Chapter 158

“Arv” is the name of a high-class restaurant in the center of the city of Yuritania, run by the Rostine Trading Company.

The food at Arv is prepared by a skilled chef by the Rostine Trading Company, but Euro, the chef of the Yuri Empire, is also very involved in the development of the menu.

At the back of the fourth floor of the restaurant, there is a private room reserved for the exclusive use of those involved with the Yuri Empire.

The room is surrounded by a variety of counterintelligence wards that prevent others from entering, prevent sounds from leaking out, and block any outside interference through magic or sorcery, making it the perfect place for secret meetings.

―――In the room, there was Yuri, the Empress of the Yuri Empire, Rubetta, the head of the Rostine Merchant Association, Ados and his wife Erin, the head of the Tormark Merchant Association, Aurence, the head of the Hayes Merchant Association, and Sofia, the head of the Theodore Merchant Association. All of them were now part of the Yuri empire.

All of them have established themselves as the major merchant associations in the Yuri empire, and the term “Four Major Merchant Associations” in the country refers to these four.

If the leaders of the four major merchant associations were to gather in one place, an ordinary merchant would be too afraid to approach them. And even more so when Yuri, the lord of the country and one of the main gods, is in attendance.

“The reason I asked you all to come here is simple. I’d like you to try some eggs today.”

“Hmm, eggs…? Since it’s Yuri-sama, it wouldn’t be surprising to find something as rare as a dragon egg, which I’ve heard so much about.”

“I’m sorry to ruin your hopes, but those are big and not that tasty, you know?”

Yuri responded to Ados’ words, lowering her eyebrows.

Dragon eggs are big enough to make a dish that can fill several people’s stomachs just by cooking them. But even when fresh eggs are used, they lack flavor and taste too big to be worth mentioning.

Well, it’s not that it tastes bad. It’s not so bad if you use it in dishes like crepe batter or broiled eggs, where the presence or absence of flavor has little effect.

“Mmm, I see… It’s a shame because I’ve always dreamed of trying them.”

“If you’re going to dream, keep it to cockatrice and rock bird eggs. The eggs around there are quite delicious, and I’m sure you’ll be impressed beyond your expectations.”

“Oh my God, that’s exciting. I have one, maybe two, more goals in life.”

Ados said this with a happy expression on his face.

Next to him, his wife, Erin, was also smiling happily.

Cockatrice and rock birds, even the weakest Lesser species, are over level 100.

If these demons could be placed in the “Labyrinth”, they can distribute domestically, since eggs are included in the drop items. These demons are a little too strong to be incorporated into the “Labyrinth” that we are currently running.

However, many of the famous explorers who are known for their high level, such as the saint Estoa, have already reached level 80 or above.

At this rate, it won’t be long before we’ll be able to run a “Labyrinth” targeting explorers of level 100 and above.

If the right opportunity comes along, I’d like to enrich the country’s food supply by prioritizing the placement of demons that can provide high-quality ingredients, such as cockatrice and rock birds.

“Well, what I want everyone to try this time is ‘Egg Curd’.”

“Eggs, huh? The quality of the eggs produced in the village Notoku is much better than before, and it has enhanced the reputation of the Rostine Trading Company. We are grateful for that.”

“I’ve heard from Rand, the village chief, that the village is very thankful for the high price that the Rostine Trading Company is willing to pay for Notoku’s eggs. It seems to be sold in the cities of Yuritania and Ulysses at wholesale prices plus transportation costs… I can only assume that they are selling without regard to profit?”

“Even if there is no monetary gain, if it improves the image of the Chamber of Commerce, that is a gain worth more than money. It’s okay to make money from other products.”

“Well, let’s just leave it at that.”

With a small smile and a giggle, Yuri nodded.

Rubetta looks a little troubled, but it’s also adorable.

The Rostine Merchant Association is already involved in the country beyond the position of a mere merchant association.

Therefore, the president of the association, Rubetta, has a bird’ eye view of the entire country as well as the perspective of a business owner. The purpose of ‘improving the image of the Chamber of Commerce’ that Rubetta mentioned was just a prelude, but in reality, it was a part of her ‘service to the country’ and ‘administration to the people’.

Eggs are a highly nutritious food, and the stable and inexpensive supply of eggs to the citizens is very much appreciated by Yuri as the ruler.

“With some guidance from me and Euro, I think Notoku’s eggs are better than they were. But these eggs are something special.”

“Really? If Yuri-sama says it’s special, then it must be really special.”

“You can count on it.”

Yuri nodded vigorously at Aurence words.

Yuri signaled to the waitress in the corner of the room to bring the dish with the egg on the chopping block in front of everyone.

“If you’re looking purely at the taste of the egg, then a simple dish is the way to go. That’s why I asked her to make a thick egg without any ingredients or seasonings.”

“This is the egg dish that originated in the food stalls. It has become a famous dish now.”

Thick-boiled eggs are a dish that did not originally exist in this world.

No, maybe there is a place where Yuri doesn’t know yet. At least in the current cultural sphere of the Yuri Empire, the Holy Land of Nimun, and the Principality of Selsia, it is said that this dish did not exist at all.

But now, it has become a dish that is known to the people of all three countries.

One of the two groups, <Sakuraka> and <Red Plum>, has a vocation as a〔Cook〕, and when they started serving it at their food stalls in their spare time, it quickly became a favorite among the people of this world.

The cooking method was so simple that it spread quickly, and now it is a staple dish that you can find in any restaurant or stall that serves egg dishes in the country.

However, most of the thick-boiled eggs made by the people here are ‘filled’ with ingredients.

It seems that a dish similar to the so-called ‘Spanish Omelet’ originally existed in another world, so the thick-roasted egg was probably recognized as a ‘variant’ of that dish.

“This is…! The richness of the flavor is amazing, it’s truly special.”

“Mmm, it’s wonderfully delicious. It would be a disservice to the dish to add more ingredients or seasonings.”

“I’m glad you like it.”

Yuri nodded her head in satisfaction at the comments made by Erin and Ados.

Yes, these eggs are so good that the word ‘special’ is quite appropriate.

Yuri remembered being surprised when she tasted them the other day.

“Master just told me that this is a ‘chicken egg’. I don’t think it’s an ordinary chicken egg…?”

“Fufu, that’s why I said ‘special’, isn’t it?”

“―――Now, let’s get down to the nitty-gritty. I’m sure you’ve shared this information with everyone here, so you’re aware of the city I’m currently building, right?”

“You mean the city that I’m tentatively calling the “Shinto City”? I’ve heard that it’s a city where many gods from other worlds are invited to live, and where common sense doesn’t apply.”

Sofia said in a half-amused tone.

Well, from the common sense of the people in this world, that would be natural.

“Yes, that’s right. In this “Shinto City”, there will be special products that are the result of the ‘Divine Favor’ in various ways.

Various ‘special’ products that are the same as ordinary products, but with different quality, will be released to the world and circulated in the market. Like this chicken egg.”

“I see…”

“In the case of this chicken egg, it was laid by a chicken that had already been invited from another world by a certain god, who had already made its family member.

It is an unfertilized egg, so it will never hatch, but the egg itself has a divine nature and will remain ‘alive’ forever. So it has some outstanding characteristics, such as not decomposing, no matter how old it is or how poorly it is stored.”

“So it’s a messenger of God. No wonder that this egg is ‘special’. The fact that they don’t go bad at all is good news for the merchants.”

“But it’s not that they are hard to crack, so be careful when transporting them. If they break, they will rot just like normal eggs.”

If it cracks, it will not maintain its divinity sufficiently, and after a certain time, it will start to corrode.

The hardness of the shell is the same as that of a normal egg, so great care must be taken when handling it.

“How many of these ‘Divine Messenger Egg’ will be produced in the “Shinto City”?”

“We only have 40 chickens as messengers at the moment, so it’s not much. At the most, we’re getting about four or five hundred a day.”

“…… Only forty chickens, how can they produce so many?”

“That’s because they are special chickens, that’s all I can say.”

Normal chickens can only lay one egg a day, but the chickens that are Amaterasu’s messengers lay about one egg an hour.

Because of their similarity to Amaterasu, the Goddess of Sun, the chickens are only active during the day and go to bed at sunset. Even so, each chicken is capable of producing at least ten pieces a day.

“We’re going to expand in stages and increase the number of birds we raise, but―――If we increase the supply of these eggs too much, the value of Notoku’s eggs will decrease, right?”

“Of course it will. It would be wise to keep a small number of these ‘divine eggs’ on the market as a special ‘luxury item’.”

“I’d like to ask you guys here to coordinate the distribution. I’d rather leave the market manipulation to those who are good at it rather than have the rulers intervene.

For now, I’m just using eggs as an example, but at least in the future, some grains and silks will be produced in the new city that are ‘special’ and different from those currently on the market. I’ll leave everything to you guys, okay?”

In response to Yuri’s words, the heads of the four major business associations bowed their heads deeply.

This was nothing less than the moment when the branding of the special products of the “Shinto City” is promised.