Chapter 771 - 524
"The Southern Thai cooking techniques are authentic, but the flavors are more tailored to the tastes of our Western human world," said the young War Witch named Xiao Meng, the first to confirm Malin’s culinary skills. Although the tastes were different, the girl still found the meal thoroughly enjoyable.
In her words, coming to the Northern Kingdom with the delegation from her father’s land, she had prepared herself to eat black bread laced with sawdust. She never expected to be able to have a taste of her hometown cuisine on the very first day.
With her remarks, the locals from Sudel and Rhodes, who had been hesitant about the dishes, and the protective duo of Colson and Nim, were quick to join the fray for food—thanks to Xiao Meng’s fluent command of the common language of the Western human world.
"Speaking of which, Nobles and wealthy commoners would not eat black bread with sawdust. This thing has vanished into history with the surge in wheat production decades ago," Mr. Tuck said, smiling nostalgically. "When I was younger, I had that black bread on a mission. I asked the village chief who hosted us, and he said it was the best thing their village could offer. There was another kind made with sand which he thought we certainly couldn’t stomach."
"Sand in bread, I’ve heard my father speak of it. He said he’d never forget that taste in all his life," Sudel commented.
"It seems your father had his share of hardship with such food, but anyway, it’s no longer around," said Lord Tuck.
Malin noticed Sudel wanted to say something, but ultimately he just smiled and took a piece of braised pork from his cousin’s bowl. The succulent meat, with layers of fat that melted in one’s mouth, was a favorite among these young people. Considering the harsh cold of the North, meaty dishes that provided substantial calories were surely everyone’s favorite.
"Lord Malin, I have a small question." Tim, the young gentleman, caught Malin’s attention, and sitting next to Lord Tuck, he looked at Malin: "I’m really curious, you’re known as the uncrowned God of Craftsmen among the Great Craftsmen of the workshops. Your first battle leading an army, which wasn’t even yours, ended in the annihilation of forty thousand Black Orcs; you’re now the youngest Legend of the Mage Tower, your conglomerate is the most profitable enterprise on the continent, your armament trade is heard of even in Thainan, and your valor has made even the Champions of Chaos your prey. Now you tell me you can also cook authentic Southern Thai cuisine. Is there anything that you can do that we don’t know about?"
Tim’s compliment was on point. Malin shook his head with a smile: "I’ve only done some things that seem trivial to me. You would not know that I was an orphan when I was very young, perhaps due to war or other problems. I was found by my foster father, and from that moment on, I told myself, ’Malin, never starve to death because that’s the most embarrassing way to die.’ So I learned to make tasty food for myself."
This playful joke lightened the mood at the table.
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