The Rich Cultivator-Chapter 259. Meeting new friends?

Two weeks later...

"We have to go back in two weeks," Lily said casually, lounging on a cushioned chair as if the thought didn’t carry much weight.

The group’s long journey was winding down. After exploring Rich Berg Island, Tyler and his crew had encountered an unexpected limitation. Tyler now fully understood why the Bank of Atlantis had stopped expanding their branches past Rich Berg Island. It wasn’t for lack of opportunity; it was something far more troublesome.

"The Teleportation Array doesn’t work properly after Rich Berg Island," Tyler muttered, his brow furrowed as he studied a flickering Waypoint Terminal at their current location on the Seo Islands. "More like it’s extremely unstable."

The sleek metallic frame of the Waypoint Terminal flickered ominously, its runes dim and pulsing irregularly, as though struggling to draw enough energy to function. The constant instability made teleportation south of Rich Berg Island nearly impossible—or at the very least, highly dangerous.

"I don’t really get why it doesn’t work past this point," Tyler said aloud, frustrated. "I remember Hawk using Mobile Portals all the way to the Kun Peng Ruins without issues. What’s different here?"

They were standing inside a branch of the White Merchant Stores on the Seo Islands, a small but bustling archipelago located not far from Rich Berg Island. Tyler had personally installed the Waypoint Terminal, but its current state left much to be desired.

Lily leaned back in her seat and tilted her head toward Tyler, her expression unbothered. "Well, we don’t really have to solve this right now, do we?" She stretched lazily, the golden rays of the afternoon sun glinting off her revealing swimsuit.

"Easy for you to say," Tyler shot back, rolling his eyes.

"There’s no signal here," Lily continued, ignoring his jab. "We should head back north and ask Professor Ellen. She might know something."

Before Tyler could argue further, Mana and Zuzia strolled over. Both were also wearing swimsuits, clearly ready to take full advantage of the tropical surroundings. Mana’s crystalline wings fluttered playfully as she carried a towel over one shoulder, and Zuzia, in her winged cat form, floated lazily at her side.

Tyler frowned. "And where exactly are you three going?"

"To the beach, of course," Lily replied matter-of-factly, flashing a grin. "For us, this is a holiday."

Mana nodded enthusiastically. "We’ve been working nonstop. This is a perfect chance to relax."

Zuzia, in her small winged form, chimed in, "Yes, Tyler! Even you need a break sometimes."

Before Tyler could argue, Lily tapped on her wrist-mounted watch. A portal flickered into existence before them, its swirling energy visibly shaky, crackling with unstable energy.

"Small portals still work fine," Lily said, waving off Tyler’s concerned look. "They’re just a bit... energy-hungry."

Tyler crossed his arms. "I’m warning you—use those too much, and it’ll take forever for your watch to recharge."

"Duly noted!" Lily said with a laugh, and without another word, she stepped through the shimmering portal with Mana and Zuzia following close behind.

Tyler sighed as the portal vanished, leaving him standing in the now-quiet merchant store. He turned to face Brella, the store manager for the Seo Islands branch. She was a young woman with round-rimmed glasses perched neatly on her nose. Her flaxen-colored hair was braided into tidy fishbone plaits, and her simple, earth-toned dress only added to her wholesome, rancher-like appearance.

Brella seemed unfazed by the commotion and adjusted her glasses. "They’re certainly enjoying their time here," she said, smiling faintly.

"They’ve earned it, I guess," Tyler admitted, though his tone carried a hint of begrudging acceptance.

Brella nodded before her expression turned serious. "By the way, we recently requested that the Bank of Atlantis open a branch here. Having their presence would make trade smoother and more secure. But they declined."

Tyler raised an eyebrow. "Declined? Why?"

Brella sighed. "They said they didn’t have permission from their Head to open a branch this far south. It sounded odd, but they were firm about it."

Tyler frowned thoughtfully. "Yeah... it’s probably because they can’t build Teleportation Arrays here in case of emergencies. It’s a major drawback for them."

Brella’s brow furrowed, clearly intrigued. "What do you mean?"

Tyler gestured toward the barely functional Waypoint Terminal. "Teleportation Arrays need stable magical energy to function properly. Past Rich Berg Island, something disrupts that stability. I’ve tried connecting this terminal to the northern network, but the energy loss is ridiculous. That’s why their expansion stops here—they can’t guarantee teleportation in critical situations."

Brella nodded slowly as realization dawned. "That makes sense. If they can’t operate Teleportation Arrays, opening branches this far south would be too risky."

"Exactly," Tyler confirmed. "I’d bet anything their Head is just playing it safe."

A thoughtful silence settled over them before Brella spoke again. "So, what’s next for you, Boss? Are you going to head back north?"

"Eventually," Tyler said, looking toward the horizon where the sun was beginning to set over the islands. "For now, I am gonna take a little rest. I planned to open branches in the south. But without a stable Teleportation Hubs it’s impossible to keep tabs. So if guys need to go north, go to the branch in Rich Berg Islands."

Brella smiled softly. "Thank you, boss... I didn’t know that some organisations has secret Teleportation Arrays in their basement."

"Hmm... Well ours is not secret it’s our Private Hub buisness opened to everyone. If you want you can take care of that buisness." Tyler said.

"Ok.. sure..." Brella suddenly said.

"Ah... So, You were aiming for that." Tyler shook his head.

She just stuck out of her tongue cutely, "Oh... By the way boss, I am already married or i would have invited you to my room just like before."

She expressed a regretful expression and continued, "B-but if boss wants me..."

She slightly opened her dress and showed her breast.

Tyler gently grabbed her dress and closed it.

"It’s ok vixen. Just be faithful to your family." Tyler said and turned around.

Brella pouted. Boss looks more younger than before. She wanted to have a taste of him. But she didn’t expect her boss would reject her.

She sighed but she didn’t care. She got a new job. Her eyes shined looking forward to manage the Teleportation Hub.

Tyler was in no mood for distractions. His frustration weighed heavily on him as he sat brooding in the White Merchant Store’s Seo Island branch. The dream he had—building a Teleportation Network to the edge of the world—had come to a screeching halt. The instability past Rich Berg Island made further progress impossible, and the setback gnawed at him.

"Dusk, are you sure it’s this way?"

A young boy’s voice broke Tyler from his thoughts. He glanced lazily to the side, only half paying attention to the commotion.

"Yeah, you know my powers, right? It’s pointing this way," a second voice replied, confident and calm.

The answer piqued Tyler’s curiosity just enough to make him look over. He caught sight of a boy with striking red eyes—eyes unlike any he had seen before—and froze.

"Huh... it’s him..." the boy, apparently named Dusk, muttered as he locked eyes with Tyler.

Beside Dusk stood another young man. He looked ordinary enough, with soft features and an approachable smile, but something about him sent a shiver down Tyler’s spine.

"Hello," the young man said warmly, offering a polite nod.

Tyler’s eyes widened in shock. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. "It’s... you..."

The young man blinked, surprised by the reaction. "Huh? Have we met before?" He paused and scratched his head. "I’m sorry, but this is my first time arriving on this planet. I’m Adam."

"You don’t remember me?" Tyler asked, more confused than ever. He studied the young man in front of him, and something felt off. Adam appeared weak, far weaker than the powerful being Tyler had encountered before.

Adam’s brow furrowed slightly, and his voice dropped to a cautious tone. "Did you meet one of my alternatives?"

Tyler’s breath caught. Alternatives? So there was more to this than he realized.

Memories flooded back, and Tyler recalled the first time he had met this ’Adam’. It was long ago—or maybe not so long, given how strangely time seemed to work for him. Tyler and team who participated in competition had been attacked by an immortal. But somehow he was saved by mysterious luck and was brought to this planet by Cultivation CC.

But during the travel in the starry sky he was caught off guard by Feng Clan princess.

And then he appeared. The mysterious young man. Or, at least, he looked like Adam before him.

That Adam simply stopped the Feng Clan princess attack casually and saved Tyler and his friends.

Yet the Adam standing before Tyler now seemed... diminished. Ordinary.

Tyler swallowed hard, piecing together his thoughts. "You... you saved us before," he finally said.

Adam tilted his head, curiosity in his eyes. "It seems we have much to talk about."

Tyler nodded slowly, the weight of the moment settling on his shoulders. Whoever this Adam was—whoever he had been before—Tyler always curious about that being.

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Author here:.

For those who are wondering what the heck happened. It happened at end of Volume 1.