Chapter 206: Leisurely and Carefree
Listening to the chaotic string of titles tumbling from Lin An’s mouth—Master, Shopkeeper, Senior Brother—Jiang Chen couldn’t help but feel the kid had been thoroughly broken by that Primary Alchemist in the Earthfire Zone.
He cut him off with a strange expression. “Just call me Senior Brother.”
Jiang Chen reached into his storage and flicked a glowing stone through the air. “Get yourself cleaned up. Handle your logistics quickly.”
Lin An caught the object. When he realized it was a Mid-grade Spirit Stone, his breath hitched. His chest heaved as he stared at the gem, his hands trembling.
“I slaved away in the Earthfire Zone for two years,” Lin An choked out, his voice thick with emotion. “I didn’t earn a single Low-grade stone. I never imagined… to receive a Mid-grade stone the moment I came back…”
Jiang Chen patted him on the shoulder, his touch firm and grounding. “Stick with me. As long as I have meat to eat, you won’t go hungry.”
Tears welled up in Lin An’s eyes again. He nodded vigorously, unable to speak.
His journey had been wretched. Despite awakening a Wood Spirit Root, his talent for agriculture was mediocre at best. He had barely scraped through the promotion exams by relying on friends with Earth and Water roots. Then came the debt, the arrest by the Punishment Hall, and two years of torture as a human battery for a sadistic alchemist.
Upon his release, he had sought help from old acquaintances. They had either slammed their doors in his face or pretended he didn’t exist.