A New Business
T/L: IonMan
Editor: Zioming
T/L Notes:
- This Intermission Chapter for Part 2 was probably missed or left out from DarkSilencer’s translation frenzy period. Think of this chapter as a flashback. It may or may not be of any significance to most readers, but for the few that are very into the novel, it represents an important marker, similar to the side stories of the main reincarnated members.
- This new business was already mentioned in the released Chapters 339 and 340 (Part 3 Episodes 2 and 3) and serves as context for the future Chapters yet to come. You’ll understand why when you read it.
Raw Chapter: https://ncode.syosetu.com/n9511bs/390
– – – * * – – – ** – – –
Around the end of January 7448.
A married couple, and a slave, were twisting their heads at a sausage factory in the royal capital.
“Hmm, this isn’t good enough …”
Sajes suddenly spit out the soup in his mouth. He had already made countless other failures before this particular fiasco. He would crush the pork and chicken bones, put them in a large pot, filled with water, and simmer the soup down over a low flame for half a day to a full day.
During this particular attempt, he’d added the shavings of blue fish, that had been dried in the sun, until they hardened (T/L: DIY bonito flakes), dried seaweed, dried shiitake mushrooms, onions, root vegetables, etc. They were all combined to create a soup stock. All that was left to finish the soup, was to simply adjust the taste with a “kaeshi” sauce, made with salt, pepper, garlic, ginger and a couple other herbs.
“I think it’s plenty delicious.”
The taste-testing group, that Sajes had gathered, agreed, that “The taste was good enough.”
“Un, as Larry says, I agree that it’s plenty delicious.”
Cathy tasted the soup and looked at him strangely. She was clueless, as to why her husband was dissatisfied with such a result.
“Even with this, I just don’t want to use “kaeshi”… I need soy sauce.”
Larry glanced back at Sajes, after hearing his statement. Everyone in the group had already heard about the magical seasonings from the world, the reincarnated people originally came from, that they were called soy sauce and miso.
They all agreed, that “no chef would have a hard time, if there were such things around”, but also, that the soup’s smell was much too intense. Maybe he was just feeling nostalgic for the old days.
Simply by mixing in an appropriate amount of the “kaeshi” sauce, that Sajes had painstakingly adjusted to perfection, it combined with the soup stock, made from livestock bones, the resulting soup becoming surprisingly delicious. However, in order to make this soup stock, a large stove and a large pot were needed, to slowly cook it for a whole day, so it took quite a bit of time and effort.
It wouldn’t be a lie to say, it’s been taking up most of his free time lately.
During their exchange, a man and a woman strolled into the factory. They were Kuro and Mary, who’d come to the royal capital in search of some new, more noble-like clothes, and to stock up on various other necessities, and then, they came by to visit, and relax a bit, over a cup of tea.
“Oh, this is … It smells so good! What are you guys cooking?”
“Tonkotsu soup … want some?”
The factory was filled with the unique fragrant smell of stewed pork and chicken bones. It was slightly painful, to be exposed to the scent, for those not accustomed to it.
“Oh, Kuro, Mary, you’ve arrived just at the right time … Give it a taste. These guys think this is good enough, right guys?”
Sajes offered them a small plate with soup, that contained the “kaeshi”, he’d made earlier.
“We just stopped by for some bean tea … My taste had already adjusted to fit Mary’s cooking. Isn’t it a bit too stuffy in here?
“Nn. I’m not good at making tonkatsu soup … but if you just want me to have a taste …”
The two received a small plate for taste testing.
“Nn. It’s good enough for a test run … but it’s still lacking in my opinion …”
“… Yeah. It’s not quite there, yet.”
After having a taste, the two responded immediately. Sajes agreed with them, and nodded.
“You two are correct. So, what am I missing?”
Larry and Cathy, who’ve been listening to them talk, were honestly surprised, to see the two be so critical.
“The flavor could use more depth … Can you enhance the soup with some magical seasonings?”
“I don’t think so … what do you think I should change for the next batch?”
Kuro joined the two, who’ve been talking on the side.
“I think it would be nice to mix in a little bit of soy sauce into the sauce.”
“Nn, and into the soup stock too. What are you using? … It doesn’t seem like a regular soup stock. You can’t just add dried fish. It makes it smelly. Why don’t you try using dried sardines instead?”
Mary pointed out, that if he had boiled the fish in water, before drying them, he’d get a tasty soup stock, without as much odor.
Sajes knew of such uses for dried sardines, but it simply slipped his mind.
“I see … Dried sardines, is it? That’s how to make it … Aah, that part should be pretty easy, but it all comes back to having soy sauce … “
Kuro and Marie suddenly realized something.
“I don’t know how to make actual soy sauce, but I did make some roasted sake before. If you reduce the amount of “umeboshi” (salt pickled plum), the amount of “namaribushi” (bonito-like flavoring) will increase proportionally … “
“Aah, that may just do the trick. I do have some hung boiled fish, that were brought from the city of Denzul[1] …”
Sajes made a slightly confused face, hearing some unfamiliar words.
“I certainly know about soy sauce, but what’s roasted sake?”
“Nn ~ It’s like an old-style substitute. Since I also couldn’t get my hands on any soy sauce after I was reincarnated, I’ve actually tried to make my own, by using “umeboshi”, in place of the bonito flakes and sake, but since I couldn’t find actual sake, I’ve used shochu[2] instead. I’ve added some other seasonings as well, to adjust the taste. “
“That’s right. We can’t make “katsuobushi” (fermented skipjack tuna) without the “namaribushi” (the skipjack tuna), but it’s just like Marie says …”
“How about using regular pickled plums?”
“That should make it easier to make. Back at the inn, I should still have some leftover ingredients, from the last time I’ve made it. Would you like me to make some more? I’ll need some pickled plums though.”
“Yes, please do!”
Sajes was burning with renewed motivation. As a result, Kuro and Mary had to cancel their afternoon shopping plans.
・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・
A few days later.
“Muu … It may even be good enough already, to enjoy some sashimi with it …!”
Sajes trembled in joy, after biting into some white fish sashimi with the roasted sake sauce, that Marie had made.
“That sauce is just the plain one. Now try this one. It’s the one, where I’ve adjusted the flavor a bit, with some pickled plums.”
Sajes dipped the sashimi in the slightly reddish roasted sake, that was served on another small dipping plate, and shoved it into his mouth.
“Ah … Yeah. It’s definitely different from the regular soy sauce, but I might actually prefer this one.”
“Is that so? It’s easy to make, so I’ll give you this one as well.”
He was delighted to receive the two types of roasted sake sauce in small jars. Roasted sake’s taste was certainly similar to soy sauce, but in general, it was a bit more like “ponzu” (tarty soy sauce), because of the sourness from the pickled plums. If too much was added, the taste of the soup would change significantly, and even the flavor of the “tonkatsu” soup stock may end up being impaired. Nonetheless, since it added a mellow taste of “umeboshi” and alcohol to the thick soup stock, Sajes thought, that, when used to enhance the taste like that, it may even be superior to the regular soy sauce.
“By the way, this is the first time I’ve ever heard of “roasted sake” sauce. I think everyone will like it, when served with some rice. Especially Al-san, with his love for sashimi.”
“Un. This sauce was completed just before we left the Jindal Peninsula last year.”
“After leaving my hometown, I did some more research on the way here, but after coming to Baldukk, the adventurer stuff took up all of my free time. I completely forgot about the research for the sauce, but thanks to Sajes reminding me about it, I will be able to show it off tonight.”
Kuro and Mary said, a little embarrassed.
“Yeah, that’s good to know. The tartness and saltiness of this sauce is lower than “kabosu’s” (citrus). Maybe some non-reincarnated people might also enjoy eating some sashimi now.”
Sajes smiled with a broad grin, while holding the jars.
“Uun …”
“I think so too …”
Kuro and Mary’s faces showed a tinge of satisfaction.
“Nn? Afterall, it might be better to use this “roasted sake” sauce for sashimi, don’t you think?”
“We also thought so at first, so I had my parents and younger brothers try it.”
“Nn …”
“Well, you won’t know until you try some. It truly is delicious.”
Sajes said mysteriously.
“The people of Orth don’t normally eat much raw fish in the first place. They are willing to give it a try, if the fishy odor is reduced to some extent …”
“Still, they find the texture hard to stomach…”
Raw fish were apparently only eaten by slaves, who lived along the coast. The act of eating raw fish being often viewed as barbaric. Sajes could totally see this being the case. In the Slaughterers’ group, only the reincarnated people enjoyed eating sashimi, while other members blatantly disliked it.
“I was happy, that the fish was delicious when boiled.”
“Aah, “roasted sake” sauce can be used to boil fish as well.”
“Yes, definitely! It will surely be delicious if we use it for simmering.”
Sajes decides to tell Al, that the “kaeshi” sauce is complete, and to show it off at the high-class restaurant Dorureon that evening. That news was enough to stop Kuro and Mary from leaving before then.
・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・
Two months later.
After completing the “kaeshi” sauce, Sajes moved on to the dough. Unfortunately, there was no such thing as a strong, or weak flour, with different amounts of gluten. Of course, there was no such thing as a medium-strength flour either. In a sense, it could be said, that all cake flours contained a pretty low amount of gluten, due to the poorly developed agriculture of this world.
What he was working with right now, was sufficient in terms of cake flour. Strong flour was much too chewy, because the amount of gluten in it was too high.
Add some baking soda, as replacement for “kansui” (alkaline water), and a small amount of egg yolks to establish a doughy texture. Knead the dough well, and let it rest for a while. Then, put the dough in the meat mincing machine with the rotary knife removed and replaced with a customized outlet plate.
The special plate had multiple small holes, with a diameter of about 1 mm. When the handle was cranked, it took some strength at first, but once the elongated dough began to be pushed out through the holes, it became easier and easier. The extruded dough was cut into strips of about 30 cm in lengths, and then bundled into amounts roughly meant for a single person. The dough needed to be kneaded without curling it..
“Yep. This should be OK.”
He submerged the doughy strands in boiling water for a short moment, then put a single strand in his mouth and muttered.
“Just a little longer …”
He kept gazing at the state of the cooking pot, while tasting the contents from time to time, until he finally nodded in satisfaction.
That evening, Sajes and Larry stood in Dorleon’s kitchen, which he’d asked Al to book earlier, in order to announce a new business in the making to all the gathered.
Coming first, was the presentation of Al’s favorite flatfish sashimi dish. Al normally made this dish himself, but it was Larry’s job to prepare it for today. Larry himself didn’t like the dish, but he couldn’t go against his master’s desire for sashimi.
“Did you finish prepping it?”
Sajes asked, when he saw, that Larry has finished cutting the fish into bite-sized pieces.
“Aah, just another moment … it’ll be ready soon.”
Larry replied, while arranging the outside edge of a rose-shaped design on the platter, using the thinly sliced sashimi.
“Alrighty, it’s finally done.”
Sajes handed the roasted sake sauce in a small jar to Larry, before turning his sight back, from a pot he was keeping an eye on, onto another one with a simmering soup in it. The first pot contained pork rib cutlets, that have been fried in a frying pan around noon, before being bound tightly together with a tough cotton thread, into a cylindrical shape.
Sajes asked the restaurant’s chef to keep the soup simmering on low heat, before following Larry into the dining area.
・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・
“Nn, I understand the dish. But is it just sashimi? That …”
Al was a bit anxious about the members who disliked raw fish. Zenom displayed a blatantly disgusted face.
“Well, it’s not that sashimi is a new dish. However, for the first time it’s served with this.”
Following his reply, Sajes pointed at what Larry was holding.
“The star of this meal is the seasonings in this jar. It’s something Kuro, Mary, and I have made.”
Kuro, who had prearranged for Mary to sit next to him, after talking to Sajes earlier, had her stand up to take the credit, while being embarrassed.
“For now, I’ll make it quick, before I forget. Put this sauce on the sashimi, and eat it like that. It is a bit different, from eating with just salt or citrus juice.”
“Ah, sorry, I forgot about the sauce.”
Larry scooped out a small amount of the jar’s content, and poured onto each of the small plates. A slightly thick, but beautiful reddish color shined against the white plates.
“Nnn?” Is that ‘soy sauce’ !?”
The reincarnated members, who observed the small filled plates, got excited.
“Oh? Is this the so-called magical seasoning, the soy sauce?”
There was a sudden uproar among the members, when a name, that the reincarnated members had mentioned on multiple occasions before, suddenly appeared.
“Unfortunately, it’s slightly different from the ‘soy sauce’ you know, but, it’s a very close substitute for it.”
Kuro explained, while his head lowered a bit.
“It’s called ‘roasted sake’ sauce. Well, think of it as soy sauce-like and give it a try.”
After hearing Mary’s explanation, the reincarnated members stretched their chopsticks towards the sashimi. Those among the other members, who couldn’t use chopsticks, used forks, or just their hands instead.
“Well, thank you for the food …”
The red roasted sake sauce slightly moistened the flatfish sashimi. When their noses were brought close to it, it had a peculiar pungent odor, that made them tingle.
“This scent …”
“Is it plum?”
“Ah … ah … yeah … this …”
“It’s certainly not the ‘soy sauce’. But it’s quite close … such a nostalgic taste.”
“It tastes like pickled plums.”
The reincarnated members put sashimi in their mouths, they seemed to enjoy the airy and elegant plum flavor, that didn’t interfere with the taste of the sashimi, yet still brought a rather nostalgic emotion forward. Aah, sashimi has to be like this.
It was definitely a seasoning, that matches well, how they all knew it should taste.
Even the non-reincarnated Rokko and Hisu were happily eating and enjoying the morsels. Nevertheless, some still refused to try it, like Zenom and Kevin.
Sajes returned to the kitchen, once he confirmed the member’s satisfaction. The scorpion fish’s scales, that they removed ahead of time, were then simmered with seaweed and various internal organs of young animals.
By the time Sajes returned to the dining hall, with the finished simmered dish, about twenty minutes later, all the sashimi he had prepared, was already gone.
The simmered dish, containing a variety of animal parts, proved most popular. Mary taught Sajes how to make a seasoning, that gave it a scent, similar to sake, by simply submerging a few Romulus leaves in a barley shochu (wine). It was a combination of pickled roasted Romulus leaf and barley shochu, with some sugar, added, while it was being reduced. The surface of the sauce was dyed lightly brown, similar to candy glaze, and the brilliantly shimmering boiled fish gave off a nice scent, that was hard to describe …
“Wow! It’s boiled fish!”
Ralpha became overly excited.
“This is … quite delicious … it goes well with Myurizo’s [3] 20-year-old shochu …”
Zenom was enjoying some premium shochu, while heartily devouring the dish with his fork.
“They go great together.”
As she poked at the taut skin with her chopsticks, the holes made by the chopsticks expanded, making popping sounds. The flaky white meat could be seen underneath, as the fluffy steam rose up. Miduchi’s eyes widened as she took a bite.
“With this, it has a nice refreshing taste.”
While he could use the fork and knife with an elegance of a noble, Binsu was too preoccupied with the fish in front of him.
“Eh? Are you using sugar with this? It’s a pretty luxurious commodity …”
Ginger wore a fascinated expression on her face, while practicing to use the chopsticks to imitate the reincarnated members.
“This boiled fish is so delicious … I can’t stop eating.”
Kimu picked off the meat from bones using her fingers and sucked them dry. Sajes handed Cathy the fisheyes.
When the fish in front of everyone became nothing but bones, those who drunk alcohol with it, were already feeling a bit queasy.
“I think it’s about time …”
Sajes called out to Larry, before heading back to the kitchen.
Hot water was boiling in a large pot, with a number of odd looking, deep-bottomed, net shaped cooking utensils, made by a royal city craftsman, hanged along the rim.
The elongated dough made from flour, the Hakata noodles, were floating inside of the net baskets.
“One … two … three …”
Sajes slowly counted, while shaking the wired net baskets one-by-one and stirring the noodles inside of them with chopsticks, to prevent them from sticking together. Standing next to him, Larry was busy preparing the plates for the noodles, Sajes was boiling. First, he used a small ladle to pour in the special “kaeshi” sauce into a line of bowls, that had the appearance of deep plates. Then, with a larger ladle, he filled each bowl with cloudy soup of quite a unique fragrance.
Finally, he prepped the toppings for each plate. Char Siu meat, the thread-bound pork rib cutlets from the first pot, cut into thin slices. Dried wood ear mushrooms, ordered from the Lail Kingdom, rehydrated with water, then cut into crunchy strips. Soft-boiled eggs, peeled and soaked in “kaeshi” overnight, with the lid opened. And some finely chopped chives soaked in water.
“Nineteen … twenty!”
Sajes pulled the wire mesh strainer baskets out of the boiling pot, all at the same time, and drained all the water. He then dropped the noodles bundles, one by one, into the four bowls, that were already lined up for him by Larry, and nearly arranged the noodles with the chopsticks.
He immediately topped each plate with a handful of wood ear mushrooms, a spoonful of chopped chives, a soft-boiled egg, and a couple of carefully places Char Siu pork slices. Larry then quickly placed the bowls on the tray, and made his way to the dining hall, as fast as possible, taking care not to spill the soup from the fully packed plates.
“What’s that scent? It smells great! What is that?”
Sanno asked, when he saw the noodles floating in the cloudy soup, but Larry only grinned back as he placed the first bowl in front of Al.
“Ah, I thought it could be … It’s ‘Ramen’!”
He then placed another bowl in front of Miduchi.
“Ufufu. It’s tonkotsu. Did you manage to make Kata noodles?”
“For now, it’s just the regular noodles.”
Al was already slurping away. The next bowl was placed in front of Toris.
“Mmm, it smells good! … Slurp slurp. So delicious!”
The last bowl went to Bell.
“Oh? I didn’t expect a soup dish. Isn’t there a spoon … Hmm, it’s delicious!”
“H-hey wait! Let me have a taste!”
Ralpha eyed Bell’s bowl, while trying to steal a bite with her chopsticks.
“Are you crazy, only to serve four people! What’s going on with you Larry?”
Gwine complained to Larry.
“Are we not getting any !?”
Rodrick cried out, while looking at the ramen, straining his neck out from his seat, unable to restrain himself, completely contrary to his usual calm appearance.
“We have enough for everyone, so don’t worry.”
“The rest will be out soon.”
Kuro and Mary, who have taste tested the experimental versions beforehand, chimed in, after hearing all the bickering.
The non-reincarnated members of the group were slightly weirded out, as they watched the four people devouring the strangely elongated food with a strange scent.
However, everyone got their own bowl in turn …
“Such a thick soup!”
“This is! It smells strange, but it’s delicious.”
“Even with this boiled egg, it has been flavored as well!”
“So, is this what you meant by the magical power of “soy sauce” !?”
“This pork is also very delicious.”
As a result, even those members, who didn’t usually use tableware, were happily swinging their chopsticks and forks.
“” Seconds please! “”
The voices of Al and Toris echoed inside Dorureon’s walls without any elegance.
From then on, the president of the Greed Company decided to invest in a new business venture. To make sure the company breaks even, they meticulously calculated the price to be set fairly high, at 900 Zeni, but all the non-reincarnated members claimed, that “Though it’s certainly expensive, if you eat it even once, you will instantly get hooked and keep coming back for more.” It goes without saying that the commercialization was pushed hard afterwards.
Previous <Table of Content> Next
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
Footnotes:
[1] Denzul (デンズル – Denzuru)
[2] Distilled wine, 45% alcohol by volume.
[3] Myurizo (ミュリゾ – Myurizō)