My Food Stall Serves SSS-Grade Delicacies!-Chapter 218: There are Others Like Us?

Marron opened the notebook, scanning names and notes:

Marcus Chen - ran a noodle cart, left Lumeria 6 years ago, destination unknown

Sarah Williams - works at bookshop in upper district, still there as of last month

James Rodriguez - joined adventurer’s guild, died in dungeon collapse 4 years ago

Min-jun Park - owns tea house in mid-district, comes to my cart weekly

Seventeen names. Seventeen people who’d filled out the same impossible form, who’d made the same choice to leave Earth, who’d ended up here in Savoria rebuilding their lives.

"Thank you," Marron said quietly. "For keeping track. For remembering them."

"We’re scattered," Jenny said. "Six million people across who knows how many worlds. But here in Lumeria, there’s at least nineteen of us now." She smiled. "Maybe we should have a reunion someday. Share Earth food, swap stories, remind each other we’re not crazy."

"I’d like that," Marron said. She meant it. The isolation of being world-displaced was easier to bear knowing there were others who understood.

Jenny left around nine bells, taking half the wine bottle with her ("for courage while I finalize the training materials"). Marron sat at her table, surrounded by franchise documents and the notebook of Earth people, feeling like the world had somehow become both larger and more manageable in the space of an hour.

The Precision Blade rested on the counter, wrapped in its cloth, waiting.

Mokko emerged from his corner where he’d been reading, giving her space for the business discussion. "How’d it go?"

"Really well," Marron said. "We’re starting with three franchisees. Arrow’s one of them."

"Arrow will be good at it," Mokko said. "She’s meticulous."

"That’s what I thought." Marron stood, stretched. Her body was tired but her mind was still racing. "I should practice with the Blade. Get comfortable with it before tomorrow’s cart work."

"Tomorrow’s cart work?" Mokko raised an eyebrow. "You’re not taking a day to rest?"

"Can’t afford to," Marron said. "I need to maintain income while setting up the franchise. And honestly, I need normal work. Something that isn’t Legendary Tools or business frameworks or world-saving obligations. Just... making crisps and selling them to people who want snacks."

"That’s healthy," Mokko approved. "Ground yourself in the ordinary before the extraordinary pulls you away again."

Marron retrieved the Precision Blade, unwrapping it carefully. The metal gleamed in the lamplight, symbols shifting gently along the spine. She could feel it—that gentle insistence, that patient teaching presence. Not demanding, just... available. Ready to show her what precision meant if she was willing to learn.

She pulled out another rootknot, set up her cutting board. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

"Want me to stay?" Mokko asked.

"Please."

He settled back into his reading spot, close enough to help if needed, far enough to give her space to work.

Marron positioned the Blade, feeling how it wanted to be held. Not gripped tightly—that created tension, reduced control. Held firmly but flexibly, allowing the blade to move naturally, trusting its edge to do the work.

She cut.

The rootknot parted cleanly, no resistance. Perfect thickness, perfect angle. The Blade showed her where her fingers should be—not in the way, but close enough to guide the vegetable. Showed her how her wrist should pivot—minimally, efficiently, no wasted motion.

She cut again. And again.

Each slice identical. Each cut teaching her something about removal—not just of food, but of excess motion, unnecessary tension, habitual inefficiencies she’d carried for years.

Precision is not perfection, but purpose.

The inscription made more sense now. This wasn’t about achieving some impossible standard. It was about understanding what each cut needed to accomplish and doing exactly that—no more, no less.

She worked for thirty minutes, reducing the rootknot to perfectly uniform slices. Her hand didn’t cramp. Her wrist didn’t tire. The Blade guided her toward economy of motion, teaching her body to work smarter instead of harder.

When she finished, she had a pile of slices that looked machine-cut in their uniformity. But more importantly, she felt different. More aware of her own movements, more conscious of unnecessary effort.

"That was educational to watch," Mokko said. "You barely moved. Just... precise cuts, over and over, like you’d been doing it that way your whole life."

"It’s teaching me," Marron said. She cleaned the Blade carefully, wrapped it again. "Not pushing me or demanding things. Just... showing me what’s possible when you remove everything unnecessary."

She thought about that as she prepared for bed. Removing excess. Cutting away what didn’t serve. Not just in cooking, but in life—the self-doubt, the second-guessing, the defensive walls she’d built over years of protecting herself from disappointment.

Four Legendary Tools now. Four lessons being learned or actively taught. Care, patience, generosity, precision.

Three more tools to find. Three more lessons waiting.

But tonight, she had enough. A business framework being built. A community of Earth people she hadn’t known existed. A knife teaching her economy of motion. Friends who watched over her when new tools made her nervous.

Marron climbed into bed, Lucy’s jar glowing softly on her bedside table, Mokko’s steady breathing from his corner, the four Legendary Tools resting safely in her small apartment.

Tomorrow she’d work the cart. Practice precision in her cuts, efficiency in her movements. Build income while the franchise developed. Continue being a chef in Lumeria who happened to be collecting artifacts, not an artifact collector who happened to cook.

The balance mattered. Edmund’s collection had shown her what happened when you lost sight of use in favor of preservation. She wouldn’t make that mistake.

The tools were meant to be used. The business was meant to provide stability. The life she was building was meant to be lived, not just survived.

And somehow, impossibly, it was all coming together.

[Business Development: Earth Food Franchise Established]

Partnership with Jenny formalized

Fee structure: 5 copper/day per vendor

Initial franchisees: 3 (Arrow confirmed, 2 others pending)

Training: 2 days, 20 copper cost Monthly quality control included

Projected income: 2+ gold/month passive (scaling)

[Tool Integration: Precision Blade]

Successfully practiced cutting technique

Learning economy of motion

No concerning behaviors

Teaching through demonstration, not compulsion

"Precision is purpose, not perfection"

[Earth People Network:]

Jenny’s notebook: 17 confirmed Earth transplants in Lumeria 19 total now (including Marron and Jenny)

Potential future connections/community

[Next priorities:]

Cart work (maintain income)

Franchise training (4 days)

Continue tool practice Guild classes Search for Tool #5 (eventually)