Chapter 15. Training and business ventures

The rest of the day continued with Michael getting tenderized as the trio watched and gave advice occasionally.

Unfortunately for the poor Necromancer, whenever he would get used to the pattern the formation attacked him with, new variations would sprout out of nowhere, beating him bloody.

If he initially hoped that once he was mashed potatoes, the training would stop or pause temporarily, the Rejuvenation spell the Druid used on him would bring him back to life and in fighting shape.

Then, the Rogue would tell him what he did wrong before being sent into the 'Shadow Realm' by the dummies and throw him back in the middle of the formation.

At some point, he was covered by his blood to such a degree that his clothes got in the way of moving due to the blood clotting. Just when he thought he would get a break, Aylin threw him a small marble ball.

[Crush it.](Aylin)

With only that much of an explanation given, he followed the instructions and crushed the marble in his right hand while holding the shield tightly in his left in case this was another fucked up test from the trio.

Luckily, nothing of sorts happened. A thin film extended from his right hand to his entire body, covering even his clothes. He watched in amazement as a soap bubble formed and absorbed the blood and grime that formed throughout the training session, only to burst and vanish a moment later.

He was shocked, curious, and in awe at the handy gadget but turned angry only a moment later. Scowling at the Sorceress, he yelled more than asked.

"If you had this, why did you douse me in cold water this morning!?"

[Bah! Do you think these Cleaning Marbles grow on trees or something? Pay me five gold coins.](Aylin)

"The fuck!? I need to pay for them?"

[Are you my son? Why would I need to give you stuff for free?](Aylin)

"Fair... Can I buy more of them from you?"

[Sure. I can give you 20.](Aylin)

A trade window was initiated, and Michael put in 100 gold coins while the Sorceress added 19 Cleaning Marbles.

He was amazed at the woman's stinginess but realized it was normal. While Wanderers could indeed make tons of money, they needed to risk their lives for it. Not to mention that five gold coins were enough for a family of four to live lavishly for an entire month.

[Brat, seeing that you're so happy, allow me to tell you. You can find these trinkets in every general goods shop in the cities. It usually costs a single gold coin. I thought I should throw in this piece of information since you decided to pay at a premium.](Martel)

Michael looked appalled as he turned to a grinning Aylin. Ultimately, he gave up complaining further, as he knew it was both a lesson and a favor from the woman.

The lesson was not to trust everything he hears, while the favor was the gadgets themselves. After all, while they could be bought in the larger settlements, he didn't have immediate access to them.

Paying a bit more for such helpful information was worth it. Not to mention that he now had 19 portable showers with him.

The training continued until lunch, when Aylin forced Michael to use another marble to clean himself up before preparing food, which he grudgingly did.

Once more, he amazed the trio, the old man and his son, with a new recipe — a chicken burrito with rice and beans.

Old man Al insisted on calling over the camp's best cooks (three middle-aged ladies and two men), to which Michael acquiesced and taught them the steps to create the tortilla and the filling.

"For ladies that want to keep their weight in check, remove the fried tortilla and layer the ingredients just like you would on a salad. If you want to cheat a little, sprinkle crushed tortilla strips over the top."

The camp's cooks were quite intrigued, as the old man and Rolo were discussing something on the side, with their faces stuffed.

On the other hand, Ayling was eating her burrito gracefully while eying him suspiciously.

"What now?"

[Where did you learn these recipes from? I've traveled to all five regions and sampled their dishes multiple times. Yet, I've never seen this sandwich before.](Aylin)

"I told you that it's called a burrito and not a sandwich. Also, they are personal creations, so I doubt you can find them anywhere else."

Michael didn't feel much pressure even if he shamelessly stood on the shoulders of cuisine giants and claimed their laurels. After all, he was in a different world. Having something he could use to bribe the nobles, Wanderers, and other influential people wasn't a bad idea.

'Maybe I could start a restaurant chain on the side and use its influence to back me up? But I need both connections to buy the land, hire chefs, and purchase good ingredients. I need... someone like Aylin to help me out with that.'

The tables turned pretty fast as the Sorceress shifted uncomfortably under Michael's voracious gaze. He didn't stop until the woman threw a small fireball at him.

[What are you staring at, pervert!?](Aylin)

"You're overthinking again..."

[Huh!?](Ayling)

"*Cough* I was thinking that it wouldn't be a bad idea to start a chain of restaurants."

[A what?](Aylin)

[Hmm? What is young friend Michael talking about? It sounds interesting.](Hoduin)

"A restaurant is an eatery, similar to an inn or tavern, but only provides food and drinks. Different than a tavern, though, it could be considered more high-class."

[Interesting... but there are taverns in every town and big cities. What difference would your 'restaurant' make?](Hoduin)

"Food variety. I have hundreds of recipes in mind, and you yourselves said that the food in the Sanctuary is quite... bland. Building such locations around the continent... doesn't that sound quite profitable?"

[Hmm... leaving aside the issue of purchasing the land to build on or the existing building, finding talented enough cooks would be a problem. Not to mention that most taverns belong to a small but influential group of merchants. Stepping on their toes and stealing their business... do you think it will come with no repercussions?

Then, there's the cost of food. High-quality food means high prices. The common folk wouldn't have enough coins to dine at your establishment, and you don't possess influence strong enough to draw the attention of the noble class, Wanderers, and merchants.

You also need to take into consideration the drinks. If you provide food of an elevated level, you can't serve it with ale commonly found in taverns, as it would damage your prestige.](Hoduin)

Seeing the Druid talking about business ventures in such an eloquent manner made Michael speechless.

Hearing Martel explain how the man of nature owned five inns and three shops spread across the continent's five regions made Michael disillusioned. His image of Druids was quickly shattering...

"I see. So it isn't easy to achieve... A goal for the future, maybe?"

[Well, it's difficult for you. With enough gold coins, I can buy the needed space and advertise the establishment if required.](Hoduin)

[And I know the best chefs on the continent. Most reach out to me to try their new creations. It wouldn't be hard to steal a couple of apprentices from them and force them to learn your new recipes. Even some of those old codgers might be interested in participating.](Aylin)

[I know a tribe that brews the best alcohol ever. Not only that, but I know some Druids that would be willing to sell their more delicious, not alcoholic brews for a reasonable price.](Martel)

[Those guys, huh?](Hoduin)

[Those guys.](Martel)

Probably noticing the quickly souring face of the newbie Wanderer, the trio laughed and patted him on the shoulder.

[Young friend, being a Wanderer is not cheap. You need to buy and maintain equipment, potions, accessories, train, purchase information, and other things. All require coins, and few work with anything less than gold.](Hoduin)

[Still... the idea sounds feasible, does it not?](Aylin)

[Mhm... I have some savings put aside for retirement. I can chip in.](Martel)

[Let's think about it after we finish our current Quest, and our young friend here can travel across all five regions.](Hoduin)

[I don't know about that. We're fine since we have many escaping mechanisms that can save our skin in case of need. On the other hand, he's sure to kick the bucket if the Sanctuary plans to... well, you know.](Aylin)

"Huh? Plans to what?"

[Nothing you have to worry about, young friend. Hmm... I can see your point. What do you propose?](Hoduin)

[Let's get the recipes first. We can sign a contract and split the profits four ways.](Aylin)

[That doesn't sound bad. I'm in since all I have to do is talk with my contacts and throw some coins.](Martel)

[I will participate with coins but also find good cooks. I can also use my connections to purchase fresh ingredients for the... uhm... restaurant.](Aylin)

[Then it's settled. I can take care of the locations of the establishment and the advertising. We should probably start small and see how it goes. I think Kehjistan is the best option to start in. Oh, right! Miss Aylin, do you have ink and paper on you? Getting at least twelve different breakfast, lunch, and dinner recipes would be suitable for the beginning stages.](Hoduin)

Michael was waved away and thrown back into the dummy formation while the trio dragged old man Al and Rolo to their side and began discussing their plans while watching him get beaten up.

To make matters worse, he was only let to rest at night when Aylin cooked. However, he was forced to write interesting recipes using quil, ink, and a strange yellow parchment as payment for the meal.

He wasn't worried about getting cheated again by the trio, as they signed a contract through the system, ensuring fairness.

It was pretty late when he finished writing a total of 36 dishes, each adequately detailed on the pages. Michael included the ingredients, possible replacements with Aylin's help, and the steps to be followed in cooking them.

The dishes were split into four categories: spicy, sweet, sour, and mixed.

It was already pretty late when the four went to sleep, and Hoduin had him take a pill before bed.

His previous conjectures were proven correct, as the Druid explained that the Rejuvenation used on him today would actually use his body's energy reserves. Continuous usage would result in weakness and even illness if taken too far.

The pill was a supplement, though, a magically boosted one by The Heart of the Forest. Without knowing what that heart thing was, he still ate it and fell asleep like a log soon after.

[Wake up, Michael. It's time for breakfast.](Aylin)

"Huh? *Yawn* Coming..."

He walked towards the door, amazed that his body wasn't hurting from yesterday's hustle. Chalking out as the Rejuvenation spell of the Druid plus the supplement from last night, Michael walked out to a reasonably dirty Aylin.

To make matters even stranger, she had dark circles under her eyes.

"Are you okay? You didn't sleep last night?"

[Well... we were curious about your recipes, and I tried cooking a couple. Those two started drinking and eating, and it was already morning when we came to. I wouldn't count on them to wake up until evening, though, as they both overate and overdrank.](Aylin)

Michael laughed with the Sorceress until he reached the table where she presented her rendition of Spinach-Mushroom Strata. To say that he was shocked by how incredibly delicious the dish was was an understatement.

He bit his tongue at least five times, as the food was terrific, but also because his body asked for sustenance. It seems that the supplement he ate from Hoduin wasn't enough to compensate.

After a thirty-minute break and stretching, he walked into the yard and looked warily at the dummy formation. He got beat so damned hard yesterday that a mental trauma was slowly forming.

[As a word of advice, the three dummies that didn't attack yesterday will do so from now on. Also, they will use earth, water, and illusion magic. They are weak versions of the actual spells, but it will hurt a lot.](Aylin)

"*Sigh* I thought as much."

[Eh? Not going to complain?](Aylin)

"I'm not a child, okay! I know you three are doing this for my own good, and I like being alive very much. It would be stupid not to take advantage of this opportunity to get stronger."

[Smart! Well? What are you waiting for? Get on with it.](Aylin)

"Ugh..."

[Huh? Where is that wisdom and bravado from seconds ago?](Aylin)

"...just because I know it's good for me doesn't mean I like pain..."

Under the eyes of the guffawing Sorceress, Michael proceeded to get beaten to a pulp, drenched, electrocuted, and mentally attacked for the rest of the day.

He didn't have to cook, so fortunately, he didn't have to waste more of his precious marbles. After using two yesterday and one this morning, he only had 17 left, which needed to be rationed appropriately.

Later that day, Hoduin and Martel woke up, with the Rogue rapidly walking outside the camp and dragging a corpse-like Michael with him. There, he got a crash course on tracking human activity.

It differed from what Orla and Bonny had taught him about tracking animals, but it proved that they had helped lay a foundation for him. The Rogue was slightly impressed, and they returned about an hour later to the camp.

[Enough training for now. Any more, and it will become hurtful rather than helpful. As you know, we must leave tomorrow morning, or we'll fail our current Quest. Taking you with us is also out of the question since where we're headed, even Level 70 Wanderers can die easily.](Hoduin)

Michael nodded but also marveled at the sudden nugget of information. This trio was undoubtedly above 70 if they dared venture into places where Classes of that level die with ease.

However, he was unwilling to part with the trio and the training formation. He wasn't a masochist, but it helped him improve hugely when attacking and defending himself.