Chapter Seven: The Region’s Restaurant!
Kaiden felt a flicker of unease, but it quickly settled when he remembered that the Protective Barrier would grant him six more days of protection.
Either way, all he could do was give his best, prepare as well as possible, and leave the rest to fate. With that thought, he reassured his trusted soldier with a pat on the shoulder.
"Do not worry — we will manage. On top of that, we will start sending out exploration parties this afternoon. I will be counting on you for that."
Golan responded with his characteristic seriousness. "I will give it everything I have, my Lord!"
"I trust you. Leave the monster's carcass where it is for now and continue your patrols."
Kaiden had come to a conclusion — the more his region's population grew and the more lively it became, the more it would attract monsters. He had noticed the savage hunger in the lizard's eyes the previous day, and that was what had shaped his belief. Building a strong army was therefore at the top of his plans.
...
Kaiden passed by the group of villagers who were busy cutting down one of the region's few trees.
'If my region had not expanded, the trees would have already run out.'
He pushed the thought aside quickly and instructed them to carry the monster's carcass to Joel the butcher for processing.
After that, Kaiden completed the construction of a new residential hut beside the previous two.
He muttered to himself as he counted the existing buildings. "Only three more buildings to go..." Then he opened the World Chat to catch up on the latest news.
Unlike other Lords, he did not have much time to waste — he was always occupied with the region quests generated by his Talent.
The World Chat was as chaotic as ever, messages flying past at a dizzying speed. Someone claimed they had found a treasure chest, another had encountered an alien race, and a third was searching for family members. Then suddenly, a long post appeared from someone called "Lord of the Knowledge Region," stating that he had been researching the matter and found something worth noting — all one billion residents of the Blue Star who had been transported were between the ages of eighteen and fifty-five, and no one had encountered anyone older or younger. This meant that whoever had sent them here had done so with intent and purpose, and had not acted randomly.
Kaiden did not pay much attention to the post, unlike the others. He was an orphan with no family and no attachments elsewhere, so he closed the World Chat.
As for the rest of the information — distant places did not concern him. What mattered were the developments nearby that could affect him directly. So he opened the Region Chat instead.
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[Region Chat]
Current Count: 9,872 Lords
Lord Prairie Legend: It is day two, everyone! Let us give it our all!
Lord Desert Region: I heard many people have found Bronze Treasure Chests — I even saw someone who found a Black Iron one! Damn it! I searched every inch of my region and found nothing!
Lord Babylon: Brother above, I think you should focus on gathering resources and leave the treasure chests to luck. (Note: One of my residents already found a Bronze Treasure Chest while gathering resources.)
Lord Lost City: There are no trees left in my region now, on top of the water shortage! I am running low on wood — damn it!
Lord Black Iron Fortress: By the way, the river water being sold in the World Market is extremely cheap — no need to stress over it.
Lord Eagle City: But there are no containers to store water in! This world is magical, yet you have to start from scratch! It was never like this in the games and novels I have read!
Lord Black Iron Fortress: @Lord Eagle City, have one of your residents dig a pit, line the bottom with fine gravel, buy the cheap river water I mentioned, and use a piece of cloth to filter the water when you draw from it. It is not ideal and there will definitely be some seepage, but it is better than dying of thirst.
Lord Eagle City: I will do exactly that — thank you, brother!
Lord Barren North: @Lord Black Iron Fortress, I will do the same — thank you, brother!
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Kaiden made a mental note about the treasure chests — he would tell his residents to keep an eye out for them later. As for water storage, he now had several wooden barrels that had come with the workshops, so that was not an issue. Perhaps in the future he would build a large tank or something similar.
'What matters now is completing the quests.' With that thought, Kaiden opened the World Market. This time, it was far more lively than before. While no one was listing blueprints or metal units, all manner of basic resources were available.
What truly caught his attention were the meat prices. Supply was extremely limited, and the prices were steep — for a single unit of common monster meat, some were asking thirty units of wood or stone.
Kaiden had expected a price gap, but not one this wide. Unlike the others, he had quest rewards to work with. So to ensure a fast transaction, he listed an offer for the first time.
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Lord of the Fertile Lands:
Item: Wilderness Lizard Meat (Common)
Quantity Listed: 10 units
Price per unit: 10 units of Wood
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Everyone in the Region Chat was struggling with a wood shortage, so there was no point promoting there. Kaiden used his one daily message in the World Chat to promote his listing instead.
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World Chat:
Lord of the Fertile Lands: For anyone interested! I have listed meat at a reasonable price — only 10 units of wood per unit! Limited quantity, just 10 units of meat! Get them while they last!
Lord Thunder: Really?! I am going to check right now!
Lord Wind City: I got three units of meat before it ran out! @Lord of the Fertile Lands, brother, you are seriously impressive! Selling meat means you have taken down more than one monster already — I sent you a friend request, accept it so I can buy from you at market price in the future!
Lord Red Tide: Good grief! The meat disappeared in an instant! How fast are your reaction times?!
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[System Alert: "Lord Thunder" exchanged x7 units of Wilderness Lizard Meat (Common). You have gained +70 units of Wood. Sent to Lord's Inventory — please verify.]
[System Alert: "Lord Wind City" exchanged x3 units of Wilderness Lizard Meat (Common). You have gained +30 units of Wood. Sent to Lord's Inventory — please verify.]
[System Alert: The transaction has been fully executed and the transaction page has been automatically closed.]
[System Alert: "Lord Thunder" has sent you a friend request.]
[System Alert: "Lord Wind City" has sent you a friend request.]
[System Alert: "Lord Red Tide" has sent you a friend request.]
[System Alert: Pending friend requests +99 — maximum reached. No further friend requests will be visible until current pending requests are accepted or declined.]
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[Region Talent Notification: Quest 'World Market Trader' completed! Reward sent to Lord's Inventory: 'Apprentice Cook Cafeteria Bundle Blueprint' x1]
"..." Kaiden was left speechless. Only a few seconds had passed since he had sent the message in the World Chat, and his interface was already flooded with a dense stream of notifications and friend requests.
He did not accept a single friend request. He had no time for social networking right now — but a wave of satisfaction washed over him when he saw the quest completion notification.
He looked out at his nascent region, then at the workshop complex that was gradually taking shape. The blacksmith, carpenter, and butcher workshops stood in a row with calculated spacing between each one. He thought for a moment, then chose to build the cafeteria in the same area, close to the butcher's workshop.
The moment he confirmed, the ghost structure of the building appeared before him. It was slightly larger than the other workshops — an open-fronted wooden building with light wooden beams hanging from the ceiling. Inside were several tables stacked on top of each other, square wooden chairs without backrests, a dividing counter, and some cooking tools and hanging utensils.
When Kaiden selected the build location, it took only moments for the white light to wash over the structure — and when it faded, the building stood fully realized.
Seconds later, a full-figured, plain-looking but warm-faced woman stepped out, wearing simple cooking attire. She walked forward with quick steps and dropped to one knee before Kaiden.
"Sidra, long live the Lord."
Kaiden greeted her and welcomed her to his region, then checked her status panel. Like the other craftspeople under him, she gained experience through cooking, and her future path was Seasoned Cook.
He spoke with her briefly and asked whether she had any spices. She answered that she did not. He searched the World Market and found only a handful of people selling rough rock salt or coarse sea salt at steep prices. He gritted his teeth and bought two units — roughly three kilograms of coarse rock salt — for the price of six units of meat. He handed the salt to the cook and instructed her to sprinkle a small amount over each meal.
After some thought, Kaiden also handed her ten units of common meat and asked her to have it ready in two hours, starting from now — changing the meal schedule in the process from two meals a day to three, while reducing the portion size at each meal.
Thinking about it, his region's population now stood at twenty-one people, including the cook and himself, and their food requirements had grown considerably. Unfortunately, while Kaiden had searched before and found some people selling wild fruit, he had not come across anyone selling agricultural produce like rice, seeds for planting, or anything of that nature.
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End of Chapter Seven