Teacher by day, Farmer by passion

"Is this really spirit wine?"

Ace stared at the porcelain bottle in front of him.

Spirit winery; a building he got as a reward when he leveled up previously.

And now, currently in his hand he held a bottle of wine brewed with spirit rice from that same winery.

Honestly though, to his surprise, the 100 Years of Wisdom didn't include any knowledge about winemaking.

Worse still, Lily, for all her confidence, wasn't exactly an expert in brewing wine either.

Ace uncorked the bottle and took a cautious sniff.

Immediately, he recoiled—the scent was quite strong.

Lily, however, puffed out her chest with pride.

"Master, I may not know the finer details of winemaking, but I do know this space very well. I can tell you exactly how old this wine is!"

Ace raised an eyebrow. "Does it's age even matter?"

Lily gasped, looking at him as if he had just committed sacrilege.

"Master! The older the wine, the more expensive and sought after it becomes!"

Then she timidly added,"Well if it was brewed properly."

"Forget that. I'm here because you said I could open a gate to the Spirit Realm and bring back helpers."

Lily immediately nodded, her eyes lighting up. "Yes, Master! Follow me!"

She led him to a corner where a massive, ancient gate lay in disrepair, its surface covered in cracks and faint, lingering energy.

"Master, you can open the gate with just a thought," Lily said confidently.

Ace smirked. "Just a thought, huh?"

He took a deep breath and, with great ceremony, declared—

"Open sesame!"

To his surprise, the gate actually reacted.

A low hum echoed through the air as its weathered surface shimmered, releasing a surge of spiritual energy.

A system notification appeared before him.

[Currently searching for a spirit beast willing to cross the gate…]

Ace stared at the message, then turned to Lily. "…That actually worked?"

[New helper has arrived, back in cooldown for 168 hours.]

The gate closed, leaving no path for the new spirit to turn back to.

Before Ace could respond, a soft glow flickered in the air, and a floating blue spirit emerged from the gate.

Its form shimmered like mist under moonlight, pulsing with an ethereal radiance.

"Good day, sir," the spirit spoke in a calm, respectful tone.

Ace blinked.

His mouth opened slightly, then closed again.

He wasn't expecting such polite greetings from a floating wisp.

Lily quickly stepped forward with a practiced smile. "Good day, dear spirit. This here is going to be the Master."

The spirit dipped in acknowledgment. "It will be my honor to serve the Master of the Divine Garden."

Ace furrowed his brows. "Divine Garden?"

"Yes sir," the spirit affirmed. "This space is known as the Divine Garden."

Ace gave a small nod, absorbing the information. "Alright. By the way, is this done? I have work to do."

Lily gasped dramatically. "Master! Why are you in such a rush? You haven't even named the spirit!"

The blue spirit floated a little closer, its glow intensifying. "Yes sir. Please… grant me a name."

"What is it that you do?" Ace asked, eyeing the floating blue spirit with curiosity.

The spirit hesitated before replying, "I can't say just yet, Sir. But I can give you a hint—it's related to water and—"

"Aqua." Ace interrupted, nodding to himself. "That's it. That's your name."

The spirit opened its mouth as if to protest but quickly closed it again.

A soft glow surrounded its form, shifting and solidifying.

In an instant, the misty wisp transformed into a chubby young boy with bright blue eyes and a round face full of life.

With a respectful bow, he spoke in a clear, eager voice. "Master, I greet you."

As soon as Aqua finished his greetings, the translucent familiar system screen flickered into view once again, displaying his information.

[Race: Spirit waters]

Name: Aqua (Owned)

Rank: Dark-Gold

System Determined Value: Level 2

Inner thoughts: [I wonder if master ever stays inside this space? When will he leave… I wish to laze around already.]

Ace stared at the chubby spirit boy. "So, what exactly can you do?"

Aqua grinned. "Oh, uh… simple things! I can water crops and harvest fruits."

Ace looked at the system interface;

[I can also raise fish, but I don't want to. It's too tiring.]

Ace raised an eyebrow at the screen. Wow, isn't this too convenient? Then why haven't I heard anything from Lily?

[She hides nothing from the host.]

"Oh?" Ace turned his attention back to Aqua, who was still all smiles.

"Where do I get fish?"

The moment he asked, Aqua's cheerful expression stiffened, his face draining of color.

Still, he mustered a bitter smile.

"Through trades, Master. I can initiate trades with other spirits in the Spirit Realm using your farm products."

[Why?! Why does Master know about this?! But I can't even run off with his spirit products now… I'm already named!]

Ace smirked. Now that was an interesting piece of information.

"Good. Make preparations with Lily to trade fish for chickens. If you do well, I'll let you eat tons of Spirit Apples."

Aqua visibly flinched.

[Apples?! What the heck—nooo! Are you going to torture me?!]

Ace chuckled. "Never mind. You can have pork instead."

Aqua's eyes lit up instantly. "Thank you, Master!"

[Ah… this Master knows how to joke. He nearly got me there. Phew.]

Ace glanced at the system screen. This system bonus was really something. Being able to read inner thoughts is pretty useful.

Stepping out of the system space, Ace took a deep breath.

The village had a grand festival to host, and there was still much to prepare.

With a bottle of spirit wine in hand, Ace made his way to the festival grounds.

The area was vast, with stalls lining the perimeter, each bustling with activity.

Some merchants from outside the village had even set up their own booths, drawn by the buzz surrounding the event.

True businessmen—they never missed an opportunity.

Their presence only added to the excitement, ensuring the festival had more to offer than just the villagers' goods.