Chapter 68

Abatos Village, Central Square.

There, I and a few members gathered, crossing our arms and letting out a "hmm" in deep thought.

What we were doing was an idea meeting to come up with new products for the Abatos Village direct store in the capital.

It had been a few days since we returned to the village from the capital.

After the busy days in the capital, we had been enjoying a leisurely daily life, but I thought it was time to do some work and proposed an idea meeting.

However, even after gathering the villagers and sharing ideas, we couldn't decide on anything and were stuck.

All the ideas everyone provided weren't bad, though...

"Everyone looks so gloomy, Kora. Have some water and calm down, Kora."

"Got it!"

At that moment, Inoshishi-kun and the children came over, carrying trays on their heads, bringing us water.

"Thank you."

I took the glass, sipped the water, and stared at Inoshishi-kun.

Hmm, what should we do?

If we could create a product that leverages the unique characteristics and specialties of this village, that would be great.

...Inoshishi-kun and the others are, in a sense, specialties of this village, too.

"Hey, what's wrong, Kora?" Inoshishi-kun tilted his head, puzzled by my intense gaze.

"......Ah! I get it! You're planning to make us into Inoshishi hot pot as a new product, Kora!"

"Got it!"

Inoshishi-kun took a step back, as if on guard, and the children huddled together, trembling.

Don't worry, I'm not going to eat you.

"Hmm... Ah, right. How about fruit wine?"

The biggest event in this village is the almost nightly feast.

The atmosphere of these feasts has been well-received in the capital store, making the food and drink menus quite popular.

So, what about creating a unique wine specific to this village?

Since we cultivate fruits here, we could use them to make fruit wine.

However, fruit wine requires soaking fruits in liquor for several months, so it will take some time.

"Wine... Hmm, not bad, but..."

"Something with a bit more punch..."

In response, everyone from *Beowulf* crossed their arms and grumbled.

This has been going on for a while.

I understand how they feel, though.

"Something with a bit more punch, huh..."

At that moment,

"Hey! How's the meeting going?"

Uga flew into the square.

"Good morning, Uga. As you can see, we're almost there. What's up? You look excited."

"Hehehe... Look at this!"

Saying that, Uga showed us—

"Ah! These are potatoes!?"

"Yep! We finally succeeded in growing potatoes!"

Uga brought a wooden bucket full of potatoes.

Amazing, we've finally succeeded in growing root vegetables.

Uga, the agricultural king of our village, is truly impressive.

"The last time I saw Uga's field, it was incredible."

"Yeah, I grow anything that interests me, whether it's vegetables or fruits."

It might be due to the *liquid fertilizer* I provided, which is infused with magic.

Any vegetable or fruit grows vigorously in the same field, so Uga's field is a complete mess of seasons.

Oranges grow next to cucumbers...

"Ah!"

Seeing the potatoes Uga brought, I had an idea.

"Potato chips!"

"Eh?"

Suddenly shouting, I got a reaction from everyone in *Beowulf*.

*Alcohol*... something to go with alcohol...

*Punch*... consomme punch...

I turned to everyone and said it again.

"How about a new menu item: homemade potato chips from Abatos Village!"

※ ※ ※ ※ ※

"Alright, thanks, Ram."

"Sure, I'll help you make them."

We immediately set up a cooking area in part of the square.

*Beowulf* and Ram, who are enthusiastic about cooking, prepared a large pot and cooking oil.

"Alright, will this do? Making me do the grunt work, you must be planning some artistic dish, right?"

"Of course, you'll get to taste-test a lot."

One of the new residents who recently moved to the village, an artist and a fire lizard humanoid named Delphi, started the fire.

With high heat, the oil was ready.

First, we removed the sprouts from the potatoes and peeled them.

Then, we thinly sliced them, soaked them in water, drained the water, and fried them in oil.

That's all there is to the cooking process.

However, the delicious smell attracted the villagers.

"What's going on? Mako, what are you making?"

"Potatoes?"

Maul, Meala, and Garai also came over.

"Yeah, I'm making a new product for the store in the capital using potatoes."

We took the fried potato chips out of the pot, drained the oil, and sprinkled a little salt to finish.

"Alright! It's a tasting session! Try them while they're hot!"

Everyone reached for the potato chips and took a bite.

"Delicious! What is this?"

"Just frying potatoes in oil, but it's really good!"

"Indeed, this would go well with alcohol! Hey, someone bring some alcohol! It's party time!"

No, no, it's still morning.

However, the potato chips were well-received.

"If you're pairing them with alcohol, the seasoning could be stronger."

"Yeah, it would be good to have various flavors. Since we can grow vegetables, we could try a consomme punch flavor with bouillon."

"Yeah, it's delicious!"

"It would also make a good snack."

Maul and Meala were also eating them with delight.

For women and children, we could try chocolate-coated potato chips.

"Still, with such a great snack, I can't help but want to drink..."

"Truly, Mako's ideas are devilish..."

"Devilish ideas..."

I heard praise that I couldn't tell if it was a compliment or an insult.

But if we can pair this with alcohol, it might be a strong combination.

"Alright, let's also focus on making fruit wine!"

"Isn't it just that you want to drink? But, sure."

"What kind of alcohol will you make?"

"Hmm, let's see, if we make grapefruit or kiwi wine, which are good for beauty and health, we might attract female customers."

"Sounds good. Since we started growing fruits and eating them every day, I feel like our stamina has improved."

"Maybe it's because we're getting more vitamins and are healthier. If we can use it as cooking wine, yuzu wine might be good... There are many restaurants in that area, so there might be demand from other stores too."

We were all getting excited.

It seems our next new product is decided.

"By the way..."

After a moment, I suddenly remembered and opened my status screen in my mind.

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*Alchemy Lv.3*

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The *Alchemy* skill that suddenly grew the other day.

It seems to have reached level 3, but how has it changed?

When it reached level 2, I could dissolve the metal I created with *Alchemy* by touching it again...

I strongly focused on *Alchemy Lv.3* in my mind.

Suddenly, the screen changed, and text appeared.

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*Alchemy Lv.3*: In addition to previous abilities, can use magic as a power source.

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"Power source?"

What does that mean...

The more I think about it, the more confused I become.