Chapter 3

Even as Jiang Li stood there questioning his life choices, Chris, the customer who had just stepped into the supermarket, was inwardly marveling as well.

Though he boasted of being experienced, he was merely an ordinary adventurer. On the Lalan Continent, adventurers like him were beyond count. Every year, countless young people joined the Adventurers’ Guild to resist the onslaught of the Demon King Castle and eliminate the magical beasts rampaging across the land.

Stumbling upon this shop called a “supermarket” had been pure coincidence. Previously, this had been a grocery store. Thanks to its good quality and affordable prices, it had enjoyed a fine reputation among adventurers, and Chris would stop by for supplies every time he passed through the city. His last visit had been two years ago, so he had not known the old shop had closed down and had simply followed his memory here.

Even if he had not known before, the brand-new storefront made it obvious that the shop had changed hands.

He should have turned around and left, but before he could, a strange aroma caught his nose.

It was a rich, soul-stirring, tantalizing scent that struck him straight to his core!

Years ago, Chris had been hired by a noble lord as an escort. By lucky chance, he had been fortunate enough to taste top-grade magical beast meat worth several hundred gold coins a pound. It had been extraordinarily delicious, a once-in-a-lifetime experience he could never forget and had bragged about to his companions countless times. Yet in the presence of this aroma, he could not recall the flavor of that meat at all. It rooted him to the spot.

If Jiang Li could hear his thoughts, he would have known that this “strange aroma” was merely the spicy dry pot^[1] he had ordered for lunch.

In any case, Chris had walked inside.

As an adventurer, Chris had traveled to countless cities across the Lalan Continent. Experienced and knowledgeable, he had prepared himself for anything, yet the moment he stepped into the shop, he still received quite a shock.

Outside, the summer heat blazed, but inside the shop, the air was cool and comfortable. The instant he walked in, all the sweltering heat melted away, making the stifling summer outside feel like an illusion.

Well-traveled as he was, Chris understood immediately: ice magic.

There had to be a magic array operating inside the shop to carve out such a cool sanctuary in the dead of summer.

Yet to engrave a magic array across such a vast space, what sheer extravagance!

Chris had originally intended to leave at once, but the pleasant chill made him hesitate. Before he could decide, a voice rang out from somewhere; the shopkeeper had already spotted him.

The shopkeeper was a handsome young man with black hair, dark eyes, and fair skin, dressed in strange clothes unlike the fashion of any kingdom. Yet Chris did not dare underestimate him. Judging by the magic array encompassing the entire shop alone, he knew the shopkeeper was no ordinary person. Perhaps he was a young master from some prominent family, or perhaps he was the archmage who had inscribed the magic array himself.

Duolei was only a small city, nowhere near as bustling as the capital. Why would such a person and such a shop appear in Duolei?

Fortunately, the shopkeeper lacked the arrogance typical of nobles, and his manner could even be called amiable.

Chris stepped cautiously into the shop.

Carrying his basket, he navigated between the shelves, his eyes darting all over the place.

The stone tiles on the floor were snow-white and gleaming, faintly reflecting his figure. Across the expansive space, everywhere his eyes could see was brightly lit, banishing all darkness. From what Chris could observe, the light originated from above, likely coming from rare magical devices that cast a steady glow. Chris had heard that nobles did not use oil lamps or torches; they used magic lamps powered by rare energy crystals.

Having already seen the magic array, Chris only stared at the magic lamps for a few moments until his eyes grew sore before calmly shifting his gaze away.

Afraid of offending the shopkeeper, he did not dare stare too long, quickly dropping his gaze to the goods on the shelves.

He had come to buy supplies, needing only food and water.

Yet experienced though he was, he could not help but feel troubled when trying to make a choice.

Although the shopkeeper had told him that everything before him was food, he still had no idea where to begin when confronted with row after row of unfamiliar goods. Chris tried to spot something he recognized, but failed.

The items all had strange packaging made of materials unlike anything he had ever seen, covered in bizarre symbols. Even more astonishingly, the packaging bore lifelike pictures! Remembering the marvelous nature of this supermarket, Chris guessed that these might be high-grade foods infused with magical elements. With that thought, he grew even more cautious in his browsing.

On the Lalan Continent, those gifted with magical talent were one in ten thousand, and powerful mages were rarer still. Chris possessed no such talent. He was merely an ordinary adventurer who could only occasionally buy magical items from shops. Yet such items were always exorbitantly priced, to say nothing of food infused with magical elements.

As an impoverished adventurer, Chris found himself paralyzed with indecision.

Just as he was agonizing over what to do, soft footsteps approached from behind.

Chris looked back to see the handsome shopkeeper standing behind him.

Jiang Li felt just as uneasy.

The supermarket was clearly still the same supermarket, yet he seemed to no longer be on Earth, and his only clue was this peculiar customer.

Seeing that the other man seemed friendly, Jiang Li took the initiative to speak to him. “Is there anything I can help you with?”

Chris tensed slightly and quickly replied, “I’d like to buy some food.”

Feeling his pocket, Chris added tactfully, “Something cheap, easy to store, and filling.”

Jiang Li exchanged a glance with him, understood immediately, and led him toward the shelf stocked with instant noodles.

He asked, “Mr. Adventurer…”

Chris immediately said, “Just call me Chris.”

“Mr. Chris,” Jiang Li said, “since you’re so experienced, you must have traveled to many places.”

“Of course! Ever since I resolved to become an adventurer in my youth, I’ve traveled to every corner of the Lalan Continent, except for the Demon King Castle in the far north. Why, I’ve been to Duolei City countless times.”

Lalan Continent?

Duolei City?

Jiang Li quietly committed both names to memory, but what caught his attention most was the “Demon King Castle” Chris had mentioned.

What kind of world is this? There’s an actual demon king?!

Don’t tell me I’ve transmigrated to an alternate world?!

Stopping before the shelf of instant noodles, Chris was faced with another dilemma.

“This… this is…?”

Jiang Li said, “These are instant noodles.”

“Instant noodles?” Chris noted the unfamiliar name and asked sheepishly, “How should I eat them?”

Naturally, someone from an alternate world had never seen instant noodles, one of Earth’s greatest inventions. Jiang Li kindly explained, “You just need to bring water to a boil, then toss everything inside into it.”

“And then?”

“Just wait five minutes, and it’s ready to eat.”

“…That’s it?”

Jiang Li nodded firmly. “That’s it.” What special technique did instant noodles even need?

“It’s that simple?!”

“You can also add any ingredients you want to eat, such as eggs and vegetables.”

“…”

Chris took note of this, though doubt crept into his mind regarding this food called instant noodles.

As an adventurer, he and his companions naturally cooked outdoors all the time, and he knew that the more delicious a dish was, the more elaborate its preparation needed to be. Simply boiling it in water? Could such a basic method really produce a delicious meal?

But… Chris looked around at the bright surroundings, felt the comfortable temperature on his skin, and recalled the aroma he had smelled before walking in. A flicker of anticipation rose within him.

Could this food called instant noodles be just as delicious as that aroma?

After placing the food called instant noodles into the basket, he picked out several different flavors based on the shopkeeper’s recommendations. Besides food, he also needed clean water.

Water, too, filled an entire shelf, stocked completely with things Chris had never seen before. With his superior eyesight, he could even see bubbles fizzing inside some of the bottles.

…Could this be a magic potion?

Chris did not dare stare any longer. After asking the shopkeeper, he grabbed the cheapest purified water from the shelf and walked forward with his basket.

Jiang Li returned behind the counter, pulled out a bag, and swiftly packed up his items.

Then he found himself in a dilemma.

Normally, this was the moment he would state the total and ask the customer to pay. But he had no idea about the local prices or even what the currency was called. Needless to say, receiving Renminbi^[2] was out of the question.

Jiang Li pondered for a moment, then calmly said, “Pay whatever you think is fair.”

The dilemma now fell upon Chris.

Chris fell into deep thought.

Although he did not know what instant noodles were and had not taken much, it went without saying that in a shop this luxurious, with traces of magic everywhere, even the cheapest food had to be worth an exorbitant sum. What was more, he had never seen instant noodles anywhere else.

Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the only five gold coins he had left.

“I only have this much.”

“…”

Staring at the five glittering gold coins set before him, Jiang Li’s expression went blank.

Gold?

A few packs of instant noodles and bottled water could sell for five gold coins?!

Seeing his hesitation, Chris quickly said, “If it’s not enough, I can have my companions bring more money over, or…”

Jiang Li hastily said, “It’s enough, it’s enough.”

Forget five gold coins; just looking at the thick, corded muscles on this man’s arms beneath his armor and the sharpened sword at his waist, Jiang Li would not dare utter a single word of refusal. For a few packs of noodles, giving them away for free would have been fine.

“Really?” When he said it was enough, Chris could hardly believe it. “Such precious items, and five gold coins are truly enough?”

Jiang Li said, “…How about I just give them to you for free?”

Chris’s expression stiffened.

He knew this was absolutely no joke!

Perhaps his stupidity had offended this mysterious magician, and his hesitation had displeased him!

He quickly grabbed the bag. “Thank you for your generosity!”

Then, before Jiang Li could react, he strode out, terrified that walking too slowly might fuel the anger of the man behind him.

Only after walking a good distance away did Chris stop and look back.

From the outside, the store did not appear large, taking up only a single storefront. In his memory, the interior had once been very cramped, feeling crowded if more than a few people stood inside. Yet the supermarket he had just entered was remarkably spacious, taking quite some time just to walk all the way around.

He understood now. Spatial magic! It had to be spatial magic!

What utter luxury!

Chris looked down again at the plastic bag in his hand.

Even now, he felt a sense of unreality. If not for the items in his hand, he would have thought he was hallucinating.

A massive magic circle, magical tools visible everywhere, countless shelves stocked with rare goods, a young and handsome mysterious shopkeeper, and a rare food called instant noodles… and he had gotten all of it for just five gold coins!