Greg woke up to the smell of something tasty. It was strange because he couldn't cook to save his life, and his cottage didn't have a real kitchen. He stumbled out of his workshop and followed his nose to the village square, where he stopped dead in his tracks.
There was an empty store front yesterday that the old baker had left months ago. Now, there is a busy restaurant there. There was a hand-painted sign above the door that said "Lylia's Kitchen" in neat letters.
Greg could see a lot of people around tables. Even though he was confused, the smell of roasted meat and fresh bread made his stomach growl.
"What the hell?" he said quietly as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.
"Good morning, Master Greg!" the village chief said from a table by the window.
He was halfway through what looked like the biggest breakfast Greg had ever seen. "You have to taste Lylia's food! It's amazing!"
Lylia came out of the building before Greg could say anything. She was wearing a simple apron over her travel clothes. She looked very happy for someone who had just gotten to the village the day before.
"Greg! Right on time." She told him to come in.
"I need to hire you to make me some good cookware. What I have now is borrowed and not working."
Greg let himself be pulled into the restaurant, even though his mind was still trying to catch up with what had happened. Most of the tables inside were full. Farmers, merchants, and even some travelers who were just passing through were all eating plates of food that looked and smelled amazing.
Greg said slowly, "You opened a restaurant."
"In just one day."
Lylia corrected him, saying, "Technically, I rented the space and started cooking this morning." She then led him to the back, where a small kitchen had been set up.
"I couldn't just sit around and do nothing. I've always liked cooking, and this village needed a good restaurant."
"But you were a Royal Knight. Doesn't that pay well? Why do you work in a kitchen?"
Lylia laughed as she stirred a big pot of stew. "Yes, knights get paid well to put their lives on the line. But now that I'm retired, I need something to do."
"Something calm that still lets me use my hands." She tapped the ladle that hung from her belt.
"Plus, this way I can try out your magical pots and pans in a real kitchen."
Greg felt like he was going to die. "What exactly do you need?"
"First of all, this borrowed pot is already starting to show signs of wear." She pointed to a cooking pot that was a little burned.
"I'm using a lot of heat to keep up with demand, and regular cookware can't handle it."
"I need something that will last."
"Just durable?" Greg asked with a hint of doubt.
"Maybe with some heat resistance? Oh, and if it could somehow keep food from burning while I'm handling multiple orders, that would be helpful." Lylia's expression was innocent, but Greg caught the glint of mischief in her golden eyes.
"Nothing too fancy, of course."
"Right. Nothing fancy," Greg said with a sigh. He knew what was going to happen. "What else?"
"A real frying pan. The one I borrowed keeps sticking, and I would rather not serve scrambled eggs that taste like fish from yesterday." Lylia counted on her fingers.
"A big roasting pan for whole chickens. A griddle for pancakes. And maybe a good spoon for stirring."
"You want a whole set for your kitchen." Greg stopped her.
"A small kitchen set," Lylia said with a smile.
"I'm not asking for anything crazy. I just want good cookware that won't break when I use it."
Greg looked at Lylia and then at the busy kitchen. He respected her dedication to this restaurant, even though he didn't want to. It took a lot of guts for a former elite warrior to choose to run a restaurant instead of becoming a mercenary or guard captain.
"Okay," Greg said. "But I'm telling you now, my pots and pans tend to be strange."
"Looking forward to your unique items as always," Lylia said with a smile.
...
...
Greg worked on Lylia's order for the next three days. He began with the pot, making it out of thick iron and adding careful spells to make it last longer and spread heat evenly. The runes showed up as expected, moving in patterns that looked like flames around the edge.
[Crafting Complete!]
[Item Made: Pot of Never-Ending Simmering]
[Quality Level: SSS]
[Unique Features: Can't be broken, heats itself, food never burns or overcooks, and flavor is slightly improved]
[Note: You made a pot that can probably cook better than most chefs do, even the most famous chef who roast his other chef with the word 'donkey']
Next was the frying pan, and Greg tried to keep it simple. A good non-stick surface and even heating are all you need. There was nothing unusual about it.
[Crafting Complete!]
[Item Made: Healing Skillet]
[Quality Rank: SSS]
[Special Features: Can't be broken, has a perfect non-stick surface, and food cooked in this pan has some healing properties]
[Achievement: Kitchen Miracle Worker]
[The gods are curious if you're a secret chef]
Greg muttered, "At least healing is something that I can tolerate, because why the hell not?"
The roasting pan was so fireproof that it could handle dragon fire without even getting warm to the touch. No matter how good the cook was, the griddle always made perfect pancakes. And the spoon for stirring could mix things up without anyone holding it.
Greg was pretty sure that by the time he brought the whole set to Lylia's kitchen, he had accidentally made a cooking arsenal that would put most magical artifacts to shame. Lylia tested each piece right away, and with each impossible feature she found, her eyes grew wider.
"Greg," she said, watching the stirring spoon mix a pot of soup by itself while she focused on something else. "This is crazy."
"I know. I'm sorry."
"Sorry? This is great!" Lylia took a tray of perfectly roasted chicken out of the dragon-fire pan. The meat was golden brown and steaming.
"Do you know how much easier this makes it to run a restaurant?"
She put a piece on a plate and gave it to a customer who was waiting. The customer took a bite and said it was the best chicken he had ever tasted. In a matter of minutes, people knew about it and lined up outside the restaurant.
Greg warned, "People are going to find out that your food is magically better."
"Let them," Lylia said, already working on the next order with the skill of someone who has done it many times before. "I'm still in charge of the cooking and getting things ready."
"The tools just make it easier to keep the quality up. Besides, you said it yourself, these are not weapons, they are cooking tools."
"There's nothing wrong with using good equipment." She had a point, but Greg thought the line between "good equipment" and "magical cheating" was getting pretty blurry.
...
...
People in Ferndale and the rest of the area talked about Lylia's Kitchen for the next week. People who were traveling made a point to stop by. Merchants changed their routes to go through the village. A food critic from the capital came, ate three full meals, and said that Lylia was a genius in the kitchen.
People quickly noticed that the food had healing powers, and many said that their aches and pains went away after eating there. Adventurers began to come before dangerous quests, saying that the food gave them more energy. Someone even spread the word that Lylia's food could help with hangovers, which only improved business.
Lylia handled all the attention with the same calm skill that she probably had as a knight. She hired two locals to help with serving and cleaning, trained them well, and made sure the quality stayed the same. She even started teaching villagers how to cook at night, showing them the right way to do things.
Greg watched all of the activities from his workshop and felt a strange mix of pride and shame. He had planned to make things that were peaceful, but somehow he had helped make the most popular restaurant in three counties.
"This is your fault, you know," Marina said one night as she sat at Greg's workbench with a plate from Lylia's Kitchen.
The adventurer had become a regular visitor, always eager to see what Greg was working on. "That food that heals is great."
"Since we started eating there before quests, the survival rate of my party has gone up by 30%."
Greg said, "I just made cooking tools, by the way."
"You made magical cooking tools that turned a retired knight into the best chef in the area." Marina sighed with pleasure as she took another bite of her healing stew.
"Come on, you know you're good at this 'helping people peacefully' thing."
Greg wanted to argue, but the proof was difficult to ignore. The village was doing well. Lylia was pleased.
People were getting good food, and some of them were even getting better. There are no weapons or violence, just good food made with good tools.
[Quest Done: Make the Economy Peaceful]
[Reward: 7 Skill Points; Title: Accidental Entrepreneur]
[Achievement Unlocked: Master of the Home Arts]
[New Quest Available: Your reputation has spread to the capital]
[Warning: Important people are paying attention]
Greg stopped after that last message. "Why the fuck is the capital noticing?"
[Because a retired Royal Knight opened a restaurant with famous cookware]
[And she's telling everyone you did it]
[Well done, you're famous]
Greg groaned and put his hands over his face. So much for his quiet, private life.
Marina asked, "What's wrong?"
Greg lied, "Nothing. I'm just trying to figure out what disaster I'll make next by accident."
He could see that Lylia's Kitchen was still full of customers even though it was getting dark outside. Lylia walked around the dining room, talking to guests and making sure everyone was happy. She waved to Greg as he watched, and her smile was real and bright.
Even though he was worried, Greg smiled back. His peaceful activities might have created more chaos than he intended, but at least it was the positive kind of chaos. People were happy, healthy, and well-fed. That had to mean something.
[The gods are happy with how far you've come]
[They are also betting on how long it will take for the capital to send someone]
[Three days is the current odds]
"Three days?!" Greg said out loud.
"Three days until what?" Marina asked.
"Until my peaceful life gets even less peaceful," Greg said under his breath, already dreading what was coming next.