Chapter 3: Mushroom Omelette and new friend

“I didn't see rice in this place, I wonder if I could get it in the near future. Or at least I should make a sauce for it. If there is ketchup or tomato sauce.”

“I should do some research for ingredients of this world.”

I place my hand at the table and my fingers tapping, playing a frustrated rhythm while I'm thinking hard.

“I need something sour yet it has a bit of sweetness in it. I wonder if there are tomatoes in this world or at least something similar.”

I closed my eyes and imagined all the delicious things I missed and suddenly I felt something touch my hand. I saw a few fruits rolled out from the magic bean bag.

“Berry? Grape?” I took one of them and looked closer. It was the size of a grape. I took the bean bag and saw a bundle of vines. I take one and put it into my mouth.

“It tasted like tomatoes but looked like grapes. Is it possible?”

Tomatoes have a light taste of MSG other than sour and a little bit sweet. I felt like crying and grateful that this tomato in grape shape does exist.

“So we washed it, and we put all of it in the bowl. using a big wood spoon, crashed all of it. Then finely chop the onion and carrot to make small cubes. Then heat the pan, put in some oil. Let it heat in a minute, pour the onion.”

I can hear the sizzling sound when the onion meets the oil in the pan. When the onion turns brownish I pour the carrot.

Toss a few minutes then pour the fruit that has the tomato taste. I put salt and sugar, while stirring it until It get thick.

“Yummy….”

“That smells like deli….”

“Wanna try it....”

“It's almost done, we can… eat together later.”

I turn around and fall to silence as no one is around me. Did I just hear things? But it is obviously people's voice. I held the wood spoon tied while blinking my eyes, wondering if there was something wrong with my sight.

“V… Is everything ready? It’s gonna be dinner time soon”

I look at Madame Anne with some questions in my head. But as I think there was more important stuff to finish I brush that away from my head.

“It's almost done. I just need to get the bread.”

I wish I could eat the omelette with rice. It is a shame but I didn't find any rice but for now I will enjoy it with the bread.

I smile as I remember the homemade bread of Madame Anne. It is soft and light.

I really love her bread, and imagine I can eat the omelette mushroom with the sauce that I made. This is totally gonna make me cry.

“Oh my dear… this is so delicious.”

Madame Anne looked so amazed with the taste in her mouth.

She tried to eat it just like I did and she smiled beautifully.

“This is amazing Vierra… How that tiny body make this wonderful food… haha”

“Thank you… I just really really like to cook and food always makes me feel happy.”

Look at how they like the food. I have a chance to get more time in the kitchen after this.

I am so happy that I could cry.

Yesterday, the persuasion was successful.

After they saw my skill and had a taste of my food, they finally let me use the kitchen freely.

They were still worried about my safety and I asked if they could build me a new stove and I was willing to pay it with my wages working at the inn.

I drained my brain to make a new design that I can use to fulfil my heart.

“Why did you lose in thought at such a young age?”

I was startled and saw the girl that was one of the guests walking towards me.

“Well age is just a number isn’t it?”

She showed a pretty smile and sat beside me.

In front the inn was a wide lawn. And some brick path that leads to the inn. The main road was quite far from the inn.

Sir Boru has made a few benches and a table. He said it was nice to talk outside when the sky is blue, the breeze can slowly ease the heart.

“How old are you”

“I am 15, my name is Vierra.”

I moved my hand to shake her hand. She was startled a bit but still reached my hand.

“I am Lana, I just turned 17.”

“I am sorry, am I being rude to you?”

“No… it is my honour as a noble lady to talk to me and shake my dirty and rough hand. You see, I’ve been doing a labour job since I was a child. That's why I feel embarrassed when you want to shake my hand. Only noble and rich people do that.”

“You have a pretty hand, It shows how hard and noble you are by doing all the work to survive on your own.”

“Thank you, your mom told me the same thing yesterday. When she tried to look at my injury, I felt embarrassed with my hand.”

“My mom?”

“You are the daughter of this Inn Owner right?”

“Oh… I was…”

My words were interrupted when a young man called her. He was her big brother, he said they were gonna check out in an hour. They talked about food and their other members' fevers.

They are afraid they have to walk slowly and worried that they don’t have enough food since they have to save the money for their mother's medication later.

After they finish discussing their preparation, Lana sits back next to me.

“Is everything ok, Lana?”

“No, we are worried about food and our money. One of our members has a fever, that’s why we come to this Inn and use some of our savings. We cannot afford to buy extra food.”

She was obviously worried but she was rather calm.

“Lana, where are you from?”

“We are from the east, we live in a small village up at the hill.”

“You travel a lot?”

“When fall comes around, most of the young people travel to prepare for the upcoming winter.”

“What kind of job do you do?”

“We were lucky, me and my brother Greg were born with Level 2 Physical Host. So, we can just do some labour jobs. It pays well. But sometimes the money is not that helpful. Even if you got lots of money it still cannot help you to bring the food and necessities to home.”

I look at the road.

As they have to walk and move a lot. It must take them a long time to reach their home.

“It seems the journey is too long to bring along the raw product.”

“Carriage and horses are expensive, it’s like reaching the sky from the earth. By walking, the stuff will be too heavy and it will wilt or rot within the journey. If it's a 2 or 3 days trip maybe you can still guarantee it. But some journeys may take too long.”

“I thought this world had some magic item. Didn't a magic bean bag possibly solve that issue?”

“It costs more than you can imagine.”

“Is it expensive?”

“It depends, the value will be depending on the capacity that you want. The bigger the higher the price. It just, the item was too hard to get. You need some specific item.”

Lana thinks for a while and continues talking.

“Like certain beast skin. You have to hunt the beast by yourself. And to make it have magic aptitude, you need craftsmen that can use magic. To have it you must be determined and look at all the resources in one long exhausting journey.”

You need to have a journey just to make that small thing.

I was wondering if there is a place like a shop that can gather and sell the item.

“Lana, there is no mall in this world?”

“What is it? I never heard that such things”

She gave me a weird look.

It’s the look where she is trying to figure out the words I just spoke to her.

“It’s a place where people will gather their goods and stuff and they sell to others.”

“I’m not sure if it's the same thing but, there was a guild in the town. But it is usually where people post a job requiring goods and they pay it with money. There were merchant guilds but it was only for noble and rich people. Poor people like me will be kicked out.”

“There’s no stall at the roadside? Like people sell their fruits and vegetables?”

“In the capital city, big towns but poor people wouldn’t even dare to get near them. Since the taxes may be higher than our lives.”

“What do you mean? How can human life be cheaper than fruits?”

My voice is a bit higher since I felt angry if it's true that human life seems belittled in this land.

“You are a really nice and kind lady. But I'm not sure how to explain it to you. It’s more like a world problem that I'm not smart enough to elaborate on.”

While talking to Lana, I saw the tray that I put above the bush was falling over. I rush over to collect the mushrooms that scatter at the ground.

Lana instinctively helped me.

“This is a mushroom, there were lots around my village. Why did you sundried it?”

“It’s to preserve it longer. Beside It has a stronger scent and taste after it dried.”

“Really? I never knew it could be eaten in so many ways. We usually grill it and eat it just like that. I really love the food you made yesterday. It was amazing and I’m not sure if that kind of food exists in this world.”

“It’s called an omelette mushroom and the red thing is sauce that is made from tomatoes.”

“Omelette? Mushrooms? Do you mean using this mushroom?”

Chapter end