Chapter 5

"Is that instant noodles I smell?" Laiensi shot to his feet, staring at the conference room door with excitement written all over his face.

The next second, the door swung open and a maid pushed in a small dining cart.

The aroma grew even richer.

"These were made from ingredients brought by Lord Laiensi." The maid, Heya, wheeled the cart over to Mo Duoya's side, then lifted the ornate gold-trimmed white porcelain pot from the top shelf onto the table.

Heya gently opened the lid, and suddenly a rich, overpowering aroma swept through the entire room.

Standing closest to the pot, Heya bore the brunt of it—her hand paused briefly as she held the lid.

The others were no exception; Laiensi especially couldn't resist edging right up to the small pot.

"You may leave, Heya. We'll help ourselves." Mo Duoya waved her hand.

Heya hurriedly withdrew. The fragrance was so potent she could feel her mouth continuously watering, afraid she'd lose her composure in front of the town leader.

"Let me run a check." Ailier stepped forward and swept her left hand.

The small pot was enveloped in a soft white glow.

"It's fine. I cast a purification spell as well." No sooner had Ailier finished than Laiensi eagerly pulled several expensive matching utensils from beneath the cart.

Laiensi ladled out four bowls of noodles from the small pot and generously handed them to the other three.

Though the more common utensils here were knives, forks, and spoons, the cook had observed that these tools weren't convenient for this particular food, so she'd found some rarely used chopsticks. Of course, she'd also prepared four sets of knives and forks as backup.

After trying both, the other three found chopsticks more convenient and used them to eat.

All except Laiensi, who was never good with chopsticks and had always eaten with a knife and fork.

For now, he could only struggle to twirl the noodles with his fork.

His slightly sour mood was instantly cured the moment the noodles touched his lips—Laiensi was conquered by this delicacy called instant noodles on the spot.

Chewy, springy strands of noodles paired with a rich, flavorful broth—it was simply heavenly. Laiensi felt his very soul being purified.

This was several times better than the stewed gurgle-bird soup and pan-seared sheep beast cutlets that had been the imperial chef's signature dishes back in the capital.

Meanwhile, Mo Duoya elegantly ate her noodles with chopsticks. "What's the cooking method for this dish?"

"Very simple. There's a seasoning packet inside; you just add it to taste. The noodles take about three minutes to cook, and you can adjust the time depending on how firm or soft you like them." Laiensi replied while doing battle with the noodles in his bowl using his fork.

"Laiensi! Do you know roughly how long it keeps?" Mo Duoya asked, a hint of excitement creeping into her voice as if a thought had struck her.

Laiensi shook his head. "Not sure, but I still have two packs that haven't been cooked."

Selen set down his chopsticks and beckoned to Laiensi. "Let me take a look."

Laiensi pulled the two packs of instant noodles from his Space Ring and handed them to Selen.

Selen tore open one pack, then produced a silk scarf and laid out the contents on it.

One brick of noodles plus three seasoning packets.

"My lord, this should keep for about a month or two. And one pack yields this much. It's easy to make and easy to carry—ideal for military rations." Selen pondered for a moment, then looked toward Mo Duoya at the head of the table.

"Laiensi, do you have the address of that lady's shop?"

"I do." Laiensi suddenly remembered the advertisement flyer Rao Ke had pressed into his hands, and quickly pulled it out from his Space Ring.

Mo Duoya took the flyer, glanced over the brief introduction and the mere three items listed, paused for a moment, then continued on to find the shop's address at the bottom.

"Tomorrow at eight in the morning, the three of us—me, Selen, and Laiensi—will go visit this lady. Ailier, prepare some gifts from my private storehouse." Mo Duoya gave the simple orders.

"Oh, and since the Spring Prosperity Season begins tomorrow, notify the patrol teams to be on guard."

Early the next morning, Mo Duoya rose, changed into a refined but understated chiffon long dress, and took the gifts Ailier had carefully selected. The three of them headed for Keke Shop.

"Good morning, town leader!"…

The edge of the Adventure Forest had just entered the Spring Prosperity Season, and plenty of adventurers wandered in groups, exploring, clearing, and hunting. Any adventuring party from No. 7 Wandering Town greeted Mo Duoya and her companions warmly when they saw them.

Clearly, Mo Duoya and the others were very popular and well-respected in No. 7 Wandering Town.

They located the house based on the address and discovered that distinctive little wooden cabin.

Which brought things to their current state.

The first floor was empty with no tables or chairs—clearly not suitable for receiving guests—so Rao Ke brought the three up to the living room on the second floor.

The decor was strange, and many pieces of furniture were unlike anything she'd ever seen, but Mo Duoya was surprised rather than unsettled. After all, compared to a witch reappearing nearly a century after the great war, there was little to be astonished about.

"Miss Mo Duoya, you're here to talk business about the instant noodles, aren't you?" Rao Ke had brewed four cups of jasmine tea first, set them down, then sat to open negotiations.

"Yes. Please, just call me Mo Duoya. We'd like to place regular orders for a batch of instant noodles with you." Mo Duoya smiled. "Might I ask how long the noodles can be stored?"

Rao Ke nodded—this was hardly a sensitive matter. "Then you can call me Rao Ke, or just Rao. The noodles can be stored for about six months to a year. Each package is labeled with the production date and the last day it can be eaten. It's best to keep them in a cool, dry, well-ventilated place."

At Rao Ke's words, the other three's eyes lit up.

Rao Ke took out a pack of instant noodles to show Mo Duoya. When Selen had opened that pack yesterday, he'd noticed those two sets of numbers and wondered what they meant.

"I'd like to order a thousand packs from you each month. If it's not enough, we can increase later." Mo Duoya thought for a moment, deciding to test the waters first.

Rao Ke's eyes sparkled—she'd landed a major client before even officially opening for business.

"Of course. We'll also be releasing new flavors and other products in the future." Rao Ke took the chance to plant the seeds for future marketing.

Just then, Sesame Paste trotted over clutching a can of iced cola. Rao Ke opened it for him and handed it over.

Laiensi, curious, asked Rao Ke, "Shopkeeper, is this also one of the store's products? Is it some new potion?"

"Not for now, but it might be added later. This isn't a potion—it's a drink. Let me get some for you all to try." Rao Ke immediately got up and headed for the kitchen.

Laiensi caught a look from Selen and quickly tried to decline. "No, no, please don't trouble yourself, shopkeeper!"

"It's no trouble at all." Rao Ke was also laying the groundwork for later. Who could possibly resist the appeal of cola? But if people hadn't tasted it, she feared they wouldn't buy it just by looking at it.

She brought out four small cups and a can of iced cola, pouring the cola into each cup.

Looking at the bubbling black liquid, the other three fell silent.

Could this be some kind of witch's trial…

Rao Ke had brought an extra cup specifically to demonstrate that it was safe for the other three, though it didn't seem to do much good.

After Rao Ke drank hers, Selen picked up a cup and downed it.

He was instantly stunned by the rich sensation on his tongue—bubbles bursting in his mouth, the carbonated tang absolutely breathtaking.

But Selen preferred the jasmine tea from earlier. Its faint floral fragrance, sweetened with honey and lingering with a light bitter aftertaste upon fading—that was more his taste.

Mo Duoya and Laiensi both drank theirs, and their eyes clearly lit up.

Laiensi especially. His eyes sparkling, he told Rao Ke to be sure to notify him when the cola went on sale—he'd definitely come and support the shop.

Rao Ke simply gave each of them two bottles, after all, the three had come bearing so many gifts.

Noticing Selen liked the jasmine tea, she also slipped him a box.

The three didn't decline; they thanked her and accepted. Rao Ke breathed a sigh of relief—she really wasn't good at that kind of polite tug-of-war.

"By the way, could I trouble you to spread the word around town, Mo Duoya? Keke Shop will officially open in three days."

"Of course! Leave such a small matter to me. We'll be sure to come and show our support on opening day." Mo Duoya nodded.

"I'll put up your poster in my potion shop too, Rao." Laiensi chimed in from the side.

During this time, Rao Ke also brought out the other two products—mineral water and rice balls—to show the three. The water needed no introduction. As for the rice balls, since their shelf life was short, Rao Ke planned to put a small transparent display case on the counter near the register later.

Based on her recent browsing on the Astrolabe for pricing at other shops, along with the exchange rate between points and silver coins, Rao Ke set prices for all three items—just three or four silver coins above the original purchase price.

After all, she didn't want to disrupt the livelihoods of other shops, but she also wanted others to be able to afford her goods.

From her observations, the Kaqisha Continent was fairly peaceful and prosperous; people generally lived well-off lives with relatively high spending power.

Mo Duoya pulled out a black pouch and handed it to Rao Ke. Opening it, she found a pile of gold coins inside.

"There are seventy gold coins in there. I'll deposit the rest into your shopping card account." Rao Ke converted them into points and immediately placed an order for a thousand packs of instant noodles.

The thousand packs were stacked on the first floor—the second floor didn't have enough space for storage.

Normally, leftover gold coins would become a bonus on future purchases, but since Rao Ke said so, Mo Duoya didn't object, just nodded.

They all went down to the first floor, and Mo Duoya waved her hand—the thousand packs of noodles vanished instantly.

"Is that space magic?" Rao Ke communicated telepathically with Sesame Paste.

"No, it's probably a Space Ring." Sesame Paste glanced over and replied.

"Rao, we'll take our leave then." The three said their goodbyes to Rao Ke and prepared to head out.

The Spring Prosperity Season had just begun, and beast tides were frequent, so all three were quite busy—especially Mo Duoya, who had plenty to handle.

But before leaving, the three remembered to add Rao Ke on the Astrolabe, and just like that, Rao Ke finally had three new friends in her chat module.

"Come on, time to get lunch ready. It's roast chicken hour." Watching the three leave, Rao Ke looked down at Sesame Paste.