Magicraft Meister Part 1

Jin and the others were soon ushered inside.

They were shown into a magnificent hall. There were many attendants and servants, and at the other end of a large table stood a man of mature age with a pure white head.

He said, "Welcome, my lady. I am the master of this house, Eckart Tecles.

He did not have the haughtiness of a rich man, but was a man of humble manners, like a merchant. He had a white head and brown eyes. He was stout and strong.

I've known Vivian before, but I've never met the others before.

I'm Jin.

Erza.

I am Saki.

Jin and the others introduced themselves. After Reinhardt and Bertsche introduced themselves, Eckert asked everyone to take a chair. Reiko and Edgar stand behind them.

Everyone takes a seat at a table made of heavy black wood. Immediately a maid of honor brings drinks. It was a well-chilled kahi.

"How do you like it?　It's our specialty, chilled kahi.

Eckart was a bit boastful, but those who knew about the existence of the refrigerator were not so impressed. The food was delicious, no doubt.

Eckart noticed this and looked a little disappointed.

"Hmmm, cold drinks are not unusual for your guests? No, as expected.

Eckart admits his defeat.

"Yes, I know what a refrigerator is."

Eckart is caught up in Jin's words.

"<>?　What is it?

"A refrigerator, as the name implies, is a magical tool to cool and store things. It originated in the Blue Lands of the Kingdom of Egelea.

What!　...... Ummm, I went as far as Fantle Town, but it was a mistake not to go all the way to the Blue Lands!"

Eckart looks very frustrated. But he soon recovers.

"......No, no, I knew that our guests know many unusual things. I'm glad to hear it. Do you know of any other unusual tools or magical artifacts?

I wonder if I should say that you are a great merchant in this area.

Yes, are you coming to the Kingdom of Egelea by ship?

This time it was Reinhardt who opened his mouth.

"Yes, of course. It is much easier than by road.

At the moment, there are no restrictions on marine traffic. Originally, the Kingdom of Selroa was a landlocked country.

The Korin region where Koup is located was originally the Kingdom of Korin, and is seen as one or two levels below the center of the Kingdom of Celuloa.

Therefore, the policing of the region has been lax in some areas, which has allowed this kind of maritime trade to develop.

"Do you know the Potrocks of the Kingdom of Elias?"

"Potrock?　No, I have heard about it, but I have not been there yet.

That's a shame. There is a shipwright named Marcia who is a very good shipbuilder.

Earlier this year, Marcia was partnered with Jin in a golem boat competition in Potrock.

Reinhardt participated with Elsa, and the team of Jin and Marcia won the competition, with Reinhardt and Elsa coming in second.

From that time on, Jin, Marcia, Reinhardt, and Elsa became friends.

So, being a diplomat, Reinhardt was casually promoting Marcia.

"Oh, I see. ......"

I guess this is how they get business opportunities. Eckardt is in a good mood.

After that, they talked to him about various things, as long as they were not too casual.

"Oh, it's almost noon. Let's get them ready for dinner.

Eckhart clapped his hands and the maidservants set out the tableware with great dexterity. When they had finished, a servant brought a large pot.

"Well, a chilled drink may not have been unusual, but how about this?

A brown soup was poured into a soup plate. There were no ingredients.

But Jin recognized the aroma.

"...... Miso soup?"

"Oh?　Do you know about this, Jin-dono?　It's called bimpei, and I got it through a certain source. Jin-dono called it Miso. I see. It's easier to call it that way.

Eckart looks surprised. But Jin is in no mood to reply.

May I taste it?

"Yes, please. You can try it too.

Before he could finish his words, Jin picked up the soup plate and sipped the liquid, which appeared to be miso soup. It was clearly a breach of manners, but he had no time to worry about it.

"......"

"How do you like it?"

Erza and Reinhardt also scooped up what looked like with a spoon and tasted it.

"...... a little salty?"

"No, this is quite good."

"Ummm, well, it's an unusual taste ......."

"I think it would taste even better if you put some ingredients in it."

Each of them gave a half-hearted impression of the dish. But.

"...... is disgusting."

Jin was different.

Jin!

Reinhardt is surprised at Jin's unusually clear statement.

"......The soup stock is not strong enough. It's too salty. It's overcooked and the aroma is gone."

Jin's criticism was very harsh, as he had been longing for miso soup.

"...... If you don't mind, could you let me make it?"

"Oh?　Please do. By all means!"

Eckart was not offended by Jin's words, but rather nodded his head in anticipation of what he would make. He ordered a servant to take him to the kitchen.

"Jin-sama, I will help you too!

Berthe, the family's flavor specialist, hurried after him. Reiko and Neon are, of course, with her.

"......This is ......?"

The miso shown to me by the chef in the kitchen was in a very advanced state of fermentation. Unlike soy sauce, miso is not heat-treated, so depending on how it is stored, fermentation may progress.

"Yeah, but this one is still okay.

Taking a little lick on his finger, Jin decides that it's good enough to use.

"First, the soup stock. ......"

There is no dried bonito flakes or kelp, which means dried bonito flakes or kelp, but there is no dried bonito flakes or kelp here.

Jin looked around the kitchen to see if there were any substitutes, and something caught his eye.

"Dried fish......?"

Dried fish is one of the ways to preserve fish. Freshly caught fish is opened, gutted and washed in salt water. It is then dried in the sun. This is how dried fish is made in the simplest terms.

Aside from the theory that drying fish in the sun breaks down the protein into amino acids and increases its flavor ......, Jin turned to dried fish in order to obtain a fish-based broth.

"Now all we need are the ingredients. ......"

If a fish broth is obtained, the ingredients should be vegetable-based. Seaweeds such as wakame seaweed would be a good choice, but it seems that there was no custom of eating seaweed in this area.

"So ......"

No tofu, and of course no fried tofu.

"Hmm?"

Jin found a vegetable that looked a lot like eggplant.

"Okay, let's make eggplant miso soup.

Jin quickly peels off the purple skin.

"Jin-sama, let me help you.

Bertsch helps out by making enough for everyone. Jin meanwhile decides to make the soup stock.

The chopped eggplants are soaked in water for a few minutes to remove the scum.

In the meantime, put the dried fish in a pot of boiling water, let it boil for a while, take out the dried fish, add the eggplants Bertsche chopped, and simmer.

After about two minutes of simmering, miso is added, and the trick is to turn off the heat just before it comes to a boil.

The secret is to turn off the heat just before it comes to a boil. "If you add miso and let it simmer, the aroma will be lost," he says.

Jin explains to Bertsche and the chef, who are watching from the side.

"Come on, try it!"

Neon brought the pot and the maids of honor poured a new bowl of soup.

Elsa is the first to taste it,

"It's ...... delicious!"

Reinhard, Saki, Stellina and Vivienne also took a sip and were surprised at the difference in taste.

And the most surprised of all was Eckart.

"Oh my God, what a ......!　I didn't know it could taste this good!"

"Use the broth, don't boil it. It makes all the difference."

Jin and Bertsch, both with cat tongues, slowly tasted the miso soup. Jin was satisfied with the taste.

"This can be a local specialty!

This was also a very strong ekarte, who connected this to business.