My 100th Rebirth a day before the Apocalypse-Chapter 988 - 986 Supporting The Market

She looked at the stall owner without taking a bite. Her serious gaze made him gulp nervously. "City Lord... is something wrong?" he asked.

"Have you had your food evaluated by an awakened ability user with the Appraiser skill roaming the market?" Kisha asked, ignoring his question entirely.

Hearing this, the stall owner’s fear deepened. He assumed something was wrong with his food. Seeing Kisha so serious, it never occurred to him that his barbecue skewer was simply that good.

"I... I don’t..." the stall owner stammered, his face draining of color.

Seeing how pale he had turned, Kisha immediately realized she had frightened him. He must have thought she’d found something wrong with his barbecue skewers. She quickly softened her expression and smiled brightly to put him at ease.

"Don’t worry," she said gently. "There’s nothing wrong with your barbecue. I only realized that what you’re selling isn’t ordinary food."

She lifted the skewer slightly as she continued, her tone calm and reassuring. "This needs to be appraised and priced accordingly. You should sell it as a special item, like the other specialty stalls. For awakened ability users who often fight outside, food like this can be incredibly valuable; sometimes, it could even save their lives."

"R-Really?!" the stall owner asked, his eyes lighting up.

When he saw Kisha nod seriously, he hurriedly added, "I’m sorry, City Lord, I honestly didn’t know. I only opened my stall today, so I haven’t had the chance to ask around about special items yet. I did notice that every stall has one or two special products, and they’re priced much higher than the rest... I was just about to ask about it, actually. Hehe..."

He scratched the back of his head sheepishly as he explained. In truth, he had nearly scared himself senseless just now. For a moment, he’d been convinced that his stall was about to be shut down, that the City Lord had found something wrong with his food or its sanitation.

The thought alone had been terrifying.

After all, opening a stall in the market wasn’t easy. Every vendor had to pass strict inspections, especially regarding cleanliness and ingredient quality. If a stall was found violating the rules, it would be forcibly closed and permanently banned, unless the owner passed an even harsher re-inspection to clear their name.

Remembering that, he couldn’t help but feel a little embarrassed. He had been so nervous that he’d forgotten how meticulous he was when preparing his food in the first place.

"Then how much are you selling your barbecue for?" Kisha asked.

"Um... since I sell them as skewers, it’s one Level-1 crystal core for ten skewers," the stall owner replied, flashing another sheepish grin. "It’s cooked meat after all. Even if each piece isn’t very large, the preparation and ingredients still cost something..."

As he spoke, a hint of unease crept into his expression. He knew his reasoning made sense, but crystal cores were still valuable currency. One crystal core wasn’t a small amount, and he couldn’t help worrying that Kisha might find his pricing too steep.

After all, while the meat portions were decent, many people still considered cooked food expensive compared to raw supplies that came from the Supply Center.

Kisha shook her head. The stall owner nearly felt his heart stop, convinced she thought the price was too expensive, until she spoke.

"Under normal circumstances, that price would be reasonable," Kisha said calmly. "But since your barbecue qualifies as a special item, you can sell it at one Level-1 crystal core for five skewers instead."

The stall owner blinked in surprise.

"You should also invite the appraisers over," Kisha continued. "Have them record the additional effects of your pork barbecue so buyers know exactly what they’re getting. You’ve probably noticed some stalls displaying laminated product descriptions with official seals; those items have been appraised and certified."

She paused briefly, then added, "The appraisal only costs one crystal core, paid once. After that, you’re free to sell as you like."

This system had been explained to her earlier by her father-in-law when the market structure was first established. It ensured fairness on all sides, vendors could price special items properly, customers knew what they were buying, and appraisers earned a stable income for their expertise, much like before the apocalypse. In turn, it helped stabilize daily life within the base.

"T-That’s great! Thank you, City Lord, for the guidance!" the man said excitedly before hurrying off to look for one of the appraisers roaming the market.

In the beginning, appraisers were stationed beside stalls that sold potential special items. Their role was to monitor which foods prepared by artisan-type or culinary-type awakened ability users actually developed special effects. At that stage, special effects were inconsistent and partly dependent on luck; not every finished product would qualify.

However, over time, the appraisers discovered a pattern. Once an artisan or culinary awakened reached a certain level of proficiency, special effects began appearing reliably. As long as they produced items regularly, their skill alone was enough to ensure consistency.

Because of this, most stalls initially focused on a single specialty to raise their proficiency as quickly as possible. Only after reaching that threshold would they expand their offerings, allowing them to produce a wider variety of special items for customers.

Watching the man run off in a fluster, Kisha chuckled and shook her head before finally taking a bite of the barbecue. She had only offered him a bit of information in exchange, just enough to ease her conscience about not paying for it outright.

The moment her teeth sank into the meat, rich juices burst across her tongue. The flavor was unlike anything she had tasted before. The smokiness from the charcoal was deep but not overpowering, while the marinade carried a layered richness that lingered pleasantly, making each bite irresistibly satisfying.

Kisha savored it, her eyes brightening. She couldn’t help but wonder if she could recreate something similar using spiritual ingredients of her own. If she succeeded, she could make it whenever she wanted inside her territory space. And if not, she could always come back to the market and buy it instead, supporting the stall owners while indulging herself.

After all, with the number of crystal cores she now possessed, she could safely consider herself a rather wealthy woman.

"Mm... this is really good," Kisha murmured.

Since she was planning to visit her mother-in-law anyway, she simply waited by the stall. Before long, the barbecue owner came rushing back, with an awakened appraiser in tow. Only then did he realize that he had left the City Lord standing there the whole time.

His face went pale. He bowed repeatedly, flustered. "C-City Lord... I... I —"

Kisha waved it off with an amused smile. "There’s no need to explain. I understand." She paused, then added, "I waited because I’d like to buy fifty more skewers to take with me."

As she spoke, she reached into her inventory, took out ten Level-1 crystal cores, and handed them over.

The stall owner stared at the crystal cores in stunned silence.

The moment the stall owner came back to his senses, he hurriedly waved his hands, shaking his head. "N-No, City Lord, there’s no need. That’s too much," he said earnestly. "I can give you a discount, fifty skewers for five crystal cores is more than enough."

Kisha let out a soft chuckle. "There’s no need. I’m not short on crystal cores."

"But the appraiser hasn’t issued the special-item certificate yet," the stall owner insisted, clearly flustered. "My food isn’t officially recognized as a special item, so I can’t charge you that much."

In truth, it wasn’t about the rules alone. He simply couldn’t bring himself to take her money so easily. To him, the safe and peaceful life he now enjoyed, the ability to earn a living honestly, without bowing or scraping before others, was something Kisha had given them all. Accepting such a payment from her felt like taking advantage, and he couldn’t do it in good conscience.

"It’s fine," Kisha said gently. "I already know what kind of special item your pork barbecue is, and I can say it’s well worth the price. So don’t be shy, just accept it. I’ll look around for a bit and come back later to pick up my order."

With that, she pressed the ten Level-1 crystal cores into the stall owner’s hand before he could refuse again, then turned and walked away briskly.

True to her words, Kisha moved on to browse the other stalls. She planned to buy some snacks, not only for her mother-in-law, but also for the people working in the workshop. Many of them were women, the elderly, or children, and she knew that a few treats could go a long way toward lifting their spirits. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

Then Kisha spotted a stall selling fruit-flavored candy made from spiritual fruits. The stall owner was an amiable old man who seemed to have been making sweets even before the apocalypse.