Teacher by day, Farmer by passion
Chapter 283 - 283: Tharz Kingdom [3]

"We'll begin by recounting what happened over the past six months," Lily announced, standing with arms crossed.

Akha nodded wearily from her seat, dark circles under her eyes.

"Finally," she muttered, "Maybe someone can explain why I haven't had a single day of peace…"

Khani and Kathum leaned toward her, whispering in sync,

"Sister, are you okay? Should we get you some water?"

Their voices were sweet, maybe too sweet.

Mati, sitting beside them, sighed and pinched both their ears.

"Quiet, you two. This is an emergency meeting, not teatime gossip."

She let go, and the duo winced, straightening like scolded schoolgirls.

Then Aqua stood up, adjusting his robe.

"Master—" He paused as Lily cleared her throat with a loud ahem.

"—Sect Master," he corrected quickly, bowing toward Ace.

"In the past six months, my fishery department has made remarkable progress in improving the villagers' livelihoods."

He held up a scroll for reference, but no one looked.

"We dug a pond. Then—without telling anyone—we filled it with golden bubble tea fish. We offered to buy those fish from the villagers for 10 gold each."

There was a collective blink across the table.

"We also sold grains and corn at lower rates to ease their burden," Aqua added proudly.

Then, as he felt several piercing stares turn to him, he fumbled,

"B-but that's not technically under my department!"

He cleared his throat awkwardly.

"Ahem… statistically, all the fishing families are satisfied with their lives. That's all from me."

And he sat down with the speed of someone narrowly avoiding further questioning.

Lily turned to the next.

"Tushan. Your turn."

"Uh… well, I…" Tushan stood but didn't seem nervous—just utterly unsure what counted as a report.

Xi Chun, beside her, gave a small sigh and gently pulled her sister back down, then stood with a graceful bow.

"Greetings, Sect Master. My sister oversees the granary and food stores. During your absence, the granary expanded significantly—enough to last ten years, even under drought conditions."

Ace raised an eyebrow in mild surprise.

"She's also… known for her experimental ingredient choices," Xi Chun continued diplomatically. "But some of her innovations brought new culinary worlds to life, both in taste and in… unpredictable side effects."

Tushan scratched her cheek, not sure if that was a compliment.

"In particular," Xi Chun said, "one such dish she unknowingly prepared has been found to treat dysentery."

The room fell into a respectful silence.

"Additionally, you had assigned her two tasks: One, to research a replacement for the spirit pig meal. That is still ongoing. Two, to feed your soul bond that's currently locked up."

Ace blinked.

Locked up? Did I say that? Wait… that does sound like something I told her myself. Hmm… maybe I am the problem here.

He nodded thoughtfully.

"Well done, Tushan. And thank you, Xi Chun."

Xi Chun knelt gracefully.

"It was my pleasure, Sect Master."

Lily, watching from the side, clicked her tongue with barely-concealed irritation.

"Alright, Shane. You're up."

Shane stood up and bowed.

"Greetings, Master. My responsibilities these past six months have been fairly straightforward."

He straightened and spoke with calm confidence.

"My proudest achievement? Not a single student has suffered a stomachache from my cooking."

As he said it, he deliberately glanced at Tushan.

Tushan, catching the subtle jab, quickly looked away and pretended to admire the ceiling.

Shane continued, "The only incident of note was when a weasel entered the kitchen without permission. Not naming names, of course."

"Hey! I'm not a weasel!" Tushan jumped up, her chair nearly tipping as she protested.

Before the bickering could escalate, a cold wave swept through the room.

Thud.

The air turned frigid. A voice like frost scraping steel cut through the chatter:

"Silence."

It was Lily.

Even Ace, who was sitting right next to her, nearly had a heart attack.

Shane cleared his throat and sat down immediately, face pale.

Tushan slumped back into her seat, muttering under her breath.

Ace blinked. "Alright… good report, Shane."

Lily turned to Ace with a sheepish smile and bowed her head.

"Apologies, Master. I should've curbed their nonsense earlier."

"Ahhh, it's fine, it's fine," Ace waved it off.

"No, Master, it's not fine!" Lily insisted, her fists clenched. "They were utterly disrespectful in front of you. Let me discipline them properly after this meeting."

"Hah... alright, alright. Apology accepted. Now, can we proceed with the meeting?"

Lily straightened. "Yes, thank you, Master. Alright—Elder Akha, would you kindly report the tasks you've handled over the past six months?"

"Thank the heavens," Akha muttered as she stood, clearly weary but composed.

She gave a small bow.

"Greetings, Sect Master. I'm here to report on my responsibilities over the past six months."

Her tone turned professional. "I was in charge of finance. A total sum of one and a half billion gold was spent—"

Ace blinked.

"—with one billion and one hundred million going to bounties."

"That many?", Ace echoed.

Akha ignored the mild alarm. "The rest went to the fishery project. We've been buying back the spirit fish we secretly released into the local ponds."

"Statistics-wise," she added, "every villager is now a fisherman. And most are happy. Some, however, have grown bold and started selling our fish elsewhere."

She moved on swiftly.

"I also oversee the health and welfare of the elderly in the village. Fortunately, many disciples volunteered to help. Things are running smoothly, and the elders are grateful."

"I'm in charge of assigning missions to disciples for experience, verifying medicinal herbs in the alchemy faculty, and managing trade relations."

Akha gave a small sigh.

"Our pills were recently rejected by the major merchant group we had been partners with. They said our prices were too high. After a little investigation… I made sure their company no longer exists."

She glanced at Ace.

"We moved our trade to a struggling but honest group. They're barely surviving, but they're resilient. I believe in them."

Ace nodded slowly, only slightly concerned.

"Oh, and lastly," Akha continued, "you tasked me with maintaining relations with the Fairy Pavilion. Just yesterday, I met their new Pavilion Master."

She exhaled, her expression calm despite the mountain of responsibility.

Ace stared at her for a long moment.

Ace blinked. "You know what, I'm giving you a vacation."

Akha snorted. "And watch the sect crumble? I'll pass."

"…Fair."

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