966 The Beginning of the Rainy Season (4) - Supper

Yo. Good job preparing for dinner.

Rud-Ru called out as such, and Reyna-Ru was seated next to her, responding with a 'yes'.

'But we only prepared one type of food and one type of pastry each. The rest of the food was prepared by Jan and the others, so we'll leave it at that.

Yun-Sudra, Thule-Din and Pratika were also seated while Reyna-Lou explained.

And in the center of the dining room, Yang bowed alone.

'We have prepared five dishes and two pastries for you today. The first two dishes we have served will be a soup dish with pickled maromaro chit and a poitan dish with gamma dry dairy.

Since a regular meeting dinner is something that can be reduced to an eighth portion, those dishes were also moderate in quantity.

However, both dishes had an appetizing aroma. While we proceeded with our meal, Jan explained the dishes to us in a nonchalant manner.

'The soup dish, as I told you earlier in the study session, uses pickled maromalo chit, fish sauce, tau oil and miso for seasoning. The ingredients are yural, fana, pele, and kalon foot.

Since eating dinner today is part of the study group, new ingredients are being used in this and other ways. I was curious to see what Jan had done with the new ingredients, and the result was perfect.

It has already been proven that maromaro chitto, a kind of dobanjang, and fish sauce, a kind of shokuturu, work well with existing condiments. In this soup dish that Yang served, the chitto-pickled malomaro was the main ingredient, and the remaining three seasonings seemed to have been used to flavor the dish.

The foundation of the soup is supported by the broth of karon's feet. Karon's leg meat, which is tougher and more stringy than gibba meat, must have been cooked for a long time because it is now as tender as beef tenderloin. The broth extracted from the leg meat in this way gave the soup an extra depth.

...... It's an honest, straightforward, tasteful soup that's not too shabby. I think it's not too low in perfection, but if you add ...... herbs to the mix, there's a good chance it will be even better.

Alwach murmured in a low, subdued tone of voice, and Reyna-Lou responded.

'Jan is serving a dish today that will serve as a model for the people of the innkeepers. That's why he's devised a menu with as little effort as possible.

Okay. That's the premise, if there is one. I think it's a very good one.

Alwach sipped the rest of the wooden plate with a look of gain.

At his side, Fermes smiled with his poitan dish in hand.

This one is also very tasty. I'm sure it will bring you even more pleasure if you eat it with a soup dish.

Since Fermes cannot eat animal flesh, no soup dish was prepared from the beginning.

And since the poitan dish used only maror, dry dairy, and herbs, Fermes was also able to eat it.

Maror, which resembles a red shrimp, is cut into small pieces and kneaded into the poitan dough. The poitan dough was also made of karon milk, which was baked in milk fat, giving it a very mild flavor.

The poitan dough is topped with gamma dough covered with sage myants and wormwood bukera. The dough was flat and covered the top surface evenly, so it looked and tasted almost like a pizza.

Hmm. If you add some herbs, the smell of the dairy will be less of a problem. ...... Also, the taste of the dairy will be very different from the ones you've had in the past.

Milan-Mas murmured in a stifled voice, and Alwach turned around to face him.

The Geld's gamma, a mountain-bred variety, is known for its strong flavour, and this is why it has a strong flavour. It's the flavour that makes it so strong.

Poor Milan-Mas had almost choked on his poitan dish.

'Shh, excuse me. ...... I didn't mean to pollute your ears, but ......

"Ears, there's no reason to get dirty. And frankly, I'm asking for it. It's not necessary.

Milan-Mas is by nature unfriendly and does not have much contact with the nobility, so he does not know how to deal with the nobles of Geld. As a result, Milano-Mas was silent and gave a look at him.

'Is your plate almost empty, sir?　We will be handing out the next three dishes at .......

The employees of the 《Tant's Blessing Pavilion》 began to collect the plates and serve the new dishes almost entirely. There were calls for orders from the other seats as well, so it must be quite hard work today. By the way, Nicolas seems to be in charge of serving the food in the kitchen, so he hasn't been seen for a long time.

And so it was decided that three new dishes would be placed on each table.

There are two meat dishes and another poitan dish.

''One of the meat dishes here will be the one prepared by the Moribe people. Lord Reina-Lou, may I ask for an explanation?

'Yes,' said Reyna-Lou, standing up. It was Raina Lou, who was in charge of this dish.

This dish is a new addition to the gibberish I've been working on," she said. I use kokori, myants and bukera, as well as myamou and kel root and three other herbs.

The existing herbs were the bitter nahua and the rest were cumin and turmeric-like herbs. This is how Raina-Lou is experimenting with a new way to flavor giva meat.

To tell the truth, I think the amount of herbs could be improved. But I hope it helps to know that you can still get this particular flavor.

Reyna-Lou had said as much, but for me, it was a good enough finish. I finished the flavored gut meat first, but I've been researching the compatibility of the new herbs and the giva.

The innkeepers were impressed, and Alwagh nodded in agreement.

'This, intestine meat, comparable in taste, it seems, ...... Reina-Lou, is not finished, you are thinking, aren't you?

'Yes. We're in the middle of figuring out how to reconcile the spiciness and flavors that seem to clash with each other.

'Wonderful. My ideal, transcendent, I hope.

''Thank you,'' Reina-Lou bowed with a dignified expression on her face.

On the other hand, Lud-Lou seemed to be pleased with the Giva food that finally appeared.

''I can already think it's good enough for me, though. I'm sure it's better than any of the herb dishes I've ever made, right?

No. If you're going to use kokori or myants or bukera, you could do better.

Raina-Lou has made it clear that she must have a vague idea of her ideal flavor. Then the rest of the time, Reyna-Lou's inquisitive mind should have settled that thought.

That's how people have been impressed with the meat dishes prepared by Jan as well as Reina-Ru. I've always been impressed by this one's food, which I'm also seeing for the first time.

It was a stew made with the skinned meat of Kimus.

The brightly colored reddish-purple broth is mainly drue, which is like a turnip or beetroot. It is made with drupe and herbs, plus chitto (marinated miso and maromaro).

The flavors of this dish are mainly bitter and savory. From tomorrow, it will be available for sale in our cafeteria.

Bitterness and savory taste, eh? I don't think it's particularly bitter: ......

Nail from the 《Xuan Otei》 voiced expressionlessly.

''...... But this flavor has a deep flavour to it. Is this the kind of savory flavor you're talking about?

'Yes. I suppose I should say it's not a bitterness, but rather a foundation for the flavor.

The dish was certainly a bit rich in unique flavors. A Platica or Alwach might call it the flavour of mountain vegetables. The earthy flavor that Drew originally possessed seemed to be accentuated with herbs and then flavored with miso and maromaro in chit.

I don't feel this one is fancy, either. But Drew's ability to bring out the best in the flavors of the herbs was excellent. The distribution of the bukera, myants, gigi and naphua is superb.

Alwach suddenly emitted a strong vocal sound, which was delivered to Jan, who was standing in the middle of the auditorium.

Jan bowed reverently.

'Thank you, my lord. It would be an honour to please Lord Alwach, who is a renowned gourmet.

Alwach was about to say more, but Nanakum poked him with his elbow and reluctantly interrupted him. Jan was still in the middle of his work.

And this poitan dish is made with perseula in oil. The flavour of perstura in oil may be a bit sharp on its own, but with this, it is easy to eat.

Yeah, that's for sure. This one's quite tasty.

Lema-Gait responded in a loud voice. She had long recognized Jan's skills.

In addition, the flavor is so strong, I think I'll be able to make a fruit wine out of this one. It's probably a little too strong to go with a meat dish.

'Yes. When we sell them in the cafeteria, we expect them to be ordered along with soup dishes.

Perseula in oil is a very strong ingredient, like an anchovy, with a strong flavor, so it can be quite overpowering. However, when you add herbs such as myanthus, it is neutralized nicely. I, for example, used it as a pizza or pasta, and Jan used to knead the herbs and the perseula meat into the poitan dough.

Genoese people are not familiar with sea fish and fermented food, but the innkeepers seem to be satisfied with this dish. Naudis was among them.

With all due respect, I do not find our food to be outstandingly good. After all, Giba's and Kimus' food was so well prepared. I have a strong feeling that this is a novelty in terms of novelty, and I have a strong feeling that our southern guests, who are accustomed to eating fish, will be delighted by this.

Yes, I'm not familiar with fish. I'm not familiar with fish myself, but I think it has a flavor that cannot be obtained with any other ingredient.

I couldn't agree more, sir!　I am working on Marolu's cuisine to please our guests in the south, and I would like to work on our ingredients as well.

That's true. Would you like for me to buy one for you?

And this time, Gise, not Nail, agreed. Her shop was no less than the Gen'otei, and the people of the East were the main customers.

''Now lastly, I would like to present two kinds of sweets to you. The other one was designed by my apprentice, Nicolas.

Pratika, who had been silent for a long time, reacted sharply to Jan's words. Nicola had shown her some sweets during her stay at Fa's house, but as expected, she hadn't handled Gerudo's ingredients.

At the same time a new plate was delivered, Nicolas came from the kitchen and stood next to his master. He had the usual Buddha's face as usual, but as expected, he seemed somewhat nervous.

'Wow, those are beautiful colors!　This one is the color of the fruit, isn't it, Amantha and wacky?

Yumi, who had taken up a position not far from us, cheerfully blows up at us. Toul-Din looked even more nervous than Nicola and stood up, 'Ha, yes.

''Ko, this will be a manjuu, made with Amantha and wacky The reason we kneaded the juice into the dough is to give it some flavor. ...... Amantha and watche have bright colors, so I think it will look great.

As today's dish is a model dish, Tour-Din's pastry is also simple. It was a steamed bun made from a blend of fluffy and poitan dough, with a jam based on the flesh of each enclosed inside.

Amantha, which resembles blueberries, is a blue-purple color, and witch, which resembles summer tangerines, is a vermilion color reminiscent of ikura, so the dough is also slightly tinted to that color.

'Nah, the ingredients inside are made by adding sugar and seal juice and letting them stew overnight, and then stewing them the next day. Both the amanthus and the witch have a sour taste, so we serve the manju after steaming it and cooling it down.

'Yes, it's delicious!　That's a whole different kind of deliciousness than the confections made with alou and lamamambs!

The innkeepers, led by Yumi, also voiced their admiration.

In the midst of all this, Lema-Gait is nibbling on a small piece of pastry with an extremely serious expression. The kitchen keeper is the only one in the inn town with the skill to make sweets, which is one of the Tour-Din's favourites.

...... This is the fruit of Meles.

And from here, Alwach's voice was flying to Nicola.

At Jan's nod, Nicola nodded yes.

We are still in the midst of trial and error, but we thought we would share the use of the meles with the people of Shukuba-cho. We apologize for the poor quality of the confections, but we hope you will bear with us.

Hmm. As a pastry, it's probably not perfect. But your ideas are brilliant.

Alwach responded in an earth-shattering voice.

This is a prototype, no doubt about it. I hope that next time you visit, Jenos, it will be ready.

I will do my best to satisfy the noble people of ...... Geld.

The confectionery of Nicolas was certainly an interesting item. Nicolas used meles, which is like ripe corn, as an ingredient in his confectionery.

The sweet meles were originally mixed with sugar and cows' milk, then boiled and ground to a jam-like consistency. This time it was enclosed in the fluffy dough.

'This is the end of the dinner in lieu of tasting. The regular meeting is now adjourned, and you are free to enjoy the rest of the dinner at your leisure.

When Tapas announced that he had done so, food was ordered from tables here and there. From here, the regular meeting would transition into a social gathering.

As he looked around at them, Polars said, "Well," he said.

''I suppose our inspection will end here. It seems to me that we should pull out quickly so as not to interfere with them ...... How about you, Lord Alwach?

'Hmm. Jan, Nicola, Reyna-Lou, and Toul-Din, I'd like to bring you my impressions.

Reyna-Lou and Toul-Din said, "What?" respectively. I rolled my eyes.

'Or, as I'm sure you've received feedback earlier: ......

Yes. I didn't put out a new pastry either, and ......

No. I didn't want to interrupt the tasting, so I didn't want to say anything. I'll send you my thoughts before I go home.

At Alwach's side as he spoke, Nanakem took a small breath.

I will make arrangements so that it will not take too long. It would be nice if you could give me some time.

'Yes, sir. I would be honored if Alwach could give me some feedback. I would also be very grateful if you could point out some of my shortcomings.

And Reyna-Lou showed the ambition she possessed. Tour-Din lowered his eyebrows like a puppy with his ears down.

'Then we'll give up our seats to Jan and Nicola. I'll go get them now, so please be patient for a moment.

Then I levitated my hips, and Alwach called out, "Asta.

'Today, Asta's food, I can eat it, I was hoping for it. I am sorry about that.

I'm sorry about that. I had to attend the regular meeting myself. ......

Hmm. I long for the day we're cleared.

It was the day I was to entertain Alwach and his friends with the ingredients of the rainy season.

I smiled and said yes.

I'm looking forward to that day as well. I'll see you later.

I said hello to the others and got up from my seat.

Then not only Ai-Fa, but Lara-Ru, Zwei-Lutim and Yun-Sudra also slithered over to us. They must have decided that rather than listening to Alwach's long, broad tongue, they should make friends with the faces of the innkeepers. Rud-Ru seems to have decided to stay with his sister as an escort. At the same time, Milano-Mas had also shifted his seat as if this was the right place to be.

'Jan, Nicola, thank you for your hard work. Alwach would like to tell you what he thinks of the food.

What did you think of the food?　They are so simple that I don't think they would have been suitable for Lord Alwach's eyes: ......

No, no, the meat dish at Kimus was a masterpiece. With that kind of work, it's only natural that Alwagh would be moved by it.

Jan smiled quietly, "That would be an honor.

Then Nicola, who had been squirming next to him, called out, "Um.

'How was that Meles treatment?　Of course, it was a prototype, so it would have been an extremely poor pastry. ......

That was an interesting experiment, wasn't it? However, if I were you, I might have to work on the skin.

...... getting rid of the skin?

Yes, sir. Meles is wrapped in a thin skin, isn't he?　It was so carefully milled that it didn't bother me, but I think it would be smoother if I strained it with a cloth or something. Or you can mash it up more coarsely to bring out the texture of the skin. ...... I'd like to experiment with that kind of work.

Nicola looked up at me, raising her eyebrows tightly.

'After all, ...... did Asta-sama also invent the idea of using Meles as a pastry?'

'Oh, yes. But I'm going in a completely different direction than Nicola. Besides, I've told Tour-Din what I think, and she can take care of the rest.

Toul-Din was currently in the midst of working on a cornflake recreation. Based on the wacky knowledge I had imparted to him, he should have been able to achieve some kind of result.

'Nicola is going to Din's house tomorrow, isn't she?　Then maybe we'll both discover something new.

...... Yes. I would like to sincerely encourage you not to inconvenience Mr. Tour-Din.

Nikola bowed deeply while speaking politely with a grim face.

And so, as Jan and the others headed to Alwach, from a distant place, "Oi! He called out to me, "Can I have a word with you?

"Could I have a word with you, if you don't mind?　I want to hear what you just said in detail!

It seemed that it was a group of people who were not good at kamado work, led by the master of the 《Zeria's Tsurugi Pavilion》. Lara-Ru laughed with an amused face, ''Haha.

''It wouldn't help to stuff up the conversation before you get your forgiveness, would it? ...... Well, that's okay. We'll be able to talk about it for a bit over there.

With Zwei-Lutim in tow, Lara-Lou headed to that table.

This leaves me with only Ai-Fa and Yun-Sudra.

Then, someone covered Yun-Sudra and made her let out a cute scream, "Kyaah.

''Yah, I got you!　We haven't had much time to chat lately, so let's talk plenty!

Yumi, it's Yumi. What a surprise. ...... Uh, how can I help you?

'Since it's an invitation, let me say hello. It's true that ever since the innkeepers set up their joint stall, Yumi and I haven't had much time to talk.

Right?　I'll be stopping by the stall again every day during the rainy season!

Then there was no need to speak on this night. -- and there was no one to say anything wild about it.

Either Yumi had driven them away or they had moved voluntarily, and Samus was waiting for them at the table, alone. This table had seating for six people, so everyone could be seated comfortably.

'Here at last. We've gotten tired of waiting.

And then Samus uttered a surprising word.

And his eyes caught Yun-Sudra straight away.

''What the hell is that bastard doing?　You haven't shown up at all, does that mean you've given up on the wrong kind of wedding?

Yun-Sudra looked puzzled for a moment, and then smiled, "Oh.

''It seems that Jou-Lan's training has reduced his chances of going down to the inn town, since he's been working hard on his training. But his feelings about Yumi--

Hey, hey!　What are you talking about all of a sudden?　I didn't mean to invite Yun-Sudra and the others!

I don't care what you think. I don't give a damn how you think. I'm the one who should be worried about it.

Despite Yumi's blushing face, Samus leans towards Yun-Sudra. Yun-Sudra is Jo-Lan's bloodline, so he must have been targeted.

It's just like this," he said, "Even today, these hunters are coming for you. What kind of thought is it that you don't come forward even there?

''Yes. Originally, Jo-Lan had planned to focus on his training until the rainy season. But the people who would be sent out to escort him had been decided in advance, so he couldn't just suddenly offer to take over on the day. Jou-Lan had always expressed his desire to meet Yumi and her family as soon as possible, but--

I don't need to know what you're talking about!

Yumi slapped Yun-Sudra's shoulder with a slap. If you're not dressed for the rainy season, it's a pretty painful force.

''But there mustn't be any misunderstanding, right?　Jo-Lan is really trying very hard to hold back her feelings and hunker down. He once told me that if it were true, he would go to the inn town every day.

Moo! And Yumi put her head in her hands. Me and Ai-Fa were completely out of the mosquito net.

'But during the rainy season, it's harder to build up your training ...... and even the Faux bloodline is making calculations to buy a totos and a cart.

'What?　What's the deal with Toth and the cart?

'If you have a totos and a cart, you'll be free to fulfill your buying duties, won't you?　It's a painful thing to always have to take care of the House of Fa, and since there's plenty of room for coppers, it was decided that even the Faux bloodline should buy totos and carts. So, since Jo-Ran can move in front of the Middle Heaven, I'm sure he'll be able to take on the job of buying out.

'I see,' said Samus, rubbing his neck where an old wound was evident.

Youmi, still red-faced, this time poked her father in the shoulder with her fist.

'You've had enough, haven't you?　Yes, I think we're done here!　It's an innkeeper's stopover today, so we should have something more fruitful to talk about!

Samus almost opened his mouth, but then seemed to reconsider and growled, "Hmm.

'A true story. ...... that red-headed daughter of yours, can you pack up the story you just told me?

What's that?　Oh, you're talking about asking the Moribe's kamikaze keeper to teach you how to do things with a copper coin?

What else do you want to talk about?

And Samus slumped back in his wooden chair.

Next to him, Yumi said, "What? He frowns.

'What the hell kind of windbreaker is that?　Are you trying to force me to do my job without changing my attitude towards everyone in Moribe?

Hm. You don't have to be humble to pay a copper for a job, do you?

Kicking off his daughter's complaint, Samus glared at us.

'So what do you think?　What are the chances of the Moribe Chiefs allowing you to talk earlier?

Ai-Hwa had no idea what was being said, and Yun-Sudra looked somewhat lost, so I had no choice but to answer here.

''That's right. I can't say anything too irresponsible, but I don't think there is any reason for the chiefs to refuse to do so in the first place. That's why Lara-Lou would have proposed such a story.

''But hey, it's not like my dad to pay a copper to ask everyone in the forest area to teach me how to do it. He must be up to something crazy, right?

Don't pull that shit out of me, you idiot. You have become so close to a bunch of Moribian lads that you don't even know they're in town.

Samus piled on the words, making Yumi blush again.

We can't even put a copper coin on our food. Then the only way to improve is for the people who make the food to improve their skills.　Can you make something as magnificent as the Southern Giant Tree Pavilion and the Lambrian Bluefin Tuna Pavilion in the foreground?

I know that's impossible, but you've had a different clientele from the start than that one, haven't you?

The innkeepers. If it was a food stall, who cares about customers? If these poor cooks could learn how to cook with the help of the people of the forest side, they wouldn't even look at our stall.

Uh, do you think? Yumi turned to me with a frustrated look on her face.

I'm not going to be able to get the best out of it," he said, as someone who considers Yumi a dear friend.

I don't think Yumi's okonomiyaki is so inferior to the ...... but this has been the same menu for over a year now. If I were you, I'd try to invent a new menu soon.

'Really?　You've been selling gibabaga and gibaman for a long time, right?

Yes, but we're adding more and more items to the menu. But we're adding more and more other items to the menu. But we're adding more and more menu items. I think it's easier for people to get bored of the same food in one place.　That's exactly what I think, if we alternate between selling new menu items and okonomiyaki, I think we can keep our popularity without getting bored.

Hmm, I see. Of course, I'd prefer it if you guys from Moribe show me how to do it. A new menu is very exciting!

Then Yun-Sudra, who seemed to be thinking about something, spoke up.

''It seems that the [West Wind Pavilion] and the Faux bloodline have already developed a deep bond. We've invited Yumi to the wedding feast, and our patriarch here has even gone to the inn town to greet her, and ...... should we still interact with them as a job that requires a price?

Of course. If you don't pay your coppers for this, they'll give you another hard time for slipping up.

At Samus's blunt reply, Yun-Sudra broke down, "I see.

If that is the custom of the inn town, then I have no reason to interfere. But if possible, I hope that the job will be taken care of by the Faux bloodline.

''Yeah, if they were from the Faux bloodline, they'd be as good as those from the Luu branch of the family and the Military Clan.

When I interjected as such, Yun-Sudra nodded, 'Yes.

'The Faux and Lan women wish to bond with Samus and Sil as well. ...... And it will also create an opportunity for Jo-Ran to take on the role of escort.

I don't want to hear about that guy! And Yumi tugged on Yun-Sudra's back.

Yun-Sudra looks somewhat amused as she responds, "It hurts a bit.

At any rate, it was never before that Samus would personally ask the people of the forest side to teach him how to cook. He wasn't even sure what form they would settle on as far as cooking instruction was concerned, but he hoped that this was an opportunity to strengthen the bonds between the various people.

(I mean, we're already in the midst of forming new bonds, too.)

At the distant table, Lara-Ru and Zwei-Lutim are talking feverishly with their masters, led by the 《Xelia's Vine Pavilion》.

If Alwach and the others resigned, Reina-Lou and the others would be touring the table in search of someone to interact with. Tour-Din and others always seem to be secretly looking forward to the inn's snuggle to talk slowly with Lema-Gait.

It may be raining outside the inn, but this dining room is filled with an enthusiasm and vitality that doesn't seem to be the case.