Reborn With A Technology System In A Fantasy World-Chapter 253: New Chef In Town (2)

Nyra was surprised when the shutter slid down, cutting them off from the mesmerized crowd. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

"What was that for?" she asked with a confused look on her face. "And what is this ’secret food’ you’re planning to make?"

Adrian turned from the shutter with a strategic glint in his eyes. "The secret food is just rice," he said simply. "Fried rice, to be precise. Nothing too complicated."

"Hmm," Nyra had a hard time understanding what was going on. "But I thought the main point of this was to expose them to our cooking and to show them how it’s done?"

"Exactly," Adrian replied with a small, knowing smile on his face. "I’ve given them a glimpse of the magic. I’ve given them a taste. But I can’t let them take it for granted."

He began pulling out pre-chopped vegetables and cooked rice from a Cooler unit. "By hiding the process now, by making it a ’secret,’ we create mystery. The more obscure and ’magical’ the creation of the food appears to be, the more value it holds in their minds. That’s business, Nyra."

A look of realization dawned on her face, followed by a genuinely impressed laugh.

"Oh. That’s... a brilliant idea. A little manipulative, but brilliant. I should have expected nothing less from you." She rolled up the sleeves of her shirt. "Let’s get cooking then. We don’t have to use the Heaters’ anymore, do we?"

"No," Adrian confirmed. "We’re not putting on a show anymore. You’re free to use your flames."

"Aye, aye, Chef Adrian," she replied with a cheerful, mock salute.

The entire Canteen transformed into a whirlwind of high-speed cooking. The process took about seven minutes in total. They cooked in massive batches, the delicious, savory aroma of the Fried Rice filling the small space.

While she cooked, Adrian worked on the packaging. He had used a small, automated assembly line he had built the previous day in the Factory to create thousands of simple, disposable food containers, complete with a slot for a utensil.

As Nyra finished each batch, he would instantly package it, ensuring it stayed hot and fresh. Soon, they had several large containers filled with the packaged meals, with some of the surplus even needing to be stored in his [Inventory].

With the counter now stacked high with the ready-to-sell meals, he opened up the metallic shutter once again.

To Adrian’s surprise, the number of people outside hadn’t just remained; it had tripled. There were now at least fifty-five Normat gathered, their faces a mask of desperate, hungry anticipation. The smell of the roasted corn had clearly been a powerful advertisement.

’They must really like the food to have spread the word so quickly,’ Nyra spoke to him through their mind link, a note of pride in her mental voice.

’And we will not disappoint them,’ Adrian responded with confidence.

The Normat didn’t care about anything else. They were only interested in the new, even more complex and delicious smell that was now wafting from the Canteen, a savory, mouth-watering aroma that promised a feast beyond their wildest dreams.

"What in the Nexus is that incredible smell?" one of them shouted.

"It’s even better than the first one!"

"Give it to us already!"

Adrian held up a hand with a calm smile. "Hold on. This one is not a free sample."

He could see the hesitation flicker across most of their faces. But a small minority looked more interested than ever.

"So what!" a young Normat at the front shouted, his hand already on his PAD. "Take all my credits! It’s worth it!"

Adrian collected one of the warm food containers, which had a simple utensil strapped to its side. He scanned the crowd and his eyes landed on a small Normat child who was staring at the Canteen with wide, hopeful eyes, clutching his mother’s leg.

Adrian motioned for him to come closer. The boy’s mother gave him a gentle push, and he walked forward shyly. Adrian knelt and handed the container to him for free.

"Have a taste," he said softly.

The boy’s intelligence allowed him to figure out the simple lid mechanism. He opened it, and a cloud of delicious steam wafted into his face.

Using the spoon, he took a hesitant scoop of the golden rice, mixed with small, colorful pieces of vegetables and what looked like savory, roasted meat. He put it in his mouth.

His reaction was immediate. His eyes went wide, and a look of pure bliss spread across his face. He immediately took another, larger scoop, then another, eating five full spoonfuls in rapid succession before he finally stopped to chew on a small, tender piece of meat he had discovered.

The satisfied, happy look on his face as he ate was the most powerful advertisement Adrian could have ever designed.

The stares he got from every other gathered Normat were intense, a collective, silent craving. Adrian finally answered their unasked question.

"You all want yours, too?" he asked, his voice projecting over the crowd. He held up another container. "Well, it only costs ten credits per plate."

A stunned silence fell over the crowd, which was immediately followed by a wild, disbelieving uproar.

Ten credits. The pale, tasteless Nutritional Packs that they had lived on their entire lives cost double! Yet this delicious, warm, and life-giving food was priced so low it was almost a gift.

Hearing that took away all of their hesitation. They surged forward, a chaotic but happy mob.

"Where do I pay?!"

"Do you accept a direct PAD transfer?"

"I’ll take three!"

Nyra understood her role right away. She was one of the only Sparkborns to have made significant progress in learning the Universal language, and she easily took charge, her voice calm and clear as she began sorting their orders through a PAD Adrian handed her.

Adrian, for his part, was responsible for handing them the containers.

Surprisingly enough, the number of Normat in the line didn’t seem to reduce too much even after ten minutes of frantic selling.

More and more people, drawn by the commotion and the incredible smell, came out of their houses to have a taste of the food from the popular new "chefs in town."

Some even ended up coming back for a second and third order.

It was only after a full thirty minutes, when the last container was sold, did they confirm that it was over.

"It seems like we’re done here," Nyra said to him, a tired but triumphant smile on her face as she attended to the final Normat. "What’s next?"

Adrian handed the Normat his plate and waved him goodbye before turning to Nyra. "Now, we return home. Our job here is done."

Nyra was surprised. "That’s it? I would have expected you to drive around the sector. We’ve only made 920 credits so far. Don’t you want to make more?"

"Yes, I want to make more," Adrian replied, his eyes holding a distant, strategic look.

"But I am acting with the future in mind. We have given them a taste. We have shown them what is possible. Now, we let them get hungry again. We let the demand build for a while."

He gave her a knowing smile. "Don’t forget, Nyra. Selling food was never the primary motive of this enterprise."

Nyra hummed, a look of dawning understanding on her face as she finally grasped his true, multi-layered plan.

"I think I get where this is going," she said with a new level of admiration in her voice. She looked at him, at the brilliant, complex mind that was always ten steps ahead.

"I will follow your lead, Chef Adrian. I am very curious to see how this turns out."