485 – How do we supply, the country is doomed!
Peegi and Orkma. A secret organization of pig-men that prevents them from eating pork. Man-beasts and meat. Various conflicts surrounding Endeh.
It was a very interesting piece of information, but there is something more important than that. My diet.
I can’t even order delivery food because I’m anxious about being stabbed with a knife. But if I don’t eat meat, I feel depressed just thinking about it. Above all, as a regressor with a fire in my eyes and managing money, I can’t just freely buy and eat beef while walking around.
Isn’t there a restaurant that offers delicious and stable food specifically for me, with different dishes every time?
As I pondered these useless thoughts, I soon shook my head.
Hiring a personal chef just for myself, that’s what it amounts to. That’s something only possible if I were royalty or had the wealth of a regent. For someone like me, living off the allowance from a regent, it’s an impossible task.
Oh? Wait a moment. Come to think of it, don’t regents eat like that? Lavishly or something.
Would they enjoy such goodness alone? It’s not possible. Since we’ve become colleagues, let’s share. I subtly approached the regent.
“Mr. Shay.”
“What? If you’re asking for money again, tell me what you’ll use it for, and bring the receipt later.”
The regent, sitting at his desk and writing something, replied irritably. Look at that grumpy attitude.
“Do I look like a creature that only opens its mouth for an allowance? Forget that, it’s a different story.”
“A different story? Do you have a strategy to deal with the Wolf King?”
“No. Besides that.”
“It’s a useless story. We don’t have time for that now.”
The regent, tapping the paper with his pen, said.
“Do you know what the Wolf King is searching for?”
“Of course, I do. It’s Azji, right?”
“That’s right. The Wolf King is searching for the King of Dogs. So, the King of Dogs wanders the world, looking for someone to stand against the wolves. This time, the current King of Dogs, Azji, went to a military state, and the military state deceived him, putting him in a dungeon. Do you know why they did that?”
Who are you asking? I am the King of Humans, even if it’s through regression. Even if I can see the future through regression, do I know better than the parties involved in the promise?
“In case the Wolf King comes.”
“… I know. The dungeon is a complete different space cursed by the Goddess of Fate. When Azji disappeared, the Wolf King lost his trail and started wandering. That’s why the Wolf King has been roaming the southern plains of the Engo region for a long time.”
“But?”
“Don’t you still get it? It’s only a matter of time before the Wolf King comes all the way here!”
The Wolf King instinctively seeks the King of Dogs. The King of Dogs, in turn, seeks humans to help. Even if unintentional, the two kings naturally meet, fight, and kill each other.
After Azhi entered En-de, it was bound to happen. But… everyone knew it, right?
“Why is that? It’s what Shae intended. To harness the power of En-de.”
En-de, the city that had long been in conflict with the Wolf King. It had fences and strong traps to stop the wolves, along with resilient residents. Always ready to fight, as it was the closest to the threat.
In fact, the reason I didn’t bother working was that En-de had developed to be able to fight wolves in case of a similar situation. There was no reason for me to intervene.
From Noble mtl dot com
“Sigh. This is something hard to explain without regression or foresight. Should I say it’s to stimulate Hughes’s sense of crisis…?”
Is there still something I’ve hidden? Well, judging by your appearance, it seems more like I just forgot.
The regressor cautiously floated luck.
“This is confidential. Actually, there’s a hidden problem in En-de.”
“Wow. Shae, you’re really amazing. Trapped in the Dungeon for over half a year, previously getting all kinds of treasures and even mastering mana. And now, you know the secret of a small city on the outskirts of the Engo Plains?”
The regressor had nothing to say and got annoyed for no reason.
“…Yeah! I heard it from the Sage Clan. Is it okay now?”
“You finally spilled it with your own mouth. Are you ready to leave now?”
“You were the one who doubted first! Just listen!”
Ugh. This never happened when Teyr was around. Unable to scold immediately, I sat quietly in front of the regressor and listened.
“Yeah. This city originally had many humans due to the changes, but after the threat of wolves emerged, humans started leaving gradually. There are still many humans left, but now it’s almost like a territory ruled by the residents.”
It seems so. The most common beings I’ve seen here have been residents, and economic activities were thriving. Other countries can’t get their supernatural beings to be economically active like this.
In military nations, supernatural beings are exploited the same way, in imperial nations, the economy itself is ruined, and in republics, whether supernatural beings or humans, they are treated equally as livestock.
…Come to think of it, in the countries I’ve experienced so far, the issue of racial discrimination hasn’t been mentioned much. Well, there’s no point in discriminating against each other in the same slum.
“But supernatural beings are not fools either. It’s a well-known fact that humans are using supernatural beings as a bulwark. Many supernatural beings think they should be treated as they deserve, considering the amount of blood spilled. They act to gain more rights.”
More rights? Ah, so that’s why Pigi made the orcs.
I spoke with the intention of appealing the information I had discovered.
“Like an Orc?”
“Orc? Pig-like beings? They do hold a significant presence. However, they are not necessarily the main force among the pig-like beings.”
The regressor seemed unaware of Orcma. I shrugged my shoulders, which had risen slightly.
Well, it seems Orcma is not in the regressor’s memory. So, Orcma is just a petty criminal terrorizing people who really eat pork?
“Anyway, some of them… would rather align with the Wolf King to drive humans out.”
“Is that possible? The Wolf King would tear apart any human at first sight.”
“For ordinary humans, yes. But not for the beastmen. Especially the werewolves, known as Wolfra, lead powerful packs under the Wolf King.”
No matter how powerful the Wolf King is, there is a limit to forming a pack with beasts. Even with a powerful army, the issue of supply becomes a formidable enemy.
However, with Wolfra below, the story changes. If there is human intelligence and knowledge, even a pack of beasts can gain an advantage.
I mentioned it was urgent because of them. Since the Wolf King has moved, I don’t know what interference they might bring.
…Certainly, Orcma seems to be treated as a mere criminal. Oh, it was an interesting issue. Too bad.
“Now understand? When I told you to build power, it was to prepare for potential interference. It’s good to have the ability to move freely in case of similarity.”
“I see now. I’ll create it once.”
“Hmph. When will you come?”
“A few days should be enough. But, Mr. Shea, I have something curious to ask.”
“What now?”
Suddenly, talking about Ende’s story made me miss the timing. Now I brought up the main point.
“How does Mr. Shea eat meals?”
“Meals? Unless there’s something special, I eat a regular meal.”
“So, what is it?”
‘Ah, come to think of it, have I ever shown Huz a decent meal until now? Well, didn’t show during the solitude in the Mujeogang, and after that, always had to eat on the move, so meals were hastily put together.’
“Yeah. I’ll show you.”
The regressor opened his pocket without much thought. A crack appeared in the air, and beyond it, a space allowed only for the regressor shimmered. After briefly rummaging through that place, the regressor took out a covered plate.
“I have a magic plate. It automatically cooks if you supply food ingredients.”
As he lifted the lid, the plate was empty. The regressor closed the lid again, gently pressed the lid handle. Ding. A small bell rang, and the lid began to shake, emitting smoke.
After a while, the vibrations subsided. The regressor opened the lid again. Inside, layers of marinated and grilled meat were placed on the plate.
“What’s this! Did you perform magic or something?”
“Magic plate. It’s just a plate, but it’s a treasure that produces a thousand dishes automatically when you supply ingredients. It was created as a heirloom by the Imperial chef who mastered even ancient magic.”
What a luxurious heirloom? Wait a minute. Then, could it be that we’ve never seen him eat in the Mujeogang until now?
“Have you been cooped up in the room, eating delicious food alone all this time?!”
“Cooped up? Anyway, the magic plate can only make one dish at a time. If you move around, the cooking doesn’t go well, and once it’s made, you have to wait for the lid to cool down.”
“Just wait a moment! Some people barely managed to fill their hungry stomachs by eating a can of canned food! You filled your stomach with delicious food alone and complained when we suggested ordering delivery?!”
“Why, why like that? I didn’t even refuse to buy food. I meant to work and eat, not just eat without doing anything.”
I almost died eating that rice! Such a selfish brat. If there’s such a stable food supply, share it. He doesn’t even think about sharing with others!
Suddenly, Azhi, who had approached, was also staring at the plate with blinking eyes.
“I’m starting to doubt if Shae sees us as colleagues.”
“Bark! Monopoly! Bad! Distribution! Good!”
“How important is it to have something to eat? Keeping it to yourself and not telling anyone.”
“Bark bark bark! Delicious smell! Awoo! Hungry!”
“Ah, got it! Just one bowl will do!”
‘Since the ingredients are stacked in my pocket like a mountain, it doesn’t matter if you give some. I didn’t tell you because I was afraid you’d keep bothering me to cook.’
If it doesn’t matter, you should have given it to me earlier! The world is running inefficiently because of stingy people like you!
The time-traveler took out the ingredients from their pocket, placed them on the plate, and used a skillful cooking technique again. It seemed like they didn’t add any special ingredients, but after passing through the treasure, it was reborn into a court dish with thinly sliced and dried vegetables.
“There.”
“Woof!”
“Azzy, stop daydreaming. Can’t you see I gave it for humans to eat?”
Pushing Azzy, who was already swallowing two pieces of meat, away, the time-traveler blocked his mouth to prevent him from eating more.
Delicious.
Though it looks simple on the surface, the subtle sprinkling of spices and the fresh vegetables maximize the flavor of the ingredients. From texture to aroma, it is exceptionally well-crafted. It’s different from restaurants that simply boil meat and bones together. Is this the power of the treasure?
As if enchanted, the fingers moved on to find the next piece of meat, and soon, they were poking an empty plate. Did Azzy already eat them? No, there weren’t many to begin with. It seems like someone is inflating the price for exotic food.
This just makes me hungrier. While idly playing with the plate, as if expected by the time-traveler, he said.
“Look. It’s not enough.”
…So what? I was puzzled and questioned him.
“Why do you sigh as if you did something good? Don’t want to share anymore and want to eat alone now? Seriously. You don’t even have the most basic sociability. You’ve really fallen, haven’t you?”
“Woof woof! More!”
“No, Azzy. You can’t. It has vegetables and seasoning, so if a dog eats it, it might have diarrhea.”
“Woof! I eat anything!”
“Normally, you never touch vegetables, but now you’re trying to appeal as an omnivore here?”
Certainly, sharing doesn’t seem satisfying. Next time, I should outsmart Azzy and eat alone. While engaging in a staring contest with Azzy until the next dish arrives, the time-traveler stopped what he was doing and looked at me and Azzy with a pitiful gaze.
“It’s noisy over the littlest things.”
‘Even though we eat to supplement nutrients, it seems unnecessary to go to such lengths.’
If that’s the case, give me a full meal voucher and go buy something to eat! Not only am I full, but they’re even trying to deceive me!
Regardless of my inner thoughts, the returnee’s mind was incredibly calm as he looked at me and Aji bickering, giving a slight smile, almost invisible.
‘…Eating together isn’t so bad.’