Ch.132Chapter 132 – Ideas Are Accidentally Found in Everyday Life

Surrounded by a crowd of people, I was finally able to escape from the booth after spending a full hour granting handshake requests.

“Ugh… that was exhausting.”

Using my ability wasn’t difficult or challenging.

But dealing with people was the hardest thing for me.

It would have been nice if everyone who came to watch my ability demonstration at my booth were commoners.

But… while there were many commoners, there was also an overwhelming number of nobles.

I don’t know if it’s because the Gelebrio Empire has such a long history, but among the nobles who visited my booth, about 80% were viscounts and barons, with the rest being counts, marquises, and others.

Needless to say, there were no dukes.

No, there shouldn’t have been any.

Wouldn’t it be problematic for a duke, who could be considered a pillar of the Empire, to be in a place like this?

Moreover, why would a duke of the Gelebrio Empire come all the way here to visit my booth? What could they possibly want to see?

‘That would never happen.’

But you never know.

His Majesty the Emperor and the Chancellor might have visited my booth.

They’re the first and second most powerful people in the Empire—wouldn’t they have magical disguise items that allow them to blend in with the crowd?

Even if they didn’t participate directly, there’s a good chance they sent someone to report on my demonstration.

‘That’s why I deliberately didn’t refuse people’s handshake requests.’

It’s almost certain that His Majesty and the Chancellor are participating in the autumn festival.

So it was only right for me to act as cautiously as possible to prevent any unfortunate incidents.

‘If an accident were to happen because of me and cause harm to those two, I’d face consequences far worse than just hair loss treatment.’

Sigh… I really hope nothing happens during this festival.

I moved away, silently praying for the autumn festival to end safely.

My plans to spend today leisurely were completely ruined because I ended up holding ability demonstrations at my booth starting from the second day.

When stress builds up like this, a beer with a refreshing finish is just what I need.

Since it’s festival season, academy students can go outside the academy grounds if possible…

‘Surely some academy students who aren’t participating in the festival are going out to drink?’

For reference, almost all students enrolled at Glesius Academy are adults, with very few exceptions.

That means they’re legally old enough to get married without parental consent and drink alcohol freely without anyone complaining.

I’ve… been an adult for quite some time already.

In South Korea, almost all adult men, with very few exceptions, serve in the military.

Of course, my memories of the past were becoming hazy.

I remember that I lived on Earth, in South Korea… but beyond the major memories, the smaller details weren’t coming to mind clearly.

‘It’s probably because I met so many people today and I’m tired.’

I didn’t think much of my fading memories.

My memories from Earth weren’t particularly pleasant anyway.

Aren’t the new relationships and memories I’ll build here more important than my memories from Earth?

“Welcome! Are you alone?”

The tavern owner greeted me cheerfully as I entered.

Inside, many people were having meals with beer as their beverage, even though it was the middle of the day.

“Yes.”

I had taken off my academy student clothes and changed into ordinary clothes that commoners wear.

So I could naturally blend in with the people.

Maybe because of the festival, there were quite a few people who had similar hair color and facial features to mine.

However, there was a slight difference—if I looked Korean, the others looked more Japanese or Chinese.

It seems like around here, if you have black hair and black or brown eyes with similar features, you’re all considered people from the Eastern Continent.

Just like how we find it difficult to distinguish between British, German, and Russian people, while they find it difficult to tell apart Japanese, Korean, and Chinese people, right?

“What would you like to order? It’s lunchtime now, so food items can be served right away. If you want, I can give you a beer on the house. But nothing more than that.”

“Why is that?”

“The country made a law that only allows selling one glass of low-alcohol beer during lunch hours. Otherwise, people would all get drunk and not work.”

“Come on now. People like us work better with a bit of alcohol in our system. Isn’t that right, young man?”

As I was talking with the tavern owner, a man sitting next to me struck up a conversation.

His skin was darkly tanned, and his hands were full of calluses, suggesting he did rough farm work.

“Hey, Jack. Aren’t you the one who got drunk and went into someone else’s field in broad daylight, tearing it up with a plow?”

“Hey now, that was a mistake, a mistake! Besides, how was I supposed to know the tavern owner gave me strong alcohol instead of weak alcohol?”

What’s going on? Why are these older men suddenly putting on a comedy routine?

“Good grief, lies just automatically fly out whenever you open your mouth. Hey, do you think I don’t know you? What? Strong beer? Would strong beer look that cloudy? Huh?”

“Come on, this guy’s trying to kill me again. It was beer! But the beer met a friend on the way and got a bit cloudy, that’s all~”

“You idiot. Don’t you remember how your wife beat you half to death that day?”

“Did that happen?”

“Hahaha, this guy, you got beaten so badly you don’t even remember. Well, your wife beating you that day looked just like an orc general.”

“My wife does have a rather impressive build~”

Ah, this is driving me crazy. These old men and their sharp tongues.

“Oops, sorry about that. I’ve kept the customer waiting too long. Well, you can trust this guy’s cooking skills at least. Young man.”

The man whom the tavern owner had called Jack patted my shoulder and left the tavern.

“Sigh, I apologize, customer. That friend has a bit of a drinking problem.”

“It’s fine. More importantly, could I have your specialty dish and a glass of beer?”

“Ah, certainly. Just wait a moment. Hey! Bring over some pork shoulder stew with mashed potatoes and hard bread!”

“Got it!”

As expected of a place frequented by commoners, they serve hard bread rather than soft bread.

The meal cost five copper coins.

After I paid and sat down, the tavern owner brought out the food from the kitchen.

“Here’s our specialty, pork shoulder stew with mashed potatoes. The hard bread tastes delicious when soaked in the stew.”

As the tavern owner set down the food, I picked up a spoon and fork and began eating.

The shoulder stew was well-seasoned, saltier than I expected, and the mashed potatoes were, well, just mashed potatoes.

But the mashed potatoes paired very well with the saltiness of the stew.

And when I soaked the hard bread in the stew, the dry bread absorbed the broth, becoming soft and savory.

If there was one thing lacking, perhaps it was because spices hadn’t become widespread yet?

The meat’s natural flavor combined with salt made it edible, and the meat itself was fresh enough that there was no gamey smell.

‘It lacks spiciness.’

But Korean blood still flows in my veins.

I need spicy food. I need spicy food.

‘The food tastes good, but since it’s basically just seasoned with salt and nothing else, I can’t say it’s completely delicious.’

Thinking about it that way, I understand why people like the bread “fixed” by my ability.

When I use my ability on hard, dried-out bread, it becomes freshly made, soft, chewy, and flavorful.

That taste has become so well-known that even the noble students attending the academy are aware of it…

‘Huh?’

At that moment, a possibility occurred to me.

‘My ability doesn’t just apply to specific objects, but also to what those objects contain, right?’

When I used my ability on a cracked potion bottle, not only did the bottle return to its original state, but so did its contents.

‘Then, if I use this on a box or glass jar full of spices?’

A fair amount of spices probably get spoiled or damaged and thrown away during long voyages.

The sea environment is harsh on people, ships, and the cargo they carry.

Plus, ships in this world aren’t made of steel; most are wooden vessels.

‘If I play this right, I could make a fortune.’

In the spice trade, even if only one ship returns out of ten sent, the profit can be several times the initial investment.

And I can restore spices that have been damaged, spoiled, or deteriorated during the voyage to the point where they’ve lost their value and can no longer be sold.

“Whoever controls the spices… controls the world.”

I think I need to meet with the Chancellor to discuss this.