Since the last collection, the money lent by the Landmark family to various places has gradually been recovered and has contributed to their financial situation. By keeping proper account books, they were able to eliminate wasteful spending and stabilize their income and expenditures.
At this point, Father felt reassured and decided to entrust things to Ryu and his butler Sebastian.
Ryu wanted to further improve the situation and proposed a deal to a merchant. He suggested commercializing a drink made by roasting and grinding Kohen beans, putting the powder in a cloth bag, pouring hot water over it, and letting it steep.
Ryu discovered Kohen beans growing in the forest within the Landmark family's territory and decided to roast them after finding that they had a scent similar to something from his past life. He then paid the indebted farmers who could not make ends meet to collect the beans. At the same time, he also proposed to the farmers to produce Kohen beans.
This was a new venture for the Landmark family, which did not have any special local products. Ryu felt that this could become a side business.
The secret ingredients used were still confidential. They had applied for a patent with the commercial guild and until then, it would remain a corporate secret. Furthermore, the merchant they were dealing with was different from the one they usually dealt with.
The merchants they had trusted before had inflated their billing statements and extracted money from the Landmark family. They took advantage of the kindness of the Landmark family's people.
They reported this to the commercial guild with evidence and were referred to a new merchant with whom they could do business.
They would have to build up their trust from here on.
"As soon as we get on the production line, let's commercialize it and sell it. Until then, we will sell this product to nobles and the wealthy," Ryu said.
"Nobles and the wealthy?" asked Sebastian.
"Yes, the novelty-loving nobles and the rich will surely jump on this. We'll bring it to tea parties and have them taste it, then ask for money," replied Ryu.
"That way, we'll get our capital and can launch it on a large scale, right?" Sebastian asked.
"That's right," replied Ryu.
The results were still far away, but if successful, the financial situation of the Landmark territory, which currently did not have any special products, would stabilize. The indebted farmers would also benefit.
If this happened, they could recover their loans, benefiting each other.
Furthermore, Ryu thought about commercializing other products. If it was about sharpening their skills, then it would be a food stall, and if it was a food stall, it would be flour-based dishes like okonomiyaki, udon, and pasta.
Takoyaki was out of the question as there was no sea nearby. However, udon, pasta, and okonomiyaki were easy to make and had a high-profit margin.
Fortunately, the culinary culture in this world had not developed much. Ryu believed that this was an opportunity to insert the Landmark family.
But he was not very good at cooking. It would be best to consult the Landmark family's chef.
"This is something I've never heard of before," said the Landmark family's head chef, puzzled by the strange request from his employer's third son. He followed Ryu's instructions and kneaded the flour, placed it on top of the cloth, and stepped on it once. Then he stretched and layered it, and finally cut it thickly.
"Is this okay?" he asked.
He was bewildered by the first task, but he was surprised by the thick noodles he made.
"Then please boil it," Ryu said.
He boiled it as instructed and placed it on a plate after draining it. When he tasted it, he felt the firm and smooth texture.
"This is...!" exclaimed the chef.
Then Ryu handed him some ingredients, such as a bird he caught in the forest and a round onion he found in the forest, from his magic storage.
"Please use these to make something that goes well with this noodle," Ryu said.
From here on, it was a toss-up relying on the chef's sensibility.
"Understood!" said the chef.
The chef's culinary spirit was ignited and he began to cook after receiving the ingredients.
After several soup candidates were made, Ryu selected one that tasted similar to what he had eaten in his past life. They tasted it together and as a result, "chicken broth udon" was completed.