The journey back to his shop passed in a blur.
The shop's humble wooden sign appeared ahead, swinging in the afternoon breeze. Never had the words "Idle Store" looked so beautiful.
The captain halted at the alley entrance.
"We've arrived."
His face remained as expressive as a wall. He was the living embodiment of a stoic monk, or possibly chronic constipation.
Why is he so serious? Noah wondered, wisely keeping the thought to himself. After all, getting beaten up for sassing a royal guard wouldn't unlock any system upgrades.
Inside the shop, Noah arranged the bread loaves on the counter with the care of a museum curator handling ancient fossils.
Six perfect golden loaves, each worth three gold coins or more accurately, his financial salvation.
The captain collected them with care. Those bread loaves were worth twenty-one golden coins, so they must be something good.
The transaction was officially complete as both received their goods.
[Shop Upgrade Slot: Sell 10 loaves of bread.]
[Progress: 10/10 (Completed)]
The notification flashed across Noah's vision like digital confetti.
[You are now able to buy a new item to sell!]
Noah's heart leapt.
Finally!
The moment he'd been grinding for, a chance to expand his small shop, one product at a time.
"Wait," he called as the captain turned to leave.
The mountain of a man paused at the door, one eyebrow climbing his forehead.
"Yes?"
"I have another product to sell," Noah announced, rubbing his hands together with all the subtlety of a cartoon villain. "Remember the princess's words?"
The guard nodded once.
"Where is it?" His eyes scanned the empty shelves. "There is nothing here."
Noah raised a finger.
"Bear with me for one second."
He dropped below the counter, squatting on his heels to access the shop interface out of sight.
This was it!
His moment of triumph!
The upgrade menu materialised before him, glowing with... disappointment.
Instead of the vast array of magical products he'd imagined, such as potions, enchanted weapons, perhaps a nice line of self-warming socks—a single lonely item stared back at him.
Everything else was locked behind bars.
System, you've got to be joking...right?
[Why would I joke with you, host? This is the price.]
'It's too expensive, damn it!'
[No one is forcing you to buy it host. It's your choice.]
The longer Noah stared at his current wealth and the price tag, the more his soul withered.
Host: Noah Carter
Age: 28
Shops: 1
Daily Revenue: $300
Current Assets: $3900.42
Shop Points: 100
Attributes: Strength: 4, Vitality: 4, Intelligence: 6, Agility: 3
Skills: Programming (Level 2), Finance (Level 1), Surviving on Ramen (Level 3)
My wealth is $3,900. After buying this tea, I'll be back to poverty. Plus, I still haven't paid off those loan sharks.
The guard's voice cut through his internal crisis.
"Is everything alright down there?"
Noah had been crouched under the counter for nearly five minutes, apparently long enough to make even a stoic royal guard speak out.
"Yeah, one second," he called back, his voice cracking slightly.
He stared at the purchase button.
Logic screamed to wait, to save, to be prudent. But...no.
'It's fine. I might become poor again. Those loan sharks might break my legs. But I'll figure something out. After all, I could possibly double my daily income if I could sell this for three gold coins too. Maybe even more!'
He clicked the purchase button.
His heart bled digital tears as $3,500 evaporated from his assets, leaving him with a disappointing $400.42 to his name.
I guess I'm back to ramen dinners and avoiding debt collectors.
[Congratulations! Iced tea is now available for sale! Your first product batch is available in your inventory.]
'System, why don't I have an auto ice tea maker like my auto bread maker?' he asked internally, noticing the lack of production notifications.
[Host must sell the product first, then he will be able to create an idle income stream. Auto-IceTea will be available after the first sale.]
Of course. Because nothing could ever be simple.
Noah retrieved the iced tea from his inventory and stood up, knees popping from the extended squat.
The captain was now looking at him with genuine concern, probably wondering if the princess's special friend was having some kind of episode.
"Found it!" Noah announced with forced cheer, placing a glass bottle on the counter.
The container itself was stunning. It was made of glass that reflected the light like a prism, filled with liquid that shifted between deep blue and purple depending on the angle you were looking from.
Most importantly...it was iced!
The captain leaned forward, curious about the drink.
"What is it?"
"Iced Tea," Noah proclaimed. "Increases mana reserves and regeneration by thirty percent for ten minutes. Perfect for mages and knights during battle."
The captain's eyes narrowed. "You're a brewer as well as a baker?"
"I'm a... collector of rare recipes," Noah hedged. "This would be invaluable for the royal mages fighting at the wall. Worth at least ten gold coins."
There.
The opening bid.
High enough to be profitable, low enough not to sound completely insane.
The guard studied the bottle, then Noah, then the bottle again. His face suggested he was mentally composing his resignation letter.
"Alright," he said finally.
"Eh?" Noah blinked.
"You want ten gold coins? Right?" The guard placed the coins on the counter with a decisive clink.
WHAT? No haggling? No questions? He just... paid full price?
Damn it, I should have asked for more!!! I'm so stupid!
Noah mentally kicked himself. With negotiation skills this bad, it was no wonder his startup had struggled.
"The princess didn't set a limit on the purchases," the guard explained unprompted.
Noah stared at the coins like they might transform into butterflies and flutter away.
[First Ice Tea Sold! Daily Idle Income added: Ice Tea - 10 Gold Coins ($1,000 USD)]
[Auto-IceTea Maker Unlocked: Produces 1 Ice Tea every 4 hours]
A thousand dollars? Noah nearly choked. Per day?
Combined with his bread income, he'd be making $1,300 daily.
It was enough to pay off his loans in less than a week!