Gathering Information

Darius Noctis loved the weather in this world. Mornings were cool, afternoons comfortably warm, and nights had a crisp chill. In such a climate, what could be better than a steaming hot bowl of hu tieu?

And so, in the middle of town, a particularly bright and lively spot stood out. Hundreds of people had lined up, eagerly waiting their turn.

The aroma of hu tieu drifted throughout the town, making mouths water. The scent of fried shallots, in particular, was irresistible, as Darius Noctis had just finished frying a fresh batch. The rich, fragrant smell was enough to set stomachs growling in hunger.

Because of the overwhelming number of customers, Darius Noctis had to make them line up. The people of this world had no concept of queueing—everyone simply jostled and shoved to get ahead.

It wasn't until Darius Noctis lost his temper and declared that he would stop selling that they nearly erupted into a riot. Though he looked quite fierce, the sheer number of people made them bold enough to push back. Fortunately, Governor-General Van Bien quickly dispatched soldiers to control the crowd and enforce order.

There were still some arguments about who arrived first, but when sharp spears were pointed at their throats, everyone obediently fell in line. After all, survival was more important than satisfying their cravings.

Even so, one thug-like man stormed forward, demanding that Darius Noctis serve him first. As if to emphasize his point, he kicked away the table blocking his path.

Before Darius Noctis could react, Meow—who had been lounging nearby—pounced on the troublemaker, landing a flurry of over a dozen slaps. The man's face swelled up immediately. He felt as if the cat wasn't just slapping him—it was actually punching him.

Just as he was about to retaliate against the feline, the soldiers restrained him and dragged him away for causing a disturbance. Getting thrown in jail just for food? That was beyond foolish. He had assumed his connections with a few guards would get him off the hook. It was only when he found himself locked behind bars that he realized—this was a direct order from Governor-General Van Bien.

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Keeping his promise to Darius Noctis, Hao Trinh showed up—and he was the first to arrive. The food stall opened at six in the evening, but before Darius Noctis could even rest properly, Hao Trinh had already arrived with a group of women reeking of perfume, claiming a table for himself.

"Hao Trinh, eat less, will you? Leave some for the others. You've already had twenty bowls," Darius Noctis remarked as he walked past, giving Hao Trinh a firm pat on the belly.

"Hehe, I brought extra company today. Five bowls each, right? I did the math. Just two more bowls left—one for each of them. That should be fine," Hao Trinh chuckled mischievously.

"I might have to start limiting your portions tomorrow. Hurry up and finish, then head to the back. I've got coffee prepared there. Let other customers have a table too." Darius Noctis patted Hao Trinh's shoulder before walking off.

Luckily, he only had to focus on cooking—the serving was handled by Van Bien's soldiers, who had been assigned as waiters. He figured he ought to set aside some food for them as thanks. Anticipating a larger crowd than usual tonight, Darius Noctis had prepared three whole pots of soup. That was why he had stocked up on so many ingredients.

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"Make way! Make way for Young Master Lam!"

A loud voice rang out in the distance. Darius Noctis looked over and saw Governor-General Van Bien personally leading the way for Zentharis Lam.

This is a bit too much, Darius Noctis thought. Having the governor-general himself clear a path? And he's worried about people finding out his identity?

"Brother Noctis… would this count as cutting in line? There are a lot of people waiting," Zentharis Lam said, noticing Darius Noctis' displeased expression.

"Well, since you're calling me 'Brother,' and you did make a reservation, I already saved you a spot. No harm done—go ahead and sit," Darius Noctis replied with a hearty laugh. He wasn't actually annoyed with Zentharis Lam. The real source of his irritation was Van Bien, who was making a huge spectacle out of it.

"Then I'll gladly accept. You all sit as well. Order whatever you'd like—Brother Noctis will take care of you," Zentharis Lam said, smiling at Darius Noctis before turning to his attendants.

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Busy at the stall until nearly 9 p.m., Darius Noctis finally sold out. The demand here was three times greater than in his previous world, and yet the food sold out even faster. The line still stretched long, almost as if the entire town had come out to buy from him.

"It's all gone! Go home, everyone! I'll be selling again early tomorrow morning," Darius Noctis called out.

"We know, Boss! But if we leave now, we'll lose our spot! No way we're leaving!"

The voice came from someone at the front of the line.

Are you kidding me? Darius Noctis' eye twitched. Are these people seriously planning to wait in line until morning just to be first?

Truthfully, his food was ridiculously cheap. Each bowl of hu tieu cost only twenty Dailong coins—a bargain for something so flavorful and packed with meat.

For now, Darius Noctis had identified a few denominations of currency in this world, or rather, his phone had automatically compiled the information for him:

• [Dailong Coin]: The lowest denomination, commonly used across this world. Its exact distribution remains unknown.

• [Dailong Silver Coin]: Worth 100 Dailong Coins.

• [Quan Coin]: 1 Quan Coin equals 100 Dailong Silver Coins, equivalent to one tael of silver.

• [Silver]: 1 tael of silver equals 1 Quan Coin.

o Estimated value of an ingot of silver: 26 taels (information provided by Zentharis Lam).

• [Gold]: Value unknown.

• [Further information incomplete...]

Calculating his earnings, Darius Noctis was barely breaking even. The ingredients alone had cost him nearly one Quan Coin. However, the beef tendon and chicken weren't included in the business expenses since he had bought them for personal use. After factoring in all costs, his net loss was around fifty silver coins, mainly due to vegetables and other minor ingredients.

Still, given the demand, business was booming. It seemed that tomorrow, he would need to stock up even more.

That night, Darius Noctis sold over four hundred bowls of hu tieu, earning a profit of ten Dailong Silver Coins in just one evening. He also set aside about ten bowls for the temporary staff sent by Van Bien. Although they were Van Bien's personal servants and didn't require payment, Darius Noctis still felt it would be inappropriate to charge them for their work.

When he did the math, he realized that his current prices were based on discounted ingredient costs. If he had to buy from another supplier, expenses would be significantly higher. He figured he should increase the price to 25 Dailong Coins per bowl to ensure better profits.

That afternoon, Darius Noctis had gone out to sample the local food. Most meals were extremely cheap—a bowl of noodles cost only 5 Dailong Coins. However, the portion was meager, containing just a handful of noodles and a few paper-thin slices of pork—so thin that a breeze might carry them away. In contrast, his hu tieu was loaded with generous cuts of meat.

"Brother Noctis, selling at this price is barely profitable. With how good your food is, I think you should charge at least fifty coins per bowl. Those who can't afford it can just go hungry. You're way too generous, Brother Noctis."

Hao Trinh sat near the back of the food truck, sipping a bitter coffee and smoking a cigarette. Seeing Darius Noctis bringing out bowls of hu tieu for Van Bien's soldiers, he sighed and shook his head.

"I will raise the price, but not too high. Many people here have a low standard of living. If I charge too much, they won't even have a chance to try it. A single meal could cost them several days of hunger."

Darius Noctis wasn't naive, but he also wasn't greedy for money. If he were, he wouldn't have been so stubborn about keeping his gas-powered truck until the government forced him to switch to an electric one—an event that ultimately stranded him in this bizarre world.

"You could just cut back on the meat, you know? I'm telling you, even just drinking your broth would be enough to satisfy the common folk. It's rich, flavorful, and perfectly balanced—not too greasy, not too bland. If I could trade it for the bland soup I have to eat every day, I'd do it in a heartbeat."

Hao Trinh spoke casually, shaking his leg as he lounged in his chair. The perfume-drenched women from earlier were nowhere to be seen—probably sent home already. At the moment, only Hao Trinh and Zentharis Lam were seated together. However, oddly enough, Zentharis Lam's bodyguards weren't standing behind him—instead, they were standing behind Hao Trinh, as if waiting for the chubby man to say something offensive so they could deal with him.

"Hao Trinh is right. You could set up multiple pricing tiers—meat is expensive, after all. That way, you can sell more. The basic rule of business is to at least double your investment, yet you're barely breaking even. You might even lose money at this rate," Zentharis Lam added with a nod.

"That makes sense. I'll adjust the pricing tomorrow. But I don't need to make huge profits—just enough to cover my ingredient costs. Making too much money off this would make me uncomfortable."

Darius Noctis shrugged.

"Unbelievable. You're offering a service, Brother. Forget doubling your profits—there are rich folks who'd happily pay a hundred times more just to eat this. You're basically running a charity!" Hao Trinh sighed in exasperation.

"This is just how I was raised—it's not something I can change. My mother ran her business the same way. There were always people struggling just to get by, people who could barely afford a proper meal. If everyone was ruthlessly business-minded, what would happen to those left behind?

I'm not saying I'm some kind of saint—I just don't like the idea of overcharging.

As a chef, my greatest joy is seeing people enjoy my food, without having to worry about anything else."

Hearing this, both Hao Trinh and Zentharis Lam fell silent. Everyone had their own way of living. In this world, people like Darius Noctis were rare—most were too caught up in their own survival to think about others.

After finishing his sales for the night, Darius Noctis checked his stock of noodles and dried hu tieu. Seeing that supplies were running low, he decided to make fresh batches in preparation for the coming days. He would need to start using fresh noodles instead of instant ones, and since there wasn't enough time for the hu tieu to dry properly, he would have to serve fresh hu tieu as well.

The three of them continued chatting, mostly about Darius Noctis' background—where he came from, his origins in the Empire. Eventually, the conversation shifted to the various objects surrounding him: electric lights, cigarettes, coffee, and even the soft drinks in his refrigerator—each one subjected to intense questioning.

Fortunately, Darius Noctis was a cautious man. He wasn't about to trust anyone enough to blurt out the full, unbelievable truth about how he ended up here. Instead, he maintained an air of mystery and used the opportunity to gather more information about this world.

"To be honest, I've been living in seclusion for a long time. I don't know much about the outside world. My parents passed away early, so I had to close up shop and travel. What's the current state of the world beyond this town?" Darius Noctis asked.

"That's surprising. You traveled across the Empire and didn't pick up any information along the way?" Zentharis Lam asked, skeptical.

"I only just arrived here—how would I know anything yet? I want to hear about the things local people consider important." Darius Noctis replied.

"Ah, Brother Lam, do you have any history books about the kingdoms? If you have anything on the Empire, that would be even better.

I've always been a history enthusiast, but books are hard to come by. Most of what I know comes from stories my parents told me. Ever since I left home, I've been too busy running my business to sit down and study… as you can see." Darius Noctis gave a wry smile, implying that his food stall was so popular he had no time to breathe.

"Actually, I do have one. I just finished reading it. Here, take it. I'll have my men make a copy for you by tomorrow."

Zentharis Lam motioned to one of his attendants, who removed a cloth covering a large stack of thick books.

It turned out that Zentharis Lam was a history enthusiast himself. The moment Darius Noctis brought up the subject, his eyes lit up with excitement, and all prior suspicions were temporarily set aside.