232 - - Episode 230 Milk

When I came back to the inn after delivering Adamantite to Marie, Betty had already arrived at the inn. I was a little surprised to see a pretty, fair-skinned, plump girl. The purpose of Betty's visit to me was to ask me about sweets that I had never eaten before. She seems to be the type of person who is honest about her desires.

I asked her if she had any pudding, a classic of the otherworldly type. Pudding is also a bit tricky in terms of the quantity of ingredients, but it's a liquid and the quantity can be easily adjusted, right?

Jelly would be easier if you have agar agar, but I wonder if there is any amaranth in the sea near the land of the dead?　I saw how to make agar-agar on a show where an idol group does some dashing farming, so maybe someone can teach me how to make it. It would take a long time, so I'll put it off, but maybe I can talk to Marie about it.

Then there are crepes. ...... Crepe batter is surprisingly easy to make, and there are jams. I think we can make it if we think about what to put in it. As for whipped cream, if you can get milk, you can get whipped cream too.

On the contrary, if we can get milk, we will be able to cook cream dishes. Then we can make carbonara, which Sylphy was interested in. I also want to eat cream stew. The high temperature may make it hard to make the stew, but I'd like to eat it even if I have to ask Sylphy and Dine to cool down the room.

Betty, who belongs to a commercial guild, is more likely to get it than I am. She seems to have a great passion for food and will do her best.

Cakes are too hard to get, so I'll just tell her that I found this kind of food. I'm sure I could find a good cake if someone would do the research.

"Betty, have you ever heard of a dessert called pudding?"

I don't know if it's called pudding or not, but if you think it's understood, it will be converted, so if pudding exists, Betty will know it too.

"Is it pudding?　I've never heard of ...... . But it's a dessert!　What kind of dessert is it?"

Betty asks excitedly. If the foodie Betty doesn't know about it, at least it's not a major food around here.

"Wait a minute. Anyway, there's a dessert that I know how to make, but I don't know if I can get the ingredients. Can you get milk?"

"Milk?　There is a village about half a day's ride from here that makes cheese, so you might be able to get some there. But do you use milk for sweets?"

How long is the shelf life of milk, half a day or ......?　In this heat, if the wagon is rocked for half a day, there is a possibility that it will go bad, right?　Could it be that the only dairy product prevalent around here is cheese, or is it a transportation problem?

"Milk is a necessary ingredient for making delicious food and pastries."

"You can make delicious food and sweets with milk?　No, I don't think so. Cheese is delicious, so it should be no surprise that the milk used to make it is also delicious. I have a feeling that I'm about to meet someone new!

I was alone in my excitement and alone in my conviction. It seems kind of forced, but is it theoretically correct ......?

"Well, well, like it or not, you can make very popular dishes and sweets in the country I was in. To do that, I need to chill the milk and bring it to you before it goes bad, is that possible?"

"............ difficult. To cool things down, you need the power of a sorcerer or a magical tool. There are such carriages that carry food for the nobility, but it is not in my power to arrange them. If the profit is certain, I can move the higher-ups. ......"

Says Betty, looking extremely sad. After getting excited about the delicious food and sweets, she is shocked to find that she does not have the authority to arrange the ingredients.

It would take half a day by horseback, but Sylphy could get there in an instant. If I can get my hands on some milk and convince my superiors of its excellence, then Betty's superiors might be able to spread milk in the labyrinth city. I might add to the condition that I give them the recipe that they must also distribute the milk to this inn.

When milk becomes readily available, let's ask Mr. Toruku to make a lot of cream dishes. Our table will be rich again!

"I can chill the barrels, and if I fly out, I'll manage to get back here today. I'll get the milk this time. Can you provide me with the location of the village and a letter of introduction or something?"

A letter of introduction is absolutely necessary since the last time I got eggs, the villagers were very wary of me. A letter of introduction from the commercial guild would make the negotiations smoother. But something is stuck in my head. I think I'm forgetting something important. ...... Oh, the eggs, the guava bird eggs are about to hatch.

It's past time for them to hatch, isn't it?　I think it hatched safely because of Vita, but I wanted to slip it into the guavard chicks if possible. ...... I guess it's too late for that. I'll make plans to be there for the hatching the next time.

"Do they fly?"

Betty is looking at me curiously. I'm flying around normally in the labyrinth, but I wonder if it's not that popular among non-adventurers.

"Yes, I can fly."

"You can fly? ...... Well, what's the reason for the letter of introduction?"

Betty, you proceed as if you don't know what you're talking about. Are you sure about that?

"If I go to a village and ask for a share of milk, they may not trust me. If you have a letter of introduction from the guild of commerce, negotiations may go smoothly.

I see what you mean, I can manage that much. The person in charge of the village where the cheese is made is in the guild, so I will ask him to prepare a letter of introduction. How much milk do you need?

If we stock too large a quantity, it might look suspicious, but I want Mr. Toruku to cook for us as well.

I'd like a big barrel or so.

"Do you need that many?"

"Yes, it can be used for various dishes, and I can chill the barrels so they will last longer.

"I see. Okay, a letter of introduction and a map to the village. I'll get them for you right away. Yuta-san, I'm going back to the guild now to prepare them.

Oh, yes. I'm sure we'll be ready in time.

For a moment, I thought about asking him to write a letter of introduction so that I could get some livestock for my ranch, but I guess he wouldn't be able to handle a ranch. Let's finish what we have to do first, and when we can afford it, we'll get to the ranch.

"Okay. Okay, I'm off.

Betty got up and hurried out of the inn, returning on her way to ...... to drop off her lunch money, and then hurried out of the inn again. When Betty paid the money, I realized that I was one step away from running away with the food.

I would leave when I received the letter of introduction, tell Martha I would be late, and leave dinner for Belle and Gina in my room at the inn.

"I don't mean to be the one to tell you this, but were you happy about it?"

What?

Martha, who had received the money from Betty, asked me worriedly.

"She was so excited," Martha said. She's a very influential girl, she might cause a commotion.

I see. Well, I have no problem going back to the Fountain House if things get rowdy. Besides, if the word gets out about cooking with milk, there's a good chance we'll have something tasty to eat. And the inn will be very prosperous, which is a good thing. I'm just a little worried that Mr. Toruku and the others will die of exhaustion from overwork.

"No problem on my part, but if this food becomes popular, the inn may become even busier. Maybe you should think about hiring someone?"

......It's calmed down somewhat now, but it was great during the peak of the season. Martha remembered that time and put her hand on her forehead as she left. In my opinion, I was trying to be helpful to Martha and the others who had been so kind to me. ...... Maybe it was a thankless inconvenience?　......Well, we're on the move now, and I want dessert. I'll think a little more carefully next time.

****

"Surely that's a letter of introduction from Mr. Crate of the Commercial Guild. But that barrel full of milk, that's going to take a while, isn't it?"

That's what I'm talking about. Just by showing it to the gatekeeper, the story was passed on to the village headman. I guess connections are important.

"Can you finish by this evening?"

"Evening, that's fine. But this is the first time I came here to buy milk instead of cheese. What do you use it for?

"Yes, I was wondering if you could use it for cooking."

"For cooking? Some people in this village drink milk, but people in other villages don't like it. Are you sure about that?

Do they drink milk in this village? I guess the milk is not spreading around because of transportation problems.

Yes, I used to drink milk back home too. How much do you want for it?

"Well, I've never sold milk to the outside world. I've never sold milk to the outside world. I don't know what the price would be. ......"

The village head is in trouble. If we are suddenly asked to put a price on something that has never been sold before, it would certainly be a problem, wouldn't it?

How about 50,000 elt?

It's expensive for milk, but it's not easy to find, so I'm willing to pay that much. I mean, I don't know how much a barrel of milk costs. If the milk becomes popular, the commercial guilds will set a good price.

"I think you're getting 50,000 elts or ...... too much, is that right?"

Yes, no problem. No problem. I'll pay you first. Do you mind if I look around the village and the farm until I get some milk?

He asks as he hands over five silver coins. I have to ask him properly, because a strange man wandering around the ranch might raise his alarm.

"Yes, I'll let the ranch hands know. If you need to rest, you can come back home."

"Thank you very much."

After thanking the village chief, we toured the village and headed for the ranch. Unlike the labyrinthine city, many houses are made of wood, and the windows are large because of the hot climate.　The reason why the chief's house is a large stone structure seems to be that it is a shelter in case something happens.

......It is a small village, so we arrived at the ranch without much to see. A pasture surrounded by a wooden fence. I wondered if it would be enough to protect the village from the attack of demons, as I thought in the village where I sold the guava bird.　There is a watchtower in place, so I wonder if they will find it early and do something about it.

After visiting the ranch and having nothing more to do, we return to the village chief's house and relax over a cup of tea. After we get some milk, we ask Dine to cool it down and return to the labyrinth city at a leisurely pace.