I Have An SSS-Rank Service System: Hire Me For Anything!-Chapter 21: How To Make Risky Deals Look Less Risky

[+1,000 Service Points Earned]

Dory sighed.

The deal was risky, but he didn’t have many options. To the girls, the offer sounded amazing: they were getting a week of guaranteed pay, a chance to see how the famous smithy worked, and the secret recipe for a unique snack. But for Dory, the math was tight and the dangers were high.

The first risk was the secret itself. In a world without laws to protect recipes, a dish was only valuable as long as it was a secret. By teaching all five girls how to make it, he was giving up his monopoly. In just seven days, five different families would know exactly how to copy him. If he didn’t grow the business fast enough, he’d be replaced by the very people he trained.

The second risk was the money. Dory had promised them a target of thirty-five copper coins in earnings, with a guaranteed minimum of twenty copper. This was a trap. If the snacks didn’t sell—maybe because the village elders found the colors too strange or the flavors too sharp—Dory would owe 100 copper coins in wages by the end of the week. He was already low on cash, and a failure here would bankrupt him.

The third risk was quality. Dory’s cooking relied on exact steps. Village cooking, however, was done by feel. If one girl skipped the salt rinse to save time, or another let the honey burn, the brand would be ruined. One bad batch sold in the village could make people think his food was poisonous, killing the demand immediately.

Finally, there was the supply problem. He had used almost all his ingredients just to make the first five plates. To keep five girls working for a whole week, he needed crates of plums, gallons of honey, and sacks of lemons. He wasn’t even sure the local market had that much in stock.

He was betting that the extra energy the snacks gave the workers at the forge would create enough value to cover these massive costs. Still, if everything went smoothly, it would be worth it. He could extend the deal with the girls even after the iron ingot contract ended, eventually building a small food company involving all five families. Furthermore, he would gain rewards from the system once the deal was finalized.

There was also a huge chance of getting to know more people and businesses during and after the war. To reach these goals, however, he had to be strategic with his timing, work ethic, work distribution, and much more.

After the girls, Liam, and Horg finished the plates of snacks, Dory took a stool and sat down, demanding attention. When all curious eyes landed on him, he smiled... as usual.

"Now, to assign your roles and give you a full understanding of how the next week will work. But first, I’d like to ask: won’t your parents be annoyed about you leaving the shop for one week? And will they accept selling strange snacks to customers that Liam will bring to them every day?"

"Why do I have to take them?" Liam muttered.

Dory didn’t bother replying, looking at the girls with an expectant expression.

Lola was the first to speak. "Those old geezers won’t care even if I die."

The others nodded in agreement.

"Yes. I’ll talk to my dad."

"I literally control them."

"Can I have more of these snacks?"

"Right? They’re so good."

"Girls, I think we’re getting off track here."

"I believe Dory will make more."

"We are supposed to sell the rest he makes."

"Girls!"

The last shout from Maya brought them back to order.

"Finally," she sighed. "Continue, dear."

’Did she just call me dear? Then why are her own cheeks red?’

Discarding the thought, he stood up and addressed the team. "Maya, I’ll need a lot of those tart plums and apple slices. You all will also provide the specific ingredients required for the flavor each of you chose."

"Wait a minute, cupcake," Maya cut in. "Are we giving you everything for free, or are you going to pay?"

"I’m guessing that will be covered by the twenty coppers’ pay at the end of the week. Now then, Liam, you’ll help by sending the snacks to the respective shops for the next week. The rest of the work isn’t that heinous, as most of it deals with timing, which will be handled by me. The girls are meant to lend a hand when needed and help us so we don’t have to get distracted from making the iron ingots."

Maya crossed her arms, her amber eyes scanning Dory’s stained tunic. "So, let me get this straight, cupcake. We provide the fruit from our own family stores, we work the line here, and we handle the selling at our stalls... all for the promise of twenty coppers and a recipe? You’re lucky these snacks taste like literal heaven, or I’d think you were trying to rob us."

Dory didn’t flinch. In fact, his smile widened. He knew Maya was the sharpest of the bunch, and winning her over was the key to the whole operation.

"Think of it as a franchise fee," Dory said, using a word that sounded completely alien to them but carried a heavy, professional weight. "You are investing raw materials into a process that triples their value. A basket of tart plums is worth five coppers today. Turned into Vanguard Special wafers? That same basket is worth twenty. I’m giving you the machine to turn lead into gold."

The girls went quiet. The logic was simple enough to hit home.

"Fine," Lola said, her tall frame leaning against the doorframe. "My old man has three crates of plums rotting in the cellar because they’re too sour to eat plain. If you can turn those into these ruby-looking glass treats, he won’t care where they went."

"Good," Dory said, standing up and dusting off his stool. The atmosphere in the shop shifted. "Liam, go with them. Take the small handcart. Collect the first round of fruit and ingredients. I want everything in the kitchen and washed within the hour. In the meantime, Horg and I will start work on the iron ingots."

Liam scrambled to his feet, eager to stay close to Lola, though he nearly tripped over the coal bag in his haste. As the group filed out of the shop, chatter and laughter trailing behind them, Dory turned to Horg.

Horg was already smiling.

’Unusual,’ Dory thought, smiling back at Horg. "Why are you smiling?" 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

Horg shook his head. "Nothing much. Has anyone ever said you’re smart?"