From Street Vendor to Myth: Selling Noodle in Another World

"I forgot to introduce myself, Mr. Noctis. My surname is Trinh, my given name is Hao. I'm 25 years old this year. My family are merchants—we trade all kinds of goods, from vegetables and meat to minerals. I run a small business in the capital, but I came back home this time and unexpectedly got to eat such a delicious dish. How old are you, Mr. Noctis?"

As they walked, Hao Trinh introduced himself to Darius Noctis.

"Twenty-five... 25? That face is 25?"—Darius Noctis was taken aback as he studied the man beside him.

Hao Trinh's face looked way too old. He could easily pass for a 40-year-old. How was he only 25? Noctis had been about to call him brother, but it turned out he was younger than him.

Though he thought this, Noctis kept a neutral expression. He simply nodded and asked,

"You sell vegetables and meat? Do you also sell seeds and livestock? I need to stock up for a long journey."

"Of course! This time, you can take whatever you want for free. But next time, I'll have to charge you—of course, at a very friendly price," Hao Trinh replied cheerfully. After all, he was a businessman. The first time was free to build a relationship; the next time, he'd be making money.

As they passed several market stalls filled with fresh vegetables and meat, Hao Trinh didn't stop at any of them. He simply walked past without giving much of an introduction.

Seeing Noctis looking around curiously, Hao Trinh said, "Don't buy from these stalls. They shortchange you, overcharge, and their goods aren't fresh. I'll take you to my slaughterhouse and vegetable warehouse—better quality, fresher produce, and you can pick whatever you like."

Noctis hummed in response. He had been observing the market and its people. Deep inside, he was eager to learn more about this world. Something about this place gave him a sense of peace—completely different from his old world.

It was evident that this was a world without modern technology. Everything was simple and old-fashioned. On both sides of the road, stalls sold vegetables, pork, and beef. There were also a few street food vendors, and from their signboards, Noctis noticed that they mainly sold noodles and rice—nothing else.

The streets weren't overly crowded, but the sound of lively conversations, children laughing, birds chirping, cats meowing, and dogs barking filled the air. Even the rustling of leaves in the wind was crystal clear.

Taking in the refreshing breeze, Noctis took a deep breath. The air here was astonishingly fresh. The roads smelled of soil, the surroundings carried the scent of nature, and there was even the scent of people. Gone were the smells of metal and concrete—the suffocating odors of his old world.

"We're here. Wait a moment, Mr. Noctis, I'll call my servants."—Hao Trinh stopped in front of a rather large building.

Inside, the sounds of cows mooing, calves bleating, and pigs squealing as they were being slaughtered were deafening.

After a while, Hao Trinh returned with another man—a short, weaselly fellow with a sycophantic expression.

"Greetings, Mr. Noctis! You can just call me Little Ly. Whatever type of meat you need, just let me know, and I'll get you the finest cuts. And, of course, I'll give you the best price possible. I guarantee it!"

"Give me three slaughtered roosters, five kilograms of pork thighs, five kilograms of pork bones, five kilograms of pork ribs, two kilograms of beef tendon, and two kilograms of lean beef. How much will that cost?"—Noctis asked.

"Please wait a moment, Mr. Noctis. I'll inform the workers and get the calculations ready."—Little Ly immediately rushed inside, shouting Noctis's order loud enough for the entire building to hear.

Moments later, he came running back, carrying an abacus, his movements hurried.

"Three prepared roosters—normally three silver coins each, but since it's you, I'll cut that in half and round down the total. Three slaughtered roosters for just four silver coins. Pork thighs are three silver coins per kilogram. Pork bones are normally two and a half, but I'll make it an even two for you. Ribs are a bit pricier—three point eight silver coins per kilogram, but since it's your first time, I'll give them to you for three each.

So, five kilograms of pork thighs—fifteen silver coins. Five kilograms of pork bones—ten silver coins. Five kilograms of ribs—fifteen silver coins."

As he calculated, Little Ly slid the beads on the abacus up and down, producing crisp clacking sounds.

"The high-quality beef this month is a bit expensive. Two kilograms of beef tendon—ten silver coins. For the lean beef, do you want shoulder or loin?"—he asked.

"Shoulder. I'm making beef balls."—Noctis replied.

"Shoulder cut is thirty silver coins for two kilograms. That brings the total to… ninety-four silver coins. But since Young Master Trinh is here, I wouldn't dare charge that much. Let's call it eighty silver coins for you, Mr. Noctis,"—Little Ly said with a big grin.

Noctis glanced at Hao Trinh, who nodded approvingly. Noctis shrugged—if the fat guy was willing to cover it, so be it. He didn't bother arguing over the price.

If he came back later to buy more, Noctis figured these prices were probably lower than the marketplace. By how much exactly, he wasn't sure. Either way, the string of silver coins Hao Trinh had given him earlier was more than enough to buy this amount of meat several times over. The ingredients he had now would last him a few days.

"Oh, I almost forgot—give me fifty pig trotters as well."—Noctis suddenly remembered.

"Ah… one moment."—Little Ly scratched his head before turning to Hao Trinh for approval.

Hao Trinh immediately responded,

"I'll cover all of this. But how about I bring a few ladies to your stall tonight, Mr. Noctis?"

Darius Noctis smiled and replied,

"Sure, you can bring your whole family if you want."

"Great! If you ever come back to buy more, just look for Little Ly. If he dares to overcharge you, let me know."—Hao Trinh laughed heartily, patting Noctis on the shoulder.

"By the way, what time do you usually open in the morning? I mean… when do you start business?"

Noctis wondered how people in this world measured time since they didn't have clocks. He wasn't sure how their system worked.

"We open at the start of the Cat hour. Around that time, you can come by. Or, if you prefer, you can place an order in advance and give us an address—we can deliver it to you tomorrow if needed."

Little Ly eagerly suggested.

"An address, huh… Never mind, I'll just come buy it myself when I need to."—Noctis had no idea where exactly he was staying, so he had no address to provide.

"That works too. As long as you come by, we'll have everything ready for you."—Little Ly grinned obsequiously, sneaking glances at Hao Trinh to gauge if he was acting appropriately.

He was only flattering Darius Noctis to stay on Hao Trinh's good side. Noctis was simply benefiting from the association.

"Thanks, then."—Noctis nodded.

Afterward, they visited the vegetable warehouse. According to Hao Trinh, it had a wide variety of produce, but to Noctis, it was lacking in many essentials.

There was no chives at all. That was one thing, but even cinnamon, cilantro, and lettuce were missing. Fortunately, they had daikon radish and carrots, which he could substitute with other greens. Bean sprouts were scarce, but they had mung beans—he could grow them himself.

Next came the search for seasonings.

Salt was ridiculously expensive! A kilogram cost a whopping fifty silver coins. Holy hell, why is it this expensive? Luckily, there were still pepper and chili. Lemons were rare, but at least he could buy seeds. Like salt, fish sauce was absurdly pricey, but soy sauce was relatively cheap. There was no chili sauce or black bean sauce, but that didn't matter—he could make them himself as long as he had the ingredients.

Overall, this market was missing a lot of things.

No matter—he still had plenty of preserved ingredients. He could cook for at least a month. His truck's storage was packed with various supplies, so he wasn't short on essentials. Still, he needed to find a coastal area to gather certain ingredients himself.

By now, aside from Hao Trinh, even Little Ly was helping carry loads of goods back to the car. Noctis ended up buying more than expected—he needed to cook dinner, not just for himself but also for the two animals he had adopted.

From afar, he could see his car was still intact, but Woof was barking furiously—not at people touching the car, but at the other dogs nearby. It looked like a full-on territorial dispute, about to escalate into a fight… or rather, a biting contest.

"Woof! I told you to guard the car, not pick fights with the neighborhood dogs!"

Hearing Noctis call, Woof immediately ran over, wagging its tail before rolling onto its back. Noctis had no free hands to pet it, so he simply nudged its belly with his foot a few times.

"Mr. Noctis, why didn't you send someone to notify me when you arrived in town?"

A familiar voice rang out from behind the car.

As Noctis walked around to load the goods, he saw Zentharis Lam already waiting there. Behind him stood a middle-aged man along with the subordinates from earlier. A few soldiers in the distance were also watching the scene.

"I was planning to look for you, but I got busy shopping for tonight's business. Zentharis—ah, I mean, Brother Lam, did you come to see me for something?"—Noctis asked with a smile.

After setting the goods down, he opened the trunk. Little Ly helped load the items into the car before bowing and quietly slipping away—there were too many powerful people around for him to stick around.

The middle-aged man standing beside Zentharis Lam was none other than the Governor-General of this town.

His expression showed a certain deference toward the young noble before him, a clear indication of Zentharis Lam's high status. Little Ly wasn't foolish—saying the wrong thing here could cost him his life.

"Am I interrupting you, Mr. Noctis? I was worried the guards might give you trouble, so I came to check. This gentleman here is…?"

Zentharis Lam glanced at Hao Trinh.

"I am Hao Trinh of the Trinh Merchant Guild. May I ask for your esteemed name, young master?"

Hao Trinh had seen Zentharis Lam that morning while eating, but he had no clue about his background. Being a food enthusiast, he never bothered looking into random strangers. Since they had crossed paths again, and since the other party had spoken first, courtesy dictated that he introduce himself.

"I go by the surname Lam. You may just call me that."—Zentharis Lam replied with a polite smile.

"Young Master Lam, judging by your attire, you must be from a prestigious family in the capital. It is an honor for our humble town to have your distinguished presence."—Hao Trinh said with a respectful smile.