MARKET RESEARCH

Marcus stared at his organic chemistry textbook, but the molecular diagrams kept morphing into images of King Aldwin's smug face and Lord Varek's cold eyes. It was the day after the royal "welcome" ceremony in Valdris, and Marcus couldn't shake the feeling that he was running out of time in both worlds.

"Dude, you're doing that thing again," Tyler observed from his gaming chair, where he was editing footage from last night's stream. "The staring-into-space-like-you're-receiving-alien-transmissions thing."

"Sorry," Marcus said, closing the textbook harder than necessary. "Just thinking about... career options."

"Career options? Bro, you're a freshman. You've got like four years to figure that out." Tyler paused his editing software. "Unless this is about your parents pressuring you about the whole pre-med track? Because honestly, you seem way more interested in business stuff lately."

That was uncomfortably perceptive. Marcus had been spending more time researching entrepreneurship and small business strategies than studying for his actual classes. The problem was that his Valdris family needed income. Real income, not just the basic sustenance the King provided. And Marcus was the only one positioned to figure out how to get it.

"I've been thinking about side hustles," Marcus said carefully. "You know, ways to make money while in college."

Tyler's eyes lit up with the enthusiasm of someone who'd turned his hobby into a revenue stream. "Now you're talking my language! What kind of side hustle? Content creation? Tutoring? Dropshipping?"

"Actually..." Marcus hesitated, then decided to go for it. "I was thinking about farmers markets. Selling handmade products."

"Farmers markets?" Tyler looked genuinely puzzled. "Like, vegetables?"

"No, more like... artisanal goods. Soap, maybe. Natural ingredients, custom scents, that sort of thing."

Tyler stared at him for a long moment. "Marcus, are you having some kind of quarter-life crisis? Because soap making is like, the most random business idea I've ever heard."

"It's not random," Marcus protested, though he couldn't exactly explain that he'd already had success with soap production in a medieval setting. "There's a real market for handcrafted, chemical-free personal care products. People are willing to pay premium prices for quality."

"Okay, okay," Tyler held up his hands. "I'm not judging. Actually, it's kind of genius. Low startup costs, high margins, direct-to-consumer sales. Plus you've got the chemistry background to understand the science behind it."

That was exactly what Marcus had been thinking. His chemistry knowledge gave him a huge advantage in understanding saponification, pH balance, and ingredient interactions. What worked in Valdris would work even better with access to modern materials and techniques.

"The question is," Tyler continued, warming to the topic, "how do you research the market? Figure out what people want?"

"YouTube," Marcus said immediately. "There have to be tutorials, market analysis, customer reviews."

"Now you're thinking like an entrepreneur! Want me to help you research? I'm pretty good at finding niche communities online."

For the next two hours, Marcus and Tyler dove deep into the world of artisanal soap making. YouTube turned out to be a goldmine of information. Everything from basic cold-process techniques to advanced colorants and fragrances. Marcus took notes on ingredient ratios, curing times, and packaging options while Tyler researched market prices and customer preferences.

"Okay, so lavender and eucalyptus are popular," Tyler reported, scrolling through Etsy listings. "But there's also demand for more unique scents. Look at this. Someone's selling 'Forest After Rain' soap for twenty-five dollars a bar."

"Twenty-five dollars?" Marcus nearly choked on his coffee. "For one bar of soap?"

"Premium market, baby. People will pay for quality and uniqueness. Plus there's the whole Instagram aesthetic factor. Handmade soap photographs well."

Marcus was taking notes furiously. In Valdris, he'd been limited to basic ingredients and simple techniques. Here, he had access to specialized oils, natural colorants, essential oils, even decorative molds. The possibilities were endless.

"The startup costs are reasonable," Tyler continued. "Basic equipment, maybe two hundred dollars. Ingredients for your first batch, another hundred. You could test the market for less than what most people spend on textbooks."

Marcus felt a familiar excitement building. The same feeling he got when he solved a challenging problem in Valdris. This could work.

"I want to try making a test batch," Marcus said suddenly. The soap he'd made back in Millhaven had been more of a rough, granular product. Functional but not something that could be sold. He needed to create something genuinely marketable. "Just to see if I can do it."

"Right now?"

"Why not? The chemistry lab is closed, but I could use the dorm bathroom. Basic cold-process soap doesn't require special equipment."

Tyler looked skeptical. "In our bathroom? Isn't that kind of... unsanitary?"

"Not if I'm careful. I just need a scale, some mixing bowls, and basic ingredients. I can get everything at the grocery store."

"This is either going to be cool or a complete disaster," Tyler said. "But I'm in. For content purposes, obviously. 'College Student Starts Soap Empire in Dorm Bathroom' could be a great video series."

An hour later, Marcus stood in the cramped dorm bathroom with his supplies spread across the counter: coconut oil, olive oil, lye, distilled water, and a small bottle of lavender essential oil he'd found at the campus health store. Tyler hovered in the doorway with his phone, documenting everything.

"Okay," Marcus muttered, consulting his handwritten notes, "this time I'm going for something beautiful and scented. Not just functional."

He'd made basic soap in Valdris, but this was different. He had access to refined ingredients, precise measurements, and modern techniques. The lye solution heated up dramatically when mixed with water, filling the small bathroom with steam. Marcus had to open the window and turn on the fan to keep from being overwhelmed by the fumes.

"This is intense," Tyler observed, filming Marcus as he carefully measured oils. "You look like you've done this before."

"I have some experience with the basics," Marcus replied carefully, slowly adding the lye solution to the oil mixture. "Saponification is just a chemical reaction between fats and sodium hydroxide. The art is in getting the proportions right and creating something people want to buy."

The mixture began to thicken as Marcus stirred, transforming from liquid to a creamy consistency that reminded him of cake batter. This time, he added the lavender oil and a few drops of purple colorant, watching as the soap took on a pale lavender hue that looked genuinely professional.

"That looks professional," Tyler said, leaning in for a closer shot. "How long before you know if it worked?"

"Twenty-four hours for initial setting, then four to six weeks for full curing," Marcus explained, pouring the mixture into a makeshift mold he'd created from a small cardboard box lined with plastic wrap. "But I'll know pretty quickly if I messed up the chemistry."

"What happens if you messed up?"

"Best case scenario, it doesn't solidify properly. Worst case, it's too caustic and could burn skin."

"Great. So we might have created a chemical weapon in our bathroom."

Marcus was cleaning up his equipment when he heard the door to their room open. Jake's voice echoed down the hallway.

"Marcus? Tyler? What's that smell?"

"Uh oh," Tyler whispered, quickly pocketing his phone.

"What smell?" Marcus called back, frantically trying to hide the evidence of his soap-making experiment.

"It smells like... lavender? And chemicals?" Jake appeared in the bathroom doorway, his expression shifting from curiosity to confusion to alarm as he took in the scene. "What the hell are you guys doing?"

Marcus stood frozen, holding a mixing bowl still coated with soap residue, while Tyler tried to look innocent despite clearly having been filming something. The bathroom counter was covered with oil bottles, measuring cups, and a suspicious cardboard box that was definitely not standard dorm equipment.

"We can explain," Tyler started.

"You'd better," Jake said, his voice taking on the tone he used when he was genuinely concerned. "Because this looks like you're either cooking drugs or conducting illegal chemistry experiments."

"It's soap," Marcus said weakly. "I was making soap."

Jake stared at him. "Soap."

"Artisanal soap. For a potential business venture."

"In our bathroom."

"It seemed like a good idea at the time."

Jake looked between Marcus and Tyler, then at the evidence scattered around the bathroom, then back at Marcus. "You made soap. In our shared bathroom. Using what appears to be actual chemistry equipment."

"Just basic stuff," Marcus protested. "Nothing dangerous. Well, mostly nothing dangerous."

"Mostly?"

Tyler jumped in. "The lye is technically caustic, but Marcus was careful about safety protocols. We researched everything first."

"Lye?" Jake's voice went up an octave. "You brought lye into our dorm room?"

"It's a standard soap-making ingredient," Marcus said quickly. "People use it all the time for crafting. It's safe if you know what you're doing."

"Do you know what you're doing?"

Marcus hesitated just a moment too long. "I researched it thoroughly."

Jake rubbed his temples. "Okay. Let me get this straight. You, Marcus Chen, pre-med student who's been acting weird for weeks, decided to start a soap-making business in our bathroom using caustic chemicals you bought at the grocery store, based on research you did on YouTube."

"When you put it like that, it sounds crazy," Tyler admitted.

"It is crazy," Jake looked at them both like they'd lost their minds. "What if you'd gotten the proportions wrong? What if you'd spilled lye on yourself? What if the dorm officials come by and smell chemicals?"

Marcus felt his cheeks burning with embarrassment. Jake was right. This had been impulsive and poorly thought out. In Valdris, he'd had months to experiment with soap making under controlled conditions. Here, he'd let his enthusiasm override his common sense.

"You're right," Marcus said quietly. "I should have thought this through better. I just... I wanted to see if I could do it."

Jake's expression softened slightly. "Marcus, I get that you're interested in entrepreneurship or whatever, but you can't just start manufacturing chemical products in our living space. There are safety regulations, health codes, not to mention dorm policies."

"I know. I'm sorry."

"And why soap, anyway? Of all the possible business ideas, why did you land on handmade soap?"

Marcus scrambled for an explanation that wouldn't involve mentioning his medieval experiences. "I've always been interested in chemistry applications. And soap making is basically applied organic chemistry. Plus there's a good market for artisanal products."

Jake studied him for a long moment. "This is about more than just making money, isn't it? You've been acting different lately. Distracted, secretive. Now you're conducting chemistry experiments in our bathroom. What's going on?"

Marcus felt the familiar weight of living two lives pressing down on him. Jake was a good friend who genuinely cared about his wellbeing, but there was no way to explain the truth without sounding completely insane.

"I've just been thinking about the future," Marcus said finally. "About what I want to do with my life. And I'm not sure the pre-med track is right for me."

"So you decided to pivot to soap manufacturing?"

"I decided to explore my options. Soap making is just one possibility."

Tyler, who had been uncharacteristically quiet during this exchange, finally spoke up. "For what it's worth, Jake, Marcus seems to know what he's doing. He understood all the chemistry involved, took proper safety precautions, and the end result looks professional."

Jake glanced at the cardboard mold sitting on the counter. "It does look surprisingly legitimate. But that's not the point. The point is that you can't just decide to start a chemical manufacturing operation in our shared living space without discussing it first."

"You're absolutely right," Marcus said. "I should have talked to you before doing anything. I was just excited about the idea and wanted to test it quickly."

"Next time, maybe find an actual workspace? The chemistry department probably has facilities you could use. Or there might be community workshops that allow this kind of thing."

Marcus nodded, already making mental notes. Jake was right. If he was going to pursue this seriously, he needed proper facilities and safety equipment. The dorm bathroom experiment had been a proof of concept, but it wasn't a sustainable approach.

"So," Jake said, looking around the bathroom one more time, "what happens now? Do we just wait to see if your soap experiment worked?"

"Pretty much. If it sets properly overnight, I'll know the basic chemistry was correct. Then it needs to cure for several weeks before it's usable."

"And if it doesn't set properly?"

"Then I'll know what to adjust for next time. That's how you learn."

Jake shook his head, but Marcus could see he was fighting a smile. "You're completely insane, you know that? But I have to admit, this is probably the most interesting thing that's happened in our dorm all semester."

"Does this mean you're not going to report me to the dorm officials?" Marcus asked hopefully.

"I'm not going to report you. But you're cleaning up every trace of this experiment, and you're not doing anything like this again without proper facilities and advance warning."

"Deal."

As they worked together to clean the bathroom and dispose of the chemical residue, Marcus found himself feeling oddly optimistic. The soap experiment had been impulsive and poorly executed, but it had also proven that his chemistry knowledge could translate into practical applications in the modern world.

More importantly, it had given him a concrete plan for generating income that could eventually benefit his Valdris family. If he could establish a successful soap business here, the profits could fund better equipment and materials when he eventually returned to the medieval world permanently.

"Hey Marcus," Tyler said as they finished cleaning, "want to check out some local farmers markets this weekend? You know, for market research?"

"That's a great idea," Jake added. "If you're serious about this, you