The door to The Modern Haven swung open with a soft creak, and in walked a tall, imposing woman. She was clearly an adventurer—her well-worn armor, long sword strapped to her back, and confident stride gave that away immediately. Evan had seen adventurers come and go from the market before, but this one had an air of danger about her, a sharpness that told him she wasn't someone to be trifled with.
She paused just inside the door, scanning the shop with an unreadable expression. When her eyes landed on the brightly colored cups of Instant Ramen lined up neatly on the shelf, a frown tugged at her lips.
Evan braced himself as she picked up one of the cups, inspecting it with a raised eyebrow. "What's this?"
Evan stepped out from behind the counter, doing his best to look calm and composed. "That's, uh, Ramen. It's a meal in a cup. Just add hot water, and it's ready in minutes."
She turned the cup over in her hands, her frown deepening. "You're telling me this is food?"
Evan nodded quickly. "Yeah, exactly. It's filling, hearty, and perfect for adventurers. Quick to prepare, so you can keep going without stopping for long."
She snorted. "I Lyra, have fought more monsters than I care to count, and I can't say I've ever needed 'soup in minutes.'" She tossed the cup lightly in her hand, still clearly skeptical. "How does it even work?"
Evan was about to explain the concept of instant noodles when he realized something crucial: there was no hot water in sight. His mind raced, wondering how he was supposed to deliver on his promise. The instructions on the cup clearly said "Add hot water," but where in this medieval fantasy shop would he get that?
Just as panic began to creep in, the system chimed in his ear.
"New utility unlocked: Hot Water Dispenser."
Evan blinked, looking around the shop. "Wait… what?"
His eyes landed on something he hadn't noticed before: a small, sleek-looking device in the corner of the shop, tucked behind the counter. It was an out-of-place modern contraption with a silver spout and a button labeled "HOT." A water dispenser.
Evan walked over to it, half-expecting it to disappear or be a figment of his imagination. But no, it was real. He pressed the button, and hot water poured out in a perfect stream.
He nearly laughed out loud. Of course. This place comes with a water dispenser. Sure, why not?
"Hold on a second," Evan said, turning back to Lyra. "I can prepare it for you."
Lyra watched with a bemused expression as Evan grabbed the cup of Ramen from her, peeled back the lid, and walked over to the dispenser. He filled the cup with steaming water, watching the noodles swell and soften almost instantly.
Lyra stepped closer to the water dispenser, her armor clinking with each movement. Her eyes widened as she watched the steam rise from the spout. Evan noticed her hand instinctively drift toward the hilt of her sword—a reaction he'd seen before when people encountered unfamiliar objects in this world.
"What kind of magical device is this?" She circled the dispenser, inspecting it from all angles. "I've never seen an enchanted item produce hot water so quickly. Not even the mages in the royal court can conjure water this efficiently."
Evan scratched his head. How could he explain something as mundane as a water dispenser to someone from a medieval fantasy world? "It's not exactly magical. It's more of a... tool. Where I come from, we use these to heat and cool water."
"Where you come from?" Lyra's eyes narrowed. "And where might that be?"
"That's... complicated." Evan busied himself with the ramen, stirring it with the provided plastic fork. "But this dispenser, it just heats water using... um..." He struggled to find words that wouldn't sound like complete nonsense to her. "It uses energy to make the water hot or cold. No magic involved."
"No magic?" Lyra pressed the hot water button herself, jumping back slightly when steaming water poured out. "Impossible. Water doesn't just heat itself."
"Well, technically there's a heating element inside that—" Evan stopped himself, realizing he was about to launch into an explanation of electrical heating coils to someone who probably thought lightning was the gods having a temper tantrum. "You know what? Maybe it is a kind of magic. The important thing is that it works, right?"
"See?" he said, handing the now-full cup back to her.
Lyra took the cup, staring at the noodles swimming in the hot water as if they were some sort of strange potion. "That's it?"
"Yep. Just let it sit for a bit, and it's good to go," Evan said, doing his best to sound professional.
She shook her head, still clearly skeptical, but there was a glint of curiosity in her eyes now. "And how much is this… Ramen?"
Evan hesitated, then steeled himself. "Two silver coins."
Lyra's eyes widened slightly. "Two silver coins? For this?"
"I know it sounds expensive, but it's worth it!" Evan quickly added. "Trust me. You won't find anything like this around here. It's… special."
Lyra narrowed her eyes at him. For a moment, Evan thought she was about to toss the cup back at him and walk out. But then, to his surprise, she shrugged and reached into her coin pouch. "I've wasted silver coins on worse things. Fine."
She tossed two silver coins onto the counter and turned to head outside, the steaming cup of Ramen in hand. "If this turns out to be garbage," she called over her shoulder, "I'm coming back for my coins."
Evan nodded quickly, his heart pounding as he pocketed the coins. "No worries! You'll like it!"
He watched through the shop window as Lyra sat down on a bench just outside, inspecting the Ramen like she was trying to figure out if it was food or some kind of trap. She poked at the noodles with the wooden chopsticks included in the cup, looking mildly irritated by how foreign the whole experience was.
Evan let out a long breath, leaning against the counter. "Well, that's one sale down… nine to go. Let's hope it actually does something impressive."