Let's celebrate 100 collection! Thank you everyone who have read and put this book in their collection!
The sun made its presence known to the world, chasing the darkness left by the dawn. Its warm and majestic light trickled through the street, basking the early risers on its glow. However, rather than watching the captivating sight of the sun rising from the horizon, Ludwig focused on what was in front of him. Rugged men with tan skin dressed in sleeveless shirts hauling boxes full of seafood from their huge ship.
Most of those seafood would have their owner soon, store owner, restaurant owner, inn owner, and many more for their own purposes. The reason he was on the place right now rather than shopping on his usual place was one: Stormfin Tuna.
It was a fish abundant in the open sea, however, the only time its taste reached the peak was when they migrated in the summer. So around this time, if he didn't go to the harbor himself, he wouldn't be able to get it. Even if he could, the price would jump once the tuna found its way to the market. Of course, since he's here, he would also buy all the seafood he needed.
At that moment, a man who was dressed in neat clothes walked towards the pile of seafood. Recognizing the man from how he carried himself and the piece of paper in his hands, Ludwig stepped closer to the man. "Good morning sir. I saw the crew have quite a haul today. I want to buy three Stormfin if you would."
The man as well as other men who walked towards the man stopped after they heard Ludwig's words. But as expected from a professional, he quickly masked his surprise with a wide smile. "A big buyer aren't you, lad?"
Rather than answering the man, Ludwig just smiled. After letting out another chuckle into the crisp morning air, the man looked at one of the ship crew. "Conney, do we have at least three Stormfin?"
The man with brown hair looked back at the man and answered. "We have quite a lot of Stormfin sir."
"I see." The man nodded before moving his head to look at Ludwig again. "How did 7 gold per Stormfin sound to you?"
Tilting his head and making his face turn serious, Ludwig answered a beat later. "As long as you give me some discount next time I come."
The man smiled widely, his white teeth reflecting the morning sun. "You got yourself a deal. My name is Issac from the Blue Star Crew. Next time you need good seafood, come to our building!"
"Thank you, Sir." Ludwig nodded. Yes, he didn't give the man his name. After all, it didn't take a genius to figure out who he was if he gave the man his name because of his appearance. Ludwig took 21 gold coins from his pocket and handed it to the man.
"Nice doing business with you" The man took the gold and pocketed it. "Conney, bring three Stormfin for this young lad."
"Right away, SIr." The man called Conney ran towards the ship in a hurry. When he returned, Ludwig opened the Storage Box he brought and told them to store the Stormfin there.
He then bid his farewell to Conney and Issac before looking at their other wares. Rows and rows of boxes full of creatures of the sea sitting on top of a block of ice stretched around the dock. Judging from that sight alone, it was clear that the Blue Star Company which he bought from was a big player in the market. After all, ice was a commodity that could only be gotten from a mage or nature. No rune could make it up until now.
With the bustle of the dock behind him, Ludwig closely looked at the seafood in front of him. Aside from the Stormfin Tuna, nothing was seafood peaking in Summer. So, he just bought the same thing he always bought to replenish his stock. However, he also bought one more creature that was caught by the crew. Abyss Inkers, a type of squid in Ortus that was as black as the night. But unlike its appearance, its meat was sweet and tender, and its ink had a deep flavour, a good ingredient for a sauce.
After another round of paying and storing the crates of seafood he bought into the Storage Box, Ludwig walked away from the pier. He took a turn on the first alley between buildings he saw and teleported away.
When he finally left the void and his feet touched the ground again, the salty sea smell from earlier was gone. Leaving the alley for the main street, he was greeted by a big paved road full of people and carriage. On one side of the road, white stone buildings could be seen lining up. Across from it, tents full of crops, meat, and even seafood could be seen.
Ludwig hummed a cheery tone, reflecting the state of his emotions. Aside from cooking, browsing through streets full of ingredients was the most happy time for him. After walking for some time, Ludwig finally turned and entered a certain building. As he was finally shielded by the roof from the sun, a fishy and iron smell assaulted his nose.
All over the room, he could see animals ranging from small to big being hung down from the ceiling. Its skin was stripped bare, heads already on the counter. Beneath, its blood was pooling in a container.
Ludwig walked into the counter, a woman with brown hair stood behind it. "Welcome to our meat shop, can I help you with anything?" Her professional and cheery voice that seemed out of place in this bloody room echoed.
"Do you have Broadbacks, Mudsnouts, Mossbell, and Cloudsheep in stock?" Ludwig asked.
"Excellent choice, Sir. Yes, we have everything in stock." The attendant chirped.
"Then, give me the whole ribs and 2 knees of Broadbacks; the belly meat, shoulder meat, and the whole loin of the Mudsnouts; 4 brisket of the Mossbell; and 2 whole loins as well as the whole rib of the Cloudsheep."
The attendant flinched at Ludwig's order, but she quickly regained her bearings. "Right away Sir. Please wait."
Ludwig looked at the attendant skipping towards the burly men in charge of the meat. He moved to the side, giving way to more customers to order. The store became busy, the burly men chopped into the meat in front of them with the big knife on their hands, efficiently stripping the meat from the carcass. After waiting for some time, his order was finally finished.
"How much do I owe you, miss?" Ludwig said as he looked at a small mound on the floor.
"27 gold coins, Sir." The attendant answered.
Ludwig moved his hand to his chest pocket before fishing for the coins from his Storage Dimension. He handed the gold coins to the attendant before he started moving the small mound into his Storage Box. But just before he took the first step to leave the store, the attendant called him.
"Sir, are you perhaps interested in Wyvern meat?"
Ludwig turned around, mouth twitching. "You have Wyvern meat already?"
"Yes. But only a small amount. Maybe as big as the brisket you bought."
"How much do you want for it?"
"24 gold coins sir."
Ludwig sighed as he heard the price. So pricey. He had to sell them for around 7 or 8 silver a pop to at least turn a profit. That's not including the cost for other ingredients. In truth, a serving of Wyvern Meat was sold around 2 gold coins to 3 gold coins in the restaurant all over the continent.
"Not for now, Miss. I'll come again when I need it." Ludwig declined the offer in a polite tone before walking away from the shop. However, his mind was still fixated on the Wyvern meat. Since it was quite a delicacy, he was sure his customers would like it a lot. However, buying it from any shops was out of the question, no matter how good it was, selling a dish for 2 to 3 gold coins was too much for the current state of his restaurant.
Seems like I will have to stretch my legs for a bit soon. Ludwig hummed as his legs brought him around the market. But even as he browsed for fruits and vegetables, his mind was already thinking about what he should make with Wyvern meat.
* * *
Ludwig popped in front of the door of his restaurant and looked at the mountain range below. The temperature had risen quite a bit, and the direct light from the sun was quite prickling. Ludwig went into the door and opened it, bell chiming announcing his arrival. Inside, he saw his employees already cleaning the dining area and the kitchen.
"Have you guys eaten yet?" Ludwig asked as he freed himself from the outer clothes he wore.
"We have, Sir. Thank you for making breakfast for us." Vilera said.
"Nothing to be thankful for." Ludwig waved his hands. "By the way guys, everybody should help me in preparing the ingredients. I bought quite a lot."
"Just say the words, Sir." Bilo answered from the kitchen.
Ludwig went to the kitchen, his employees trailing behind him. As they all stood beside the countertop, Ludwig opened his mouth again. "Just like your duty in the operational hour, I will rotate your station every time we need to prepare the ingredients. But for now, Finka, you will be responsible for cleaning the clams." Ludwig waved his hand, materializing the container full of white clams on top of the counter.
"The only thing you need to do is clean the outside of the clams with a brush and move it to a clean big bowl. Once it's filled, fill the bowl with water and pour salt on it. Understood?" Ludwig asked.
"Understood sir." Finka quickly moved to get the big metallic bowl and a brush.
"Valerie, I want you to peel the garlic." Ludwig waved again, a box of garlic appeared on the counter.
"Yessir." Valerie too moved to get a big bowl.
"Vilera, have you clean an Abyss Inker before?" Ludwig asked before materialising a box full of the creature.
"I haven't." Vilera muttered.
"Then come closer." Ludwig summoned a big bowl, chopping board, and a knife in front of him. He then took one Abyss Inker into the chopping block and opened his mouth.
"First, twist the head and remove it from the body. Its innards should be pulled like this, next separate the ink pocket into another bowl, it's something I want to use. Next, you see this thin membrane? You peel it until it's clean. Once you are done with the peeling, cut the fin with a knife and rinsed the creature with water. Understood?" Ludwig said as he cleaned the Abyss Inker step by step.
"Understood." Valerie answered, but her tone was lacking his usual confidence.
"Don't worry, If you forget or are at loss, just ask me." Ludwig handed her the knife and walked away towards his two remaining employees.
"Zhark, have you cleaned prawn before?" Ludwig asked and like before, materializing a container full of it on top of the counter.
"I haven't, Sir." Zhark answered.
"Then, watch carefully." Ludwig took an Emberprawn as big as his palm and started peeling its shell and pulling its digestive vein. Of course throughout the process, he explained it with his mouth to Zhark. "The process for cleaning the Blue Prawn should be the same."
After that, he looked at Bilo. "For you, it's Brinecod and Saltlings. Watch carefully."
After he finished demonstrating how to clean both the Brinecod and Saltlings to Bilo, he looked around to see all his employees busy doing their share of work. It was a sight that made him realise that not only his customer base had grown, his restaurant had also grown quite a lot since its first opening a month ago.
In order to prevent the restaurant growth from being left behind by the growth of the customer base in the future, he had to at least teach one or two of his employees on how to operate the kitchen, from preparing the ingredients to cooking. But for now, the only thing he could do was to watch whether they had the talent and willingness or not. The only thing he was sure about was Valerie. Yeah, he wouldn't pull her into the kitchen. The girl was too sunny to be chucked into the backroom. Her stage was in the dining area.
Ludwig moved to an empty corner, then a dull thud echoed throughout the kitchen as four cuts of brisket crashed down. Summoning a new knife, he moved with precision, trimming the fat that riddled the cut.