When we got back to the inn, I changed out of the nice clothes I had put on for the meeting and decided to walk around the city a bit more since Livia was still gone somewhere. I wanted to ask Livia if the merchant's guild had sent someone to watch over me since I doubted the adventurer's guild here would tell me if they had. Exiting the inn, I turned and headed towards the shopping district.
The capital city was unsurprisingly quite large, so it took a while to get to the main shopping district. It did, of course, take a bit longer to arrive than it should have because I was stopping to look at stores and stalls along the way. Aside from the ingredients that couldn't be found in Gale, there wasn't a lot that was cheaper here than in Gale, defying my previous expectations.
I was able to find some different fruits and seeds that I couldn't find in Gale or Reginston, so I bought a decent amount so I could attempt to grow them. I also looked to see what kind of desserts and such were being sold in the capital, almost all of it was what I expected. There were a few interesting ideas, and I heard that the Valeria company's bakery was doing quite well thanks to 'their new fluffy bread'.
I walked around until close to dinner time, but I wasn't able to find much of interest. Figuring I could always try a different area tomorrow, I turned and headed back to the inn to get some dinner before calling it a night. On the way there, I stopped at a little armor and weapons shop I missed earlier and found 2 treasures in the junk bin. I was able to get both for dirt cheap, and even paid a little extra because I knew what the items would be worth when I was done with them.
Livia was just sitting down to get dinner when I got back, so I asked to join her since I wanted to ask her about the other person watching me. After ordering the daily special with fruit water, I turned my attention back to Livia.
"How did your meeting go with the duke? He seemed to be in a good mood when I was there, so I'm guessing it went well?" I decided to start with a more conventional conversation opener.
"Yes, it seems there are going to be some busy blacksmiths starting soon. We're already copying your designs and sending them out to other branches, and we are having blacksmiths produce larger quantities of the hand pumps to send as examples to the main branches in each country." Her smile spoke louder than her words.
"That's good to hear, but the guild here is going to be swamped with work soon. The meeting went well for me also, which means a lot of work and business opportunities for the city and probably the nearby towns and cities soon as well." I decided to give her a bit of warning.
"Anything you can elaborate on?" she asked, showing her interest.
"You and the local Guildmaster will likely be called by the duke shortly regarding the matter, so I'll just say that, if it is approved, there will be a large district being added to the city. This would require materials, labor, and merchants for stores, inns, restaurants, etc." I answered quietly.
"You really like to do things on a large scale, don't you?" She seemed a bit taken aback by the scale I was speaking on.
"It has to be done large scale to get the desired results, but I have also planned it in such a way as to offer large incentives for those involved. On a side note, is the merchant's guild having me followed?" I switched the topic so quickly that it took Livia a moment to comprehend what I had asked.
"No, we wouldn't do that. Why? Did something happen?" When she understood what I asked and the meaning behind it, she frowned.
"It's nothing to worry about, I haven't felt any hostility from them as of yet. If they aren't from the merchant's guild, then it was probably the adventurer's guild. I guess I will have to stop in tomorrow to ask, not that I would expect them to tell me if they were having me followed. Oh, I already mentioned it to the duke, so there is no need for concern." I answered casually, seemingly completely unbothered by the situation.
Still frowning, she spoke to me in a serious tone. "You need to be careful, the public safety in this city is better than most, but crime does still happen."
"I'll be careful, but there's no reason to worry so much. I have my magic, my father's training, and the duke has someone keeping an eye on the situation." I had noticed that the same person sent by the duke previously was once again watching.
Before Livia could respond to that, our food was brought to the table. Not wanting to be disrespectful to the food or cook, I ended the conversation by saying I'd let her know more as I find out. The food was delicious, it was well-seasoned and properly cooked, but it was still basic. It seems that even in the capital, soup/stew was the only food that wasn't just the ingredient cooked and seasoned in different ways.
So far I have only found roasted meat, steaks, skewers, cubed and fried meat, and the occasional stir fry with meat and vegetables seasoned. I have not found any pasta dishes, sauced dishes, burgers, gratin dishes, or sandwiches with more than meat and cheese on or in bread. Condiments such as ketchup, mustard, salad dressings, etc. are non-existent, even gravy can't be found. Perhaps it was time to at least spread a few food ideas, not having more variety is depressing.
After dinner, I set up a barrier around the bed in my room and read one of my new books until it was time to sleep. I wasn't really worried about being attacked or anything, but this way I would wake up if anyone came into contact with my barrier. As predicted, nothing had happened that night as I woke up at the same time as usual with nothing out of place.
Not wanting to visit the guild during the morning rush, I asked the inn after breakfast where I could find a Yamada company store. Having gotten directions to the store I had asked about, I left the inn, hoping they would have some good ingredients. I also wanted to ask about Marco, hopefully, I could either find him in a town that we could stop at on the way back to Gale, or get a message to him to come to Gale so I could sell him some ideas/recipes.
When I was getting to the area that the store was supposed to be in, I noticed that the roads were wider and the buildings were more spaced apart. This must be an area that was designed to have wagons and carriages coming and going, to or from, the stores. In other words, this was an area designed for high-volume sales, which seemed like the natural spot for a company dealing in food supplies or other daily necessities that are consumed quickly and purchased frequently or in large quantities.
I was able to quickly find the Yamada store being that it was a larger building that was very clearly marked. I could tell that the storefront took up only a small portion of the building, most likely to have room to store large amounts of ingredients that don't go bad quickly. Upon entering, there was a distinct odor of different spices, grains, etc. It was a pleasant smell that would have most definitely whet my appetite had I not finished eating breakfast a short while ago.
"Welcome! Is there anything I can help you find today?" A fairly young clerk quickly greeted me with a business-like smile, having seemingly been well-trained in customer service.
"Good morning, I was hoping to take a look at any local and or exotic spices you may have, especially seed spices. Also, I have had business dealings with Marco in the past, and was hoping I could either get a message to him or if he is in a town near the route between Parth and Gale, his location so that I can speak to him about a potential business deal." I replied with an even business attitude.
"Oh? That's quite impressive for someone so young. The owner's wife Alma is here, so I could pass a message to her if you would like?" She surprised me with that, I wasn't sure Marco would be able to find a wife with his eccentricities.
"That would be great. If you could, please inform her that Cero from Gale is here and that I had come with the hope of scheduling a meeting with Marco regarding some additional business opportunities. While you're doing that, I will look to see if you have any spices I am unfamiliar with." I smiled more in an attempt to hide my surprise that he was married.
"I will let her know, please feel free to browse the selection in the meantime, this shouldn't take long." She replied with a small giggle, perhaps having guessed my thoughts.
While looking around, I was able to find cumin seed and chili peppers, and since I already had ginger and turmeric along with other common spices such as coriander, mustard, pepper, cinnamon, and nutmeg, which meant I now had everything to make curry. I found a few other spice essentials that I didn't have already as well and was prepared to buy a good amount of each of them. While I was thinking about this, the clerk returned.
"Sorry to make you wait. Alma has agreed to meet you now if you have the time. She can also pass a message to her husband for you." She informed me of my options.
"Then I will take her up on the offer, and meet with her while I have the chance. Thank you for the assistance until now, there are also some spices I would like to purchase. If you could prepare them for me, I will purchase them after meeting with Alma." I pointed out the spices I had found and selected an appropriate amount based on the options I was given.
I was then led through the back of the store and down a hallway to another room. After the clerk knocked, she opened the door and led me in, announcing my arrival to Alma, who then stood up to greet me.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, my husband speaks well of you every time Gale or cookies come up in conversation. My name is Alma, and I help run the business with my husband." She smiled warmly and greeted me.
"The pleasure is all mine, ma’am. I was a bit surprised to hear that I would be meeting you today, thinking I would just be leaving a message to have a store manager pass along." I replied cordially.
"Please, just call me Alma, there is no need for such formalities, would you like some tea or anything?" Though not as free-spirited as her husband, it seems that Alma also doesn't like being too formal.
"I just recently finished breakfast, so I will pass, though I do appreciate the offer," I replied in a less formal but still cordial tone while sitting down like she gestured for me to do.
"Is that so? Well, I am told that you were looking for my husband for potential business opportunities, is that right? If they are more simple like the recipe for cookies, then I could make the deal with you, unless you would rather wait for my husband. He will be in Gale later this spring, but it would be difficult to meet with him before then considering we are going around to check on each of our stores in the region until then." Judging by the way she said that, it was clear that she was aware of my involvement in the bread deal.
"I don't mind making the deal with you if that is possible, but since I was not planning to meet with anyone today, I have not prepared samples of most of them, nor have any recipes written out. The samples that I do have are not for individual consumption, so if you want to properly understand, we would need to move to a kitchen or something." I had not planned to meet anyone today and therefore did not prepare, but I did have the free time to make some things on the spot.
"How intriguing, if you have the time, I would be happy to try anything you have to offer." Excited to try something new, her voice had gone up by about an octave. She quickly led me to a well-stocked kitchen in the building, there was a cook there but Alma told him he could just relax and that I would be preparing some things for her to try.
"I suppose we will do this in order then," I said as I found some vegetables and prepared a simple salad, after which I pulled out a vinaigrette from my item box to top it. "I call this 'Vinaigrette', just one type of what I would call a salad dressing. As that name would suggest, it is mainly used to dress a salad, giving the vegetables more flavor, without drowning out their flavor."
I poured a little into a small dish so she could try it individually as well. "It has a tangy sourness to it," I added a warning as I gestured for her to try it. She sipped the vinaigrette first to understand its flavor before trying the salad that I had added the dressing to. The moment she chewed the salad, her eyes went wide.
"Amazing, this 'Vinaigrette' as you called it not only doesn't overpower the vegetables, it's like the sourness of it enhances the natural flavor of the vegetables." Perhaps it is due to her being in the industry, but she sounded a bit like a food critic.
"Yes, as I'm sure you are aware, most children and adults even, choose not to eat vegetables outside of soup or stew because they are either too bland or slightly bitter. Salad dressing fixes that problem, while also giving the individual a choice in how much they use, or even which flavor, as it is easy enough to make other flavors as well." I decided to make a sales pitch about it to further increase her interest.
"It is as you say, I imagine that even more picky eaters would enjoy vegetables more this way. There are other flavors as well?" My sales pitch had worked to plant the idea in her mind.
"Yes, it is simple enough to add an extra ingredient or two to the vinaigrette to change the flavor, with rather drastic results depending on what is added. There are also other salad dressings that can be made, though they aren't as healthy for you, and/or spoil much sooner than vinaigrette, even if kept in a cold place." I answered in a way that increases the value of the initial recipe.
"I am interested in trying these other flavors and dressings if possible." She was hooked, and I planned to secure the sale quickly.
"I don't have any others with me, but I could easily make a different dressing so that you can understand the potential variety," I replied while pulling out some ingredients and quickly preparing something similar to french or Catalina dressing, tasting and adjusting the flavor along the way.
"Ooh, this one is good too, it has a sweeter, bolder flavor than the vinaigrette." I could tell that she would buy it.
"This one unfortunately cannot be made without this 'Ketchup' I made, but we will get to that shortly. Next up is more a way of cooking, rather than a recipe itself, I call it 'deep frying'. This method is not a healthy way of cooking, and if eaten in larger quantities, or too often, can cause a person to gain a lot of weight among other things, but is delicious in moderation." I pulled out a small put from my item box and added a good amount of oil to it.
"You can use lard as well, which can save on costs, but it is even more unhealthy and can give the final product an odd flavor," I explained as I began heating the small pot on the magic stove and cutting a potato slightly larger than shoestring fries.
I rinsed the fries in water with a little salt to pull out some of the starch before patting them dry with a clean cloth, explaining the importance of removing as much moisture as possible. Once the oil was heated to around the right temperature, I added a batch of fries, taking them out with a spider strainer I had made, salting them, and adding another batch.
"Once these cool down a little bit, you can try them plain, and with ketchup," I said, picking one up and blowing on it to cool it faster before tossing it in my mouth. I had not tried making these before today, so I was a bit surprised and very happy about the flavor. The difference between knowledge and experience can be quite vast, and these were better than I had expected. "These are called 'Fries', these potato fries would be good to serve at a bar, they would be popular with people who like to drink."
While the second, and last, batch of fries was cooking, I put some ketchup on a small dish to be used as a dip. "This ketchup is a type of condiment, which is to say, it is something added to food after cooking to impart a flavor. I have made a few types of condiments aside from this one as well, such as mustard." I then pulled out some mustard and put some on another small dish, saying she should try both.
About the same time the remaining fries were ready to be removed from the oil, Alma tried her first french fry. She savored the flavor for a bit before trying one with ketchup and one with mustard. I then suggested mixing a little of both and trying it that way, which she promptly did.
"These are excellent, the fries, ketchup, and mustard, but I think the ketchup is better than the mustard." She gave her answer some serious thought, it seems.
"Well, mustard is better on a sandwich anyway, if you grind these seeds more before making it, you can mix a little into the vinaigrette to change the flavor, though personally, I would also add a little honey to it as well. Though there are other condiments I have made, due to certain reasons will not be introducing those yet. The last 2 recipes I want to sell you today will take a bit to prepare, but can be considered lunch." I said as I pulled out a casserole dish, and prepared the ingredients.
I proceeded to prepare the oven, slice some potatoes and onions thin, then prepare a bechamel sauce and grated cheese, making a nice thick cheese sauce. I buttered the casserole dish, layered potato slices, followed by onion slices, followed by the rest of the potato slices, and seasoned with salt and pepper on both layers. Finally, I slowly poured the cheese sauce over the potatoes until covered, topping it with some grated cheese I had left over, and putting it into the heated oven.
I then pulled out some beef and a little bit of pork and minced both types of meat. I split the beef mixing some of it with the pork and then forming both into burgers. I then put them away in my item box, telling them that because the gratin would take about an hour longer, I would come back after stopping by the adventurers guild. I also asked them to prepare some fluffy bread for when I came back.
Arriving at the adventurers guild, there were not many people there, as most had already accepted quests and left. I walked up to a receptionist and explained who I was and why I was there, adding that I also wanted to ask Otto about another very important matter. It didn't take long for the receptionist to get permission and lead me to the same office as before, exiting quickly after seeing me in.
"I know you said you would come to get updates, but you are a bit too soon, it will take longer for the adventurers hired to get there and then to a branch to report. I heard there was another matter though?" He cut right to the chase, looking just as worn out as before.
"You still look like you haven't gotten any sleep… but at least you confirmed what the duke told me about the situation. The other thing I wanted to ask about is, did the adventurer's guild send someone to watch me?" I intentionally mentioned the duke so that he would understand that I have a connection to him, while also using it as a warning to not lie to me.
"I was able to get more sleep than before, but I still don't have time to get more. I don't know anything about anyone watching you, do you need to hire a guard? Is that why you asked?" He replied with an even tone, not giving away anything with how tired he seemed.
"No, that won't be necessary, I just need to confirm that. It would be a serious crime to have someone use stealth skills to watch or spy on someone in the capital without permission of the Duke after all. I won't take up any more of your time today, please try to get some sleep. I will visit in a few more days to see if there is anything new, thank you." I replied before exiting his office.
I confirmed while leaving his office that the one following me was still out there, and checked further to locate the one from the duke. The one I suspected to be from the guild was rather close, and the one from the duke was a bit farther. As I was passing an adventurer downstairs in a group, I activated my stealth skill, then cast a concealment barrier on myself before slipping out through the window.
I moved quickly into an alley and used body strengthening and Air Step to jump up to the roof of a building. From there I quickly made my way over to the person that has been watching me. Once I got behind them and rather close at that, I used dark magic to put the person to sleep, before dashing forward to catch them. Even being this close and seeing their face, I couldn't recognize them, not even among the people I have seen in the guild.
The unknown male was dressed in neutral colors that would blend in anywhere, seemed to have light leather armor on, and had a dagger. Not wanting to go any further with the investigation myself, I used wind magic to contact the Stealth Corp member.
"Sorry to bother you, but, both the merchant's guild and adventurer's guild claimed to not send anyone to watch me. I trust the response of the merchant's guild but don't know the vice Guildmaster of the adventurer's guild well enough to trust him. I don't have anywhere to interrogate this person I captured so could you come and take this guy from me? You're about to notice my presence for a moment, please come over, I will stop sending my voice with magic now." I said before I released my barrier and stealth skill, choosing to stop restraining my mana and physical energy like I normally do for a moment, then activated stealth again.
I felt the presence of the stealth corp member moving towards me and I sighed in relief. As soon as the individual was on the next roof over, I released my stealth and waved to them. Though they seemed startled, they came over quickly and I flipped over the unconscious unknown spy, grabbing his dagger and handing it to the stealth corp member.
"Sorry, I have something else to do, so I will leave him to you. I used dark magic to put him to sleep, if you have any other questions for me later, please have the duke send a letter to the inn." I said before activating stealth again and moving to the edge of the roof.
"Alright," came an androgynous voice.
I turned my head back and nodded before jumping from the roof and heading back towards the Yamada store. I had started working up a bit of an appetite and was beginning to look forward to lunch quite a bit.
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I love how Cero is casually wrecking common sense to a degree that people around aren't even bothering to register how overly competent he is in a weirdly inconsistent way. Like they automatically realise there's no point in trying to understand what's going on.
Casually have breakfast, shop for some spices, perform a masterclass in cooking and sales, pop out to the guild while lunch cooks, meet with the vice guildmaster on a whim, out stealth the duke's stealth agents while kidnapping the unknown spy, briefly pulse power that probably attracted the attention of more than just the agent, off to finish cooking lunch... I have to figure the only reason the duke's agent is still sane is cause they only know where Cero is and not what he's doing while there
I have a new term for these type of protagonists... Inexplicably competent, for when they have way more knowledge and experience than they plausibly could, and characters know that asking for an explanation is liable to induce migraines instead of answers.