Power Stone Goals from now on: I always post a minimum of 5 chapters. Henceforth the following are the goals:
Every 150 powerstones, I upload an extra chapter.
If we hit top 30 in the 30-90 days power stone rankings, thats 1 more chapter
If we hit top 10 in the 30-90 days power stone rankings, thats 1 more chapter
If we are top 5...well lets get to that first. Happy readings!
Chapter 21: Meeting high-school friends
After spending some time comparing specs, reviews, and availability, I went ahead and purchased a complete desktop setup for myself—a high-performance PC tower with one of the best processors available in 2010, a spacious SSD, a solid GPU for editing and gaming, along with a sturdy mechanical keyboard, a large dual-monitor setup, and a clean, minimalist desk.
I also included an ergonomic gaming chair because I knew I'd be sitting for long stretches of time while working on content, writing chapters, or reviewing edits.
Then, without hesitation, I ordered a duplicate setup for Sam. He hadn't asked for anything, but he was becoming part of this journey whether he liked it or not.
A strong PC was essential if we were going to do this content creation thing seriously. I wanted us to have matching tools, equal resources—none of that "borrow my computer when I'm done" dynamic. He needed to feel like this was his as much as it was mine.
When the gear arrived and I began assembling the pieces in our living space, Sam walked in and stared at the setup. "What is all this?"
I didn't look up from tightening a monitor arm. "It's for you. And me. We've got work to do."
He blinked. "You bought me a whole PC?"
"Yeah. And a chair. And a keyboard. It's a full setup. You need something solid if we're going to do this properly."
He frowned slightly, and I could already tell what he was about to say.
"I'm gonna pay you back for this, man. I can't just take—"
"It's a gift," I interrupted. "You don't want to take my money, that's fine. But at least take a gift from a friend."
He didn't argue after that. Just gave a small nod and went quiet, which I took as him accepting it in his own way.
The week was moving along smoothly. On the content side of things, I had already given the five freelance editors all the footage from my day out with Crystal and outlined the kind of style I wanted the vlog edited in.
I gave them three days to work their magic. It wasn't much time, but I wanted to test how quickly they could deliver polished work under a bit of pressure.
Friday night was the deadline, which was also when I'd scheduled dinner with my high school friends.
Clifford, Samantha, Elizabeth, and Kevin had all confirmed they'd make it. It was surprisingly easy to get them to commit to a meet-up, which either meant they were free or just curious about what I was up to lately.
Regardless, it would be the perfect opportunity to gauge how open they might be to the content house idea.
I wasn't going to force it on anyone. But if even one or two of them were interested, it could really push things forward.
While all of this was in motion, another thing had become increasingly obvious: Lord of the Mysteries was starting to blow up.
Initially, I had been earning 30, 50, maybe 90 Entertainment Points a day from uploads. Now, after that mass release and a few consistent updates, I was consistently pulling in 1000 points daily.
The dashboard was starting to look less like a slow crawl and more like a steady incline. Reader comments were increasing. Likes and bookmarks were stacking. People were binging the chapters.
It felt surreal, especially since I hadn't even reached the most explosive arcs of the story yet.
I still had a lot of chapters stockpiled—over 60 ready to go—and my goal was to continue uploading daily while holding back a few in reserve. It was all about consistency.
With more free time on my hands, I also decided to increase my writing hours. Previously, I had only been dedicating two hours a day to writing, which was enough to produce about four chapters. Now, I doubled that time—four solid hours of writing each day.
This allowed me to produce eight chapters daily, even though I continued to upload only two chapters per day.
The rest were added to my stockpile. I knew there would be days where I wouldn't be able to write, whether due to filming, meetings, or just life getting in the way, and having a buffer of pre-written chapters felt like insurance against falling off schedule.
Between building our content station, preparing for the dinner meeting, and managing my uploads, the days were packed.
I didn't mind it, though. There was a rhythm forming, and I had to admit—it felt like something was starting to click.
If the editors delivered solid work and the friend group was even remotely interested in joining me, I knew the next few weeks could become a game-changer.
The days passed by without much resistance, and before I realized it, Friday had arrived. Throughout the week, I kept in occasional contact with some of the other main cast members from the show.
Most of them had used the unexpected break to travel or visit family. I, on the other hand, stuck to my grind, focusing on content creation.
I did make time to reach out to my parents, though. It wasn't much—just short calls, a few texts—but it felt like something I needed to do. The idea of seeing them again stirred up a complicated mix of feelings.
Technically, they were my parents, but emotionally, I wasn't sure I could fully claim that identity anymore. I wasn't the same person they had raised, and trying to reconcile my past life with my present was proving more difficult than I had expected.
Still, my dad's birthday was coming up, and I knew I'd have to face it soon. For now, I stayed in touch and let myself adjust gradually.
Friday night came. Our small group of friends had agreed to meet at a place called Aegean Table, a cozy Mediterranean restaurant tucked away on the quieter end of town.
The warm décor and soft lighting gave it a comfortable feel, and the smell of grilled meats and citrus hit us the moment we walked through the door.
Sam and I were the last to arrive.
Clifford was already at the table, nursing a glass of iced tea and skimming the menu. He had on a hoodie and track pants, which didn't surprise me—he was always the laid-back one.
Elizabeth sat beside him, her round glasses slightly tilted as usual, looking through her phone. She smiled when she saw us.
Samantha was across from her, already deep in menu decisions. She greeted us with a smirk and a playful eye-roll.
Kevin, at the end of the table, gave us a simple nod. He wore a plain polo tucked into jeans, looking just as neat and composed as always.
"Look who decided to show up," Samantha teased as Sam and I pulled up chairs.
"Traffic," I said, settling in.
"You don't even drive," Clifford pointed out.
"I was moral support for someone who does," I replied, nodding toward Sam.
Sam had recently decided to get a car to make it easier to get to and from work. Up until now, he had been managing without one, which was impressive in its own right.
Seeing him finally take that step gave me a push as well—I figured it was time for me to seriously look into getting my driver's license. Luckily, I had already been researching the process.
From what I could gather, it would take me about two to four weeks to get fully licensed, provided everything went smoothly. Once that was sorted, I could look into getting a car of my own.
"How have you guys been?" I asked, looking around the table.
"Good, actually," Samantha said brightly. She had always been the more outgoing one in our group. "I just started at Marlowe College. I'm doing chemical engineering, and surprisingly, I'm kind of enjoying it."
"Yeah, right," Kevin chimed in with a laugh. "You've been attending more festivals than lectures."
"Hey, at least I'm in college," she shot back, grinning.
Sam chuckled. "I guess you two haven't changed one bit."
Clifford leaned back in his chair. "I'm studying sports therapy now. Got a scholarship at Dalridge Tech. It's been busy, but it's alright."
Elizabeth added, "I'm doing graphic design at Belcroft Institute. It's mostly remote, so I've been freelancing on the side. Posters, logos, stuff like that."
It was good to see everyone doing something with their lives. Some paths were more conventional than others, but that didn't matter.
We were all still figuring things out in our own way, and being here together again made it feel like maybe we hadn't drifted as far apart as I had feared.
"Enough about us though," Samantha said, shifting the focus. "I saw that you landed yourself a lead role in acting. Consider me impressed, Jace. I know you said you wanted to get into acting, but I didn't think you'd be able to do it as quickly as you have."
"How's it feel, acting like that?" Clifford asked, genuinely curious.
"To be honest, it's really interesting. I've got a lot of experienced actors on set, and I'm learning a lot from them—"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Experienced or whatever," Kevin interrupted with a grin. "How about we talk about how your entire main cast is ridiculously good-looking?"
I couldn't help but laugh at that. Everyone at the table knew it was true—the cast of Teen Wolf really did look like they were handpicked from a modeling agency.
I was kind of happy that my conversation with my friends didn't feel forced. It had only been a couple of months since graduation, and while we had all gone in different directions, most of us hadn't changed that much.
As we settled into our seats and started looking through the menu, I waited for the right moment to bring it up.
"Guys, I was wondering if any of you were interested in content creation," I asked casually.
"What, like uploading stuff on YouTube?" Elizabeth asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah, actually," I replied. "Jayce has a really interesting idea," Sam added, nodding in encouragement.
Together, we explained the concept of a content house—a place where we could all live together, film content, collaborate on videos, and basically just build something fun and potentially profitable.
I laid it out simply. It wouldn't be high-pressure, and we wouldn't have to stick to a strict upload schedule.
Everyone could create their own style of content, whether it was vlogs, challenges, commentary, or gaming.
More importantly, I emphasized that I'd handle most of the upfront expenses. I'd take care of finding the house, paying rent, and covering utilities.
That way, nobody would feel financially burdened to give it a shot.
The only things they'd need to worry about were their personal belongings—like any furniture or gear they wanted for their individual spaces.
The reason I was willing to front the cost was simple. One, it was a gesture of appreciation.
These people had been my friends long before I had a lead role or a shot at YouTube success.
Two, I didn't want money to be the reason someone missed out. I had enough capital saved to make it work, and I was confident we'd be able to start earning money relatively soon.
The UEFA Champions League Final was right around the corner, and I was planning to bet heavily on it. With Inter Milan expected to win under Mourinho, I had a solid chance to multiply my funds. If that worked out, it'd give me even more of a safety net. And if not, well, with the system I was bound to make money. It would just be slightly later than sooner.
So this wasn't just some impulsive dream—it was something I had thought through. And I could tell by their reactions that they were actually considering it.
Samantha leaned forward a bit, clearly intrigued. Clifford didn't say much, but he was listening closely.
Kevin had a skeptical look, but even he didn't shut the idea down outright.
I ended by saying, "It's just an idea. If you're not into it, that's totally fine. But if you are, I think we could actually make something pretty cool together."
And then I left the idea hanging in the air, giving them space to think it over.
…
Authors note:
You can read some chapters ahead if you want to on my p#treon.com/Fat_Cultivator