NOVEL NEXT Chapter 107: Blue Moon
[February 4th, 750DBT]
With the Blue Moon event occurring every thirty days, Vahn was standing on the periphery of where the light poured into the cave from above. The Tower they were in, aptly named the Black Tower due to its sleek, glossy, ebon-black exterior, had a faux sun that never set. The only time night fell was when the Tower's moon eclipsed its sun, bathing every Floor from the 10th to the 99th in special Mana that strengthened and, more importantly, facilitated the promotion/evolution of the Tower's native inhabitants, flora, and fauna.
Unfortunately, while the extraordinary Mana, more commonly known as Blue Moon Energy, was incredibly beneficial to those exposed to it, it had the effect of sending even intelligent creatures into a frenzy. It thankfully didn't affect the Awakened who aspired to climb the Tower, at least not so long as they remained outsiders, but to those who had become bound to it after their worlds were subsumed and subsequently destroyed, it was a blessing and a curse.
'It's quite beautiful...' thought Vahn, raising his right hand, palm-side up, and allowing the shafts of sapphire blue light to flow across his skin like a gentle mist. Moonguk and his very pregnant fiancee, So-Young, were safe in their expanded burrow, but since he and Grayfia were impervious to the mystical light's effects, they could appreciate its ethereal beauty without worry.
tinkle tinkle tinkle
Perhaps as a result of the number of crops they had planted, Vahn and Grayfia noticed specks of twinkling blue light enveloping a total of seven plants: two radishes, one bok choy, a single carrot, and, surprisingly, three cabbages. The first three had their once green stalks turn varying shades of blue while the cabbage, evidently better at absorbing Mana, acquired a deep, amethyst-purple hue.
'This speeds things up a bit...' thought Vahn, having anticipated their first batch of Blue Moon-empowered crops to arrive during the third moon, not the second. He didn't mind meeting the Tower's Administrator early, but it meant he would have her monitoring and pestering him and Grayfia rather incessantly from then onward...
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With the Blue Moon's passing and the sun's gentle rays returning, Vahn figured he might as well bite the proverbial bullet by plucking one of the evolved radishes from the ground, prompting a blue notification window with a hexagonal background to materialize before him, distinctly different from The Path's and Invirtua's System.
[You have harvested a vegetable infused with Blue Moon Energy.]
Before the average person would have been able to read and process the notification, several additional windows materialized in quick succession, each accompanied by a faint ding.
[The Dungeon Administrator is paying attention to you because of your remarkable Achievement.]
[The Dungeon Administrator is frowning upon you.]
[The Dungeon Administrator has realized you're not an Awakened or an invited guest.]
[The Dungeon Administrator is confused by the presence of Mana and an energy they cannot recognize within your body.]
[The Dungeon Administrator demands to know who you and the woman behind you are.]
"My name is Vahn Mason, and the woman behind me is Grayfia Lucifuge, my lover," responded Vahn, offering his best smile as he added, "It's nice to meet you."
[...]
[The Dungeon Administrator complains that the 99th Floor is not a place to take your lover.]
[The Dungeon Administrator demands to know how you trespassed their Tower.]
"The two of us are transdimensional wanderers who can freely traverse dimensional boundaries," explained Vahn, appending, "When we arrived here, we noticed the soil was rich with Mana and that this spot was fairly secluded, so we decided to build a home."
Differing from the previous notifications, the Administrator directly came out and asked [Is this some kind of prank?] using their System's speech-to-text.
"It's the truth," responded Vahn, his tone relaxed as he stated, "If my goal were to deceive you, I would have gone with something along the lines of not understanding how we got here. But that would quickly be exposed as a lie once you saw us coming and going as we please."
[...]
With a tense atmosphere gradually building in the cavern, Vahn waited for a little more than two minutes before taking a large bite out of the evolved radish in his hand, colored lapis lazuli blue by the Moon Moon's Energy.
'Oh, wow...' thought Vahn, his brows rising, eyes widening, and pupils dilating as the radish's fresh ground between his teeth with a satisfying crunch, each masticating movement releasing a mix of sweet, spicy, and invigorating juices that warmed his throat and belly as he swallowed.
[The Dungeon Administrator is taken aback.]
[Ah! Why are you suddenly eating it!? Don't you understand that I'm trying to think!?]
"These crops are the result of our efforts, but you're obviously welcome to a portion as a tribute," responded Vahn, taking another loud bite of the radish, his eyes narrowing in satisfaction.
Though there was another lengthy pause, Vahn eventually received what he was after as a notification window appeared before him, accompanied by a surge of energy enveloping and permeating his body. Ordinarily, this wouldn't be possible due to him being an outsider, but as he had received a Quest to be Awakened by the Tower's Administrator, and the rewards of said Quests were supplied by The Path, he received a notification from his System before the Tower's.
Ding! You have acquired the Title [Beginner Dungeon Farmer]!
Ding! You have acquired the Skills: [Farming: F], [Sowing: F], [Harvesting: F], [Friend of Nature: B]
[The Tower Administrator is Awakening you.]
[Error.]
[The Tower's System cannot identify the energy within the target being Awakened. The status and parameters of the Awakened may not display properly.]
As Vahn was reading the various notifications, yet another appeared before him, presumably from the Administrator, as it said: [You really are an anomaly. You're significantly weaker than the woman behind you, but the Tower's System cannot analyze or reconcile the energy forming your body.]
"Oh? Does that mean you were Awakened as well...?" asked Vahn, turning to face Grayfia over his shoulder.
"So it would seem," hummed Grayfia, offering a curt nod and wearing her usual smile.
Blocking his view of Grayfia, a much larger notification appeared before Vahn's face, replacing his smile with a frown.
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[New Quest]
Objective(s): Offer all the vegetables containing Blue Moon Energy to the Tower Administrator.
Reward: One Occupational Skill
Consequence of Declining: Death
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"It's not very polite to threaten people you've just become acquainted with death..." remarked Vahn, exhaling from his nose as he appended, "I already said we would provide a portion of our crops to you. It's one thing to ask for more, but to demand them upon threat of death? What happens when we leave or refuse to grow additional crops...?"
[...]
Maintaining control of the discussion, Vahn stated, "I will present you the remaining radish, two of the evolved cabbages, and a provisional tithe of 10% of our stock harvest. Once we expand our operation and improve our yield, that amount can be raised as high as 50%. Expecting more than that when we're covering the costs and providing the labor is as unreasonable as it is tyrannical."
Instead of responding to Vahn with words, a new notification appeared before him.
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[New Quest]
Objective(s): Offer one radish and two cabbages empowered by energy from the Blue Moon and ten percent of your available crops to the Tower Administrator.
Reward: One Occupational Skill
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"That's much more reasonable," confirmed Vahn, regaining his smile as he produced a large bushel of Crimson Bapples and added, "We'll need a few minutes to harvest everything. For now, accept these Crimson Bapples as a symbol of our friendship or mutual cooperation. You'll notice they have a faint trace of spirit energy within them, and if consumed by a human, they won't feel hunger for a full twenty-four hours."
[The Tower Administrator is intrigued by your offering.]
Following the notification, the bushel of bapples disappeared from Vahn's hands. There were precisely one hundred apples in the bushel, but since the Administrator, Aileen, was a Black Dragon with a large body and a big appetite, it was better to offer her more food than less.
[The Tower Administrator is taken aback by the flavor and quality of the Crimson Bapples.]
[The Tower Administrator is pleased with your offering and says you can take your time harvesting the remaining tribute.]
"How considerate..." hummed Vahn, lowering himself to his knees to begin harvesting the remaining crops. He could use his domain or ask Grayfia to harvest the entire lot with her Magic, but since gardening was surprisingly therapeutic, he didn't mind getting his hands dirty.
[You have harvested a Petite Thigh Radish imbued with the energy of the Blue Moon.]
[Your Occupational Proficiency increases significantly.]
[You have gained 50 Experience Points.]
[Your Level has increased to 3.]
[You have obtained 20 Bonus Attribute Points.]
Though his eyes briefly flashed across the various notifications, Vahn ignored them to focus on the radish in his hand, muttering, "Petite Thigh Radish...?" in a confused tone before checking its description.
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[Petite Thigh Radish Imbued with the energy of the Blue Moon.]
Description: A radish grown within the Black Tower, making it delicious and full of nutrients. Its taste and effects have been greatly enhanced after absorbing the energy of the Blue Moon.
Effect(s): Permanently increases Agility by 0.05 upon consumption. When consumed by females, it burns up to 10g of fat and helps to ensure thighs look slim and healthy.
Restriction(s): Agility gains capped at 500.
Producer: Tower Farmer Vahn Mason
Expiration: 30 Days
Grade: E
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'So it basically helps girls develop a thigh gap...' determined Vahn, finding the effect somewhat...blasphemous as he wouldn't trade Grayfia's plump, toned, and pillowy thighs for anything. He did, however, feel that Koneko's and Asia's thigh gaps suited them, so it wasn't like he couldn't understand the appeal.
[The Tower Administrator demands you hand over the Petite Thigh Radish Imbued with the energy of the Blue Moon at once.]
"It's all yours..." responded Vahn, holding up the conspicuously thigh-shaped radish with his left hand, causing it to disappear within the blink of an eye. Then, with slight trepidation in his heart, he moved to harvest the evolved bok choy, carrot, and cabbages to ascertain their effects.
[You have harvested an Ultraviolet Bok Choy imbued with the energy of the Blue Moon.]
[Your Occupational Proficiency increases significantly.]
[You have gained 50 Experience Points.]
[You have harvested a Vigor Carrot imbued with the energy of the Blue Moon.]
[Your Occupational Proficiency increases significantly.]
[You have gained 50 Experience Points.]
[Your Level has increased to 4]
[You have obtained 10 Bonus Attribute Points.]
[You have harvested three Fertility Cabbages imbued with the energy of the Blue Moon.]
[Your Occupational Proficiency increases immensely.]
[Your Rank as a Tower Farmer has increased from F to E.]
[The Rank of your Harvest Skill has increased from E to F.]
[You have gained the Occupational Skill: Green Thumb(F)]
[You have gained 150 Experience Points.]
'This is way too many notifications...' thought Vahn, shaking his head before proceeding to check the effects of the conspicuously named vegetables. In the story that inspired the world he found himself in, the carrots grown by the Protagonist, Park Sejun, evolved into a subspecies known as Agility Carrots. As the name implied, the normal carrots could increase the consumer's Agility by 0.1 for ten minutes, stacking up to ten times, while the Blue Moon variant raised it by 0.05 indefinitely. His Vigor Carrots, on the other hand, boosted Stamina by 0.05 and increased penis length and girth by 0.1cm. The Ultraviolet Bok Choy was relatively tame, tempering skin to improve its glossiness and resistance against radiation, but the Fertility Cabbage was another ludicrous item, boosting Stamina by 0.05 permanently while simultaneously increasing male virility and female fertility...
[The Dungeon Administrator demands the Ultraviolet Bok Choy infused with the energy of the Blue Moon but says you can keep the remaining crops.]
Though curious about the taste, the Administrator, Aileen, had to cover her face when she saw the Vigor Carrots' and Fertility Cabbages' shapes. The former was distinctly phallic, and while the latter appeared normal at a glance, viewing it from above and allowing your eyes to lose focus made it look like something that frequently occupied pubescent boys' minds and dreams...
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