Chapter 107

In the middle of the village, a large pot was boiling, emitting clear steam.

However, inside the pot, instead of human food, there was just a large rock.

That's right.

What was being boiled in the middle of the village wasn't food but just a stone.

"Ha... it looks delicious."

"Soup made from stone? What could it possibly taste like?"

"I wish I could have just one taste!"

Everyone knew there was a stone in the pot.

The Northerners knew, Ian knew, and so did Kira and Belenka.

But when Kira, who had become the exclusive advertising model for Ian Co., tasted the stone broth with relish, the onlookers couldn't help but swallow their saliva.

Wow! How delicious must it be for her to make that face!

The innocent Northerners couldn't have imagined that Kira's expression was 100% acting.

Even if a modern person reincarnated as a Northerner were among them, they wouldn't have noticed.

Who in the world would pour water over a perfectly fine stone, boil it, and then insist it's "stone soup"?

When faced with something so outrageous, people tend to think, "Is it true?" rather than "It's a lie."

It's similar to how "stories of giving a bitter drink to an annoying sister-in-law" on the internet are fictional, but "stories of losing a fight to a military tough guy" often have a real victim.

So, instead of thinking it's a ridiculous scam, they believed he was really making soup from stones!

'I feel a little sorry.'

But the stone soup Ian prepared was... simply a scam.

It was no different from the scams that old-time quacks used to pull.

The only difference between Ian and a quack was that if caught, people wouldn't hate him enough to want to kill him.

Frankly speaking, [Project - Stone Soup] could fail.

In that case, he'd just feel a little embarrassed and then find another way.

After all, Ian was a wizard, so even if he did something crazy, people would just think, "Ah, wizards are just like that," and move on.

Looking around, Ian sensed that the time was ripe.

It was time to start making the soup in earnest.

"Gunnar, do you really want to try the soup?"

Ian called Gunnar's name.

Gunnar, who had been staring at the pot with his neck stretched out, was startled and replied.

"You, you'll give me some?!"

Wasn't it sacred food that couldn't be given away?

Ian looked at the pot and tilted his head with a vague expression.

"Well... in principle, only those who have God's permission should eat it, but... come to think of it, Gunnar, you also helped me on my journey, right?"

"Uh... uh? Right! I helped!"

As Ian slowly began to speak, Gunnar focused on his words as if he were a person possessed.

The wizard's tongue was as cunning as a snake.

"It looks like more food will come out than expected. Look at this pot. Doesn't it seem too much for the three of us?"

Though he was speaking to Gunnar, it wasn't just for Gunnar.

It was meant for all the villagers to hear.

When Ian threw out the bait, the villagers, already eager, snatched it up like hungry fish.

"Yes! It does look a bit much!"

"How can three people eat all that?"

"You have to share it, of course! Absolutely!"

Everyone said this because they wanted to put the stone soup in their own mouths.

It was exactly the reaction Ian wanted.

After all, human greed is the fundamental reason people fall for scams!

Ian shouted loudly in front of the pot.

"Oh, heaven! Is it okay to share your food with this young man?"

"[Fire! Burn brightly!]"

Simultaneously, Kira chanted from the side.

The villagers didn't know Kira was speaking Maronius.

They just thought, "Oh, it's simultaneous translation!"

Whoosh!

The mysterious fire erupted like an explosion.

The villagers, startled, stepped back.

"The sky…!"

"Answered!"

Ian shouted loudly.

"The Sky has said that if we offer a worthy sacrifice, The soup will be shared!"

"Ohhh!"

"Those who follow the will of the Sky! Gunnar! Go and fetch an offering for the Sky!"

"Of-offering?"

Ian whispered quietly.

"If you have any leftover food at home, bring some. Edible stuff. I'll offer it to the Sky."

"Got it! Ian!"

Gunnar ran off as if flying.

A little later, he appeared with some dried vegetables.

"It's dried radish... will this do?"

Ian crossed his arms.

Hmm. Dried radish.

It will give a refreshing flavor to the soup.

"Alright. Hand it over."

As Ian tossed a handful of dried radish into the pot,

[You're up to something fun again, Ian. Hehe, would you mind if I help a little?]

A bright light flashed and shot up from the pot!

'... Huh?'

Ian looked at the pot in confusion.

This is similar to when we brewed coffee last time…

"Did God accept the offering?!"

"Gunnar, you've been devoutly believing in the Sky God, and today you see the light!"

Though it felt a bit strange, the Northerners clearly saw the Sky God's response with their own eyes.

That was enough.

"Here. Have a taste. It's definitely delicious."

Ian ladled out a scoop of broth (plain water) and handed it to Gunnar.

Gunnar, with a pounding heart, took a large spoonful of the soup.

"...!"

"How is it?"

"I'm not sure… it just tastes like water…"

"The end taste is crucial for stone soup. Did you drink it all?"

"Yeah."

"Then you're tasting something delicious."

"???"

Huh? This is the feeling of 'delicious'???

Gunnar made a face like a character from a light novel who first discovered the taste of 'delicious.'

That's how scary gaslighting can be.

But Gunnar, a follower of the Sky God, couldn't openly say it tasted weird.

How could he complain about food bestowed by the Sky God?

"Well, now that you mention it, it does taste fresh and delicious…"

"Let me see."

Ian took a sip of the soup and spoke flatly.

"It definitely hasn't developed flavor yet."

"Ah, is that so?"

"The ingredient is a stone, after all. It takes a long time to bring out the flavor. By dinner time, it should taste much better."

Aha! I see!

Gunnar was fully convinced.

It's just plain soup now (true), but by dinner time, it'll taste good (false)!

Gunnar showed a lukewarm reaction to the stone soup, but that didn't matter.

What mattered was that one of the villagers had shared in the soup.

"Hey… I believe in the Sky God too. Can I share the soup?"

"Me too! I've prayed before!"

As the expectation that they, too, might be able to share Ian's stone soup spread, the villagers rushed to Ian, shouting.

But Ian answered coldly.

"You can't taste the soup."

"Why not! I said I believe in the Sky God too!"

"Stone soup is a special food that the Sky has bestowed for my journey. Only those who have helped me on my journey can taste it."

"Ha! I've got some leftover food at home too! If I donate it to you, can I have some stone soup?"

"Oh, donate to me? You're offering it to the Sky, aren't you?"

As Ian subtly provoked them, the desperate Northerners each ran home and came back with food.

People spend money when they're pissed off.

When the item I wanted was right in front of me but I couldn't get it, I spent money even more aggressively.

Driven by a singular desire to share Ian's stone soup, the Northerners donated their food to Ian.

Ian put all the food given by the Northerners into the soup, without leaving anything out.

"Meat, huh? I wonder if it's alright to accept something this precious…"

"Potatoes! Potatoes are delicious. I'll enjoy them."

"Barley? Where did this come from…?"

"Aha! This is a fresh leather armor… no, hey. Are you kidding me? Are you offering this junk to the Sky?"

The Northerners closely watched what ingredients went into the pot.

They no longer expected the stone soup to taste like nonsense.

Meat, vegetables, salt…

What's this? This is all familiar, isn't it?

The Northerners licked their lips.

For real, the stone soup was starting to look delicious…!

Ian smiled contentedly as he looked at the stone soup, which was now giving off a delicious aroma.

Congratulations! Your [Stone Soup] has evolved into [Eternal Stew]!

"Well, well. This is something."

Helga, the chief of the Sky Claw tribe, let out an incredulous chuckle as she watched the bustling village.

Since the morning, when some wizard had shown up spouting nonsense about making soup with a stone, she had sensed something was off.

By the afternoon, the wizard was indeed making soup.

Soup with a stone right in the middle of it.

"He's really making soup with a stone."

It's bewildering.

But it didn't feel like a bad thing.

The villagers who had invested their food in Ian's stone soup waited for it to be ready, sitting around the pot and starting games.

"Someone who doesn't know love~ is a heartless person~"

"Aah~ so heartless~ so cruel~"

The red-haired wizard, Kira, sang in a soft voice.

It was Ian's trick to keep the villagers entertained so they wouldn't get bored and leave halfway through.

Before she became a wizard, Kira had been a medieval entertainer who made her living from performances.

With such a professional performer setting up a playground, it was only natural that people couldn't leave the pot.

"Chief!"

The villagers who spotted Helga ran over and shouted.

"Chief, you should offer food to the Sky too!"

"To the Sky?"

"Yes! Then you can share the stone soup too!"

The villagers who had already put their food into the pot were now determined to recruit new members.

'Come on~ the more members we have, the richer the stone soup will be, right~?'

Doesn't this structure look familiar?

That's right.

Human network marketing.

It's the same principle as multi-level marketing…!

Existing members bring in new members to put food into the pot, making the food supply richer!

'Hmm… if only we had a little more vegetables, it would taste so much better…'

'The Sky wants vegetables!'

No one knew when Ian became the Sky, but whenever Ian hinted at what was missing in the stone soup, the "members" would go out and actively conduct human marketing to find a household with those ingredients.

That's exactly what they were suggesting to Helga now.

Helga chuckled.

She wasn't particularly curious about the taste of the stone soup. But the villagers were so excited.

They had forgotten all about the pressure of war and the failures of hunting.

Together, they sat around, laughing and chatting, waiting for just one dish.

"Then should I offer something too?"

"Meat! Please offer some meat!"

"No, no! We already have plenty of meat! We need more vegetables!"

"Wouldn't barley be better than vegetables?"

By now, the villagers treated Ian's stone soup as a feast.

Everyone had added various ingredients under the pretext of offering them to the Sky.

Helga was the village chief.

She couldn't just toss in a measly handful of dried meat, so she generously donated a whole basket of ham.

"Wow! Chief, you're the best!"

Ian greeted Helga with a smile.

"Thank you for your donation, Chief."

"At first, when you said you were making soup with a stone, I wondered what you were talking about… but now, it looks like it's going to taste amazing."

Helga abandoned her work and joined the festivities.

With Kira performing and the villagers all out waiting for the soup, other residents who had been cooped up at home began joining one by one, curious about what was going on.

And as they all gathered and played together…

It was just a blast.

It had all started with Ian's eccentric behavior, but by now, it was no different from a village festival.

In the end, the entire village came out, drinking and singing while waiting for the stone soup to be finished.

Everyone had donated food to Ian, so everyone deserved a taste.

"Gregory! Come out and make a donation too!"

"Why me?"

Gregory, who had holed himself up at home, was having a miserable time.

Had everyone suddenly gone mad???

Why on earth were they all throwing a festival for the Sky God?

We're on the brink of war!

Everyone should be frowning at home!

Why! Why is everyone so happy?

Stop being so cheerful!

"Hey! Aren't you one of us?"

"Trying to keep everything to yourself again, huh?"

Gregory quickly fell out of favor with the public.

He was already unpopular, but seeing him refuse to join the communal spirit made him even more unlikeable.

Once someone is disliked, nothing they do is well received.

In the end, Helga stepped in personally.

"Gregory! Hand over some food!"

"Chief, have you lost your mind? You want to offer food to the Sky God?"

"Yes. Our tribe has always believed in the Sky. There's nothing wrong with that."

Gregory was dumbfounded.

Since when were they such devout followers of the Sky God?

"Tsk. If only we had some more sausages…"

"The Sky wants sausages!"

This had become a communal religious event.

It wasn't true, but they decided to make it that way.

So, Gregory had no way out…

With tears in his eyes, he shouted.

"You cunning wizard! Fine! Take it! Take it all!"

"Oh, really? Thanks."

Ian led the neighborhood ladies and emptied Gregory's food storage thoroughly.

The flavor of the stone soup grew even richer.

As the sun set and a chilly breeze blew in,

"Alright! It's ready!"

Ian finally declared the stone soup finished.

The villagers each brought their bowls and received a ladleful of stone soup.

And the taste of the stone soup…

Was indescribably fantastic.

How could warm stew after a night of revelry not taste good?

"To be honest, this isn't the flavor I expected…"

"What kind of flavor were you expecting?"

Ian sat with his companions and tasted the stone stew.

"It's supposed to be divine food. I thought it would taste heavenly…"

Gunnar grumbled.

Ian smiled and said,

"You don't get it. This is the taste of heaven."

Kira and Belenka also smiled and nodded.

The wizard was right.

Soup made with stone tasted truly magical.