I just made a prototype at Professor Hicks' request. Further R&D isn't my responsibility—I've got other experiments to run."
"Yeah—like those weird and crazy explosive tests," Edith said with a jab. "This afternoon alone, you shattered 11 test tubes, 23 beakers, and various other lab tools. That's 11 silver coins in damage. Congrats."
Ron couldn't help but sweat a little on the side. So this goblin dude was a demolition genius, huh?
As for the meditation potion stuff, Ron had no intention of getting involved.
He had zero background in alchemy or potion-making, and didn't even know where to begin.
Sure, he was the sole supplier of Nether Orchids, effectively holding the Magic Academy's neck in one hand, but that didn't mean he had to squeeze it.
He knew his place.
Run a successful flower shop, take the profits he was due, complete his system missions in peace, grow some flowers, slack off a little, and live a relaxed, cozy life every day.
What could be better than that?
Why go stirring up trouble and making enemies?
Once he chilled his way up to Tier 7 – Legendary, wouldn't he be free to do whatever he wanted anyway?
No need to start shaking things up while still in the noob phase.
So, regarding the meditation potion stuff, Ron just listened politely and soon steered the conversation elsewhere—talking about his upcoming studies at the Magic Academy.
"Studying?" Mason seemed surprised. "Your Highness Ron, you're joining the Academy?"
"Yup." Ron smiled. "Already discussed it with Professor Hicks. I'll be studying Water and Earth magic under him."
"To be fair, Professor Hicks is pretty accomplished in those two elements," Harper chimed in. "But his Fire magic really sucks."
"Well, he naturally has a stronger affinity with Water and Earth elements. Isn't it normal for Fire magic to be weaker?" Edith argued.
"Sure, but he's the student of a legendary Fire mage!" Harper countered. "He studied under the Academy Director, and yet his Fire magic is awful. Can't I at least point that out?"
"Pfft, you're just jealous because the Director didn't take you as a student. So now you're salty," Edith rolled her eyes.
"Hmph! A Fire genius like me not being chosen by the Director? That's his loss." Harper lifted his chin smugly.
Mason rolled his eyes. "Honestly, you should feel lucky. With your track record of blowing up five labs a month, the Director would've had you burned at the stake by now."
"Uhh…" Harper choked, scratching his nose awkwardly before saying confidently, "Those are just stepping stones on the road to truth. The Director would understand."
Everyone burst out laughing. The lively, cheerful mood quickly filled the courtyard.
"Professor Hicks is usually pretty busy, so he may not always have time to teach you. If he gets tied up with other matters, you can come to me," Edith said, brushing her soft mint-green hair behind her ear. "I'm one of his students, and I'm quite proficient in Water and Earth magic, plus Wood as well. If you ever have questions, feel free to ask."
"I'll take you up on that." Ron smiled and raised his mug, clinking it with Edith's. "Thanks in advance."
"You're welcome." Edith gave a graceful smile and sipped her ale.
"Edith, I have tons of questions about those too…" Harper leaned in shamelessly with a sly grin.
"I'm only a Tier 3 mage. I can't possibly teach a 'Fire genius' like you. Go bother Professor Hicks or the Director instead," Edith replied, rolling her eyes as she gently pushed Harper's head away.
Edith was only 25 years old. For an elf, that was the equivalent of 15 or 16 in human years—maybe even younger.
She got along well with Harper, but his behavior could be a bit much sometimes.
Elves reproduce not through mating, but via the Tree of Life.
While they did have desires like other races, they couldn't get pregnant from them. Compared to others, elves tended to be more reserved.
That said, when elves did engage with outsiders, there was a small chance of producing offspring.
But the elven race strictly disapproved of such unions—rarely allowing them to happen.
Still, Harper mostly flirted for fun, never seriously. That's why Edith didn't really mind him.
Ron sat beside them, watching their banter, munching skewers, and chatting happily.
By 6 p.m., they had eaten and drunk their fill. After waving goodbye to Lyle, everyone headed off in their own directions.
Ron asked Lyle for another batch of skewers, then, carrying the bundle wrapped in oiled paper, made his way to the alley next door—where he soon encountered Nora, who had come scrounging for food.