CH 129

"Chef Ary, what do you think of this recipe and idea?　I'd like to make it a Bardia territory specialty or something in the future. ......"

"You're thinking of a Bardia specialty?　.  Yiu  has an unconventional idea,......, and I am honored that  you would ask me, the head chef, for my opinion on it"

When he finished, he looked at the recipe  I  had given him and groaned, "Hmmm......."

I was recalling the things that happened before I came here while I was giving Ary a supplemental explanation.

When I think about Renalute and the ingredients of the empire, the cooperation with memory, and the project we are about to undertake, there are many more things I can do about cooking.

If I could expand the "food culture" that is not widespread in this world, it would also generate enormous profits.

With this in mind, I put together several recipes.

After that, I asked Garn who he thought would be a good person to consult with, and he introduced me to "Chef Ary," who has been making food for us.

I explained the situation to him immediately, but his face was stern.

I wondered if there was a problem.　I was curious, so I asked him a question.

"....... If you have any concerns, please don't be angry with me.　If something is bothering you, , I want you to give me your opinion on anything."

, "Well, at ......, let me be frank with you. I know that all of the items in this recipe cannot be made into specialty dishes."

"......?"

I was stunned by the unexpected words.

I had expected to be able to make one or two, if not all of them.

I didn't expect to be told that I couldn't do all of them.

When he saw my stunned face, he added with a wry smile.

" Master Rid, I'm not saying that this recipe is no good for cooking. I'm just saying that as a specialty of the Bardia territory, it is difficult to make in its present state."

'What do you mean by difficult, not that the product is bad?"

Ary began to explain to answer my question.

And when I heard the reason for the difficulty, I was shocked.

The reason was "fire," or more precisely, "fuel problem."

Ary  explanation was easy to understand.

In this world, firewood and charcoal are the main fuels used to make fire.

Charcoal is often used by aristocrats and not so much by commoners in ordinary households.

The price of making charcoal is naturally high because of the cost of transportation in addition to the skill and time required to make the charcoal.

Therefore, the nobility, who have more money, use charcoal in addition to firewood.

Commoners, it is said, gather branches for firewood in the forests and mountains, or buy firewood from lumberjacks and merchants.

"Master Rid, this dish called "ramen" is very interesting. However, the long simmering time required to make the soup means that it uses a lot of fuel."

Hearing Ary's words, I was stunned.

It is obvious that fire requires "fuel," but I had never thought about what the main source of that "fuel" is in this world.

He looked at me and continued his explanation.

"In addition, keeping the soup warm means using fire continuously,, right?　If we have to keep a fire going to boil them, no amount of wood or charcoal will suffice. If we were to serve it to . Rid and everyone else, I think we could serve it at least once a month. However, the cost of fuel is too high for the specialties that commoners also eat, so I think it will be difficult."

'I didn't think that 'fuel' would be a problem. ...... I wonder what we are doing about fuel in the Bardia territory?"

I replied to him with a slight slump of my shoulders. At the same time, I also asked a question that had occurred to me.

"As I recall, the Bardia territory has a fuel tank."

'I am sure that in Bardia territory, firewood and charcoal are purchased from lumberjacks, merchants and Renalute. The price of firewood and charcoal went up a little before you was born. Maybe a few years ago?　I heard that we could buy firewood and charcoal from Renalute at a slightly lower price'.

'What⁉ You have been buying firewood and charcoal from Renalute?　Since a few years ago?"

Sensing something disturbing, I asked Ary again with a bit of a bite.

He flinched a little before answering.

"Yes, Renalute has a lot of woods and mountains. I think it's hard to find fuel such as firewood and charcoal in that country'.

'......I wonder what they do with firewood and such in the imperial capital?'

Ary's words gave birth to a hypothesis in my mind.

I asked him to confirm it, and he thought for a moment and then said

"I think the fuel situation in the capital was imported from outside the country, from merchants, and from noble families scattered around the country. The capital is growing as the number of people grows, you know. Oh, by the way, a friend of mine in the imperial capital wrote to me and lamented that the price of firewood had gone up.'

"I see. Your friend is having a hard time too."

I don't think the reason the empire made Renalute a vassal state is because of fuel and resource problems, according to his statement.

It would be natural to use forest resources as people grow.

But how long will the forest resources in the developing empire last?　

If the empire was aware of that problem, it would have never wanted to hand over Renalute, which is rich in forest resources, to Barsto for the future increase in national power.

As I was lost in my thoughts, Ary made an apologetic sound.

'I'm sorry, Master ...... Ri d, but I'd like to start preparing the food soon, if that's all right.'

'What⁉ I see, I'm sorry. Thank you for your time today. I'm looking forward to dinner."

Ary smiled very happily at my words.

I was going to cook Bardia's famous dishes, but I was faced with an unexpected problem.

I returned to my room and called my memory to see if there was a suggestion for a better method.

I thought to myself, "I've got a bad case " in response to the words I said.

It's okay because it's true, but it's the other person's fault for saying it.

I quietly looked at Sandra's face and saw that she was smiling at me.

After that, while moving to the back of the mansion, Sandra kept saying to me, "I'm so jealous of ......."

Needless to say, I was exhausted.

Additional information

10 magical attributes = fire, water, ice, wind, earth, wood, lightning, light, darkness, non attribute .