Chapter 731: The Icepeak Country and Local Specialties
Chapter 731: The Icepeak Country and Local Specialties
On his return from the Northern Kingdom, should Lyon bring some local specialties for Queen Veronica? After all, it was due to his own circumstances that the wedding had to be interrupted halfway, and it was a rare occasion for Queen Veronica to personally ask for something. Lyon naturally took her small request very seriously.
From hastily leaving the banquet hall, to rushing to the boarding tower with the female cleaner, and finally boarding the airship bound for the North, Lyon was still pondering this question.
The Northern Kingdom, located at the northernmost part of the continent, with a small portion bordering the polar region, was an extremely vast human kingdom known as Eistow. However, at least seventy percent of its land was covered in ice fields, earning it the nickname 'The Icepeak Country'.
Or perhaps it could be said that the official name of the Northern Kingdom was 'The Icepeak Country of Eistow', named after the ice fields that were not suitable for human habitation. The term 'Northern Kingdom' was more of a colloquial name derived from its geographical location.
As for any iconic specialties from this northernmost human kingdom, it seemed there really weren't any.
Lyon scratched his head in worry as he recalled the information he had read in William's geography book about the natural conditions of the Northern Kingdom.
According to the book, the climate and environment of the Northern Kingdom were extremely harsh, with more than half of its territory almost perpetually covered in ice and snow.
The winters there were bitterly cold and long-lasting, while the summers were chilly and brief. Nearly a third of the land was permanently frozen, and even during the hottest summer, the average temperature remained below 0°C. Moreover, rainfall was extremely scarce...
To put it more bluntly, the term 'rainfall' was redundant in the Northern Kingdom. Even during the seven to eight days of summer heat, there would be occasional scattered rainfall, like reluctant drizzles, that were not even worth calculating.
Additionally, aside from the low temperatures and snowfall, the Northern Kingdom experienced terrifying storms that swept from west to east across the entire country, occurring at least fourteen to fifteen times a year. These storms were characterized by average wind speeds of twenty to thirty meters per second.
In extremely rare cases, the wind speed could reach over a hundred meters per second. If a heavy snowfall coincided with such a storm, the resulting snowstorm could truly be described as devastating, destroying everything in its path.
Even the Northern Kingdom's unique ten-ton giant mammoths would be tossed and turned in the snow by such a storm. As for the ordinary people of the Northern Kingdom...
The people of the Northern Kingdom were not fools; how could they possibly live in such a deadly ice field?
Although the region was vast and rich in resources and minerals, the areas suitable for human habitation were actually very limited. Even if they were willing to dig ice cellars underground, it would be futile.
After all, with the Northern Kingdom's harsh climate, a single snowstorm at night could result in three to five meters of snow piled up at the entrance of an ice cellar, suffocating those inside before they could dig their way out.
The Northerners with such problematic thinking had likely been wiped out by snowstorms centuries ago. Those with sound minds, like the majority of the Northern Kingdom's capital, Hot River City, chose to live in the mountains instead.
Even though living in the mountains came with its own risks of various disasters, it was still better than waking up to find your entire family had ascended to heaven. It was preferable to having all your possessions, including humans, horses, sheep, and tents, dancing in the wind...
In summary, with such a wildly unpredictable climate, everything in this kingdom was geared towards practicality, making it difficult to find anything exquisite and luxurious.
The liquor, smoked meat, candies, sausages, and biscuits... It seemed that all the famous and popular items were various foods and snacks, a series of high-calorie treats that Veronica certainly wouldn't lack. Bringing these back from such a long distance would be even less worthwhile.
Although he felt that no matter what he brought back, she would happily accept it, since she had made a request, he wanted to give her something more meaningful...
Hmm... Liquor would be a good choice for the Director; she'd definitely appreciate it.
Taking out his small notebook and charcoal pencil, Lyon wrote down 'liquor' and then, sitting by the porthole of the airship, he couldn't help but turn his head towards the female cleaner beside him.
If he really wanted to get some local specialties, asking this Northerner would be the most convenient option. However, Veronica had just thrown a little tantrum over something related to her, and what if she really took a liking to him and developed other intentions?
"Why are you staring at me?"
Noticing Lyon's gaze, the female cleaner, who was eating the airship meal, stiffened and instinctively guarded the fruit pizza on her small table.
But soon, she seemed to remember something and hesitantly lowered her hand. Then, gritting her teeth, she picked up the pizza cutter, cut off a small piece of pizza, and used a fork to place it on Lyon's plate.
"That's all! I'm not even full yet!"
"..."
Veronica, you're overthinking this...
Looking at the giant pizza in front of her, which was larger than a pot lid and had to be stacked in three layers to fit, and then at the small piece on his plate, barely bigger than his palm, Lyon's face darkened.
Logically, she couldn't possibly be interested in me! I dare say, in her eyes, I'm not as appealing as a slice of pizza... And it's even pineapple pizza!
"You eat it."
After disdainfully pushing back the pizza, which had at least three times the usual amount of cheese, making it stringy and sticky, Lyon looked at her shockingly large lunch and couldn't help but comment, "Where did you even get this? My tablecloth isn't as big as your pizza!"
"Of course, I brought it myself!"
Forking the pizza that Lyon had returned, the female cleaner stuffed it into her mouth and said, "The food here is delicate and tasty, but if you want to fill your stomach, nothing beats the food from the North!"
Indeed, that was true... With this cheese layer thicker than a table, I've never seen anyone but you manage to swallow it.
Suppressing the criticism of Northern cuisine in his mind, Lyon glanced at the three division directors meditating on the other side of the aisle and then asked the female cleaner, "Meli, are there any specialties in the North?"
"Of course! And there are many!"
The female cleaner nodded and, after swallowing the pizza in her mouth, enthusiastically listed them off on her fingers, "There are various types of jerky, but I only remember the most famous ones, like snow mammoth jerky, ice cave rhino meat strips, smoked ribs of spiked tusk elephants, thick hoof donkey palms, and saber-tooth tiger whips..."
(End of Chapter)
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