Chapter 424: Arcane Chef

Although I do not know the essence of the magic world, from many phenomena identical to those on Earth, it is clear that this world is still material in its macroscopic sense. Excluding the relationships with other Planes, at least the Main Plane as understood by Xia Duo is like this.

Then, making steamed buns can still refer to the methods from Earth. First is kneading the dough, which has no issues, though fermentation might be a problem; Xia Duo adopted ale as the source of fermentation.

Since ale and bread can appear in this world, this series of products related to fermentation can all appear, such as vinegar, soy sauce, and steamed buns.

The grain supplied to Xia Duo by Savile Territory is mostly finished flour, which is a trade item between Savile Territory and Konnifila City; it is not only finished flour but also sifted, with the wheat bran removed.

Although it still looks a bit yellowish, its quality is far better than what ordinary people in Savile Territory eat.

In other words, at least in terms of eating, the residents of Daxia Territory are now fully ahead of Savile Territory.

Because it was just an experiment, Xia Duo only took a small amount of flour at a time and added ordinary ale; this kind of ale is what Xia Duo keeps in his Personal Space as reserve drinking water.

Although Bloodline Ability and Magic can create water at any time, situations like the Elf ruins where Spellcasting is forbidden—and even Bloodline Ability Spellcasting cannot be performed—are not impossible to happen again, so Xia Duo always carries a certain amount of rations and ale with him.

Kneading the dough with ale—it has been a long time since he last did it, so his hands are a bit rusty, and Xia Duo previously only made hand-pulled noodles; he only made steamed buns with his family during the New Year, so he did not have a very deep understanding of the proofing level of steamed buns.

However, experiments are meant to allow for mistakes.

In the past, when making steamed buns at home, the dough had to be placed in a vat scalded with hot water and covered with a quilt to keep it warm, but in the magic world, for a Mage, such complexity is unnecessary.

Simply use a Force Sphere to contain the dough, then continuously introduce fire elements to keep it at human body temperature, and that is about enough.

While waiting for the dough to proof, Xia Duo began to explain the method for ordinary people to Kuke; actually, this step is very similar to making bread, with only differences in the details.

However, Xia Duo did not explain too many details because he could not explain them clearly himself; the greatest secrets of his hometown's culinary arts are "feel," "heat control," and "appropriate amount"—one must practice a lot to learn them.

"The first step is roughly like this; you can practice it yourself when the time comes. I have something to say now."

"My Lord, what is it?"

"I plan to arrange for the residents to rotate in the Canteen. You must teach them the methods for all the new-style foods. If this is done well, I will give you a surprise!"

Since new-style foods are being introduced, everyone must become a chef; Xia Duo does not require everyone to be a master chef, but at least they must know how to make common foods.

Of course, for the time being, there are only steamed buns, and it is not suitable to cook separately now; the days of the Canteen's communal meals will continue for a long time.

Hearing Xia Duo's words, Kuke was both happy and a bit worried, "My Lord, this—"

As a chef who has mastered the skill, he naturally does not want others to learn this skill; it would be best if he were the only one in the world who knew how to cook.

But at the same time, he could not resist the Lord's will. However, thinking of the surprise, he could not help but fantasize, and finally, gritting his teeth, he agreed:

"My Lord, I guarantee I will teach them!"

"By the way, there is one more thing. You have seen the situation at the wooden house production workshop, right?"

"I have seen it, My Lord. You mean—"

"Apply that method of division of labor and cooperation to the kitchen, but at the same time, ensure that everyone masters the production methods of the new-style foods!"

"Yes, I understand."

Since he had already agreed to one thing, Kuke naturally did not mind agreeing more thoroughly. Besides, even if he ran back to Savile Territory now, he would still be under Xia Duo's jurisdiction, so it was better to just agree readily.

Xia Duo was quite satisfied with Kuke's attitude. If Kuke were unwilling, he would definitely have to replace him. A chef is different from other craftsmen; everyone has to eat, so it can be said that every household has a chef, it is just a matter of the level of skill.

And when Kuke dared to run here when Daxia Territory had nothing at the beginning—even though he did not become a resident—daring to take such a risk shows that he was not doing well in Savile Town.

With Xia Duo's current status, it would be easy to find a more skilled chef in Savile Territory, but being skilled does not necessarily mean being easy to work with.

For the time being, Xia Duo's impression of Kuke is not bad.

……

While the two were talking, the dough "locked" in the Force Sphere had already expanded to twice its original size. Next was steaming; this step is the simplest, but it can also be said to be not simple.

Saying it is simple naturally refers to the fact that there is basically no operational difficulty in this step; there are no issues like heat control, appropriate amount, or "feel" that are difficult to quantify. One just needs to turn on high heat to steam it.

Saying it is not simple is actually due to the limitation of material conditions. Linshui Village has pots, and they are even iron pots, but there is no Steamer, so it is impossible to ensure relative sealing.

However, for a Mage, this can still be achieved through Spellcasting to avoid the need for materials.

After thinking for a moment, Xia Duo shaped the Force Sphere into a tubular structure slightly thicker than the dough, and then applied a Steam Ray to the other end.

Of course, the 【Steam Ray】 here is not just a simple ray, but a Steam Wave as thick as an arm. This 1st Circle non-lethal incapacitating spell, which Xia Duo originally used to climb the threshold of an Official Mage, has now actually become a 3rd Circle Cooking Magic! However, 3rd Circle has already reached the threshold of an Intermediate Mage; such an Arcane Mage is not something just anyone can afford.

Perhaps it can be simplified later.

The spell Xia Duo is using now is not specifically designed for cooking; it is just adapting to the situation based on existing spells. If a set of spells were specifically designed for cooking, it might have a great market in the future.

Perhaps he won't have to wait too long. Thinking that the Arcane Union is already negotiating with various Mage Towers on issues such as spell opening and patent registration, Xia Duo felt a sense of urgency.

He was afraid of missing out on this wave of dividends.

And good Cooking Magic still needs delicious food to match it. Perhaps he should switch to being a chef before becoming an Advanced Arcanist? But this thought only appeared in Xia Duo's mind for a moment before he decisively dismissed it; now is not the time to play with side professions.

As for patent dividends, let's not even talk about 【Steam Ray】; although Xia Duo has it, it is highly likely that others have it too, and even if they don't, the Principles are very simple.

In fact, Xia Duo had long ago invented a new spell that almost did not exist in Netheril—【Imaging】. This was inspired by the ultrasound detection in modern medicine from Earth.

Using sound waves to detect the fine internal structure of objects, "Imaging," as the name implies, can display it in the form of an image.

If this spell is combined with the image characteristics of corresponding minerals, it is simply a ready-made magic mineral detector! The most critical thing is that this spell is only 0 Ring, and it is not difficult to cast; it only requires prior understanding of the relevant Principles of sound wave imaging, and analyzing the feedback is the true mystery.

Otherwise, it would just be a sound wave spell with no power.

From this spell, one can also derive a professional discipline of acoustics; these spell dividends can basically be enjoyed for a lifetime!

Because of this spell, Xia Duo even thought about the scene of him driving a "Floating City" to scan for ores all over the world and constantly upgrading the "Floating City."

It is evident how highly Xia Duo thinks of this spell.

……

(End of chapter)