“Oh, Tetsuya and Lilia.”

“It's been a while.”

“Rizac, Patrice, long time no see.”

“It has been a while.”

After finishing today’s work at the shop, I headed to the Adventurers’ Guild with Lilia. As usual, after speaking with the receptionist, we were led to the Guild Master’s office.

“Looks like the usual deliveries are done, but what brings you here today?”

“I had something I wanted to discuss with you both. First, please take a look at this.”

I showed them the prototype preservation pack made by Gregor’s workshop.

“This is a preservation pack, a prototype crafted at Gregor’s workshop.”

“Oh, Gregor’s workshop? That’s a pretty famous one in this town.”

It seems Rizac is familiar with Gregor’s workshop. Well, it is a well-known place around here.

“Actually…”

I briefly explained the concept of bacteria from my original world to Rizac and Patrice.

“...To put it simply, there are these things called bacteria floating in the air, and they are the reason food spoils. If you put food into an airtight container like this preservation pack and heat it in boiling water for a while, you can kill the bacteria and extend the shelf life of the food.”

“...I have no idea what you just said.”

“Bacteria, huh… Hmm…”

Rizac was completely lost, while Patrice seemed to be struggling to grasp the concept. Well, I suppose it’s hard to imagine tiny, invisible organisms floating around everywhere.

“To put it even more simply, if the food can handle heat, putting it in this pack and heating it up might make it last longer.”

“Oh, that sounds amazing!”

“I figured it would be a good idea to report this to the Adventurers’ Guild. Gregor’s workshop is willing to take orders for these preservation packs, and Gregor has agreed to share the production method as well.”

These preservation packs can be purchased directly from Gregor’s workshop. If someone pays Gregor, he’ll disclose the method. However, it’s strictly a “use at your own risk” situation.

Since Gregor was the one who made these packs, and we’re not looking to profit from them, we’re leaving their distribution in his hands.

“So, they’ll be readily available, meaning there shouldn’t be any issues, but I wanted to report it just in case.”

Right now, making one costs about five silver coins. Plus, this world already has long-lasting but somewhat bland preserved food, so I don’t expect huge demand right away. Still, it’s better to be cautious.

At my shop, we clean the preservation packs, remove as much air as possible, then boil them for sterilization. After that, I use my ability to place food directly into the container, creating a pseudo-vacuum pack, which should significantly extend the shelf life.

In reality, yokan and chocolate bars that should only last a few days have been fine for over a week, so it does seem to work. If they remain stable for another week, I’ll ask Gregor to start mass production.

“Another thing—I wanted to discuss gradually supplying my shop’s products to the Adventurers’ Guild in the royal capital and other towns. In addition to compasses and water purifiers, I’m thinking of introducing food products. Would it be possible to stock them as emergency rations in the guild?”

“Oh, you mean the instant soups and stick ramen? They’ll definitely accept them!”

“That’s great to hear.”

So far, I’ve only been supplying compasses and water purifiers to this town’s Adventurers’ Guild. Well, I do have a shop here, after all.

For selling emergency food in other towns, deciding where to distribute it is key. Negotiating with stores would be a hassle, so if the Adventurers’ Guilds accept them as emergency provisions, that would be the most convenient option.

“And as for transportation, Berna and Ferry have agreed to take on the request.”

“What!?”

“Eh!?”

For some reason, Rizac and Patrice seemed far more shocked about this than they were about the preservation packs…

“H-how did you manage to get those two to accept a request…?”

“Even with Lilia being an acquaintance, that’s quite impressive!”

“Uh… Is it really that big of a deal?”

“Yes. Tetsuya, you might not know this, but there are very few A-rank adventurers, so it’s extremely difficult to get them to accept requests.”

“On top of that, those two are among the most famous A-rank adventurers in the royal capital. Unless it’s an emergency request like the recent dungeon incident, even the Adventurers’ Guild struggles to get them to take jobs.”

“That’s right, Tetsuya! Berna and Ferry are renowned adventurers!”

“………………”

Oh yeah… Now that they mention it, I had completely forgotten that those two were practically idolized in the royal capital.

Lately, they’ve been casually visiting my shop, happily enjoying their meals, so I hadn’t really thought about it. Lilia looked pleased, hearing her friends being praised.

“...Alright, I’ll double-check with them just to be sure.”

Now I was starting to worry—are meals and minimal transport fees really enough?

After discussing future plans with Rizac and Patrice, we left the Adventurers’ Guild.

By the way, when I shared some of the smoked Behemoth meat, Rizac was absolutely thrilled.

The last time, when I gave him Wyvern-smoked meat, he had looked genuinely dejected. This time, I’ll let him savor the rich, outdoor-spiced smoked meat alongside his drinks.