NOVEL NEXT Chapter 402
Although right now it’s just like a divine power-fueled cola dispenser, the fact that Eranosa’s pot is a divine object doesn’t change.
Did Wales not mention it?
It’s a pot that Eranosa herself lent to the Apostle.
The original ability of such a miraculous pot was to freely create desired dishes or beverages, as long as the user’s divine power allowed.
Of course, neither Catherine nor Karem expected that much. After all, the original owner, the god, is dead.
In that light, how powerful must Eranosa’s influence and authority have been to have a divine object functioning even after the god’s death?
It’s almost like a computer running without a CPU!
Sure, the miraculous pot has been demoted to a cola dispenser, but just the fact that it still works is truly astonishing.
In such circumstances, Eranosa’s pot devoured the immense divine power contained in Skadi’s holy relic and the Giant’s Heart, both S-grade magic stones.
Thus, there could definitely be size adjustments and skill slot increases.
“But what should I create in those slots?”
I suddenly thought of spices, but the potency allowed by Eranosa’s pot is strictly within the realm of food and drinks.
Thanks to the list of items I can’t even create, the range has narrowed significantly, yet there are still so many things I want to make.
Most of them belong to realms hard to achieve by human hands.
In simpler terms, mass-produced items, tailored mainly by large corporations.
That’s precisely why I struggled to decide on one.
Among all those mass-produced goods, what should I choose?
“Soda? Fanta? No, those are already covered by cola. The flavors differ, but putting another carbonated drink in seems off. If so, how about ramen? No, I mean… how often do I make ramen in a week? Sure, it tastes good, but still.”
“Ugh, why can’t spices work? Ugh. MSGs galore… Wait, thinking about it, I can ask Mary to make a stock rich in natural MSG, so it shouldn’t matter, right?”
“No, that’s wrong. Thanks to Mary, I can make just about anything, but if we go beyond mass-produced items to the stuff I really want to eat—”
To choose this or that, that is the question.
Karem felt like he might be stuck in decision paralysis.
Once he decided on one, another idea would pop up, and if he pondered whether to pick that one, another conundrum would arise, endlessly repeating this cycle.
“Oyster sauce? Speaking of which, I’ve never seen oysters in Winterhome, huh? But turning the pot into one that just spits out oysters seems a bit—”
As he was about to drown in the web of contemplation, questions, and answers returning to questions again—
“Karem! Is there something inside the pot? Huh? Nothing? Are you thinking hard about what to create this time?”
“…Ugh.”
“If it’s too troubling, just postpone it to later.”
“Sigh… I was considering making soda, but… that might be good.”
Karem returned the shrunken pot to the ground, handing over the decision-making rights to his future self.
“But soda? Are you talking about Sidre?”
“What’s Sidre?”
“A cider from Bersengzeto. Known for its refreshing carbonation.”
“It’s not alcohol; it’s a beverage from my previous life. To put it metaphorically… it’s a carbonated drink that’s sweet instead of bitter?”
“Hmm… is that all?”
“Well, there’s a hint of citrus that adds to its refreshment.”
“Compared to cola?”
“Much cleaner and has no aftertaste.”
A colorless, transparent liquid bubbling with bubbles.
The refreshing aroma to be felt each time the carbonation burst.
“I suppose if you added heaps of sugar to carbonated water, something similar might come out.”
“Ah, that’s right. So true.”
Catherine lightly repeated the taste in her mind and came to a conclusion.
“That would go perfectly with Komposta.”
“Is that a Servianus dish?”
“It’s a dessert-like beverage where you boil peeled fruits in a sugar solution and chill it.”
“Sounds like hwachae.”
“Hwachae?”
Catherine looked puzzled for a moment but quickly collected herself.
The method of preparation aside, it was simple enough that it could have existed in Karem’s previous life.
“Yes. It’s a drink that feels like a snack made by adding various fruits to soda. Usually, a watermelon is the main ingredient and it’s served in the watermelon rind, right? If not, we use a bowl.”
“Huh? Why would anyone seek an unripe watermelon if it’s bitter and astringent? Don’t you know the phrase ’empty watermelon’?”
“Huh? Bitter and astringent? Empty—ah.”
Finally, Karem understood the sudden gap that appeared.
It’s accurate to say that no food ingredient consumed by modern people has skipped hybridization.
Starting from the Fire Witch Finger, which was improved into various types like bell pepper, paprika, and tomato at Karem’s request.
Recall that makes Karem think of the origins of the fruits he encountered in videos.
Small-sized bananas more seed-heavy than pulp, eggplants that are smaller than a finger segment, carrots resembling weed roots, corn less impressive than dogtail grass, among many others.
“Sounds like it hasn’t been improved much.”
“Improved? You mean watermelons? I mean, they do have a fair amount of water for a fruit. Seems like watermelons weren’t that great to eat in your previous life?”
“Crunchy, cool, watery, and sweet, so nobody dislikes them. Thank goodness their price is through the roof!”
“Expensive?”
Catherine found Karem’s quasi-sighing complaint unfamiliar.
She found it hard to conceive how someone living in the most prosperous period in history could think fruit prices were high.
“With Seophone Kingdom money, you might get an apple for 10 pence if you’re lucky.”
“…10 pence would be enough for ten apples at the market.”
“Hmm, indeed. That’s abnormal.”
“Then watermelons must be even pricier.”
“They are.”
In an area already subject to hellish climates by default.
The warming of the climate further dragging the peninsula into despair.
On top of that, the middlemen, who have always toyed with prices.
A trio of immutable deterioration persists, and for fruit prices not to plunge, it would be a remarkable phenomenon.
Realizing this, it became clearer that, compared to his previous life, prices are definitely lower.
Nothing’s really terribly overpriced when the gold coins are overflowing now.
“In any case, watermelons… if you want to try one, you could order it next time.”
“Should I tell Mary about that?”
“Sure. Although there might be significant differences from what you’ve described, it could still taste good added into syrupy carbonated water.”
“You mentioned it was bitter and astringent, but it should still have some remedy in watermelon.”
Unconsciously closing the recipe that sprang to mind right away.
It wasn’t for any reason like recalling the recipe.
After all, who in their right mind would write out the recipe for hwachae?
Maybe somewhere in the world, someone does, but at least Karem does not.
It’s as simple as taking a watermelon, cutting it in half, scooping out the insides, tossing in whatever fruit comes to hand, and pouring soda over it.
A recipe for such a hwachae?
Not to mention that in his previous life, fruit prices were outrageous, and he couldn’t even recall when he had the last hwachae, but now it was different.
Fruit prices are ridiculously cheap.
Excessively so compared to his previous life.
Before even thinking about it, the concept of price had become meaningless.
Anyway, he was in a situation where fruits regularly arrived in boxes or bags.
As long as there’s a desired fruit, he only needs to ask.
“But where do they get the watermelon from here?”
“In Euroland, you can only find them imported from the Kingdom of Adobice. Why, are you afraid you won’t be able to find one?”
“Of course not.”
After all, he’d just recently received green tea imported from the fantasy-Chinese lands way beyond the Kingdom of God.
Compared to that distance, Adobice’s is less than a fourth.
With winter right around the corner, any doubt about obtaining one was trivial.
As mentioned earlier, he just received green tea, so it seemed absurd to think he couldn’t find just a watermelon scouring vast Iceland.
Someone on Seophone Island must be selling watermelons.
Karem would just need to show courtesy to the warehouse keeper, Auger, and request it.
But hold on a second.
“Watermelon… oh, there’s a greenhouse here.”
“Suddenly, a greenhouse? Ah, that’s right. There’s indeed a greenhouse.”
It was the result of Alfred, who had first indulged in a grand variety of terrains and seasons.
Naturally, various crops were grown in the respective zones, including fruits.
After all, the Fire Witch Finger and its improved varieties grew that way.
“First, I’ll ask Corvus, and if he doesn’t have any, then I can request from the warehouse later.”
“Or you could ask Princess Alicia directly when she officially visits tomorrow.”
Saying that, Catherine suddenly fell silent for a moment with a bewildered expression.
“This is surprising; how could she visit officially? The words simply don’t align on my tongue.”
“That makes sense. She used to sneak in from wherever and surprise us.”
Although the frequency of being caught by Mary had increased compared to the past, it still wasn’t frequent enough to be equal in count.
Now that Alicia was scheduled to visit tomorrow.
It’d been a whole week since then.
Curious about how much Karem had changed, considering how much Popins, their private tutor, couldn’t keep the smile off his face, he resolved to prepare a little surprise gift as an insight.
Just in time, he had also come across a nice item.
The next day, when Catherine was staring blankly at the result, she turned her head away.
The slightly dirty look in her eyes seemed to doubt whether this was the special gift that was boasted about.
“What is this? A doughnut?”
“It’s fried apple, actually.”
“Yet it looks like a ring?”
“That’s because I cut it horizontally and scooped out the seeds.”
If that was the case, she certainly understood the look now.
On the plate lay fried apples placed in a slightly overlapping manner, resembling petals.
Perhaps because they were fried without peeling, the golden fry coating occasionally shimmered in gold when viewed from a different angle.
The fresh and appetizing aroma of apple wafted up through the batter, still warm enough to envelop her in warm comfort against the chilly air.
To finish it off and enhance both taste and texture, a sprinkling of fine sugar along with cinnamon powder.
The granules sprinkled evenly on the uneven batter sparkled, reflecting the light like magic stones.
That was Karem’s intention all along. Surely, they wouldn’t get splattered everywhere.
“But hey.”
Catherine’s eyebrows furrowed.
“Isn’t the quantity too small? Even for a snack, it seems a bit lacking.”
“Well, what can I say? I only managed to get one golden apple from the auction.”
“Couldn’t you have fried other apples to supplement the amount?”
“If I did that, the disparity with the golden apple fried dish would be way too much. Still, just in case Mary felt it might not be enough, I made a little extra too.”
“Ah, I see. No wonder I found a dessert in the refrigerator for once.”
“You checked?”
“Just passed by. I saw Mary had it covered and there was a sign saying ‘Do not touch.'”
If that were the case, Catherine thought there’s no problem, and turned her gaze back to the plate displaying the golden apple fried dish.
She too had quite the experience with golden apples before.
Their density was unmatched compared to ordinary apples.
With that came the naturally occurring crispness.
As soon as you slice it, the juices would surge out along the cut, beading like honey and running along the surface.
Now, frying such an apple in oil.
On top of that, adding sugar and cinnamon.
With expectations brimming from a completely different cooking method compared to the various apple dishes she’d eaten until now, she naturally asked.
“So, how did it taste?”
“Huh? The taste?”
“The golden apple fried dish! You cooked it, so you must have tasted it, right?”
While gulping cola that approached her lips, her eyes glimmered.
But Karem couldn’t answer that question.
“Unfortunately, I haven’t tasted it myself.”
“What? So then—”
“Indeed, Mary tasted it.”
And Mary wasn’t present here at this moment.
She was standing by the entrance of the Wizard’s Tower preparing to welcome guests.
Just like the curious Karem and Catherine, Mary was brimming with questions as Alicia, who possessed surprising talents allowing her to permeate even the realm of House Fairies, had officially sent an invitation.
Creak… creak…
In the moment they heard footsteps, the heads of the attendants swiftly turned.
Having been waiting long before the scheduled time, they had been tricked multiple times by the wizards passing by, but this time felt different.
The sound of Mary’s footsteps, paired with unmistakably smaller pattering following closely behind.
This was a sound they had never heard within the Wizard’s Tower, and with time, it drew closer.
“Princess Alicia has arrived.”
Mary opened the door and stepped in.
“Hehe. That’s right; Alicia is here!”
“Hmm. You haven’t changed, I see.”
“Strangely comforting, isn’t it?”