Chapter 1440 – Dark Moon
[You have selected Dark Moon.]
[The game will now begin.]
“……”
I sat blankly on the sofa.
I was sure I had only taken a one-hour nap, but it felt like I had slept for dozens of hours.
I checked the time and got up. I had things to do today. I put on my coat and went down to the first floor.
I ran into a silver-haired maid carrying a laundry basket. She, who looked incredibly good in her maid uniform, smiled brightly when she saw me.
“You’re going out, it seems. When will you be back? I’ll prepare dinner accordingly.”
“I’ll be back before 7.”
I felt embarrassed when I saw the laundry basket she was holding. My underwear and hers were tangled together in the basket. Especially her underwear, many of them had designs that made me wonder if they were even underwear.
“I’ll prepare dinner for that time. Have a good day.”
I went outside and took a carriage to the R district. Once I arrived in the R district, I walked the streets on foot.
The R district was a bustling area. It was a commercial area frequently used by the middle and lower classes. I had rented a store in an alleyway in this R district.
‘It can’t be helped. The commercial areas in the R district are so popular that properties rarely come up for sale.’
The stores I had found were so ridiculously expensive that I couldn’t even dream of affording them. The only reasonable option was this store in the alleyway.
The store was under construction. The hired workers were remodeling the interior.
The store, located deep in the alleyway, was small. It was only about 5 to 6 pyeong (approximately 180 to 215 square feet). If the kitchen and hall were separated, it would feel even smaller.
‘This is my store.’
I felt a surge of emotion as I looked at the store.
All the preparations were completed quickly. Thanks to the broker I hired, who bribed the public officials, the business permit was issued immediately.
The store sign wasn’t up yet, but I had already decided on the name.
‘Yuyu Chicken.’
Yu from Yujin. Yu from Yuria. Combined, it’s Yuyu Chicken.
‘If it weren’t for Yuria, I wouldn’t have been able to start a chicken business.’
The most important thing in a chicken business is the taste of the chicken, but I had no talent for cooking. When I tried to make fried chicken with a recipe I vaguely knew, it tasted like garbage. I tried several more times, but it only resulted in wasting chicken.
That’s when Yuria stepped in.
‘I was able to perfect the chicken thanks to Yuria’s help.’
Not only fried chicken, but also seasoned chicken was added to the menu. I planned to focus on these two items.
‘All I have to do at the chicken place is fry the chicken the way Yuria taught me.’
I just needed to cook the chicken at the oil temperature and for the time Yuria told me. That’s all. Yuria agreed to take care of the chicken marinating and sauce for the time being.
Even though I knew the methods for marinating and making the sauce, I wasn’t good at it. I clearly did the same thing she did, but the taste was slightly different.
‘I can’t leave everything to Maid Yuria. This is my business.’
I didn’t intend to just be grateful with words. I planned to give her a portion of the profits from selling the chicken.
‘Still, I need Yuria’s help until the factory is fully operational.’
I didn’t plan to be satisfied with this small store. My goal was to create a franchise.
‘The taste has to be the same as other stores. To do that, a factory is essential. The factory needs to marinate the chicken or make the sauce and provide it to the franchise stores.’
If the business succeeded, I would make a huge amount of money. And that huge amount of money would make me a noble.
It felt like a rosy future was unfolding before my eyes.
“You’re opening a chicken place?”
Just as I was about to get lost in thought, someone spoke to me.
It was a middle-aged man wearing a yellowed t-shirt. I knew the man.
John Clark. He was the man who ran the fish and chips shop across from my store. He smiled and approached me. I could smell the oil. It was unpleasant.
“Yes. It’s a chicken place.”
“I don’t like that you’re doing fried food… Are you trying to compete directly with my store?”
“…You sell fish and chips, and I sell chicken. They don’t overlap, so what’s the problem?”
“It’s all fried food. Well, just kidding. I’m not too worried. You know why?”
“Why?”
“People in Neo London don’t like chicken.”
John grinned. His teeth were made of steel. He wasn’t a cyborg, he had just reinforced his teeth with steel. In this world, that was nothing.
“……”
“Well, good luck. It’ll probably only last three months, though.”
He turned around and went into his store.
The citizens of Neo London didn’t like chicken. That was true. Did he think I would open a chicken place without doing any market research?
‘The chicken in this world is too greasy and tasteless. There’s even a saying that it’s better to eat fish and chips than chicken.’
But the chicken I was going to make and sell was Korean-style chicken, which had never existed in Neo London before.
‘Korean-style chicken will be a hit. I’m 100% sure of it.’
I gave the construction workers some drinks and then looked around. There were no stores that could pose a threat to my store.
***
After finishing a request to punish some thugs, I went to the employment agency and told them that I wouldn’t be taking any requests for a while.
“Really? That’s a shame. Your stock was rising. There are a lot of people trying to find out about you these days.”
Rose picked up a cigarette with her right mechanical arm and put it in her mouth. Her black hair slid down her shoulders. There was a black rose tattoo on her right neck. Below it, her cleavage was faintly visible through the unbuttoned shirt. I tried to look away and focused on her face.
“I haven’t been active for long, but I’m already known?”
“You’re a reliable 5th-grade mage. You haven’t failed a single one of the 12 missions. You’re starting to make a name for yourself.”
“They were all easy missions.”
“That’s not how other people see it. And let’s be honest. You had a bit of trouble dealing with the Palace Family, didn’t you?”
“……”
I recalled the past. The Palace Family was a mafia organization that came from outside. It was a bit difficult to deal with them.
“You’re becoming famous as a free mage. If you keep taking requests and making deals like this… you could become a big shot in a year or two.”
“I’ll say it again. I won’t be taking any requests for a while.”
“Is it because of that chicken place? Yuyu Chicken, was it? You’re doing something that doesn’t suit you at all. I don’t understand, why would a 5th-grade mage do something like open a chicken place?”
“The chicken place is just the beginning. I’m going to expand the business… and eventually move into the center.”
“You have big dreams. Do you want to become a noble that badly?”
“There are a lot of things you can do if you become a noble.”
“Then isn’t it better to keep doing this? You could become a noble faster if you keep taking requests. You’re a 5th-grade mage, after all.”
“Even if I become a noble that way, other nobles would look down on me. In the end, I’d just be a noble from a mercenary background with nothing but magic.”
“You just need to become stronger.”
“To be properly respected in noble society, I’d need to be at least an 8th-grade mage. Do you think I can become an 8th-grade mage?”
“……”
Rose closed her mouth.
In this world, 7th-grade mages are considered to be in the realm of superhuman. That didn’t mean that 7th-grade mages were rare. If you looked hard enough, you could easily find 7th-grade mages. However, 8th-grade mages and above were truly rare. No one easily spoke of reaching the 8th-grade.
“…Well, fine. I won’t stop you since you’re so determined. You’re not saying you’ll never take requests again, are you?”
“I’ll take requests when I’m short on money or when I have some free time. And if possible… I’d prefer requests that are related to magic as compensation. Elixirs wouldn’t be bad either.”
“Okay. I’ll call you if something comes up.”
She put all the documents on the desk into the shredder. They were the documents with the requests.
Since the conversation was over, I got up from my seat.
“Wait. I’m really curious… why are you doing something like opening a chicken place? You’re a 5th-grade mage.”
I knew this world well. But that was about the game settings. I didn’t know the details of how this world worked.
It was the same with mages. Mages in this world were more famous for their research. There was no reason for mages to be in combat in a civilized city.
‘But the only mages I know in this world are combat mages. Combat was the most important thing in the game, after all.’
Besides that, I didn’t know much about how people in this world lived, what kind of food they ate, or what kind of clothes they wore.
With my lack of basic knowledge, there were only a limited number of businesses I could choose. And among them, the business with the highest chance of success was chicken.
“Because I like chicken.”
“Is that so? Bring me some chicken when you open your store. I’ll give you a proper evaluation of how bad it is.”
“Looks like I’ll have one regular customer.”
“Ha, I’m telling you in advance, I’m pickier than you think.”
I know.
Her real identity is a noble.
But could she be pickier than me?
“I’ll give you a coupon for every chicken you buy. If you collect 10 coupons, you get a free chicken. Make sure to collect them.”
“I don’t care about coupons, if it tastes bad, I’ll spit it out right there.”
***
Grand Opening!
The day had finally arrived.
I went to the store early in the morning and looked around. It was my first time running a store, so my heart was pounding. After doing a thorough cleaning yesterday and making sure the store was spotless, I put on a sanitary cap and apron and went inside.
Inside the refrigerator, there were pre-marinated chicken and the secret sauce that Yuria had made. I poured golden cooking oil into the fryer and turned up the heat. I also checked the drinks like cola and beer.
Everything was fine.
9:30 AM.
Thirty minutes before opening, the door opened and someone came in. It was a young woman with brown hair.
Carell Orising.
She was the part-timer I had hired for today. She would be in charge of the hall. I would hire a part-timer for the kitchen once the store was more stable.
“Am I late?”
“You’re right on time. Just put on the apron.”
I handed her an apron with the words Yuyu Chicken written on it. She put on the apron and waited blankly. There were still 30 minutes until opening.
“…Would you like to try some chicken?”
“Ah, no. Chicken in the morning is a bit….”
Her disgusted tone made me realize again that the perception of chicken wasn’t good.
I quietly smiled. She probably came here thinking it would be an easy part-time job with no customers, but… she would soon be incredibly busy.
‘Do you think I’m paying you more than the hourly wage for no reason?’
I chatted with her for a while and then opened the store at exactly 10 AM.
As an opening event, I was also holding a 20% discount event.
