Chapter 42

In these pleasant winter days, how are you doing? This is Herman. It's the time when tomorrow is the New Year Festival, so it's already winter. The time since I came to the capital city has flown by. I was busy with gathering every day. It was a cycle of gathering, gathering, fire, and more gathering. ...Is this the second time I've said that time has flown by? I said it when I was in the forest of rails. The cycle of gathering and sleeping, with occasional fires, was my life. I wonder if it was fun to hear about those days. I don't think it was fun.

There are supposed to be mythical beasts, but I couldn't even find a fragment of one. What kind of mythical beast is there? Will I learn about them when I become a member of the Illusionary Sect, or will I learn about them in class? Well, let's forget about mythical beasts. ...If I could make some discovery, it would have been worth a lot of money, but my greed is the reason I couldn't make any discoveries. When I had no greed, the great discovery of Malmatelno was a divine revelation that I should become an alchemist. ...I have no interest in the Illusionary Sect.

By the way, I'm staying at an inn near the Alchemy Guild, and I've rented a room for the winter, so I feel like I'm wasting a lot of money. After all, calculating the cost per day is a hassle. I had to rent the whole room because when I asked how many more days, they didn't know. People in this world are generally loose with dates; they only become aware of them when the church announces the date of the New Year Festival. It's quite a bold way of living. I think the nobles probably have something like a calendar, and they probably know their birthdays. Commoners count their age at the New Year Festival, so everyone in the same generation has the same birthday. I don't even know what month and day I was born. I had memories from my previous life since I was a baby, but my brain was hazy, so I don't remember them.

However, in the Alchemy Academy, they seem to be quite aware of dates. I don't skip information gathering at the Alchemy Guild. ...Well, I'm just bored. I could go back to the Free City and hunt rats again, but the Adventurer's Guild is too far. It takes a lot of energy just to go back and forth. So, I decided to take a full break. I've never taken such a long break before.

However, my break will soon be over. Tomorrow is the New Year Festival, and it seems that there will be various shops. The Alchemy Guild has been busy since a couple of days ago, so they are probably just setting up the stalls. It must be tough for the guild staff. After the New Year Festival, I will finally enter the Alchemy Academy. It's been a long time. I've been gathering from various places, and my dream of becoming an alchemist, which started in the Yorck forest, is finally coming true. It's a profound feeling, but I'm only 13 years old. I feel like I'm living too fast.

Well, the human lifespan in this world is around 60 years, and even if you live well, it's said to be 100 years. Elves are said to live for 800 years, and even dwarves can live up to 500 years. ...There are other types of humans, but the two most representative are elves and dwarves. In my previous life, it was said that elves are good at magic and dwarves are good at forging, but in this world, talent is everything. Whether you are good or bad at something is determined by talent, not by race. Well, even without talent, you can still do it, but compared to those with talent, it's not even worth comparing. The difference between 0 and 1 stars is huge, but the difference between 1 and 2 stars is not that big. This world is really unfair. In a world where those with talent can't survive without effort, a blacksmith in a certain place said, "With talent, you're half a man, and with more than talent, you're a full man." You have to elevate your skills. I don't know what the skills of an alchemist are, but I haven't even touched the basics of alchemy yet, so I don't know. The Iron Welcome Sect is still easier to understand. The skills of a fighter are probably the skills of a fighter, but I don't know how to elevate the talent of an alchemist to a skill.

Judy once said that all factions aim to remove the lifespan. ...If it's a skill to that extent, maybe I don't need it. I want to have a lifespan. Of course, no one wants to die, but if asked if I want to live forever, it varies from person to person. I don't want to live forever. I don't think my mind could handle it. I'm confident I would go crazy halfway through. Even with the long lifespan of elves, I feel like I'm human.

Well, what will happen when I enter the academy? It's the first step as an alchemist. The driver who brought me here said that I should first receive the magic power manipulation of the Dawn Sect. If recommended, it's better to receive it. I can use 'Extend Space' and I often touch the magic item for creating storage bottles, but I'm not sure if I can manipulate magic power at will. I just imitated what I was taught with 'Extend Space,' and for the storage bottle creation magic item, I just pour magic power. Manipulating magic power seems to have a lot of depth, and it seems to lead to skills.

But let's enjoy the New Year Festival first. I will also set up a stall, and it won't just be food stalls. There might be decorations and alchemy items for sale. I'll look around. My previous self said that it would be nice if there were a flour shop or some sweets, but will such things be sold? ...I've never even seen flour. But there are bread, so there must be flour, right? Maybe the food culture in this world is too low? ...I'll find out tomorrow. There must be some magical civilization solution. Probably.

So, on the day of the New Year Festival, the stalls are amazing. Most of them are meat skewers, but there are also ham-like things. They are probably orc, but they don't seem to be smoked. They are not much different from salted dried meat. There were also sausage-like things. ...If there are sausages, why are there no smoked meats? The magic forest and spirit land have plenty of wood, so it should be possible to make smoked meats. Also, the flour I was worried about was there. There were cookie-like and crepe-like things. The filling of the crepe is not sweet but meat. The cookies were not sweet either. They seem to be just a mixture of flour and water, and there doesn't seem to be any eggs. There were also bread with jam, but it doesn't seem to have sugar. The jam highlights the flavor of the ingredients. It's delicious, but it feels like something is missing.

The stalls are not as fun as I imagined in my previous life. They are just a bit more luxurious versions of what we usually eat. There is soup, but no sweets, and no noodles. I want to eat ramen. ...That's right, the main fuel is slime, so there is no ash. That's why there is no broth. That's why there are no noodles. ...No, pasta doesn't need broth. Even if Chinese noodles are impossible, pasta should be possible. There is flour, water, and salt, and even eggs. Maybe the food culture hasn't developed enough? Pasta is a common food for commoners, so it should be available, but is flour expensive? The power source can be golems or undead. There's no need to do it by hand. The guilds have alchemists, and there is plenty of wheat. ...There are no guilds? Is it mainly merchants? That's ridiculous. ...Is it the fault of 'Extend Space'? Since there's no need to move things, there's no need for large-scale guilds. That's why there's no commercial guild. This is a difficult world.

Also, there are no fried foods. No fried potatoes or donuts. Potatoes! There should be potatoes, right? It's just frying. Even orc oil would be fine. Animal fat is probably more delicious, even if it has a strong flavor. There could be orc cutlets instead of pork cutlets. You can make breadcrumbs by crushing bread, and there are eggs. I can understand why there are no donuts without sugar, but it would just be fried bread. Oh, there's no butter. I've seen milk, so there should be dairy farming. Wait, develop the food culture? Eat more delicious things.

The only hope is what the nobles eat. ...I can imagine a bit. It's a bad imagination, though. There are meat skewers with spices, which are very delicious but a bit expensive. From this, I can imagine that they don't eat dishes with a lot of spices? They eat dishes that are not delicious but require a lot of effort and money. There is hope with curry. You can make naan with flour, which may not be wheat but some kind of grain. Add water and yeast. ...Yeast? Is there yeast? Yes, there is! There is ale. Boil the grains and leave them in a barrel, but since there is alcohol, the worst-case scenario is that ale will make it rise. Naan is possible. There is no sugar or butter, but the minimum naan can be made.

I thought about a lot of things, but I hope the nobles eat curry. I hope the nobles' diet is not just spicy and painful but delicious. It's a heartfelt wish. Please. But the commoners' diet is poor. Even with alchemists and mages! Why isn't flour widespread? 'Extend Space' might be the root of all evil. You don't need to grind the grains to transport them. Grains can be eaten without grinding. It's because of the farmers' talent. Threshing is done with a simple motion, which is almost divine. No, it's actually the culmination of divine talents. ...Is it? Is the concept of talent in this world hindering the development of food culture? Come on, God. Is there no god of cooking or dining? It's a polytheistic world. I know there is a sun god. So, please improve the food culture a bit.

I returned to the inn, tormented by despair and longing. My stomach is full, but my heart is not satisfied. It's a problem before being consumed by gluttony. There are probably expensive dishes, but whether they are delicious is another matter. The food culture has not evolved towards gourmet. There are no guilds. Normally, to transport a large amount of food, you need a large number of people and a large number of wagons, and you create guilds and large warehouses to handle logistics. ...But with 'Extend Space,' large-scale guilds are not necessary. One person can transport a large amount of goods.

...The same goes for farmers. Because of their talent, manpower is stronger than inferior machines. They can plant seeds by scattering them, and one person can easily produce a large amount of wheat, enough to feed many people. ...They also grow vegetables, but the main crop is wheat. There are no farms that only grow vegetables. The tax is on wheat. I don't know about other territories, but at least in the Viscount Seleroles territory, it was like that. I haven't seen everything, but wherever I stayed, the main crop was wheat.

In a world with magic and talent, it's understandable that it develops differently from my previous life. ...But the stagnation of culture was not common in my previous life. My generation was called the age of abundance. Before that, people tried various foods and combinations to find delicious things. They even ate seemingly rotten or damaged things to find delicious things. The result was my generation in my previous life. Various ingredients and cooking methods were used all over the world.

...Compared to that, how is this world? There is no shortage of food. ...Some adventurers are struggling, but wheat is cheap, so they can survive. They can eat their fill. Salt is cheap because it is produced in large quantities in the magic forest and spirit land. What about the townspeople? I think they only have simple livestock. They probably only keep animals to pull carriages. The main source of meat is the magic forest, where monsters spawn. Delicious monsters. That's why dairy farming and livestock have not developed much, which is understandable. It's probably only when there is no magic forest nearby. In the capital of the Viscount Seleroles territory, there is probably small-scale dairy farming. There was milk, so there must be cows. ...Maybe it's not the cows I'm thinking of. I haven't seen cows, so I'll forget the cows from my previous life.

Since they are not struggling, I think the gourmet culture could have developed. The foundation is there. The self-sufficiency rate of food is more than 100%. There is enough surplus to make alcohol from wheat, so there is no shortage. Why hasn't the cuisine developed so much? ...Is it information? Is the information stagnant? The only people who move between towns are merchants and carriage drivers, and adventurers. Adventurers are not suitable for spreading information. Most of them live on the minimum food. The merchants and carriage drivers might have some home-cooked meals, but there are no restaurants. Even in towns, the restaurants are for adventurers and only serve basic dishes. Even if there are talented chefs, considering the price, it makes sense. The main customers are adventurers, so cheap, filling, and abundant dishes are prioritized.

Thinking about this, the old man at the inn in the capital of the Viscount Seleroles territory was enthusiastic about cooking research. The food was delicious and satisfying. This information is probably only known by adventurers who have earned a decent amount. ...It's no good. There are chefs who seek delicious food on an individual level, but the information is not spreading. The cuisine is limited to home-cooked meals, and there are no chefs who try to make a living with their cooking. ...Can such a problem be solved? It's impossible. For an individual, there are no connections or resources. Even if you have the idea, you don't have the means. There are no connections to spread the information. ...It's frustrating.

It's really, really disappointing, but from tomorrow, I will raise a flag as an alchemist. I don't know which faction I will belong to, but I will try my best. What kind of alchemist will I become? I will try various things and decide. So, I will go to bed early to enter the Alchemy Academy tomorrow morning. Lying on the bed with a futon spread, I fell into a dream.

Whether you found it interesting or not, I would appreciate your evaluation. If you could give me some feedback, I think I can reflect it in my writing. ...Probably.