Seeing the disappointment in Paige Summers’s expression, Rhonda Rhodes felt a stir of apprehension.

He was also well aware that jade wasn’t valuable in this era. The problem was that it was difficult to find; at least, he had no way of finding more on his own.

If Paige Summers were to deliver it to him, the round trip alone would cost time and energy.

Without a suitable item for trade, would she still put her best effort into it?

Back on Aethelgard, Rhonda Rhodes had never needed to consider such things.

The Longpeak Sect was only a Mid-tier Sect, but as the Sect Leader’s head disciple, he had a bright future and had never wanted for resources.

Back then, his mind was solely focused on Cultivation, paying little attention to worldly matters.

But things were different now.

Now, he not only had to think, but he had to be thorough.

’This counts as a kind of training, I suppose!’ Rhonda Rhodes thought, trying to find some humor in his predicament.

He took a breath and broke the silence. "Since you’re interested in these things, I have some seeds on hand that might be of use to you."

"Seeds?" Paige Summers blinked. ’He really has some!’

In fact, when Rhonda Rhodes had said it was best not to eat those plants, she had been wondering—judging by his attitude, he clearly didn’t eat them himself. So, in an age where most people survived on them, where was he getting his daily food from?

She feared he might have already reached the cultivation level described in Cultivation novels where one could abstain from food entirely. If so, she was out of luck.

Apparently, that wasn’t the case.

Her subsequent disappointment had been genuine, but it was also partly a strategic retreat, a way of probing him.

She hadn’t expected him to bring it up on his own.

Paige Summers couldn’t help but feel a secret delight.

’Seeing how he had managed to restore Hugo Perry’s body to such a perfect state, I know that Cultivators have their methods. The seeds he’s offering are probably quite exceptional, too!’

As she was thinking this, Rhonda Rhodes nodded and turned to enter the inner room.

A moment later, he returned carrying a large cloth sack and handed it to her.

Paige Summers didn’t stand on ceremony. She opened it, and a look of genuine, astonished delight spread across her face.

The seeds inside were wheat, which she thankfully recognized.

But this was clearly no ordinary wheat.

The oval grains were much plumper than any she had ever seen, and each one was so crystalline it almost seemed to glow.

"This... this is wheat seed, right?!"

Rhonda Rhodes gave a faint smile. "It’s a Spirit Plant from my plane of existence. Naturally, it’s different from ordinary wheat seeds."

"A Spirit Plant..." Paige Summers’s expression shifted slightly. She tempered her excitement and asked probingly, "I imagine it’s much harder to care for, then. Can these seeds really grow in ordinary soil?"

Rhonda Rhodes nodded. "They can. To be honest, I was saving these seeds for my own use. Their life force is extremely tenacious, and they can purge impurities from the soil on their own. However..." He hesitated for a moment before admitting, "There is a limit. Without the support of Spiritual Power, the wheat seeds harvested from a mature plant will just be ordinary seeds. I’m afraid they wouldn’t be able to survive in this land."

Then his expression turned serious. "But for you, consuming these Spiritual Objects will allow you to absorb more Spiritual Energy, which is highly beneficial for your Cultivation!"

Hearing this, Paige Summers’s heart surged with excitement!

’In ordinary soil, these wheat seeds are a one-time use item. But what about the soil in my space?’

’If the results are only better and not worse, wouldn’t eating this wheat every day be like absorbing Crystal Cores every day?’

’Even if the amount is small, every little bit adds up!’

The more she thought about it, the more excited she became. She did her best to suppress her overwhelming joy, allowing only a moderate amount to show. "In that case, thank you so much! You can count on me for the jade!"

Rhonda Rhodes grunted in acknowledgment, his expression gradually returning to its initial indifference.

Paige felt she had gotten a huge advantage. She was about to say she would bring him the jade soon, but before the words could leave her mouth, she felt something strange in her body!

’Poison?!’

’No, no, this feeling isn’t quite like poison, but it’s definitely something affecting my body!’

Her gaze swept over Rhonda Rhodes’s expressionless face, then dropped to the cloth sack in her hands... Her lips twisted. ’No wonder he was so quick to give me the seeds first. He had another trick up his sleeve!’

’But why does this plotline feel so familiar?’

’Oh, right. When I first met Andy, he also used a drug to gradually weaken me because he was afraid I would abandon him.’

’That’s it.’

’This guy must be afraid I’ll leave and never come back, causing him to lose the seeds for nothing. That’s why he resorted to this.’

’But... even though I’m not afraid and I understand that this is normal between two people who don’t trust each other, it’s still really damn annoying!’

She stood up, casually hoisting the sack of wheat seeds onto her shoulder, a brilliant smile on her face. ’So he wants jade? Fine, I can get it for him. But he’s going to have to wait just a little bit longer for it!’

"If there’s nothing else, I’ll be going. Thanks... for the seeds!"

"No need," Rhonda Rhodes said quietly. ’It’s just an equivalent exchange. I’m sure we’ll meet again soon.’

Paige was in no mood to say more. She turned crisply and left.

Outside, Zephyr Mercer was waiting impatiently. When he saw them emerge, his expression softened slightly.

"Are you done talking? Then..."

"We’re done!" Paige Summers cut him off. "We can talk when we get back."

Zephyr had wanted to ask Rhonda Rhodes more about the Energy Introduction he’d mentioned earlier, but Paige’s solemn expression suggested something was wrong. His heart skipped a beat, and he decided it was best to go back with her first.

Rhonda Rhodes glanced at him and opened his mouth, but in the end, he said nothing. He simply nodded, didn’t see them off, and went back inside.

On the way back, Zephyr Mercer offered to carry the sack of wheat seeds several times, but Paige Summers refused.

Zephyr was sure it wasn’t his imagination; she was definitely acting strangely. He couldn’t help but ask, "What on earth happened? Is that Rhonda... oh, no, is Hugo Perry really an old friend of yours?"

Paige shook her head gravely. "No, he’s not."

"So you were mistaken!" Zephyr let out a breath of relief. ’To be honest, it’s rare to see Paige so "worked up," and all that childhood sweetheart stuff is so annoying! It’s good that it’s not true. Now I can ask him for advice without any awkwardness.’

His thoughts were simple, but Paige wasn’t so relaxed. She asked solemnly, "What did he say to you when you were in the room?"

Zephyr didn’t hide anything from her, recounting the conversation in full detail. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

"He said my current Cultivation only trains my muscles and bones, not my inner self. He has a Cultivation Technique that’s very suitable for me, and if I’m willing, he can teach it to me and make me much stronger. But there’s a condition..."

"What condition?"

Zephyr said innocently, "He didn’t get a chance to say. You finished your Promotion just then, so we came out."

"I see."

Paige turned her head, her mind racing.

She wasn’t sure what condition Rhonda Rhodes would have proposed, but there were two likely possibilities.

One was jade, and the other was Zephyr Mercer’s protection.

She’d thought of the latter based on her own deductions.

His refusal to find the jade himself, his use of a relatively simple Array for protection, and finally, his tactic of drugging her to ensure she kept her promise... All these signs indicated that although Rhonda Rhodes was a Cultivator, his Level was not high. He was still a long, long way from being one of the legendary masters who could command the wind and rain. Until then, he was likely in desperate need of a bodyguard.

Originally, his willingness to teach the Cultivation Technique would have been a good thing, provided Zephyr himself agreed.

Zephyr Mercer wasn’t a member of Bloodfall. He didn’t need her permission to do anything, so she had no reason to stand in his way.

The problem was, it would be one thing if Rhonda simply wanted a mutually beneficial arrangement. But if he used this as an opportunity to control Zephyr through some underhanded means, things would get troublesome.

After all, Zephyr had come here with her.

If something really happened to him, as the person who introduced them, she would never be able to absolve herself of responsibility with the Mercer Family.

After much thought, Paige came to a decision. She had to warn Zephyr Mercer about this. If she explained everything clearly and he still insisted on dealing with Rhonda Rhodes, then at least she would have done her part.

Paige turned her head. "I don’t know if you’re aware, but Rhonda Rhodes is a Cultivator."

A surprised smile spread across Zephyr Mercer’s face. "I suspected as much. My family’s ancient records have some mentions of them. But how did you know?"

Paige answered vaguely, "I’ve also read similar records. Listen to me. I just made a deal with him. He needs a lot of jade to speed up his Cultivation, just like Superpower Users need Crystal Cores. But for some reason, he can’t go find it himself. So he gave me a bag of high-quality wheat seeds in exchange for me helping him find some jade. This would have been normal, except... just as I took the bag, I discovered it had been poisoned..."

The moment the word "poison" left her lips, Zephyr was so startled he nearly jumped out of his skin. He reached out to snatch the bag and throw it away, but Paige dodged him.

"You-you-you, you know... and you’re still..."

"Will you just listen to me! Am I that stupid? Do you think I’d be talking to you so calmly if I were really poisoned?!" Paige rolled her eyes. "Since I discovered the poison and didn’t call him out on it, I obviously have a way to deal with it!"

Zephyr finally caught on, his face flushing red.

He scratched his head and muttered, "I was just worried, that’s all."

Paige sighed. "Alright, thanks for your concern, but I’m really fine. Actually, it’s probably not a lethal poison. I don’t recognize it, but I’m guessing it’s some kind of control-type drug."

Zephyr’s brow furrowed even deeper. "Even if you weren’t poisoned, this is unacceptable! That Rhonda Rhodes is despicable! He made the deal with you willingly. If he was worried, he could have just said the items had to be exchanged at the same time. Why resort to such a dirty trick!" He said resentfully, "And I was even thinking... Tch, damn him!"

Though he didn’t say what he’d been thinking, Paige could guess. As long as the conditions weren’t too harsh, Zephyr, who was practically obsessed with martial arts, would have probably agreed.

She looked up and sighed.

’As a disciple of the Mercer Family, can he really be this naive?’

’I have no idea how his father, the Clan Leader of the Mercer Family, raised him. It’s been over twenty years since the apocalypse began, yet there’s still a man this innocent... Oh well, it’s not my problem.’

"I’m telling you this to remind you that Rhonda Rhodes is not an easy person to deal with. If you think it over and still decide to talk to him, I just hope you’ll be extra careful not to get tricked by him."

Zephyr gave a low grunt of acknowledgment, lost in a tangle of conflicting thoughts.