Who Is the World’s Strongest Appraiser? ~Living in Another World With Satisfying Meals~

The Customer Has Fallen For Mayonnaise

“…Huh? You’re refusing?”

With a firm grip on his arm, the man yelled, and Yuuri responded indifferently. In response, the man collapsed as if witnessing the end of the world. He fell with a face filled with despair. Everyone hurriedly asked if he was okay, but the man didn’t respond. He seemed thoroughly hopeless.

In Yuuri’s hand was the remaining mayonnaise made today. It was the portion left over from making potato salad, but since it would be used for tomorrow’s breakfast preparation, it wasn’t considered remaining despite being left over.

Objects with designated purposes aren’t considered remaining if they have a designated use. Therefore, Yuuri easily refused the man’s offer.

The man being cared for by everyone was a fairly well-known traveling merchant.

Although the main store was technically in the capital city of Draherun, his temperament as a traveling merchant led him to peddle various goods from town to town. He entrusted his wife and children with the main store in the capital while he traveled for procurement and sales. His name was Halos.

The reason this man was in the hideout of the Crimson Lynx was because they had agreed to handle the collection of goods to be taken to the next town. The exchange of goods was primarily conducted at this hideout. Since Halos’ shop was popular, it was easier to handle the exchange here than to disturb his work.

After all, Halos traveled with all his goods packed into a magic bag. He conducted his merchant business with the appearance of just a traveler, not immediately recognizable as a merchant. That was Halos’ style. When he was a fledgling merchant, he and an adventurer entered a dungeon together and luckily discovered a large number of magic bags. He still used one of them today.

“What…? To have such groundbreaking merchandise…!”

Halos, tinted with despair, appeared pathetic, but Yuuri paid no mind. The bowl containing mayonnaise was returned to the refrigerator. The uncle was saying something on his own, but it was a story that had nothing to do with Yuuri.

“Y-Yuuri-kun! I beg you! Please sell me that mayonnaise!”

“I told you, I’m refusing, didn’t I? I’ll be using it for tomorrow’s breakfast preparation.”

“I’ll pay any amount!”

“Huh? I don’t need it. I’m not short on money.”

The merchant uncle shouted that he would pay any amount. It seemed like a considerable opportunity for profit, but Yuuri didn’t care. Food, clothing, and shelter were guaranteed at the Crimson Lyn” hideout, and there was also a small income from Shushu and hairpin side jobs lately. He didn’t particularly want anything, nor did he have anywhere to go, so Yuuri didn’t need money.

Still, everyone was amazed at how Yuuri, who would typically jump at such an offer, smoothly ignored it. Alongside the amazement, there was an atmosphere of “Well, that’s just Yuuri…” It was understandable. Ali also thought so. Everyone had long understood that Yuuri had no interest in making money.

“…Hey, Yuuri.”

“Hmm? What is it, Yak?”

“It’s not like you have to sell the mayonnaise, but wouldn’t it be nice to teach him how to make it?”

“Teach him? The recipe for mayonnaise? Do you want that?”

“”Well, of course, you do.””

Whether Yak felt sorry for the shocked Halos, he spoke up. To that question, Yuuri tilted his head with an increasingly incomprehensible expression. For him, it was just mayonnaise. A tasty accompaniment to rice. A familiar condiment. That was his extent of understanding, so he completely failed to grasp the impact mayonnaise had on everyone else.

It was an unknown ingredient. Furthermore, its versatility was incredible. Nobody could have imagined it would go well with vegetables, meat, and fish. Hence, it wasn’t surprising that Halos, who had mixed it in with tonight’s dinner, was impressed and eagerly latched onto mayonnaise as a new seasoning he had discovered. Apart from Yuuri, it was a story easily understood by everyone else.

“Can you teach me the recipe!?”

“Huh? Oh, well, it’s quite simple. I don’t mind teaching you.”

“Please do!”

As Halos eagerly grabbed onto it, Yuuri, while bewildered, verbally explained how to make mayonnaise. During the explanation of the ingredients, he mentioned that he had made mayonnaise using only egg yolks, but using whole eggs would yield a different taste. He also recommended using vegetable oil, such as olive oil or rapeseed oil, as it would be lighter and tastier than other oils. Furthermore, he explained that using lemon instead of vinegar or adding herbs would change the flavor. After finishing the instructions on how to make it, including the caution to mix it carefully to prevent separation, Halos trembled with excitement. However, Yuuri couldn’t understand why the old man was so moved. To Yuuri, the golden egg for Halos was nothing more than a recipe for a househusband.

“Thank you, thank you, Yuuri-kun! Of course, I’ll pay you royalties!”

“Huh? What’s that about…? I don’t need it. Mayonnaise is a seasoning you can make at home.”

“You don’t need it?! Even though you know such a groundbreaking recipe?! You… you’re so selfless!”

“Ehh…?”

While Halos made a fuss, Yuuri was utterly perplexed. Contrary to Halos’ excitement, Yuuri was constantly puzzled. Halos had received what he considered a valuable recipe, so he had intended to pay for it. However, Yuuri didn’t care at all. Halos, turning to Ali with a questioning look, couldn’t understand what kind of person Yuuri was. Ali, looking bothered, averted his gaze. He surely didn’t want to be involved in this situation.

After talking for a while, Halos also noticed Yuuri’s precariousness. Apart from carefree money rolling around, he couldn’t think of any other aspect. This was dangerous. This was risky. The conclusion Halos reached was.

“Yuuri-kun, you should register with the production guild.”

Indeed, so that’s how it is.

Amidst everyone’s agreement, Yuuri alone was puzzled, twisting his head. It was like he was asking, “What’s the production guild?”

The production guild is essentially a guild that manages patents, like. Recipes and blueprints registered by someone are smoothly utilized by paying a fee. Of course, it’s free for others to improve upon the same recipe. However, to prevent disputes, it’s a system to define the original or the main source. So to speak.

Furthermore, by wholesaling items to the production guild, they undergo quality control and are then distributed to merchant guilds or wholesale markets. Merchants appreciate being able to reliably obtain products of a certain quality.

Of course, not all craftsmen who make things are registered with the production guild, as some have a craftsman-like attitude of only selling to those they approve of. However, weaker craftsmen who cannot protect themselves may be guaranteed their know-how by joining the production guild.

“You’re going to register the mayonnaise recipe you taught with the production guild. By doing so, others can also learn this recipe. And no one will arbitrarily claim to be the original. Plus, you’ll receive a usage fee for the recipe.”

“…No, I’m not really the developer of mayonnaise or anything like that, so…”

“Yak, take this idiot to the production guild tomorrow morning.”

“Understood, leader!”

“Huh? Why? Hey, Yak?”

Yuuri was being ignored, and the conversation was progressing on its own. However, everyone thought Halos’ words were sensible. Ali told him to register the scrunchies and hairpins, leaving Yuuri even more confused.

Halos seemed interested in these words and asked about Shushu and hairpins, so Yuuri took out the items he had stored in his school bag. These were the products of his part-time job making Shushu and hairpins. Yuuri thought of them as just hobbies or part-time work, but with a skill level of 50, they turned into excellent products.

As a result, although asked by the merchant Halos to sell them, Yuuri refused. He had already promised to wholesale them to the owner of a clothing store. It wouldn’t be right to break that promise.

“These hair accessories will sell. I’m sure they’ll sell well even in other towns.”

“Is that so?”

“Absolutely!”

Even if Halos insisted, Yuuri had no intention of selling them. He politely declined, causing Halos to sigh.

However, while holding a paper with the mayonnaise recipe written down firmly in his mind, Halos seemed somewhat pleased. He even said he would accompany Yuuri to the production guild tomorrow. With the well-known merchant Halos accompanying him, the Crimson Lynx welcomed the idea. …However, the conversation progressed, leaving Yuuri behind.

“…Anyway, can I have seconds?”

“Oh, yes. There’s still potato salad and soup. We’re out of meat, though.”

“Then, I’ll have more potato salad and soup. Please.”

“Sure thing.”

With a cheerful smile, Yuuri prepared seconds for Halos. He signaled to the residents, who were clamoring for more, that the customer comes first with a refreshing smile. Yuuri was unexpectedly strong in situations like this. Although he was usually gentle, he was incredibly firm when it came to distributing meals.

Incidentally, today’s main dish was steamed viper with sake. Viper meat had a texture similar to chicken breast or thigh. So, using sake and salt as seasoning, Yuuri made steamed viper. He simmered it carefully over time to prevent it from becoming dry, so it was closer to a simmered dish rather than a steamed one.

Yuuri chose to simmer it in water with added sake and salt instead of steaming it because he thought that if it were steamed, inexperienced cooks like Mag and Yak might mess it up and make it dry. Another reason was to allow the flavor of the meat to permeate the soup by simmering it slowly. Then, he used the broth to make a clear soup with sliced onions and egg whites.

However, the viper meat, which seemed tasteless at first glance, became tender and concentrated in flavor when simmered in sake. With just the simple seasoning of sake and salt, the taste of monster meat was tremendous. Therefore, the simple meat sold out quickly, especially because it was praised as easy to eat by the girls.

“Are you a cook?”

“No, I’m an appraiser.”

“Oh, that’s… But this dish is really delicious, you know?”

“It’s because I have cooking skills.”

Yuuri smiled happily. Ali’s silent pressure not to say too much was not effective. In this world, it’s foolish to casually talk about your skills. However, if it’s a skill that isn’t useful for combat, it’s a different story. Therefore, Yuuri’s statement about having skills like cooking or sewing was observed with warm eyes.

Incidentally, the next day, when Yuuri visited the production guild, he would be in a stir because of the mayonnaise recipe, but that’s another story.