The Crown Prince Who Raises Alt Characters

#Chapter 255 Evil Boss Nigel (4) - Sports Drinks, Energy Bars (2) The dietary life of merchants traveling back and forth across the desert is extremely barren. Bread baked without fermentation is so hard that it could break teeth if eaten as is, cheese made by removing moisture is terribly salty and musty, and dried dates are so sickeningly sweet that once you eat them, you have to suffer from constant thirst. It's not that there aren't foods better than those in terms of taste, but such foods usually weigh a lot or have poor preservation. For Zayd, who needs to transport as many goods as possible to profit as a trader, they're nothing but burdens. "It's food that's convenient to eat while traveling!" "Hmm." Therefore, even while looking at the item the beastkin employee confidently displayed, Zayd's reaction couldn't help but be lukewarm. If it was an item that prioritized taste, preservation or weight would be the problem, and if it was the opposite, the taste would be the worst. The reason he didn't refuse anyway was because he wanted to somehow establish connections with the big shot called 'master' who would be behind this store. Since it was a store selling amazing items like paper cups or sports drink bottles (naturally, the bottles were the key), there was also the expectation that it wouldn't be completely terrible goods. "Is there a sample for this too?" "Oh, no. For beverages, it's fine to pour a little into paper cups just before tasting, but for energy bars, he said it's not hygienic to break them apart and take them out in advance." "So I have to buy it to taste it. Well, just give me one." "Which would you like, cereal type or sweet jelly type? The former is savory and crispy, while the latter is sweet and soft!" "Let me try the cereal one." "Here it is! If you grab this jagged part here and pull it straight, the contents come out! Just like peeling fruit skin!" Following the instructions, a yellowish rectangular bar-like thing revealed itself. 'Is this grains clumped together? How does it maintain its shape? Did they coat it with honey or something? And I'm curious about the material of this shell too.' After mentally noting the things that concerned him, Zayd bit into that square grain clump with his mouth. A texture that was crispy yet slightly chewy. Zayd's guess that various types of grains had been clumped together with something close to honey turned out to be correct. Indeed, the taste of various grains and subtle sweetness were spreading in his mouth. However, the quality was just far more overwhelming than Zayd had imagined. 'Co, could grain clumps be this delicious?' In Zayd's common knowledge, there were basically two ways to eat grains without using water. One was eating them raw. Although there might be some differences depending on the type of grain, they were basically hard, and unless you chewed them for a long time in your mouth to soften them, it was nearly impossible to chew and swallow them. The other was making them into powder and eating them. In this case, it was somewhat easier to eat compared to raw grains, but the powder would fly around causing coughing, and there was no way to distinguish it even if sand dust got mixed in. But this thing he was eating now allowed him to clearly recognize the grain shapes while having an exquisite texture that crushed lightly with each bite. Rich and savory flavor with subtle sweetness. Also, even though he had only eaten one, there was a solid sense of fullness. 'Most importantly, this... has no sand dust.' The packaging of the cereal bar, which the employee had described as being like fruit skin, was perfectly protecting its contents from the desert's sandstorms. Unless you left it outside for a long time after tearing the wrapper, if you ate it right after tearing it open, the risk of eating it with sand dust like other preserved foods was greatly reduced. 'The price is also... excellent.' Five copper coins. Usually, one to two pieces of unleavened bread, a handful of dried dates, and pieces of solid cheese that caravans eat per meal would cost about four to seven copper coins depending on market prices. Especially when traveling to distant places, you need to supplement energy with oil-fried grains or jerky, so prices tend to jump up to 2-3 times that amount. But this? 'If this one cereal bar can replenish even half the energy of my usual diet, it's profitable to buy it. The price is similar but the weight is about 1/4.' Good taste, light weight, and no need to prepare separate containers. He could understand to his bones why the employee had explained it as food good to eat while traveling. "Chief, I've brought the people." While Zayd was trembling with excitement over the cereal bar's utility and possibilities, the aide he had sent away returned with the caravan members. To them who clearly looked bewildered, Zayd showed them through actions instead of words. "You all, try eating one of these each. Along with this thing called sports drink." "Yes?" "Here, you grab and pull like this to tear it open." They were only briefly flustered by Zayd's appearance as he took the lead and demonstrated the wrapper removal method he had just learned. Once they actually tried the cereal bars, they widened their eyes in amazement. "The texture is amazing. It's crispy but doesn't require much effort to chew." "This really costs five copper coins each? I'd buy it even if it were double." "But what's the identity of this wrapper part? It's very smooth and light, yet surprisingly sturdy. If they hadn't carved saw-like grooves in advance, we would have had to use a knife to tear it." "I'm glad everyone seems to like it. If we were to eat this instead of our usual travel food, would you be willing to eat it?" The employees looked surprised for a moment, but soon nodded their heads. After confirming that reaction, Zayd spoke to the employee again. "How much stock can you prepare for this? Is what's on this display stand everything?" "Please wait a moment." The employee went inside the store for a moment, then came out carrying something like a yellow-brown box in her arms. "One of these contains twenty-four pieces!" "...For now, just give me three boxes like that." The reason he didn't order a larger quantity was because he wasn't certain whether these cereal bars could completely replace their existing travel food. The fullness he was feeling now might easily fade, and when actually carrying them during trade, they might spoil more easily than expected. In the case of sports drinks, the bottles would remain anyway, but for cereal bars, if the contents spoiled, wouldn't he not even recover his investment? So Zayd purchased three boxes each of sports drinks and cereal bars, and was able to receive a few sweet jellies as well under the name of bonus items. At first, he chose to use the newly purchased items together with existing food for safety, but after learning that cereal bars alone were more than sufficient to replace their existing food, there was nothing more to hesitate about. Even those who had been reluctant about the sports drinks' unusual color and flavor all curled up the corners of their mouths when faced with the overwhelming usefulness of the remaining plastic bottles. Of course, as with all worldly matters, it wasn't all advantages. "Aren't you all eating too many cereal bars?" "We're sorry. But they're so delicious..." (E/N: 21st century problem) If their previous travel food was literally food they had to force themselves to eat just to survive, cereal bars also had aspects of being a luxury item. Add to that they were easy to eat, and there was even a feeling of strength immediately filling the body after eating, so there were quite a few who unknowingly nibbled on cereal bars even outside meal times. In the end, Zayd had to implement special measures. "From now on, for those who eat more than the designated rations, I'll provide sweet jellies instead of cereal bars." "Chief! That's too cruel!!" "Please forgive us just this once!!" "Huh? But aren't the sweet jellies delicious too?" "Shh. Read the room." *** The beastkin employee and slave, Noa, puffed out her chest proudly and said. "Business is successful! Both sports drinks and energy bar cereal types are selling at a terrifying pace!" At first, sales were sluggish due to their strange appearance and smell, but once word spread, it was truly like riding on a rapid current. People without exception would buy sports drinks, then roughly drink the contents or pass them to others to dispose of, then use the remaining bottles usefully. Fortunately, due to the characteristics of this region where water was precious, no one threw them away. Those who were most enthusiastic about cereal bars were mainly the merchants leading caravans, but ordinary people also showed favorable reactions, saying they filled the stomach easily and the taste wasn't bad either. Nigel, who had been nodding with a "hmm, hmm" at Noa's enthusiastic report, asked. "The supply isn't running short, is it?" "Cereal bars and sports drinks are selling out all 50 boxes before morning is even over, so if possible, it seems like we could increase the quantity." "What about the sweet jellies?" "More than half remain every day!" "......" Noa, who had been answering clearly and loudly thinking it was a report to her master, only realized after finishing her statement that she should have spoken more carefully about that content. She, who had been sneaking glances, hastily added. "Bu, but there are still people who say this is fine as it is and prefer the sweet jellies!" Unlike the cereal-type energy bars that sold like hotcakes, the sweet jellies didn't garner much popularity. Unlike the cereal side where you could tell at a glance that it was made from grains, the black and mushy appearance felt very unfamiliar to the locals. There were some who acquired a taste for its subtle flavor after actually trying it, but they were only a minority overall. Nigel clicked his tongue with a "tsk." "It can't be helped. We'll have to adjust the ratio." "Are you going to increase the two that sell well?" "Hmm... that's a bit. Somehow it doesn't feel good." "?" Currently, the main customer base for cereal bars and sports drinks are merchants, with some ordinary people buying them as luxury items. But if they lift the quantity restrictions here? While it might not replace all the staple food of ordinary people, there would be those who would try to replace about one meal a day with cereal bars. In that case, the income of grain merchants and bakers would decrease visibly. Among these, grain merchants might have the possibility of mutual cooperation where Nigel purchases grains from them and uses them as raw materials, but in the case of bakers, it's a complete competitive relationship. If the related parties who feel economically threatened band together to try to exclude Nigel, the aftermath would be quite troublesome. Well, these kinds of theories didn't properly come to mind in Nigel's head. Because that was quite a troublesome matter. But since he unconsciously recognized it, he answered simply. "It's just a feeling, a feeling." "I see." Noa nodded her head. Anyway, since her master said so, she planned to accept it as such. "How is it doing business?" "It wasn't really difficult. It's just receiving money and giving the designated amount of goods..." "No troublemakers picking fights?" "Not yet. There were people trying to take things from the display or sneak into the store, but other customers stopped them." "That's not the same as there being none." Hmm, Nigel fell into thought for a moment. "Should I hire additional staff? But it would take some time to fully prepare employee accommodations and facilities... No, no. There's no need for me to solve everything myself." While Noa was tilting her head in confusion, Nigel went into his room for a moment, then came out carrying some object. 'A cup?' The surface of the cup, which was much more elongated than ordinary cups, shone like it was made of silver to the point where faces could be reflected, and its overall elegant curves were reminiscent of expensive porcelain. At the opening, just like the sports drink caps, there was a lid that could be twisted and secured, and its structure looked very sturdy. "Master, what is that?" Nigel answered. "A bribe to offer to someone high up."