Chapter 358 -: 357 Where are you staring at?

Chapter 358: Chapter: 357 Where are you staring at?

Since that day, Ian quietly settled into life with Destiny. Neither of them spoke much about what Destiny had revealed that night.

Ian had already come to terms with it, while Destiny seemed to believe that no mortal would willingly spend his days thinking about things as absurdly vast as countless universes and the boundaries of existence, so they simply stopped bringing it up and focused on the life in front of them.

Their days gradually fell into a simple routine, one that was so ordinary that Ian sometimes found himself wondering whether this was really the same life he had once lived.

Every morning, he would wake up before sunrise and make his way toward the nearby mountain to gather herbs, which he would then sell to the village chief.

The village chief always paid him according to the market price, never trying to take advantage of him, and Ian would hand the money over to Destiny without even asking what she planned to do with it. He couldn’t help but find the amount amusingly small.

There had been a time when he could acquire fortunes with little more than a thought, and if his former self had somehow seen him spending an entire morning gathering herbs just to earn enough money for a few days’ worth of necessities, he was certain that he would have laughed at himself.

Yet strangely enough, Ian didn’t find the work as unbearable as he had expected. Perhaps it was because there was something strangely peaceful about having a task that required nothing more than his hands, his patience, and the passing of time.

Destiny, meanwhile, had begun learning how to manage their little household. She used the money Ian earned to purchase their daily necessities, carefully keeping track of everything they needed and making sure they never spent more than necessary.

She had even started learning how to cook. At first, her attempts had been rather questionable, but she was surprisingly persistent.

Whenever Ian left for work, Destiny would visit one of the village women and quietly watch them prepare their meals, taking notes whenever she learned something new.

She learned how to prepare rice properly, how much seasoning to use, how to preserve vegetables, and even several small household tasks that she had never needed to concern herself with before.

The villagers were more than happy to teach her, especially because Destiny was patient and respectful toward everyone regardless of their age or status.

Before long, she had become a familiar presence in the village, and the women would often call her over whenever they were preparing something new.

Ian found the entire thing rather amusing whenever he returned home and saw Destiny proudly presenting some new dish she had learned to make, although he quickly learned that complimenting her cooking was the safest choice unless he wanted to spend the rest of the evening listening to her explain exactly how much effort she had put into preparing it.

Recently, however, something rather fortunate had happened. The village had a small school where the children were taught how to read and write, along with some basic knowledge that the village chief believed would be useful for them in the future.

Unfortunately, there were very few people capable of teaching them.

The village chief and his daughter were the only two properly educated people in the entire village, and even they could not devote all their time to teaching because there were countless other responsibilities that needed their attention.

Most of the villagers considered education unnecessary in their current lives, believing that knowing how to read and write would not help them grow crops, gather herbs, or raise livestock.

Their children would eventually become farmers like their parents, so there seemed to be little reason to spend years learning things that appeared useless to them.

Destiny, however, happened to be educated enough to teach the children, and when she mentioned this to the village chief, he immediately offered her the position.

The children took to her almost immediately.

Perhaps it was because Destiny was unusually beautiful, or perhaps it was because she treated them with far more patience than the previous teachers had, but the children listened whenever she spoke and gradually began taking their studies seriously.

Destiny even introduced a simple testing system. Every few weeks, she would prepare a collection of questions based on what she had taught them, and the children would have to answer them on their own.

She would then check their answers and explain their mistakes, while occasionally rewarding the students who performed particularly well.

The simple competition had an unexpected effect. Children who had previously treated their lessons as a tedious obligation suddenly began studying with enthusiasm, eager to see how much they could improve compared to their friends.

Their parents noticed the change as well, and before long, even some of the villagers who had previously dismissed education began to appreciate what Destiny was doing.

They eventually agreed to contribute money toward her salary, ensuring that she could continue teaching without placing a burden on the village chief.

From Ian’s perspective, the entire arrangement should have been a blessing.

Destiny was earning money, the villagers were happy, and he no longer needed to carry the entire financial responsibility for their household.

More importantly, it meant that he shouldn’t have needed to wake up before sunrise every morning to gather herbs.

Unfortunately, Destiny had other plans.

The first morning after she received her salary, Ian slept peacefully in their small house, enjoying the rare luxury of remaining in bed until eight.

He had already decided that he would spend the morning spreading fertilizer over his field, fertilizer he had borrowed from a villager named Cal, before returning home for lunch.

For once, there was no reason for him to wake up early. His body had finally become accustomed to the work, but that didn’t mean he enjoyed dragging himself out of bed before the sun had even risen.

He was therefore enjoying one of the most comfortable sleeps he had experienced since coming to the village when the sound of Destiny’s voice suddenly reached his ears.

"Ian, wake up."

Ian opened one eye.

He saw Destiny standing beside the bed, already dressed and looking far too energetic.

"It’s still early," he muttered before turning around and pulling the blanket over his head.

"I know."

"Then why are you waking me?"

"Go to the mountain and collect some herbs."

Ian slowly lowered the blanket and stared at her as though she had just said something incomprehensible. "Why?"

"I’m saving my salary."

"For what?"

"A cow."

Ian stared at her for several seconds before finally sitting up. "A cow?"

Destiny nodded with complete seriousness. "A cow."

"There is no need for that. I’m growing corn."

"I know."

"So why do we need a cow?"

"Because I want one."

Ian eventually realized that arguing was pointless. Destiny had already decided what she wanted, and no amount of reasoning about their current financial situation was going to change her mind.

He tried explaining that they didn’t need livestock, that raising a cow would require additional work, and that he already had enough responsibilities with his field, but Destiny simply listened to everything he said before telling him to get dressed.

When Ian refused, she kicked him out of bed. When he complained, she kicked him toward the door.

By the time he realized what had happened, he was standing outside with the gathering basket in his hands while Destiny stood in the doorway and watched him with a satisfied expression.

And that was how the next three months went.

Ian would work in the field during the day, gather herbs whenever he had the time, and occasionally help the other villagers with their work when they needed an extra pair of hands.

Destiny would teach the children during the day, manage their household, and continue saving the money she earned.

Neither of them lived extravagantly, so the small amount they earned was enough to cover their necessities while allowing Destiny to slowly save toward her precious cow.

Ian never really understood why she wanted one so badly, but he eventually stopped asking. He had learned that there were some things about Destiny that were better left unexplained.

The three months passed far more quickly than Ian expected.

By then, the corn in his field had grown tall and full, its golden ears hanging heavily from the stalks.

The entire field had turned yellow beneath the autumn sun, and all that remained was the harvest. The fields belonging to the other villagers looked much the same.

This year’s rain had been generous, and the humidity had remained favorable throughout the growing season, giving the crops everything they needed.

The villagers had worked hard, but the weather had worked alongside them, and the result was a harvest far better than what many of them had expected.

Everyone was pleased, and the atmosphere throughout the village had become noticeably livelier as people prepared for the harvest.

Ian was pleased as well.

Standing at the edge of his field, he looked across the rows of corn and let out a quiet sigh. He couldn’t deny that seeing the result of his own labor felt satisfying.

Three months ago, the soil had been little more than an empty stretch of earth beneath his feet, but now it was filled with crops that had grown because of the work he had put into it.

His body had changed as well. His once-pale skin had become noticeably tanned from spending so much time beneath the sun, and the softness that had remained from his previous way of life had gradually disappeared.

His arms had become stronger, his shoulders broader, and there was a certain vigor in his movements that hadn’t been there when he first arrived in the village.

Ian had spent countless years becoming stronger through battles and countless encounters with beings far beyond the understanding of ordinary people, yet somehow this simple physical strength felt different.

There was no grand achievement behind it, no enemy defeated and no impossible obstacle overcome. It was simply the result of waking up each day and working until the sun went down.

That evening, the village prepared for a celebration.

The villagers planned to harvest their crops the following day, so they had decided to spend the night celebrating the successful harvest together.

Food was prepared, tables were arranged throughout the village, and jars of rice wine were brought out as people gathered in anticipation of the evening. Ian and Destiny had been invited as well.

Over the past few months, Ian had unexpectedly made several friends among the villagers. At first, he had considered such relationships unnecessary.

He had spent most of his life moving from one place to another, and he had never needed to form ordinary friendships with people who would probably never understand the life he had lived.

Yet he had gradually found himself enjoying their company. Occasionally, after finishing their work for the day, he would sit with them and drink rice wine while listening to their ridiculous stories.

The men were surprisingly funny, especially after a few cups, and Ian had more than once found himself laughing at something that would have seemed completely meaningless to his former self.

Perhaps this was what Destiny had meant.

There was something strangely pleasant about living like an ordinary person.

Ian stood outside their house and waited for Destiny, who had been taking far too long to get ready. He leaned against the wall and glanced toward the sky, then sighed when several more minutes passed without her appearing.

"Ah, women..."

He shook his head.

"No matter what they are, ordinary or goddesses, they seem to love taking their time getting dressed."

Ian looked toward the setting sun. The sky was painted in warm shades of orange and red, and the evening breeze carried the faint smell of cooked food from somewhere deeper within the village.

Voices and laughter could already be heard in the distance as people gathered for the celebration.

Ian found himself smiling faintly.

"It isn’t bad."

He wasn’t sure when the thought had appeared in his mind, but he couldn’t deny it.

Ian was about to call out to Destiny again when her voice suddenly came from behind him.

"Where are you staring at?"