ALL NOVEL Chapter 112: The Golden Water and the Painter
Episode 112: The Golden Water and the Painter
—
“Hey, Taro’s back!”
“Taro-chan, welcome back!”
“Welcome home, Taro-chan!”
“You returned quickly, Taro-san.”
“We’re all set over here!”
“What was the event venue like?”
As I arrived at the floating market street with Mina and George, everyone who had finished setting up their stalls welcomed us warmly.
“Thank you, everyone, for getting everything ready. The shrine is about ready
for mock battles with Takeshi, and I’ve also made sure to advertise our market stall.”
“Oh, thanks a lot!”
“Well then, it seems like the mercenary players around us have started selling their goods, so let’s get ready for battle ourselves,” Yuuki suggested, surveying the surroundings.
The population at the venue had surged since earlier. It was a prime time to start selling to the mercenary players flooding in. While many weren’t interested in market stalls and were busy enjoying the shrine designs and event area, there was still a large pool of potential customers on this first day.
“All the stalls have the same design, which makes them a bit boring, don’t you think?”
“Is it to maintain fairness?” my two close friends wondered, eager to stand out from the other stalls. But I didn’t think that would be an issue. The mercenary players running the stalls were all wearing standard gear, and their merchandise wasn’t particularly eye-catching. A few dressed in kimono
-like outfits as vendors seemed to be doing slightly better business.
“We’ve got to stand out somehow!” George exclaimed.
Just don’t go overboard with the flashy stuff, George.
“Alright, everyone! Let’s get changed into our outfits!” Yurachi, bursting with enthusiasm, encouraged us to change into our attire.
“Ah, Taro-chan, you’re so cute!”
“Taro-chan, try on this maid outfit I’m wearing too!”
These two high school girls really don’t understand personal space! As a high school boy, being so close to them made me want to roar in frustration! If I had experience with a girlfriend or two, maybe I could handle this calmly, but with my low resistance to girls, I could only react pathetically. Surprise attacks were off-limits; they made my head spin.
And Lilly-san… why are you casually patting my head?
“Yurachi, Shizuku-san, and Lilly-san! You’re troubling Taro-sama. Please don’t get too close.” Nice, Mina. Good job!
And so, the girls dressed in maid outfits while the boys donned butler uniforms, fully geared up for battle. It might seem odd to have maids and butlers at a summer festival market stall, but it’s all about standing out! That’s the key to success, right, Yurachi?
Recalling Yurachi’s grand plan, I glanced at her with a hint of fear.
“Hmm, this is a pure maid outfit. But the shorter skirt is cuter, don’t you think?”
“Yeah, we’ve got to thank Unknown-san!”
I suppose I have no choice but to wear the maid outfit… We all got these maid outfits together, so refusing to wear it would make me look like I’m not a team player. So yeah, I’m stuck in this maid outfit.
What I can’t figure out is how George, who didn’t even get a maid outfit in the underground city of Jorun, ended up wearing a frilly maid dress. And the skirt is extremely short…
“Hehehe, I’m going to ooze pheromones in this outfit!”
“Thank you, Unknown-san, for making a maid outfit for me.”
“An-chan, I owe you one as always!”
“However, the design is slightly different,” I thought, trying to suppress my inner urge to make a snarky remark.
I get that Unknown-san made similar outfits for the two who didn’t get a maid outfit, but…
“George, why are you wearing a maid outfit?”
A butler uniform would have been fine. I mean, there are even cafes where women dress in men’s clothes to serve customers, right?
“Oh, stop it! An-chan picked this out for me! As expected of An-chan, it’s the absolute cutest and most Madeleine-like creation!”
George, twisting his body and raising his energy level to the max, showered Unknown-san with praise. But I couldn’t bring myself to criticize Unknown- san’s effort.
“Y-yeah, I see!”
“Unknown-san is amazing,” Yurachi’s cheeks twitched as she smiled, and Mina, with a desperate expression, quickly chimed in.
“It’s wonderful that you can make such cute ‘clothes!'” Shizuku-chan emphasized the word “clothes” as if she were forcing herself to accept it. Nobody mentioned the obvious question-why not just make butler uniforms?
“George-san, could you stay in the background…?” Koya suggested, adjusting his glasses and quickly following Yuuki’s lead.
“Oh, no, no, no! I’m part of the team too, right? If the angels, priests, An-chan, and the hundred knights’ flowers are going out, then I’m needed too!”
My two best friends were at a loss for words as George, with intense eye contact, pressed close to them. George wasn’t going to stay in the background. Knowing him, he was probably thinking he had a better chance of meeting a good man by being in the front lines. Why do I understand this guy’s psychology so well…?
“Ah, uh… Okay.”
“I-it’s no problem, of course,” they quickly waved the white flag.
“As expected! You guys are going to be great men!”
In no time, George had slid behind them, his hands quickly reaching out to pat their backsides.
“Yikes!”
“Ugh!”
Rest in peace, my friends. If you’re going to curse something, curse being born good-looking.
And so, the two butlers… no, including RF4-Youji hiding behind the stall, the three butlers, and the six maids (with one particularly noticeable one) stood lined up in front of the stall, drawing a lot of attention.
“Whoa, what’s that?”
“Is that a maid over there?”
“Hey, doesn’t that stall have a lot of female mercenary players?”
“Huh!? That girl’s cute!”
“Whoa, they’re all beautiful girls…”
“Wait… isn’t there something weird mixed in…?”
“That butler over there is kinda my type.”
The first phase of our strategy seemed to be working. If we could grab their attention, we were halfway to victory. All that was left was to recommend our products to each customer! Let’s sell, sell, sell!
Right, left-I was all over the place.
“Hey there, handsome! How about a nice cold beer?”
One of the items I was in charge of was beer. Well, to be precise, it was a golden drink that tasted like beer. Even though drinking it didn’t cause any
of the effects of alcohol, it was quite popular with the older crowd. Personally, I had tried it and found it so terrible that I never wanted to drink it again.
“Wow, this really hits the spot!”
“I never thought I’d get to drink beer in Clan Clan!”
In the end, I couldn’t make any lemonade. However, by combining ‘Sunlight and Golden Barley Cortana’, ‘High-Quality Water’, and ‘Fizzing Horn’ with alchemy, I created an item called ‘Bitter Smooth Gold Water.’
**Bitter Smooth Gold Water**
*Made from barley and fizzy water mixed with clear, pristine water, this drink has a rich bitterness and deep flavor. It’s a favorite among some for its unique taste.*
*Prevents red attribute status conditions for 1 minute.*
Yes, this was my alchemical masterpiece. However, George insisted that this drink must be served ice-cold to reach its full potential, so we struggled to
figure out how to serve it chilled.
In the end, George’s decoration skill saved the day. By using the ‘Frozen Crystal’ ability, which is typically used to preserve special materials for the Brilliant Sword Arts in a frozen state, we were able to create something suitable.
I poured the ‘Bitter Smooth Gold Water’ from the bottle into the ‘Frost Crystal Mug’ George made. He said getting the mug shape right was the hardest part, but he stuck to his guns and achieved an excellent result. As the golden liquid flowed into the transparent, cold container, it made a faint cracking sound as it instantly chilled. The top of the drink, probably due to the strong influence of the ‘Fizzing Horn’, was capped with a fine, white foam.
We couldn’t entirely prevent the gold water from slightly freezing at the surface. If you waited too long, a thin layer of ice would form on top, but this added a nice accent. After giving the glass a little shake, you had a very convincing imitation of beer. The player who bought it from me looked at the mug with joy and took a sip.
“Hey, this is amazing!”
“Right!? We’ve made sure to serve it super chilled!”
“I’ve heard that you can prevent frost on the surface by stirring with a silver spoon, but that seemed too hard to recreate in Clan Clan.”
“Really? That’s interesting.”
“Why don’t you drink it before it freezes too much?” Following George’s advice, the mercenary player took another sip.
“Ah, it’s great! Thanks, cutie.”
“N-no problem! T-thanks, you too!” After thanking him, I returned to the stall and asked if there was anything else he needed.
“Yo! Lemme try that too!”
“Me too!”
“I’m curious about that water.” One after another, more players wanted the ‘Bitter Smooth Gold Water’ I was pouring. While I struggled to keep up with orders
, the other mercenary players were handling different items with skill.
“So what’s the story behind this ‘Artisan’s White Sweets’?”
“One of our butlers has crafted it with care.”
“Is there a wedding cake too?”
“Sorry, it’s a modest treat, but it’s still delicious!” The regular-sized ‘Artisan’s White Sweets’ Shizuku-chan was in charge of were shaped like small cookies. I’d usually eat a large cake slice in two bites, but these seemed to have a bit more to them.
“How are you doing?”
“This is great!”
“It tastes amazing!” The customers who bought them seemed delighted with the flavor, even more so when they found out it could be eaten while enjoying the view from the shrine.
“How about some alchemical arrows? They’ve been soaked in a special liquid for added power.”
“That makes them explode on impact, right? I could use some!”
“Please, take your pick!” Yuuki and Koya were managing a stall selling alchemical arrows. They didn’t stand out as much as us maids, but they seemed to be quietly working hard. They might even be the real backbone of our sales.
“Oh my! What lovely young men!”
“Hehe, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” George’s mannerisms were oddly perfect as he dealt with the older players, who seemed to be enjoying themselves.
Though I could see the other players discreetly watching, George didn’t pay them any attention.
By the end of the day, our stall had become quite popular. We couldn’t say that every customer bought something, but we were definitely on the right track. Everyone was working together to keep the stall running smoothly, whether it was dealing with customers or restocking items.
And so, our first day of the festival ended on a high note, filled with lots of laughter, a few unexpected surprises, and the hope that tomorrow would be just as successful.