Getting up early in the morning, Johann quickly makes the front-line essentials such as bread and pastry and gets to work on making some breakfast for the rest of the group. Brewing some coffee and tea, he wakes up Will to make the main course. With a bothered voice, “You, of all people, should know how to cook an omelet, mate… Well then; give me 6 eggs, some cheese, some type of ham and a frying pan. Turn on the launcher and make some bread for me, would you?”, says Will, getting up from San’s side. Sliding out of somewhere, “You are accustomed to the habit, I suppose. But, make me some of that omelet, or whatever; I have become tired of your soup, lately”, says Yuki. Picking Yuki up from the neck, “For hangovers, some spring water is quite nice. Yesuntuki, was it? Get that for me, would you?”, says Will as the cat Yuki escapes the grasp of Will, reforming into her human form. Walking out the front door, “Your 20 kopek is still with me, mate”, she says as Li wakes up.

“We would buy the tickets from the station so we would not need to hurry for anything. Mr. Johann, where would I get a mug?”, says Li, searching the cupboards. “The top left one. I should have a coffee mug there but you can drink tea out of it. Say, why couldn’t you make some out of mana?”, says Johann, readying the table with an assortment of bread. Suppressing the slightest bit of seeping, “In the morning, I cannot really control my capacity. Even if it is to make something as small as a mug, I could potentially overflow and drip some enough to power a building for half a day”, says Li, pouring tea for himself in the kitchen. Within a bit of panic, “Eh? So, you cannot make rice for breakfast?”, says Will, almost burning the ham star. “Sadly, no. And, even if I were to make some, I would not make a presentable produce. I do not eat such a thing on a daily basis, believe it or not”, says Li, periodically sipping from his mug. Letting out a big sigh, “Okay, we can make this work, somehow. So, where do you store your pasta, Johann?”, says Will, searching the drawers on the island. “Pasta? Is that some kind of pastry, perhaps? I do not store, or make, something like that. If you want a substitute for the rice, I have these long noodles I got from a traveling merchant. He said it was something called Udon and it is best to eat it after soaking them in thick broth”, says Johann, handing Will a vacuum sealed noodle packet out of the freezer.

Boiling a simple bone broth and a couple of sides as complements, Will puts the noodles in, cooking them in the hot soup. “Johann, mate, do you know how to age certain things?”, asks Will as he starts seasoning some lettuce. “Yes… I am a baker so I would need the dough to proof quickly. Why asked?”, answers Johann. Putting his seasoned lettuce in a clay pot, “Age these fine specimens. As you could probably guess by the smell, this is something spicy. I found you had chili paste, just being wasted in one of your cupboards, so, I put them to good use. If you age this lettuce, you will get, what is known as, kimchi. So, do as you will and age them for 6 months”, says Will, going back to stirring the soup. The aging process could be replaced with a constant flow of flavorful aroma inside the container and the separation of water from the main solids. While it is not ideal, the process is almost identical to the real deal but much faster, requiring only a few minutes to do.

Euphorically, “Ah-ha~ Thank God you had something as rare as these just sitting in your fridge, Johann. In the lengthy 22 years of my existence, I have only seen these 3 or 4 times. Who was the bazaar?”, says Will, leaning on the countertop. “Laurence, was it? A white-haired fellow, about the same age as you, that traveled all across the continent, selling any and every thing that could be sold in value. I heard his nickname was “Spice” as he was akin to the Europeans in search of spice to sell. He also traveled with a girl, about 18 or 19. He sold those noodles and some other canned goods he had lying around in his carriage for a lower price here”, says Johann, sitting on the couch, sipping from a cup which he had put coffee in. Tilting the lid on the broth, “Oh, Spice? I thought you would know more about him than a white-haired fellow; he is a part of the Road Merchants’ Guild, quite close to the Artisans’. Say, when did they go by?”, says Will. “In late July, when you were away in Berlin”, answers Johann.

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As the birdcage with the clay pot suspends in the air, it simulates an ideal process of aging and accelerates it with some added force. Opening the door to a very strong smell, “Why are you making that, now?”, says Yuki, carrying a bag full of groceries. “Well, you know, sauerkraut is bland and Asian cuisine is never the same without something spicy and strong. And, Johann said he could age this quickly so I made some to help with San’s hangover”, says Will, straining the noodles and separating the broth. “Hey, mate, the lettuce has been aged”, says Johann, suspending the lettuce bunch over the pot. Licking a drop which had landed on his wrist, “Bloody hell, this is spicy. Why did you make such a thing?”, he says.

“What is that smell?”, says San, waking up to the ready meal. Putting the hot pot on the table, Will pours the broth into a bowl, puts the noodles in, sprinkles some sesame seeds on top and says “If I had some more time, I would have made you something even more special. Ah well~ It is what it is, eh? So, this is what the Japanese call Hakodate style Udon and “Omu-to-Hoshi”, along with a spicy lettuce side called kimchi, darkened fish sauce and some greens. Shokuyoku osei”. Visibly hungover, “That bourbon really hit different – far worse than vodka, Vittu~. Would you be kind enough to-”, she says as Will puts some noodles in her mouth. “Eat it before it cools. If you want some meat, I will cook some in the leftover broth. So, eat up and ready for today, Rakas”, he says, standing up and making everyone else’s meal.

“Hey, I was wondering, where did you get a clay pot like that, Mr. Johann?”, asks Li, slurping the noodles. Bringing the pot over, “This was a present given to me by a friend, a long time ago, along with a jar of chili paste and some rice wine… Say, if we get to Japan, I would like to introduce you guys to him. Especially you, Li”, says Johann. Opening the sealed bottle of spring water, “Well then, I hope you guys slept well”, starts pouring it into everyone’s glass, “As we have talked yesterday, we will get on a train to Berlin to get our visas and papers then we would go to Danzig where we meet up with the Artisans’ Association, getting the pass to Russia. That is the first of our objectives: get the necessary paperwork and cross the border without any major issue. Do note that we have two to three convicts among us: Li, who is the actor of terror under the mask of hexagon; and Yuki, who used to be wanted for several war crimes and felonies. So, if no problems rise and we get to Berlin, we would be rid of such titles and travel without unease along the planned route. Please, be at ease, as I have contacted the necessary people needed to cleanse such atrocities, even though I did not want to”, finally pours some into his glass, “Cheers to our future – the amnesia of the past”, says Will, raising a toast. Conversely, “Cheers!”, “To our future!”, “To forget the past!” and “Aye~” could be heard.