316 - - Thirty-four times. - I'm going to put them together.

Finally, we started cooking the eels. I was a little nervous because of my cartoon knowledge, but the women who had gathered for the cooking, except for Ms. Ellen, were all very dignified, so I felt that it would be all right.

"I think we're going to put a gold skewer in its head, aren't we?"

A dignified woman grabbed an eel with a zap and thrust a golden skewer into the flailing eel, and then she beat the eel with a hammer. I don't know why, but she seems too hesitant to hesitate even though she should be reassuring, and it scares me.

"Crap!"

"Oh, Ellen, I'll do it."

...... the only female frame without dignity started flirting with Ms. Jude. I would normally be annoyed by this, but after working hard the last two nights to the limit, I'm feeling kindly about it. I guess people can't afford to be so relaxed when they're full of it.　

"Hmm, this is harder than I thought it would be. It's not like opening a normal fish. So, now you're going to cut out the middle bone, right?"

Oops, no time to watch the flirting couple. The other ladies have already opened the eel and removed the liver. I'd like to make a liver sucking, but this time I'm going to grill the liver.

By the way, you said it was difficult to handle eels, but you are doing it quite nicely. I guess there are some imperfections from a professional's point of view, but from an amateur's point of view, they are excellent. The women cut off the head and dexterously cut off the center bone.

"Wow, this is an eel. I don't know how it tastes, but it looks delicious when you handle it like this.

One of the ladies says something nice. That's right. You can't taste the essence of eel if you cook it whole or in chunks without removing the mud!

After the fish has been judged, the meat is lightly rinsed to remove blood, dirt and slime, and a slit is cut into the skin. The next step is the skewering. ...... They say it takes three years to skewer, eight years to split, and a lifetime to grill, but I'm an amateur when it comes to the splitting. I can't spend three years on the skewering. I can't get a perfect score of 100 points, but I'll try to get 70 points.

******

I think the ladies did a great job based on my hazy knowledge of comics. I had a lot of questions. From my point of view, we ended up with a fine grilled eel, liver, and bone crackers.

Next time, I might teach you how to steam eels. Well, I don't know how much or how little to steam, so I'll wait until Ruby and the others have studied it. Anyway, let's eat them.

This time, I could use only the eight most cleaned fish, so the quantity was small, but I was able to cut up all the fish except for the liver and share it with everyone here. I hope that the children will enjoy the taste of these eels and work hard in the eel fishery.

Let's try some.

Everyone is looking at the eels with great interest, so let's have a quick taste. I say a few words and everyone sticks their forks into the eels and puts them in their mouths at once. ...... I guess it's a normal thing in other countries, but as a Japanese, I feel a little uncomfortable to use a fork to eat grilled eel. Well, I think it's not very appropriate for one of us to use chopsticks, so I'll put up with it this time.

The lightly salted and grilled eel is placed in the mouth. The meat is fluffy and elastic, and the taste is light, but the refined fat spreads in my mouth. Kabayaki is delicious, but so is shiroyaki.

However, the fish smells a little muddy, as if the mud was not removed sufficiently. It is a pity, because it is especially unpleasant when it is grilled white. If they were kabayaki, the muddy smell could be masked.

But it is not so bad that it is inedible. I'd like to have some wasabi soy sauce, but I can't use the precious soy sauce here. I'll talk to Dory about wasabi when we get back to paradise. When I look up, everyone is quiet. Was it not to your liking?

"Well, sir, maybe I overcooked them a little, and the eels will taste even better once I get used to removing the mud and cooking them!　This is not the potential of eels!"

I'm so flustered that I make excuses for my waffling. Unfortunately, my sugeee with cartoon knowledge seems to have failed. I'm a little, or maybe a lot, shocked.

"What are you in a hurry for? It's not that I don't like it. I'm just surprised that eels taste so good."

The most dignified woman looked at me in a panic and explained. ......Hohoho, this pattern is so delicious that I am speechless!　That's how you reacted. I was a bit nervous because it was my first experience, but it was a common reaction in cooking cartoons.

"Oyabun. Yes, it has its quirks, but as he said, if this eel can be made more delicious, it's good for business. But if you go about it the wrong way, there will be restrictions on eel fishing."

The dignified lady started to talk to her boss about business. What's that?　Not just delicious and speechless, but about business?　Oh, the other women and men are also saying they were surprised by the surprisingly delicious food. It seems that they were surprised that eels were surprisingly tasty, not that they were speechless by the taste. d*mn it.

Is this situation a successful knowledge cheat?　Eels are allowed, but it's not the reaction I was hoping for. ...... Let's call it a draw.

Compared to the adults, the children who caught the eels are happy to eat them because they taste so good. I feel like giving them an allowance later.

"Indeed. If they're still good enough to eat, and they're going to be even better than this, it will be to the slum's benefit if we can monopolize the eels..." he says. Until now, eel fishing has been the slum's right as a matter of custom, but I'd like to make it clear."

Mr. Blast, who was supposed to be a brainiac, is talking about clarification. Are eels good for the brain, too?　Oh well, I'll interject a little anyway.

"Mr. Blast. I don't mind you securing concessions in the slums. But please don't take eels away from children just because you think it's profitable."

It's not a good night's sleep if that happens.

"Hmm?　Yeah, that's not a problem. If eels are worth money, we can buy them from the kids for a good price. I can hire a woman to process the eels, and at least I won't make it worse than it is now."

The children are happy to hear about the eel buy-back. They are happy that they don't have to sell them and that the price will go up.

"Well, then, we can get some money for the liver and bone crackers, too. They are good for snacks, and they are good for your energy. It may sound corny, but eels and eel livers give you strength, and a part of the lower half of your body becomes more energetic."

I've heard that actual eels don't have any energizing effects, but they are certainly nutritious and invigorating. If it energizes you, it should energize the lower parts of your body as well, so let's say we're not wrong in the big scheme of things.

"Is it true that the lower part of your body is ...... part of your body?"

Mr. Blast asks me seriously. He has a body that's bursting at the seams, but he's old enough that he's probably losing energy.

"It depends on the individual, but at least your body will feel better."

It's just my opinion. Oops, the dignified ladies are starting to make a fuss about feeding their husbands. ......Sorry about that, mister.

......For the time being, I'll pretend I didn't hear what the ladies said and check the taste of the grilled liver and the bone crackers. The liver had a smell worse than the one we had in Japan, perhaps because the mud was not removed sufficiently, but it was quite popular among the adults, and the bone crackers were a big hit with the children as well as the adults.

The bone crackers were a big hit with adults and children alike.　I thought it would be tough in the slums because it uses a lot of oil, but with this flavor, it looks like it could be good for business. You want to serve it at the bar my boss runs?"

"Yeah, it's not bad. The liver is perfect for a snack, too. Eels alone are repellent, but men will turn their backs just because they're good for the lower half of the body. It will definitely be good for business. Jude, I'll talk to the fishermen's union. Get them ready."

Yes, I have a lot of stories. Let's make sure they get through."

......It's the enthusiasm that worries me about overfishing of eels. Well, it's such a big lake, eels are supposed to come up from the sea. Even if there is an eel fever in the Kingdom of Beryl, it would be no problem in this world, since there would be no overfishing of young eels in the sea.

The tasting was a bit different from the knowledge cheat I thought it would be, but the tasting went off without a hitch. At this rate, I would be able to sell eels in the slums. It was a lot harder than I expected to get caught up in all the fighting, but in the end, I achieved my goal. I should be satisfied.

"Well, I guess I'll be going now. I'll be back to buy eels again.

Mr. Jude came up to me quickly.

（Sir, I have a message from my boss that the next time you visit us, we would be delighted to host you.)

It's a hassle, but I guess it's not good if I don't thank him in some way for his kindness. Even ...... is troublesome.

（Sensei, there's an interesting restaurant that my boss runs that has all kinds of beautiful people.)

Perhaps sensing my reluctance, Mr. Jude makes me a happy suggestion. That's a different story, then. I've been entertained before, but never by anyone. I'm just ...... curious.

(Please do so the next time you come back.)

(Understood.)

After the weird talk with Jude is over, I thank the Blasts, the ladies who cooked the eels, and the kids who caught the eels for me, and I leave. ...... how am I going to carry a barrel of eels? It won't fit in my magic bag. Shall I call Sylphy here?　Walking around King's Landing with a barrel floating in the air, you'll be the center of attention. I'd have to return my tags and entry pass at the gate. .......　

"Oh, Mr. Jude, can I borrow your cart to carry the eels?"

"Yes, sir. I'll have them ready for you right away."

Okay, let's go!

Why is the liaison guy proudly pulling the cart?

"No, it would be enough if you just lend me a cart. ......"

"Don't worry. I'll take care of it."

......It saves me the trouble of returning the cart. It'll be a hassle, but we'll do it.

"I need you to go outside the gate, okay?"

"No problem!"

We leave King's Landing while talking to our liaison man. The eels were delicious. I think he had more respect for me than when I treated him, but we had a good conversation. The problem is when we get out of the gate and drop the barrels off in a deserted place.

The guy didn't seem to leave, saying "I'll see you off, I'll do my part. Eventually, he comes back. I told him that I couldn't let him know who I was and turned him away. The next time I go to the slum, I don't want to spread strange rumors.

...... No, the rumors are already spreading. Well, we'll think about the next time we go there. I can't wait to see everyone in paradise, so I'll just summon Sylphy and go home.