"Mr. Tetsuya, welcome to the town of Eibra!"

"It’s been a while, Mr. Antom."

We safely arrived at the town of Eibra and came to the Adventurers’ Guild here.

Mr. Antom, the Guild Master of the Adventurers’ Guild, is a slim man in his 30s or 40s. I remember greeting him when I stopped by this town on the way to the royal capital.

"The various products you supply, Mr. Tetsuya, are extremely popular among adventurers! Thank you so much!"

"I'm glad to hear that."

Just like with the Adventurers’ Guild in the royal capital, I supply products such as compasses, water purifiers, and instant foods to this town’s guild and other towns’ guilds as well. Since this town is relatively close to Al-Flare, I transport the goods here by carriage.

"Since you’ll be staying until tomorrow, we’ve arranged accommodations for you, so please enjoy a restful stay."

"Thank you very much. I’ll gladly accept your hospitality."

Last time I stayed in this town, it was only for one night, but this time I have some leeway before opening a new store, so I’ll be staying for two nights. Tomorrow, I plan to take a good look around the town.

"As always, this is a splendid inn."

"Ahh~ This is one of those perks, isn’t it? Normally, we wouldn’t be able to stay in such a luxurious place."

Before dinner, I relaxed in the men's room of the inn we’re staying at tonight with Mr. Lange and Dolph. Even just sitting in the carriage has made my body feel stiff.

The inn Mr. Antom guided us to was the most luxurious and glamorous one in the town, the same one we stayed at last time. As always, it was decorated with sparkling ornaments and what looked like expensive artworks—a place that looked high-class at a glance.

This time, the lodging expenses are being covered by the Adventurers’ Guild of this town. Last time, the guild in the royal capital paid for it, but this time it’s on Mr. Antom. Just like Mr. Lange said, this is definitely a perk. It’s a bit of a commoner’s mindset, but getting to stay at such a nice place for free is honestly the best!

"There’s nothing quite this high-class in Al-Flare. With an inn of this caliber, the security must be top-notch. I’m sure Angel will be fine too."

"…Ms. Berna, Ms. Ferry, and Lilia are also there, and there’s the inn’s security too, so they’ll definitely be okay."

The women's room has five of the female group members staying together. With two A-rank adventurers and Lilia, a former B-rank, there’s no reason for Dolph to worry.

…Actually, this might be the safest place in the town right now.

"Speaking of which, that Belmarcon was being sold normally at the market, wasn’t it?"

"Yeah. And it was only three copper coins, just like an ordinary vegetable."

"Yup, it looked exactly like the picture in the plant encyclopedia. And it was actually on the cheaper side of vegetables too."

Before we came to the inn, we stopped by the market, and we found the Belmarcon that Dolph had spotted in the plant encyclopedia being sold like any other vegetable.

The monster and plant encyclopedias I bought with the outdoor shop skill describe the characteristics of monsters and plants from the area I purchased them in. According to that, it seems you can extract sugar—a valuable seasoning—from the Belmarcon.

"If we can make sugar from this Belmarcon, then the sugar distributed in the town could become much cheaper. For now, let’s borrow a kitchen tomorrow and see if we can actually make it."

"Yeah, and if sugar becomes cheaper, then we might see more sweets like the yokan and chocolate that Tetsuya made before!"

"Just like how new dishes came about when spices got cheaper, we’ll probably see new sweets made with sugar too."

It’s the same as when a magical cultivation method was discovered for spices. Nowadays, the prices for pepper and other spices have gone down, and new dishes that use them have started appearing. The same will likely happen with sugar.

"Anyway, let’s experiment with the Belmarcon we bought today. And aside from that, I’d like to explore the parts of this town I couldn’t see last time."

Last time, I arrived in the evening and left in the morning, so I barely got to see anything. This time, I want to properly explore the town.

◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆

"…Now all that’s left is to dry this thickened and syrupy liquid to finish it. I see now—it’s a bit of a tedious process, so maybe that’s why people didn’t notice its potential just by cooking it normally."

The next morning, after eating breakfast, I asked the inn staff and borrowed a section of the room next to the kitchen to process the Belmarcon we bought yesterday into sugar.

The steps are as follows: peel the Belmarcon, roast it lightly over low heat for a while, then dice it into cubes and boil it over high heat. Then strain it through a cloth, boil it down even more, and finally dry it out. It’s a complicated process, so it’s understandable that this method wasn’t widely known until now.

…This plant encyclopedia is seriously too useful. In Al-Flare, I only shared information on medicinal herbs useful for treatment with the Adventurers’ Guild to pass on to the Commercial Guild, but depending on the region, you can get such crucial information like this. It’s honestly kind of insane.