"Temporarily Closed!?"
In the Ruby District of Aikley Street, Mason stood in front of Ron's Wonderful Flower Shop, staring speechlessly at the sign hanging on the door.
To be honest, if it weren't for the fact that the Nether Orchid had worked so well, Mason would've started to suspect Ron had skipped town with the money.
He headed next door to the clothing shop and asked the owner about Ron's whereabouts.
The shopkeeper replied, "The flower shop guy? I'm not sure. But he usually closes early—pretty much shuts down around five every day."
"But it's only four-thirty," Mason said, confused.
"That I don't know," the owner shrugged. "You could try asking the barbecue shop owner on the other side. He seems to get along well with the flower shop guy."
So Mason made his way to Lyle's barbecue shop.
Unfortunately, the owner wasn't there, so Mason asked the two employees inside.
—
"Someone looking for me?" Ron asked from the courtyard, surprised.
"Yes," Lyle nodded. "Seems like the customer who bought a flower from you yesterday. Want me to let him in? Or do you want to go out?"
Ron's eyes twitched thoughtfully. He quickly guessed the reason for the visit. And thinking of Mason's identity, Ron smiled.
"Let him in. And while he's here, let him try your new barbecue. He's an assistant at the Magic Academy—it'll be great publicity if he spreads the word about your place."
Lyle's eyes lit up at the idea, and he nodded eagerly.
Soon, Mason was invited in and took a seat at the table in the courtyard, legs dangling off the bench.
"Hello again, Mason." Ron greeted him politely.
"Ron, good to see you." Mason smiled gratefully. "I owe you a huge thanks. Without that Nether Orchid, I probably would've never advanced to Tier 4 in my life."
Ron raised his eyebrows. "You just broke through to Tier 4?"
"Yes." Mason nodded, his voice filled with emotion. "I was stuck at Tier 3 for ages—failed to advance four times. But today, after using your flower, I advanced smoothly. It honestly changed my entire life."
"Congrats," Ron said with a light smile.
At that moment, Lyle walked into the courtyard carrying a big platter of freshly grilled meat, grinning widely.
"Come on, come on! Try our new barbecue!"
Mason had originally planned to get straight to business and request to purchase more flowers, but the mouthwatering aroma of grilled meat quickly distracted him.
"Let's talk while we eat," Ron said, gesturing to the table. The skewers were sprinkled with cumin and pepper, giving off an incredibly tempting smell.
"What... what is this?" Mason asked curiously, clearly never having seen grilled meat prepared this way.
Ron smiled, picking up a lamb skewer and taking a bite. "Like this—grab the clean end and just eat it straight off the stick."
Mason, intrigued, carefully picked one up and examined it. "What's this seasoning? It doesn't look like salt."
"That's Ron's invention," Lyle proudly explained. "Way better than salt! Just try it—you'll see!"
Mason took a cautious bite, chewing slowly.
Then his eyes widened in disbelief.
The flavor burst on his tongue like fireworks.
"Mmm…"
He devoured the whole skewer, then grabbed another. He couldn't stop.
Ron and Lyle exchanged a knowing smile.
"It's so good! Cough!"
Mason had eaten more than ten skewers before finally slowing down, throat dry from all the seasoning.
Lyle immediately handed him two mugs of ale.
Mason raised one and downed it gratefully—feeling amazing.
Ron, having eaten plenty of barbecue in his previous life, was far more composed.
As he chewed calmly on another skewer, he asked,
"So, Mason—what do you think of this barbecue style, as a customer?"
"I think it's incredible! I've never had meat this delicious!" Mason gave him a thumbs-up and grabbed yet another skewer.
Lyle looked ecstatic at the praise, his confidence in the barbecue shop skyrocketing.
Ron nodded in satisfaction. Yep. This is the charm of barbecue.
To go through life without ever eating skewers with friends? That would be one of life's greatest regrets!
So helping to create a barbecue shop in another world gave Ron a unique sense of fun—even a kind of accomplishment.
That said, he didn't plan to invest too much effort into it.
Seasonings like cumin and pepper powder were still novel for now, but given time, they'd become commonplace.
And honestly, these seasonings were super easy to copy.
Once someone exposed how they were made, it wouldn't take long for copycat shops to pop up, drawing away customers from Lyle's place.
Not to mention, once word got out, people might start experimenting and inventing even better seasonings.
In a world this full of magic and wonder, who knew what new flavors might appear?
So while Lyle's shop might boom for a while, it would eventually settle into something ordinary.
But none of that really mattered to Ron.
All he wanted was a place where he could eat barbecue for free.
Maybe later I can try hotpot? A fantasy version of Haidilao?
I'm still young—no need to rush anything.
After feasting like a king, both Ron and Mason leaned back, full and satisfied. Mason had even forgotten the reason he came.
But Ron hadn't.
He stood up and said,
"Now, let's talk business. You didn't come here just to thank me, right?"
"Ah, right!" Mason suddenly remembered, jumping to his feet. "I came to buy more Nether Orchids. Professor Hicks wants to purchase five of them from you."
"Come with me." Ron nodded, then turned to Lyle. "That's it for today?"
"No problem—your business comes first," Lyle said with a wave.
"Oh, right!" Mason suddenly realized. "I haven't paid for the meal!"
Lyle quickly stopped him. "No need! This meal's on me. I was already planning to treat Ron, and I didn't expect to charge anyone."
Mason shook his head. "No way. This is some of the best food I've ever had. I can't just eat it for free."
"Then help Lyle out by spreading the word at the Academy," Ron said with a grin. "Let your friends taste this too. Help him get more customers. What do you think?"
"Yeah! Yeah!" Lyle nodded enthusiastically. "That's perfect!"
Seeing that both of them insisted, Mason gave up on paying.
"No problem! I'll bring some people here tomorrow!"