“Now only 10 servings are left. I’m sorry, but the rest of you, please come back next time!”
“Oh, I thought I’d make it in time.”
“It’s already sold out? It hasn’t even been 20 minutes!”
“With a limit of 100 servings, what can we do? The kids joined in this time too.”
Those who missed out by a few minutes let out disappointed sighs and turned away.
Some lingered, pleading with me.
“Can’t you bring more next time?”
“I’d love to, but if I bring too much, it’s hard on Dorori.”
“You’ll come back, right?”
“Yes, I’ll definitely return.”
“We’ll have to come early next time.”
Only after my promise to return did they reluctantly leave.
Today, in less than an hour at the village, I filled a small glass jar with saffron coins.
Time to head back, I guess?
Feeling satisfied, I started preparing to leave.
“Sniff sniff.”
…What’s that smell?
A pleasant herbal scent wafted from somewhere.
The Elf Village always carried the fragrance of flowers from the entrance, but this was a slightly different, stronger scent.
“Sniff sniff. It’s stronger from this direction…”
Drawn by the fragrance, I wandered through the village and spotted an elf woman burning incense around the area.
“Excuse me, what’s that scent?”
“This? It’s incense made from citronella. There are a lot of pests in the forest, so we burn this to keep them away.”
“Wow, that’s fascinating.”
There are no mosquitoes on the Floating Island, so it’s not particularly useful there, but things are different on the ground.
In summer, mosquitoes often kept people up at night more than the heat did.
I had plenty of memories of sleepless nights plagued by mosquitoes.
“Are you interested?”
“A little.”
The elf woman smiled kindly.
“Would you like me to teach you how to make it? It’s really simple.”
“Is that okay?”
“Of course. You’ve been bringing delicious bingsu for us elves since dawn; this is nothing in comparison.”
“You tried the bingsu?”
“It was sweet and cool—so delicious. Thanks to it, I started the day in a great mood.”
“I’m glad you enjoyed it. So, could you teach me a bit?”
“Of course. Follow me.”
She led me to her workshop.
***
Back on the Floating Island, Elenia came running up to me.
“What’s that in your hand?”
“It’s a new herb I’ll grow. It smells nice and has the added benefit of repelling insects. I’m thinking of growing it to make and sell incense.”
“That’s a great idea.”
I carefully planted the citronella in the soil.
Afterward, I looked around.
The Floating Island was becoming more vibrant.
Green vegetables, yellow pumpkins, bright red raspberries, and now herbs…
Creating my own garden is pretty fun.
With a smile, I moved on to harvest watermelons.
“Is that the new juicer you bought?”
“You just put fruit in the hole at the top and turn the lever hard.”
I put watermelon chunks into the juicer and turned the lever repeatedly.
Juice gushed out from one side, while the pulp squeezed out from the other.
It was far more efficient than squeezing through cloth, yielding a much larger amount.
It took more effort, but for me, it was no problem at all.
It felt like a light workout, which I actually enjoyed.
“Elenia, can you grab that funnel over there?”
“You’re putting it in glass bottles? I’ll hold it for you.”
“Thanks, would you?”
Elenia held the funnel, which was as big as her, with both hands.
“Hold it steady so it doesn’t shake.”
I carefully poured the watermelon juice into the funnel, and the red juice slowly filled the glass bottle.
Once it was nearly full, I sealed it with a cork and packed it neatly into a box.
In total, I made 25 bottles of vitality drink.
“With the juicer, making a whole box is a breeze.”
I should make more in advance and store them in the Ice Cave when I have time.
“While I’m at it, I should sponsor a few more bottles for Cayton. If we’re going to support him, we should go all in, right?”
“You said you put him in charge of promoting the shop, didn’t you? What if he fails the adventurer test?”
“As long as he works hard, that won’t happen. One bottle of vitality drink lets you train all day without getting tired.”
Even if he fails by some bad luck, he’ll still be much improved from before, and that alone will have a promotional effect.
***
In the afternoon, I headed to Bernard’s apothecary.
It was so polished that it looked refreshing from the outside.
The windows sparkled, and the waxed wooden floor gleamed.
“Fabir, you’re here!”
“The shop looks completely different.”
“Everyone says they love how clean it is now.”
“How’s business?”
“Maybe because of the new sign, we get the occasional new customer, but when I recommend the vitality drink, the response is still lukewarm.”
“It’s hard to buy an expensive vitality drink with unknown effects right away. But this might sell better.”
I placed the box I brought on the table.
“What’s this?”
“It’s insect-repelling incense. One of these will keep mosquitoes out of your house. Plus, it smells pretty nice.”
Bernard brought the incense to his nose and sniffed.
“It really does smell good. I’ve never smelled anything like this. Where did you get the herbs?”
“I’m growing them myself.”
“Herbs? There’s hardly any information on growing herbs—it’s tough!”
Bernard looked at me with amazement.
“You make incredible things effortlessly and even grow herbs yourself. That’s impressive!”
His praise made me a little embarrassed.
“So, how much should we sell these for?”
“For now, let’s sell them for one copper coin each.”
“What? For incense this good? High-end restaurants and inns will be clamoring to buy it. Shouldn’t we charge at least five copper coins?”
“As a promotional event. But limit purchases to one per customer. After the event, we’ll raise it to five copper coins.”
“That’s a good idea. I’ll make a flyer for the event and put it up by the door.”
Bernard displayed the incense and put up a flyer highlighting its benefits in a visible spot.
“Then I’ll go see Cayton.”
***
Leaving the shop, I headed to the nearby training ground.
It was a place provided by the adventurer’s guild, where aspiring adventurers honed their basic stamina and survival skills.
As I entered, the faint smell of sweat hit my nose.
Even in the scorching sun, many were engrossed in training.
Some repeatedly struck dummies with swords, while others dragged heavy logs.
Where’s Cayton?
I looked around but couldn’t spot him.
Thinking I might have missed something, I scanned the training ground, but he wasn’t there either.
He definitely said he’d be training here, so where did he go?
With no other choice, I was about to leave when—
Murmur murmur.
The training field was getting noisy.
“What the heck, how long is he going to run?”
“How many laps has it been? Isn’t he going to collapse?”
I approached the source of the noise.
“There he is…”
Cayton was sprinting around the field.
On one side, other aspiring adventurers, drenched in sweat, were sprawled on the ground, looking stunned.
Their eyes followed Cayton, filled with a mix of astonishment and curiosity.
“No way. How can someone change that much in just two days?”
“Did he take some elixir or get enchanted with magic?”
“Even the best elixirs only last an hour at most. And you think learning magic is that easy?”
“Then what is it? There’s got to be some special trick. How else could someone change like that?”
Despite the overwhelming attention, Cayton didn’t seem to care and kept running.
His cheeks were flushed, and his body was soaked with sweat, suggesting he’d been running for a while, yet he didn’t look tired.
In fact, he was smiling.
He even looked refreshed, as if he was letting out all the frustration of never being able to run like this before.
“Fabir!”
***
I was about to leave to avoid interrupting his training when Cayton ran straight toward me.
“When did you get here?”
“Just now. I didn’t mean to disturb your training.”
“No, I was just about to take a break.”
Murmur murmur.
“What, a break? Is he saying he’s going to run more?”
“He still has that much stamina left?”
“Who’s that guy? I was going to talk to him after training.”
Voices came from around us.
Everyone was listening in on our conversation, but I didn’t mind.
“How’s training going?”
“Unbelievably well. I don’t think I’ve ever felt this good in my life. It used to feel like I was slogging through muddy fields every day, but now my body feels so light I could fly. I’m so excited I can’t stop running.”
“I could tell. Even from a distance, it was obvious.”
“You could tell? I guess I’m a bit too excited.”
“You looked like you were enjoying it. At this rate, passing the test shouldn’t be a problem.”
“It’s all thanks to you, Fabir.”
Flinch.
I suddenly felt the atmosphere around us shift.
Sure enough, sharp gazes turned toward me.
“That guy must have done something.”
“He doesn’t look like a mage. An alchemist, maybe?”
“Should we go ask?”
Whisper whisper.
People eavesdropping on our conversation started showing interest in me.
“Um, excuse me for interrupting.”
Suddenly, an adventurer hesitantly approached me.
“If it’s not rude, can I ask you something?”
“What are you curious about?”
I played dumb, but I knew exactly what he was going to say.
“I’ve been watching him run for over three hours now.”
“And?”
“How can he run that long without getting tired? Just two days ago, he was struggling, but now he’s completely different.”
“Ah, you want to know how? Well…”
A moment of silence.
It was as if everyone had agreed to hold their breath, focusing on my words.
Gulp.
Some swallowed hard, practically stomping their feet in anticipation.
“You know the three-story alchemy shop in the market district?”
“Of course. It’s the biggest shop in Alburton.”
Whisper whisper.
“I told you, it’s got to be some elixir from there.”
“No way. I go to that shop all the time, and I’ve never heard of such a thing.”
“Maybe it’s a new product.”
They jumped to their own conclusions.
But my next words quickly dispelled their assumptions.
“No, not there. The old apothecary next to it sells ‘vitality drinks.’”
“What? The apothecary?”
“Yes, the apothecary. It’s a health juice made from natural ingredients. It tastes great and is so nutritious that one bottle keeps you brimming with energy all day.”
“Is that true?”
Murmur murmur.
The crowd began to buzz loudly.