26 – Episode 26. Heel_(3)
“Can I clean it up like this?”
“Perfect. Now sit back and watch the master’s sword skills.”
The workbench was too crowded and there was no space in the inventory, so I brought in a hall table to secure a workbench.
Of course, it’s not me who is fragile, but Dana.
The stock is boiling well, so now it’s time to secure the ingredients and set the direction of the dish…
Everything depends on this item.
[Gnomish Crop Pile]
Right now, it looks like butterbur or taro leaves are just clumped together.
So it looks like there are no ingredients that can be used for soup.
But aren’t the possibilities endless?
Because when Jessica was used as a block of grass, an item with a completely different shape came out.
So this time, I prayed to the devil in the tower and pushed Jessica.
Dana is watching, so let’s skip her hip dance.
Activates the effect of 『Relic [Jessica].
Destroy [Gnomish crop heap].
Destroy all inedible parts.
I acquired 2 new items [Big Smir].
Acquired 4 new items [Immature Liqui Roots].
I acquired 2 new items [Hard bulbs].』
This time, three ingredients came out.
Again, it’s just an unfamiliar name, but seeing the shape of the item made me smile.
[Big Smir] Has a brown, rough surface that looks just like a giant potato or sweet potato.
[Undergrown liquid root] Looks like a thin carrot often seen in foreign cuisine.
And lastly, [Hard bulbs] Were typically bulbs of the lily family…
Most of these types will have a spicy taste of sulfur, so wouldn’t it be possible to use them as a substitute for onions?
Just looking at the shape reminds me of how to use it.
Then, Dana waved his hand and called me from the side.
“Dohyun-ah.”
“Why?”
“You seem to really like cooking.”
“Suddenly?”
“It was like that last time, but when I see you cooking, you look so happy. Is cooking that much fun?”
I’m just going to watch it… It’s coming in without warning.
In fact, if I had been asked that question a week ago, I might have answered “No, you hate it the most in the world?”
Cooking is what I did to the point of dying in my life, and it was cooking that ended everything for me.
I promised myself that I would never cook again while organizing the store.
But to be honest, I enjoy cooking here.
It’s also fun to find ingredients you’ve lived without knowing all your life.
It’s like playing a puzzle game to make judgments while looking at the ingredients, rather than a set recipe.
Also… The last time I cooked, people threw a party on their own.
When I think of the expression on Dana’s face when she patted her legs and said, “Did I like cooking this much?”, I am surprised.
“Yeah, that’s fun.”
“Hee hee… I hope we can see each other more often in the future.”
I don’t know what I want to see more often…
I can feel your energy in Dana’s words, so let’s focus on cooking again.
From noble mtl dot com
First, the skins of the three crops were turned and sheared.
Seeing that Jessica survived, I could eat the whole skin, but I want to save the chicken stock as much as possible this time.
Cut the elongated liquid roots into long chunks.
Cut smir and bulbs into bite-sized pieces.
When the bulb was cut in half, a sweet scent filled the room.
The scent is so explosive that even Dana, who is far away, sniffs.
What kind of soup would come out with these ingredients?
This is the end of the material preparation.
“Is it over already?”
As I sat down on the bench, Dana asked in surprise.
It’s not the end, but now we have to sit still and wait for the broth to finish.
Because…
“There is only one pot, so you have to wait until the broth is done.”
“Uh… That’s right. I kept looking around and it felt like I was running out of tools.”
“I can’t help it because I only brought a knife. I’m going to collect them one by one from now on.”
“Hmm… I heard that there is a fairly large city on the 10th floor, so you can buy it there. I’ll give you all the money left over from cooking this time, so buy it.”
“Thanks for the comment, but this dish is free.”
“Why? What if everything disappears?”
Why? I know.
How do I explain this?
An event is coming up and I have to make a dish for you.
Then you’re supposed to automatically give me the artifact, so just wait.
Hmm, this explanation is a bit awkward.
But at that moment, a familiar voice came from the door and rescued me.
“I must have heard the voice of the tower.”
It was a store owner.
“Sister! I was going to go find it anyway… But is it the voice of the top?”
“Have you never heard of Dana? It’s a man’s voice in my head. Climbers often hear it.”
“Ah… I know that. My mother once told me She said that sometimes she tells me what someone needs to do.”
“Yes, that. Maybe that friend heard the voice too? Give you something to eat something like this.”
“Ah… Was that something?”
Thank you for the well-timed explanation, but…
Now, Dana’s face was full of disappointment.
It’s just unfair.
I didn’t force it, but I really wanted to feed it.
But if you think about it, it might be better if it goes like this.
Because it’s better to keep a safe distance than getting closer for nothing.
“Right. They say they give you an artifact if you feed them.”
“I see… I am again.”
Then the shop owner said with a delighted expression.
It was that expression he made when he said he was having fun whenever I said something.
“You don’t have to be disappointed. Because the tower’s voice is ultimately the climber’s will. You only realize it after a while.”
“Really?”
“Sure. Everything that happens in the tower is a climber’s choice. The Tower never interferes with its will.”
“I see… But still… I hate that voice.”
“Why?”
“Everyone who hears the voice goes into the tower.”
“That’s right.”
Even though she quickly smiled brightly from her disappointed expression, Dana turned to a disappointed expression again.
The shop owner tried to say something to Dana, but eventually she stopped talking.
She seemed to know that comforting her now meant nothing to her.
She will always remain here even if all the climbers disappear into the tower.
What can I do to comfort her feelings that only she feels?
The shop owner eventually changed the topic in a hurry.
She looked back and forth between the pot on the wood fire and me, then said with an expression as if she had found her prey.
“As expected! Was that the cook? I suddenly smelled something delicious and ran to it. What the heck… Will you sell me one when it’s finished?”
“I can’t sell it at the store purchase price.”
“How about as an individual other than a store? I have a lot of money.”
“Well, let’s negotiate once the cooking is done. I had something to talk about today.”
“Today? No way… have you already collected all 1,000 gold?”
“That would be nice, but… no.”
“Hee hee hee. It’s not easy. There is still time, so do your best.”
1,000 Gold… It makes me sick again just thinking about it.
Actually, until last night I didn’t know how much gold I had.
Breaking through traps with Tilda on her back, fighting monsters, and carrying Tilda on her back again.
I was so distracted that when I gathered around 960 gold,
“If you get out of the tower, there will be 1,000 gold piled up.” And just passed it on.
So I checked my balance as soon as I woke up in the morning…
[Current holding gold: 999 gold]
After seeing that, I realized what kind of game TOE is.
It’s like a game like pine nuts.
Still… I’m glad the store owner gave me a good suggestion.
That woman would not even know in her dreams.
After a while, she realized that she would lose her ultra-rare artifact and membership card for the price of the soup she was supposed to give me.
Now this soup is at stake.
My exclusive artifact, Hotel Armadillo, and even a membership card!
Let’s wrap it up nicely.
I transferred the broth to a small wooden bowl and emptied the pot.
I put the pot on the wood fire again, and this time I put 3 of the 5 [Demon Skin] In the pot.
[Early Bird’s Skin] Was the skin of a horse, but it was the skin of a soft bird.
It’s full of thick fat like a monster!
Chiihiiik-!
Raise the pot gently to lower the temperature.
As I slowly roasted the skins, after a while, the oil began to flow out.
The scent of bulbs that used to fill the kitchen is now replaced by the savory smell of fat.
In there, large chunks of meat are put in as is, without being cut, and only the outside is browned.
Because it is advantageous to make clear soup this way.
I didn’t even know I was hungry until a moment ago, but the smell of oil and meat made me salivate.
“Whoa… What did you just put in? Smells really nice…”
“Kiya~ Is that a chicken? Smell this smell here. If I had wine, I would have no wish for climbing.”
Judging by the reaction, the smell might make all the villagers flock to it.
All the vegetables were dropped on top of the oil at the bottom of the pot.
The part of Smir, which is cooked in oil, becomes translucent, and the smell of savory starch rises.
And if the fresh scent from the bulb turns the heavy smell of oil fragrant…
Introducing the stock at this time!
Chwaaa!
The deliciously ripe bulbs turned brown and the charred parts of the roots of Smir and Liqui were mixed with the broth to create a bright, golden broth.
Now season with salt and pepper.
The chunks of meat are torn with a ladle and made into bite-size pieces.
If you add the freshness by hand tearing the [Royal Grass Stem] On top of it…
And if you take one serving into a bowl…
The cooking is complete.
Let’s check the results.
[Soup containing the essence of a rogue bird/rare]
– A dish that reproduces the food in someone’s memory.
– Just looking at the golden soup feels like healing the soul.
– When used, reduces Recaller Curse by 6.
‘That’s right!’
I cheered in my heart because it hurt Gao if I showed it too much.
Is it because of the different ingredients this time?
Or is it because of a more complex recipe?
For unknown reasons, a rare grade dish was born!
The effect is the same as the last time, treating the returning soldiers, but the boar meat was 4, and this time it was 6.
A value of 6 is a figure that can reverse 6 rooms in the labyrinth with one dish…
Even though this is only a plate, the pot is still full of soup.
I think at least 5 people will come out…
The value of the leftover soup, and the leftover ingredients, much more than that.
And how to move all of these makes my head complicated.
But for now…
Today’s main character must come first.
I grabbed Dana’s arm and went out alone.
She made her sit at the table in the middle of her table, and then the boss next door took care of herself and sat next to her.
I went back to the kitchen and put a plate of soup and cutlery in front of Dana.
“I waited a long time. As promised yesterday, this is the soup I made for you.”
Then the interrupter pushed his face from the side.
Maybe it’s because the flavor of the chicken broth in the soup is too strong. It looked like he couldn’t stand it.
“What about mine? I have to give it to you!”
“You can negotiate and eat later. Everything comes first.”
“Ugh… That’s too much…”
Now, both the shop owner’s gaze and mine gazed at Dana.
There are many things I regret about not having a proper kitchen… But I did my best.
Can the taste of my soup fill her memories?
However, Dana seemed to have no intention of raising a spoon.
She was so excited the whole time she was cooking, and now she just stares at the soup with her arms hanging down.
With a sad expression,
He continued to stare at the bowl with a subtle expression that might have been a sad one.
Would it have been better if I told you the name of the dish in advance?
Juice drips from her eyes.
I haven’t even had a bite of the real broth yet.