Chapter 229: Solo Capitalism in the Tower
Validia bowed lightly.
"Then please, head to the cabin first. All the harvest has already been packed there."
Nathan nodded without saying much. He stepped into the wooden cabin standing beside the plantation. Inside, the air was warm, mixed with the sharp scent of strange fruits that filled the room. Dozens of baskets were neatly stacked, each covered with white cloth stamped with a black seal.
Ruby was still nestled in Lilith’s arms, giggling as her little hands held onto those majestic black wings. Lilith seemed to enjoy being called "Grandma," a thin smile never leaving her lips. Nathan could only let out a long sigh at the sight.
"...what kind of life is this," he muttered under his breath before shifting his focus back to the pile of baskets in front of him.
Validia pointed toward the rows of sorted fruits. "Everything’s been recorded. If you need it official, we can stamp it with the Prunus Vitalis seal."
Nathan lifted his hand, waving it off. "No need. I’ll handle it myself."
He stood in the middle of the cabin, then spoke flatly:
"Open... Hunter Trade Center."
In an instant, white light shimmered in the air. A transparent panel appeared—the WhiteNull Shop system unfolding, casting a faint glow across Nathan’s face. The monster girls around him turned curiously, while Ruby clapped her hands in delight at the glowing hologram.
Nathan began transferring the baskets into the system’s list. Crystal Banafruit showed up first—a banana-like fruit with pale blue translucent flesh, like frozen mana chunks. Then came the others one by one: apples that released a faint mist when cut, greenish scaly pears, even spiked berries that trembled as if storing tiny lightning within.
But his hand froze on the last fruit. Prunus Vitalis.
Its skin pulsed faintly with a living glow, as if it were breathing. Nathan stared at it for a long while, his face gradually hardening.
"...this damn fruit," he muttered low. "The one that saved my life."
The memory rushed in—his body broken, toyed with by monster girls during the Eclipse. Pain burning through every vein, despair nearly snuffing out his last breath. But that single bite of this fruit... the bitter taste that kept him teetering between life and death. That bizarre moment of being forced to release into the sprouts of Prunus Vitalis replayed in his head, making his skin crawl.
He drew a heavy breath, then added Prunus Vitalis to the shop list. But the price he set was far below its true worth.
"Let it be cheap. If some poor bastard ends up like me... he’ll need this more than gold."
The panel chimed—ping—the sale confirmed. Outside the cabin, a white glow shot toward the sky, signaling the official opening of WhiteNull Shop.
Nathan stared at the floating panel for a long moment, then let out a small scoff.
"So this is my own store... WhiteNull Shop. Commander of Earth, yet working like some village shopkeeper."
He folded his arms, a thin smile crossing his lips.
"Solo capitalism inside the Tower... yeah, why the hell not?"
Validia suddenly glanced at Nathan, her face blank but her tone calm.
"Commander... now, bring out the barrel you once stored. The one with the smiling logo."
Nathan instantly frowned. "Huh? That... barrel?"
For a moment, his memory flashed. The huge barrel with that ridiculous smiley logo he’d used back when he was in giant mode. Its contents... yeah, that. The golden-yellow liquid that was none other than his own piss.
Nathan’s face tightened, awkward and disgusted at himself. "Shit... seriously? Don’t tell me—"
But Validia kept staring at him seriously, not a hint of hesitation. With a sigh, Nathan finally opened his inventory. A massive steel barrel with that goofy smiley logo appeared before them, clunk! hitting the wooden cabin floor.
Validia gave a slight nod. "Good. Now it’s my turn."
She swung her hand lightly, summoning a similar steel barrel. The difference: its lid was already open—and a pungent, metallic stench spilled out. The thick red liquid inside rippled slowly.
Nathan stepped closer, staring into it, raising an eyebrow.
"This... blood? Don’t tell me... Ferofang Lizard blood?"
Validia gave a short nod. "Correct. Adult specimen."
Ding!
The Tower system lit up at once. A new panel appeared, glowing with instructions. From that light, seven small syringes materialized—floating forward toward Nathan, Validia, Morvessa, Domina, Livia, and Velmora.
Not long after, sleek little bottles appeared as well. Their shapes were elegant, almost like luxury perfume containers. The clear liquid inside shimmered faintly, waiting to be filled.
[Instruction: Insert 2 drops of Ferofang Lizard blood into each Potion bottle.
Step One: Mix golden liquid (Commander’s urine) into the base bottle.]
Nathan stared at the panel for a long time, his face flat but his eyes twitching.
"Still giving me a damn tutorial? I already know."
No one answered—the monster girls stayed silent, just watching.
He snorted, eyeing the glittering perfume-like bottles.
"Potions... mass-produced from my own piss as the base ingredient..."
A dry smile curled on his lips.
"...Metallumcum... bastards. If people knew—if hunters realized their precious potions came from my piss factory mixed with monster blood... the whole Tower would vomit in unison."
Nathan fell silent, his gaze locking once more on that barrel with the goofy smiling logo.
"Of all the ways to make humans stronger... why the hell does it have to be this... disgusting..."
Validia was the first to move. She opened a syringe, dipped it into the barrel of Ferofang Lizard blood, then let two drops fall into the small transparent bottle. The red liquid spread instantly, mixing with the golden fluid that had already been poured inside.
No complaints. Morvessa, Domina, Livia, even Velmora each took their turn with serious faces, as if this was just another part of daily life. One by one, the bottles shimmered faintly, reflecting the Tower’s pale system light.
Nathan finally sat down, his hand a bit stiff as he grabbed a syringe. The stench of metallic blood mixing with the sour tang of golden piss made his stomach churn. He dropped in two red drops, sealed the bottle, and placed it on the shelf with the others.
The cabin’s atmosphere felt... too awkward. Silent, except for the drip... drip... of liquid falling into bottles, broken only by the faint chime of the system recording each completed potion.
Nathan drew in a deep breath. Once, the monster girls gathered around to play with my dick... now they gather just to process my piss into potions.
He lowered his head, face grim. Damn it... why do I just feel more disgusted with myself?
But his body betrayed him. The absurdity of it all, combined with the flashes of monster girls’ hands that usually grabbed him, made his blood surge downward.
"Shit..." he muttered, his thighs tensing.
For a moment, Ruby’s face flashed in his mind. Still in Lilith’s arms, laughing innocently, patting those black wings as she chirped "Grandma" without a clue.
Nathan squeezed his eyes shut, shaking his head violently. No. I can’t let myself sink into this again. I’m a father now. I need to think like a father... not some degenerate.
He took a sharp breath, then reached for another bottle. His hand moved faster this time—stab, drip, seal. Repeat. Focus only on the work.
Potion bottles began filling the shelves one by one, glowing faintly. And in the middle of it all, Nathan stayed quiet, swallowing the chaos inside him, forcing himself to keep working.
After what felt like forever, the sound of drip... click... drip... click... finally stopped. Every syringe was empty, every drop of blood and golden liquid absorbed into the hundreds of tiny bottles. The wooden racks inside the cabin were packed tight, glowing faintly from the strange mixture inside.
Ding!
The system popped up a new panel. A row of sleek black boxes floated down, each already labeled with the WhiteNull Shop emblem.
[Instruction: Package the Potions, 10 bottles per Distribution Box.]
Nathan let out a small grunt, his shoulders already sore. "Hahh... so it’s not just making them, now I gotta do the packing too..."
The monster girls moved again without a word. Livia and Velmora carefully slotted bottles one by one, Validia and Domina sealed the boxes, while Morvessa stacked them beside Nathan so he could send them straight into the system.
First box in. Ping!
Second box. Ping!
Third box. Ping!
The process repeated endlessly. Nathan sat cross-legged, arms moving back and forth as he pushed box after box into the glowing panel. Each time, a brief flash of white light marked another delivery complete before fading.
Sweat trickled down his temple. "Damn... this is straight-up forced labor. Commander of Earth, they say... but here I am, working like some warehouse grunt for potions."
He hefted another box, his shoulders aching. His hands stiffened from the monotonous motion, but the system kept demanding more. The pile of boxes in front of him was insane, never-ending.
That was when Lilith stepped in with Ruby, who bounced happily in her arms. Ruby’s bright voice rang out the moment she saw Nathan:
"Papa’s working so hard~!"
Nathan only lowered his head, a bitter smile tugging at his lips. If she ever learned what these potions were made from, she’d run the hell away from him...
The final box vanished into the system. A brilliant white light flared, then the cabin fell silent again. Hundreds of potions were now officially stored in WhiteNull Shop, ready to be traded to Hunters across the Tower.
Nathan leaned back against the wooden wall, his arms and back stiff, his breath heavy.
"Damn... this is worse than a war. Turns out running a business wears you out even more."
When all was finally done, the atmosphere settled. Lilith spoke softly:
"Nathan..."
"What??" Nathan snapped, his voice edged with irritation.
"You are Commander now," she said quietly.
"And what? Do I have to—"
He froze as Lilith lowered her head, her voice turning gentle.
"You can go home now."
"...Huh?"