Chapter 4 - The Store and The Village

We walk towards the shop and then invite Blake and Tessa inside. The moment they enter they start to look around and are amazed by all the food and snacks on each shelf that look exotic to them.

Their eyes were looking at every shelf at the store, as if they had stumbled into a room full of treasure. Compared to the food they are used to like wild fruits and dried meats, the neat rows of colorful packages must have seemed otherworldly for them.

Tessa then started to walk around the aisles, lightly touching each package with the tip of her finger. The text on the packages is strange and unreadable to her, so she leans closer to the pictures of the food printed on them to see what kind of food it was.

“What’s that?” Blake finally broke the silence, pointing at a cup of ramen on one of the shelves.

“That, my friend, is the food that revolutionized where I come from.”

“Revolutionized?” His brow furrowed.

“You’ll see.”

His eyes lit up with curiosity. “Can I try it?”

“Sure you can. All you have to do is open it up, add boiling water, and wait, just as the package says. And now…” I placed the container down on the counter with a bit of flair, “we wait.”

The three of us were now around the counter, watching steam begin to rise from the cup. It was oddly ceremonial, like we were waiting for some ancient ritual to finish.

Blake then gave a lean in and sniffed curiously, his expression puzzled. Tessa fidgets beside him, her gaze directly at the mysterious cup.

“Alright, time’s up.” I pulled the lid back. “We can open the package now, and—there you go!”

As the steam spreads, a savory, mouthwatering aroma fills the whole shop. The smell of soy broth and dried vegetables started to mix into the air, rich and comforting.

“That smells so good!” Blake exclaims, his mouth already watering.

“Try it. It tastes just as good as it smells.” I push the bowl in front of him.

Blake picks up the chopsticks that came with the package. He had clearly figured out their purpose from the illustrations, but his grip was clumsy, his fingers shaking as he fumbled to hold them correctly. Tessa giggled as she watched him struggle.

“Quiet, you!” he hisses at her, before managing to pinch a small clump of noodles.

Slurping a mouthful, his eyes widening the moment the flavor hit his tongue.

“You’re right! This is delicious! Nothing like I’ve ever tasted in my life!” He dives back in, slurping loudly, eating even faster as if afraid the bowl would vanish.

“Hey, I want some too, big brother!” Tessa puffs her cheeks, tugging at his sleeve.

“There’s more on the shelves, Tessa!”

The siblings started to squabble, pushing against each other as they fought over the noodles. I couldn’t help but chuckle a bit. For me, cup ramen is such a normal item and an everyday convenience. For them, it was a revelation.

***

After eating and chatting for a while, I decided to bend the truth a little. I told them I had recently arrived on the mainland and set up shop here.

In return, they told me about themselves. Blake and Tessa were gatherers from a small remote village far to the north. Their job was to collect herbs, berries, and small game to bring back home. But this time, they had strayed too far into the forest.

Goblins had cut them off while they were on their way to gather. Their escape route was blocked, so they ran south as fast as they could… until they stumbled into me.

The ramen bowl was empty by the time they finished their story. Blake set it down with a satisfied sigh, licking his lips.

“That was so good,” he says. Then he reaches into his pouch and pulls out several coins, dropping them onto the counter. “Here, for the meal.”

I raise my hands and shake my head. “No, no. It’s on the house. A welcome gift.”

But Blake pushes the coins closer to me. “We can’t. In our village, it’s customary to always give something back. If someone helps you, you return the favor. Otherwise, you’re nothing but a beggar.”

His eyes were firm. For someone who is way younger than me, his words carried surprising weight.

I hesitated, then slowly picked up the coins and put them into the register.

My first sale in this world.

***

I later escorted them back to their village. As we were arriving, a crowd quickly formed. Men, women, and children were gathering to see if the rumors were true—if an Off-lander had really walked into their lives.

They led me to the Elder’s house, a wooden building at the center of the village. Inside, sitting comfortably on a chair, is where I introduced myself to Elder Obles.

He was a man in his sixties, with a bushy, swirly mustache that covered his mouth entirely. His eyes remained closed, giving him a permanent expression of gentle amusement, and his belly stretched against his tunic like a satisfied merchant.

“Thank you so much for saving my grandkids, Off-lander,” he says with a warm tone. “It’s an extreme pleasure to meet someone from so very far away. To have you here, in this humble village, is truly a blessing.

“Sadly, things have been… difficult. Ever since goblins migrated into this part of the mainland, our lives have been in danger. Still, you have my gratitude. We don’t have much, but if there’s anything you desire, please ask.”

“Migrated?” I ask. “You mean this wasn’t a problem before?”

The Elder shakes his head slowly. “No. This village was once peaceful. But after the King’s army defeated the Orc Lord’s horde that plagued nearby cities and castles, the survivors scattered. Orcs, goblins… all driven into remote lands like ours.

“And the nobles? They care about us. We don’t produce grain, or ore, or anything of value. So they don’t ever send their troops to our village? No, we are left alone. Forgotten. Such… such a hopeless situation.”

A single tear escaped his eye, which he quickly wiped away.

“There’s hope now, Grandpa!” Blake interrupted. “Thanks to Clerk, we defeated five—no, ten goblins with this!”

He proudly pulled out the arrows coated in red chip powder.

I chime in, telling the Elder about the battle. About the goblin felled with a single arrow. About the potato chips. About the barcode scanner that seemed like an artificial relic to them.

The Elder starts to chuckle. “Hohoho, nonsense. Magic? Blake, your great-great-grandmother used to tell me stories like that when I was a boy-”

I raise the barcode scanner in front of the Elder’s face, aiming at the roof, a tiny flame the size of a lighter flickers into existence at the tip of the scanner in between his eyes.

For the first time, Elder Obles’s eyes snapped open. His jaw hung slack, the mustache trembling with his shock.