Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 23: The Chicken-Selling Plan
Weber nodded with a broad smile. “Alright then, young Merlin. You’d better come to this old man more often in the future.”
Merlin patted his chest and swore earnestly. “Of course! Whatever new delicacies I research, I’ll always bring you a share!”
Naturally, he had to get close. This old fellow was filthy rich—definitely worth sticking around to shear some wool off. And judging by his alchemy skills, which were absolutely top-tier, if Merlin ever needed something crafted, this man could be relied on.
“Oh right, don’t eat the Red-Crested White-Feathered Chickens. Keep them for breeding. In the meantime, switch to using the ordinary chickens raised at the Beast Taming Academy.”
Hearing this, Weber frowned slightly. The thought of no longer eating such delicious chicken meat left him reluctant, but for the sake of enjoying chicken freely in the future, he decided to endure.
“This old man will just have to suffer for now.”
“Actually, the Beast Taming Academy’s chickens aren’t bad either. The students raise them with great care. While the taste isn’t quite as good as the Red-Crested White-Feathered Chickens, they’re still excellent for making Beggar’s Chicken. Besides, I plan to introduce a few new dishes that will absolutely delight you.”
Merlin’s mind was already racing. A single chicken could be broken down and sold in parts—roast chicken heads, braised chicken necks, braised livers and hearts, crispy grilled skin, stir-fried gizzards… the claws could be made into passion fruit spicy lemon chicken feet, the body into lotus-leaf Beggar’s Chicken, and the drumsticks separated for roast chicken legs.
Why so many braised dishes? Naturally, because the braising broth and spices could be reused. And in this world, with no food safety laws to worry about, as long as it didn’t kill anyone, it was fine.
“Good. You said it yourself—if you come up with anything delicious, you’d better bring it to me.”
“Of course. Aren’t we friends? But… without the right connections, I can’t buy chickens from the Beast Taming Academy. After all, I’m from the Alchemy Academy, and I plan to purchase quite a lot…” Merlin looked up at Weber with a meek expression. He was certain this old man had a way.
“Simple. Don’t worry about that. I’ll give you a certificate later. With it, you can buy from the Beast Taming Academy freely.”
Weber waved a hand. For him, such a small matter didn’t even require the dean’s involvement.
“That’s perfect. The sooner the better—if it can be arranged today, I’ll buy the ingredients tomorrow! That way, old man, you can enjoy new dishes even sooner, right?”
Merlin grinned. The sooner he had the ingredients, the better—he planned to start selling at school on Monday!
“Oh, by the way, old man… the price won’t be too high, will it?”
Weber’s expression soured. “Merlin, are you doubting my standing in the Academy? What’s this about buying? Forget it—I’ll have them sent to you! Free of charge!”
Free? Merlin would love that. But he intended to purchase in bulk from the Beast Taming Academy and establish a long-term cooperative relationship. If it was simply gifted, there would be no stable tie of interest.
A solid partnership had to be built on mutual benefit. He couldn’t accept free gifts—he had to make sure the Academy profited.
Merlin shook his head firmly. “No, that won’t do. If it’s given to me for free, I won’t take it. It has to be purchased, and not below the Academy’s cost price. The Beast Taming Academy must make a profit.”
Weber listened with disdain. Profit? With just a few chickens? Even dozens or hundreds wouldn’t count as real revenue for the Academy.
But seeing how serious Merlin looked, Weber could only sigh. “Fine, have it your way. I didn’t expect you to care so much for the Academy.”
Merlin instantly put on a solemn air, pressing his hand against the Arcane Academy’s emblem on his chest. “Of course. I’ve always seen the Arcane Academy as my home. The Academy is family—its growth depends on all of us. We must have a collective sense of honor and never exploit our own Academy. Once I’ve achieved success in my studies, I’ll repay the Arcane Academy properly.”
Never mind whether it was true or not—an “Academy-loving” persona was always effective. Old folks like Weber adored this sort of thing. And in truth, Merlin did plan to turn the Academy into his base for materials and research, even dreaming of buying out the entire institution one day and making the whole Arcane Academy work to earn money for him.
Yawning, Merlin headed back toward his dormitory—only to hear a noisy commotion in the distance.
“What’s going on? Why so loud?”
Before long, he saw a crowd gathered beneath his dormitory, waving placards and shouting slogans.
Like a demonstration, they stood on the lawn beneath his window, chanting loudly.
“Beggar’s Chicken! Beggar’s Chicken! Lotus-Leaf Beggar’s Chicken!”
“Beggar’s Chicken! Beggar’s Chicken! Lotus-Leaf Beggar’s Chicken!”
“What do we want?!”
“Lotus-Leaf Beggar’s Chicken!”
“What do we want?!”
“Lotus-Leaf Beggar’s Chicken!”
What the hell?! Merlin froze, staring blankly at the scene before diving behind a tree. He never imagined the students could be this insane for his Beggar’s Chicken—and there were far more people than last night.
“Are these people starved of good food or something?!” Merlin rubbed his temples. There was no way he could go back to his dorm now.
At that moment, he spotted an owl clumsily prying open the window of the dorm next to his, looking like a thief. Its beak was stuffed with blueberries.
“You damned creature! You’re stealing my blueberries again!”
In the crowd, Fitt—who had been shouting “Beggar’s Chicken”—immediately lost his temper when he saw the owl.
But the owl had sharp eyes. The moment it spotted Merlin, it shot straight toward him. It was delivering the certificate for purchasing Beast Taming Academy chickens.
Following the owl’s flight, Fitt’s gaze landed on Merlin. “Look! It’s Merlin!”
“Where? Where’s Merlin?!”
“Merlin’s back?!”
“Beggar’s Chicken! We want Beggar’s Chicken!”
The mob surged toward him. Merlin’s face changed at once—he turned to run, but the owl streaked like a bolt of black lightning and slammed right into his back.
Thud!
“Argh!” Merlin grimaced in pain, rolling across the ground twice.
By then, the nobles from the Academy had surrounded him completely.
“Merlin, where are you going? We want Beggar’s Chicken!”
“Please, Merlin, just let me have one bite of Lotus-Leaf Beggar’s Chicken! Just one bite!”
Merlin looked at the desperate faces grabbing at him. One after another, they clutched him like crazed addicts, shouting frantically. His scalp tingled. He was selling proper Beggar’s Chicken—not some kind of illegal white powder!