Slave Harem in the Labyrinth of the Other World (LN)

Just as you expected? So what, you want to tell me that this strange concoction was nothing more than you playing pranks on us?! The old lady did not respond at all, and instead passed another plate onto me.

This sauce right here is truly our most popular product. Try it and tell me what you think.

This time the smell of the sauce I was given was also strong, but thankfully not quite as strong as that previous abomination. Or maybe thats just part of the old ladys strategy whenever new customers come around: First she gives them that awful sauce in order to paralyze their sense of taste so that everything she presents them afterwards would be considered as passable. Because if that somehow turned to be true, then I have to praise her for how shrewd and cunning she actually is.

I dipped my index finger int the small plate once more and then licked it with reservation. Maybe it was because she saw that I wasnt making any funny or pained faces, but Roxanne soon followed in my footsteps. That was already a big improvement from how she was not even able to taste the first sauce at all because she was that repulsed by its small alone.

When I licked it, it reminded me of a Chinese soy sauce with how sweet and spicy and slightly salty its flavor was.

And, how is it?

I think it tastes good, and it does not have the same unpleasant smell like before.

I asked Roxanne for her opinion, and she gave me an affirmative nod.

She was definitely right. With this sauce, I didnt have that feeling from the first as if the smell was sticking onto my nose without wanting to let go, which still clings onto me, burning my nostrils like the stench from badly prepared Kusaya (TL Note:a Japanese style salted,driedandfermentedfish. It has a pungent smell and is similar to the fermented Swedish herringSurstrmming) And if it felt that bad for me, then I can only imagine how hard it was for Roxanne.

Without a doubt, that is the most popular product offered by this shop. You wont regret buying it, of that I am absolutely sure.

There are many things that I would like to say to her right now, but once again, it will be better to bite my tongue and just roll along with whatever she is saying. If I started shit-talking her now, then there is a possibility that she might increase the price of whatever sauce I would be willing to buy, and I do not want that. For my own benefit, I have to keep up appearances.

So, how much for the sauce?

The small jar is 300 Nars. The larger one is 500 Nars.

Okay, then I will take one large jar, please.

Considering what these sauces are, I guess those would be pretty fair prices. But my hunch about this sauce is correct, then it should be the best possible seasoning for both meat and vegetables we could have asked for. And since the large jar of the sauce was actually twice the size of the small jar, having to pay two hundred Nars in exchange for almost twice as much product received almost felt like a steal to me. One large jar of Chinease Soy Sauce (Provisional Name) it is then!

Thank you for your patronage, young man. Do come back in the near future.

The old ladys Job was a Villager, so my thirty percent discount did not work, meaning that I will be forced to buy the large jar of sauce for its original price. I placed the sauce jar in Roxannes backpack, and then we were on our way out from the fish sauce shop and walked back towards the Adventurers Guild.

While we were on our way back there, we walked past something that looked like a small park of sorts. It was filled with various food stalls that looked like the ones that were selling fast foods back in Japan during summer festivals and such. There was a shop that sold grilled meat skewers, a shop that sold something that looked like pizza where ingredients were placed on raw dough and then cooked over flame in a special kiln, sandwich-selling shop that was selling well, sandwiches made by cramming all sorts of things between two slices of bread and many, many more.

Why are there so many stalIs? Is there some kind of event going on right now?

No, I do not think so. Even if it is, its nothing that I have heard about.

Roxanne is probably right. If it was an event or a festival, it would gather more people around than the scarce few that were present in the small park around the stalls. But if it is not an event or a festival, then what is it, exactly? Maybe some kinds street food sale held on a daily basis? There was even one stall where the only people who gathered there were children. The stalls clerk was selling some spherical food of brown color. Is this Takoyaki? Or maybe some kind of candy?

Do you know what you are selling over there?

No, I have no idea. But *Sniff Sniff* but it is something that smells really sweet.

I see. Would you like to try it, whatever it is?

If if it is not too much trouble

Oh my god, how can she be so cute when she is getting all bashful like that?

Okay, then I will go and buy it. Wait here, it will only take a minute.

Something sweet is just what I need right now in order to cleanse my palette after that disasterously bitter sauce that granny gave us.

Leaving Roxannes side, I walked to the food stall that was selling that sweet thing. As soon as I approached, a sweet, pleasant aroma began tickling every inch of my nose. Yes, this is definitely how a candy smell. I never even realized how much I was missing them until just now. When it comes to the brown Japanese sweets, rice crackers are what typically comes to mind first. I wonder if this is going to be something similar to them, or perhaps something entirely different?

How much for the candy?

Ten Nars per piece.

Then I will take two please.

When I placed my order, the stall owner immediately got to work. He took the pot with the sweet-smelling liquid and poured it into a smaller pot and began to stir it, at first slowly, only to gradually increase the speed and intensity of the stirring motions. The way it looks like, he is definitely not making rice crackers. Maybe this is going to be something more along the lines of the castella mixture?

Eventually, after all the stirring he did the liquid has become very thick, to the point where it began to pile up in the middle of the pot like a small gooey mountain, causing the kids who watched the entire process of candy-making from the sidelines to erupt with loud cheers as if they were watching some kind of magic show. I have to say, that sight even managed to get a small smile out of me.

When the thing looked like it was ready, the stall owner instantly removed it from the pot, wrapped it around in some provisional wrapping made from leaves and passed it over to me. I handed the money to the stall owner and received my finished order.

Same as with the granny from that sauce shop before, this guy had the Job of a Villager, so my thirty percent discount did not work.

With the two rather big pieces of candy in tow, I turned around and prepared to walk back to Roxanne, but I stopped and glanced at the children who were looking at the candy in my hands ever since that guy began making it.

You want one?

I asked them while eyeing the candy in my left hand.

U-Umu

The girl who stood the closest to me nodded shyly. I do not know these kids, and there is literally nothing compelling me to do anything for them, and yet

Here, you can have this.

I handed my candy over to the girl and the other kids.

Really?! Wow, thank you, mister!

Dont mention it.

There is something truly magical in seeing little kids enjoying simple things like that. After observing the kids as they went away while happily munching on the candy, I also left the stall and finally went back to Roxanne.

Are you sure about that, master?