Teacher by day, Farmer by passion

Ace lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling, sleep nowhere in sight. With a sigh, he shifted into the system space once again. What greeted him was both amusing and oddly satisfying—Lily, clad in a pristine black-and-white maid outfit, stood atop a mound of dirt, barking orders at a cluster of three-foot-tall dwarves. They were already waist-deep into a mining project, their rough, dirt-streaked bodies a stark contrast to Lily's crisp, elegant appearance. It didn't take long for her to spot him. "Master!" Lily beamed, rushing over. "Do you have any plans to bring humans into the sub-space?" Ace blinked. "Wait… I can bring people in?" "Of course!" she replied, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Before he could fully process that revelation, another voice chimed in. "Master, here are today's alchemy pills!" Akha strode forward, her golden eyes gleaming with satisfaction as she tossed him a storage ring. Ace caught it effortlessly and peeked inside—neatly stacked rows of freshly refined pills filled the space. "We're out of ingredients," she admitted sheepishly. Ace snapped the ring shut, giving her an unreadable look. "I'll get more herbs later." Akha hesitated, shifting from foot to foot, anticipation flickering in her gaze. Ace raised an eyebrow. "Did you have a breakthrough?" Her face lit up with pride. "Yes, Master! I'm now a Rank 3 Alchemist! I wish to serve under you!" She giggled, unable to contain her excitement. Ace studied her for a moment, his voice level. "What about freedom?" Akha's smile didn't falter. "I already have it." From the side, Lily let out an exaggerated sigh, pressing her hands to her cheeks. "Hehe, I knew Master was charismatic, but this is another level!" In a flash, she pulled Akha into a tight hug. "Welcome to the family!" Ace's eyes narrowed. "Lily… you aren't into girls now, are you?" It was a valid suspicion. He still hadn't forgotten the time Xie Ninger had fallen ill and mouth-to-mouth feeding was the only option. He had hesitated back then but when lily saw that. She didn't even blink before practically leaping at the opportunity. And now, she was clinging to Akha like some clingy lover. Lily's eyes twinkled mischievously. "Hehe, Master, I'm just a bot." Although her not-so-innocent smile said otherwise. As if struck by inspiration, Lily suddenly clasped her hands together with a dramatic gasp. "Oh right!" Her eyes gleamed. "Master, why don't you purchase a bunch of variant humans and have them build a world here for your entertainment?" Ace tapped his fingers against his arm, considering. "And how exactly do we go about that?" "First, we need ground-digging monsters!" she declared, practically bouncing in place. "How about some Spirit Moles?" Ace frowned. "Spirit Moles? Explain." The system's mechanical voice responded. [Spirit Ground Mole (Level Six)] [Can burrow through almost anything. They Moves in packs and are gigantic in size.] [Power equivalent to one hundred Legend Rank cultivators.] Ace nearly lost his balance. "What the fuck?" Forget balance—if he got his hands on one of these things and let it loose outside, he could practically reshape the entire world. Hell, even be the emperor of the world! *World-wide Emperor Ace!* "This isn't balanced at all," he muttered in disbelief. [The beast will not be allowed to leave the system space. Or the 'World Will' will kill it instantly.] Ace exhaled. "Figures." Of course, something this broken had restrictions. Lily, unfazed, continued planning at full speed. "Oh! And we also need to hire more spirits to tend to the Divine Garden!" Ace's eyes flickered. "Wait… can you access the Immortal Market?" For the first time, Lily's enthusiasm dimmed slightly. She pouted. "Not yet, Master. I'm not strong enough to enter that realm…" "Ah, okay. That's fine." Ace shrugged. Lily immediately bounced back, launching into yet another list. "Master, I suggest we invest in more Variant Humans, acquire more Human Crystals so they—uh—well, die off and provide Soul Stones, dwarves to mine everything, and… we don't really need Baldies, but hey, we can also get some Dragonkin!" A sudden silence filled the space. "Excuse me?" Akha, who had been quietly listening, turned to Lily with an unreadable expression. Lily blinked. "Oh! Right, my bad for calling your people 'Baldies.' I didn't mean it as an insult!" Akha shook her head. "No, that's not it. I was just… surprised that we're not needed." An awkward pause settled between them. Akha then turned to Ace. "Master, do you have any plans to purchase human slaves?" Ace's gaze sharpened. "No. Why do you ask?" "Well," Akha said thoughtfully, "humans, unlike us Variants, can be used for almost anything. There's a famous saying about them: 'Jack of all trades, master of none.'" Ace narrowed his eyes. "Human slaves, huh?" Lily nodded eagerly. "Yes, Master! History has proven time and time again—humans are the best workers! They're adaptable, resourceful, and can be trained for almost anything." Ace crossed his arms, his expression unreadable. "I get the logic, but I don't like it." Lily tilted her head. "Why not? You already own crystal humans. What's the difference?" Ace's gaze hardened. "The difference is that I don't see them as property." His voice was calm, but firm. "Variant humans or not, slavery is still slavery. I refuse to build a world where people are forced to serve me." Lily pouted, clearly not understanding his hesitation. "But Master, it's efficient! They'd be under your control, and we could—" "No," Ace cut in. "I don't care how practical it is. I won't deal in human lives." Lily went quiet for a moment before sighing dramatically. "Fine, fine. Then how about this—we bring in volunteers? A system where they can earn their keep, work for their own benefit, and leave if they choose to?" Ace studied her for a moment before smirking. "Now that sounds more like a proper deal." Lily's face brightened. "Hehe~ I knew you'd come around, Master!" Ace exhaled, shaking his head. "Alright. I'll check the market. But if we do this, it's under my rules—no forced labor, no slavery. Only those who choose to be here stay."