第１８１８堀：皇帝と大皇望にもご連絡 (Part1)
Chapter 1818: Contacting the Emperor and the Grand Empress
Side: Aslin
"Yaaay, it’s seafood soup curry~!"
"I’ve brought it, I have."
After Firia-chan and I finished gathering our food from the buffet and returned to the table...
"Hmm, well done, my friends."
"Thank you as always."
Yupia-chan and Show-oneechan were waiting for us.
The reason Firia-chan and I were the ones taking care of them is...
"Honestly, I wanted to go get some myself, too."
"That’s because you always try to bring back more than you can eat. Thanks to that, I have to be the one to hold you back."
Just as Show-oneechan said, Yupia-chan was currently being held—or rather, restrained—on Show-oneechan’s lap.
Well, taking more food than you can finish is a breach of etiquette, after all.
Especially today...
"Make sure to eat the delicious seafood of Glass~"
"Firia recommends the sashimi and the tempura. The curry is good too, but today, we must settle for just a little bit of soup curry, I have."
Yeah, we’re in a port town, so we have to eat the fish.
"Nngghhh, if my friends say so, then it cannot be helped. Hey, Show, let me go already. I am not a child who lacks that much understanding."
"Hah, that’s rich coming from someone who often uses their 'adult privileges' to eat until they collapse at times like this. Still, for the sake of Aslin-sama and Firia-sama, please behave yourself."
With that, Show-oneechan released Yupia-chan.
"Well, fine. Now, since Aslin and Firia went through the trouble of preparing this, let us eat."
"Yes."
"Yup, let's dig in!"
"Let's eat, I have."
With that, the four of us began to eat.
The seafood soup curry was surprisingly rich and delicious.
When people hear "soup," they tend to think it’s light and watery, but that’s not the case here.
It’s packed with spices and the deep, natural essence of the ingredients; it’s incredibly tasty.
"Mmm!? This soup curry is delicious, too!"
"It really is. It’s surprising how it can be this close to water in consistency yet still have such a robust flavor."
"Is this what they mean by the saying 'curry is a drink'?"
No~, I don’t think that’s what that means.
But, putting that aside...
"Yupia-chan and Show-oneechan, you have to eat the sashimi too. This is the main event, I have."
"That’s right. It’s fresh and delicious~. It’s the stuff Yayui-oneechan and Hiiro explained to us~."
"Hmm. That’s right. We must try the fish here as well. I believe it’s been since Aurelia, hasn't it?"
"No, we’ve been having fresh fish delivered through the Gate regularly, haven't we?"
Yup, as Show-oneechan said, the fish caught at Aurelia Port, where Weed has a presence, is distributed to various countries.
Of course, the catch volume isn't as high as Sea-Cypho, but it’s still delivered to the "important people"—if you can call them that—with the reputation that the fish is delicious.
But...
"I know that, but still... hmm. The freshness is definitely superior here at the port."
Exactly. As Yupia-chan said, no matter how quickly you deliver it through a Gate, the quality drops.
True freshness is literally "straight from the water," but even so, the hotels right next to the fishing port manage to maintain a certain level of quality.
"Hmm. That is truly the case. Still, it is mysterious. Even though some of the fish delivered to His Majesty are kept in seawater without being frozen..."
"Ah~, I heard from Brother and the people at the fishing port. They said the most delicious state is when they are swimming in nature. Even if you keep them alive, some fish lose their flavor in a limited tank, apparently, I have."
"Yeah, I’ve heard that too. Apparently, if they stay in the same tank, the seawater gets dirty, which affects the taste of the fish."
"I see. It is only natural that the taste would differ between a dirty environment and a clean one."
"Now that you mention it, that’s true. It’s obvious that a room is only clean if it’s maintained. Is a tank the same? Though, would one really go to such lengths for something that is just going to be eaten..."
Yeah, people usually don’t go to that much trouble, do they?
"It’s a bit crude to say, but fish excrete waste, too. In nature, there is an environment to purify that, but in a tank, it’s limited. That’s why the freshness drops, I have."
"Ah~, that’s easy to understand."
"Indeed, when you think of it that way, it’s only natural the flavor would decline. That is a subject for further research."
"Indeed. Well, the cost-effectiveness would be out the window, though. Hmm, in that case, Item Boxes that stop time should be fine, but there are some things that still taste different, aren't there?"
"When you put things in an Item Box, it’s after they’ve been 'finished'—killed, that is. You don’t know how much time has passed, and you don’t know if the bleeding and such were done properly~."
"I see. Indeed, I have never heard of the people at the fishing port using Item Boxes or bags."
"No, if they had such valuable abilities or tools, they would be using them for other things. It simply means the value of using them for this hasn't been recognized, I suppose."
Exactly.
Brother and the others think that convenient tools should be used for things like delicious fish, but other people try to use them for much more "important" things.
Well, I can understand the sentiment.
Rather than going out into dangerous seas or rivers for fresh fish, it’s safer and more reliable to use those tools for other things.
"So, you two aren't here just to keep us company, are you?"
"That’s right. We’ve already greeted Yuki-sama, Seraria-sama, and the acting lords of this Glass port town, Sisua-dono and Sona-dono. Did something happen? Is there progress on the disappearance case?"
"Yup. That’s right."
"That is the case. As expected of Show-oneechan, I have."
There’s no reason to hide it, so I admitted it honestly.
"Hmm. If you’re telling us before Yuki-dono does, is it quite a troublesome matter? I did hear that you would need our cooperation to persuade Usano and Aae."
"Well, you see~, it’s become unexpectedly troublesome~."
"It is truly troublesome, I have. Brother will prepare the detailed documents later, but I thought that if we didn't explain it beforehand, it would take too long for them to recover from the confusion."
"It is that serious, then. May I hear it now?"
"It would be better after we finish eating, but... what do you think?"
Yupia-chan and Show-oneechan have eaten a fair amount, but it feels like less than their usual portions.
"It is fine. There is no problem with me continuing my activities with what I have already eaten."
"Yes. I tend to overeat when I come to Weed, so today’s amount is just right. More importantly, if there is an important matter from Yuki-dono, being full is the least of our concerns."
"I see, then I’ll explain it verbally~."
"I will explain it, I have."