“And the Forest is safe to traverse again? Wonderful! Our supplies have already run out last week. This will take the blade from my neck.”
“Give it a week Rendlar. There are still some stragglers, but they start to not fight without reason for the most part. They start to get reasonable again.”
“We noticed already. The Waves of Monster attacks stopped after a while. But the emergency is not lifted yet. By the way, some Mages were searching for you. They were from Malek and from Arcana. Both sides have found out about you and are thinking of visiting you.”
“This might mean trouble. Well no matter. As long as they do not mess with the buying and selling of the Merchandise you have nothing to worry. You might even trade with warring Nations, as the Peddler King is not directly affiliated with Telk, right?”
“...We have been known to be left alone in times of war, even if we traded with both sides of the battling camps, yes. I am worried about how you are mentioning this, please be reasonable and do not do anything foolish Lord Null.”
“Do not worry, I just hedge all bets to not be in trouble if the worst case sets in. As long as no one tries to steal my Land or my Possessions, I am totally docile.”
“I am worrying even more right now… I do not worry about Malek, as they might be rather strong in their own Domain, they do not have much external power, for Arcana would not want this City defecting. If you are messing with Arcana you might be really at war with Telk.”
“They would not fight me openly, if there is a hint of a chance for them to destroy the Fields.”
“True, but if they are thinking you are more of a threat, then they might just eliminate you and forgo the Mana rich food.”
“For that I would need to want to invade. I am in my own place and under my own People.”
sigh “Just be careful, okay? What do you want to do now?”
I could not answer that fast, as Snow already threw her reasoning in.
“Sightseeing! We want to walk around Telk and look for more fun things we could buy! Also I want to see other Cities, as I heard the inner Cities are way bigger than Malek!”
“Ah, that is a nice Idea dear Lady. How about I sell you a common Map for traveling?”
“It would be appreciated Rendlar, thank you. Snow we first eat something and get the Map tomorrow, okay?”
“I would love to dine out with you.”
Still trying to sound like a lady after that outburst? Well you try your best. Etiquette will be needed in the future, so work hard.
…
“Welcome to the City of Magus, Second biggest City of Telk. With whom do I have the honor to talk and might you need a Guide?”
Wow, clothes really make the difference. I am wearing clothes for lower Nobility right now and Snow is wearing a close to Victorian dress. We suddenly get preferential treatment and not even the normal question of what we want here but if we need someone to guide us. The Clothes were not cheap with fifty large Gold, but for our coffers, that is not really much right now.
“My Name is Ava and this is Snow. We would like a Guide and transportation. Might I ask if the Guide and coachman are dependable?”
“Of course! All the people on the waiting side inside are vetted and no bandit or thief is under them. Do not worry about such trivial things, we are here in a renowned City.”
“Ava, this City is way cleaner than the towns we came through. Do you think we find something interesting here?”
“Do not worry Snow. This is the former Capital. They even named it after the Job of most Nobles. We find some new Toy for you.”
“Young Lord is knowledgeable. Yes, we were the Capital until Arcana was founded. And do not worry young Lady Snow, what we do not have, only Malek might have it, but will be guarded by cutthroats or other ruffians.”
Way to tell how below Malek is, even if they have more commerce. But I think this is normal for a City, that is more Sightseeing and enjoyment than the other Cities.
Here are living many high standing Families of magical background. Many have their own state of mind and are less… crude in the handling of their affairs.
Green Fire was rather aggressive and tried to steal, what did not belong to them. Blue Ice thought everything going through their land belongs to them and Kindek and his band of… Mages, just wanted to steal.
...Man, the lowest kind of Mages inside of Telk are noble robbers. While retaliation will put them in their place, they are playing their nobility card right after they lost. There is really not a good light on them. Che…
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…
“This is Earthen Taurus Steak. Cut from the scaled horned beast from inside the abyssal Ruins. While it is rich in Mana it also has a hearty taste and strong aroma. The special herbs are from the Misty Riverside and Dark Forest for the intensity and spiciness of the sauce.”
“Ava, it tastes even better than the Cockatrice! This is heavenly!”
“Snow, decorum. But you are totally right. The Mana intensity is maybe not that high than our produce, but it has a way better taste nevertheless.”
The thin long mustache of the waiter was slightly twitching, but it was rather clear how special those products were. This Restaurant has not only the long time of perfecting Mana Cuisine, but has a long tradition.
While we eat, I explain to Snow the ins and outs of dining eloquently. She is a bit confused on so many rules, but that is the sad part of being under Nobility. We will be under them sooner or later, as I need access to their knowledge and also they will come to us.
Our fields are non stop producing. You can hear the plants grow, and are ready for harvest in only two weeks. The farmers are not even able to harvest and reseeding that fast so only two of the four Fields are used and not even fully. We make per Month twelve tons of Produce.
The fields were left bare, as we have no place to stock them. They are still fresh, as the Mana inside slowly dissipates and keeps them in perfect condition. Even cuts in the Vegetables heal like Magic… well, it is Magic, so not that surprising.
“Can we ask to see the Cook, who created this? Maybe the Owner? We would love to say our thanks and maybe ask, if they might be interested in special products, that I am trying to sell over a Merchant friend of mine.”
Yep, I am here for business. Rendlar always noted, he has not that long for Halk been seen on the map as the supplier of the Produce. He will not be able to handle it on his own, when Malek stops playing Ball, but if we sell right at a Restaurant in a large City, there will be connections rather quickly coming, smelling profit.
“I am sorry, but our Owner is not disposable and our Cook is rather busy. We can not fulfill your wish, as your time would anyhow be wasted for waiting for an opportune time.”
Short answer, Owner would not deign to show up for a lower Noble of unknown origin and the Cook is not really interested in seeing for whom he cooks. This is the third Restaurant with this demeanor.
At least Snow has fun, she never ate such luxurious food. I am also a friend of this cuisine, as it really tastes phenomenal. I should be able to grow some herbs to be able to recreate some of those intense sauces. It would be great for Snow, as she loves to eat fancy things and the cooks in our Castle love the challenge of creating special foods for her, as she is like a big Sister for all of the Children.
They even found a way to make a good meal out of a Burrower for Voids sake! That thing has melted three Pots until they found a way to marinade it, so it is usable. Kids ingenuity is scary sometimes, but Snow loved the thin sliced meat ring, so I tasted it too and was impressed.
…
Well we blasted through our Money rather quickly but did not find a decent shop for now. Every Meal we ate cost around 15 large Gold per Plate, so even I notice the drain in the coffers. What we still have is around Six Mithril and some spare, so nothing to worry for now. It would only put on dust in my coffers anyway, so a bit of splurging should be okay.
Our next place is a rather warm Family restaurant. While the Customers are less, they are always regulars as I heard from our Guide and the Food is always hearty and not small. That makes at least Snow drool in delight.
“Welcome to the Glowing Ladle. You seem new here, I hope you will enjoy our homemade Cuisine. Please have a look at our Menu and ring that bell if you have decided.”
To be honest I like that kind of Restaurant better. Not a Waiter for one table, rather a friendly elderly woman, which knows her Customers per heart and has a genuine smile. The whole Interior is clean, not spotless, but definitely cleaned daily as the tables have a used sheen to them, that shows their age and history.
Also the Prices are rather low. The highest single Dish is only 9 large Gold while other Restaurants would see that as mid range. The prices are not overinflated and have an honest range. This is not a place for high Nobility, rather for Mages who want to fill up and go out with a smile. I like it already.
“I take the Rockbiter fin Soup and what do you want Snow?”
“I take the Tremor Mole roast. I remember it from the Dark Forest.”
“Good choices! The Rockbiter is a swamp Fish, that has a smooth taste to it like a mixture of honey and spicy herbs. The Tremor Mole is recently brought back and is tender, if made correctly. You will not be disappointed.”
Well, we will see. I am looking forward to it!
…
The old Lady was not exaggerating. The Soup was really interesting. The Sweet did not come from something added but the fish itself, while it has a spicy prickly feeling in the aftertaste.
Snows Roast was not only tender, it fell apart even with the lightest touch of the Fork. She gave me a small fork and I must say I can not connect the taste from here to the Tremor Mole I ate as Twin. This is Magic of the Cooks, making things edible I would never think possible.
“This taste is great. The Mana inside is rather high, albeit not as high as our own ingredients, but really nice nonetheless. Also I wonder how you even made that rocky nightmare into such a tender and succulent meal.”
“I am really glad you liked it. We pride ourselves on our ability to create the best possible meals out of every ingredient.”
“That I can only praise, it was delicious. Is there a way to thank the cook and maybe talk to the Owner? We have some curious products, that might be interesting for them both.”
“Well, if you want to talk to my cranky husband, he will have a bit of time after the early rush. I am the Owner… sort of, as it is in our Family for three generations and is given to not only my husband as the most able cook but also as a kind of dowry to his Wife, me. What do you want to discuss?”
Ah, a Family business. Not a fake kind of business where only the owners Name is given to the next owner, but the one who really cooks and has their own hand in the middle of things. I think we have a jackpot.
“I am the owner of a piece of Land, where magical produce is grown. Also I am near some special Monster which lay unfertilized Eggs and have a rather nice taste itself. We would like to ask if you were interested.”
“I dunno, as we need stable supply and that is rather tricky without a reliable Merchant behind it.”
“That is no Problem. The Merchant is from the Peddler King, and a rather trustworthy and able person.”
“Oh, the curio Shop. I heard, they have some new products, but they are always sold out, before someone can get them.”
“That… could be my products. I have magical Vegetables. Would you like to see them?”
“Could you wait for about an hour to an hour and a half? My Husband needs to be there too. I can do the finances and tables, but he knows special products better than me.”
“No sweat. We just sit here and eat something sweet to kill time. What would you recommend Mrs. …”
“Eliza Berwick. I would suggest the honey baked berries, as they have a nice acidity to the sweet to support the digestion of the Mana.”
Well I do not need that and Snow never had indigestion even when she ate the whole skin of the Cockatrice nearly alone, but it is a great Idea, especially seeing Snows sparkling eyes already.