The next morning, Erik awoke early, as usual. He quietly got dressed and exited the hut, careful not to wake up the snoring Talia. The budding sun cast a warm glow over the village, and the air was filled with the sweet scent of flowers.

Erik stepped over to the outdoor kitchen, where he prepared a simple breakfast of eggs and bacon, the ingredients readily available thanks to the locking refrigerator and outdoor freezer Erik had conjured.

As he leaned against one of the cooking stations to eat his breakfast, Erik felt a serene contentment wash over him. The sunlight warmed his skin, and the gentle breeze rustled the leaves of the trees surrounding the village. The sounds of villagers going about their morning routines filled the air: chickens clucking, children laughing, and the distant whinnying of horses. At least, Erik hoped they were normal horses.

By no means was Erik a morning person. In fact, he hated waking up before noon in his old world, which obviously led to issues at his job and personal life. However, in this new chaotic world, waking up in the morning meant that he was the only one awake, a time where he could laze around in peace and quiet.

Lost in his thoughts, Erik was caught off-guard when a flying snake snatched the rest of his bacon off his plate, zipping through the air to join other flying snakes near the forest. He simply sighed, going to the back of the kitchen and washing his dishes. That was the sign that the chaos of his day was about to begin.

Erik did his daily exercises: 50 push-ups, 50 sit-ups, and 2 minutes of running, though it was extended to nearly 5 this time when a flying rabbit stole his magical pen. In addition to not being a morning person, Erik disliked physical activity. However, after the disaster had quickly become known as the Great Weed Fire, Erik decided to keep in shape in the event he'd need to fight again. Or run, whichever was the best option at that time.

Done with his workout, Erik cooled off in the shade of the pavilion, studying the sketches he had drawn for the water plumbing system and the subsequent water park. Obviously he knew it would take some time to put it all together, but he hoped the success of the burger shack would garner interest from the villagers. After all, Erik had noticed some outsiders last night, and he felt a slight sense of excitement at the thought of having more customers to fund his projects.

A large majority of the profits from the burger shack would be saved up for the upcoming project, while the rest was evenly distributed amongst Talia, himself, and whichever villager agreed to work in the restaurant. From there, Erik planned to also provide wages to incentivize aid in building the water projects. He would use his own funds and magic for materials and labor, but any extra help would be greatly appreciated.

Finally, Erik checked on his stock, performing inventory to decide what he needed to order for the day. He took a deep breath, feeling satisfied with his work and the progress he had made. The bag of blackened bones in the pockets of his shorts was barely noticeable, but Erik realized he hadn't encountered anything too jarring since he woke up.

"Huh," he murmured, patting the bag. "Guess it really is lucky."

He turned back around to the kitchen, seeing a small army of scaly raccoons trying to pry open the locked refrigerator.

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Talia awoke to the sounds of Erik yelling outside. She groggily sat up in her bed, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Illyanth remained asleep, his body curled up on the floor next to her bed. She patted the dragon's head, causing him to huff with contentment.

Getting dressed, Talia walked outside to find Erik getting pummeled by a gang of scaly raccoons, seemingly for no reason. He was shouting and spewing out a string of incomprehensible words that sounded like they could be an ancient language.

"Good morning, Erik. What is the plan for today?" Talia casually greeted him.

"First, help me murder these fucking lizard rats!" Erik yelled, dodging another of the scaly raccoons' claws. Talia raised an eyebrow, amused by his predicament. "They've been trying to break into the refrigerator again. I swear, if I catch one of them stealing my bacon..." He trailed off, lunging at another of the creatures.

With a sigh, Talia conjured a particularly powerful wind that blasted the group of scaled raccoons away. They shrieked, dashing out of sight.

"Jesus... Christ..." Erik panted with a scowl. "Why does every fucking animal want to make my life harder in this godforsaken world?"

"Well, at least you have Illyanth to protect you," Talia pointed out, glancing at the sleepy dragon walking out from the hut.

"More like keep me around until he decides I'm his lunch," Erik muttered, brushing himself off.

"So? What's next?" Talia pressed, earning a suspicious look from Erik.

"Um... I'm going to the village center to see if there are any villagers willing to help me build the water system," Erik began hesitantly. "I don't expect much support, but it is a good way to profile what else would motivate them into helping. Besides that, I just need to top off our ingredients for tonight."

"I'll go with you," Talia offered. "I can help with recruiting volunteers, and you can explain the details of the construction to them. If you need me to, I can also try to convince them with magic."

Erik paled. "What do you... what do you mean by 'convince them with magic'?" He didn't expect Talia to be so eager to help him.

Talia gave him a look of mock offense. "You think I can't help just by using my charms?" She winked. "Of course, if it comes to that, I can make them see things your way. But I'd rather not resort to that unless it's absolutely necessary."

"R-right..." Erik suddenly found himself a bit intimidated by the woman he once regarded as strange and incompetent.

"Hey, bosses!" A friendly voice called out to the two of them.

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Erik and Talia turned to see Alyssa from the night before. "Hey, Alyssa," Erik said. "What's up?"

With kind, honey brown eyes and a friendly smile, Alyssa continued, "I just wanted to say that I'm really proud of what you two have done here. The burgers are amazing, and I can't wait to see what else you have in store for us. I was actually thinking, with your permission, I'd like to help you out around here. I've also enlisted a couple of my girlfriends to help serve, and we might be able to get some people to work the back kitchen too."

Erik glanced at Talia before nodding cautiously. "That's... that's really nice of you, Alyssa. We could use the extra help." He hesitated for a moment before asking, "So, um... what made you want to work here?"

The brunette happily turned to Talia. "Well, last night, Talia was going around talking about how she wanted to make this place her own, and I thought that was just so inspiring! I want to be a part of that, you know? To help you two make this village better. And, of course, the food is amazing!" She grinned and clapped her hands together, eyes sparkling with determination. "Who knew a cooked piece of meat in between buns would be so tasty?"

Erik shot Talia a curious glance, who averted her gaze.

"Well, Alyssa, we're glad you want to help. We could use all the hands we can get. And if you can get some of your friends to work in the back, that would be great. We're still new at this, so any experience would be helpful," Erik said, trying to hide his surprise. He was honestly prepared to do most of the recruitment himself.

"Don't worry, I've already talked to them. They're all on board. I just need to know what you two need from them. Any preferences for shifts or tasks?" Alyssa beamed.

"Oh?!" Erik suddenly smiled with a devilish glint in his eyes. He already figured Alyssa was friendly and kind, but now he suspected that she was extremely competent, unlike a certain mage. Alyssa had, after all, taken over the main grill to alleviate Erik of his duties and essentially ran the kitchen herself after she quickly got the hang of things.

In short, she was actually the perfect person Erik had planned to find, though he hadn't expected it to be so soon.

"Actually," Erik lowered his voice. "How'd you like to be what is known in my world as a 'manager'?"

"Oh?" Alyssa raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "What would that entail?"

"Well, it's mostly about organizing people and making sure everything runs smoothly. You'd be in charge of scheduling and task delegating. Basically everything you've been doing last night, except you wouldn't really need to be on the floor if you don't want to," Erik smirked. "You'd also be responsible for making sure the kitchen is well-stocked and that the staff is happy. Think of it as herding cats, except with people."

"Um... that sounds like a lot of work," Alyssa replied, though she seemed to be on the edge.

"Since we're still in the early stages of the burger shack, I'll only open it during dinnertime," Erik pressed, his voice low and soothing. "Obviously you're allowed to hire up to two assistant managers to help you with things. Talia and I literally live right next to here, so if we're home and you have any problems, you can come to us."

Alyssa seemed to mull it over, her brow furrowed in concentration. She glanced at Erik, then at Talia, then back to Erik. She seemed to be weighing her options, and Erik could tell that she was genuinely considering it. He just needed to push her, but he wasn't sure what would entice her.

"As manager, your wages are also twenty percent higher than the other employees, which will increase to forty percent should you stick with us for a week," Erik added, trying to sweeten the deal. He glanced at Talia, who nodded, indicating that she approved of the offer. He couldn't help but feel as though she wasn't very keen on the math.

"Well..."

"You also never have to pay for food or drink at the establishment, plus VIP perks when the water park finally opens." Erik juiced the deal with the only thing he could rationally manage.

Alyssa's eyes lit up at the mention of the water park. "That sounds... tempting," she murmured. "Okay... I'll do it."

Erik inwardly sighed with relief as Alyssa agreed to take on the managerial position. "Excellent!" he said, clapping his hands together. "We're going to need you to get started on scheduling everyone and figuring out who you'd like to have as your assistant managers. Oh, and we'll need you to fill out some paperwork as well." He handed her a few sheets of paper and a pen.

As Alyssa began to review the paperwork, Talia pulled Erik aside. "You really think she's up to it?" she whispered.

'She'd be better than someone else I know' was what Erik wanted to impulsively say, but held his tongue.

"As far as logistics and work relations go, Alyssa is singlehandedly the best candidate I've seen," Erik began. "Of course, in the restaurant industry, whether in my world or this world, you have to have tough skin to make it. That's why I've also allowed her to choose assistant managers to help take the brunt of troublesome customers should they arise in the future."

Erik gave Talia a devious smile. "Right now, this village makes up the majority of our profits, so there's no harm in letting Alyssa be manager. As soon as more outsiders come in, that's when I'll have a bigger hand. I don't expect it to grow too much before the water park is ready, though."

Talia's expression softened. "I trust your judgment. If anyone can handle it, it's her." She glanced over at Alyssa, who was still frowning slightly as she filled out the paperwork. "You really think she's tough enough?"

"Absolutely not. For now, at least," Erik waved his hand dismissively. "I've got a plan forming, though, so don't worry. Let's just head to the village center."

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After informing Alyssa that the two would come back shortly, they walked to the village together, Erik explaining his plan for the water system as they went. When they arrived, Talia watched as Erik tried to recruit volunteers. He seemed to be having some success, but it was clear that most of the villagers were still hesitant.

Deciding it was time to step in, Talia walked over to the crowd. "Excuse me, everyone. I am Talia, and I–"

"It's the Beggar Princess!" "What does she need now?" "We'll do anything for her after last night's festival!"

The villagers' voices grew louder, and Erik couldn't help but feel a twinge of annoyance at how easily they were swayed by Talia's presence. Well, more so the village men than everyone else, but still. It seemed as though Talia was also embarrassed by the attention, averting her gaze as she shuffled uncomfortably.

"Hey," Erik whispered over to her. "What exactly did you do or say to them last night at our burger shack for them to react this strongly?"

Talia's cheeks turned a shade of pink. "I may have... uh... told them a few stories and showed off some magic tricks."

"And by showing off magic tricks, you don't mean-"

"The Beggar Princess showed me something called a bikini last night!" "Yeah, she said it'd be worn everywhere in the water park!" "We should help with whatever she needs to do for it!"

Erik stared at Talia in disbelief as she stared at the ground. "You showed them a bikini?"

"O-only a tiny peek," Talia mumbled, her cheeks growing redder by the second. "I was just trying to give them an idea of what it would be like."

"Don't tell me you were stripping while you were working?!"

"Of course not!" Talia protested, looking up at Erik with wide eyes. "We made that agreement, remember? I stopped doing that."

"Oh," Erik breathed a sigh of relief. "Well, that's good then–"

"I had one of the village girls try it on for them."

"You-!"