Chapter 4

Urgas and I headed to the market for some shopping.

Actually, it was my first time in the capital's market, so I was quite nervous. I had heard there were many pickpockets, so I attached a string to my wallet and held it tightly in front of my chest.

"Risris, the medic, it's fine. There are no pickpockets who steal from knights."

"I don't know!"

Thieves, when cornered, might do anything. It's better to be cautious. Besides, the wallet contained money I had earned by keeping the neighborhood's accounts instead of spending it. I thought it would be dangerous to let it out of my sight for even a moment.

It took about a thirty-minute walk from the knights' garrison to the capital's market.

Merchandise was displayed on stands under tents.

The rows of shops were truly impressive.

"Wow!"

"During festivals, it gets so crowded you can't move."

"Wow!"

I was told that I would be patrolling and guarding the market, which I thought would be quite challenging.

"Ah, during festivals, there's a shortage of personnel, so even we from the expeditionary forces are called up."

"R-really..."

I might be squished and turned into a meatball.

While talking about this, we entered the market.

First, there were rows of shops selling miscellaneous goods.

A shop with ceramic cups lined up, decorated with pictures of plants and animals, looked very cute. I realized I didn't have a personal cup and wanted one. But since I was on duty, I decided to buy one on my day off.

The next shop had pens neatly arranged. The pens with flower patterns carved on them were beautiful, and I wanted one. There were many colors of ink besides black, which made me curious.

The next street had flower shops.

Flowers that grew naturally in the Forest of Fore Elf were being sold at high prices and were flying off the shelves. I thought I could do business here too.

Next to the flower shop was a bakery. The smell of butter was irresistible.

The display of bread was truly impressive.

There were also sweet breads with chocolate and custard cream, which I had never tasted before, making me very curious, but I was on duty, so I would have to wait.

"Ah, I need to buy some bread for preservation."

The bread was not homemade but sliced thinly and dried.

Apparently, as long as it didn't mold, it was considered edible.

I thought I needed to change the idea that drying makes it preservable.

"Risris, the medic, do you have any recommendations for preserved bread?"

"I don't think there are any here."

Regular bread can last for about two weeks.

However, the bread I know can last for about three months.

The Forest of Fore Elf gets a heavy snowfall once a year. When it snows, the stove doesn't heat up properly, and bread can't be baked. So, there's a special day to bake a month's worth of bread, using a special natural yeast.

"Special natural yeast?"

"Yes."

Most long-lasting bread is sour, but our village's special bread is soft and not very sour. It's so delicious that I looked forward to eating it on snowy days.

"Wow, really?"

"Yes. In the village, when you turn fifteen, you go to a village outside the forest to make natural yeast."

You continue to cultivate it until you get married. But I don't think my natural yeast will be part of my dowry. It's quite sad.

Fortunately, I couldn't leave my three-year-old natural yeast behind, so I brought it here. I can make bread anytime.

"So, please let me handle the bread-making."

"That would be very helpful. I want to avoid sour bread as much as possible..."

"Understood..."

I can't forget the hardness and unique sourness of that bread.

If it was just the sourness of the yeast, it would be fine. But, at least I didn't get sick.

"By the way, do you need to go outside the village to make natural yeast?"

"Yes. To make the village's natural yeast, you need the intestinal material from a newborn calf after it has drunk its first milk. Since we don't raise livestock, we have to go outside to get it."

"Wow, the intestinal material of a calf. You can make natural yeast with that?"

"Yes. It's a delicious bread with good water retention, preservative, and antibacterial properties."

Livestock farmers happily provide the intestinal material of calves in exchange for forest fruits and mushrooms.

However, managing the yeast is difficult, and it often goes bad. In the village, we dig holes underground to store it carefully.

Fortunately, the dormitory's cafeteria has a large underground storage, where it is placed. I was worried it might not be alive when I returned from the expedition, but it seemed to be fine.

The secret to the soft, long-lasting bread lies in the symbiosis of yeast and lactic acid bacteria.

It also has health benefits such as improving gut health and boosting immunity.

However, the dough is softer and harder to handle than regular bread. So, the village women don't like making it.

I'm not that bad at it, so making it once a month is not a problem.

"Looking forward to it."

"Thank you."

Next, we passed a confectionery shop with a sweet aroma, trying not to look at it, and then passed various shops selling fresh produce, canned goods, and dried foods.

At the end of the food street was a butcher shop.

Various types of meat were hung up, which was truly impressive.

"Ah, Risris, the medic, they're having a meat sale!"

The shop assistant recommended a fatty part of the triangular beef.

"Urgas, wait a moment. When making dried meat, we remove all the fat, so choose a part with more lean meat. Also, while dried triangular beef is said to be delicious, it's not suitable for beginners. The amount of edible meat after removing the fat is minimal."

In the village, we made dried meat from mountain deer. The best was wild boar. It was a luxury in a village without livestock.

"Ah, the wild boar is cheap. Let's get this one."

The wild boar meat sold at the market was less than half the price the merchants who came to the village charged. I realized they had been overcharging. I won't forgive them.

Putting aside my anger, I bought as much meat as my budget allowed.

It turned out to be cheaper than I expected, as I had been buying triangular beef before.

The seasonings we had were salt and pepper. So, I also bought sugar, a few types of spices, and two bottles of wine.

After buying the items, we returned home.

Before they went bad, I quickly started processing them.

I began cooking in the simple kitchen of the Second Expeditionary Force's knight quarters. My assistant was Mr. Urgas.

I washed my hands, tied up my hair, and put on an apron before starting.

"First, we pierce the surface of the meat with a fork."

We pierce the meat with a fork to help the salt and other seasonings penetrate. Then, we sprinkle salt, powdered spices, and dried spices, and rub them in thoroughly.

Next, we put the meat in a clean leather bag and store it in a cold room for about seven days. During this time, we turn the meat and wipe off any liquid.

"It takes quite a while, doesn't it?"

"Yes, it requires some effort."

Seven days of salting, half a day of desalting, one day of drying, and a few hours of smoking, and it's done.

"It will take a while before it's ready."

"I see."

He wrote down the method in his notebook. Urgas was a studious young man.

"What other types of preserved food are there?"

"While not exactly preserved food, fruit cakes with dried fruits can last one to two months and get better with age."

Also, mushrooms can be dried for long-term storage and make good soup stock.

"Imagine, you want to eat delicious food even on an expedition, right?"

Urgas spoke as if dreaming. I immediately agreed.

To make the difficult expedition more enjoyable, I thought about various ways to improve the meals.