Chapter 150: Level 4 Auto-maker His money had increased, although not by as much as sales in the demon kingdom would have generated. He had sold each loaf and each iced tea for 5 golden coins—a reasonable price that balanced accessibility with profitability in the human kingdom’s economy. 480 golden coins total from today’s bulk sale. That’s $48,000, which isn’t nearly as much as demon kingdom prices, but I don’t mind. The reduced profit margins served multiple purposes beyond simple revenue generation. He was helping improve the human kingdom’s defence capabilities against extremist attacks while earning a decent profit and building crucial political relationships. With a strategic investment in the kingdom’s defence. The royal family and guilds were becoming his loyal customers who would always be there to buy his items, no matter how many there were. His shop points had increased by a whopping 960 points, bringing his total to 2,070, a significant advancement toward the 10,000 points required for a Level 3 Shop. Nearly a quarter way into the next shop level. These bulk sales are exactly what I needed. ’Time to see the auto-makers,’ he thought, a smile forming on his face as he anticipated the improvements his sales volume should have triggered. — [Auto-Baker] Level: 3 Production Rate: 4 Loaves every hour Max Stock: 48 Progress: 190/200 — [Auto-IceTea Maker] Level: 4 Production Rate: 4 Iced teas every hour Max Stock: 96 Progress: 16/400 — The iced tea automaker reached Level 4! Perfect! The upgrade had doubled both his maximum stock capacity and production rate for iced tea. Instead of producing 2 bottles per hour with a 48-bottle limit, the enhanced maker could now generate 4 bottles hourly while storing up to 96 bottles total. A doubled production rate means a doubled potential sales volume. This is exactly the scaling I needed. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺 His auto-baker remained at Level 3 but had advanced to 190/200 progress, just 10 more sales away from its own upgrade to Level 4. Given the consistent demand he was experiencing, that threshold should be reached within hours rather than days. Ten more bread sales for the Level 4 baker. I should easily achieve that today. The systematic progression excited Noah more than individual sales could. Each auto-maker upgrade represented an exponential improvement in everything, whether it was his wealth or shop upgrades. Level 4 auto-maker could start producing enough inventory to supply both royal orders and individual customers simultaneously. Seeing the obvious satisfaction on his face, Lola raised an eyebrow before looking at him with a deliberately shy expression that contrasted sharply with her usual bold confidence. "Why are you grinning so much whilst looking at me..." she said, her voice taking on an unexpectedly vulnerable tone. "Do you perhaps want to~" Her ruby eyes carried a suggestion that made Noah’s pulse quicken despite his attempts at having pure thoughts. "NO!" Noah immediately interrupted her attempted seduction, his voice climbing several octaves in his haste to redirect the conversation. "I was just thinking about the body tempering skill!" Naturally, that was a white lie. Noah was checking system status while she happened to be in his line of sight. The excuse sounded weak even to his own ears, but Lola’s knowing smile suggested she understood exactly what had actually captured his attention. Her expression changed from seduction to amused understanding. "Of course you were," she replied with obvious scepticism mixed with entertainment. "The body tempering skill is certainly... stimulating." "..." The awkward moment dissolved as Noah forced himself to focus on business concerns rather than Lola’s deliberate charm offensive or his own embarrassing social missteps. Luckily, Noah was saved by a customer walking in. "Welcom—" His words died midway as he realised who had entered. The person who entered the shop made Noah frown. The reason Noah frowned was because he knew the person in front of him, and he didn’t like him, to say the least. It was Baron Richard, his substantial belly entering the store a full minute before he did, the man’s corpulent frame filling the doorway with unpleasant arrogance. The baron’s expensive silk clothing strained against his considerable belly girth, while gold rings adorned fingers that had never known honest labour. He walked with the same air of arrogance that Noah remembered from their previous encounter. The same entitled swagger of someone accustomed to taking whatever he wanted without consequence. Behind him stood two large bodyguards, their faces expressionless masks. The man who entered his shop had enslaved Kip and Alissa. The one Lola detected with demonic energy signatures, which was proof that he was working with the extremists. Had it been someone else, Noah might’ve thought that the person was simply in love with a demon girl, but the man in front of him was known to be a bad person, and it wasn’t out of the question for him to do such things. Baron Richard’s small, piggy eyes swept the shop’s interior with obvious calculation before settling on Noah before widening in recognition. His expression moved from interest to satisfaction as memory supplied the context of their previous meeting. "Well, well, well, if it isn’t the generous young man who paid double price for a pair of worthless beast-kin slaves." The baron started off, and he didn’t even give Noah any sort of respect. Noah’s jaw tightened as he recalled that transaction, his attempt to free Kip and Alissa from slavery, hampered by his own inexperience with negotiation and the baron’s ruthless exploitation of that weakness. "Baron," Noah replied with a carefully neutral tone, fighting to keep his voice level despite the anger building in his chest. Behind the counter, Lola’s demeanour shifted subtly as she sensed the tension in the air. Her ruby eyes studied the newcomer with intensity, her senses immediately detecting the demonic energy signature she’d identified from a distance yesterday. "So you’re the mysterious shopkeeper everyone’s talking about," Baron Richard continued, his smile widening. "Selling magical bread and potions to the royal family itself. Quite the rise in fortune since our last encounter."