「The food in the village really is delicious」
Perhaps because Ursa said that, the smiles of Ann and the other oni maids were dazzling.
-0-
According to Ursa, it is not just the skill of the cooks. The ingredients and seasonings of Big Tree Village are exceptional as well.
Well, it is true that the vegetables, grains, and fruits produced in Big Tree Village are something to be proud of.
Most of that is thanks to the AFT, though.
As for seasonings… that is probably thanks to Flora.
She has made all sorts of things, including soy sauce, miso, and mayonnaise.
These have become part of the foundation of the food culture not only in Big Tree Village but also in Village Five.
Of course, the crops and plants grown in each village for making seasonings are just as important.
Sugarcane and sugar beets are cultivated to produce sugar, while curry powder made by blending chili peppers, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, cardamom, cumin, bay leaves, and other spices has become a highly valued seasoning.
One thing that should not be forgotten is vinegar.
The method for making it is almost the same as making alcohol. Grains or fruits are mixed with sugar and a starter vinegar known as tanezu… to put it simply, ordinary vinegar.
That mixture is then used to make more vinegar.
It is essentially using vinegar to increase the amount of vinegar.
The flavor changes depending on the type of grain or fruit used.
Well-known varieties include rice vinegar made from rice, fruit vinegar made from fruits such as apples, and black vinegar made from barley.
Choosing which vinegar best suits a particular dish is where a cook’s skill comes into play.
Obtaining the original vinegar needed as a starter was a little troublesome, but since it can be found in ordinary households, I had Loo and Tier purchase some for us.
Nowadays, every household in the village makes its own, and the dwarves produce large quantities of it between brewing batches of alcohol.
Vinegar is important.
You cannot make mayonnaise without it, after all.
Is that all there is to say about the village’s seasonings?
No, no, there is still plenty more.
For example, honey.
The honey produced by the Gnostic Bees living in the beehives built in the forest near the village cannot be fed to babies, but it is the very foundation of the village’s sweets.
It is a favorite of both the children and the Fairy Queen.
The village also has maple syrup harvested from maple trees.
In addition, for those who enjoy extremely spicy food, we cultivate crops that are even hotter than chili peppers.
I do not know much about them, but things like habaneros and bhut jolokia.
They were so spicy that there was once an uproar over whether they might actually be poisonous.
Garlic, green onions, garlic chives, wasabi, mustard, shiso, and sesame are indispensable ingredients in certain dishes.
……
Those are not seasonings, are they?
They are condiments.
Salt?
Now that I think about it, salt from the Forest of Death is apparently famous and considered a precious commodity.
You can find it just by digging a little.
For me, it brings back bitter memories.
Ah, no, since it is salt, I suppose I should call them salty memories.
And why do plants grow in places where there are layers of salt?
Honestly, I have no idea.
They grow because they grow.
Perhaps they are simply plants that can thrive in such environments.
This is a world with magic.
Things like that happen.
Still, I think the village fields owe everything to the AFT.
In other words, the village’s ingredients and seasonings exist thanks to the AFT.
Thank you, God.
One must never forget to be grateful.
-0-
「Maybe I should just buy them?」
Ursa seems to want to obtain the same kinds of seasonings in the city where she is based.
And she wants to do it without relying on imports.
Things like salt from the Forest of Death, which can only be sourced from a specific location, would be difficult, but it is not impossible.
In fact, many seasonings are already being produced in Village Five, Shashaato City, and the villages surrounding them.
That is because Big Tree Village and Villages One through Four alone cannot keep up with the demand.
Village Five even has workshops supervised by Flora that produce soy sauce, miso, and mayonnaise.
It would not be impossible to establish similar workshops in the city where Ursa is based.
However, simply building the workshops would not be enough.
You would need to train people who thoroughly understand the production methods and preservation techniques.
You would also need to secure a supply of raw materials.
And distribution channels would have to be established as well.
For advice on those matters, the civil servant girls would know far more than I do.
Why not ask Frau and the others for help?
……
What is wrong?
Are you not comfortable dealing with Frau and the others?
No?
It is because they were your teachers when you lived in the village, making them difficult to approach?
I would think that would make them easier to approach…
During the consultation, they would inevitably start testing you in one way or another?
Well… that does sound like something they would do.
So the consultation would turn into a negotiation.
And negotiations like that were usually handled by Tiselle?
Or by Asa and Earth.
I see.
Ah, Ursa.
I am sure you already know this, but I will point it out anyway.
There is someone standing behind you with their arms crossed.
Yes, Ice, the ice monster.
He has been there the whole time.
He is practically radiating confidence, as if to say, leave the negotiations to me.
Ah, he is actually saying it.
He is clearly stating that negotiations are one of his strengths.
Why not rely on him for this?
-0-
Ursa reluctantly relied on Ice.
The result:
Workshops producing soy sauce, miso, mayonnaise, and other products would be established in the city where Ursa is based, under the leadership of the civil servant girls.
It seems he worked extremely hard to make it happen.
After all, Ice’s icy body had shrunk to about half its usual size.
Ah, so they squeezed him pretty hard during the profit-sharing negotiations.
Since this concerned Ursa, part of me thinks Frau and the others could have gone a little easier on him.
Hm?
They already went easy on him?
They agreed to handle a considerable amount of the troublesome arrangements themselves?
I see.
In that case, I will thank Frau and the others personally.
Ah.
By the way, where is Ursa?
You reported the outcome to her, right?
You did, but the civil servant girls took her away?
Remedial lessons?
Because she needs to be able to negotiate on her own.
W-Well, that is true.
Since it is ultimately for Ursa’s benefit, neither Hakuren nor Zabuton is interfering.
They are simply watching over her with gentle expressions.
……
I suppose I will watch over her as well.
Ah, anyone who can use cooling magic, please cool Ice down.
He worked hard.
-0-
Ice: 「This is the proposal for the development project. We look forward to working with you.」
Civil Servant Girls: 「The only benefit for us is future potential? This proposal is not even worth discussing.」
I think Ice is incredibly talented for managing to secure the project after starting from there.
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