CH 218

Episode 218 – Magic Powder

Paul brought out a small pot from the back and began to boil the Glutamate Herb in water. Once it reached a rolling boil, the umami components were properly extracted and incorporated into the hot water.

“Paul-san, it should be ready now. Please try some.” (Lewin)

“I s-see… Here goes.” (Paul)

Paul scooped up a spoonful of the hot water from the pot with a nervous expression on his face, and brought it to his mouth. When he put it in his mouth and experienced the delicious umami taste, both of his eyes widened as he breathed in loudly through his nose.

“It’s r-really able to make even plain hot water taste better…! It’s certainly capable of producing umami flavor components!” (Paul)

Paul rattled on excitedly, and he finished off the remaining hot water in one go. After wiping his lips in a satisfied manner, he turned towards me and put both of his hands on my shoulders.

“Lewin-kun! Where in the world did you find this plant!? You said that you were an adventurer earlier, could it be that you found it in the Dungeon?” (Paul)

He spoke so quickly that it was hard to understand him, but I managed to catch what he said and thought for a moment.

In the end, what should I tell him? It would be nice if I could just tell him without lying that it was the ability of [Plant Master], but I can’t reveal the existence of this Skill so easily, since it’s my one and only trump card. In that case, I should just tell him that I found it in the Dungeon…

In reality, it can’t be found in the Dungeon, so if Paul tried to have other people to search for it, they would come up empty-handed. Hmm… Should I just say that I collected it at Mount Cornello to avoid trouble?

“No, I gathered this plant at a place called Mount Cornello.” (Lewin)

“Mount Cornello…? If I’m not mistaken, that’s a mountain in the vicinity of Grezesta, right?

“Yes, that’s right.” (Lewin)

“A-ah, so that’s how it is! Could it be that this plant is the raw material of the rumored Magic Powder…?” Paul muttered to himself, his hands trembling uncontrollably.

What exactly is this Magic Powder that he’s been talking about since earlier? I had been thinking about it while he was preparing the hot water, but I really had no idea.

Was it related to Glutamate Herb, or was it something completely unrelated? Judging by Paul’s reaction, I felt that there was a good chance that they were related.

“…Um, what exactly is this ‘Magic Powder’ that you’ve been speaking of since a while ago?” (Lewin)

“Oh… It’s only been spread throughout a small portion of Landaust so far. ‘Magic Powder’ is the common name for this seasoning that has recently started to circulate in Grezesta.” (Paul)

A seasoning that had recently started to circulate in Grezesta… I had been in Grezesta for a while until recently, but I hadn’t heard of Magic Powder before.

If it was really becoming popular, I probably would have heard about it from the grandma, who was knowledgeable and well-informed. Is it something that was only popular among some circles, or did it only become popular after I left?

“It’s an ingredient whose route of acquisition and method of production are unclear, but I believe it was sold by a person named Clive…” (Paul)

When I heard that name leave Paul’s mouth, I clapped my hands together. That’s right!

I just remembered that Clive said that he was making something with the Glutamate Herb. In other words, that meant that this seasoning known as ‘Magic Powder’ had been perfected by him and was now on the market.

“Ah, I know that person! He was a big help to me when I was buying spices in Grezesta!” (Lewin)

“Oh! Is that true?! Are they selling Glutamate Herb over there?” (Paul)

“…No, I don’t think so. I was just buying popular spices from him.” (Lewin)

I was very grateful towards Clive for buying the Glutamate Herb at a high price and giving me the recipe for curry and its spices back when I was in Grezesta. I knew that he went through a lot of trouble to produce this so-called Magic Powder. Thus, it would be in Clive’s best interest for me not to say anything unnecessary. With that in mind, I decided to keep quiet about the fact that I had been the one selling Glutamate Herb to Clive.

“I see. That’s unfortunate… But regardless, there’s no doubt that this plant is very similar to that rumored Magic Powder. If you bring it to us, we’d be happy to buy it at a high price.” (Paul)

After that, I finished up the deal with Paul. I told him that I would come back to sell the Glutamate Herb another time when I managed to collect some more and then left the Merchant’s Guild.

Thanks to the fruits of Clive’s research, I had managed to secure a new method of income, and had made a connection with the Vice Guild Chief of the Merchant’s Guild. I had dropped by the Merchant’s Guild kind of randomly, but I would say that, in terms of the results, it had turned out to be a huge success. With this, I could go back to clearing the Dungeon tomorrow in earnest.

With uplifted spirits, my gait naturally fell into joyful skip as I made my way back to Ponpokotei.