Gardener of Eden

Chapter 91: Chapter 91: Vessel of the Eternal Tide

Instead of opening the heavy vault wide for five outsiders to wander through the empire’s greatest secrets, the Emperor turned and handed each champion a sleek, crystal-backed imperial tablet.

”The Imperial Treasury houses three millennia of sovereign treasures,” Aurelius said softly. ”Browsing on foot would take weeks. Use these tablets to review the full catalog—every weapon, elixir, spatial ring, and relic is logged with its exact specs. Take your time to ponder your options. Once you confirm your final choice, I will personally step inside and retrieve the item for you.”

The four other champions immediately began swiping through the slates, their eyes wide as they filtered through S-tier skill scrolls, legendary battle armor, and divine-grade weapons.

Rowan stood quietly, scrolling right past the weapons and combat gear. Using the search interface, he filtered the catalog directly to high-tier agricultural tools, soil catalysts, and growth artifacts. Page after page flickered past until his eyes locked onto a single glowing entry categorized under the legendary utility section:

[Mythical Relic: Vessel of the Eternal Tide]

Type: Cultivation & Irrigation Relic

Effect: Generates an infinite supply of pure, elemental-balanced spring water; accelerates crop growth rates by 200%; automatically purifies soil toxins upon hydration; allows seamless distribution of alchemical liquid nutrients across vast fields without diluting their potency.

It was the ultimate watering can for a cultivator. With the Hoe of the World-Tiller handling his soil prep and tilling, this mythical relic would complete his core agricultural arsenal, enabling him to nurture Eden International’s rare spirit crops and his new ancestral peach trees with absolute perfection.

Without hesitation, Rowan tapped the confirmation seal on his slate.

Emperor Aurelius looked at Rowan’s tablet screen, letting out a warm, quiet chuckle as his golden eyes met Rowan’s. ”An entire empire’s vault at your fingertips, and you choose a tool to nourish the earth. You truly are a cultivator through and through, Rowan Vance.”

With an approving nod, the Emperor turned and stepped through the heavy titan-steel doors into the glowing depths of the Imperial Treasury to fetch the mythical relic.

Standing quietly outside the titan-steel vault while the Emperor stepped inside, Rowan leaned against his Hoe of the World-Tiller and ran the relic’s exact specifications through his mind again.

The Vessel of the Eternal Tide was already an incredible item on its own: an infinite supply of pure elemental spring water, a passive 200% crop growth acceleration, automatic soil purification, and—most importantly—the unique ability to distribute liquid nutrients across vast fields without diluting their potency.

That final trait struck Rowan with sudden, game-changing clarity.

What if he didn’t just use standard spring water or basic alchemical fertilizer?

Inside [Domain: The Virgin Soil], Rowan had access to concentrated primordial vitality—spirit springs infused with the raw essence of creation and high-tier liquid nutrients capable of awakening extinct species like the ancestral peach. Normally, extracting that primordial water in massive quantities would exhaust his domain’s localized supply or take weeks to accumulate.

However, if he poured just a single concentrated drop of his domain’s primordial life water into the Vessel of the Eternal Tide, the relic’s non-dilution matrix would take over.

Instead of watering fields with standard pure water, the Vessel would endlessly replicate the exact potency of the primordial liquid.

Infinite Primordial Irrigation: Every drop dispersed from the watering can would carry the full, unmitigated potency of his domain’s divine water without draining his domain’s internal reserves.

Compounded Growth Acceleration: Stacking the Vessel’s +200% growth speed with his domain’s time-dilation and his [Breath of Eden] skill would reduce months-long crop maturation cycles down to mere hours.

Mass Transformation: Eden International wouldn’t just be selling high-quality crops; Rowan could use the Vessel to permanently elevate barren, toxic farmland anywhere in the empire into primordial-grade soil instantly.

A quiet, confident smirk touched Rowan’s lips as he adjusted the brim of his Enchanted Straw Hat. Combining an imperial mythical relic with a divine cultivation domain wasn’t just synergy—it was an agricultural monopoly that would completely rewrite the economy of the world.

A heavy, mechanical thud echoed through the subterranean corridor as the platinum vault doors disengaged, and Emperor Aurelius stepped back out holding a shimmering, sea-blue vessel engraved with ancient wave runes.

Emperor Aurelius handed over the Vessel of the Eternal Tide. Rowan took the sea-blue relic into his hands, admiring the intricate, wave-like engravings that pulsed with a soft, rhythmic light. The vessel felt cool to the touch, heavy with ancient hydro-mana that hummed against his fingers. Satisfied with its incredible potential, Rowan stowed the watering can directly into his spatial inventory with a simple thought.

One by one, the Sovereign re-entered the titan-steel vault, returning each time with a legendary relic chosen by the remaining champions. Every item brought out into the dim subterranean corridor caused an immediate commotion among the young prodigies.

Excited chatter and sharp gasps echoed through the corridor as each champion inspected their sovereign reward. Even the usually stoic Valen couldn’t hide a proud grin as his new sword hummed in resonance with his mana.

With the rewards officially distributed, Emperor Aurelius led the five champions back up the spiraling obsidian staircase and through the hidden door in the dining hall, emerging back into the grand main hall where the imperial lords, Guild Masters, and industry titans still gathered.

As they crossed the marble floor, the five champions huddled together, eagerly discussing their new gear.

No sooner had the five champions stepped fully back into the grand central hall than the crowd descended like a flock of ravenous vultures. High-court lords, S-rank Guild Masters, and industrial magnates swarmed the young prodigies, brandishing gold-embossed contract scrolls, land deeds, and astronomical salary offers. Valen and the crafters were instantly surrounded by guild representatives dangling millions in imperial credits and private estates in exchange for exclusive loyalty oaths.

Naturally, a heavy cluster of high-born nobles and agricultural syndicate leaders locked their sights directly on Rowan.

”Cadet Vance! House Vane offers you an archduke’s retainer fee, an official high-court seat, and a private estate in the capital!” an elderly baron pressed forward, thrusting a glowing contract into view.

”Ignore him! The Grand Merchant Syndicate will fund your fields with ten million gold and grant you total authority over our southern trade routes!” an S-rank Guild Master barked, attempting to shoulder past the baron.

Rowan stood completely unbothered amid the chaos, resting his hand casually near the Hoe of the World-Tiller while his Enchanted Straw Hat shaded his eyes. With calm, unyielding grace, he politely declined every single recruitment proposal, feudal title, and exclusive oath.

”I appreciate the generous offers, my lords, but my independence is not for sale,” Rowan stated smoothly, his voice carrying a grounded authority that hushed the clamoring crowd.

Before the disappointed magnates could disperse, Rowan reached into his tunic pocket and pulled out a stack of sleek, spirit-wood contact tokens stamped with a stylized tree emblem.

”However, if your houses and guilds are interested in commercial supply agreements and raw resource purchasing, all trade queries must be routed to Eden International,” Rowan announced, handing a token to the bewildered baron. ”My mother, Martha Vance, manages all operations and corporate partnerships for our enterprise.”

The nobles blinked in astonishment, staring down at the wooden tokens bearing the contact info of a commoner matriarch.

”To be completely transparent, Eden International currently operates on a small scale, supplying our local city of Sol-Aethel,” Rowan emphasized with a calm, confident smile. ”Our current yield is strictly limited, but we are actively working on ramping up productivity and scaling our operations across the empire very soon. Those who register their trade inquiries with Martha now will receive priority allocation when our next major harvest rolls out.”

The industrial titans and guild leaders exchanged wide-eyed looks. Realizing that securing early trade rights with the continent’s most revolutionary agricultural supplier was far more valuable than a standard retainer contract, the magnates instantly began scrambling to record Martha’s contact details.