My 100th Rebirth a day before the Apocalypse-Chapter 987 - 985 Walking In The Market

"But going with them, you would be a burden," Ethan growled, his temper clearly flaring. "They won’t have time to look after you there!" Reasoning with his stubborn sister was infuriating, and his patience had long since run out.

Hearing this, Melody stiffened. She hadn’t thought that far; she had only wanted to be helpful. But what Ethan said made sense, and for the first time, she lowered her head and stopped struggling. Even Ethan was taken aback; he hadn’t expected Melody to give in so easily, and to become this easy to reason with.

He pulled her back, holding her firmly until Dracon, Gavel, and their team had left the Hidden Base. Only when they were out of sight did he finally let her go.

Looking down, Ethan noticed her wrist was red from his grip. "Sorry... here, let me help you put some ointment on it," he said, a hint of guilt in his voice.

Melody shook her head. "No need, brother. I can handle this on my own. You still have other important things to do. I won’t take much of your time."

As soon as she said that, she went straight inside the building and headed to her room, leaving Ethan standing behind with pursed lips. Whether this was Melody’s new way of making others feel guilty or a sign she had truly changed, no one could tell for now.

After composing himself, Ethan pushed the incident to the back of his mind and returned to his post. With Grandpa Alden absent, there were only a few people available to patrol the perimeter. Taking advantage of the quiet, Ethan used the time to clear his mind and readjust his emotions, all while making sure the vicinity remained secure.

「Back to Kisha’s side...」

After her nap with Duke and with her energy fully replenished, Kisha first opened her Sales Channel and listed the newly refined Ascension Pills, just as she had planned. For pricing, she had 008 conduct market research in the Upper Realm, even if it meant spending some system points for 008 to gain access to major stores that sold Ascension Pills. They discovered that a Level 1 Ascension Pill was typically sold for 20,000 system points.

Since this was the first time Kisha was offering a Level 1 Ascension Pill in her store, she set the price at 16,000 system points. To prevent other merchants from profiting off her store, she also imposed a limit: only 50 pills would be available for now, and each customer could purchase just one.

In this way, she could position the pills as a teaser — a test for customers to experience her new product and see how it differed from the rest. The lower price was meant to attract more buyers and generate curiosity.

Once word spread, more customers would come, clamoring for Kisha to restock so they could buy as well. This approach also prevented any merchants from bulk-purchasing her products while her brand was still unestablished, ensuring that her store’s offerings remained well protected.

After listing the Ascension Pills and letting the buzz build among customers, Kisha left her territory space and returned to the villa. She first checked whether her mother-in-law was still around, and when she wasn’t, Kisha headed out to look for her mother-in-law in her workshop.

She guessed her mother-in-law might be busy overseeing the uniform production, as most tailors were now focused on it. Production of regular clothes had been temporarily paused since the warehouse already had ample stock for all seasons, so there was no rush to make more.

Kisha walked down the street, where everyone looked as busy as on any other day. People were focused on their work, earning work points to exchange for supplies. The Supply Center and Market Stall now offered an ever-growing variety of goods, even pickles and preserved meat.

As more culinary-type awakened ability users appeared, the buzz in the market increased. Stalls began selling street food in addition to preserved meat and vegetables, and the growing number of stall owners brought even more life to the market. Curious, Kisha couldn’t help but stop by to see how things were progressing.

As soon as she stepped into the market, Kisha noticed that more stalls had opened. The aroma of barbecue immediately caught her attention, and she followed the scent until she arrived at a stall where the owner was fanning the grill. The grill itself was a special request from the workshop’s blacksmith section, made to suit the owner’s culinary-type awakened ability.

Kisha already knew about this type of ability. After discovering the existence of Heavenly Chefs in the Murim world, she realized it wasn’t far-fetched for such a profession to appear among awakened ability users. She had seen people with similar abilities listed before; she just wasn’t yet certain how their powers compared to her own.

Now that some culinary-type awakened ability users had opened stalls, Kisha could see how their offerings differed from the spiritual cuisine she prepared. Culinary-type abilities were somewhat similar to artisan-type abilities and belonged to the same general category, yet having more food options made the base feel livelier, and more people seemed genuinely happier.

Just then, Kisha spotted a child running around with a barbecue from one of the stalls, laughing and clearly enjoying themselves. Seeing that brought a smile to her own face.

At present, the base’s workshop products are sold in the Supply Center, and artisan-type awakened ability users earn a stable salary. However, many of them were busy working long hours and didn’t have families to return to at the end of the day, so they often had little time to cook for themselves.

While the recently improved base cafeteria offered meals, the market provided more than just food; it offered a little festivity and buzz, a chance to see new things, and a touch of entertainment.

Now that Kisha thought about it, perhaps it really was best to introduce some entertainment for the people of the base. Life in the apocalypse was already depressing, and living the same monotonous routine every day could easily lead to mental strain or even depression. As the city lord of the base, it was only right for her to consider the well-being of her people.

With that in mind, she added the idea to her future action plan. For now, however, the most important projects need to remain the priority. Once their schedule allowed a little breathing room, they could begin planning this entertainment venture.

"City Lord! Welcome! Would you like to try my barbecue? It’s just been freshly cooked over the charcoal grill," the stall owner offered as soon as he saw Kisha walking past the stalls.

He wasn’t sure if she was inspecting the market stalls or simply enjoying a stroll, but either way, he wanted to offer her as much barbecue as she liked. After all, he believed that the stable, peaceful life they now enjoyed was all thanks to their City Lord.

Under Kisha’s leadership, life in the base had improved dramatically, night and day, compared to the times when the Coltons had been in charge. He truly appreciated it and hoped life could continue like this.

Besides, everyone in the base knew how much Kisha, her husband, and their team had fought the zombies to keep them safe. Having witnessed the difference between the Coltons’ rule and Kisha’s, they wouldn’t easily take her kindness for granted.

Kisha hadn’t realized that her actions so far had quietly earned her the gratitude and devotion of her people. As the barbecue owner offered her a plate of freshly grilled food, a sudden notification appeared.

Ding!

[You received Devotion Points +1]

[You received Devotion Points +1]

She was beyond surprised. Even while someone was offering her free food, she was still receiving devotion points, as if she were truly being treated like a deity.

’Holy! This is just too good!’ Kisha thought, momentarily lost in the feeling. Before she knew it, the barbecue stall owner had stuffed ten wrapped sticks into her arms.

"Here, City Lord. I won’t take them back; it would be bad luck for my business. You don’t need to pay, just have a taste and give me your feedback, will you?" he said with a grin.

Seeing him so amiable, how could Kisha crush his hopes and be the killjoy? She could only nod. Carefully, she opened the banana-leaf-wrapped barbecue and used her ’Eye of the Truth’ to read its description.

...

[Pork Barbecue]

[Description: Pork skewers marinated in a specially crafted, spiritually enriched sauce by a culinary-type awakened ability user. The marinade is infused with spiritual energy, enhancing the flavor, tenderness, and juiciness of the meat without compromise.

Quality: A

Additional Effects:

Strength +5

Mental Capacity +10

Spiritual Energy Regeneration (Duration 30 minutes)]

...

Kisha’s eyebrow rose. The effects were impressive, clearly a specialty of the store. For normal awakened ability users, this barbecue could be a real lifesaver in times of need, especially during battle.