“Here are some souvenirs from the royal capital. And over here, this is smoked Red Basilisk meat that I received from Miss Ruhail.”

“Oh! Smoked Red Basilisk meat, huh?! Now that’s a rare treat! That Ruhail really knows what’s up!”

I handed them the sweets I had bought in the royal capital, along with the smoked Red Basilisk meat from Ruhail.

“Is it really all right for me to receive this much as well?”

“Of course! Mr. Patrice, you've done so much for me. Besides, miss Ruhail said that everyone should enjoy the Red Basilisk together.”

“That makes me very happy. Thank you so much!”

It wasn’t just Guild Master Rizac—Vice Guild Master Patrice had also helped me countless times. I needed to properly express my gratitude on occasions like this.

“I had a little bit earlier, and it was delicious.”

“Yes, Tetsuya, your cooking is truly wonderful!”

“I never imagined I’d be able to eat such delicious meals while camping.”

…Getting praised by three people at the same time is a bit embarrassing. Especially since the credit for the smoked meat doesn’t really go to me but to the smoke wood, smoke chips, and the pre-seasoned outdoor spices.

“Also, the Outdoor Shop's level is about to go up again soon, so I’ll let you know when that happens.”

Everyone here, including my employees, already knew about my Outdoor Shop ability. I still didn’t know what new items would become available, but when the time came, I’d definitely discuss it with these two.

“Oh, that’s great news! That means even more useful items are coming our way!”

“That is wonderful! Though, I must admit, it’s a bit frightening thinking that something as outrageous as the map and encyclopedia might appear again…”

“Yeah, that’s what I’m worried about too…”

While the level-up of the Outdoor Shop was undeniably a good thing, there was always the possibility of receiving yet another absurdly overpowered item like the map or the encyclopedia. That was a little concerning…

Two weeks had passed since we returned to Al-Flare from the royal capital. When I reopened the shop after ten days, far more customers showed up than I had expected, which made me really happy.

When I gave Roya, Nicole, Fal, and my neighbors some souvenirs from the royal capital, they were thrilled. It seemed like the capital was a place of admiration for the people of this town. …Well, with its high cost of living, it's not exactly a place one can visit on a whim.

Berna and Ferry had completed their escort mission and returned to the capital, carrying the goods they would distribute to other towns with their storage magic. I planned to rely on them for deliveries every one to two months going forward.

“…Alright, just one more step, and my level is up.”

Displayed on my Outdoor Shop ability window was: [Outdoor Shop LV4 – 0.7 Gold Coins Until Next Level]. To raise it from Level 4 to Level 5, I had to spend the equivalent of 5000 gold coins through my Outdoor Shop ability.

It had been a long, long journey… If I hadn’t started selling goods to other towns and the Adventurers’ Guild, it would have taken even longer. The cost had increased tenfold from when I upgraded from Level 3 to Level 4.

…Wait, does that mean it’ll require 50,000 gold coins for the next level? So far, the required amount had increased tenfold each time, so it wasn’t out of the question…

“Finally, huh! I can’t wait to see what new items will be available!”

“Yeah, considering all the unbelievable tools we’ve had so far, I’m excited too.”

The day’s work was already finished, and since tomorrow and the day after were the shop’s regular holidays, I had called Lilia and Lange up to the second floor.

By the way, my relationship with Lilia hadn’t progressed at all since then.

…No, it’s not like I don’t want it to progress. It’s just that we’ve been together so much recently that figuring out the right distance is tough.

Last week, I mustered up the courage to invite her out on my day off, but she just responded that she would accompany me as my bodyguard…

Well, it’s true that whenever I went shopping or traveled somewhere, she always came along as my guard. I had no experience dating in my previous world, so there was no way I could pull off a cool line like, “Let’s go out, not as a guard, but as a woman.”

For now, I’d set aside my thoughts on Lilia and focus on the Outdoor Shop. I purchased a waterproof backpack for 7 silver coins.

‘The Outdoor Shop has leveled up to 5. More items are now available for purchase.’

Just like the last time, a message announcing the level-up appeared in the window.