Chapter 881 (1/2)

Ed was sweating as he dashed down the hill toward his bakery. Due to an… unfortunately timed backup at one of his facilities, he had spent all of the prior two days up to his elbows in shit. Literal shit. The problem ended up being that the Engravings on their processing equipment were starting to wear down under the constant use.

It turned out that they had expanded too fast. The current staff that Ed employed wasn’t enough to handle this scale of equipment. But finding more people willing to participate in this line of work was a bit...

Because of the backup, they needed to go through and cast the Cleanse Skill by hand. So now wasn’t exactly the best time to bring new people onto the team. Basically, Ed ended up handling most of it himself.

Which normally Ed wouldn’t mind, but there was another factor in the background that complicated the whole process.

For whatever reason, his bakery was the talk of Donnyton.

The so-called guerilla marketing…?Not that it matters. With my baking ability… it was inevitable that the quality of my desserts would seize the hearts of Donnyton…! Ed eagerly buttered his own ego as he hastily applied the illusion to his face and rushed down the sloped paths to the North side of Donnyton. Even though it was two hours before dawn, there were still a few people on the roads who gave him annoyed looks as he careened past them.

But he had to hurry. For the first time since his bakery was founded, he had missed a day. Now that his overwhelming talent had finally caught the eye of the Squads, he couldn’t let his chance to finally escape his shit industry slip away…!

His sanity was counting on this…!

Once more, Ed was brought to a dead stop as he entered the square where his shop was located. Because despite the early hour, there were almost a hundred people milling about the square.

Haha! Of course! Even with a single day’s delay, the hold my chocolates have over these people-

But Ed’s train of thought was brought to an abrupt stop as he looked more closely at the surrounding area. Although the people were around his shop… it seemed like most were being served at tables immediately adjacent to Ed’s shop. At… other shops…? The people… there were waiters and waitresses...

“What the hell…?” Ed muttered as he stomped forward.

For the last year that Ed had owned this storefront, the shop to his immediate left had been run by an old woman who offered clothing repair services. The shop to his right was one of the many second-hand shops, where one could purchase used and damaged equipment for only a few coins.

Obviously, neither was doing very well. The old woman only did it to keep up the appearances of trying to gain Skill Levels so her daughter wouldn’t bother her, and the second-hand shop was a front for something much darker. Ed always meant to investigate that, but now...

Now, both were cafes.

“What the hell…!” Ed growled as fury erupted in his chest. To think that vultures would be circling so quickly! But they would soon see. As soon as Ed’s shop opened its doors, the transcendent smell that he was able to produce…

“Ufufu… you must be the owner of this… fine establishment… It must be nice to be able to sleep in...”

Ed spun around and came face to face with a very familiar foe. “Slugworth…!”

Slugworth smiled wanly. “You must be mistaking me for someone else. Of course, my name is… Mr. Jones.”

Ed narrowed his eyes but said nothing to this obvious lie. Upon examining Slugworth further, it was clear that the man was using an illusion to shrink his positively dominant hawk nose to the size of a button. Due to the size of the man’s long face, the effect was slightly off-putting. But then again, Slugworth was always detestable. His general aura was one of disrepute and seediness.

Yet Ed dare not call the man out on the lie, as he himself had used illusion to rid himself of his distinguishing mustache. Both of these two eternal rivals were incognito, and there was a tacit agreement to say nothing, lest the other spoil their own cover identity. They would duel on even terms here, on the merits of their businesses.

Slugworth was an old foe of Ed’s, a man who worked tirelessly for the farming communities around Donnyton to provide composting services. The walking slimeball was constantly haggling over the quality of excrement that Ed sold to him. If not for Slugworth squeezing every bit of scrap iron he could out of their deals, Ed would be significantly more well off.

Often, he stayed up late and complained to Bekany about how different their lives would be if only Slugworth would have spawned nearer to a monster at the beginning of the System. It was one of Ed’s favorite conversation topics.

“...apologies, Mr. Jones.” Ed said through gritted teeth. “I saw a dying pig on the way here, and the resemblance was rather uncanny. Perhaps a cousin of yours?”

“Let’s cut the pleasantries, there is no need to be so formal. We are neighbors, after all.” Then Slugworth leaned toward Ed and sneered. “It’s so strange. I have talked to the many patrons who were interested in your bakery, and you know what they always said…? The desserts were… passable, but the reason they came back was for the ambiance. There is just a feeling in the air…”

Slugworth turned and grinned. “Honestly, I don’t know how a snake like you managed it, but I feel it too. This place… it feels like home. So I’ve set up my own little… side business here. Let’s get along for the foreseeable future, kekeke.”

“To even buy up the shops on both sides of me… You’ve gone too far this time, MISTER JONES!” Ed rumbled.

“The shops on both sides…?” There was a flash of confusion across Slugworth’s face. Then his expression twisted in bitterness and paled. “No, I-”

A voice cut across him. “Ah, gentlemen. A meeting so early in the morning…? Perhaps I, as a fellow shop owner in the area, should join.”