Arc II - Agrarian Revolution

Chapter 5 - A Gastronomic Discovery

Day 27 Since the Summoning

 

The sun had barely begun to rise as Alan stood outside, a clay dish of flaxseed oil, three eggs, garlic, and vinegar laid out in front of him. Off to the side, Zogen was already brewing up some concoction from konshitaya and other plants. Sleepy peasants slowly began filtering into the square one by one.

Kamelia stood opposite him, her hair slightly messy, her eyes half-shut with sleep. "And what is all this? Are you planning to cook something?"

Alan nodded. "Yeah, it's called mayonnaise. And mayonnaise is a sauce, and a sauce is... well, it's a thick, creamy liquid used to make food taste better."

Kamelia didn't answer right away, first rubbing her eyes. "So you... want to use eggs and oil, which are already in short supply, just... to make food taste better?" She turned to Zogen. "Hey, Zogen, those plants of yours don't make
people lose their minds, do they?"

Alan blinked. "Lose my..." He shook his head. "I haven't gone crazy! I just didn't explain it well. Besides, taste is much more important than you think." He stepped closer, dropping his voice to a whisper. "Think about it. Are the peasants really going to work hard and put in long hours if they have to eat food that makes them want to vomit up their own stomachs every single day?"

The countess stared at Alan in silence. She didn't say a word. For a long time, about thirty seconds, she just looked at him. Then, she simply closed her eyes. "Even if that's true, Alan, it is too expensive. A single egg is someone's chance to survive another day. I understand what... I understand what you are saying, but we are in no position to waste valuable food just for a pleasant taste."

"And who said this is just about taste?"

Kamelia blinked. "What?"

"The eggs don't disappear, Kamelia. They just turn into mayonnaise. They're exactly as filling, just tastier. For example... we spread the mayonnaise on bread, and that bread becomes even more filling and delicious." He pointed to Zogen, who was chopping some leaves. "And with this stuff, it's even better, not only is it more filling, but it's actually edible."

The girl blinked. "Why didn't you lead with that?"

Alan was silent for a second, then shrugged. "Okay, yeah, I really should have led with that. Anyway, I hope you get the point of the mayonnaise now, and that this isn't just some whim of mine?"

The countess pressed her lips together, hesitating for a few more seconds. "Fine... but I will test this 'mayonnaise' of yours myself. If it turns out to be just some fancy seasoning, no more playing around with food. Okay?" She mocked him with his own word, having picked up its meaning from context.

Alan paused for a fraction of a second, then smiled slightly. "Okay, okay." He picked up an empty clay dish and cracked the three eggs into it.

"Listen..." Kamelia began. "Is this mayonnaise of yours... is it absolutely, definitely filling?" She glanced sideways at the peasants, who were already beginning to wonder what the commotion was about. "Because if the people think you are just wasting food... nothing good will come of it."

Alan snorted as he cracked the last egg. "Do you want me to explain the law of conservation of energy to you?"

"The law of... what?"

"The law of conservation of energy."

A small furrow appeared on Kamelia's brow. "Is that a law from... your world? From some kingdom?"

Alan picked up the oil.

'Fuck... wrong approach, idiot. To her, the laws of physics don't exist. A law is either something Svyatol commanded or a king wrote... and how do I explain this simply? I'm no physicist; I only remember it because our high school teacher forced us to memorize it... but I think I get the basic principle.'

"Never mind. It's basically just how things work." He poured in the vinegar. "For example, look. When we build a fire, what burns?"

"Wood burns."

"Exactly." He began to mince and crush the garlic with a dull knife, doing so with surprising dexterity and experience. "And the fire can only burn because the wood exists. So, the part of the wood that burns away turns into fire, that is 'energy.' It didn't disappear." He scraped the garlic into the bowl and began to beat everything vigorously with a wooden spoon. "It's the same thing here. The eggs and oil don't vanish. They just... become mayonnaise. When water freezes, it doesn't disappear, right? It just becomes ice, but it's still water. And this is still eggs, which are filling and can be spread on something."

The countess held a finger to her chin, processing all of this for a minute before letting out a breath. "Yes, I understand what you're trying to say... I've never really thought about it like that, to be honest." She relaxed her shoulders and simply watched as the liquid grew thicker and whiter.

Alan whisked the mayonnaise with all his might.

'Phew... honestly feels like being back home. I always hated store-bought mayo; I always whipped up my own in the dorm.'

After a few more minutes, he finally set the spoon down and shook out his aching hand. The dish held a thick, yellowish-white mixture that smelled strongly of pure garlic. "Voila."

Kamelia leaned over the mayonnaise and sniffed it. "Hmm... doesn't seem bad. How are you supposed to eat it?"

"It's simple. Ideally, you spread it on bread, or you just dip food into it. Oh... right... do you have any hardtack left?"

The countess nodded, untying a small pouch from her belt. "Yes, I do. Do you want to try hardtack with mayonnaise?"

Alan snapped his fingers. "Of course! It's the absolute meta!"

Kamelia pulled a small piece of hardtack from her pouch, dipped it in the mayonnaise, and brought it to her mouth. She hesitated for a fraction of a second, then bit down and chewed. "Oh... this is... actually delicious."

"Right?" Alan also took a piece of hardtack, dipped it, and took a bite.

'Mmm... tastes like garbage. But what did I expect without modern, high-quality ingredients? Though under the circumstances, it really does taste amazing.'

Lorgi stepped up from the side, silently took a piece of hardtack, dipped it into the mayonnaise, and bit off a piece. He said nothing, but lightly licked his lips.

Alan turned to Zogen. "Hey, old man, come over here!"

Zogen looked up from his cauldron where the roots were boiling and walked over. "What, is it finished already?"

"Yep, try it."

Zogen took a piece of hardtack without hesitation, scooped up a dollop of mayonnaise, and ate it in one bite. He chewed. "Oh... this is genuinely delicious, and it feels quite filling..." He swallowed. "With this stuff... any food could be made tasty and satisfying."

Within a few minutes, all the peasants were taking turns trying the hardtack with mayonnaise. Everyone ate without hesitation, with an appetite driven more by hunger than by the flavor. Then, on Lorgi's orders, everyone gathered in the square—about a hundred and fifty people, and Alan stepped out in front of them.

'Public speaking again... I don't exactly have a great track record with this,nbut... I've got to try.'

"My... my name is Alan Gothwald, and I am the advisor to Countess Armenas. What you just witnessed is called 'mayonnaise,' and it is a type of food known as a 'sauce.' It... it was created specifically to make food taste better, and to make it more filling. It is prepared from eggs, oil, vinegar, and garlic." He raised a hand to preempt any potential complaints. "This is not a waste of food, as I've already explained. It remains just as filling as before, only much tastier."

Some of the peasants quieted down, while others nodded silently. "My lord, will you show us how to make it?" a voice called out from the crowd.

Alan nodded. "Of course."

By evening, all the peasants were eating plant dishes mixed with garlic mayonnaise. One thirteen-year-old boy was eating with particular enthusiasm, stealthily trying to dollop more sauce onto his plate. Alan sat at the edge of the village with Kamelia, Lorgi, and Zogen, chewing on a root vegetable dipped in the sauce. "Ahem... Alright... Kamelia, do you even have town criers?"

The girl nodded, chewing her salad. "Yes, five. Why?"

Alan stopped chewing.

'Hmm... five... not bad, but a bit sparse... we need to spread the mayonnaise recipe and the knowledge of which plants are edible as widely as possible to survive this famine. But as far as I recall, a count has no right to send their town criers into their vassals' lands to issue orders. Is that how it works here, too?'

"Listen, do you have the right to send your town criers to your vassals and issue decrees?" he asked.

Kamelia scooped up another ...spoonful. "I believe... no, I do not. Lorgi?"

The captain nodded. "Yes, Your Grace. Your father did not have time to explain this to you, but I know that he did not have the right."

Alan set his plate aside. "Hmm... so for now, we'll have to limit ourselves to your personal territories. How much of the county is directly yours?"

"Sixteen villages, the county capital, and almost the entire forest. The rest belongs to four barons."

"And can't you just order the barons to send out criers and tell the peasants everything they need to know?"

Kamelia didn't answer for several seconds. "Yes, I can do that, but..."

"But what?" Alan asked.

Kamelia cast a glance at Zogen, who was eating nearby. He noticed her look about ten seconds later and stopped eating. The old man blinked, put two and two together, stood up, and walked away with his plate to join the other peasants.

Kamelia sighed. "You know how it is. I am not particularly... respected. Even before my father's death, my lands were in decline, and when I took over..." She clenched her fists. "It only got worse. Formally, they are obligated to obey, but who will actually want to?"

Alan leaned his back against the tree and rested his hands on his knees.

'Shitty situation. If the barons don't respect her... no one is going to agree to this crazy mayonnaise plan. Plus, the baron whose village we burned down is definitely going to tell her to go fuck herself. I'm honestly still surprised he hasn't raised a rebellion yet... either he swallowed his pride, or he's quietly plotting something. But... what's the play here? The clock is ticking, and we don't have time to win over every single one of them... but we can't just doom the other peasants to starvation either. But... what of it? This is for their own good. Logically, the barons should jump at this lifeline... hah... logically. If they agree, they tacitly admit that the new countess is actually good for something, which means they'll have an even harder time explaining why she needs to be forced to marry someone... If they really are more interested in politics than survival, they will absolutely refuse. And if we try to force it... we're already skating on thin ice. After the mess we made in Ekkurn's village, we don't need any unnecessary provocations. For now, that is solely his problem, and we shouldn't agitate the other barons. So what is it then... do we just abandon the other peasants to starvation and... that's it? No... no...'

He picked up a twig from the ground and began twirling it in his hands, staring at the dirt.

'But what other choice is there? If we try, we could lose everything. No, we have to work strictly within Kamelia's personal lands. She has complete freedom of action here, while those other territories carry too much risk. Unless... we just send a letter with a decree once... if they ignore it, no big deal... What do I mean, 'no big deal'?! If the countess just rolls over and lets them wipe their asses with her decree and does nothing about it, her position will only get worse! Damn... how do we position this as a 'I warned you, do what you want' sort of thing then? ...Maybe just send a memo? A recommendation? Something that isn't a strict decree, so if someone refuses... it won't impact anything, at least not significantly.'

He dragged his hands across his face.

'Sorry, peasants of the barons... but my hands are tied.'

Opposite him, Kamelia simply stared out into the forest, waiting for Alan to emerge from his usual trance.

"Kamelia."

"Yes?"

"We need to send recommendations to the barons about the mayonnaise and the plants, so we can somewhat alleviate the famine on their lands too."

She blinked. "Send... what?"

"Recommendations. They're... advice, simply put. But specifically recommendations, not decrees."

Kamelia sat closer. "But why not decrees? Wouldn't they be... more effective?"

The guy snorted. "Can you actually guarantee they'll follow those decrees? If they refuse... you'll have to wage war against them, and you don't have the strength for that."

Kamelia froze for a second. "Yes... perhaps... but if we only send these 'recommendations,' no one will actually implement them. At least with decrees... there's some chance."

"High risk, low reward," he said. "To be blunt, someone like Ekkur is highly unlikely to agree."

Kamelia pressed her lips together. "Him... yes, true... but isn't it in their own best interest to preserve their tax-paying populace?"

Alan shrugged. "Only if they aren't more interested in overthrowing you."

"I do not think they are so foolish as to sacrifice so many peasants simply to depose me," the countess replied.

Gothwald scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, but... god only knows what's going on in their heads. I strongly advise against risking a decree. What if they're just waiting for an excuse? You've been refusing to marry whoever for a long time now; their patience isn't infinite."

Kamelia clenched her fists. "I understand... but I do not want to doom the peasants in my vassals' territories to starvation either." She took a deep breath. "I... this is difficult... I don't know what to do..."

Alan sat closer. "Look at me."

Kamelia raised her eyes to him, showing the dark bruises beneath them.

"I don't want to doom those peasants to starvation either. But if we try to force the barons to follow a decree... it could trigger a civil war within your county, which is likely exactly what they're waiting for. I'm sure burning that village was the second-to-last straw. The only reason they didn't declare war over it already is because they saw the sickness was stopped. We'll send them a recommendation, and we win either way. If they refuse, there are no consequences. If they agree, the people get fed, and on top of that, your authority goes up. Until then, let's not risk beating our heads against a brick wall. We work strictly on the lands that belong directly to you. I'll say it again... we don't have the luxury of taking that kind of risk."

Kamelia opened her mouth to argue, but closed it. She sat in silence for about three minutes, then slowly, very slowly, nodded. "I understand... I don't like it, but I understand... Alright... we will do it your way."

 

County of Armenas Politic Map