Chapter 30
Whether or not they could find identical peaches was one thing; Oni and Yorke, for the first time, joined Nemo in planting the peach pit in their garden. They dug a hole in their meticulously landscaped garden and planted the pit. Peach trees grown from pits rarely produced fruit with the same flavor, but Oni secretly watered it with magic dew, and a sprout appeared the next day.
“Cheep!” Sootball, excited, flew to the sapling, chirping and nuzzling it, then carefully watered it.
“If you visit it every day, it will grow,” Oni and Yorke said, touched by Sootball’s joy. Nemo had always been quiet and reserved at home. This sapling was a chance to connect with him. It was a significant step forward. Oni felt like Nemo was a sapling they were finally learning to nurture. And it was all thanks to that young human.
“We have to find those peaches for Nemo!” Yorke declared, determined to fulfill his son’s request.
“Bi Jiang Town, Lu Province, Country C…” Oni studied the location data from the watch, sensing a connection. Perhaps they could ask “Demon World” directly.
She contacted customer service, and as expected, the usually sluggish system responded quickly to anything related to A-Ran.
[Beep—This inquiry involves classified information. Please sign the following agreement.] To their surprise, information about the human was classified. Even her authority as clan leader wasn’t enough? She realized that without Nemo, they wouldn’t even have access to this information.
After signing the agreement, they stared at the revealed information, limited but shocking. The human NPC wasn’t generated by the game; he was a real person!
“Could sending Nemo to him be… a way to exploit him?” Oni asked, her experience with the Abyssal Monitoring Committee making her wary. Demons were forbidden from revealing their identities to humans, seemingly to protect humans, but also to protect demons themselves. Power could be misused, and demons, often naive, could be easily manipulated.
[He wouldn’t.] The system’s reply was simple and dismissive, as if offended by her suggestion. But it wasn’t afraid of her revealing the information; the magically binding agreement prevented that.
“What kind of answer is that?” Oni said, used to the system’s occasional rudeness, but this was unprofessional.
“Relax, Oni. You were more worried before, but he hasn’t harmed Nemo,” Yorke said, trying to calm her down. “Why don’t you ask Nemo what he did with A-Ran yesterday?”
Right, why not ask Nemo? But when they asked if A-Ran had used Nemo’s moon magic for any human purposes, Nemo shook his head.
“Nothing at all? Did he ask you to hurt anyone? Or to do anything secretly…?”
“Cheep!” A-Ran didn’t ask me to do those things.
“Then what did you do all day?” Oni couldn’t imagine a human with demonic powers doing nothing, especially since Nemo seemed so devoted to him.
“Cheep cheep cheep…” Sootball recounted its day: A-Ran brushed its fur, took pictures, called it the cutest cub in the world, washed delicious peaches for it, and Grandma made braised pork rice, which A-Ran fed it spoonful by spoonful. Its genuine joy was evident.
“Nothing else?”
“Cheep!” I helped A-Ran pick peaches with my magic! But A-Ran said not to pick them too fast, as he couldn’t pack them that quickly.
Oni and Yorke exchanged a look, their expressions strange. They wanted to ask the human if he was insane, making Nemo, a powerful demon, pick peaches?!
“Oni, we can’t blame him. Our son volunteered,” Yorke chuckled, patting her shoulder. But it was partly their fault for neglecting Nemo. He was just happy to see Nemo so cheerful and talkative now.
“We should place a large peach order, using the company’s name. What do you think?” As demons living among humans, they had cover identities. The Luna Clan’s was a rare metals and minerals company. It might require some paperwork, being a foreign company.
Lin Ran, after shipping the last batch of peaches, was busy with interviews and filming a promotional video about his livestreaming success, to be aired on the local TV station’s agricultural channel, showcasing him as a young entrepreneur empowering rural communities with internet technology.
Even Jiang Jie got a few seconds of screen time, shown helping with the livestream and packing peaches. This was a proud moment for his family. Jiang Jie, usually a “troublemaker,” was now a pioneering entrepreneur. His father wanted to throw a party, announcing to the world that his son would be on TV! He brought gifts to Lin Ran’s house, urging his son to spend more time with him.
“Dad, what are you doing?!” Jiang Jie protested, embarrassed. He and Lin-zai were brothers!
“Uncle, you don’t have to do this. A-Jie has been a great help,” Lin Ran said, easing his embarrassment. Jiang Jie quickly hid beside him.
“A-Jie is such a good kid. It has nothing to do with Lin-zai. Stay for dinner,” Grandma said.
“So lively today! Good news!” Secretary Gu arrived, announcing the interview would air in three days.
The video turned out surprisingly well. Bi Jiang Town, named after the beautiful Bi Jiang Mountain, was picturesque and unspoiled. Lin Ran’s orchard looked like a paradise. And the expected middle-aged orchard owner turned out to be a handsome young man, capturing the viewers’ attention.
Lin Ran, being interviewed, spoke passionately about the different peach varieties and his livestreaming venture, sharing farming knowledge with genuine enthusiasm. This sparked discussions online, with locals expressing pride in their region’s agricultural produce. The usually overlooked agricultural channel even attracted university students.
[This “Jiang” guy is teaching me how to grow peaches! I’m a university student, and I’m hooked!][He’s handsome, and the peaches look delicious! Sucking the juice out with a straw! My dream peach! Give us the link!][That town looks so peaceful. I’ve never heard of it before.]
And some viewers had other interests:
[Doesn’t he have such gentle eyes? I was watching with my grandma, and we couldn’t look away! (Blushing)][No, you’re imagining things. He looks at the peaches with the same gentle eyes!][He has a short video account! Follow him for peaches and livestreams! And he’s an S University student! Amazing! Join the fan club!] Loyal fans promoted his account.
His follower count soared to tens of thousands, mostly local customers. It was a great start for his agricultural livestreaming business.
“Lin-zai, someone said they saw you in person and that you look at the village dog, Ah Huang, with the same gentle eyes! Who is this ‘Raging Dragon’? So funny!” Jiang Jie laughed, reading the comments, focusing on the compliments. Ah Huang, the village dog, was indeed fond of Lin Ran.
“Stop reading those comments,” Lin Ran said, embarrassed, trying to take his phone. It was probably just Snowball’s buff enhancing his charisma during the interview. It was like those actors who seemed to be looking directly at you through the screen.
The TV station was also delighted. Their local channel rarely produced viral content, and this one was positive and inspiring: a talented student returning home to empower his community.
“It’s all thanks to the young man’s charisma and the beautiful scenery,” Secretary Gu said modestly.
“And my contribution! I provided the equipment…” Jiang Changyue added, taking credit.
“Changyue, this is just the first step. Turning traffic into profit is the next challenge,” Secretary Gu said, outlining the next phase of their plan.
Jiang Changyue felt a pang of suspicion. Why wasn’t he praised like Lin Ran?
But they didn’t expect the “economic benefits” to arrive so quickly, and so dramatically.
Secretary Gu received a call from the provincial government late at night, his mind reeling. Had their interview gone international?
A foreign conglomerate, claiming to be moved by the video, wanted to invest in and purchase peaches from Jiangjia Village. It seemed too good to be true.
“We were also suspicious, so we investigated. They genuinely… just want to buy those peaches,” the provincial official said, urging him to act normal.
“But this is ridiculous! Do those peaches have magic powers?” Secretary Gu whispered, looking at the foreign representative inspecting the peaches. This was an international trade deal! Had their publicity been too effective?
“The representative said their young master saw the peaches in the video and wanted to try them,” the translator explained. “As parents, you understand how unreasonable children can be.”
The village officials, though finding it absurd, accepted it as a plausible explanation. But it seemed like extreme pampering!
“Are all rich kids this spoiled?” Secretary Gu whispered.
“Well… we’re not rich, so we wouldn’t understand,” the official replied, making Secretary Gu thoughtful. Right, how could they understand the minds of the wealthy, especially foreign ones? Perhaps foreign fruit was simply inferior, making them crave these peaches?
“Please contact us as soon as next year’s peaches are available. We’ll continue purchasing them,” the representative said, his smile polite but distant.
“Of course! And you mentioned investing in our orchard…?” Secretary Gu eagerly asked through the translator. This was a godsend!
“Certainly. But there’s one condition: don’t tell that young man, Jiang Lin Ran. This is an anonymous…” the representative said mysteriously.
“Uncle Gu!? Someone’s here to buy peaches at night?” Lin Ran, not informed earlier, had come over, drawn by the commotion.
Secretary Gu watched as the representative’s expression changed, and he instinctively tried to hide among his subordinates.
“Lin-zai, you’re here! The provincial government sent experts, and they think our peaches are excellent! They’re helping us with export opportunities! The payment and government subsidies are on their way!”
“Really?” Lin Ran asked, looking at everyone, his gaze lingering on the representative, whose face seemed familiar.
“…” Yorke, disguised as the representative, almost lost his composure. He was sure his disguise was foolproof, but he couldn’t help but look at Lin Ran. This visit was already borderline violating the confidentiality agreement, but he had wanted to see this mysterious human who could enter “Demon World.” As a member of the Abyssal Monitoring Committee, it was a necessary security check. And he had to complete Oni’s task of assessing the human’s real-world status.
He was now certain this was the same A-Ran from “Demon World,” only even more handsome in person.
“You’re the representative, Mr. Morica? Nice to meet you,” Lin Ran said, shaking his hand, his eyes clear and innocent, though slightly puzzled.
“Yes, young man. Nice to meet you too,” Yorke said carefully. So, he was just a young man.
“Would you like a tour of the orchard?” a provincial official asked, trying to avoid awkward silence.
“Of course! You’re buying so many peaches and investing; you should see where they come from,” Lin Ran said before Yorke could refuse.
“Alright… I’m interested,” Yorke said, his gaze softening. This was the village Nemo had visited. He was curious about its appeal.
But as he toured the village, his eyes widened in disbelief.
“Young man, you live… in this?” This chosen human, living in such poverty?! His bedroom was smaller than Nemo’s bathroom!
“Yes, are you interested in our rural houses? It’s nothing special. The kitchen is on the left, and…” Lin Ran, unaware of his shock, explained the layout.
Yorke touched the wall, his hand covered in dust.
“Ahem, the wall leaks. We’re planning to fix it this week,” Lin Ran said, embarrassed, fetching a tissue for him.
The other officials, equally embarrassed, quickly explained Lin Ran’s background: orphaned at a young age, raised by his grandparents, yet academically brilliant and entrepreneurial.
Yorke’s gaze softened, filled with sympathy. He had to tell Oni about this! This young man was too pitiful!
