Dark Magician Isekai: Return and make Fantasy World into a VR Game

101 on the main street looked like a bar on the outside, but its interior had undergone changes so drastic that the original workers who built this bar wouldn't recognize it.

All walls except the load-bearing ones had been knocked down, and all compartments and private rooms had been demolished.

The rectangular space, about 150 square meters, was crudely divided by a waist-high counter. Half of the counter was an open kitchen, and the other half displayed a large shelf reaching up to the ceiling filled with bottles and jars.

If Wagner could still compare the semi-open kitchen and the oversized shelf to things he had seen before in his life… Those bamboo-woven boxes, iron plates, and plastic bowls filled with unfamiliar, aromatic foods on the counter, and the undead standing in the kitchen skillfully preparing food, completely exceeded Wagner's comprehension.

Wagner was hit by the aromatic fragrance as soon as he entered, even though he hadn't yet had the chance to take a closer look at the strange and rare items on the counter. His eyes were glued to an undead deftly using a strange square knife to chop a whole cabbage into shreds and skillfully throwing it into a large pot…

"Hey, buddy, are you already drunk so early in the morning?" An old man wanting to enter grumbled at Wagner, who was blocking the door.

"Sorry." Wagner quickly stepped aside.

The old man holding a clay jar gave Wagner a stern look, then wobbled through the door, headed straight to the counter, and greeted the sweaty staff packing the prepared food into strange square boxes. "Good morning, Young Brook. Please give me some of those pastries from yesterday, not the sweet ones, and also a bag of salt."

Brook, the young man who was preparing boxed lunches for the town hall, quickly put down what he was doing. "Good morning, Grandpa Andre. Are you talking about dumplings?"

"Yes, yes, that's it. The name of that thing is too strange, and I always can't seem to remember it." The old man nodded eagerly and placed the clay jar on the counter while taking out a small stack of copper coins. "Please give me a bag of salt first and use the remaining money on those pastries."

Brook took the counts and counted them. "There's a total of eleven coins here. White salt costs eight copper coins per bag, and the dumplings are two copper coins for ten. For the remaining three copper coins, I'll give you fifteen. Is that right?"

"Yes, yes." The old man nodded, beaming widely.

When Wagner heard the two men talking about the price of salt in copper coins, he thought he must have misheard. Wagner was someone experienced in life. He remembered that the grocery store, with which he had a good relationship, charged two silver coins for a jar of salt. What could a few copper coins buy, a teaspoon of salt?

Then, he saw the youngster by the name of Brook put the copper coins into a drawer on the inner side of the counter, turned around, and took a small palm-size packet wrapped in semi-transparent plastic from the shelf which he handed to the old man.

The old man took this seemingly weighty bag and, with a swiftness not befitting an elderly person, stuffed it into the inner pocket of his coat.

Wagner's jaw fell, and he immediately looked at the shelf where the young man had taken the items from.

On the shelf rows were numerous small packages of salt, all packed this way. Each pack didn't have a large amount, and Wagner roughly estimated each packet to be about a pound.

Roughly a pound of salt can be bought for eight copper coins?!

Wagner clutched his head with both hands once again.

The Rhine Kingdom wasn't a coastal nation, and it got its salt from transport caravans of coastal nations. Due to Indahl being a land trade hub owing to its location, the price of salt there was cheaper than other places. Ordinary people could get a five-kilogram jar of salt from the grocery store for two silver coins. Of course, the price of salt seemed acceptable for middle-income people like Wagner. A jar of salt could last several months, after all.

However, it wasn't so easy for ordinary folk. Most families pooled money with relatives and neighbors to buy a jar of salt and then distributed it themselves. Housewives had to be as economical as possible, using only a tiny bit of salt each time they cooked soup—it was good enough if it wasn't bland.

Such a shop managed by the undead evidently had a connection with Rex and Yang: Where did they get such cheap salt?! Wouldn't selling it to the townspeople so cheaply not cause a loss and lead to bankruptcy??

But the answer Yang had was that it really wouldn't. How cheap was salt in China? 400-gram packs of refined salt could be gotten wholesale for a few yuan each, and manufacturers could even customize private labels for the customer. The batch of salt given to the Undead Merchant Association was customized with a logo on each pack, along with Undead Merchant Association written in common text…

Wagner's head was full of questions when he saw the young Brook remove the lid of a strange bamboo-woven box (actually a bamboo steamer), skillfully use a pair of long wooden sticks (chopsticks) to pick up the strange pastries in the box, counted them, and put them in the clay jar brought by the old man.

Ten of these tiny pastries for two copper coins didn't seem that excessive.

At this point, Brook accidentally damaged one of the pastries, and a small ball of meat rolled out.

"Ah!" cried Brook as he quickly picked up the fallen meat from the counter and ate it himself while apologizing to the old man, "This one's not counted since I broke it."

The old man gulped while nodding, eagerly waiting for Brook to continue filling his jar with dumplings.

While the sweet pastries (tangyuan) were very good, his grandson hadn't had meat for a long time.

Dumbfounded Wagner: ""

Wait—there's meat inside those pastries?!

Fifteen meat-filled pastries for three copper coins??

His hands, which had just been put down, once more returned to clutching his head…

Brook filled the old man's jar with 15 freshly steamed dumplings, then took a small transparent bag, poured some black liquid into it, and handed it to the old man, saying, "Miss Sis Zhao said that the dumplings won't taste as good if you eat them without vinegar. Next time, remember to bring an extra bowl."

The old man happily expressed his thanks and left, hugging the jar tightly…

Brook clapped his hands and looked at Wagner, who was still standing at the door, and politely asked, "Mister, can I help you with anything?"

Wagner regained his composure, took out the copper coins furnished by Yang, and stepped forward to the counter. "Yang asked me to pick up breakfast for three people… He said it's a standard meal, and one portion should be less spicy."

"Mr. Lord Yang? Three sets? Ah, Mr. Yang has a guest, huh?" Brook appeared even more respectful. He accepted the coins with both hands, put them away neatly, and then took out three meal boxes from under the counter, swiftly filling them with food.

The so-called standard meal… refers to a four-plus-one fast food meal.

All the meat dishes were ready-to-cook dishes—similar to the ready-made dishes people in China got when ordering takeout, with flavors almost the same regardless of which restaurant it came from.

From fried chicken chunks, chicken strips, popcorn chicken to Dongpo pork, braised pork, twice-cooked pork, fish-flavored shredded pork, braised eggplant, home-style tofu, potato beef, mushroom braised pork, Kung Pao chicken, black pepper chicken strips, spicy chicken giblets, braised ribs, curry potato chicken… Everything was included.

These ready-made dishes were available on Taobao and were even as easy to prepare as instant noodles.

If Chinese people with their picky taste buds could enjoy this food tirelessly, the people of this other world couldn't possibly dislike them either.

It was just slightly more expensive compared to frozen foods and would result in leftovers if all these dishes were made. Therefore, the so-called standard meal was introduced, where only four types of ready-made dishes were prepared every day, along with some fresh vegetables bought from the market… making it four plus one.

The clerical staff at the town hall consumed a great deal of mental energy and physical energy each day. Like Hal and the others, they could enjoy the standard staff meal (paid for by Rex). Meanwhile, those still at the resettlement point while regaining their fitness were a rung lower, and only had two plus one, with rice (expenses still covered by Rex).

Today's four dishes were fish-flavored shredded pork, spicy braised eggplant, Kung Pao chicken, and hot-and-sour shredded potatoes. Lowell, being unable to eat very spicy things, had less braised eggplant and more hot and sour shredded potatoes in his portion. His fish-flavored shredded pork and eggplant weren't topped with red chili oil, as well.

Watching Brook scoop the food up close, Wagner once again had a dumbfounded look on his face.

He had eaten quite a bit of delicious food in his life, but the stuff in front of him gave off an indescribably enticing aroma he had never experienced before.

And when Brook filled the meal box with steaming rice, Wagner had practically turned into a wooden dummy.

Rice was also eaten in this world, but there weren't many people who did.

It wasn't that people in this world had a disdain for rice; it's just that the cultivation of rice required much higher agricultural technology, irrigation, and climatic conditions than wheat, barley, corn, potatoes, and soybeans.

With the lack of irrigation or agricultural technology, one would only see wheat and corn fields even if the climate was suitable for growing rice. Due to these objective conditions, most people's plates only contained bread, corn, and various processed potatoes.

Similar circumstances existed on Earth as well. In East Asia, countries influenced by Chinese agriculture had been eating rice for centuries, while people on the same landmass in Europe still nibbled on rye bread.

As far as Wagner knew, other than some nobles, who would cultivate a plot area of rice on their own estates for a change of taste, he had never heard of rice made into meals like this, displayed in a roadside ready-to-eat shop, available to anyone who came in and paid—this sort of hearty meal only cost 15 copper coins!

When Wagner left with three packed standard meals, he also saw several housewives coming in with covered glass plates, buying a small portion of a single dish at the price of three copper coins as extra food for their families…

Wagner further lost his mind once he tasted the food in the meal box. He originally thought that the strange stew he had last night (self-heating hotpot) was used by Yang to win him over. But now, it seemed that he had made an over-assumption!

People here already ate such flavorful items, and it was Wagner who was ignorant!

Whatever delicacies he had eaten before weren't true to their name!

Shortly after Wagner left, inside the branch canteen, Lyka, the orc girl, who was washing potatoes in the backyard, came and asked Brook, "Are the portions for the town hall packed? It's almost time."

Brook, packing small portions of dishes, dumplings, and tangyuan while serving customers one after the other, hurriedly replied, "All ready to be delivered."

The strength of orcs far surpassed that of humans and the undead. With great speed and endurance, an orc could run and deliver meals through the entire town in less than half an hour. Lyka skillfully packed several dozen meal boxes into a specially made large basket, slung it over her back, and called out, "I'll go deliver the meals, Brook, Sis Zhao!"

Brook waved his hand, and Sis Zhao, busy in the kitchen, also responded, "Be careful!"

It had been two days since the canteen's opening. The townsfolk weren't yet accustomed to buying seasonings and spices other than salt. Still, they were enthusiastic about saving a few coins and quickly purchased salt. If they had more money, they would buy some dishes or dumplings with meat or a couple of sweet tangyuan to supplement their family's meals.

The small portion of a dish for three copper was even more popular than the meat-filled dumplings. The townspeople didn't eat them directly but spread these like condiments on bread, replacing butter…

When Lyka returned from delivering the meals, more customers had come, and Brook couldn't handle it alone. She tied on an apron, rolled up her sleeves, and went behind the counter to help.

Many townspeople had been recruited as temporary laborers at various construction sites on the town's main street. These folk, receiving daily wages, had some extra money on hand. Combined with the fact that these temporary laborers, unlike the sanitation bureau's contract workers, weren't provided with working meals (ordinary contract workers only had instant noodles, with a large amount of locally grown vegetables added), they were willing to spend a few copper coins for a change of taste to lift their spirits for work in the latter half of the day.

It wasn't until almost noon that the number of customers gradually decreased. Brook, dripping with sweat, could finally sit down and take a break. Zhao Zhenzhen, whose skeleton frame was covered with water from steaming, could also leave the kitchen.

"Come to think of it, a very strong mister came by this morning to buy breakfast for Mr. Yang. Is he Mr. Yang's guest?" Brook asked Zhao Zhenzhen while accepting a cup of cooled water from Lyka.

Zhao Zhenzhen hadn't had contact with Wagner at that time, but she had used Identify… and learned the origins of this person. "He's not really a guest. Yesterday, he was the leader of those bunch of people that were tied up and brought in by play—my undead brethren. His name is Wagner Pitt, a member of Indahl's city defense force."

"Oh, so he's from the city defense force." Brook nodded and took a sip of water.

Two seconds later, the water Brook had yet to swallow sprayed out of his mouth.

"Hey, hey! What are you doing!" Lyka had quick reflexes and promptly stood in front of the counter, shielding the food from being contaminated. However, she was covered in the saliva of this fellow, which annoyed her.

"Ack, sorry, cough cough! Indahl city defense force??" Brook was astounded.

"Do you know about it?" Zhao Zhenzhen, wiping her skeleton frame dry with a tower, looked over sharply.

"How could I not know? We scrambled to escape whenever we knew the city defense force was coming." Brook sighed. "The small team I was a part of before wasn't strong… We were really weak and couldn't register as a formal mercenary group, so we could only take some scattered tasks that the mercenary groups didn't care about to eke out a living. When the city defense force patrolled in the city, their primary targets were people like us."

"Because you guys did bad things?" Lyka asked curiously.

"Of course not! It's because we don't pay taxes on our income." Brook muttered weakly, "The jobs we took on don't pay much. How could we survive if we paid taxes?"

"Oh… What would happen if you were caught?" Lyka became even more curious. She grew up on a farm and was sold straight to Weisshem after leaving it, so she had never seen a big city before.

"We would be classified as practicing illegally and subjected to at least three months of compulsory restraint," Brook sighed. "It isn't being locked up for three months without doing anything. We would be sent to a workshop to labor away while our wages would be forcibly taken and only returned after three months. Those workshops aren't nice places. People there are tormented and it's entirely different from the factories… I heard that most people who enter those workshops rarely survive beyond five years."

After a pause, Brook shrugged and recounted almost sadly, "I was once caught and almost sent to a workshop. Fortunately, my comrades scraped together 10 silver coins to buy me out. To repay this money, we had to work for the gang in the East Warehouse District for more than half a month."

"Ahh… No wonder you always wanted to find your comrades. They really are good people." Lyka nodded.

After the undead took over Weisshem, Brook's comrades, who had been thinking of ways to save him, lost contact with Brook.

This actually wasn't that hard to understand. Without prolonged contact with the undead, nobody would think that these dark beings, beneath their terrifying appearance, would have such surprising inner qualities—not only could they get along harmoniously with the living, but they could also uphold public order. Two nights ago, an undead even caught a thief and received a commendation, which was posted at the entrance of the town hall!

Though, to the townsfolk, the undead in the photo of the commendation seemed no different from a photo of the undead mayor…

"I just hope that after hearing about the peaceful coexistence between the living and the undead of Weisshem, they will turn around and come find me," lamented Brook.

"They definitely will." Zhao Zhenzhen patted the slender shoulders of the young man. "By then, you and Lyka will be taking on more important tasks. You two and Brook's companions will learn how to do business and sell the Undead Merchant Association's products outside, letting people know that we Taranthan undead are willing to help them have cheap and affordable good spices. When people see the sign of our Undead Merchant Association, they will know that we come with the goodwill of fair and friendly trade."

"If we undead try to go out ourselves in hopes of eliminating misunderstanding and hostility, people outside wouldn't accept it. Prejudice is something that is hard to change once it forms," Zhao Zhenzhen said gently. "So, my undead brethren and I, as well as your respected Lord Rex and Lord Yang, can only hope for reliable young people like you to help us overcome this difficult first step. Only you guys can do what we can't."

After Zhao Zhenzhen's impassioned speech, the orc girl Lyka and youngster Brook were so moved that they could swear their lives to Taranthan on the spot. They definitely wouldn't let down the trust and expectations of Zhao Zhenzhen, Lord Rex, and Lord Yang…

In the mornings, Zhao Zhenzhen would preside over the merchant association canteen branch, preparing the dishes to be sold for the day. In the afternoon, she would go to the town hall to help.

Ji Tang took Rex to do a study in the countryside. During his absence, Zhao Zhenzhen had to keep an eye on things: whether there were any emergencies at construction sites or if any clerks encountered problems.

The 26 clerical staff employed by the town hall were responsible for various tasks within Weisshem. They gradually adapted to the changes in their status, but not all residents of the town could do the same, especially when they found themselves being bossed around by people they used to look down upon.

Female clerks, in particular, were often subjected to intentional criticism by townsfolk working as temporary laborers, accusing them of being lazy or making mistakes.

Making life difficult for young women with less-than-illustrious pasts was all too easy. Without the need to get physical, a few insinuating words or disdainful looks and expressions were enough to wound these girls' already scarred hearts.

Zhao Zhenzhen had just finished looking through Ji Tang's handwritten work diary in his office when Shirley came to her, looking rather troubled.

Shirley shut the door and hesitated for a moment.

"Ma'am… I-I don't know how to say this…"

Seeing this, Zhao Zhenzhen knew at once that something was wrong. She immediately asked Shirley to sit, poured her a glass of water, and chatted with her about recent trivial matters. Only when Shirley relaxed did she inquire about the issue.

"I-I dare not tell Lord Rex; I'm afraid he will be disappointed…" Shirley took a deep breath and said with great difficulty, "Hilary… She's very upset. She wants to give up her clerk job."

Zhao Zhenzhen softly comforted her, "Relax a little, Shirley. This is neither your fault nor Hilary's. We've only just encountered some trouble, and what we need to do is solve the problem, not blame anyone. Don't you think so?"

"…Yes, ma'am."

"Can you tell me what's causing Hilary such grief?"

"Th-the construction site she's in charge of has a man who once… bought her." Shirley hung her head in embarrassment. "Back then, that man was extorted by Hilary's boss and had to sell his carriage to get away. He and his family deeply resent Hilary."

"I understand," Zhao Zhenzhen said solemnly. "Thank you, Shirley. I appreciate your concern for Hilary and your efforts to help her."

Shirley was taken aback.

She never imagined that Zhao Zhenzhen would be able to stand with Hilary and express gratitude to her. This proved that Zhao Zhenzhen didn't look down on Hilary. This undead lady respected Hilary and her fellow clerks.

The discomfort and grievances that Shirley had suppressed deep inside instantly erupted, and she burst into tears.

Zhao Zhenzhen handed her a handkerchief, patiently waiting for her to release her emotions. Then, she softly said, "Let's go check on Hilary; she needs us."

Spotting the young lady crying quietly on the balcony, Zhao Zhenzhen opened her arms and said, "Seeing you this upset makes me want to hug you like a friend. However, I'm worried you might not want to be embraced by an undead like me."

Hilary immediately threw herself into Zhao Zhenzhen's arms.

Zhao Zhenzhen gently stroked Hilary's back and said, "You've worked hard, Hilary. Thanks to you and others going door-to-door, we now know how many households are in town and roughly how many people there are. Your efforts have made it possible for us to estimate the number of town residents we can employ for the road reconstruction project. The smooth progress of our work in the town is all thanks to your hard work.

"I've seen the construction site you're in charge of, Hilary, and you're doing a great job. Under your supervision, many town residents work systematically, earning stable daily wages and having their financial pressures alleviated. It's all thanks to you…

"Even though we're working so hard to improve the living conditions of the townspeople, they don't understand our intentions. They misunderstand our motives and don't comprehend our methods. But we know why we're sweating so much, right? We're doing it to make this town better, to let the people living here see hope.

"The site you're responsible for will be transformed into a sugar factory workshop. Once the sugar factory is built, we'll bring in machines and purchase corn from farmers, solving the difficulty they face in selling their corn at a good price after a bountiful harvest. We'll hire workers, addressing the issue of young people in the town struggling to find employment."

Zhao Zhenzhen didn't mention a word about forgetting the past or letting go of pain. She spoke like a gentle elder sister, listing the significance of Hilary's work and contributions to Weisshem. After Hilary finished crying, she didn't bring up the matter of giving up her clerk job. With swollen eyes, she went back to work together with Shirley.