"The Red Basilisk from the Adventurers' Guild Master is a token of appreciation for the yokan and chocolate bars,"

"I-I see..."

Aside from the goods like compasses, water purifiers, alpha rice, and stick ramen that I had supplied to stores in the royal capital, it seems that Ruhail also appreciated the yokan and chocolate bars I sent.

...But receiving Red Basilisk meat in return feels like too much. The last batch of Red Basilisk meat I got was truly delicious, and considering it's a high-end ingredient in the capital, it must be absurdly expensive.

Alright, next time I'll send not just yokan and chocolate bars but also the newly available salted candies and mochi.

"Then, as usual, I'll smoke a portion of the meat and give it to you later."

"Thanks, Tetsuya!"

"Thank you very much. Ah, actually, this time we’ve accepted a request in a nearby town, so we’ll be visiting Al-Flare again in a week before returning to the capital. If possible, could we pick it up then?"

"Of course, no problem."

It seems that Berna and Ferry have a request to handle near this town this week, and after stopping by Al-Flare, they'll head back to the capital.

In that case, smoking the meat next week would be better. But still, this Earth Dragon meat is quite a lot. Even if I share it with Rizac and the others at the Al-Flare Adventurers' Guild and all my employees, it might still be too much...

Hmm, in that case...

"Berna, Ferry, you'll be coming to Al-Flare next week as well, right? Will you have time around lunchtime?"

"Yeah, probably."

"Yes, I think that should be fine."

"In that case, how about we have a gathering like the barbecue we did before? Since we have so much meat, I thought it would be nice if we could all enjoy it together."

Previously, we held a welcome party for Dolph and Angel in the shop's yard. While Ferry is a bit shy, she traveled with my shop’s employees on our way to the capital and can now talk to them normally.

"It’ll be similar to the barbecue we did by the river when we traveled to the capital. I was thinking of inviting my shop’s employees, Fia-chan’s mother, Rizac and Patrice from the Adventurers’ Guild, and also three or four of my friends."

Fia-chan's mother joined last time, and Rizac and Patrice are people Berna and Ferry already know. As for the others, I'd like to invite Roya and his group, who have always helped me out, as well as Gregor, the blacksmith.

With this many people, we should be able to get through all this Earth Dragon meat.

"Yes, if you don’t mind, we’d love to join."

"The last one was delicious and a lot of fun."

"Thank you. I’m sure everyone will be really happy."

Good, last time when I invited them, they seemed hesitant, but this time they accepted immediately. I suppose we've known each other long enough that they trust me now.

Alright, with that decided, I should start making preparations!

Planning for barbecues and gatherings like this is fun in itself, after all.

"The weather turned out great today, Tetsuya!"

"Yeah, Lilia. The weather is something we can’t control, so I’m grateful."

After successfully wrapping up a week of running the shop, the day of the gathering had arrived. Thankfully, the weather was perfectly clear. This was completely up to luck, so I was really grateful.

We set up comfortable outdoor chairs and tables I bought using my outdoor shop’s abilities along the riverbank near Al-Flare. A large tarp was also set up for shade—everything was perfectly prepared.

"Hey, Tetsuya. Thanks for inviting us today."

"Tetsuya, thank you very much for inviting us today."

"Thank you for making time for this despite your busy schedules, Rizac and Patrice."

Both Rizac, the Adventurers’ Guild Master, and Patrice, the Vice Guild Master, were kind enough to join. When I invited them a few days ago, they even adjusted their schedules to make time for it.

Since we're close to town, the guild staff can come fetch them in case of emergencies. Well, in a town like this where mostly novice adventurers gather, major incidents are rare.

"I heard there's some delicious meat to be had today. Here, we brought something as a contribution. We got some good alcohol and fruit juice. Let’s have a blast today!"

"Thank you. The meat was generously given to us by Berna and Ferry, as well as from Ruhail. Let’s all enjoy it together."

"Berna, Ferry, thank you."

"Thanks, you two. And… while you're at it, could you also pass my regards to Ruhail when you get back to the capital?"

"Hehe, of course. I’ll let Ruhail know."

"I'll tell him."