Highway robbery

Seeing Sophie's message, Alex felt a mix of relief and anxiety. Relief that even after this crazy isekai trip, her family was here, together. Anxiety because, despite being called a game, *Universal Lords* felt terrifyingly real. Death here was *permanent*—not a simple logout back to reality. Honestly, Alex wished her family *wasn't* here, not in this dangerous world. She worried for their safety.

She quickly added Sophie to her friends list.

**[Alex]:** Sophie, is that you?

**[Sophie]:** Alex! It says my level's too low for video calls or sending pictures…

Alex saw the grayed-out video and picture icons in their chat window. *Seriously?* she thought. *Total cheap web game vibes.* But that wasn't important right now. Family came first.

**[Alex]:** Sophie, where are you? Are you safe?

**[Sophie]:** Where… I don't know where I am! My castle's surrounded by a giant grassland, bigger than the one we went to last month! I'm safe though, don't worry. The castle has seven days of beginner's protection. As long as I stay inside, I'm good! And guess what? My initial troops are Golden Retriever Kings! I wish I could show you how awesome they look!

Sophie's rapid-fire messages made Alex smile. Knowing her sister was safe eased her mind. Still, she couldn't resist giving some advice.

**[Alex]:** Be careful, Sophie. Stay inside the castle for now. Let your Golden Retriever Kings do the hunting. Don't take any risks! I'll figure things out here and give you some game tips later.

**[Sophie]:** Okay, Alex! You're the best!

*Of course I am,* Alex thought. *You're my little sister.*

**[Alex]:** Let me know if you need anything.

**[Sophie]:** Alex… I'm hungry…

**[Alex]:** Send your Golden Retriever Kings out to hunt. Stick to low-level monsters for now, levels 1 and 2 are ideal. And hunt within your territory so you can use the castle to decompose the corpses for food directly. Dragging corpses back from outside your territory is a waste of time.

**[Sophie]:** Alex… I *have* food. My Golden Retriever Kings hunted some level 1 antelopes. I have tons of meat, but… it's all raw! There's no kitchen in the castle, and I can't find any fire to cook it. I can't eat raw meat!

Alex could practically feel Sophie's misery through the chat window. Food, but inedible. *Wait a minute…* Alex looked around her own castle. No kitchen? What kind of castle was this? Was a kitchen, like video chat, a level-up unlock? She'd investigate later. For now…

Alex opened her castle warehouse: **[Roasted Chicken: 321 units]**. She immediately sent 21 units to Sophie.

**[Alex]:** I have some roasted chicken. This should tide you over. Let me know if you need more.

A while later, Sophie replied.

**[Sophie]:** Mmm, Alex, this chicken is so good! This is plenty! One portion is enough for a whole meal!

*(Universal Lords: 1 unit of food is enough for one person.)*

A thought struck Alex. Were other lords facing the same raw meat problem? She doubted many modern people could stomach raw meat. If no one else could cook, this was a business opportunity! Her Skeletal Dragon breathed fire!

Acting on the idea, Alex opened her lord panel and found what she was looking for: **[World Chat]** and **[Free Market]**.

The market was already bustling with activity.

**[Wood]**

**[Sale Type: Fixed Price]**

**[Price: 1 unit of water or 1 unit of cooked meat per 1 unit of wood]**

**[Remaining: 27 units]**

—

**[Stone]**

**(Similar listing)**

—

**[Fresh Water]**

**(Similar listing, price 1 cooked meat)**

—

**[Pork (Raw)]**

**[Price: 1 unit of cooked meat per 2 units of raw pork]**

…

Most listings were for wood, stone, and water. And the most common requests? Cooked meat! Someone was even offering *two* units of raw pork for one unit of cooked meat!

This confirmed two things. First, Alex was right about the modern aversion to raw meat. Second, most lords couldn't cook! They had no fire, or no way to make fire. They could *get* raw meat, but not *cook* it.

And Alex's fire-breathing Skeletal Dragon might be unique. On day one of *Universal Lords*, cooked meat was a hot commodity!

"I'm gonna be rich!" Alex cackled. "Arthur, the Undying Legion, all bone, no stomachs! They don't need food. They can just absorb… whatever… from the air. Same for me with this Lich King thing. And even if I *did* eat, I wouldn't need much. Plus, with Arthur, I have an unlimited supply of cooked meat!"

Alex opened her warehouse and listed all her roasted chicken on the market.

**[Roasted Chicken]**

**[Sale Type: Fixed Price]**

**[Price: 20 units of wood or 20 units of stone per 1 unit]**

**[Remaining: 300 units]**

The moment her listing went live, World Chat exploded.

"Who the hell is this?!"

"Highway robbery!"

"Everyone else is trading 1 for 1, and this jerk is charging *twenty* times the price!"

"Talk about a capitalist pig!"

"Even a black market isn't this shady!"

"I'm not even this shady!"