Chapter 21: Welcome to Motegi's Potion Shop!

The next day, Motegi and the girls wake up a little bit early for preparing the store opening. After they have breakfast, they go down to the first floor to open the store's door. However, there is something they don't expect to happen.

"Ehh?? Why is there a lot of people here?"

"Is this the store that sold the potion in the guild yesterday?"

"Yes. You're right."

When Motegi opens the door, they are surprised because there are a lot of people waiting in front of their store.

The potion samples Motegi brought to the merchant guild were purchased by a certain adventurer. After the person commented on how sweet and flavorful the potion was, it quickly became a major talking point for adventurers and they were curious about the store that sold it. However, because his store was surrounded by buildings and only accessible from a narrow back alley, they didn't believe that the potions were from there. But when Motegi confirmed it, their excitement was rising high quickly.

"Is it not open yet? I need to go to the labyrinth quickly."

"Yes. We want to buy those incredible potions too."

"Me too. I didn't get the sample yesterday, so I'm curious about it."

"Open the store, sir!"

"Alright, alright. Sorry to keep you waiting! Now, let's open the store!"

He places a signboard next to the door and announces his store is officially open for business.

"Whoa!! It's beautiful!"

"These potions look so colorful!"

The people who have gathered before Motegi opens the store immediately enter inside. Seeing so many potions lining up on the shelves beautifully, they are amazed by it. They also see every potion is arranged by types and ranks, so they easily can choose what they want.

"I'll buy these."

"Alright. Five power potions, five endurance potions, and five speed potions, all D rank. Also, three recovery potions and three detox potions, all C rank. It's 13,500 ginks in total."

"I'll pay by card."

"Okay. So please put your card over there."

"Yes."

A male adventurer buys lots of potions and he pays the amount in the transaction magic tool on the counter. After that, he quickly drinks one of the power potions and he is surprised because of its taste.

"Whoa!! It's sweet!"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, it really is!"

"I need to pay for these quickly, then."

"Yeah, me too. I can't wait to taste it."

Because that man shouted loudly, the other customers who were queuing at the counter became more curious to try the potions too and they also couldn't wait to pay. Seeing the enthusiasm of them, Motegi feels happy about it.

"These on the top are C rank and the bottom ones are G rank."

"The healing potions are over here and this shelf beside me is the antidote potions area."

While Motegi is busy with the customers, Hazewynn and Chantal also have their own jobs by guiding the customers to the potion location they want to buy. Yesterday, Motegi taught them how to deal with customers and because they were quick learners, they could implement it easily today. They don't seem nervous or struggling when answering the questions even though it's their first time working in a store.

"I'll receive your payment. Thank you for buying our products. We'll be waiting for your next visit."

"Yes, absolutely. I'll come back here."

"Thank you. Alright, next one, please."

"It's me!"

Motegi continues to deal with the queuing customers at the counter. After they pay for the potions, they quickly take a sip of it and they're all saying it has an amazing flavor. With the good services and high-quality potions in his store, they think it's impossible for them to not return there.

"I can't believe this is your store, Motegi."

"Yeah. Thank you."

Gerritt is also one of the customers who visit his shop today. He was also curious about those potions yesterday and when he arrived at the shop today, he was surprised because he found out if it was owned by Motegi.

"Well, how much are these?"

"Okay, I'll count them. Eight power potions, five recovery potions, and five antidote potions, all C rank. It's 18,000 ginks in total."

"I'll pay with the card."

"Yes, please."

After he pays the amount, he quickly drinks a bottle of potion like the other customers do and he also has the same reaction when the potion reaches his tongue for the first time.

"Whoa! It's sweet!"

"I'm glad you like it."

"As I thought, what Ennia said was true. It's an incredible potion."

"Ennia?"

"Oh, you don't know about her? She is the most famous A-rank adventurer in Veldran right now. She was also the person who bought your potion in the guild yesterday."

"Ah, I get it."

Gerritt tells Motegi that a woman named Ennia is a well-known adventurer in Veldran and her reputation is highly respected. He also says she always visits the merchant guild every time they sell new products. Her testimonies also become the standard of every adventurer when they want to buy those new products and if she says it's worth purchasing, they don't have to think twice to buy it.

Motegi then thinks he wants to meet her someday and thanks her for promoting his potions.

"Thank you for your purchase. We'll be waiting for your next visit."

"Yes."

"Hahh...it's sold out, Motegi-sama. He was the last one."

"I can't believe they keep flocking in...haha..."

"Good work, you two. It was a huge success today."

In five hours of operating the store, all the potions were sold out.

After the last customer left, Motegi took the sign board inside and he closed the shop. When he sees all the shelves have become empty, he is very happy about it because his first day of selling is a huge success. He also can't believe if he manages to sell many potions in a single day.

Hazewynn and Chantal, who are on their first day as store staff, looked tired after they dealt with lots of customers. However, they feel happy because they also have become a part of today's sales success.

"Now drink these potions."

"Thank you very much, Motegi-sama."

"Thank you, Motegi-san."

Motegi knew they'd been working hard today and to appreciate their work, he gave them recovery potions and they felt refreshed after drinking them.

"Now, let's count our sales today!"

""Yes!""

After a moment, the three of them go to the count to check today's sales.

"Okay, I've made 410 G rank, 410 F rank, 400 E rank, 400 D rank, and 380 C rank for today. So, if all of them are selling out, it will be six... four... Yeah, it's 644,600 ginks in total!"

"Congratulations, Motegi-sama."

"Congratulations, Motegi-san."

Motegi had made about 400 potions for each rank and because they were all sold out, he could calculate them easily. He managed to get 6 large gold coins, 4 gold coins, 4 large silver coins, and 6 silver coins on his first day of selling.

Motegi thinks this amount alone is way more than his daily adventuring income if it doesn't include selling skill crystals or magic crystals. Even though the labyrinth quest is fun, the reward isn't worth the effort, so he needs to boost his luck to get rare items and earn more income. Then, knowing that his potions are already well-received, he starts to wonder if the sales remain stable like this or even increase, maybe he will focus on his store and do adventuring as a hobby.

"Well, let's refill the shelves again, shall we?"

"Yes, Motegi-sama!"

"Yes, Motegi-san."

After a moment, the three of them continue working in the store to restock the potions. Motegi takes a bottle of potion from his storage then he puts it inside a box and after he copies it until the box is filled, they move the potions into the shelves. When they finished, they left the house to buy some groceries and go to Henri's place to receive the diamond necklaces he had ordered which is due to be completed today.

**********

"Can I help you, sir?"

"I have an appointment with Mr. Henri today. I asked him to make necklaces and he said I could take it today."

"Okay. Just wait a second."

The female employee who greeted us at the jewelry store was a different person than the one we had met two days ago, so she didn't know our purpose of visit. After I explain to her, she goes to the back and calls Henri.

"Ah, it's you!"

"Hello, Henri. I'm here for the necklaces."

"Yup, I know it. Follow me."

When Henri came, I told him about my request and Henri walked to the side of the counter while the three of us were following him.

"Well, this is your requested necklace."

Henri took out the necklaces and arranged them on the table. Just as I requested, they're simple necklaces with a diamond pendant hanging in the center.

"Unbelievable, isn't it?"

"Motegi-sama, it's beautiful."

"Yes, it's amazing."

Because Henri made the necklaces look stylish and elegant, Hazewynn, Chantal, and I were fascinated by how well-made they were. I think maybe because the materials are from Quartz Golem's rough diamond, which is considered the most beautiful drop item in the world, it will still look beautiful anyway even though it isn't made as accessories.

"Well, you can try them."

"Really?"

"Yes, let me know what you think."

"Okay. Let me help you put this on."

After Henri allowed us to try the necklaces, I took one of them then put it in Hazewynn's neck and I did the same to Chantal.

"It's wonderful. Thank you."

"It's the nicest thing I've ever had."

"I'm glad you're happy."

Hazewynn and Chantal were commenting on the beauty of the necklaces on their neck and they thanked Henri for his excellent work.

"Okay, now let's talk about payment."

"Understood."

When the three of us were satisfied with his work, Henri told us if it was the time to pay for his service.

"How much it cost?"

"Well, it takes me almost 30 years to work on this rough diamond again and I don't know if I can experience it again in the future. So, can you pay with this?"

I thought since it was made with a top-notch skill, the fees might be high too. However, Henri took out the remaining Quartz Golem's rough diamond and told me he would like to have it in exchange for payment. He tells me he knows how rare that item is and that the beauty itself is incomparable to regular diamonds, so he doesn't want to miss the chance to work with it again.

"Yes, you can have it."

"Oh! Thank you! We've got a deal, then."

Because I still had plenty of copies of the rough diamonds, I thought it was no problem for me to give one to Henri, which made Henri smile wryly.

"Thank you very much, Henri."

"You're welcome."

After the business with Henri is finished, Hazewynn, Chantal, and I return to our house. We're about to hold a celebration party for the store opening's success, so we need to go home quickly so we can prepare for it.

**********

When they returned home, they quickly prepared dinner. Of course, the dishes they would eat tonight were from Motegi's recipes and he taught Hazewynn and Chantal how to make them.

"Motegi-sama, the meat and casserole are ready!"

"Alright!"

Hazewynn was in charge of roasting meat and Motegi told her to make chimichurri sauce, which confused her at first because she never heard of it.

As she listened to Motegi's instructions, she made chimichurri sauce by mixing the parsley, oregano, vinegar, and some seasonings, then marinated the Blitz Sheep meat with the mixture. When she waited for the meat to be marinated, she prepared the casserole by mixing eggplants, sweet potatoes, and broccoli with melted butter, sour cream, cheese, and other seasonings. Then, she baked the casserole along with the meat in the oven and after it was done, she poured the remaining chimichurri on top of the meat.

"The quails and potatoes too, Motegi-san!"

"Great!"

Chantal was in charge of frying quails and potatoes. At first, she was surprised when Motegi told her to put those ingredients into a huge amount of oil because she didn't know if a cooking method like that existed. But, her curiosity went high when he told her if fried food would bring a delicious taste and she quickly followed his instructions.

First, she mixed honey, with seasonings and butter to make a honey glaze, then put it aside. She marinated the quail with simple seasonings and cut the potatoes into wedge-shaped size, then fried them. After it's done, she drizzles the fried quail with the glaze.

"Okay, the salad is done too. Now, let's bring them to the table!"

""Yes!""

Not only help them cook, but Motegi also made Greek salad to accompany the dishes.

After they finish cooking, they serve all the dishes on the table.

"""Let's eat!"""

"""Delicious!"""

Without thinking twice, they immediately start their dinner. When the food enters their mouth for the first time, they're all amazed by how delicious the dishes are.

"Motegi-sama, this meat is amazing! The chimichurri makes it more flavorful."

"This fried potatoes too! It's crispy on the outside and soft on the inside."

Hazewynn and Chantal were amazed by the dishes they made and he fried foods were the most impressive for them because they couldn't believe the taste will be so delicious even though the seasonings are simple. They can't stop their mouth from chewing the delicious foods and even Hazewynn also eats a lot like Chantal does, which is something she had never done before. Seeing them enjoying the food happily, Motegi can't help but smile and he is glad because he brings another new experience for them.

As the three of them enjoy the dinner, they also have a chat and laugh together. The homely scene inside the house continues until all the dishes are gone.

"Now, let's toast to our success today! Cheers!"

""Cheers!""

Because they also hold a party, they have a bottle of wine as the final touch for their dinner. When their stomach has been filled with such an amount of food, they continue their celebratio party with drinking a glass of wine together.