“So, are you guys planning to move your base to another town soon?”

I asked Roya and the others about the thing that had been on my mind the most.

This town of Al-Flare is a gathering place for rookie adventurers. There aren’t any monsters that drop high-value materials, and the cost of living is lower compared to other towns. Because of that, adventurers who graduate from being rookies usually relocate to another town.

Of course, I’m really happy that Roya and the others have ranked up as adventurers, but the thought of them leaving this town makes me feel really lonely.

Ever since I opened my outdoor shop here, many adventurers have come back to express their gratitude before moving on to another town. That always made me happy, but at the same time, it was also very bittersweet.

“Nah, we’re staying in this town for a while longer.”

“Oh, really?”

“Even though we’ve reached D-rank, we’re planning to prepare a little more before heading to the next town.”

“Yeah, we want to get better weapons and armor before moving on.”

It seems that Roya’s party will be staying in town for a while longer to get ready before they leave. I felt a little—no, to be honest, I felt really relieved.

Since opening my shop, I’ve met a lot of people, but Roya and his group are definitely the ones I’m closest to. If they had left, I would’ve felt incredibly lonely.

“So, we’ll be relying on your shop for a while longer. Looking forward to doing business with you!”

“Yeah, I appreciate your continued patronage!”

Looks like I’ll still get to hang out with Roya and the others for a bit longer. Now I can celebrate their promotion without any worries.

“Hey, Tetsuya! It’s been a while. How’s the food today?”

While we were all enjoying our meal, the muscular old man who owns the inn came over.

“Yeah, it’s delicious. I’m guessing you used the instant soup we sell at our shop for seasoning, right?”

“Oh, you got it! Ever since you told me about that, I’ve been using it for flavoring. The customers seem to like it, too.”

Back when I first ate here, I told him that the instant soups we sell at our shop could be used as seasonings. It seems like he experimented with different ways to use them afterward.

“Hey, old man, the stew from before was good, but this one tastes even better!”

“Yeah, I like this one more, too. The flavor has more depth.”

“Glad to hear that! Lately, more and more people have been coming just for the food. It’s all thanks to the instant soups from your shop.”

He probably added just miso soup base to the stew to deepen the flavor. And I bet he used consommé soup base for the stir-fried vegetables. Since I also use instant soups and ramen broth for cooking, I can tell right away.

“Oh, and if you could start selling that outdoor spice mix at your shop, that’d be a big help.”

Spices like pepper are still a bit expensive in this town. If I started selling outdoor spice mixes, it might cause some issues, so I haven’t put them on the shelves yet.

However, for people like the old man at the inn and Roya’s group, who have always supported us, I’ve been secretly selling it to them at a discount. In exchange, they let me add a bit of my own seasonings to the dishes they serve.

“But it sounds like pepper is going to become cheaper soon. If that happens, won’t your shop be able to sell the outdoor spice mix normally?”

“Oh? That’s the first I’ve heard of it.”

“Apparently, some famous magician developed a spell that lets pepper grow anywhere. We, innkeepers and restaurant owners, have been hearing that it’s only a matter of time before not just pepper, but other spices become cheaper too. And if that happens, taxes might go down as well.”

Back in my original world, pepper was expensive because transporting it over long distances by land was extremely costly. If it can be grown anywhere, its price will definitely drop significantly.

Magic is seriously amazing. If they can do this, they might even be able to start selectively breeding crops in the future... That thought is kind of scary.

“If pepper and other spices really do get cheaper, we’ll be able to sell outdoor spice mixes. It’d also be great if a wider variety of seasonings became more accessible.”

This was good news for me. Not just for the shop’s profits, but because better access to different spices and seasonings would make daily meals more enjoyable. As someone who cooks regularly, I’d be really happy about that.

“If the price isn’t too high, I bet all the adventurers would buy it! Just sprinkling it on grilled meat makes any cut taste amazing.”

“Yeah, it’s way better than just using salt. It’ll definitely sell!”

“It’s useful for regular cooking, too. I think even non-adventurers would buy it!”

If Roya and the others think so, then other adventurers will probably buy it as well. It seems like there’s a solid demand for food-related products. Once the prices of spices stabilize, I’ll consider selling outdoor spice mixes at the shop.