Chapter 148 | I’m Back!
’I should probably get a few snacks for her.’
Dexter packed an assortment of snacks—chips, cookies, dried fruit, crackers, several tubs of premium ice cream in various flavors, and also, soda cans.
Lyra’s appetite was bottomless, and having quick snacks available would keep her satisfied between meals without requiring him to cook every time she got hungry.
The girls were all cultivating a Tier-7 technique now, which meant their bodies could process and expel impurities and excess calories through their cultivation. The energy of the Grand Cosmos Scripture would naturally cleanse their systems, so the junk food wouldn’t negatively affect their health or their figures. Dexter wasn’t worried about that.
He also picked up cooking ingredients for the bakery business, ordinary ingredients only. He was not going to use his precious Heavenly Treasures or Diamond Spirit Rice for commercial meals.
It would simply be an astronomical waste.
The meals he sold to customers would be made with standard, high-quality market ingredients, enhanced by his Great Grandmaster Foodsmith skills.
Even with ordinary ingredients, his cooking would produce Grade-One, Grade-Two meals or even Grade-three meals.
He purchased large quantities of vegetables, rice, cooking oil, spices, seasonings, and several large cooking pots for commercial-scale preparation.
By the time he was done, he had filled four trolleys to the brim.
He pushed all four to the checkout counter, where a bored clerk began scanning items.
The total appeared on the display.
$40,419.99
Dexter paid with his phone, received the receipt, and then flipped his right hand.
Golden light flashed, and all four trolleys’ worth of items vanished into his storage ring in a flash.
"W-what?"
The cashier froze. Her scanner hovered mid-air over the last item. The couple behind Dexter in line was stunned.
A storage ring. was an artifact only high level heroes possess!
Which meant that the man in the plain dark shirt and joggers was also a high level hero!
Dexter ignored the stunned stares, pocketed his receipt, and walked out to the parking lot.
•••
He pulled up his phone and searched for exotic beast meat suppliers. Then he selected one close by. It was a massive, warehouse-style establishment about fifteen minutes from the mall.
[Primordial Harvest: Exotic Beast Meat & Dungeon Resources]
Dexter drove there and arrived within twenty minutes. The building was enormous, it looked like a proper company instead of a butchers place.
He walked inside.
The inside was cold but clean and the place was painted stainless white too, looking eerily like an horror movie company.
Massive refrigerated display cases lined the walls, each one containing cuts of meat that ranged from ordinary-looking beef to flesh that glowed.
A receptionist who was a young man in a clean white coat greeted him from behind a polished counter.
"Welcome to Primordial Harvest. How can I assist you?"
"I want to buy Mutated Class beast meat," Dexter nodded and replied.
The receptionist nodded professionally. "Certainly, sir. We sell Mutated Class beast meat by the kilogram. Our current inventory ranges from Level 1 to Level 12, with prices scaling accordingly."
He pulled up a holographic catalog, displaying rows of available cuts with images, classifications, and prices.
Mutated Class Beast Meat (Standard Grade):
- Level 1 — $1,000/kg
- Level 2 — $2,000/kg
- Level 3 — $3,000/kg
- Level 12 — $12,000/kg
Premium Mutated Class Beast Meat (Exceptional Nutrition/Rare Bloodline):
- Level 1 — $2,000/kg
- Level 2 — $4,000/kg
- Level 12 — $24,000/kg
Dexter studied the prices as he calculated in his mind. Mutated Class beast meat was the most affordable tier—the meat of monsters from the lowest classification of dimensional gates. Even at these prices, it was still incredibly expensive compared to ordinary meat. A single kilogram of Level 1 meat cost as much as a month’s groceries for a normal family.
No wonder killing monsters and selling their corpses was the most lucrative business in the hero world. Well, apart from the Only Heroes website. (^o^)
Their bodies alone were worth fortunes. A single Level 3 goblin corpse—of which Dexter had killed dozens during the outbreak—would have been worth thousands in meat alone, not counting the nexus core.
"What about Fiend Class?" Dexter asked.
The receptionist smiled, clearly expecting the question. He scrolled to a different section of the catalog.
Fiend Class Beast Meat (Standard Grade):
- Level 1 — $3,000/kg
- Level 2 — $6,000/kg
- Level 3 — $9,000/kg
- Level 12 — $36,000/kg
Fiend Class meat was three times more expensive than Mutated Class. The meat was denser, richer in mana, and possessed significantly greater nutritional and restorative properties.
Dexter made his selections quickly.
"Twenty kilograms of Level 1 Mutated Class Berserk Muscular Cow Meat," he said. The Berserk Muscular Cow was a common Mutated Class beast essentially a mutated bison with enhanced muscle density. Its meat was lean, protein-rich, and carried a mild mana signature that was easy to work with.
"Twenty kilograms of Level 1 Fiend Class Twin-Headed Turkey Meat," he added. The Twin-Headed Turkey was a Fiend Class creature whose meat was renowned for its restorative properties—particularly its ability to nourish damaged meridians and accelerate nerve regeneration.
This was for the girls. He had been feeding them ordinary market meat. If he incorporated Fiend Class meat into their daily meals, the grade of his cooking would increase significantly, and the nutritional benefits would accelerate their healing.
The receptionist processed the order.
20 kg × $1,000/kg = $20,000 (Mutated Class)
20 kg × $3,000/kg = $60,000 (Fiend Class)
Total: $80,000
Dexter felt a paid in his heart as he paid the money.
A year ago, that sum would have been more money than he had earned in his entire life combined. Now, it was an investment that would return a 100 fold.
He stored the meat in his spatial ring alongside the renovation supplies and walked out of Primordial Harvest.
’If I stayed in the market any longer, I might start buying things neither the girls nor I actually need,’
•••
The drive back was uneventful.
He arrived at Fenmore Street twenty minutes later and parked the Vehicle in front of his bungalow. As he stepped out of the vehicle, his eyes caught movement across the street.
Tessa’s father, Henry, was also just returning home, carrying several large bags of flour on each shoulder with ease.
He had probably just returned from a supply run for the bakery.
The two men’s eyes met and Dexter nodded politely.
Henry returned the nod with a small smile. Then he turned and carried his flour bags inside the bakery.
Dexter wanted to actually walk over and discuss the food business, finalize the details, and coordinate the timeline for their trial run. But seeing the bags of flour and the fatigue on Henry’s face, he decided against interrupting him.
’Maybe later.’
Dexter opened the small gate and walked to up to the door.
The bungalow was quiet but he could hear Mira’s breathing from the living room, Lyra’s soft purring from the bedroom, and Selene’s breath from the backyard.
"I’m back!"
[A/N: Special thanks to reader MICHA_LOEWENSTEIN for the gift!!!❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥]
[I genuinely think this book might stand a chance at getting third place in the competition at the end of this month!😊]
[Thanks you once more!]