Cooke was tapping his chubby feet in impatience, his arms were crossed and his eyebrows furrowed, feeling incredibly irked.
He looked at the long line with a frown, the frown on his wrinkled face getting more profound as he saw the weaved baskets filled with various items in the arms of the shoppers.
When will it be his turn? Would there be enough stuff remaining by the time he entered?
He was so itchy. He wanted to go in there now!
His livelihood depended on it! Literally!
Cooke really didn't know what came over him buying a commercial unit with all his wealth with the current conditions.
He couldn't do anything with it at all, except sleep on the second floor, maybe!
He was a professional cook, yes, and he was also judged by the system to be in the profession. But so what?
He couldnt do anything! Who told him there were no ingredients! He really didn't consider it!
It seemed that when the system alerted him that he was eligible for an occupation when he used a special but cumbersome ancestral technique to treat the monster meat to make it delicious, the pride went over his head?
Fortunately, the commercial unit was mixed-use, so he could use the second floor as his house, otherwise, he'd be sleeping on the streets.
He could also make a living doing barbeque, but the meat softening was too troublesome and the spices on hand were limited. Although his customers were satisfied, his soul was dissatisfied.
And now he heard a grocery store was opening?!
A customer of his, who happened to be one of the hired hands of this new grocery store owner, low-key mentioned to him that seasonings would be available soon.
He was then invited to the opening of the store. So here he was.
After all, how could he miss this?!
After many long torturous minutes of waiting… Finally, eventually, it was finally his turn.
Unsure of what to expect, he entered the door with mixed emotions.
And what greeted him was heaven.
He went straight to the condiment and spices section. There were a few bowls of pottery in front of small vats, a text carved on wood stating their taste.
There were also saucers in front of these vats which they could lift and let drop on their fingers, so they could have a taste.
In front of these different vats, there were also various notes indicating things like 'a bit sweeter than regular vinegar', 'less hot than sriracha and a bit sweet', and 'a bit saltier than usual soy sauce' which let them know what to expect before tasting.
Anyway, Cooke excitedly tasted each one and his eyes brightened like the stars ate the sun.
Although they were a little different than what he knew and a little less tasty, he did not mind it at all.
He was a chef after all, he could make it work. Probably.
He whipped his head at the clerk, who was by now used to the sparkling passionate stares of the buyer. "I would like a bottle of each please."
"That is 10 copper for a small bottle of soy sauce each, 5 if you have your own container." He said, showing the size of a 100mL earthenware bottle. "The price is the same for hot sauce, salty gel, and mild sweetener."
"The sour fruit sauce costs 10 copper coins, 5 if you have your own container."
"Sure." It was not cheap, but it was worth it and definitely value for money.
"Would you also like to buy a basket to hold everything?" The clerk asked, as if none of them had space.
He ended up buying in the end though. It wouldn't go to waste, anyway.
After looking at the bottles in satisfaction, he finally had the time to look at the rest of the store.
The whole store had a convenience store vibe. Amusingly, on the wall, there was a warning sign.
Instead of 'CCTV is watching' he had seen in Terran, there was 'System is watching' carved on a wooden sign.
Anyway, he continued perusing the shop and looked around.
The floor area was about 200 square meters, divided into two parts. Two-thirds for food, the rest for non-food items.
The food consists of rice, flour, seasonings, and condiments. There were also pickled vegetables and processed meats.
Non-food items included several earthenware potteries and utensils, and weaved items like baskets, slippers, and backpacks.
It was amazing how much one team could produce! It seemed like it had only been a week when they started hiring people?
Well, however they did it, he bought a bit of everything with the remaining savings he earned from barbeque.
He had witnessed the purchasing power of the people here, he believed he would be able to make profit very quickly.
It would be better if he got a better deal thought. The things were not cheap.
Of course, they weren't too expensive on their own, but he was building a restaurant. A few bottles of seasoning were relatively inexpensive, but boxes of them would be heavy on the pocket.
It was at this moment that a soft voice that reverberated, like the cello sounded next to him. "Are you a cook?"
The man gaped at the newcomer, blinking, but also a little dazed at the beauty that appeared in front of him.
Althea smiled in response, waiting patiently for him to respond.
Althea had had her attention on this guy: Cooke Ferrell. Other than her, he was the only one who had an 'occupation'.
She had always been curious what the difference between the professional cook from Terran (Harold) and the professional cook from Terran that was also sealed by the system (Cooke).
Thinking of this, her smile towards the old man turned a bit warmer. "I have heard of your work, Mr. Ferrol."
"Ah, yes, thank you." He paused and realized this was Ms. Althea, the owner and developer of pretty much whatever he was seeing.
His usual arrogant posture immediately became more respectful.
"No need to be too polite." She said, "I'm here to offer you… a deal."