It was a little after midday when Erik finished preparing the meat for his burgers. Alongside prepping the vegetables and toasting bread for the buns, he was set to begin distributing the food from his world for the rest of the villagers.

"How much should I sell them for...?" Erik muttered to himself as Talia walked up to him. "Hey, what do you think? From my limited experience in this world so far, I understand that currencies are copper, silver, and gold coins, with a hundred of the previous tier equal to one of the next tier. That being the case, I should go for two silver coins each, right?"

"Well," Talia said, "you could do that, but you might want to consider the fact that the villagers don't have much money. Most of them only have copper or silver. Gold coins are rare and only given as gifts or kept as savings."

"What? Seriously?" Erik twirled his pen through his fingers. "How does this village generate revenue?"

"Well," Talia began, "mostly from farming and trade. They have a few shops here and there, but it's not much. They're very self-sufficient. You should talk to them about it. Maybe you could work something out."

There was definitely the sound of gears turning in Erik's head as a devilish smile bloomed across his face. He shook himself out of his thoughts, turning to Talia with a focused look.

"I'll figure that out later. Let's just turn these burgers into money."

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Surprisingly, Erik's otherworldly burgers were a smash hit with the villagers. Erik had to conjure a sort of eating area with a couple of tables and chairs, as people simply had nowhere else to sit and eat. Talia helped out as best she could, refilling drinks by casting water magic while Illyanth delivered the food on his back. The lines were long, and Erik worked feverishly, his hands a blur as he prepared and served the burgers.

As the day progressed, Erik began to notice that more and more people were showing up, drawn by word of mouth about the delicious new food. The villagers were not only eating his burgers but also asking questions about his world and how he came to be here. Erik, eager to impress them, told them about his accident and how he found himself here, though he greatly exaggerated the truth. There was no way he would tell them he had died in a car accident, though the only participants were him and a stationary vehicle.

Indeed, Erik had crashed into a parked car and exploded from impact.

Soon, the villagers cleared away the last of the empty plates and cups, and Erik was left with a sizable pile of coins. He counted it all carefully, grinning to himself. He had ended up with a total of eight gold coins, twenty-five silver, and fifty-seven copper. Not bad for his first day of business.

As the sun began to set, Erik sat down at one of the tables, watching as people slowly began to wander away. He was exhausted, but there was something about the warm glow of satisfaction in his chest that kept him from wanting to go to sleep just yet. Talia sat down across from him, a mischievous glint in her eye.

"So," she began, "what do you plan on doing with all that money?"

"Turn it into more money," Erik immediately replied. For all his greed, Erik had definitely tried to draw money or equivalent values to sell, but found them unable to be conjured. He also tried replicating the currency of this world only to have it vanish before his eyes. He wasn't sure the full specifications of his magic just yet, so he was resigned to making money the legitimate way.

"That's hardly surprising," Talia chuckled. "You could always invest it in the village. Help them improve their farms, build new shops, that sort of thing. You could be their benefactor."

"Or, I can help them generate another source of income," Erik's eyes flashed with a devious glint. "Does this village get visitors often?"

"Not really," Talia answered with a shrug. "Only traders passing through once in a while. Why do you ask?"

"How far is this village from the next village?" Erik continued.

Talia raised an eyebrow at his question, but she humored him. "Not that long, actually. A half-hour on foot."

Erik grinned. "Perfect."

He paused for a moment, thinking, before continuing. "I've got an idea. Why don't we turn this place into a tourist attraction?"

Talia looked skeptical. "What do you mean?"

"I mean," Erik explained, leaning in conspiratorially, "we can make this place a destination. We can make people want to come here. Imagine it: a magical burger stand in the middle of a small village. People would come from all over just to try it out."

"But," Talia protested, "what makes this place so special? It's just a burger stand."

"Ah, I've already thought about that as well. With my generator and refrigerator, who knows what else I can make? I've already started planning to implement a plumbing system to draw in water from the lake as well as other functions from my world," Erik replied, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

"You mean... like what, exactly?" Talia asked, still sounding skeptical.

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"I'm still hashing out the details, but for now, I'm thinking of expanding the burger stand. Hire a couple of villagers, see if we can establish a full restaurant."

"A full restaurant?" Talia echoed. "Are you sure that's necessary?"

"My fair noble yet destitute lady, anything is necessary when it comes to profit!" Erik proclaimed with a grandiose gesture. "You see, I intend to make this place so special that people will come from all over just to experience it. More people means more money to spend, which means this village will explode with wealth, and in turn, make us rich!"

"That's... an interesting plan," Talia admitted, still sounding a bit uncertain. "But won't they just come once and then never return?"

Erik touched his index finger to his thumb. "An excellent question. But, I've thought about that as well. What's the best way to keep the customers coming back?"

"I don't know," Talia replied, her curiosity piqued. "What do you have in mind?"

"Limited supply," Erik's face twisted into a wicked grin, "and exclusivity. Of course, there will be some things we'll have to share, but not without a price." He stood up, arms outstretched towards the setting sun. "I'll turn Restia Village into an advanced, industrial town. It'll be the center of innovation, where I can display designs from my world and sell them everywhere!"

Talia nervously watched Erik cackle with glee, his eyes gleaming with ambition and malice. A chill ran down her spine as she considered the implications of his plan. But she couldn't deny the thrill that ran through her veins at the thought of being part of something so grand, so audacious.

"Will... will I also get rich?" Talia asked hesitantly, still unsure about the entire plan.

"Depends on how hard you work," Erik replied with a sly grin, "but I'm sure we can find a way to share the profits. And, of course, I'll make sure you're well taken care of." He paused for a moment, considering her expression. "Look, Talia, I know this might seem a bit... ambitious. But I promise you, I've thought this through. Together, we can make this place into something truly special."

Talia got the feeling Erik's definition of special differed from hers, but she nonetheless found herself strangely drawn to his vision.

"Very well," she said, nodding slowly. "I will help you."

"Awesome," Erik suddenly collapsed face-down in the grass. "We can start tomorrow. I've been up for two days straight, so I need to rest."

"Right. We'll need to get Morthanu's permission to start your project, though." Talia stood up, carefully scooping their profits into a bag and calling Illyanth over.

"That's fine," Erik's voice was muffled. "I'm sure he'll be eager to accept my plans of enriching the village."

As Talia retreated inside, Illyanth grabbed the back of Erik's shirt in his mouth, dragging the man after her.

"Why don't you conjure a bed for yourself, Erik Park?" Talia asked, preparing to go out and beg for dinner.

"Eh, I'd just want to laze in it," Erik grumbled, still face-down in the straw. "I'll make a bed after I get my cash cows- after I get this village situated with my projects."

"I've never met such a hard-working person in my life," Talia muttered, more to herself than to Erik. She knew she should be feeling grateful for his determination, but something about his relentless ambition unsettled her.

"I'm offended- take that back."

"You... don't want to be known as hard-working?" Talia asked, her curiosity piqued.

"Of course not. It makes people think they can rely on me, which in turn increases the workload I'd have to do. Back when I was working odd jobs, I learned very quickly not to be a model worker, since the lazier higher-ups will dump more and more shitty tasks for you to do." Erik rolled onto his back. "Doing the bare minimum lets you get by without attracting too much attention."

"I suppose that makes sense," Talia replied hesitantly. She'd always been the sort to give her all to whatever task was at hand, and the idea of being lazy or indifferent seemed foreign to her. Yet, she couldn't help but wonder if there was something to be said for Erik's approach. It certainly seemed to work for him.

"I'll be back in a moments' time, Erik. Illyanth will stand guard over you while you rest," Talia nodded to her dragon, who huffed indignantly but obeyed regardless.

"I think I'd be safer alone, though... anyways, take care."

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Talia arrived back at the hut, finding Erik sitting on a stool at a small table. He had conjured another stool across from him, and was busy scribbling in his journal and another notebook he apparently sketched to life.

Erik glanced up as Talia entered, his brow furrowed in concentration. "Ah, Talia. I was just brainstorming some ideas for my village. I've come up with a few interesting concepts, but I'm not entirely sure how to implement them." He gestured to the sketches spread out before him. "What do you think?"

"When did this turn into your village?" Talia murmured, setting a bag of food in front of Erik as she gazed over the sketches. They ranged from simple diagrams of crop rotation and irrigation systems to more elaborate plans for a smithy and a general store. "You've been here for less than a few days, and already you're planning on revolutionizing the place?"

"Honestly, I thought this place would've been revolutionized a lot earlier," Erik frowned as he pulled out a colorful looking piece of what looked like food from the bag. "You guys said that there were Travelers here before me, right? Didn't they bring anything from my world over here?"

Talia shrugged, "They brought some technology with them, but it's nothing like what you're describing. It's all pretty basic stuff. I think most people here are happy with the way things are. They're used to it."

"Idiots," Erik muttered under his breath. "Their loss. Anyway, what did you manage to scrounge up tonight?"

"Our dinner is a rather simple dish called Flount. It's made from a type of root vegetable that grows in the forest nearby. I hear it's supposed to have medicinal properties as well. Anyway, it's quite tasty. Do you want some?" Talia asked as she sat down on the stool beside him. She took out a wooden bowl filled with the steaming vegetables and set it on the table between them.

"Considering this is all you got from begging, of course," Erik grumbled, taking a bowl. "And don't tell me what's in it. I think I'll have an easier time eating it if I don't know the abnormal shit that goes into it."

He began to eat, taking small bites at first, then larger ones as he found the flavor to his liking. "Not bad," he said between bites. "What's the medicinal property supposed to help with?"

"Genitalia growth."

Erik paused, his mouth half-full of food. "You're joking."

Talia shook her head. "No, it's true. The Flount root has been used for centuries in my village to enhance fertility. But I've never heard of it affecting anything down there..." She trailed off, a thoughtful expression crossing her face.

Erik was already stuffing his face full of Flount, barely listening to Talia.