Episode 4
#4. MSG of the North (3)
Ronnie, a poor F-rank adventurer, treasured the 2 Cooper coin he had luckily obtained easily..
Almost every second, I checked to see if Cooper was okay in my arms..
‘I will be able to eat a proper meal for the first time in a long time.!’
Ronnie's eyes were half bloodshot..
If you were an F-class adventurer, you were virtually treated as a vagabond, and had to lead a life lacking the most basic food, clothing, and shelter to survive..
They wore old, tattered clothes that could barely avoid frostbite, and they lived in a 5-pyeong room that looked like a cattle shed, with eight people sleeping together..
‘Anyway, if you take this money to your accommodation, it will be taken away or stolen. Let's use it all up!’
Even though he lived such a miserable and poor life, Ronnie lived with hope every day..
Because I believed that difficult times and good things would come alternately in life..
And today something good happened after a long time..
It snowed heavily in Haven the night before..
Compared to risking one's life as a porter or gatherer in the countryside, snow removal was not work..
Although pay was at least something that had to be done..
Ronnie managed to get the job and shoveled snow harder than anyone else..
And I was able to receive the promised 2 coppers by the time the sun rose in the sky..
‘What… … . what to eat?’
Ronnie held Cooper tightly in his arms and looked around..
My mouth was already watering, and I felt a pain in my stomach that went beyond the growling sound..
sniff…….
It was right then. It was a smell Ronnie had smelled for the first time in his life..
It smells like stew, it's the first time in my life I've smelled such an enchanting stew..
“jack inn?”
When I turned my head, it was the smell coming from Jack's Inn..
Not only Ronnie but also other people walking down the street seemed to have caught the same smell and were seen hurrying towards Jack's Inn..
Ronnie also headed to the inn as if he was possessed..
The interior of Jack's Inn.
The fascinating smell of stew outside was even stronger..
Not only those who came in from outside but also those who were staying on the second floor of the inn had come down to the first floor of the inn, which served as a restaurant..
“Hey Jack! What does this smell like? I even made a new menu?”
“This is my first time smelling something so delicious..”
People asked Jack with their mouths dripping..
“It's called Arad stew, made by our newly hired chef..”
“It's really delicious. really…….”
In response, Jack and his son Tom, who tasted the food first, answered with hazy eyes, intoxicated by the lingering aftertaste of the enchanting taste that has not yet gone away..
“Arad stew?”
“Ah, the therapist who treated Lennon and your injuries yesterday..”
“I guess the therapist is good at eating too.?”
Accordingly, the customers who entered the store said one thing at a time..
“How much? Wait, 2 Coopers.?!”
“It's so damn expensive! 2 cooper for a bowl of stew!”
And they frowned at the fact that a bowl of stew costs two coppers..
‘2cooper? It's all my money…….’
The price of the stew was so high that Ronnie immediately came to his senses from this intoxicating smell..
In this world, the price of a bowl of stew is less than 1 copper..
This was an unwritten rule similar to the price of a bowl of rice in Korea..
“Was it expensive because it was made by a therapist??”
“It's such an honor, isn't it? I got to eat the stew made by that expensive healer..”
People's eyes turned to Chef Arad, who was preparing ingredients in the kitchen. Of course, it was never a good look.
“I can't help it. Because of the Arad salt used in this stew..”
“arad salt?”
Jack, who had injured his arm and decided to take charge of sales and soliciting customers, diverted the attention of those customers..
“Yes, the price at which we give up as much profit as possible is 2 copper..”
It was a bad move to tell people to eat somewhere else if they didn't want to eat it..
Even if you do business with guts, you have to make people taste it at least once before doing it..
“good. I'll give it a try even if it's just because of the smell!”
“I know not to leave it alone if it doesn’t taste good.!”
Did Jack’s explanation make sense?.
In the end, several people ordered 2 Cooper's Arad Stew..
“……Please give me a bowl too.”
Ronnie also closed his eyes tightly and gave 2 copper of all his money to Jack..
“good! No one will regret it!”
That's how Arad stew was served in bowls and served on people's tables..
The good news was that there was a lot of it..
About 1.5 times the amount of stew served at other inns..
“Yes, if it's expensive, you should at least give it a large amount..”
Only then did the expressions on people's faces relax when they saw the heavy stew bowl..
And everyone quickly moved their spoons and put arad stew into their mouths..
Ronnie also ate the stew with trembling hands..
“!!!!!!”
Then everyone trembled as if they had made a promise..
My eyes were wide open and I could clearly see my facial muscles trembling..
It's as if he doesn't know how to react or what facial expression he should make to the ecstatic taste he's experiencing for the first time in his life..
There was no smell or bad taste that I had always taken for granted. What about the delicious saltiness and rich umami that salt can never imitate?.
Smell, taste, and texture achieved at cooking level MAX. All of this came together exquisitely, and a heavenly harmony resonated in my mouth..
If it weren't for the Arad stew in front of me, would I have been able to experience this taste until the day I die??
“…….”
“…….”
When you are so moved, you become speechless because you have no way to express these feelings..
While people were talking, they were busy moving their spoons in silence, trying to savor the taste of the stew even a little more..
Sigh, sniffle
Meanwhile, some who were eating the stew were sobbing with tears of emotion..
Among those who ate in tears was Ronnie..
* * *
Word of Jack's Inn's Arad Stew quickly spread throughout Haven..
“Thank you to our ancestors! For just 2 copper, you can eat food with the flavor of spices that only nobles eat.!”
“When I was a mercenary in the Empire, I accidentally ate food with spices, and the Arad stew was much more delicious than what I ate then.!”
“They say you can't eat if you don't stand in line from early in the morning..”
“They say that once you eat Arad stew, you won't be able to eat any other food because it will be tasteless and fishy..”
All kinds of rumors spread throughout Haven..
All adventurers, mercenaries, merchants, and citizens of Haven visited Jack's Inn..
And when people gather together, incidents and accidents always happen..
“I came first!”
“Where is this cutting in?! Our ancestors will place a curse on you.!”
“Stand in line? Stand in line with those E- and F-class bums? If that's not enough, are you asking me to sickle my stomach? I am an imperial adventurer.?”
The first problem arose related to waiting in line and tables..
“You could create separate lines for premium seats and royal seats, and charge 5 times the price..”
And I solved this problem so easily.
But the problem didn't end there.
“Arad! There are too many guests! Our store simply cannot accommodate them all! If this continues, even the security will say something..”
The problem was that even though business was doing well, it was doing too well..
Arad Salt was too great to be digested in just one inn, Jack's Inn..
“This is really nothing to say to the person who created Arad salt... … . Wouldn't it be better to tell the secret to nearby stores for money? That way we can disperse the customers..”
“Umm… … . It will be like that someday. But not now.”
I shook my head at Jack's cautious recommendation..
“Can you tell me specifically when that is??”
“Originally, only Arad salt was planned to be sold separately around spring..”
My original plan was to make as much money as possible from the Arad stew and then sell the Arad salt separately..
However, if this happens, the ingredients and production method of Arad salt will become known in an instant..
In a world without copyright, it is difficult to expect patents..
That's why I tried to hold on until the very end..
“spring?! My ancestors, oh my... … . Well, I'm really sorry for you, but it's hard right now..”
Jack expressed his disapproval at my plan..
They had just hired three additional employees..
Even though I continued to use treatment techniques, it seemed inevitable that my bandaged right arm would start to tingle after work..
His son Tom became the highest-earning employee among his peers and seemed to know no hardships..
“Of course, Jack, I understand your situation..”
“Don't just understand, learn how…….”
“Well then, let's do it like this.”
“how?”
next day.
A large sign like this was added to Jack's Inn..
-Take-out service!
-If you bring your own bowl and only receive the stew, it's 1 copper per bowl.!
It was a bonus that there was a large picture of a person holding a bowl and a 1-cooper bill..
“You can eat that delicious stew for half the price?! Thank you to our ancestors!”
“bowl! Bring a bowl!”
All the Coopers in Haven began to gather at Jack's Inn..
* * *
The problem of a large number of customers was solved with takeout..
However, it is impossible to just congratulate others when they are doing well, which is something that can never happen in human life..
This is especially true if it is an inn run by a retired mercenary..
“I heard Jack's inn is doing so well.?”
“So that means you have a lot of money..”
When money and people come together, even flies are attracted..
All kinds of scumbags living in Haven have started to flock to Jack's Inn..
“We'll protect you, so give us half of your sales!”
“We'll be better than those bastards. We will only receive 1 silver per day as protection fee. You guys make a lot of money, right? They say they sell over a hundred bowls of 2-cooper stew a day.?”
“If you don't pay protection money, doing business in the future won't be fun. Because every time they come in and disrupt you,.”
“hey! The stone came out of the food! I broke my tooth chewing on this rock! How do you want to compensate??!”
From demanding protection money to food fertilization..
Even though Jack was a successful mercenary in his past, as he got older and suffered injuries, it was very difficult to deal with such truths every day..
“hey! Give me all the money you have!”
Even when all the guests were gone and the inn was closing, a robber appeared..
“Where are these people doing? To get rid of it!”
“Are these trash guys swollen these days??”
“Screw you! Never come near me again! Then we can eat Arad stew tomorrow too..”
Fortunately, the adventurers and mercenaries from the North staying at Jack's Inn dealt with these criminals and robbers..
But you can't always rely on them.
“Should I hire a guard??”
In the end, Jack decided to hire mercenaries..
“Why spend a lot of money to hire guards??”
But I was against Jack's decision..
“But Arad, if things continue like this, a big accident will happen..”
“don't worry. I have a method for everything.”
“……?”
Having done some business on Earth, I had a plan. As always.
next day.
This phrase was newly written on the signboard of Jack's Inn. With a picture of stew being given to guards and officials..
- Guards and officials who work day and night for Haven are given a free bowl of Arad stew every day. There is no need to wait in line, and you can come in first. However, it only applies when working or on duty..
Even in a world with a high illiteracy rate, news related to these freebies spread very accurately and quickly in Haven..
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