Chapter 437

The skeleton-like man turned back into the kitchen and started puttering about, and a strange smell soon wafted out from within.

Broly sniffed his nose, finding it somewhat hard to distinguish whether this was a pleasant fragrance or a pungent stench.

Ten minutes later, the skeleton man actually served a passable-looking stew and a piece of unidentifiable roasted meat.

The stew smelled a bit sour and astringent; the meat appeared in a riot of colors. Broly took a sip of the soup first, and his small face's features scrunched together — so sour.

Next was the meat; he cut off a small piece, skewered it, and put it in his mouth to chew. A strong spice flavor and a fishy stench that even the spices couldn't mask mingled together and stabbed straight into his nasal cavity.

"Do you still want the next dishes?"

Watching Broly continuously huffing through his nose, Randolph felt there was no hope left; asking was merely out of politeness.

"Keep them coming. I want to see what else there is."

The dining experience wasn't great, but Broly ate with a bit of a buzz.

You say it's delicious, but he can't taste it.

You say it's awful, yet he can still accept it.

This is a very subtle taste experience.

After that, the dark cuisine served up included stir-fried earthworms and charcoal-grilled poison-tailed scorpions.

In Head Chef Randolph Marian's introduction, to preserve these two dishes' unique Magic Continent flavor, he deliberately retained some glands inside the ingredients.

"Earthworms — you can taste the authentic Magic Continent earth fragrance (earthy smell). Charcoal-grilled poison-tailed scorpion — I deliberately left some paralytic toxin; but rest assured, this amount of toxin won't poison anyone, it'll just make your tongue feel a bit numb..."

"Boss, your dishes are quite distinctive."

"Many people say that."

"Ever considered switching careers?"

"Not for now. I can't betray the expectations every potential customer who comes here has for my cooking."

Broly really wanted to say something more, but forgot it in the end.

What he finds unpalatable doesn't mean others find it unpalatable too.

After all, that receptionist lady at the Adventurer's Guild recommended this restaurant to him.

"Check, how much?"

"One King Dragon Gold Coin and two King Long Silver Coins."

"Are you running a rip-off joint?"

Broly looked at Randolph with some suspicion.

"This is sea dragon meat, and this meat dish uses many precious spices unique to the Magic Continent. Transporting these spices from the Magic Continent costs a high price per kilogram. Besides, the earthworms I used are the freshest live specimens; shipping costs are even higher..."

The skeleton man detailed the ingredient cost of each dish, and Broly's feeling that this place was a rip-off, after this thorough explanation, suddenly became acceptable. Not short on money, he paid the bill.

"You're the first customer to pay so generously."

After taking the money, Randolph was somewhat moved.

"Paying for a meal is only natural. It's just that your restaurant's dishes are this expensive — does anyone actually come to eat?"

Broly glanced at the mealtime, yet the still empty interior, and couldn't help asking.

"There are, but those customers don't eat such high-end fare; average spending is only within one or two silver coins..."

Through Randolph's explanation, Broly learned that the signature dishes he ordered were high-end items ordinary customers almost never order.

【Sucker】

This strange term floated up in the Saiyan boy's mind.

"I'm truly moved. I never expected that within the Wanglong Kingdom, there would actually be someone like you willing to taste my signature dishes."

Broly looked at the skeleton man covering his mouth, sunk into a state of being moved; what else could he say?

"Welcome back next time!"

After the other party additionally gifted a bottle, said to be a beverage fermented from a Magic Continent-exclusive berry, Broly walked out of the Death God Restaurant.

Taking a sip of the drink in the horn cup, a sour-sweet taste with a hint of fizz — Broly could only say this thing seemed to be the most delicious item at the Death God Restaurant.

"Forget it, let's go to another restaurant and eat something else."

Broly, who hadn't eaten his fill at all, turned and went to a normal restaurant not far away to continue eating. Don't know if it was due to the contrast, but this next meal he ate with exceptional relish.

Clearly this world's cooking level is generally lower than the modern urban world's, yet it gave him a feeling like the emotion of eating the first bite of normal food back then.

As the capital of the Wanglong Kingdom, Tarakia is huge. The Adventurer's Guild side needed to complete his meet-people commission in three separate trips.

And that meant he needed to stay in this place for three days. Broly looked at the stay time (2) having consumed only 34 days, and wasn't anxious at all.

In the evening, when Broly found a normal-human-looking receptionist lady, inquired about restaurants suitable for locals, and went to another restaurant for dinner, that youth he'd won the treasure sword from in the morning, together with that Water Saint Assassin Leader, came looking for him again.

"You two guys, here to cause trouble?"

Broly isn't afraid of trouble.

"No no no, we represent our Lord, specially coming to extend an invitation to Broly-sama."

The Water Saint Assassin Leader hurriedly placed a gilded invitation letter before Broly.

"Who's your Lord? Inviting me for what?"

Broly was somewhat confused.

"Our Lord is the Wanglong Kingdom's Third Queen, Martina-sama. Broly-sama, your martial prowess is extraordinary; upon learning of it, our Lord felt admiration."

Broly understood — this was yet another person who took a fancy to his martial strength. Whether last time or this time, there's been no shortage of people trying to recruit him along the way.

Just that some are adventurer parties, some are merchant groups traveling everywhere doing business, while a noble-rank invitation — this counts as the second time.

"My apologies, I might not have time to accept your invitation."

Broly tossed the invitation letter in his hand back to them.

"Then we'll take our leave first."

The two opposite exchanged a glance, chose to take the invitation letter and leave first.

"No flavor at all~"

The food in his mouth wasn't terrible, but for some reason, it just lacked the emotion he'd felt eating normal food at noon.

The next day, an invitation of twenty copper coins let Broly meet quite a few people in a large square.

But just like before, among the crowd craning their necks waiting for money, not a single one was who he was looking for.

At noon, Broly, intending to eat, found his steps unconsciously leading him to the front of the Death God Restaurant.

This was strange; clearly he didn't think this weird restaurant's food was delicious, yet he wanted to eat a meal here before going to eat other food.

"That's not strange at all. Perhaps you and I have similar hometowns. I'm from the Magic Continent. When I first came out from there, I thought the outside world's food was delicious, but as time went on, I found myself missing my hometown's flavor more and more..."

After hearing the customer who came yesterday ask if he'd put something weird in the food, Randolph laughed and denied it, offering a possibility.

And this time Broly didn't order the signature dish, but ordered the Magic Continent set meal that only ordinary customers who rarely come here to dine would order.

While eating, he pondered whether the other's words made sense, suspecting that what he truly wanted to eat might be the Vampa Spiders from Planet Vampa after all.

But the moment he really thought of the bitter taste of those past Vampa Spiders, Broly suddenly felt the Death God Restaurant's food could actually be called delicious.

And then when he turned to eat normal food outside again, he felt that was the most delicious of the delicious.

In the evening, the two from yesterday came again: "Our master is very sincere. If Broly-sama is willing to meet our master once, she is willing to hold a banquet for you, at which many noble young ladies from the capital will be invited."

The Third Queen of the Wanglong Kingdom is interesting; she seems to know how to cater to preferences. After yesterday's invitation was refused by Broly, she quickly sent subordinates again with a more sincere invitation.

"I can accept the invitation and go meet the Queen behind you, but I may not necessarily do as your Queen wishes."

Broly stated this beforehand. The Water Saint Assassin Leader was very pleased and handed over the invitation.

"Broly-sama, there's one more thing."

"What?"

"I want to redeem my sword."

Sean Cloda took out a large money bag and placed it on the table.

"This is one hundred twenty King Dragon Gold Coins."

"I left your sword on consignment at the Dwarven Blacksmith on Dull Street in South City. You can go there and buy it back."

On the third day arriving in Tarakia, Broly's money pouch bulged again.

However, today was still a disappointing day.

The new crowd who came to meet him, aside from costing him several dozen King Dragon Gold Coins, brought him no other value whatsoever.

"Randolph, I am very sincere."

"Sorry, your sincerity is of no use to me."

"A weird shop with so few customers like this — how long do you intend to persist?"

"This is a shop passed down from ancestors generation after generation. Of course I'll persist until I die."

A Long-Eared Race man who looked rather ferocious still wanted to say something, but Broly happened to walk in.

"I'll be back."

Seeing Randolph had a customer, Shagal had no intention of disturbing his business. He left those words and went away.

"What's going on, Boss?"

"Nothing, just a rude guy trying to recruit me into the army."

Randolph shrugged.

"Customer, do you want yesterday's set meal, or the day before's signature dish?"

"I'll have the signature dish."

Broly found a seat near the window and sat down, casually saying: "Being recruited by people really is an annoying thing."

"Customer, do you have similar experiences too?"

Randolph asked, and Broly spoke of the various people he'd encountered trying to recruit him along the way.

"Being able to be recruited by so many people also proves, Customer, that you are a very capable person."

"But I have my own things to do. Their recruiting is just annoying."

"I can understand."

Randolph, bringing the dishes, showed an expression of deep empathy.

"I want to be a chef and properly run my family's ancestral restaurant, but there are always people who think I'm wasting my life and want to recruit me to do more meaningful work."

"Uh, I want to ask, is this restaurant currently profitable?"

"In debt. About one King Dragon Gold Coin short each month. Of course, this month we're profitable."

Broly fell silent. After a while he said: "Boss Randolph, I feel that sometimes, listening to others' opinions is also a very important thing."

"Customer, you also think I'm not suited to be a chef, not suited to run a restaurant?"

Randolph stared dead at him, giving Broly the feeling of being targeted by the Undead.

"I don't know if you're suited to be a chef, but you're definitely not suited to run a restaurant."

"Why?"

"You didn't consider the locals' tastes. That's why your restaurant has so few customers."

"True, but this is my restaurant, and I only know how to cook Magic Continent style cuisine."

"Perhaps you could hire other chefs to provide dishes that suit local tastes."

Broly gave his advice.

"That way, I can eat different flavors of food in your shop."

Randolph fell into thought. After a while he expressed gratitude to Broly.

"Customer, your advice is very precious. I will listen to it carefully. Yet I don't know your honorable name?"

"Broly."

"Mr. Broly, if your advice improves this restaurant's business, I will rename it the 【Broly and Death God Restaurant】 to express my gratitude to you."

Randolph said solemnly.

"That won't be necessary."

Broly didn't really want his name hung on the signboard of this strange restaurant.

"No, please allow me to express my thanks."

"Then treat me to a meal?"

Broly proposed another way of showing thanks.

"Then this meal is on the house."

Randolph thought for a moment and said.

"Uh, you haven't even tried whether my method works or not."

Broly gave a reminder.

"Whether it works or not, I am grateful you proposed suggestions for my restaurant."

"I ordered the signature dish; are you sure that if you comp this meal, your restaurant can still turn a profit this month?"

"Rest assured, I am already used to losses."

Randolph bowed slightly.

"And before inheriting this restaurant, I also had a job with a decent income, so I count as having modest family wealth."

His meaning was, he could afford the losses.

"If you need help and it doesn't take too much time, you can find me; I can help."

Before leaving the restaurant, Broly proactively offered.

"Hmm..."

Randolph thought for a moment, then said: "If possible, I would like to invite Broli-sama to serve as the examiner for hiring new chefs at my restaurant; my personal taste may not quite match common tastes."

"Ah?!" Broly was a bit surprised, not expecting this kind of favor, but readily agreed: "No problem, I will definitely help your restaurant pick the most skilled chefs!"

On the fourth day, the Find Person Commission at the Adventurer's Guild was settled, and that night Broly went to the Royal Palace of the Wanglong Kingdom for the appointment.

However, before going to the palace, the Water Saint Assassin Leader Fret Pengley, learning he had no formal attire, took him to a tailor shop to pick out suitable banquet clothing.

Wearing the formal bound-robe attire that noble children of the Wanglong Kingdom wear to formal banquets, Broly was brought into the palace and met the Third Queen Martina.

She was a beautiful mature woman, and her water-blue hair, similar in color to Aqua's, gave Broly a fairly good initial impression of her.

Queen Martina introduced Broly's identity to the noble young ladies attending the banquet, and upon learning he was the See King-sama recently spoken of by the kingdom's bards, the noble young ladies of the capital erupted with considerable enthusiasm.

Once the banquet began, this group surrounded Broly, asking about the reason he issued the Find Person Commission, and the authenticity of the lost lover story in the bards' mouths.

"I issued the Find Person Commission to search for my Destined Partner; the bards' stories are all fake. If I truly knew who I was looking for, I would have found them long ago."

Broly answered this group's questions seriously, but such a neat, by-the-book response could not satisfy these noble young ladies' flourishing curiosity.

Added to that, before this banquet started, someone had investigated his background and learned he was at least a King-level Powerhouse, so quite a few families wanted to curry favor with him.

As for how to curry favor, having the female members of families attending the Third Queen's banquet form some intimate relations with him — for example, physical relations — might be a good choice.

"Broly-sama, could your so-called Destined Partner not be us?"

A noble young lady asked.

"No."

"Why?"

"Because I don't know you."

"Then we can get to know each other tonight."

Broly: "..."

"That Broly-sama doesn't seem too good at dealing with overly enthusiastic noble young ladies..."

Sean Cloda, seeing Broly in the encirclement of noble young ladies, not knowing how to respond to the group of noble young ladies entangling him, began to joke.

But not long after, he saw Broly leap over the crowd, snatch some food from the banquet tables, and jump directly onto the palace roof.

"Truly a rude fellow..."

Seeing this, someone muttered quietly.

As far as Broly was concerned, a banquet without a capture target left only eating.

As for that group of chattering, overly enthusiastic noble young ladies, they were merely a group of strangers.

Politely answering some of their proposed questions was the absolute limit.

Unexpectedly, among them there were actually those who wanted him to sleep with them tonight; what kind of people are these, don't they even check if they're qualified?

However, the banquet food's taste wasn't bad; wonder if I can poach a couple of Royal Chefs to bring back to Boss Randolph?

(Chapter End)