Chapter 117: Rare Fruit Garden!

Ethan pushed those thoughts aside.

There was no point worrying about whether anyone would actually buy the spiritual apple before he had even given people a chance to see it. He had done what he could for now. The vendor profile was ready, the product had been successfully listed, and all he could do was wait and see whether his plan would actually work.

Besides, he had something else to worry about.

The rare fruits.

Rin quickly finished setting everything up on the computer, making sure Ethan could access the vendor profile without having to return to the computer room every time he wanted to check something. He linked the necessary information to Ethan’s phone and showed him where to find the seller page, how to monitor the listing, and where he would eventually see orders and other activity.

"Try opening it yourself," Rin said.

Ethan followed his instructions, and after a few attempts, the seller profile appeared on his phone.

"So I can actually manage everything from here?"

"Yep. Once you get a notification that someone bought something, you can check it here. You don’t need to come back to this computer every time."

Ethan nodded in satisfaction.

That was much more convenient.

Rin then made sure to completely log out of Ethan’s student profile on the academy computer before closing everything down. He didn’t leave the account open for even a second longer than necessary, and Ethan appreciated the precaution.

Once they were certain they had finished, the two of them left the computer room.

Their next destination was the academy’s restricted garden.

The garden was located within the academy grounds, but it was far away from the main student areas, especially the dormitories and the buildings where students spent most of their time. It was almost tucked away at the far outskirts of the academy, in an isolated section surrounded by greenery and enough distance from the central buildings to make it easy to forget that it was even part of the academy.

The garden itself was enclosed and carefully maintained, with a small hut-like building near the entrance where the workers kept their equipment and handled the daily management of the place.

By the time Ethan and Rin reached the area, evening had already begun to settle over the academy.

They didn’t immediately attempt to enter.

That would have been stupid.

Instead, the two of them found a concealed spot from where they could observe the garden without being noticed and settled down to monitor the area.

They needed to know exactly how the garden operated.

For the next several hours, Ethan and Rin quietly watched the workers going in and out. They noted how many people entered the garden, how many left, when they usually arrived, and when they began preparing to leave for the day. They also kept track of the students who passed through the area.

Fortunately, there weren’t many.

The garden was too far away from the main academy buildings for students to have much reason to come this way, so the number of students passing through the area was surprisingly low. Ethan and Rin barely had to worry about someone randomly wandering past them while they were hiding.

Still, they waited.

They weren’t going to risk getting caught simply because they were impatient.

Eventually, night settled over the academy completely.

The workers finished their duties for the day, secured the garden, and began leaving one after another. Ethan and Rin remained hidden, watching carefully until the last worker had gone.

Only then did they see one of the workers perform the final security routine.

The keys to the garden were placed inside a small safe hidden in a particular spot near the hut.

Ethan narrowed his eyes as he watched.

The worker entered a PIN into the safe before opening it, placing the keys inside, and locking it again.

Both Ethan and Rin had seen the PIN.

They waited even after the worker disappeared from sight, making absolutely certain that the area was clear.

When they were finally convinced that nobody was coming back, Rin nudged Ethan.

"Now."

The two of them slipped out of their hiding place and quietly approached the safe.

Ethan’s heart beat a little faster as Rin crouched in front of it.

He entered the PIN they had memorized.

The safe clicked.

It opened.

Ethan’s eyes immediately lit up.

The plan had actually worked.

Rin carefully took the key, and the two of them moved toward the garden entrance. After unlocking it, they slipped inside and quietly closed the door behind them.

The moment Ethan stepped into the garden, he almost forgot that they were there to steal anything.

He stared.

The garden was far larger than he had imagined.

Different sections had been carefully separated, each one dedicated to a different type of rare fruit. There were rows upon rows of trees and plants, and in some sections, Ethan could see more than a hundred fruits growing together, each one looking completely different from anything he had ever seen before.

One section contained fruits with deep violet skins that shimmered faintly under the moonlight, their surfaces covered in tiny natural patterns that looked almost like streaks of light.

Another was filled with small golden fruits hanging in clusters from low branches. They were round and almost perfectly smooth, with a soft golden glow that made them look as though they had been polished.

The third section held larger fruits with pale blue-green skins. Some were shaped almost like elongated pears, while others were round and heavy-looking, hanging from thick branches that bent slightly beneath their weight.

Ethan moved his gaze toward another section and found himself staring at fruits with dark crimson skins and strange, almost crystal-like surfaces. They looked nothing like ordinary apples, oranges, pears, or any fruit he had ever encountered before.

Then there was a fifth section containing fruits of different shapes and colors, some with unusually large leaves surrounding them, others with faintly glowing stems and surfaces that seemed to shimmer whenever the breeze moved through the garden.

There had to be more than a hundred fruits in each section.

Ethan couldn’t help being mesmerized.

He had seen many things since arriving in this world, but he had never seen such a collection of fruits before.

Rin noticed his expression and immediately grinned.

He walked over and patted Ethan on the shoulder.

"I told you so."

Ethan glanced at him.

Rin’s grin widened.

"I told you these fruits were rare. I’m always right."

"You’re really enjoying this, aren’t you?"

"Of course I am."

Ethan ignored his smug expression and looked back at the fruits.

"But why are they so rare?"

Rin’s expression became less certain.

"I don’t actually know all the details."

Ethan turned toward him.

"You don’t?"

"No. I just know what I’ve heard. The seeds are extremely difficult to get, which is one of the reasons these fruits are so highly cherished. They’re not regular fruits either. Even their taste is supposed to be different."

"Different how?"

"Apparently they’re much sweeter and have a completely different flavor compared to ordinary fruits."

Rin shrugged.

"I’ve never actually tasted one myself, though. I’ve only heard about them from people who could afford to buy them whenever they’re put up for sale."

Ethan looked at the fruits again.

"So how much does a typical rare fruit cost?"

Rin rubbed his palms together thoughtfully before answering.

"The minimum I’ve heard is around eighty thousand Crest Credits for a batch."

Ethan’s eyes widened.

"A batch?"

"Yeah. Usually twelve fruits."

"Eighty thousand for twelve?"

"That’s the minimum," Rin clarified. "The price depends on which rare fruit is being sold. Some are worth much more."

Ethan stared at the rows of fruits surrounding them.

Eighty thousand Crest Credits.

And that was only the minimum price for a batch of twelve.

A slow grin began to spread across his face.

"Wow."

His eyes moved from one section to another.

"So I could make a lot of money from just one batch."

Rin nodded.

"Exactly. Especially since you’re not even buying the fruits."

Ethan’s grin widened.

He looked around the garden again.

They weren’t paying eighty thousand Crest Credits.

They weren’t paying anything.

They were stealing them.

And if he successfully used one of these rare fruits to produce spiritual fruits, the value could become even higher.

Rin seemed to read his thoughts.

"Once you infuse one with spiritual energy and turn it into a proper spiritual fruit, you can sell it for two or even three times the original amount, depending on the fruit."

Ethan immediately placed a hand over his chest in an exaggerated gesture of shock.

"Two or three times?"

Rin burst out laughing.

"Your face!"

Ethan continued holding his chest as though Rin had just informed him of the most unbelievable thing in existence.

"That much money from fruit?"

"It’s because they’re rare."

"I understand that, but still..."

Rin laughed again before finally waving his hand.

"Alright, alright. We don’t have all the time in the world."

He looked around the different sections of the garden, then turned back toward Ethan.

"We need to choose quickly before we risk someone coming back."

His gaze moved over the various rare fruits surrounding them.

"So, which of the fruits do you want to take?"