Chapter 1443

<Chapter 1443> 1443. Dark Moon

I handed the wrapped chicken to the butler.

The butler bowed politely and exited the shop.

“Such inconvenience with no delivery service.”

Neo London was strict about food delivery. For some reason involving past incidents, only certified establishments were allowed to deliver food. It was nearly impossible for small shops like UU Chicken to gain such permission.

“Holy smokes, we hit the jackpot!”

A customer observing the situation spoke up. He neatly tore into his chicken before standing from his seat.

“The world of aristocrats is small. Once this place gets a reputation for being delicious among them, it’s as good as success in Neo London. Congratulations, boss. Soon, you’ll be too busy with customers to enjoy your own chicken at leisure.”

“…Thank you. I do plan to expand the business, so there’s no need to worry about that.”

“Hear that? That’s music to my ears, boss. Neo London’s got plenty of stuck-up bastards who envy the successful and prey on the weak. If you can’t handle it alone, partnering with a big company might be an option. Otherwise… hiring more staff. Anyway, boss, I believe in you. You don’t seem like an ordinary person. I’ll drop by again sometime.”

“Please do come again.”

He left the shop.

I crossed my arms and glared across at the Fish & Chips place opposite, then sighed.

If it were up to me, I’d raid them right now, but the aftermath would be problematic. I’m a citizen of Neo London and the owner of a chicken restaurant, not some outlaw.

‘Should I start selling fish and chips here? I’ve got the fryer, just need the ingredients… Nah. This is a chicken joint. No need to dilute the concept.’

There was no solid evidence that the Fish & Chips owner had spread rumors. So, I decided to keep an eye on things for now.

The butler Hyde returned the next day after taking away the chicken.

“My master thoroughly enjoyed the chicken. He said it paired well with wine. Could you please pack one fried chicken and one spicy chicken today?”

The following day, a maid from another house arrived.

“Fried chicken and spicy chicken. Can you pack seven of each?”

The black-haired maid was courteous.

“It’s possible, but since there’s a bit of a backlog with orders… you’ll have to wait a moment.”

“I’ll wait. Please prepare them carefully.”

Ding!

The door opened, and another maid appeared. The moment she entered, her eyes widened.

“It’s Garnet! How long has it been since academy graduation? Are you also here to pick up chicken for your master?”

“Yes. Sara. Long time no see. About two years?”

“I work for the Viscount Hennis family now. What about you?”

“I’m employed by the Count Gotvel family.”

“Oh, a count’s household… Guess it’s fitting. You were top-notch at the academy too. Oh yeah, let me place my order quickly. Five fried chickens and five spicy chickens, please!”

As they waited for their chicken, they…


Yuria decided to bloom the flowers of destiny.

While working in the kitchen, I perked up my ears to eavesdrop on their conversation. I thought there might be some rare information related to nobility being exchanged.

But they were more thorough than I expected. They didn’t reveal a single thing about the noble family they worked for. They only asked about each other’s well-being and reminisced about old times.

Even in their seemingly casual behavior, I could sense a strict professional attitude. They were true pros.

“Excuse me, miss. What is this?”

“Oh, that? It’s a coupon. Collect 10 coupons and you can exchange them for a whole chicken. You can use it now if you like.”

“Is this a regular customer system? Pretty cool.”

The maids left without using the coupons, not promising to come back again. They had no choice. If the master wishes, they’ll find their way back eventually.

“Wow, those maids are so cool, right?”

“Yeah. I once wanted to become a maid too… but it was too hard, so I gave up.”

The part-timers looked at the departing maids with envious eyes.

It wasn’t unusual. In Neo London, butlers and maids are seen as jobs held only by the elite of elites.

As the days passed, more and more maids and butlers visited the shop. Word of Pride Chicken and Spicy Chicken had spread through high society.

Citizens of Neo London envied the nobles yet admired them. They tried to imitate what the nobles did and sought to taste the same dishes the nobles ate. Thanks to this, Yuria Chicken’s sales graph kept climbing upward. Literally reaching the heavens.

Rumors about using bad oil? Those rumors disappeared without a trace.

“I heard you’re looking for franchisees… Can I get more details?”

“Of course. However, I’m busy right now, so I’d like to talk after the store closes. Would you mind reading this first?”

“This is…?”

“It’s a booklet about Yuria Chicken. The franchise contract details are also explained in an easy-to-understand manner. Please read it thoroughly and return it afterward.”

It was closer to a business plan than anything else. But it wasn’t something I made. Who has time for that when running a chicken shop? This was something Yuria created out of boredom at home.

“Recently, all the housework gets done by morning, leaving her idle… Well, our house is small, and we don’t get many visitors.”

Yuria offered to help the chicken shop, but I declined. I didn’t want to waste such an amazing maid on just a chicken joint. After I refused, she started studying on her own at home.

Last time I caught a glimpse of her studying, I couldn’t figure out what exactly she was learning. Her study subjects were incredibly vast—law, programming, tax accounting, magic, urban history, and more. The scope was so wide it was hard to imagine how she could absorb it all.

‘Slowly, I should start looking for someone to take over the kitchen so I can focus on magic research.’

I couldn’t keep handling the kitchen forever.

‘At least two people are needed to manage things. Maybe three would be ideal?’

Three people just for the kitchen. It felt excessive, but Yuria Chicken was doing exceptionally well. Even three might not be enough.

‘Even if I hire new staff, the taste of Yuria Chicken won’t change.’

All the kitchen needs to do is fry chicken at set intervals. The timer is already alarm-set. Nothing complicated.

Across from Yuria Chicken, John Clark, who ran the Fish and Chips shop, gritted his teeth while glaring at Yuria Chicken.

“Curses! Why is that chicken place doing so well?!”

He even spread rumors that Yuria Chicken used old, dirty oil, but it had no effect. Perhaps it was due to Yuria Chicken’s excellent response strategy, but mostly because its taste was simply too good to ignore. Even nobles began visiting…


The rumors spread by John Clark vanished without a trace.

“Damn it…!”

Someone might ask if it’s not good to have a successful shop nearby. It was completely the opposite. People only flock to the thriving shop and ignore the ones nearby. Worse, the neighboring shops lose their customers too. In fact, the number of customers visiting his shop had dropped by over 30% compared to usual. People coming for fish and chips saw the line at Youyou Chicken and decided to join it instead.

“My stomach hurts so bad!”

There was no way he could just sit there and do nothing.

He called his younger associate.

“What is the matter, boss?”

“Do you see that chicken place? Go get some takeout.”

“Oh, the trendy chicken shop these days.”

“You’ve heard of it?”

“The social circles are buzzing about this revolutionary new chicken that broke all preconceptions. It started with the nobility and has spread to the upper class.”

“So it’s really that famous, huh?”

“There they are—those butlers and maids lining up. They’re not all servants of noble families; most are from the upper class.”

“It’s probably just a temporary craze. It’ll die down eventually.”

“Hmm, maybe.”

John changed his plan. Originally, he intended to spread false information online claiming foreign objects were found in the chicken. But now greed took over.

What if he sold Youyou Chicken’s chicken himself? His shop already had a fryer. All he needed were the ingredients and recipe, and frying chicken would be easy.

“Order the chicken and find out the recipe. Bring plenty of cash.”

“Well, I can’t guarantee success, but I’ll give it a shot.”

His associate returned two hours later with the chicken due to the long line.

After tasting the Korean fried chicken and the spicy chicken, John clenched his fists tightly. It was delicious. He never imagined chicken could taste this good.

“It makes my fish and chips look like garbage…”

Once you try Korean chicken, you won’t even think about fish and chips again. The spicy chicken was especially groundbreaking.

“The recipe?”

“While waiting, I asked an employee. I tried to peek into the kitchen, but they blocked me. I don’t know the exact recipe, but they said they fry the chicken twice.”

“Twice? That should make it greasier than normal, right?”

“I’m not much of a cook, so…”

“Tell your boss there’s a profitable business opportunity.”

“Indeed. With this chicken, money will flow endlessly. Since it’s already spreading through high society… Hey, are you alright, Mr. John? Haven’t you washed your hands yet?”

“This is the last time.”

“Hehe. I’ll tell the boss. Gotta grab some Korean chicken on my way back.”

10:00 AM.

When I arrived at Youyou Chicken, I immediately frowned. At first glance, the store looked unchanged from yesterday, but upon closer inspection, things had shifted.

‘The counter chair was slightly pushed back, and the kitchen door, which used to be slightly open, is now tightly shut.’

Evidence someone had entered my shop.

It wasn’t a thief.

Thieves couldn’t exist here since Neo London citizens don’t use cash.

‘Of course, they came to steal the recipe. Youyou Chicken’s sales have gone through the roof.’

In reality, major companies approached me offering huge sums to buy the Korean chicken recipe, but I refused. Selling off a business idea felt wrong. Of course, they’d figure out the recipe in a few days, but what mattered was that Youyou Chicken was the original creator of Korean chicken.

‘This isn’t the work of a big company. There’s no need to resort to such risky methods when assembling experts to study the chicken would be far better.’