Chapter 407: Back to making money Arriving at his shop, Noah found a large crowd of people still gathered in the plaza, clearly waiting patiently for his return. The moment they spotted him approaching, many individuals immediately evacuated from the area—clearly servants and workers that nobles and other important people had stationed there to be informed the instant Noah returned. These messengers sprinted off in various directions, no doubt rushing to inform their employers that the shop was finally opening and they should come immediately if they wanted first access to the limited premium inventory. Noah also noticed several lower-ranked nobles standing outside—minor houses and lesser families who lacked the resources to employ dedicated watchers but had been waiting personally, unwilling to miss this opportunity. Their expressions showed a mixture of relief at his return and anxiety about whether they could afford anything before the wealthy elite arrived and bought everything. Noah officially opened the shop, unlocking the door and gesturing for people to enter in an orderly fashion. "The shop is now open for business. Please form a line, and I’ll serve everyone as quickly as possible." Before the general customers could flood in, Elara, Valeria, Kipp, and Alissa approached with obvious intent to make purchases. They had been carefully saving their money and wanted to buy tier 1 items to supplement their training. "Noah, I’d like to purchase a Rice Cake," Elara began, reaching for her large pouch that she retrieved from the storage ring. "And I’ll take a Rice Cake too," Kipp added enthusiastically. But Noah immediately waved them off, reaching behind his counter and pulling out the requested items. He handed them over without accepting any payment. "Consider these gifts," Noah said firmly when they tried to protest and pay him anyway. "You’ve been training hard. I haven’t given you a return gift either. This is the least I can do." Alissa received an Energy Drink, and Valeria got a Beef Jerky, each one trying to insist on payment, but Noah stubbornly refused to accept their money. They had been saving so diligently, and he knew these consumables would help their advancement. He knew that this was an investment in their power and relationship. He had always given them gifts, raising their powers slowly. This time, they needed that power more than ever for the war that he was going to wage on the elves. "You’re too generous," Valeria said with a warm smile, finally accepting the gift with grace. "We’ll make good use of these, Master Noah!" Kipp promised, his tail swishing with gratitude. They did not reject his generosity ultimately, each departing with their tier 1 enhancement item—whether rice cake for magical advancement, beef jerky for vitality, energy drink for speed attribute boost, or protein bar for physical training enhancement. After distributing items to his close friends, Noah turned his attention to the waiting customers and officially opened for general business. The lower-ranked nobles entered first, their expressions showing both excitement and careful calculation of what to buy. Most of them had been saving for months specifically for this opportunity, pooling household resources to afford even a single tier 1 item. For these minor nobles, one thousand golden coins represented a significant investment—perhaps several days of their estate’s net income after expenses. They could only afford one tier 1 item each, and they had to choose carefully which would benefit their families most. Most opted for the Rice Cake, recognising that magical advancement provided the most versatile long-term benefits. A mage or magical practitioner who broke through to the next rank would elevate their entire family’s status and earning potential. Some purchased Beef Jerky for family members who were injured warriors or guards, recognising that the vitality boost would return them to their glory, and perhaps their household’s strength. Then, potentially allow them to take on more lucrative contracts or positions within the kingdom. Others selected Energy Drinks for the agility boost. It was clear that they were warriors and not mages. They were either swordsman, spearman or other physical warriors that needed that boost in agility. The Protein Bars, being more specialised for physical training, were less popular among this crowd but still found buyers among families with promising young warriors who needed every advantage in their development. Several nobles gazed longingly at the Rose Petal Candy displayed prominently on the premium shelf—the beauty enhancement, vitality increase, and lifespan extension would be invaluable—but at two thousand golden coins, it was simply too expensive for lower-tier nobility to afford. That tier of luxury was reserved for the truly wealthy elite and major noble houses. Of course, that didn’t mean they didn’t intend to buy it. They did, but it was simply not the time yet. After some more careful budgeting, they would return and buy it if the mysterious keeper was still around and not on another journey away. At the end of this initial sales wave, before the big shots and wealthy merchants arrived, Noah had managed to clear approximately half of his tier 1 inventory through sheer volume of modest purchases. The Beef Jerky sold out completely—all eleven units purchased. The Rice Cake also sold out completely—all ten units gone. The Energy Drink moved six units, leaving five remaining in inventory. The Protein Bar sold only three units, leaving eight still available. Noah had sold a total of thirty tier 1 items to the lower nobility and common wealthy customers, which resulted in a profit of 30,000 golden coins—equivalent to $3,000,000. He updated his mental inventory tracking: Tier 1 Premium Items [Auto-ProteinBar: Level 1 | 0.5/Hr | Max Stock 12 | 80/100 EXP] — 8 units remaining — [Auto-EnergyDrink: Level 1 | 0.5/Hr | Max Stock 12 | 80/100 EXP] — 5 units remaining — [Auto-BeefJerky: Level 1 | 0.5/Hr | Max Stock 12 | 86/100 EXP] — SOLD OUT — [Auto-RiceCake: Level 1 | 0.5/Hr | Max Stock 12 | 72/100 EXP] — SOLD OUT — The experience gains on his auto-makers were also accumulating nicely. The Beef Jerky and Rice Cake machines were approaching level 2, which would double their production rates and allow him to meet the clearly strong demand for those particular items. Just as Noah finished processing the last of the lower-nobility purchases, the shop’s door opened again, and the real heavy hitters began arriving.