As soon as Kit stepped outside, he remembered that Mars had gone to deliver the letter to Iris' cousin. He stood there for a moment, unsure of what to do next. Deciding to explore the market in the middle of the shopping district again, Kit began walking towards it.
The noise and commotion of the market could be heard before he even arrived. Shouts from vendors trying to attract customers and people haggling over prices filled his ears. Delicious smells wafted through the air and Kit followed his nose until he reached three food stalls.
The first stall sold freshly baked bread, with steam rising from the loaves. Kit imagined tearing off a piece and seeing the fluffy dough inside. Next to the bread stall was the nut stall he had seen earlier. His gaze then fell upon the last stall.
A young woman was selling drinks behind a wooden table. Curious about how these stalls did business, Kit decided to sit down and observe for a while. He noticed that none of the stall owners needed to actively call out to attract customers; they already had a steady stream of visitors.
As Kit looked around the market, he realised that these were the only food stalls as far as he could see. He recalled from his previous visit that the stalls were placed far apart, but now they were strategically placed together.
It was clever planning by the stall owners; as people walked around, their hunger would be enticed by these delicious offerings without any competition.
The woman selling drinks gave Kit wary glances in between serving her customers. After a while, she took a break and approached Kit with suspicion in her eyes. "What ya want? Nothin is free here, so stop staring and bugger off!"
Kit was caught off guard by the harshness in her tone. He suddenly realised how suspicious he must have looked, just sitting there and staring. His face flushed with embarrassment as he realised he probably appeared like he was up to no good.
The young girl noticed his red cheeks and her expression softened. Kit quickly tried to explain himself: "I'm sorry, I was just curious about how you run your business. I want to open a restaurant someday, but I have no experience. I thought watching you might teach me something."
The young girl narrowed her eyes at Kit, trying to assess if he was telling the truth. "Have ya made anything to sell?" Kit nodded eagerly. After giving him one last once over, the young girl let out a small sigh. "Go to the entrance of the market over there. You'll be seein a table with a guard stationed behind it. Pay him a fee, then ya come back here." With that, she walked away to tend to her stall.
Kit wasn't entirely sure what he was paying for, but he followed the woman's instructions anyway. He easily found the guard sitting behind a table. As Kit approached, the guard asked him, "Big, medium, or small?" Kit stared at him, confused. The guard clarified, "The size of the stall."
Understanding now, Kit replied, "Small." The guard requested 5 bronze crowns and handed Kit a token in return.
Kit returned to the young woman at her stall and showed her the token. She directed him to set up between herself and another vendor named Little Beetle. Kit raised an eyebrow. Was she suggesting that he also set up his own stall? After some thought, Kit realised that the token gave him permission to sell goods in the market area.
Feeling excited, Kit considered what he could sell. He could use his camping kitchen to cook and sell food the Apelop salad. This made Kit even more eager to get started.
"Thank you," he said to the young woman with a smile. "I'm Kit, by the way." He offered his hand for a handshake.
She firmly shook his hand and replied, "I be Crackers."
Pleased with the introductions, Kit exclaimed, "Crackers! I just need to grab a few things before I can start selling. Is that alright?"
Crackers laughed, “no problem, it not be my stall.”
With a grin on his face, Kit rushed off to gather everything he needed. Kit made his way to the fruit section of the bustling market when he noticed a small stall selling paper. Intrigued, he stopped and considered the possibilities. A friendly voice interrupted his thoughts.
"Hello dear. Do you need any paper?" An elderly woman sat behind the stall, knitting a scarf. She had a stooped posture, and wrinkles adorned her face, but her hands were deftly working on the knitting needles.
The stall was deserted, with no signs of recent customers. Kit examined the paper, wondering if any of it would be sturdy enough to use for his plan: making boxes to selling meals at the market!
He would needed some kind of container that could hold food. The paper caught his eye and reminded him of his dilemma. Maybe the old lady had something that could work.
"Do you have any thick paper that I could fold into a box? Something that won't fall apart if it gets a little greasy?" Kit asked, hoping for a solution.
The old lady paused her knitting and slowly stood up from her chair. She went to a box behind the stall and pulled out two different sizes of thick paper, almost like cardboard. She presented them to Kit with a gentle smile.
He ran his fingers over the slightly waxy texture, noticing its soft shine. It seemed perfect for creating a takeaway container for food. However, Kit quickly realised he had no idea how to make a box out of paper.
"Excuse me young man, do you know how to make a box out of paper?" The old lady's kind expression prompted Kit's ears to turn red as he nodded his head in embarrassment.
Without hesitation, she began folding the larger piece of paper into a triangle shape. At first, Kit was confused until he realised she was creating folds on the paper. With each precise movement, she transformed the paper into a half-box shape. Then she repeated the process with the smaller piece of paper and inserted it into the larger one, creating a complete box.
Kit's face lit up with delight at the sight. He could finally make his own takeaway containers for his food. "Could you show me a few more times please?" he asked eagerly, wanting to commit the process to memory.
The old lady nodded and made a few more boxes while Kit observed closely. Once he felt confident in his ability, he thanked her profusely. "Thank you so much for teaching me how to make these boxes."
“No problem, young man. I didn’t have much to do anyway, and your company was much appreciated.” The old woman's smile revealed two missing front teeth, and Kit returned the gesture.
“How much is the paper?” Kit inquired.
“For 20 bronze crowns each, you can have a box of each size,” replied the old woman.
“It’s a deal. Thank you very much.” Kit handed over the money and collected his boxes. On a whim, he asked if she knew anyone who could make wooden cutlery at an affordable price.
Scratching her head, the old woman responded, “I don’t know about cutlery, but my son has plenty of wooden splinters that could be made into chopsticks. He sells wooden barrels at the market.”
Kit's eyes lit up at the idea. “Where can I find your son?”
She gestured towards the stall next to hers and laughed at Kit's surprised expression. “Monroe, come here!” she called out.
A middle-aged man approached them. “What is it, mother?”
“This young man wants you to make some chopsticks from your leftover pieces of wood,” explained the old woman.
The man nodded and went to a box under his stall. With a carving knife in hand, his hands moved so quickly that Kit could barely keep track. In just a few minutes, there was a pile of perfectly crafted chopsticks on the table in front of them. Kit blinked several times, trying to process what he had just seen.
“How many do you want?” asked the middle-aged man.
“How many pieces of paper are in a box?” Kit remembered that having an even supply of each size would be beneficial for his business.
“A thousand,” grinned the old lady.
“Then I'll take a thousand pairs please.” Excitement filled Kit as he realised he was one step closer to opening his own stall. But then he remembered his wallet. “How much will that cost?”
“Not much, lad. This is just scrap wood, so I'll charge 40 bronze crowns.” The man replied kindly.
“Perfect, thank you.” Kit's smile grew even wider as he handed over the money. “How long will it take?”
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
“Only about five minutes,” said the man. Kit was amazed at how quickly and skilfully the man had prepared the utensils.
Now Kit had solved the problem of how to get his product to the customer. Kit had one task in mind: buying pears. Once he was done, he'd come back to pick up the chopsticks and continue on his way.
He walked with a spring in his step towards the fruit and vegetable section, where he purchased 40 bags of pears for 2 bronze each. Now all he needed was to sell enough Apelop salad to make up for his expenses.
Returning to Crackers' stall, Kit felt nervous as he set up his own spot. This would be his first time selling a meal, and he wasn't sure how it would be received by customers. His palms started to sweat, and his knees felt weak at the thought of making a profit from today's venture.
But Kit had taken a gamble, spending 160 bronze crowns on this opportunity. He knew that if he didn't take this risk now, he would never know if his dream of owning a successful restaurant could become reality.
Despite his nerves, Kit was buzzing with excitement as he started cooking. Crackers and Little Beatle, the owner of the nut stall, had even made room for him between them while he was gone.
Setting up his camping kitchen, Kit began preparing ten boxes of salad before starting on Apelop steaks for frying.
As the meat sizzled in the pan with a delicious aroma filling the air, people started to gather around Kit's stall. One woman in particular asked what he was cooking with hunger in her eyes. Though uncomfortable with so many eyes on him, Kit pushed through and answered softly.
"I'm frying Apelop meat for my signature dish," he said, flashing her his best professional smile despite his trembling hand.
The middle-aged woman's shrewd gaze locked onto him as she asked, "How much?"
Kit paused, realising he had forgotten a crucial detail in his plan to sell his Apelop salad. He shook his head at his own forgetfulness and tried to think of a fair price. His mind wandered back to the first day in town, when he saw a potion being sold in a shop window.
It granted +100 HP for 1 hour and cost 20 bronze crowns. Kit's salad, on the other hand, only gave +20 Intelligence and +20 defence for 1 hour and didn't have as long of a shelf life. He knew he needed to lower the price.
After some consideration, Kit decided on a price of 15 bronze crowns. But when he announced it to the lady in front of him, she burst into laughter. Confused, Kit lowered his gaze and avoided eye contact with the crowd around him.
"You're quite amusing, young man," the woman said in a snooty tone. "I'll give you 5 bronze crowns for your dish. It's not like it's a stat-boosting meal."
But Kit lifted his eyes and confidently replied, "Actually, it is a stats dish."
The crowd fell silent, and all eyes were on Kit. The woman clenched her fists and grew visibly angry. "Don't lie to me," she spat out. "I'll know once I taste it if it has any stats."
Kit could sense her anger but didn't understand why she was reacting so strongly. "Yes, I'm aware," he responded calmly.
"Fine, I'll pay," the woman declared with an air of authority. "But if you're lying, I'll have you arrested." A sly smile crossed her face as she looked pleased at the idea of Kit being taken away by guards. The people around her seemed to share the same sentiment, eagerly waiting for a spectacle.
Kit just smiled in answer and finished pan frying the meat for his dish.
Ding!
[Skill learnt: Beginner Pan Frying]
Player can use a thin layer of oil on a hot surface to skilfully fry. Player has basic pan frying skills.
+ 20 Agility
+ 30 Speed
+ 30 Intelligence
Ding!
[Congratulations, you are now Level 1 Chef]
Ding!
[Congratulations, you are now Level 2 Chef]
As Kit flipped the frying pan, his ear buzzed with notifications. He gazed off into the distance, reading through the achievements he had just unlocked.
A wave of joy washed over him, causing a wide grin to spread across his face. He couldn't contain his happiness and let out a cheerful laugh. The onlookers were taken aback by his sudden change in demeanour. Even the angry lady in front of him couldn't help but soften her expression.
Kit didn't pay attention to the growing crowd around him; he was too focused on slicing the Apelop meat into perfect slivers to place in the boxes. He was thrilled that he had decided to come to the market today, regardless of whether he recouped his lost money or not.
His chef level was now higher, and that was all that mattered. With precision, he placed the slivers on top of the salad and drizzled oil over them, causing the familiar blue swirl to fill the boxes.
The onlookers' eyes widened in amazement as they watched the blue sheen pulse inside the containers. They eagerly pushed each other to be first to claim a box for themselves. Kit had never expected such a reaction from people fighting over his food.
Ding!
[Quality levels unlocked]
Kit's eyes were drawn to the notification that had just popped up. What could this be about? What in tarnation is going on here? He glanced at the plate of food he had just prepared.
Could it have something to do with this meal? Kit used his own meal as a reference for the notification and used identify.
[Apelop brain salad]
Quality: Fair
Quality bonus: + 1 hour time extension.
A simple 3-piece creation, with a colourful garnish, succulent juicy meat and light nutty flavour, perfect for a light meal.
+ 20 Intelligence
+ 20 defence
for 1 hour.
[Unlocked: Nil chef level restriction.]
Kit let out a joyful laugh as he unlocked a quality bonus. He could now get added benefits to his meals based on the quality level!
He briefly considered raising the price of his food items, but then thought better of it as he observed the small crowd already pushing and shoving each other. He didn't want to add fuel to the fire and risk losing control of the situation.
As he struggled to find a solution, Crackers stepped in and took charge. "Oi you lot, form a single line and no fighting!" she commanded with a stern look directed at the unruly crowd. Surprisingly, they all complied and started shuffling into an orderly line.
Kit was impressed by Crackers' ability to handle the situation. Grateful for her help, he turned to her and said, "Thanks Crackers. Would you like to have the first box? It's on me for helping me out today."
Crackers glanced at Kit from the corner of her eye and gave a small nod. He handed her the first box, and she took a whiff of its contents. "It be smellin amazing," she remarked. Kit's face lit up with pride as he handed her a pair of chopsticks and watched her take the first bite, closing her eyes in pleasure.
He could tell by her expression that she loved the meal. With a satisfied smile, he turned to the line of customers waiting for him. He handed the second box to the grumpy lady with a satisfied smirk.
In just one moment, all nine boxes were sold and there was still a long line ahead. Kit had earned 135 bronze crowns from selling his food! If he could sell ten more boxes, he would finally make a profit. He hoped he could keep making money like this.
Kit started cooking some more Apelop steaks on the frying pan and quickly prepared some salad boxes while they cooked. The line in front of him continued to grow, but Kit couldn't stop smiling - his meal was a huge success!
He kept selling Apelop salad until he ran out of pre-prepared raw steaks. In the process, his cooking level had jumped up to 3! Kit was amazed at how fast he had progressed. He made a mental note to get a food multiplying plate as soon as possible.
As the day came to a close, there was still a line of people waiting to order from Kit's stall. He apologised to the crowd, explaining that he had run out of meat for the day. Despite feeling remorse for making them wait, he was also relieved to have sold out and be done for the day.
One man in the group asked what time Kit would be back the next day, while another gruffly demanded an earlier return.
Kit regretfully admitted that he wasn't sure when he would be back. This statement caused some frustration among those who had not yet gotten a chance to try his food.
One angry customer even raised his fist at Kit and shouted about waiting in line for 30 minutes only to miss out on his cooking. This outburst sparked others in the crowd to become agitated as well, resulting in more shouting and angry gestures directed at Kit.
Kit couldn't understand why they were so furious with him. He scanned the crowd and saw furrowed brows and clenched fists, making him believe he should escape this unpleasant situation.
Fortunately, two guards appeared to be coming his way. They stopped and approached Kit upon hearing the commotion. "What's happening here?" asked a burly guard with a booming voice that easily overpowered the noise of the crowd.
The gathering turned to face the guards, and gradually dispersed as no one wanted to get in trouble with them. The burly guard squinted his eyes at Kit, appearing to want to intimidate him.
Crackers stepped over to Kit and placed a small hand on his shoulder. “Lionel stop looking at him like that, ya big oaf. He was just selling his little boxes of food. The crowd got angry he ran out of food.”
Lionel stopped squinting and sniffed the air instead. "You ran out already?" pouted the large man, much to Kit's disbelief. "But I followed the aroma all the way here." The ginormous man continued to pout, leaving Kit at a loss for what to do since he didn't have any food left to offer him.
Lionel's colleague gave him a disapproving glare before slapping the back of his head. "Cut it out, you oaf. Sorry, kid, Lionel may be a great fighter but he's not so great at anything else." The guard turned to Kit and asked about the contents of the boxes.
When he found out they were stats meals, his eyebrows shot up in surprise. "You must be new in town. Stats meals are strictly prohibited from being sold in the plaza. Crackers, you should know better than to allow this." The smaller guard scolded her.
"I-I didn't be knowin it was a stats meal until he started cooking it Curt. By then, it be too late," Cracker defended herself.
The guard Curt nodded understandingly. "Listen, if you want to sell your stats meals here, you have to do it at the western gate entrance. That's where most adventurers exit the town and there's a designated area for all things related to stats."
He then explained why: "It prevents overcrowding in the market and also protects the stall owners. We've had trouble in the past with unruly adventurers haggling too aggressively or even stealing from vendors. That's why the western gate is chosen as the designated spot."
Kit thanked Curt for explaining and packed up his things. He doubted he would take Curt's advice since he was leaving tomorrow with Mars. As he counted his earnings for the day, he was shocked to see how much he had made from selling another 90 boxes after the first batch. His eyes widened in disbelief at the amount of money in his hand.
Kit counted his earnings - 1 silver and 350 bronze crowns. He couldn't believe it, this was much more profitable than scavenging for ingredients and selling them at a shop. Excited to share the news, he couldn’t wait to tell Mars about his successful day.
Kit turned to Crackers, grateful for her help. "I wouldn't have thought to sell my own food here without your guidance."
Crackers gave him a sideways glance. "You a trained chef?" Kit nodded proudly. "Plannin on opening a restaurant?" Kit felt uneasy, as if he had heard this question before. And then he remembered - Snickers had asked him the same thing earlier. He cursed himself for forgetting and sighed, knowing he would have to pay a visit to the Large Fuzzy Chicken before heading back to the Inn.
"Someday, when I have enough money," Kit answered Crackers' question. He wanted to make it clear that he was far from opening a restaurant. After all, he had only just started his first street stall.
"Do ya have a specific town in mind?" Kit felt overwhelmed and on the verge of tears. Was this a normal response for an NPC? If this kept up, he would have more staff than customers!
"Not yet," Kit sighed.
"Alright, I be comin to find ya once it be open and you can be givin me a job," Crackers said before turning away and dismissing him. Kit didn't know what to do. People were requesting jobs at a restaurant that wasn't even open yet. He shook his head and decided to deal with Crackers' request if she ever showed up.
With a sense of dread, Kit left for his next destination.