Heave-ho… Phew.
Even with training, a large stockpot is heavy.
I thought I could carry it without using the magical space, but it was heavier than expected, and my arms already hurt…
Now, I just need to set up the tool I made earlier and pour water from the magical space into it…
「Lord. I brought the meat.」
「M’lord! I gathered only the best vegetables! Ah, shopping without worrying about money feels great!」
「Oh, welcome back.」
Wait, both of you brought so much.
How much meat did Shiro hunt?
Ah, ah, she is covered in blood splatters…
「Hmm. It was a red cow.」
「It is a Red Mome. The lean meat is delicious, and good extracts can be taken from the bones.」
Hoh. That is perfect.
Come to think of it, cows in this world are color-coded… Black, Brown, and Red.
Are there blue cows or green cows as well?
「And look, m’lord! This is Silver Snow Carome! One stalk costs 10,000 Nohl! And this is a Solty Tome, also 10,000 Nohl each! It is a super delicious Tome with firm flesh and juicy sweetness! Ah, Shiro-san, are you eating the Tome!? Even though it is a vegetable!」
「Hmm. Yummy. Tasty.」
Sion also brought a large amount, and it seems she really did not spare any expense.
…Well, I will just remember the amount and expense it.
Now, regarding the meat Shiro brought, I cannot use it as is.
First, I must remove unnecessary parts and drain the blood.
「So, m’lord, what are you doing with such a large stockpot? Something unfamiliar is attached, and water keeps overflowing…」
「Hmmm. It is preparation for draining blood. I must exclude unnecessary things.」
I put the cut meat and bones into the stockpot and keep changing the water to drain the blood. Since changing the water for this amount is laborious, I semi-automated it.
Water overflows from the top, but if I just pour new water from the top, the water at the bottom will not change. So, I made a manual pump-like device that pours water from the bottom and lets it flow out from the top.
I had stored a large amount of water in the magical space, so I intended to drain the blood from the meat using this setup for now.
Well, this part was hell.
It would take more than half a day to continue draining the blood while flowing water.
Since there were no faucets that continuously released water when twisted, I had no choice but to keep operating the pump without sleep.
「…Um, m’lord?」
「Hmm? What is it? Ah, sorry, but could you help with cutting the meat?」
「Ah, well, of course I do not mind, but… if you are draining blood, can you not do it with Alchemy skills?」
「…………That is true.」
Come to think of it, since I could decompose things with Alchemy skills, I could drain the blood.
When I looked up the recipe before, it said to soak it in water and keep changing the water, so I tried to follow that exactly…
「M’lord? Did you perhaps forget? About the Alchemy you use for work…? You, who utilize Alchemy even in cooking?」
「…I DID NOT FORGET.」
…Oh my! The Alchemy skill is a lifesaver!
Alright. I will store the blood-draining pump in the magical space, and let us start cooking immediately!
「Shion. There is no time to rest! Come on, cut the meat!」
「Wah… You changed the subject so blatantly. You definitely forgot and are covering up because you are embarrassed.」
「Learn from Shiro! If you two do not work, you will not get to taste test!」
「Hmm. Shion, hurry up. If you do not, I will not forgive you.」
「Ah! That is dirty! Using Shiro-san as an ally is dirty!」
Shut up!
Just being able to drain the blood with Alchemy saves a considerable amount of time, but time is limited, so the sooner, the better!
Thus, after having Shiro and Shion roughly cut the meat by parts, I trimmed the fine details, washed it cleanly, drained the blood, and the preparation was complete.
「Ooh, it is mostly bones.」
「Well, I intend to extract umami from beef bones, chicken frames, and sinewy meat.」
「M’lord. Will you not use the leftover meat?」
「That… Well, there are parts I will use, but… there should be enough left for Shiro to eat.」
「Hmm! Understood!」
Her face lit up brightly… Well, I will find time to cook it deliciously for her.
Now. The hard part starts here.
「First, I will put these on the fire… but I must be careful with the heat.」
First, I applied heat, but naturally, there were no stoves.
I had to light firewood, control the heat, and maintain a temperature that did not cause boiling, which was very difficult.
And the most important thing was…
「Uwah… An outrageous amount of scum is coming out.」
「It does not look delicious…」
「Well, removing this is exactly what makes the cuisine delicious.」
「Hmm. I am grateful to Wendy and Mizera every day.」
That is true.
I should express my gratitude for their always delicious cooking.
While managing the temperature and removing the scum, once a certain amount was removed, I added aromatic vegetables like Tome, Celery, and Onior.
Then, I seasoned it with salt and pepper and added herbs.
I maintained a heat level that prevented vigorous boiling and continued to remove the emerging scum, but… the scum removal was not ending.
Normally, it should decrease, but perhaps because it is from another world, there are some differences…
「Hiaa… This is tough. How much longer will you do this?」
「Hmm… Probably more than 12 hours?」
「Uhee!? You will simmer it for that long!?」
Originally, it should have been shorter, but given the amount of scum, I felt it was better to do it for a longer time.
In that case, I would be stuck with this pot for a while…
「It is a cuisine that requires a lot of effort…」
「Well, it is about slowly extracting the umami. You two are free to do as you please. I will call you if I need help again.」
「Eh, I will help? I want to taste test…」
「I will just be doing this task for a while, so it is fine. Shiro, since you are here, why not go eat something delicious in the Republic?」
Since we came to another country, after all.
I could cook with the leftover meat, but it would end up being mostly meat due to the quantity.
Here, take some allowance and enjoy yourselves.
「Hmm. Is it okay?」
「Yeah. Shion. Sorry, but please go with her and ensure she does not only eat meat.」
「You want me to control Shiro-san? Is that not impossible?」
No, please manage it somehow.
Please tell her to eat vegetables, even if just a little.
Shiro, you will listen, right? Do not cover your ears!
「Also, what about m’lord’s guard?」
「Hmm… There are other participants nearby, and Wendy and the others are next door. Someone from Aina’s group will likely be near Wendy.」
Besides, interference seemed to be prohibited.
There was no reason for anyone to attack me, and if I looked closely, there were quite a few people on patrol, so I thought it would be fine.
Thinking that, the Spirit Tree hanging from my waist tapped my calves sharply, so I patted it gently to reassure it that I had not forgotten, and told the two, “It is here too”.
「Hmm… Then we will go and return quickly.」
「Yeah. Have fun.」
「We will buy souvenirs too. If anything happens, shout loudly, okay?」
「Hmm. I will sense lord’s voice wherever I am. I will return in 10 seconds.」
「Treating me like a child… Well, I will obey.」
If something really happens, I will shout loudly from my stomach without caring about appearance or reputation, so please take care of me!
10 seconds… Then, I will manage to hold out with Invisible Jail and the Spirit Tree!
「Well, from here on, it is just monotonous work…」
Removing scum and adjusting the heat… repeating this endlessly.
I continued even after Shiro and the others went to eat, and by simmering slowly, oil seeped out from the beef bones and chicken frames, gradually changing the color of the transparent water.
The color was still light, but once it deepened and the scum stopped appearing, it would be a milestone.
However, controlling the heat was troublesome.
It was impossible this time, but I should consider making a stove.
Since fire magic stones alone could not produce high heat, I had to think about how to handle it…
Hmm… Could I manage by using monster materials suitable for flames?
Did I have any on hand?
I felt I did not, so after this matter was settled, I decided to ask Aina and the others as a request.
Structurally, an IH-style stove might be easier than a traditional one?
In that case, should I not use pots with good thermal conductivity?
While thinking about such other matters, I continued to manage the heat and remove the scum.
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