Vol. 9 - Chapter 459 - Closing the curtain on summer camp with BBQ and curry!

I might sound like a broken recorder, but fun time always felt like the snow in the summer, fleeting.

I swear I felt like it was just some couple hours ago that I had closed my eyes for a second to take in the air of ‹Food-Dun› in a long while and then suddenly time leaped to the last day of camp when I opened my eyes.

Darn it, my mind understands, but my body doesn't. No, wait. If it's fun, there can always be the second time!

And---

"Growl~."

I was recalling back past days we spent here while looking at ‹Curry Pot› when a sudden growl from someone's belly interrupted that train of thought.

"Curry. Which curry are we going to have today?"

Karua asked me while intently staring at the ‹Curry Pot›, crouching in front of it. I didn't even notice her arrival. Though I knew who it was from the growling of stomach. In fact, whenever someone's stomach rumbled, you could confidently point it out at her and would stand still correct.

"Beef curry of course. Who would choose another option when there's the best quality meat available? Nothing fills up the spirit like beef."

"Hn, the only truth."

...It seemed like my joke went over the head, instead Karua replied in all seriousness. Yeah, let's register it as 'Beef's delicious.'

But that wasn't the only thing on the menu though. We were also having pork curry and chicken curry. It would be blasphemous to not use the curry recipe right away.

Fortunately, we had the ‹Curry Pot› so we could always get mouth-watering curry ready even without cooking skill. In fact, I can't wait to try them out!

I'm already looking forward to seafood curry in our next schedule.

Honestly, I didn't expect we would be able to collect such an explosive amount of ingredients. By all intent, this round of ‹Food-Dun› camping event was mainly to train guild members so exploring around to collect ingredients was the 3rd or 4th priority in our list. Still, the amount we gathered was staggering. Hmm, I wonder if it's because there were too many participants? Can't deny though, it's hard to return back to normal food once you taste the dishes made with ingredients from this dungeon.

The five ‹Item Box› we had bought and loaded in the carriage were already brimmed to 90% capacity. Never did I think I would prove to be wrong.

The auto-farming in the game was hugely dependent on skill, but the same restriction wasn't on the people of flesh and blood. That was so close, we would have been fretting about storage if we had taken this situation a bit seriously.

I guess it would be better to purchase more ‹Item Box› in light of our increased number for the next event. But it's a dilemma what to do with that amount. I need to discuss it with Sierra and others to see if we're going to keep or sell.

Overall, the rehearsal before the actual ‹Sea-Dunn› event did point out the glaring points just as I wanted.

Just as I was thinking about my next plan, the ‹Curry Pot› released a chime sound to notify us that curry is ready. The chime immediately brought Karua's cat ear and tail to attention.

"Hey, curry is ready."

"Vegetables are coming out just nice as well. So we're going to start with meat then."

Celestine reported the situation about BBQ when I notified them of our side. He was also handling cooking along with Harmonic Trio, Hannah, Alulu and Kairi.

"Attention, attention. Line up in front of me if you're starving---"

"And I'm your bread lady~."

"And I serve noodles. Yakisoba or Fried Udon, just say your wish~."

Sachi, Emi and Yuuka raised their voices to get the attention of others.

"Hmm, alright. It's coming out great. Take your piping hot egg soup from here~."

It seemed like she really liked the new curry variant. In that case, maybe I should try curry udon next time.

I circled around the tables to check out on others. It was impossible to keep everyone on the same table with the original size so we opted for multiple table formats.

I was in the midst of it when Misato suddenly raised her voice.

"Look, Zephyr-kun. Mert-sama is only eating the fish he had caught earlier. Isn't it a pity to not eat meat at the BBQ? That's why I keep telling height isn't---"

"Good grief, you're being a nuisance to others, Misato! I just happened to catch the top grade ‹High Char› today while fishing, and fish are better eaten fresh. It's simply that, it and height have no connection alright."

"Oh, grilled char!? Nice catch, Mert. It looks tasty."

"Ah, Zephyr. I knew you would totally get it. There weren't many but I managed to catch three. I would share another later."

"Huh? What about my share, Mert-sama?"

"You're not getting any! I'm going to eat!"

"No way!"

These two are really a lively bunch, eh? ‹High Char› was a high-grade fish that was extremely hard to catch without high fishing skill.

I was honestly surprised. He even managed to capture three! Also Misato, they're really super hard to catch by, so maybe you might only feel a bitter tear at the end.

I made a round to other table and eventually arrived at the last table where members in charge of cooking were.

"Amazing. I don't know if it's because we gather the ingredients ourselves but it tastes far better!"

"I know right? Enjoy to the fullest since such chances rarely come by!"

"Thanks to you as well, Zephyr-kun. It has become a delicious memory for us."

Harmonic Trip each gave their impression. BBQ was a big hit between them it seems. And as a host, their enjoyment was the best thing I could ask for.

"But I may have used a bit too much fire. I didn't expect it would be that hard to master the temperature control of BBQ stove."

"Let's make sure to practice it later, Alulu-chan. We should aim for the best dish out there is!"

Alulu commented while stuffing herself with yakisoba she had made herself. Hannah cheered from the sideline.

"I will also do my best. I think I have more or less got the knack. Next thing should likely be something delicious for sure."

Kairi, who was sitting next to those two, chimed. Interesting, it seemed like she was going to join Hannah and Alulu for the summer festival stall. I wonder if they've already thought of their ace dish?

Anyway, the summer camp seemed to have shown them the path for their stall and that's all it mattered.

There were very few moments we needed Kairi's ability in this dungeon, so she seemed to have given many things a try. Aside from looking out for the goblin's base, she had spent most of her time in cooking or harvesting.

In fact, she was most likely the highest contributor in gathering ingredients since she had some skill related to collection.

It was in-between that she found her path. She fumbled around in her path on how to handle the ingredients or how to prepare dishes for a larger group and sometimes asked Hannah for pointers.

Well, she looked completely content with the event and that's all that matters.

This was how the last day of ‹Eden› and ‹Arc-Arcadia› joint summer camp came to an end with overwhelmingly positive reviews. At the same time, we also managed to secure a stellar amount of ingredients.