The Rich Cultivator-Chapter 515. Recruiting Yumina

"Hey... say something." Tyla spoke softly, but there was no reply.

Only the faint hum of wind and the quiet pulse of the array responded.

She stood alone inside the pocket dimension— she is inside a chamber. Before her lay the same copper pot and ladle she had found earlier, both resting on a stone table. They glimmered faintly, as if they carried some strange divinity despite their mundane appearance.

Tyla had been staring at them for nearly an hour, trying to figure out their purpose. "What are you two even supposed to do?" she muttered, prodding the pot with her finger. "At least give me a hint or something..."

She waited again for the ghostly voice that once guided her —but the silence continued. No whisper, no echo, not even the faintest tingle of presence.

"Great. The one time I actually want to hear that spirit voice, she vanishes." Tyla sighed and plopped down cross-legged on the ground.

The copper pot suddenly gave a tiny shiver —just a vibration that lasted less than a second— then went still again.

Tyla blinked. "Huh... okay. You can move. But you only do it when I’m confused? Wow, that’s helpful."

After a moment of thought, she decided to experiment. "Maybe it enhances food?" she guessed. She retrieved the leftover soup she had brought from earlier and poured it carefully into the pot. Then, with a snap of her fingers, she activated a small fire array beneath it. The array glowed a faint red, humming with heat.

But strangely, the copper pot remained warm to the touch. Not a single bubble appeared in the soup.

"The hell? It’s not heating up?" Tyla frowned and touched the rim— still lukewarm. She turned off the array and checked the symbols. They were functioning perfectly. The issue wasn’t with the fire— it was with the pot.

"So it’s heat-resistant... useless for cooking." She sighed and picked up the ladle, stirring lazily. Then, out of frustration, she poured the soup out of the pot.

Minutes passed. But the soup was still flowing out.

"Hmmm... wait a second." Her eyes widened as she poured the soup out. It’s still flowing out.

Tyla froze. Then she burst out laughing. "You’ve got to be kidding me! It copies things?! Oh, this is insane!"

Then she took the ladle out and tried again, but the copper pot instantly emptied itself.

Intrigued, Tyla leaned closer, curiosity gleaming in her eyes. "hmm..."

Excited, she began experimenting again. She dropped an ice tangerine into the copper pot. When she took it out without using the ladle. She picked up and an identical copy. It looked perfectly real, the same scent of frost and citrus wafting from them.

After several trials, Tyla finally understood the pattern. Her eyes lit up with realization. "So that’s how it works..."

She figured out how those two works.

Tyla clutched the copper pot to her chest, laughing uncontrollably. "No wonder I’m rich! This is a total cheat item! I could start a sect, build an army, create a country even! Hahaha!"

" But instead of that, why am I alone in a place like this." Then her voice toned down.

Then she paused, eyes narrowing. "Wait. I could even... copy money."

Without hesitation, she grabbed a bundle of Lydia notes and placed one into the pot. Her heart raced.

Then she took out the money.

Her grin widened. "No way... it worked?" She picked them up carefully— but the copied one instantly crumbled to dust the moment she touched it.

"What...? It disintegrated?" She stared, dumbfounded. "So it can’t copy money? But why?"

Tyla slumped onto the floor, confused but still amazed. "Guess even divine cheat pots have limits..." she murmured.

After a while, she left the copper pot inside the pocket dimension and stepped back into the rented room inside an inn.

Inside the inn, the air was warm and smelled faintly of soap. Yumina sat cross-legged on the bed, tinkering with her gauntlets while wearing nothing but a white bathrobe and round glasses that made her look more like a scholar than a fighter.

"What’s special about Lydia notes?" Tyla asked, wasting no time.

Yumina looked up, blinking. "Huh? Why suddenly ask that?"

"I’m just curious. How do people know if a note is counterfeit?"

Yumina laughed lightly. "Oh, that’s easy—because you can’t counterfeit Lydia. Not even the strongest artifact can." She stretched, setting her gauntlets aside. "Each note is created using Law. Don’t ask me what that means, but it’s something beyond my understanding. So whenever someone creates a Lydia Counterfeit, The Law will sense it and destroy it. That’s why it’s the strongest currency, the one and only currency in the world."

"Created by Law..." Tyla repeated, intrigued.

"Yeah. Seeing how rich you are, you probably already knew that before losing your memories." Yumina smiled reassuringly. "Don’t worry— we’ll find a way to bring them back."

Tyla nodded, though her thoughts drifted back to the copper pot. She decided not to speak a word about it even to Yumina.

A few moments later, Yumina stood up and stretched again. "Let me in your pocket dimension. I want to change clothes."

Tyla nodded. Yumina vanished into the pocket dimension.

The moment she was gone, Tyla took out the copper pot again. It began to vibrate— more strongly this time. The sound echoed faintly, like a soft hum resonating in her bones.

Her eyes widened. "It’s reacting again..."

The vibration didn’t stop —it pulsed, rhythmically, guiding her. The pot tilted slightly in her hands, as though pointing in a specific direction beyond the inn’s walls.

"Are you... showing me the way?" she whispered.

Her heartbeat quickened. The resonance seemed alive, almost eager.

Tyla tightened her grip and followed its pull, walking through the inn corridor until she reached the balcony. The pot continued to hum, its lid trembling faintly as if yearning to go farther.

She gazed into the distant horizon, where the night sky shimmered with faint auroras like lights.

"Maybe wherever it’s guiding me... there’s a clue about who I really am," she murmured.

---

After Yumina stepped out of the pocket dimension, the air between them felt lighter, yet oddly filled with anticipation.

Tyla went straight to the point as before.

"So," Yumina began, crossing her arms and tilting her head, "you wanted me as a bodyguard? You’re trying to recruit me now?" Her tone was playful, but her curiosity was genuine.

Tyla nodded seriously, her expression calm and businesslike. "Yes. I can pay you with the artifacts, spirit tools, and potions stored inside my pocket dimension."

Her confident tone carried a strange authority that made Yumina slightly narrow her eyes. Tyla spoke like someone used to leading others, someone who had once commanded great power— even if she couldn’t remember her past.

Yumina tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Hmm... A well-paying job, free meals, and a mysterious employer who might be richer" She smiled. "Sounds like a good deal to me."

But deep down, she didn’t care much about the payment. Tyla had saved her life before. That alone was reason enough to travel with her. Still, Yumina preferred to treat it as a proper agreement— less awkward, and more... professional.

"I know what you’re thinking," Tyla said, noticing the flicker of hesitation in Yumina’s expression. "You don’t have to feel indebted to me. But if you really want to repay that debt someday, do it when you’re stronger. For now, just take this offer."

Her tone softened as she continued, "After this task is done, we’ll head to one of the dragon boats. There, we can sell a few things and ask around about your missing friends in the Dragon Boat."

The sincerity in Tyla’s voice struck a chord within Yumina. She didn’t expect this woman—this memoryless stranger— to care so much. Her chest warmed with a mix of gratitude and admiration. Without thinking, she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Tyla. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

"Thank you..." Yumina whispered softly. "Can we be friends?"

"Aren’t we already?" Tyla hugged her back.

"Why are you talking like a boy? Haha... Boys are like that— they meet someone wearing the same kind of clothes and instantly become friends. They’re always so illogical." Yumina sighed.

Yumina froze for half a second before jolting back with a startled squeak, one hand immediately covering her butt. "H-Hey! What was that!?"

Tyla’s face turned crimson. "S-sorry! My hand moved on its own! I swear it was just muscle memory or— reflex or something!"

Yumina’s eyes narrowed, but she couldn’t help laughing at the embarrassed look on Tyla’s face. "Uh-huh. ’Muscle memory,’ you say? What kind of life were you living before you lost your memories?"

Tyla scratched her cheek awkwardly. "Honestly... I’m starting to wonder that myself."

Tyla looked at her palm. She loved that familiar sensation... but then paused.

Wait... w- why does this feel so familiar?

Their laughter filled the small inn room. For a moment, the coldness outside didn’t matter.