Pearl’s eyes sparkled with delight as she stared at the candies.

"Really? Thank you, Miss Ivy!"

"You’re welcome," Ivy replied. "And I’ll also be giving you some wheat seeds to take back to your father when I return."

"Are you going out, Mommy?" Aria asked curiously, raising an eyebrow. "You just said you’ll give them when you come back."

"Yes, darling," Ivy answered immediately. "Mr. Darren and I have somewhere to go, but we’ll both be back very soon."

She bent down until she was eye-level with the three girls.

"You’ve already had breakfast, and I’ve prepared some jollof rice and chicken for lunch. Pearl can have some too since she’ll be staying here until I return."

The girls lowered their heads immediately.

Their disappointed expressions made Ivy smile helplessly.

"Mommy will come back soon," she continued, her tone becoming playful. "And when I do, we’ll make some strawberry ice cream together."

The effect was immediate.

The three girls’ heads snapped upward.

"Really?" they asked in perfect unison.

For a brief moment, they stared at one another before bursting into giggles at how synchronized they had been.

"Yes, really," Ivy confirmed, laughing softly.

The promise of strawberry ice cream instantly brightened their moods.

"Now then," Ivy said. "Is Mommy allowed to leave with Mr. Darren?"

The girls exchanged glances before nodding vigorously.

"Will you take good care of your little sister Hope while I’m gone?"

"We will, Mom!" Aria assured her seriously.

Lila and Pearl nodded their heads repeatedly in agreement.

"You can leave now," Aria declared proudly, puffing out her tiny chest as though she had just accepted an important responsibility.

That made Ivy laugh.

With that, the three girls turned around and ran back into the house.

Ivy remained crouched for a few seconds, watching them disappear inside before finally rising to her feet.

A warm feeling spread through her chest.

Just then, Darren walked over and stopped beside her.

"They’re really mature for children their age," he said with a smile, folding his arms across his chest. "Most kids would struggle to stay at home without their parents around, but those girls are different. They know how to warm up their food, look after one another, and even help feed baby Hope her formula."

Ivy smiled.

The system constantly informed her whenever the girls ate their meals, fed Hope, or completed their daily tasks.

Because of that, she had never truly worried about leaving them alone.

If anything serious ever happened, the system would notify her immediately, giving her enough time to return.

Thinking about it now, she couldn’t help but feel grateful.

The system had made so many things easier.

"Yes, they are," Ivy finally replied. "And I’m very thankful for that."

Ding!

{Host, did you know there’s something called a Point Exchange System?}

"Huh?" Ivy blinked. "And what’s that supposed to be?"

Ding!

{The Point Exchange System allows you to establish a structured reward system instead of giving rewards whenever you feel like it.}

{For example:}

{10 Points = 1 bottle of soy sauce}

{20 Points = 1 pack of candy}

{50 Points = 1 bag of rice}

{100 Points = Fresh meat}

Ivy listened attentively.

{Anyone who contributes labor, crops, livestock, harvested resources, construction work, monster materials, or any useful supplies can earn points.}

{The more they contribute, the more points they accumulate.}

{They can then exchange those points for rewards they actually want.}

{This creates motivation because people can clearly see the relationship between effort and reward. Harder work means more points, and more points mean better rewards.}

{As the owner of the system, you’ll be able to keep track of everyone’s points and distribute rewards accordingly.}

Ivy’s eyes lit up.

"Oh! That’s actually a brilliant idea!"

Rather than handing out random rewards, people would have clear goals to work toward.

It would encourage productivity while also making resource distribution much fairer.

The idea will be especially useful since more people will still occupy her territory.

"I’ll definitely implementing that," she said inwardly.

Darren, who had no idea what conversation was taking place inside her head, merely watched her thoughtful expression.

A few moments later, Ivy shifted her attention back to him.

"Anyway, we should get going now," she said.

Darren nodded.

"Ready whenever you are."

"However," Ivy continued, "before we head to the monster territory, I want to stop by Pearl’s family’s villa first."

Darren raised an eyebrow.

"Their villa?"

"Yes."

Ivy nodded.

"There are a few things I need to explain to her parents before we leave for battle. It won’t take long."

Understanding dawned on Darren’s face.

"Alright then. We’ll head there first."