Chapter 642: Entertainment and the Elven Legend of the East

Xia Duo's cooking skills were not exactly superb, but they were definitely not bad; at the very least, he had no trouble with ordinary home-cooked meals. It had been quite some time since he transmigrated, so how could he not miss the delicacies of his hometown!

Since the beginning of the development of Linshui Village, he had been trying to recreate the food from his hometown, but apart from simple staples like steamed buns, he was the only one who could occasionally eat the other dishes.

The so-called "never tire of fine food, never tire of finely minced meat" actually has a high hidden threshold; the cookware, the craftsmanship, the spices, and even the time required are not things that ordinary people can easily obtain.

As of now, the Territory did not yet have the conditions to allow ordinary residents to possess enough "culinary freedom" like the people in Xia Duo's hometown.

The food used to entertain the Elf this time, apart from the steamed buns, was all prepared by Xia Duo himself. Beyond the entertainment itself, there was also Xia Duo's probing of Aoruipusi, because he knew that ordinary Elves would not consume finished food handled by humans.

Of course, Xia Duo would not go so far as to use food he himself could barely accept to probe an Elf; preparing it personally was both a sign of sincerity and a small bit of pressure.

There were three dishes in total, two meat and one vegetable. The meat dishes were braised pork and braised fish. The meat was venison, hunted by the Territory Guard, and the fish were miscellaneous fish from the nearby Wolfburg River, very common, which the Netherese called "white strips."

As for the vegetable dish, it was a stir-fried lettuce. The Netherese also ate vegetables, but they were usually mixed with meat, boiled in a pot as a hodgepodge, or simply eaten raw.

This was something Xia Duo could not accept.

As for roasted meat, ordinary people in Netheril basically could not eat it. It was not that they could not afford it, but that only the wealthy could afford spices. Without spices, roasted meat was basically hard to swallow; it was better to boil a big pot of soup and share it with the whole family!

After being busy for nearly two hours, Xia Duo placed the braised pork, which had been reduced to a thick sauce, onto plates, and then said to Kuke, who was sniffing the air incessantly nearby: "Did you understand everything?"

Kuke gave a start and immediately replied: "I understood!"

"Then practice well. If you still can't satisfy me by the end of the year, then I might have to consider changing the head chef!"

"This, this—"

Kuke's eyes darted around, and he couldn't say anything for a long time. However, Xia Duo did not want to listen to him anymore. In any case, the deadline had already been given. If he still couldn't do it, he would really have to consider replacing him. Anyway, there were quite a few people in the Territory now, and casting a wide net would always lead to finding someone with good culinary talent.

This was actually a manifestation of sunk cost. Xia Duo had already invested quite a lot in Kuke. Not to mention how precious the personal instruction of an Arcanist Lord was, the spices he provided for Kuke alone were worth more than Kuke could ever repay.

It was precisely because he had already invested so much that Xia Duo was willing to give him chances again and again. However, Xia Duo's patience would last at most until the end of the year. In his hometown, even someone who had never cooked before could quickly complete a home-cooked dish under the guidance of family members.

Although the environment of growing up was missing here, someone like Kuke, who still hadn't caught on after nearly a year, was truly a piece of rotten wood, wasting his painstaking guidance time and time again.

The only thing that made Xia Duo feel slightly relieved was that Kuke's steamed buns were made quite well. Perhaps he could develop into a pastry Master in the future; as for other aspects, Xia Duo no longer held much hope.

When Xia Duo had finished setting the table in the dining room of the Lord's Villa and sat for a while, Laidun had already brought Aoruipusi in. After bowing, he retreated alone.

Xia Duo gestured with his hand and took the initiative to greet him: "Patriarch Aoruipusi, please sit!"

As soon as Aoruipusi sat down, he was attracted by a special piece of tableware on the table. He looked up in surprise, looked at Xia Duo, and asked somewhat uncertainly: "Lord Xia Duo, is this '%￥#'?"

Xia Duo did not understand what that word was, but judging from Aoruipusi's gaze just now, what he said should be "chopsticks." Xia Duo picked up the chopsticks on his side with one hand, demonstrated by picking up some food, and asked in return, "Patriarch Aoruipusi, is this what you are talking about?"

"Yes! That's it!" Aoruipusi nodded vigorously, also picked up the chopsticks on his side, and picked up food very dexterously, "Is Lord Xia Duo an Easterner?"

"Hmm?"

Xia Duo keenly sensed that Aoruipusi had used a special Elvish term. Mu Yan's hometown was called "Kara-Tur" in the Netherese language, but he did not yet know what it was in Elvish.

However, since Aoruipusi used "Eastern" to refer to Kara-Tur, did this mean that the Elves could really confirm that Kara-Tur was in the East?

He hurriedly asked: "Patriarch Aoruipusi, what you mean by 'Eastern' is—"

"Oh, sorry, I almost forgot that Lord Xia Duo is not an Elf. In Elvish, besides indicating the 'direction of the east,' 'Eastern' has a special reference, referring to the 'Eastern Kingdom'!"

"Eastern Kingdom?" Xia Duo repeated.

"Yes!"

Aoruipusi's eyes suddenly became a bit unfocused. He used an Elvish language with cadence, almost like an aria, and whispered: "Every Elf nation has a legend circulating, saying that in the distant East, there exists a mysterious ancient kingdom, where it is magnificent and gold is everywhere."

Seeing Xia Duo looking at him with a very exaggerated expression, Aoruipusi realized that there might be an Easterner in front of him, and could not help but smile awkwardly:

"Of course, a legend is a legend after all. The number of Easterners entertained by various Elf nations is no longer small, and the mystery of the Eastern Kingdom has greatly diminished. If it weren't for the fact that no Elf has been able to truly travel there and return safely to this day, perhaps the legend of the Eastern Kingdom would have long since ceased to circulate."

"Has really no Elf ever been to the Eastern Kingdom?" Xia Duo asked.

Perhaps feeling sad that the human in front of him was far from his hometown, Aoruipusi switched back to Elvish, which could express more complex emotions: "Except for that first High Mage, no Elf has ever been to the Eastern Kingdom since. In fact, if the original narrator had not been a High Mage, such a legend would never have been passed down at all."

"Who was that High Mage? Is he still alive?" Although Xia Duo was not a real Kara-Tur person, he was indeed very interested in this legendary Eastern Kingdom of Kara-Tur.

If that High Mage was still alive, perhaps he could pay a visit in the future.

It was just that Aoruipusi's answer was not very satisfactory—

"That High Mage was named 'Saint Nuodeer.' He was a Court Mage of the ancient Uweilun Kingdom and a very famous Scholar. However, the Uweilun Kingdom disappeared two thousand years ago due to an accident.

"Two thousand years, even for an Elf, is a very long time, not to mention that High Mage Saint Nuodeer lived in the early days of Uweilun, which is about five thousand years away from today."

Counting by thousands of years made Xia Duo feel that time was so long, from ancient times to the present, endless. At the same time, it triggered Xia Duo's desire for longevity once again.

As long as one lives long enough, then everything is possible. (Positive or negative, try to discard the negative)

After a moment of silence, Xia Duo did not continue the topic of the Eastern Kingdom, but signaled for Aoruipusi to use his chopsticks: "Patriarch Aoruipusi, please taste the food from my hometown."

As he spoke, Xia Duo introduced the ingredients and preparation methods of the three dishes to Aoruipusi, which could be considered promoting the delicacies of his hometown.

"Good!"

Aoruipusi did not refuse to eat the food cooked by a human, but skillfully used his chopsticks to pick up a piece of braised venison and chewed it carefully in his mouth. After finishing one piece, he picked up another, and only then did he speak slowly:

"Lord Xia Duo, this meat has a good balance of fat and lean, tastes sweet and soft, and the spices are fused with the taste of the meat itself. Compared to roasted meat, it is indeed much better!"

After finishing, Aoruipusi had another piece, and also self-taught how to pick up the steamed bun on the side and take a bite.

Xia Duo nodded inwardly. Glancing at the three dishes on his side that he had not yet touched, he also began to eat, eating the dishes with the steamed buns, or the steamed buns with the dishes.

Actually, the steamed buns were still a bit lacking. It would be better if there were rice. Xia Duo grew up eating rice, but it was a pity that he had not discovered rice in Netheril, so there was no way to get rice.