#909 The Name is the Product’s Face

Let’s take a fresh look at the problem at hand.

Veil is burdened with a peculiar karma known as gonkotsu broth.

This story begins with the question, “What in the world is gonkotsu broth?” Well, It’s a broth made from the strongest creatures, dragons. 

Though it’s called “gonkotsu” out of a pun from tonkotsu, it’s not actually made by boiling dragon bones. Instead, the essence seeps out just by soaking it in hot water. 

And remarkably, the dragon from which the broth is taken remains unharmed.

But this broth is a tricky concoction. If mere mortals consume it, they are quickly overwhelmed by the high energy within the essence, leading to extraordinary consequences.

They say one might either become indestructibly mad or explode and perish.

Such a cursed item can’t be carelessly disposed of. Attempting to dilute it in the sea could potentially turn the surrounding area into a nest for sea monsters.

Since the inception of gonkotsu broth, Veil has been doomed to live with this hazardous waste.

However, diluting it several hundred times does make it safe enough for humans to consume. Thus, Veil has been gradually using it up by serving it at a food stall, but the quantity is far from being fully depleted.

This is where Veil decides to play her ace, aiming for a turnaround.

By adding a dash of gonkotsu broth essence into mass-produced instant noodles, she figures she could exponentially speed up the disposal process by having people all over the world consume it!

“Diluted hundreds of times, if tens of thousands eat it, surely it will quickly diminish! With this, I bid farewell to the curse of the never-depleting broth!”

“Make sure you accumulate some merit out of this karma you bear!”

But, all things considered, this instant noodles mass consumption strategy doesn’t sound half bad, does it?

Targeting the global population, the more people involved, the further diluted the essence becomes. 

It’s about spreading it thin and wide.

Tens of hundreds of thousands... no, what’s the global population again?

I’ve never counted, but if there are billions, then surely, the gonkotsu broth can be completely used up.

“...Make sure it’s safe enough even for children to eat.”

“Of course! Follow the instructions for a fun duel!”

Somehow, worry still remains. 

But then again, Veil is sincere and dedicated when it comes to noodle making, so perhaps it’s best to trust her.

“If we’re doing this, let’s distribute it evenly across the world. Asking the Demon King and Arowana for help to launch it in the Demon and Mermaid Kingdoms sounds good.”

It might even be possible to sell it in the Human Kingdom with Ritheseus’ help. 

How fortunate to have such great friends.

“Ohh, expansion of territory? How exciting!”

Veil lights up with enthusiasm about the prospects.

...But when she gets too excited, things tend to get out of hand.

“Alllllllll right! Let’s speed up production! Once the contents are ready, next up is the packaging!”

Right.

Of course, she can’t just sell noodles without packaging.

“We’ll pack the noodles in these bags!”

Instant noodles in those wrappers, then.

For a moment, I thought about cup noodles, but their containers are mostly polystyrene, and sourcing that in this world would add another layer of complexity.

Taking that into consideration, making bags for the noodles would be more feasible.

They might require a bit more effort to prepare than cup noodles, but they stir a sense of nostalgia.

“Okay, everyone! Let’s start packing the noodles into bags!”

Veil takes command.

Wait, manual packing?

No machinery for mass-producing noodles?

“My imagination ran out when visualizing the instant noodle automation. So, the packing is done by hand.”

“Hand-packing is fine, but who’s going to do it?”

Real hands are needed for manual tasks, after all.

Maybe she recruited some help from the farm?

“Let the tree spirits handle it.”

“The tree spiritssssssss?!”

These are the spirits that possess the trees in Veil’s mountain dungeon.

“Don’t use them! They’re busy taking care of the trees they inhabit!”

“They live in my dungeon, so they follow my orders! They’re here for times like this!”

It’s hard to argue with that logic...

But the sight of apple and banana spirits living in the dungeon orchard, busily stuffing instant noodles into bags, has an oddly surreal charm.

Ah, by the way, the noodles are being put into paper bags.

“Now that the product is ready, it’s time to decide on something very important!”

“Something important? Did I miss something?”

It’s hard to keep up with Veil’s enthusiasm.

“Yeah, of course! We must decide on a product name!”

Product name.

She’s always up on the fancy stuff, isn’t she?

“I’ve heard that the impact and memorability of the product name can directly affect sales! Let’s come up with a high-class and bold name together!”

This dragon has a surprisingly good grasp on marketing.

A product name would be nice, but...

Isn’t simply “instant noodles” fine as it is?

After all, there are no other instant noodles in this world.

“No way! The industry is always in a fierce competition! If we let our guard down, we’ll quickly be buried under similar follow-up products!!!”

I get her point.

All right then, let me think of a name that will stay in consumers’ hearts for the next thousand years. Something catchy, scholarly, and athletic!!!

...

A name for bagged noodles...

“...Dragon Ichiban.”

“Oooh, going big with ‘number one,’ are we?”

Veil genuinely likes the idea.

I’m the only one here who smells a hint of plagiarism, thanks to my knowledge from another world.

But since no one here knows what standard bagged noodles are, it’s not a problem.

Noooo problem at all.

“Number One does have a splendid ring to it, but don’t we also need a bit of humility?”

“What do you mean?”

“A confident declaration like ‘I am the best!’ can be strong, but it might also give off a high-pressure vibe that could turn negative for some.”

...Are we ending up criticizing something completely unrelated here?

That’s becoming my bigger concern.

“All right, let’s think of another idea.”

“Ohh, Master’s so upfront.”

Excuse me, I’m always upfront.

...Another idea, another idea...

...

Okay.

“Dragocchan.”

“That’s completely nonsensical!”

She’s not wrong.

I keep getting dragged back by my knowledge and experiences from my world.

It’s fine. It’s instant ramen beloved by Kyushu residents.

Tonkotsu ramen must have thin, straight noodles. Nothing else is acceptable.

The only exception is that. Even if it’s in a pure white pork bone soup with curly noodles, everyone’s all smiles.

“Your passion is clear, Master, but a name that’s incomprehensible from just the letters will be hard to sell. Sorry, but we’ll have to pass on that.”

Hmm, understandable.

Let’s think of something more straightforward and unmistakable, something no one else can copy...

“...Dragon Ramen.”

Chiki-dondon.

Perhaps this rhythm doesn’t quite catch on anymore.

It was a bit too easy for a name, but Veil agreed.

She probably just wanted to wrap it up quickly.

And so, with the all-too-simple name “Dragon Ramen...” 

The first instant noodles in another world began to spread worldwide.

==========

dragon ichiban=sapporo ichiban

dragocchan=umakacchan

dragon ramen=chikin(chicken) ramen. chiki-dondon is one of its old jingles