"Er, we do have a problem..." Vastocean pointed out.
"Yes?" Ford's brows were raised.
"I don't think I can replicate the way you handle the restaurant and the guests... I don't think my martial talent would do me any good in the kitchen either..." Vastocean scratched his head as he admitted. Ford was just too masterful and efficient with cooking and dealing with people.
"Oh, true that. How do we go about that for tomorrow since it will be your turn? I could try to train you but it would be great if I could communicate you while you are outside." Ford was thinking.
"I was thinking that maybe I could let you handle everything in the restaurant!" Vastocean shockingly suggested.
Ford was taken aback by this since that would mean giving up his time with the body. He would be forfeiting experiencing his life, "But what about your time with the body?"
Surprisingly, Vastocean was rather mature about this as he pointed out, "I will be able to get it eventually when we hire more people and expand Garden Ford Tavern and the Vast Ocean Courtyard. It will be in two to four weeks time right? I can wait that long. For now, you told me that we have a bridge that connects us, right?"
"Yes? Wait, do you mean to-"
"We can utilize that. While you work outside, I can cultivate inside as soon as each Primal Stone arrives! Divide and conquer!" Vastocean emphasized how beneficial it was doing this.
"But..." Ford knew that this was the most rational way to do things but he felt guilty still.
Vastocean waved his hand in dismissal, "Don't feel too bad! I have always wanted to cultivate! I can take my time and cultivate here in the Cosmic God Space especially since time is twice as long here!"
Vastocean further encouraged. "I can't do what you can do but I'll do what I can do. We're partners, right?"
Ford was silent at first before he eventually got around and grasped Vastocean's hand for a handshake, "Don't worry, I won't let your trust down."
"I know you won't, Sir Ford." Vastocean had full trust for Ford to do the things he does.
"There's something I have also been meaning to try." Ford suddenly stated.
"What is it?"
"To try meditation with the Cosmic God Manual's first page." Ford pointed at the Cosmic God Manual which was now floating above him.
"Oh, right! The Cosmic God Manual's first page can stimulate circulation despite not being a cultivation mantra or cultivation art. Let's do it!" Vastocean realized Ford's intentions and agreed.
They both sat down cross-legged and begun meditation while repeating the Cosmic God's words. They soon were able to feel a rapid circulation of their Innate Energy. With every circulation, they felt like their body is being strengthened slowly. It was incrementally increasing the amount of Innate Energy they had by trace amounts.
Amidst that circulation, the thread connecting their navels was also being influenced by their circulation. It was actually helping with the speed of their circulation which in turn contributed in the production of Innate Energy.
"With this speed of circulation, I think we can still progress in cultivation without the Primal Stone! I wonder how amazing the actual cultivation technique would be!" Vastocean was surprised by this cultivation speed and spoke enthusiastically.
"But, with the Primal Stone, our cultivation speed would be blindingly fast!" Ford stated.
The two continued cultivating until they eventually woke up in the morning. They eventually decided to maximize what they currently have and refined the rest of the Primal Stones that were still in their disposal.
...
Dylan Ford opened his eyes and met with the familiar sight of his ceiling-
"Huh?" Dylan was confused why he was staring at the morning sky on the break of dawn.
"Was I kidnapped?" Dylan thought as he got up and underneath him was not a bed. It was a rubble of wood. It was a strange mix of burnt wood and wet wood as well. Strangely, he was naked as well.
"What happened?! Did I get assault-" He was utterly confused but after some scanning, he realized that he was at the ground floor of his house.
"Big bro?"
He noticed Scarlet staring at him from the stairs and was rubbing her eyes. Scarlet went to the bathroom and saw Dylan sitting on a pile of rubble with nothing on.
"Wow, big bro. You're developing some new hobbies now. Wait, hm, I must still be dreaming. Better get back to bed." She said while yawning and rubbing her eyes before going back to the room. She thought that she might still be sleeping since what she was seeing was simply ridiculous.
"Well... that was awkward..." Dylan could only scratch his head since he did not know what was happening to him right now. Plus, he just woke up so this was a pretty shitty scenario to be in.
When he looked up once more, he saw what was once his room, now turned into an open space that revealed their backyard. He immediately grabbed the clothes that were hanged out to dry and dressed himself.
"Did someone break into the house?!" Dylan's first thought was to check the house and the safe. After a few minutes of checking everything, he concluded that nothing was stolen.
Scarlet was safe. The secret underground room was not breached. Nothing was stolen. He was stuck in thought for a few minutes before realizing what may have happened.
"Was this due to the martial spirit awakening...?" Dylan's eyes noticed traced of burnt wood on the right side of the bed while the left side was wet. This perfectly matches the scene that occurred in the Cosmic God Space.
Thankfully, this happened in the back of the house so it does not affect the Garden Ford Tavern and Vast Ocean Courtyard that much.
"If that's so, I might as well. Call in Jake and the others here again for further renovation." Dylan realizing the cause of what happened knew that he could not do anything about it except just deal with the consequences.
"Note to self, when Scarlet awakens her martial spirit, she needs to be in an isolated place." Dylan made a mental note since Scarlet was also about to start in the path of cultivation.
Then, he suddenly stopped what he was doing as he covered his face from embarrassment, "Argh! Does that mean I was sleeping all night with my naked glory exposed?! This is fucking embarrassing!"
"Thank God, it was only Scarlet that saw me. At least, she passed it off as a crazy dream." He was rather thankful that no on except for scarlet saw what was happening or else, he would have been embarrassed.
...
Dylan proceeded to setting up the restaurant again. Before the opening time, he ventured to Bob's Builders to issue another request.
"Hello, Sir Dylan." Jake greeted, seeing him enter the workshop.
"Whoa, Sir Dylan! You have cultivation now?!That's awesome!" Harry was happy for Dylan who had suddenly received cultivation.
" Congratulations! Better late than never!" Jeffrey also offered his warm greetings.
"Hahaha, it just suddenly happened. Thank you very much!" Dylan brushed off the topic yet he still warmly accepted their greetings. These three were one of the few people who did not judge him for his lack of cultivation. Yes, they were in it to receive Sir Raul's guidance but they still treated him with respect. For that, Dylan was really grateful for them.
"Its a cause for celebration! Plus, you're restaurant was amazing! We will definitely go back there again later!" Jake stated with a laugh.
"Thank you! I look forward to seeing you guys again later." Dylan welcomed any returning customers, of course. Now, customers have the same value as cultivation resources to him with the emergence of the Primal Stone.
Dylan could finally see the cultivation strengths of people with his Spiritual Sense. He was able to notice that all three brothers were all at the Origin Palace Realm already!
Dylan continued to explain his request, "Anyways, I have another request. I would like to ask you guys to renovate the inside of the house as well..."
After Dylan explained his request, Jake gave him a quote of ten thousand copper coins to which he quickly paid, "Here is ten thousand copper coins."
"We would also appreciate if we could secure a table as well." Jake shamelessly said.
"Hahaha, chipping in an additional condition, I see. Don't worry, I will always have tables reserved for you brothers. But, I would also encourage you to also invite along your other brothers for lunch or dinner later!" Dylan found it cheeky for them to add that condition so he also took advantage of it to raise his own condition.
"You got it. My brothers and I have been raving about your food since yesterday. Nearly every single one of our brothers here wants to go to... Garden Ford Tavern, was it? All of them wants to try your cooking!" Jeffrey mentioned as they took the deal.
"I have also told my family about it. They were also very curious, considering how tasty the food at your restaurant is. We will be going there later for dinner after work!" Harry interjecting while sharing his thoughts.
'Customer being satisfied will naturally share their experiences with their close relatives. Word of mouth seems to be doing wonders!' Dylan was all smiles, seeing that word of mouth was already going so well. He was expectant to see how today will turn out. "Thank you for your words of recommendation!"
After some small talk, he bid them farewell and said, "I hope the training with Sir Raul is going well!"
"Hahaha, Sir Paul keeps smacking us in the heads because we keep messing up but we're learning a lot!" The trio also waved their hands in farewell.