Cooking with Wild Game (LN) - Volume 29 - Chapter 1.1

Chapter 1: A Study Session in the Post Town

1

On the sixteenth of the yellow month, the leading clan heads of the forest’s edge and the nobles had a special meeting in the castle town.

Back when the Suun had still been the leading clan, such meetings had been held on a regular schedule. But really, they hadn’t been much more than Count Cyclaeus Turan and Zattsu Suun getting together to scheme in private and put into motion the plans that had caused harm to so many people over the years.

Nowadays, Melfried and Polarth served as the negotiators from the noble side, and they were attempting to form a more proper relationship with the people of the forest’s edge. They had decided that one regular meeting every three months wasn’t enough, so they had changed it to every other month instead. Furthermore, they would arrange for additional special meetings when urgent situations arose. Since this was one such case, the leading clan heads were having to make a sudden trip to the castle town.

There were going to be two main topics of discussion at the meeting: the fast approaching return of the Black Flight Feathers and the sale of giba meat in the post town.

The Black Flight Feathers were a merchant group from the Eastern Kingdom of Sym. With thirty-two members, they were the largest group from Sym that visited Genos. After entering into an agreement with Cyclaeus seven years ago, they had started bringing live gyama and all sorts of other goods to Genos. They were the ones who had gone to Duke Marstein Genos and proposed cutting a new path through the forest’s edge. It was a bold plan meant to make trade easier, as it normally required around two months to go between Genos and Sym in each direction. But though that path had been completed back in the rainy season, it had still never been used, except to test it for safety. There were also people in Genos planning to build a new post town on the other side of the forest of Morga where the path ended.

Of course, there was no getting around the fact that the path ran through the dangerous forest of Morga. And after you made it to the other end, you still had to go through the barren, uninhabited wastelands beyond. According to the head of the Black Flight Feathers, Kukuluel, you could reach the highway that led north to the town of Aboof after a few days of travel, but that still needed to be confirmed by someone actually following the route.

Who could tell what sort of harm might result from an ill-prepared traveler attempting the journey? If people used it without proper planning and the worst happened, then that could result in everyone choosing to avoid it and the whole thing becoming useless. In order to avoid that kind of screwup, Marstein had tasked the Black Flight Feathers, who had suggested the idea, with being the first to test the path.

Long journeys across the continent were considered incredibly dangerous in general. There were all sorts of risks, from bandits to wild beasts to even natural disasters. If you wanted to travel the roads between towns, common practice was to have a skilled bodyguard or guide accompany you. However, easterners would travel about the continent without any guards. That was because they were famous for their skills with both totos and dangerous poisons. They themselves were a bigger threat than any bandits or wild beasts they might come across.

And yet, the easterners who worked as merchants came from the grasslands and were pacifists. It was readily apparent how much Shumiral and Radajid from the Silver Vase, Kukuluel from the Black Flight Feathers, and even the star reader Arishuna—who was no merchant but who came from a related lineage—despised conflict and were gentle-natured. Though they possessed dangerous skills that could easily put any outlaw or beast to sleep, they would never use violence for any reason other than self defense.

This was something I had just heard from Shumiral recently, but apparently, Sym was roughly divided up into four regions: the mountains to the north, the grasslands in the center, the coast to the east, and the commercial cities to the south that included the capital, Rao.

The people were split into seven tribes that ruled over the land. The only ones who traveled the world as merchants came from the Zi and Gi tribes that lived in the grasslands. Though the cities to the south were places of trade, it was the people of the grasslands who left their home country in order to do business.

People from the grasslands weren’t fond of conflict. Since they were born and raised in the peaceful center of the nation, they didn’t get involved in the war with Jagar, and they lived more or less nomadic lives. And some portion of them traveled to Selva and Mahyudra as merchants.

As one would expect, the Black Flight Feathers also came from the grasslands, and if I remembered correctly, their leader Kukuluel’s full name contained Gi. Currently, they were on a trip that had them traveling to the capital of Selva, Algrad, and when they returned to Genos, they intended to use the new path through the forest’s edge to prove its safety. They were a fair bit behind schedule, but they would be coming back soon. Since the path would start seeing use in less than a month after they returned, the special meeting today was intended to clear up a variety of issues beforehand.

And then there was the second topic of discussion: the sale of giba meat. Naturally, the Fa clan was far more involved in that than the other matter. There had been plenty of problems there too, but ultimately, we were granted permission to take part in the meat market.

We were also given a new condition, however: to sell the same amount of giba meat to the castle town as we did to the post town. That command was handed down in order to preempt a situation where the nobles would try to buy up all of the giba meat. At present, we were permitted to sell sausages and smoked meat in Genos, and going forward, we would be selling fresh meat too. But there was a concern that the nobles would try to take it all for themselves, leaving none for the post town.

Since the people’s trust in him had already been damaged because of Cyclaeus’s actions, Marstein feared that outcome and had come up with a simple solution. He seemed to be approaching things even more cautiously than we were out of fear that a noble like Cyclaeus might appear again and start hoarding ingredients, ruining all of his efforts up to this point. That was why he was imposing his new rule on us. If we sold the same amount of giba meat in both the post town and the castle town, neither side would be able to reasonably complain about it.

Of course, there was no particular reason for us to complain either way. The only concern we had was how much we should be selling. Any other problems past that point were all internal ones, the biggest of which was securing a stable supply. That was something we had discussed a great deal at the forest’s edge, with the Fa and Ruu at the center of it all. We had been getting ready for this throughout the first third of the yellow month, and had finished settling all the issues that we could at almost the exact same time that we got permission from the castle town to proceed. The final conclusion was that the Fou and Dai would be the ones in charge, while the Fa and Ruu would offer support.

The Fou and Dai had been the ones chosen because they were located close to the Fa and Ruu clans. The Gaaz and Ratsu were larger, but we prioritized the convenience offered by their proximity in this case.

Additionally, it wasn’t simply a matter of selling meat at the market in the post town. Securing the meat to be sold in advance was also a crucial task in order to keep doing business. On top of that, given how much demand there would likely be for giba meat, it would be very difficult for the Fou and Dai to provide it all on their own. They would need to make arrangements to purchase giba meat from other clans. Then they would have to store it, and transport it as well before it could be sold. That was pretty much all that their job amounted to, but the only business they had done prior to this had been selling giba pelts, horns, and tusks, so managing all that would be somewhat difficult for them.

One particularly important issue was the processing of the meat. At the settlement at the forest’s edge, clans would sell dressed carcasses of giba—either whole ones or half ones—to one another, but smaller portions would need to be prepared for the townsfolk.

Presently, the Fa and Ruu were selling fresh meat to four inns. We used known portion sizes used in town to estimate the amount we needed to provide in those cases. The Fou and Dai would need to figure out something similar.

Of course, quantities of meat weren’t measured very precisely in either the forest or the town. You only got vague guidelines like “How much for a single meal’s worth?” But if the amount you sold for a price changed too much, it would be difficult to build up trust. It was necessary to carefully measure the weight of each block you cut before loading a specified amount into a box. That was the first step toward selling meat at the market.

The payment for all that work was no small issue either. At present, it wasn’t clear to us how much profit there would be after the costs were subtracted from the sale price. After all, the price of giba meat sold between clans was simply divided into three vague levels based solely on the size of the animal.

Naturally, our rough calculations showed that we wouldn’t be suffering losses. The Fa and Ruu had been careful to adjust things so that we wouldn’t go into the red selling meat to the inns, which meant that the price for purchasing giba from other clans had to be set fairly low. But since the scale we were working at was so much larger this time around, there were all sorts of uncertainties to keep an eye on. And so, the Fou and the Dai were a little concerned, as it was unclear just how much profit they would be earning.

Thus, a fixed sum had been set for their payment. If the profits exceeded that amount, they would go into a sort of insurance account, and if there happened to be losses, the Fa and Ruu would cover them. The amount was set at twenty-four red coins per day. If that seemed too small for the amount of effort they were putting in, then it would be raised at once, but we had decided to start with a modest sum. Twenty-four red coins happened to be what you would typically earn for a single giba’s horns, tusks, and pelt. We hadn’t really had anything to go on when deciding the amount, so the Ruu had eventually proposed that.

Of course, they wouldn’t only be paid that amount on the day that they actually sold the meat. No, they were going to be paid for every day they spent working on the task. For the first ten days, they were going to be given 240 red coins, and if that didn’t prove to be enough, the amount would be raised. If the clans couldn’t handle the work any longer, a different clan would be placed in charge instead. Those were the arrangements we had made leading up to our first experiment with selling meat on the market.

We also felt it would be risky to max out our capacity right from the start, so we would only be participating in the meat market once in the first ten days. The market was held every three or four days, so we would adjust as needed once they got used to the work.

The amount of meat we decided to prepare was roughly 450 kilos—about a dozen giba’s worth. You could pack about fifteen kilos into the boxes used in the post town, so we were preparing thirty of them. Half of those would go to the castle town, while the other half would go to the post town. Over the next ten days, they were going to need to procure the meat, weigh it out, and preserve it. That was their initial task.

“I’m sure there will be all sorts of difficulties at first, but we’ll just have to overcome them,” the Fou clan head Baadu Fou’s wife had said with a smile. Naturally, their subordinate clans, the Ran and Sudra, would also be helping out with the work. At least for the time being, it seemed like they weren’t going to be able to assist the Fa clan with our prep work anymore, so we ended up having to rely on the Gaaz and Ratsu in their place.

“Things sure are getting interesting! I’m looking forward to seeing how the clan head meeting is gonna go!” the Liddo clan head Radd Liddo had said. His parent clan, the Zaza, were opposed to the Fa clan’s actions, but the Liddo and the Deen were hoping to get them to reverse their position at the clan head meeting.

At any rate, the forest’s edge was undergoing yet another quiet yet significant change again today. We would be taking part in the meat market ten days from now, in the last third of the yellow month. Until then, we were all going to be working hard to get everything done.

Of course, we had all sorts of tasks other than that to handle. The first of those was set for the day after the meeting in the castle town, on the seventeenth of the yellow month. On that day, we would be participating in the confection-making study session being held at Tanto’s Blessing.

“Heh heh, I’ve really been looking forward to today!” Rimee Ruu said with a big smile as we walked down the street in the post town. Having finished up our work with the stalls, we were now heading over to the inn for the study session.

At the inn meeting we had taken part in the other day, we had unveiled a number of giba dishes and desserts. Based on the conversation there, it had been decided that we chefs from the forest’s edge and Yang, a chef from the castle town, would instruct some folks from the inns on how to make delicious treats.

“You say that, but we’re going to be on the teaching side of things, you know? Even if we make samples, the folks from the inns will be the ones eating them.”

My statement could have put a damper on things, but Rimee Ruu’s smile didn’t shift in the least. “But we’ll be able to learn all sorts of stuff from that Yang guy, won’t we? He made really yummy sweets, so I’m still really excited!”

“That’s true. You and Toor Deen are sure to gain a lot from today.”

There were only four of us taking part in today’s study session. The size of the kitchen was limited, so we were asked to keep our numbers to a minimum. And so, it was just me, Toor Deen, Rimee Ruu, and Sheera Ruu.

The last member of our group had gotten married to Darmu Ruu the day before yesterday, and she was now calmly walking beside her fellow Ruu chef. As always, she looked quite neat, trim, and reserved. However, her blackish-brown hair had been cut short and to an even length all the way across behind her neck, and she was wearing a dress that came from her chest down to her knees. That attire for married women really suited her, so much so that it felt as if she had always worn it.

“When it comes to cooking sweets, I’m sure Rimee Ruu is all the Ruu clan needed to send, so I’m sorry for forcing my way in,” she said.

“Ah, no, we’ll need enough hands to prepare sample dishes. Really, it’s nothing to worry about.”

“Yeah!” Rimee Ruu energetically chimed in, turning Sheera Ruu’s way. “Darmu’s pretty fond of sweets, so I’m sure you’ll have to work hard at making them from now on!”

“Indeed,” Sheera Ruu replied with a smile of her own. In the past, that would have been enough to cause her to go beet red, but now she just looked ever so slightly embarrassed. Ever since her wedding, she had seemed more calm and composed than ever before.

After arriving at Tanto’s Blessing, we entrusted Gilulu and his wagon to be stored away in the rear, and then we were led to the kitchen. This place was the post town’s largest inn, and so the kitchen was also appropriately big. For today, though, the place was packed to the absolute limit. Roughly eyeballing it, I would say there were around twenty people present. We had people from most of the inns participating in the study session, but somehow the number was still reasonably low.

“Ah, we’ve been waiting for you guys!” Yumi of The Westerly Wind called out, with her usual earnest grin on her face. She had shown up at the stalls as well, so it had only been a few hours since we had last seen her. She had also congratulated Sheera Ruu on her wedding during her visit.

Telia Mas was there too, standing next to Yumi, and Nail and Naudis had secured spots as well. We greeted them all while heading farther in, where we found the owner of Tanto’s Blessing, Tapas, and his guest chef, Yang.

“Ah, dear guests from the forest’s edge, thank you so much for coming. Please, come this way,” Tapas, head of the inn firm said with a smile, beckoning us over to stand beside Yang. Yang smiled with his eyes alone, and we bowed politely to him. Meanwhile, his cooking assistants Sheila and Nicola stood quietly behind him, waiting.

“I’m looking forward to working with you today, Yang. Oh, and we also brought along Arishuna’s food. We’ll hand that over to you after the study session is over.”

“Of course.”

“I’m really sorry for pushing a chore like this onto you all the time.”

“Think nothing of it. She is a precious guest of Duke Genos, so you needn’t worry yourself.”

I was still using my connection to Yang to deliver food to Arishuna on days when I served giba curry at the stalls. Yang and Polarth had both generously agreed to it, but Sheila was the one tasked with actually making the delivery, and so I bowed to her as well.

“It is no problem. As I have said before, it is along my route back to the Daleim manor, so it is nothing to worry about,” Sheila said, then she brought her face close to mine. “By the way...is Lady Ai Fa not with you today?”

“She isn’t. We’re expecting to get home while the sun’s still high in the sky, and we generally don’t bring along guards on days like that.”

“I see,” Sheila replied, her eyes drifting down in disappointment. She was quite attached to Ai Fa.

Nicola was standing beside her with a sullen look, which seemed to prompt the keen-eyed Rimee Ruu to greet her with a smile.

“Hey there! We met at the tea party, didn’t we? Do you remember me?”

“Hmm? Ah, yes... I do...” Nicola ended up mumbling a bit, appearing to be uncertain as to how politely she should speak to a young girl like Rimee Ruu. She really was the complete opposite of the gentle Sheila, and was always wearing a sour look on her face.

The tea party she had participated in was the time before last, so it had already been several months since then. She had shown up fairly often in the post town after that as a maid working for the house of Daleim, but she wasn’t as friendly as Sheila, so it had been a good while since we had properly talked.

“You’re helping out today too, huh?! I’m gonna give it my all, and I’m really looking forward to working with you!” Rimee Ruu said.

“L-Likewise... You know that there is no need to greet a maid such as myself, though, don’t you?”

“But I haven’t seen you in a long time!” Rimee Ruu said, her smile growing even wider, causing Nicola to turn away with a rather uncomfortable look. But the direction she turned toward was where Toor Deen was standing, and the other young chef bowed to Nicola as well.

“We met at the tea party as well. Your name is Nicola, isn’t it? I’m sorry for not noticing right away, but I’m also looking forward to working with you.”

“No, but... Seriously, what is with you lot?!”

“Is something the matter?” Yang asked, looking over at them.

“Not really,” Nicola replied with a frown, holding her tongue.

It was around then that there was a great commotion from the entrance. I could hear things like “What are you doing?!” and “Don’t push!” right before a figure appeared, coming toward us through the crowd. She was a middle-aged noticeably muscular woman with a rugged face—the owner of The Arow Bud, Lema Geit. Tapas had been smiling since our arrival, but when he saw her, his expression turned rather weary.

“Lema Geit, I can’t say I’m overly fond of you shoving your way to the front like that.”

“Hmph! With this many filthy men packed in here, I couldn’t see anything. If you’ve got a complaint about that, then you should’ve prepared something for me to stand on!”

She was clearly the same as always.

And then, there was a faint chuckle from the crowd.

“So you’re that interested in sweets as well? I can certainly understand how you feel, Lema Geit.”

That voice belonged to a tall and lean older woman with darker skin and gray-brown hair—the owner of The Ramuria Coil, Jizeh. She was taller than your average man from the west, so I could easily pick out her smiling face among the other innkeepers. After shooting a piercing glare her way for a moment, Lema Geit gave a loud snort of, “Hmph!”

It seemed that everyone had arrived now. And so, as the one in charge, Tapas called out, “Let us begin this lesson on how to prepare desserts.”