Casual Heroing

Chapter 78: Screamer

After convincing Camilla to leave, I ask stan about cocoa.

Its these moments when Im grateful that people around the world are not as lazy as me. Point in case, during my matre-chocolatier training, the Italian academy I attended taught us every single step of how chocolate is made, starting from the goddamn trees.

I swear, Italians can be the laziest things in the world. But when they go nuts about something, they really go all the way.

Can the nuts be considered a pun? I dont think so. They are cocoa beans, in fact.

I think we might find them too. But you will have to order a plantation made. From what you say, it takes hundreds of beans to make a few pounds of the stuff.

Not necessarily. Every pod has at least twenty to forty beans. We should buy them all, corner the market, and make tons of chocolate. The process, though well need people to help us with it. The beans need to be fermented for a few days.

I can help with that, Stan winks at me, I might not be a [Brewer], young man, but I do have a few tricks up my sleeve. Tricks you are not interested in knowing the source of, apparently.

It seems that Stan wants to tell me about his secret class or whatever. But, as you know, Im not interested in trouble. This guy ended up homeless on the street after a life of God-knows-what. For now, Ill try to avoid kicking the hornets nest.

Well, then well use a separate room for that. And the last is coffee beans. If you chew them, you get a spike of energy. Do you know what Im talking about?

The tall silvery Elf slowly nods with furrowed eyebrows.

I think I do.

I sent Stan on a recon mission to find all the stuff and dumped eighty golds on him, telling him to buy as many ingredients as possible. I also told him we needed to restock the ingredients for the croissants. Plus, I need regular oil before getting the palm one. I gave him a full list. Told him we needed parchment, but old Stanimal said he had a very good memory.

Meh, lets hope so.

Anyway, tonight Im already whipping out my second secret weapon.

Hehe.

We are going to cause a major ruckus through the entire baking world!

I should also start baking some stuff to distribute to Stans friends. The homeless, I mean. Are they Stans friends? Am I being whats the term for clumping people together based on their social condition? Anyway, if we keep raking in money with a shovel, I might get some delivery packages going to those people.

Or could I hire some?

Would they shiv me?

I should probably ask Stan if he thinks we can do something about them. He can probably act as the alpha homeless.

A mote of sadness courses through my body.

Joking aside, I imagine these people must suffer quite a bit in a medieval-like world. Im just a [Baker], so I can either feed them or, if they want, give them work. Is there anything else I can do?

I mean, training them as [Bakers], even clumsy ones, would probably help. I have some free rooms, and Stanimal can probably rein in the dangerous ones.

Mh.

Thats a good idea for a name.

What?

What is?

Home-Bakery.

Thats cute.

House of Magic?

Nah, it would lose some charm. And I think theres a TV show with that name or something.

Yeah, lets go with Home-Bakery.

Joey? I hear a crystalline voice coming from the entrance an entrance which no one bothers to close.

When I see a shy blonde Elf entering, my face softens into a smile that would be at home in a soapy drama.

Hey, beautiful. How you doin?

I came toto visit?

You can come for whatever reason, I give her my signature wink-cum-click.

Listen, should we talk about

I take a few strides toward her, and she backpedals a bit.

What

I plant a soft kiss on her lips, dispelling whatever doubts shed had when she entered the place. Only after a minute do I relent and look into her emerald-green eyes.

Talk about what? We are dating, no? Boyfriend and girlfriend stuff, dude, I say, raising my thumb.

Dude? she raises a thin eyebrow.

Err dudette?

We both laugh while I show her around the place.

Got this place for twenty golds a month, cute, right?

Did you clean? I smell soap, she says with an approving tone.

Yeah, it kind of smelled yesterday, didnt it?

Stanimal did. The old guys a blast, I tell her.

Stan? The homeless guy?

Oh, right, I didnt tell her.

Yeah, hes working with me now. He can probably afford a house now or just keep sleeping in one of the rooms upstairs.

She looks at me with her lips slightly parted.

You gave Stan a job? And he accepted? What does he do?

Stanimals my new manager. Hes good with stuff. He knows a lot of plants, fruits, and whatnot. Hes shopping now. Gave him a ton of money to stock our reserves. I hope hell buy a bag of holding for it, now that I think about it. I mean, the guys probably deceptively strong, but Id rather he doesnt pull a muscle or something.

Do you trust him? she asks with a bit of concern when she hears me say that I gave him money.

Ill pay him much more than what he has on him at the moment. Unless Stanimal has a betting problem, I dont think he will squander the money.

And how much are you paying him?

Twenty? Thirty? I dont remember.

Twenty silvers a month? Thats not too bad as a start, she says.

What? No, thirty golds a day. Or twenty. Man, can I get a memory skill when I level up?

She laughs, probably thinking Im joking.

As soon as she understands Im not, she widens her eyes.

You cant pay him that much! Not even a small [Merchant] makes that much money a day! And how can you afford that?!

Yo, girlfriend, calm down. We made a hundred and fifty golds yesterday, with a net profit of around one-forty.

She looks at me like Im a madman.

How?

Food and adventurers. I sold them croissants for four silvers each. I think Stan might have raised the price, actually. I didnt really count the money after. But yeah, we made a boatload. And thats just the start.

Lucinda goes pale.

WHAT?!

You hungry? I can make two quick croissants for you to try if you want. It doesnt take much for them to cook. This oven is better than I expected.

Joey, do you have any idea how much money you made?!

Man, shes a screamer, isnt she?

I love her so much.

Wait, was that sexual innuendo?

Whatever.