After organizing the rewards I received following Han Seo-yeon’s broadcast, I focused once more on the preparations for the Ceres branch.
“This is really the final stretch.”
I had already secured the cooperation of the other races and the Hunter Association. I had organized the supply routes and confirmed the final product list. All that remained was selecting the items for the trial sale.
‘I should choose carefully. If I pick the wrong thing even once, the cost of changing it will be significant.’
First, I compiled a list of medical supplies I thought would be necessary: disinfectant, bandage sets, hemostatic agents, and first aid kits. Because the people of Ceres could heal using their exceptional divine power, their conventional medical technology was surprisingly underdeveloped. This wasn’t an issue normally, but after a large-scale battle when there were many casualties, divine power alone had its limits.
‘Besides those, I should read the conversation Leon had where he gathered the opinions of the paladins and priests for the remaining trial items.’
Surprisingly, the most common request from Ceres was food.
[Due to the current supply shortage, patients are only eating bread, water, and simple soup. In truth, while Ceres has advanced agricultural technology, their cooking techniques are not very developed because of their ascetic lifestyle. To make matters worse, the situation has worsened with raids from the Gattok and devils. Of course, the supplies you sent have put out the immediate fire, but still…]
I see. It was an unexpected fact.
‘It must be because of their ascetic lifestyle and reliance on divine power that their cooking hasn’t developed much. And even the patients are just eating bread and water.’
Anyone with medical knowledge knows one thing: nutrition and meals are just as important as treatment for a patient’s recovery. Even beyond the patients, the members of the order who were exhausted from the restoration work must have been at their limits. Bread and water alone wouldn’t be enough to restore their stamina.
‘The food in the pilot program should be geared toward providing meals for patients.’
This would speed up the recovery of both the patients and the members of the order, and it would also boost morale. Furthermore, in a world where cooking was underdeveloped, the value of delicious food would be even higher.
“This is it!”
I began drafting the final list. However, this required additional consultation. For now, the only thing that could be supplied in large quantities was lunch boxes.
‘But Halfling lunch boxes aren’t exactly ordinary food.’
I sent a message to Lee Jun-ho.
— Mr. Lee Jun-ho, can you make patient lunch boxes and nutritional soup sets? I’m looking for menus specialized for recovery.
[Of course! The Silver Wheat and Rock Boar meat recipes you provided are excellent for stamina recovery, so using those as a base would be perfect. The quantity required seems substantial, so if you give me a little time, I’ll prepare them.]
— Thank you.
I took a deep breath and pressed the open button.
[Ceres Branch has been established!]
[Influence Range: Agnes Cathedral and the surrounding 30km]
[Trial Sale Items: 10]
[Initial Operating Funds: 1,000,000 coins invested]
[287 pre-registered members have been converted to official members!]
System messages popped up one after another.
“Now the members in Ceres will be able to access the Rocket Store directly.”
“Wow! Congratulations, Guardian!”
“I’ll have to see if it actually sells as I expect.”
Inside, however, I was also bursting with anticipation.
***
Agnes Cathedral, Paladin Quarters.
Leon returned to his room after finishing his morning prayers. Although the fatigue from the defensive battle had not yet faded due to the constant restoration work, his expression was bright.
“Today is finally the day. The day the Rocket Store branch opens.”
[The Rocket Store Ceres Branch has been established!]
Just then, the hologram that Lemon had looked forward to so much appeared before his eyes.
[The Rocket Store is now available in Agnes Cathedral!]
[A 10% discount will be provided for pre-registered members on their first purchase!]
[Check the branch-exclusive product list!]
“At last. It’s finally open.”
Leon operated the hologram. As the trial sale product list unfolded, his eyes widened.
“Disinfectant, bandage sets, hemostatic agents, first aid kits…”
Leon nodded as he checked the list of medical supplies one by one.
“These are items we need immediately. This will help the priests who have been exhausted from treating the wounded since the cathedral defense battle.”
Next was the food for the patients he had requested. Their food culture was already underdeveloped due to their ascetic lifestyle, and many of the stored ingredients had spoiled during the devil invasion. Right now, food was just as necessary as medical supplies.
“But are there only lunch boxes?”
Leon felt a brief moment of disappointment. However, he soon shook his head.
‘No. They probably just didn’t have enough time. Opening the branch alone must have been a major undertaking.’
He comforted himself.
‘The manager said he would add more when he had time. Let’s not be disappointed. This alone will be a huge help.’
Leon took a deep breath and began ordering.
“The first aid kits, disinfectant, and bandages are essential… and let’s try ordering one patient lunch box as well.”
He added each item to his cart.
‘It’s too early to be disappointed. I should taste it first before I judge.’
The delivery was almost instantaneous. Small boxes hanging from rockets arrived. Leon carefully opened the boxes. First, he checked the first aid kit. Inside were small bottles, white cloth, and unfamiliar tools. Reading the manual, Leon nodded.
“Clean the wound, apply this medicine, and wrap it with a bandage…”
Next, he opened the patient lunch box. Instantly, a savory aroma filled the room.
“T-This scent is…”
Leon looked into the lunch box in surprise. It contained food on a completely different level from the hard bread or thin soup he usually ate. The meat was tenderly cooked, accompanied by colorful vegetables. Steam was rising softly from the meal.
Leon carefully took a bite.
“…!”
His eyes flew open. It was more delicious than anything he had ever tasted. The meat melted in his mouth, and the vegetables were crisp yet sweet. More than anything, he felt a warm energy spreading through his body the moment he ate it.
“This… this isn’t just food.”
Leon realized it instantly.
“If the patients eat this, their stamina will recover rapidly. And more than anything, eating such delicious food will give them hope.”
He looked at the lunch box again. Leon felt ashamed of his earlier disappointment. He hurried out of his room.
“I have to show this to Priest Marco!”
***
Inside the cathedral, at the Priest’s Office.
Priest Marco was in the middle of treating the wounded. There were so many injured after the defense battle that his divine power was nearly depleted.
“Phew… there’s no time to recover my divine power.”
He had exhausted his power treating those with serious injuries. Because of that, the soldiers with minor wounds were constantly being pushed back in the treatment order. At this rate, minor symptoms could fester into something worse.
“Priest Marco, it’s Leon.”
“Oh, Leon. Come in.”
As Leon entered, Marco smiled wearily.
“What is it?”
“I have something to show you. The Rocket Store branch has been established.”
“Ah! That’s right.”
Leon carefully brought out the first aid kit and the patient lunch box.
“And what are these?”
“First, this is a first aid kit. They say it’s a tool that can treat light wounds even without divine power.”
Marco opened the kit and examined the contents.
“Disinfectant and hemostatic agents?”
“Yes. Would you like to test it?”
Coincidentally, there was a soldier waiting for treatment. He had a relatively minor cut on his arm.
“Hmm… let’s give it a try.”
Marco followed the manual step by step. First, he cleaned the area around the wound with the disinfectant.
“Does this… remove the contamination from the wound?”
Next, he applied the hemostatic agent. Finally, he wrapped the wound with a clean bandage.
“I hope it’s effective.”
A moment later, Marco was overjoyed to see for himself that the bleeding had stopped and the wound had settled.
“Of course, it doesn’t heal instantly like divine power, but this is more than enough. We can treat minor wounds with this.”
Marco looked into the kit again.
“We were already using bandages, but we were desperately short of supplies after the defense battle, so this is a relief. And these disinfectants and hemostatic agents are far more effective than what we have.”
“That is true.”
Marco looked at Leon.
“The most important thing… is that we don’t have to waste divine power on these minor wounds. Thanks to this, we can focus our divine power on the critically ill!”
Leon nodded.
“And please look at this as well.”
As Leon pulled out the patient lunch box, the savory aroma filled the room.
“T-This scent is…”
“You haven’t even had time to eat while caring for the patients. Please, have some.”
Marco opened the lunch box and checked the contents. As he took a bite, his hands trembled slightly.
“This… this isn’t just food. I feel energy surging through my body the moment I eat it.”
He looked at Leon in admiration.
“Until now, we have provided patients with hard bread, water, and occasionally porridge. We thought it was enough to heal their wounds with divine power.”
Marco looked down at the lunch box again.
“But with food this nutritious and delicious…”
“The patients’ stamina will recover much faster.”
“Leon, distribute this food to the patients. I think it will work even faster if used alongside holy water. And we’ll manage the minor wounds with the first aid kits.”
“Understood!”
Marco looked at the first aid kit once more.
“I must inform the Archbishop of this news. We need to obtain more of these.”
He muttered while looking out the window.
“If this isn’t the Goddess’s blessing, then what is? A new way to treat wounds and food to restore the sick. The Rocket Store has opened a new path for us.”
***
“The reaction is even better than I thought?”
I smiled as I checked the order history coming in real-time.
“It hasn’t even been half a day since the opening, and it’s already at this level.”
Aria spoke in an excited voice.
“I think Mr. Leon has been promoting it very hard! And the food is really popular!”
“It seems so. Word of mouth really is the fastest. And because it’s a world where cooking is underdeveloped, they seem to value the food even more.”
I examined the sales statistics in detail.
“The medical supplies are selling well, but the food is doing unexpectedly great. The lunch boxes are selling almost as much as the medical supplies.”
“Once the special patient meals prepared by Mr. Lee Jun-ho are provided, they’ll sell like wildfire!”
“Probably.”
It was a smooth start. Just then, a new system message appeared.
[Branch Opening Achievement Unlocked!]
[Reward: Special Decorative Item ‘Grace of Ceres’]
“Huh? An achievement?”
Surprised, I read the message carefully.
[Grace of Ceres]
Grade: Heroic
Effect: When installed, Ceres branch sales increase by 5%, and affinity growth rate increases by 10% during Ceres-related trades.
Appearance: A decorative item in the shape of a small chalice, emitting a silvery light.
Description: A decoration containing the blessing of the Goddess of Ceres. It is a special gift given to the Rocket Store Manager.
“Wow! Guardian, this is amazing!”
Aria cheered.
“Sales at the branch will increase, and affinity will rise faster!”
“You’re right. This will be quite useful.”
A faint light was leaking from the chalice.
“It’s pretty.”
Aria touched the chalice in admiration.
“It feels warm!”
“Let’s hurry and register the chalice in the display case.”