Chapter 11: Chocolate is life

As the group indulged in their chocolate, Lucy's face beamed with pure joy and delight. She let out a blissful sigh and practically swooned at the taste, exclaiming, "This is the best thing I've ever eaten in my life!" Charlotte also seemed to be enjoying the chocolate, though she was a bit more composed in her enthusiasm. She gave a satisfied nod and a contented smile as she savored each bite.

Ethan and Blake, however, seemed somewhat unimpressed. They both took small bites and simply shrugged, their expressions neutral. "It's okay, I guess," Ethan said, clearly not as blown away by the chocolate as the others.

"Yeah, it's ight," Blake agreed, barely sparing the chocolate a second glance.

Lucy and Charlotte both stared at the two men in shock and disbelief. "What do you mean, 'it's okay? This is the most delicious treat in the world!" Lucy protested.

"Compared to back home I'd give this a six out of ten," Ethan said

Lucy's eyes nearly popped out of her head, "A six out of ten?! Are you kidding me?!" she exclaimed, her shock and disbelief written all over her face. "This is at least an eleven out of ten!"

Charlotte nodded in agreement

Ethan and Blake shrugged and exchanged a look of boredom. "I guess we just have higher standards," Ethan said nonchalantly.

Lucy gasped and clutched her chest dramatically, "Higher standards?!"

"Well, Dickhead I think we know this is our money-making method. Congrats on making yourself useful."

"So Blake there are more plants in this world. It also seems to have plants and items from our world too which means we can make adjustments to products from our world like our chocolate."

Blake was staring at the wall.

"Blake?"

"Yeah? I'm not going to lie bro. You lost me at plants." Blake responded.

Ethan sighed.

Ethan turned to Lucy with a serious expression, a look of pure determination in his eyes. "Lucy, my love," he began, his voice dripping with fake sincerity, "I think I deserve a little kiss."

Lucy couldn't help but burst out laughing at Ethan's dramatic request. "I don't think you're in any girl's league."

"Do you identify as a girl?" Ethan asked swiftly.

"Yes," Lucy responded.

Ethan let out a dramatic sigh and slumped his shoulders in defeat.

Blake then took the tray of Chocolate which had some remaining chocolate left and strutted over to the group of adventurers, his tray of chocolate held high like a prize. "You guys want to buy a peak snack?" he asked, practically oozing charm.

The adventurers looked at him skeptically and shook their heads. "Nah, we're good," one of them said.

But Blake was not one to be deterred so easily. "Nah bro trust meee." he pleaded, thrusting the tray in their faces. "You won't regret it on god."

The adventurers looked at each other, then back at Blake, who was now practically begging with his eyes. "Fine, we'll take one," they relented, handing over one bronze coin.

Blake, on the other hand, had a greedy expression plastered on his face as he watched the adventurers devour his chocolate. He licked his lips hungrily, a maniacal gleam in his eye as he calculated the profit he would make from this sale.

"Hey kid can we buy more?" The adventurer asked.

"Of course."

As the adventurers devoured the chocolate, their faces contorted into expressions of pure bliss and ecstasy. They moaned and groaned with delight, their eyes rolling back in their heads as they savored every bite. One of them even fell to the ground in a fit of chocolate-induced euphoria, unable to contain their excitement any longer.

"Nah bro what the hell," Blake said.

Ethan then ran over to Blake.

"Aye, is he allergic?"

"Shit bro not my problem," Blake responded.

"Wait can we get sued?"

Blake then looked at the adventurers. He had a blank expression.

"Yeah so uh- we are not liable for any health issues caused by our product."

Ethan and Blake then walked back to Charlotte and Lucy.

Charlotte and Lucy both looked absolutely betrayed, their faces contorted into expressions of deep hurt and disappointment. Charlotte's eyes were narrowed into slits, her eyebrows furrowed in anger, and her lips turned down into a scowl. She looked like she had just been personally wronged, her entire body tense with emotion.

Lucy, on the other hand, looked like she was on the verge of tears, her eyes welling up and her lower lip trembling. She looked utterly heartbroken like she had just been betrayed by the people she trusted most. Her face was a mask of pain and hurt, her eyes filled with a deep sense of sadness and loss.

"Did someone die?" Ethan asked.

"You took away OUR food you PERVERT!" Charlotte responded.

Ethan and Blake huddled together, their heads close as they whispered quietly to each other.

"I think we should ditch them." Ethan said."

"Same. But we got no one else so we gotta put up with them."

"Fucking demon queen. Why can't she just die from a disease or something?"

Blake stood up and looked at the two girls with a condescending stare, his eyes narrowed and his lips curled into a sneer. There was a look of disdain on his face as if he was looking down on them from a great height.

Ethan walked up to Lucy with determination radiating from his eyes.

"Lucy. If you go out with me I will make you as much chocolate as you want."

"Suddenly I'm not hungry anymore," Lucy responded.

"Would you ever consider dating me?"

"No."

Blake grabbed Ethan by the shoulders and gave him a firm shove to the side, sending him stumbling out of the way. He then spun around to face Lucy, his eyes wide with determination and a sly grin on his face.

"Lucy, can you repeat what you did to make the chocolate?"

"I could do that easily if we had more ingredients."

Blake then showed Lucy all of the coins he had. It was 33 bronze coins.

"Let's hurry and buy them then. We can make it and then sell it for profit. With whatever we earn we can buy food and maybe another place at an Inn." Blake said

Lucy and Charlotte exchanged a nervous glance. They then started to sweat a little bit.

"I don't think we can show our faces there," Charlotte said.

Blake sighed and clenched his fists.

"Couldn't you have just seduced them instead of screaming calling them perverts?" Blake said.

"I actually suggested that but Charlotte was having none of that," Lucy responded.

"Ethan and I will go then. You two stay here and don't do anything stupid.

Ethan and Blake stepped out of the adventurers guild into the hot, humid air. Ethan immediately felt sweat begin to form on his forehead and upper lip, and he could feel the heat radiating off the pavement beneath his feet. He wiped his brow with the back of his hand, trying to cool off a bit. Blake, on the other hand, seemed unphased by the heat. He looked annoyed as he squinted against the bright sun, but he didn't seem to be sweating at all. His skin was dry and his clothes were still burnt to a crisp.

"Blake, do you think we could make manga in this world?"

"Neither of us can fucking draw and you would also have to invent a printer probably."

"I actually know how to make a printer Blake."

"Do you actually or are you just saying that?"

"Why would I know how to make a printer bro?"

"I don't know man. You watched a documentary on chocolate so it could've been possible."

Ethan put his burned hoodie on his shoulder, trying to avoid the heat.

After a few minutes, he looked like a tomato that had been left out in the sun for too long, with his face and arms covered in angry red patches. Blake couldn't help but laugh at his friend's misfortune as they walked through the crowded marketplace, dodging vendors and shoppers as they made their way to the cocoa powder seller.

They handed the money to the seller and bought twice the amount that the girls had bought.

"Blake pick it up."

"Nah bro you're carrying it."

"Rock paper scissors?"

"Alright ima win this time bro."

The two then chose their move. Both of them chose paper.

They went again. Blake chose rock Ethan chose scissors.

"I'm not going to lie I thought we were finna draw all day," Blake said.

"Yeah sure bro. Let's just find the rest of the things because this shit is heavy." Ethan responded.

Ethan and Blake had spent the entire day shopping for supplies. As they made their way back to the adventurers guild, Ethan's sunburn became more and more severe. His skin was bright red and blistering, and he was visibly in pain as he walked.

As they finally made it back to the guild, Ethan collapsed onto the floor, his sunburned skin blistering and raw.

"Ethan you know mess has to heal you right?"

Ethan cried in pain as Charlotte approached him.