Chapter 18 Shop Preparations
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
I spent the next two days obsessed with building the stove.
The problem was the output; the heat was so intense I had to find a way to dial it back. Even when I tried to keep the flame small, the minimum Mana¹ required to kick-start the thing resulted in a foot-high plume of fire.
So, I focused on refining the circuits so they’d activate even with a throttled Mana flow. By mass-producing Magic Tools² from a single monster, I managed to create “degraded” versions with weaker effects, aiming for better energy efficiency. I eventually designed a circuit that allowed Mana to trickle in slowly. By the time I was finished, I’d reached a point where simply placing a small magic stone would cause the Mana to flow steadily, keeping a small, consistent flame alive.
”Phew… That takes care of the kitchen. Now, all that’s left is… an oven, I guess?” I muttered.
Right now, we’re basically just grilling on a rack. You either put the food directly on the heat or use a frying pan or pot. Installing the stove really cleaned the place up, and there’s plenty of space left over. Since we still use the area for open fires, I’d kept it large for safety, but with just the stove and the new, compact plumbing, the kitchen felt surprisingly roomy.
All that’s left is to build a kiln and I’m done… Wait, hang on. What about a fridge?
When I asked about it, I was told that commoner households don’t have such luxuries. Apparently, people just keep things in cellar-like spaces under the floor to keep them cool, or they sun-dry everything to preserve it. They told me my daily meals were already on par with a wealthy family’s. Now that I’d added pepper to the mix, I was supposedly eating like a high-ranking noble. Since I’d been handling everything with my Storage³ skill, I hadn’t even realized how skewed my perspective had become.
”Hmm. Since magic exists, I figured there’d be something like that available…”
When I muttered that, they mentioned that wealthy merchants and nobles did have them. I see… it’s a necessity of life, but the barrier to entry is pretty harsh.
Well, since I have Storage, I decided not to worry about it for now and moved on to making soap. Let’s see, I need fats and oils… so, just oil, right? I wondered if the olive oil I’d bought for cooking would work. I tossed it into Processing⁴, and the oil was ready in no time.
As for the sodium hydroxide… something about running electricity through salt water? My knowledge was a bit spotty, but I figured if I threw those ingredients in and added the oil, I could probably just brute-force the rest with Mana. I managed to whip up some soap, but it was completely odorless. To me, soap isn’t really soap without a scent.
”I need to add some fragrance,” I thought, and headed into town. I stopped by a florist to pick up some sweet-smelling blooms and hit the fruit stand for some aromatic produce. I shoved them into the Processing slot with a reckless command: Only leave the good scents behind. To my surprise, the result was exactly the fragrance I liked. Seriously, this skill is a total cheat code. I combined everything into the final soap. When I tried washing my hands, it had that familiar lather and a lovely scent. It felt great.
Next up: shampoo. I knew well enough that regular soap wouldn’t cut it for hair. I had bits and pieces of the recipe in my head, but I remembered that the ingredients varied wildly depending on the brand.
”Well, let’s give it a shot,” I said.
I threw in a bunch of stuff based on my hazy memory and pumped in some Mana. It sucked up a massive amount of energy. Apparently, my materials didn’t quite match what I was trying to create. The materials vanished anyway, but in exchange, I ended up with a huge batch of shampoo. I wanted to test it immediately, so I hopped in the bath. I acted as the guinea pig; I figured it didn’t matter if my hair got a bit ruined. It turned out great, though—it seemed to have moisturizing properties, leaving my hair feeling silky. It had the same scent as the soap, but it lingered more because it was in my hair.
Lisha and Charlotte ended up burying their faces in my hair, whispering how “wonderful” it smelled. Having two beautiful women clinging to me like that was more than I could take, and well… one thing led to another.
However, lately, there’s been one slight disappointment. Both of them drop out way too quickly. Why? It’s pretty rough to be stopped right in the middle… I feel a bit weird about continuing with girls who have fainted. They tell me it’s fine, but they’re just lying there shuddering and twitching. It’s a little scary, honestly.
When I let a hint of those thoughts slip, Lisha spoke up. “Then we shall simply have to find a third person, won’t we? In fact, it might be better if we had about five more.”
”I agree,” Charlotte added. “With Ibuki-sama’s stamina and resources, you could support any number of us. Though, since time is limited, I’d be a little lonely if you increased our numbers too much…”
For some reason, they were pushing other girls on me. Apparently, failing to satisfy a husband is a massive blow to a woman’s pride. In a world with such a skewed gender ratio, wives who can’t keep up are often mocked by single women as “low-class women who can’t even satisfy one man.”
”It’s a desperate measure, but we have to use strength in numbers,” Lisha said, with Charlotte nodding in agreement.
”I’m telling you, it’s just that Ibuki-sama is too strong!” Charlotte cried.
”No way. You guys were fine at first. You’ve just gotten weaker,” I replied. “Though I do think it’s adorable how much you both enjoy it.”
”Now that you mention it, at the start…” Lisha trailed off.
”Well, Ibuki-sama was my first, so my experience is too limited to really say…” Charlotte muttered.
Either way, I told them I didn’t like the idea of going out to pick up girls myself when I already had the two of them. I’d just have to endure it. They both looked conflicted—happy that I was being loyal, but worried that they were failing their duties as wives. The idea that it doesn’t have to be “your own hands” that satisfy your husband is a strange one.
Thinking about what a bizarre culture this was, I hugged them both and drifted off to sleep. The next day, we headed to the Merchant Guild⁵. We’d talked it over and decided it was time to start a business; we couldn’t just sit around forever. Besides, constantly selling monster parts was starting to draw too much attention, and we needed a steady income if we were going to live here.
First, I had to register for a Guild ID. This was completely separate from the Subjugators Guild; it’s basically a business permit for the town, so it comes with an annual membership fee. The Lord sets the price, and you aren’t allowed to open a shop unless you pay up. Because the fees are so high, people with smaller profit margins usually stick to roadside stalls. You still have to rent a spot through the Merchant Guild for those, but it’s much cheaper—around a hundred credits a day. I assume it’s so they can keep track of who’s selling what and where.
”I see. Since we’re just testing the waters, let’s start with a stall…” I said.
”Certainly, sir. Do you have a preferred location? There isn’t much left on the main street, but…” The receptionist pulled out a simple map of the town and showed me the available spots.
Honestly, as long as there were people around, I didn’t care where we set up. I already had plenty of ways to make money, so I wasn’t desperate to move a lot of units. I could always just fly to another town and sell monster parts where nobody knew me. This was more about seeing if I could carve out a place for myself here in the long run. I wanted to see how my products would be received and if I could run a business without any trouble. Lisha figured that as an ordinary citizen, I shouldn’t have any issues unless the Kingdom of Dole decided to interfere.
So, I picked a spot at random—on the main street, but way down at the end. Since I didn’t want to keep coming back to renew, I paid for a full month in advance.
”Um… what exactly will you be selling, sir?” the receptionist asked.
”Well, I’m not sure if I’ll stick to just this, but I was thinking of tableware, furniture… general household goods,” I replied.
”I see. That shouldn’t be a problem. It doesn’t sound like you’ll be dealing in luxury items worth more than a gold coin⁶, or restricted items like medicine. If you do decide to sell anything like that, please consult us first. ‘I didn’t know’ won’t be an acceptable excuse, so be careful.”
The receptionist was quite helpful, so I took the opportunity to ask her more. I found out that you don’t need a special permit to sell food, and I asked about how taxes worked. Apparently, for businesses dealing in items worth less than a gold coin, taxes aren’t collected until you have a permanent storefront. Most stall-holders aren’t educated and can’t read or write, so they don’t even keep records of their earnings. Instead, the town collects revenue through poll taxes and entry/exit fees.
”So, basically, if I produce the goods inside the town, I can make more profit because I don’t have to pay customs duties?”
The receptionist nodded. “Exactly. You’ll pay taxes eventually regardless of where you make it, but avoiding the gate fees gives you a big advantage. The Lord welcomes local production, so if you’re successful, you might even get an official invitation.”
”Hahaha, I don’t plan on doing anything that big. I’m still just wondering if anyone will even buy my stuff.”
I gave her a polite reply and headed home. As soon as I got back, I set to work building a push-cart for the stall. Once that was done, I turned to the girls.
”Alright, we’re all set. Now… what should we actually sell?”
”Wait, what!?” Charlotte cried out in surprise. “You mean you haven’t even thought about it?”
”Ahahaha! With Ibuki-sama, you can make whatever you think of instantly, so I suppose the order of operations doesn’t really matter to you,” Lisha laughed.
”Well, you could say that. But even if we have the spot, it’s not like we’re in trouble if we don’t use it immediately.”
That was the truth. Just because I’d rented the space didn’t mean I was forced to use it. It was at the edge of the street anyway; nobody was going to complain. I was fine with just treating this like a hobby.
”You mentioned furniture or tableware, but tableware seems much easier to start with. It’s lighter than furniture, after all,” Charlotte suggested.
”Good point. Let’s go with tableware.”
I took Charlotte’s advice and decided to start with dishes. I figured I’d make some prototypes first, so I lined up a variety of cups and plates made from wood, silver, and clay.
”Which ones do you think will sell?” I asked.
”Any of them…” they said in unison.
”Come on, give me something more than that!”
”But Ibuki-sama,” Lisha said, “with craftsmanship this refined, every single one of these is high-quality merchandise.”
She had a point. I’d spent the last few days looking at the shops in town, and most of what I saw was pretty crude. If people were buying those, then as long as I didn’t mess up the pricing, mine were bound to sell.
”Hmm… okay, let’s go with the ceramics and the silver. Now, how much should I charge…?”
”Wait… are you actually planning to mass-produce these?” Lisha asked, pointing at the silver plates.
Looking at them again, I felt like they were missing something. They were smooth and felt great in the hand, but the plain silver and clay looked a bit lonely without any patterns.
Pottery was one thing, but the silver plates felt like they were missing something. I decided they needed a bit of flair, so I tried adding some patterns.
I traced a delicate floral design around the rim, and it actually started to come together. The problem was that in my “Mental Image”⁷ of silverware, it was supposed to be covered in intricate, shimmering engravings-real flashy stuff. ‘Yeah, it went something like this…’ I thought. As I worked, I ended up creating something that looked exactly like a gravy boat you’d use for curry.
”Ah, yeah. That’s the stuff,” I muttered. Once I had the vibe down, I moved on to making sets of knives, spoons, and forks to match.
”I-Ibuki-sama! Please, wait a moment!” Lisha cried.
”Hm? What’s wrong?” I asked.
”I mean… honestly, those are way too high-end for a roadside stall! Uuu… you’re making them even more expensive…!” desuu.
Right. Thinking about it normally, silverware is pricey. I’ve never actually used the stuff, so I didn’t really have a baseline for the cost. Plus, isn’t it a huge pain because they tax anything worth more than a gold coin?
”Should we stick to the pottery then?” I asked.
”Yes… I think that would be much safer…” Lisha replied, desuu.
Fine by me. I took some pristine, pure-white pottery and added some color, painting bands of red and pink flowers around the edges.
Yeah. Now this feels like real tableware.
I was feeling pretty satisfied until I noticed the two of them looking at my work with troubled expressions.
”Those are definitely going to be expensive, aren’t they?” Charlotte asked.
”Yes,” Lisha added. “It would be crazy to sell these for anything less than three small gold coins a plate. If we go any lower, scalpers will just buy us out and bleed us dry.” desuu.
The two of them started whispering to each other, looking for all the world like a couple of gossiping neighbors.
”Hey, I can hear you!” I said. “If you’ve got something to say, say it. Is even this price range a bad idea?”
”No, it’s right on the edge, but I think we can make it work,” Lisha said after a pause. “It’s just… since they’re so fragile, the price makes me a little nervous to even touch them…” desuu.
Charlotte chimed in, her face clouded with worry. She looked terrified she’d drop one.
”Hey, don’t worry about it,” I said. “You can break as many as you want, okay? I can fix them on the spot. Want to see?”
”N-No! Absolutely not!” Charlotte cried, practically shielding the plates with her body.
”Oh? You really think you can protect them from me?” I teased.
I dropped into a low stance and started cornering her playfully. Charlotte let out a happy little laugh as she tried to dodge me.
I got caught up in teasing her for a bit, but I snapped back to reality when I saw Lisha checking the stall, trying to figure out how to arrange everything. I was the one who suggested this, so I shouldn’t be slacking off.
I walked over and casually manifested a glass cup next to her display.
”Is this… a cup…?” Lisha asked, desuu.
”Yeah. It occurred to me that we’ve been using those wooden ones I made forever, so I figured it was time for an upgrade,” I said.
”It’s beautiful,” Charlotte whispered. “I’ve never seen glass this crystal clear…” desuwa.
”But let me guess-it’s too expensive?” I asked, beating her to the punch.
”Well… yes,” Lisha admitted. “This is the kind of thing you’d sell to the nobility in a proper boutique…” desuu.
”Should we just stick to wood then? I really just wanted to do some work to get a better feel for how the world works,” I said.
”No, I think the pottery is a good middle ground,” Lisha said. “We do need to keep some cash on hand. Besides, if we keep selling parts from high-ranking monsters, your name is going to spread too fast.” desuu.
Ah, so that’s why she told me to lay off the high-tier orcs. On top of that, ever since we left the village, I’ve been using Lisha’s name for everything. She’d been looking out for us, figuring that if we didn’t use my or Charlotte’s names, we’d be harder to track. That was a life-saving move.
As I thanked her, I found out-rather late-that she’d even been fudging the reports for the stuff we sold back at the village so I wouldn’t be flagged as a high-level subjugator.
When I asked if she was going to get in trouble, she just said it was fine because she’d suppressed the info from the start-thanks to our “deep relationship.”
Apparently, there are two ways to report a kill: bringing in the whole corpse, or selling it as “dismantled materials.” If you sell materials, nobody bats an eye. She told me there’s no legal obligation to prove where they came from; reporting it is usually just a way for strong guys to make a name for themselves.
”I couldn’t go as far as hiding the name completely, but…” she started.
Before she could finish, I pulled her into a hug.
”Thanks for looking out for me. I love you,” I said.
When I kissed her, she let out a soft “Ah…♡” and hugged me back, burying her face in my neck and leaving little kisses.
Charlotte was beaming. “Lisha, you really are amazing!”
I’m honestly so lucky to have these two. They don’t have a jealous bone in their bodies.
”If you two ever need anything, just say the word. I’m gonna work hard for you guys, okay?” I promised.
”We’re already happy enough,” Lisha said. “You won’t find a more blessed slave in the entire world.” desuu.
”Ufufu, I quite agree,” Charlotte added. “Even as a village girl, I feel the same way!” desuwa.
Even so, hearing how much they do for me just makes me want to spoil them more. I’d prefer it if they just asked for stuff… but I guess I’ll just have to be more attentive.
Maybe a gift? Jewelry?
But in a world like this, flashy jewels just invite trouble. That would be the definition of counter-productive.
I guess I really do need some status. Maybe not a nobleman, but if I can establish myself as a tycoon, it wouldn’t look out of place for my girls to be dressed in luxury. People would think twice before messing with us.
I can handle thugs just by leveling up, but dealing with people in power is a lot harder for just the two of them. As long as we’re together, I’ll protect them from anyone, but still…
Yeah. Let’s give this business thing a real shot. If it doesn’t work out, we can just ditch the shop and move on. No big deal.
Alright, I’ll focus on making high-quality pottery and try to position myself as some kind of master craftsman.
With that goal in mind, I spent the rest of the day focused on my craft. The shampoo I’d experimented with seemed to be a hit, too. Once the girls tried it, their hair became so soft and glossy it practically changed their whole vibe. That got me fired up, so I spent the evening making hairpins and new clothes to dress them up in-before “eating” them both deliciously.
You make it, then you eat it. It’s the natural order of things, right?
But man, they always tap out so fast.
Hmph… Now that they’re even cuter and more alluring, it’s getting harder and harder to hold back. I love using their mouths, but in the end, I just can’t help wanting to be inside them.
With those thoughts swirling in my head, I cleaned them both up, got them dressed, and tucked them into bed, falling asleep with them in my arms.
—
Summary:
Ibuki finishes renovating the kitchen and decides to start a business to avoid drawing too much attention with his monster hunting. He registers a roadside stall at the Merchant Guild and creates high-quality soap and shampoo using his crafting skills.
Ibuki attempts to create silverware but realizes the high economic risk and tax implications. He pivots to high-quality pottery and discovers that Lisha has been protecting his identity by manipulating monster subjugation reports. The chapter ends with Ibuki resolving to become a ‘tycoon’ to protect his companions’ lifestyle.
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Trivia:
- Commoners in this world don’t have refrigerators; it’s a luxury for the rich.
- Pepper is an extremely high-status commodity in this setting.
- Taxes for roadside stalls are collected via gate fees and poll taxes rather than income reporting.
- The gender ratio in this world is heavily skewed, leading to intense social pressure on wives to satisfy their husbands.
- Ibuki’s crafting can ‘degrade’ items to make them more energy-efficient.
- The tax threshold is exactly one Gold Coin.
- Lisha used her influence and ‘deep relationship’ with officials to hide Ibuki’s identity.
- Material sales do not require the same proof of origin as whole corpses.
- Ibuki can repair broken items instantly, which he uses to tease Charlotte
—
Character Insight:
Ibuki continues to realize how his ‘Earth common sense’ and overpowered skills separate him from the average citizen. His wives demonstrate a pragmatic, culture-bound view of polygamy as a solution to his physical stamina.
Lisha shows significant agency and cunning by proactively managing Ibuki’s social footprint. Ibuki demonstrates a shift from a ‘survival’ mindset to a ‘social status’ mindset, realizing that personal strength isn’t enough to protect his girls’ dignity.
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Behind the Scenes:
The author uses the ‘soap and shampoo’ trope to establish the protagonist’s superior standard of living and potential for economic disruption.
The ‘Mental Image’ term is a recurring trope in this series, used to highlight the protagonist’s modern-day references that the fantasy world lacks words for.
—
TL Notes:
Notes:
• Charlotte – Short, skinny late‑teen slave girl with messy brown hair, feline eyes, and a soft, slender body. Was an Ex‑Level 8 farmer, now Level 10 and bound to Ibuki, who she calls “Master” and calls herself his wife. Wears rags at first, then pretty clothes he makes, plus his bat‑wing hairband. Blushy, clingy, protective, and easily emotional, she follows him on runs, fights, and flights while always worrying if she’s useful enough.
• Lisha – Mature‑looking native woman with a soft “big‑sister” vibe, a big, bon‑kyu‑bon chest, and an hourglass figure. Polite, domestic, and secretly shy, she treats being with Ibuki as a blessing and quietly fixes the bedding after they’re done. A skilled cook, hot‑spring lover, and “doer” who melts when others take control. She’s the Guildmaster and receptionist/butcher for the Hasshi Subjugator Guild, good friends with Collet, and lets Ibuki and Charlotte stay at her place, worrying about his safety while torn between duty and her feelings for him. Has a younger sister and family in a nearby town.
• Ibuki – Broke high‑schooler from Earth who got tossed into another world with the “Crafter” class he first thought was useless—turns out it’s totally busted. Black‑haired, germaphobic, and low‑key bitter but sharp as hell. Uses Synthesis, Processing, and Inventory skills to survive, craft gear, and haul loot while exploring. Currently a Level 10 otherworlder, wielding a stone axe, traveling the frontier forest with Charlotte, and just trying to stay alive long enough to find a bit of peace.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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