Chapter 40: Fishing
The lunch at Lubin Tavern today was exceptionally sumptuous. In contrast to the usual monotonous offering of bread and meat soup, today’s meal felt like a festival, with not only a variety of dishes but also unparalleled novelty. Even the usual meat soup had some extra wild vegetable leaves added to it.
This lunch was prepared by Lubin, the tavern’s owner himself. He thought his signature pumpkin pie and chicken rice would surely earn him a compliment from Elder Rostellum. With this compliment, he could boast for the rest of his life in Guru Village.
However, reality is not always fully in line with imagination. Unforeseen things always had a way of appearing, intentionally or unintentionally, to disrupt that perfect image.
The pumpkin pie was crispy and delicious, the chicken rice was soft and sweet, and the roasted mushrooms were incredibly aromatic. Everything seemed to go smoothly, and the sound of some guards’ throats working and their GULP GULP swallowing made Lubin’s already firm confidence even stronger. Full of expectation, he pushed these dishes in front of Elder Rostellum, waiting quietly for a compliment worth flaunting for half a lifetime.
But Elder Rostellum did not stop pulling his beard—first the goatee on his chin, then the mustache around his lips, paying no attention to the expectations attached to these dishes.
Lubin’s anxious anticipation was shattered after a few Gudu Times by a glare from Aliusan the cripple, the leader of Black Mountain. Lubin didn’t want to provoke him, so he discreetly observed Elder Rostellum’s much-watched face. Then, satisfied, he hurried to the back kitchen to start preparing dinner.
In contrast to Rostellum’s gloomy face, Mayor Babasha ate with gusto. It was no wonder; after a bumpy half-day spent in a terrible mood, about five-sevenths of it had dissipated following the verbal sparring—or perhaps quarreling—just now. As for the remaining two-sevenths, it seemed there was nothing he could do about it for now. Moreover, Goding’s long face finally looked as if it could touch the ground. His devastated demeanor was like a child who had lost a beloved toy, listless. The way he ate, so slow it was as if he were chewing wax, made him look no different from a fool.
Babasha didn’t need to worry about Rostellum and Goding now. He had the Chief Alchemist from the Imperial Alchemy Workshop before him. He absolutely had to curry favor with this connection, and this fine food was an excellent medium for interaction.
"Chief, are you accustomed to this rustic fare? There’s nothing particularly fine in these remote parts. This style of cooking may seem simple, but it tastes quite good," Mayor Babasha said while chewing roasted mushrooms, complimenting Chief Kuyi Tulan.
"I genuinely enjoy this primitive pleasure."