I Was Connected to Earth’s Black Market From Another World With The Skill [Market]! (WN)

Chapter 226

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Chapter 226 – Something Sweet

The smell of sweetness filled the air at our inn, the Wolf’s Tail Pavilion, that day. Flour, cream, vanilla essence, chocolate, milk, and fragrant aroma. But for an old man, just smelling it was enough to fill you up.

“It’s amazing, isn’t it? What is it made of, Takifu-san?”

“Ah, I’m sorry. I don’t know. All I know is that it’s a powder to speed up the fermentation process.”

The only baking experience I had was with cookies and pudding. There was no way I could understand the composition of baking powder. To be honest, all I know about baking powder is that it’s just a powder. That’s the way middle-aged businessmen usually are.

“The bread here is soft and delicious, isn’t it? How do you make it?”

“I mix grape wine and beer yeast into the dough. It doesn’t rise this much every time.”

I see. I think that’s how bread and beer were made in ancient civilizations. I have a vague recollection, though.

I knew that fermentation technology itself was a given since there was alcohol and cheese. Compared to my former world, the difference in the level of cooking (except for economic and distribution factors) is not that great. Maybe it is because the ingredients are better or because of the development of magic technology, but some of the food in this world is tastier.

Anyway, what I will try this time is… a traditional Republic cake. A version made with baking powder. Of course, the pastry chef is not me, but Sandra-san, who is a talented cook. Me and Mir just help out.

“It looks so delicious, doesn’t it? Have you ever thought of using this recipe?”

“This is a recipe that requires baking powder and especially sugar. If it is not sweetened, it will just be too bitter and not tasty. Maltose syrup would make the flavor uneven.”

I don’t know, but that’s about it. The original traditional cake, as far as I have been told, is a hard, durable cake similar to a German Christmas cake. It is filled with dried fruits and nuts, and the best cake is made with as much molasses as each family can get at that time of year to make it crispy. Yes, people here are hungry for sweets.

After I finished helping them, I started grinding the coffee beans Simon gave me in the grinder. He said the coffee beans were not that fine, but they were freshly roasted local beans, and the aroma was quite good. The beans may not have been as finely ground as I would have liked, or the roasting may have been a bit messy, but the rich, sweet aroma, the likes of which I have not tasted in a long time, makes my heart beat faster.

Since coming here, I have gotten used to the delicious herbal tea, but I used to be a coffee drinker when I was an office worker.

Simon gave me a classic hand-ground coffee grinder, but I borrowed Sandra-san’s pot for her herbal tea. The strainer is a small tea net, and the filter is a freshly ground linen cloth. I used a coarsely ground nerd drip method, and it looked like this.

“Takifu, what is that?”

“It is called coffee. It’s a tea made from roasted beans. It was very popular where I came from…”

I think it might be too bitter for Myrril-san.

“What’s wrong? You’re looking at me like I’m a puppy.”

“No, I just thought it might taste better with warmed animal milk and sugar or sweetened barley if you’re not used to it.”

“You don’t like it, Yoshua?”

“I like it just the way it is.”

“Now it’s ready!”

After the first cake was baked and the cookies I had baked along with the crepes I had made to try, it was time for tea. We wanted to have tea when the kitchen was free before preparing for lunch, so Sandra-san’s sister Leila-san and her niece Marla-san, who had just arrived at work, were also with us.

“””Wow…”””

So what they say about the ladies having a sweet tooth is true. I guess it’s partly because they’ve always been hungry for sweets, but all of them, including Myrril and Sandra-san, have a twinkle in their eyes.

“Come on, try it. If it turns out well, I’m thinking of expanding beyond the restaurant.”

“Wait a minute!”

The one who opened the door with a bang was Ecla-san, the guild master of the Adventurers’ Guild, also known as the Witch of Sarz. Haru-san, the guild’s receptionist, and Kerg, a talented old lady from the Merchant Guild’s office who had been appointed deputy mayor of the city of Sarz.

“I knew this would happen.”

“Didn’t I ask you to contact me as soon as you had a clear idea about marketing the product?”

“That’s why I just made a prototype for its commercialization. Right, Sandra-san.”

“Yes, that’s right. The taste is still a work in progress, but since you’ve all come all this way, please take a seat. I’ll make you some tea.”

The three of them entered the room and were invited to join us at the table. Aside from the two members of the Adventurers’ Guild, I wonder if Kerg-san has time to come here for a cup of tea.

I heard that she was a former high-ranking political officer of the administrative district… or some other high-ranking civil servant-like career woman, so it seems that she can handle her work, except for the quantity problem.

“Your Majesty the Demon King, what is this?”

Kerg-san’s eyes were not only on the sweet but also on the coffee in front of me. This is the aesthetic sense of a veteran.

“This is a tea made from roasted beans. It has a strong taste, so if you want to drink it, try adding some of this animal milk and some sweetener if you like.”

“Takifu, this is bitter…”

The coffee was black, and Myrril-san, who seemed to be drinking the black coffee, stuck out her tongue with a reluctant expression on her face. It seems she wanted to imitate me, but it would be too hard for a child’s tongue.

“That’s why I told you. You should use the animal’s milk.”

Well, Myrril-san, I think you drank some of the milk that was in the rations before, but don’t you remember it? It had milk and sugar in it, and it was instant and hardly smelled.

“Ara, it smells good.”

After tasting some coffee from the pot, Kerg-san smiles. She seems satisfied with it.

“This is similar to the medicinal tea they used to drink in the southern part of the kingdom. I heard it was made by roasting the seeds of a small red sweet fruit.”

“Could it possibly make you feel awakened and energized?”

“Yes. If you drink too much, you won’t be able to sleep. It also has a very strong diuretic effect.”

That sounds about right. Do they have coffee here? I’ll ask Marquis Erkel later.

“Delicious!”

“It’s delicious, that white fluffy stuff that melts in your mouth.”

The ladies began to share and eat the cakes and cookies. The crepes were also cut with a knife and placed on their respective plates. Kerg-san, who was late because she was concentrating on the coffee, started to panic a little.

“Oh, can I have some of that, please?”

“Please wait a minute. I’ll serve it to you now.”

“Wow…”

“What is it, Myrril-san?”

“This is wonderfully sweet…”

It seems I was right to make whipped cream. The generous amount of toppings on both the crepes and the cakes is winning the hearts and tongues of the ladies.

“Mmm… Takifu-san, I knew it would be difficult to make this with sweet barley or insect honey.

Local production for local consumption is the best. Sarz’s sweetener doesn’t seem to be suitable for cooking. We don’t have to make a decision now, so we’ll think about it later.

“Is this sweetener the white powder you brought from the Demon King’s territory?”

“Yes, it is sugar. It is not produced in Casemaian; it is imported, so I cannot guarantee a stable supply.”

“How much does it cost?”

“It is more expensive than sweet barley but cheaper than insect honey. We’ll negotiate the price from now on.”

“If we could get the amount we got from you the other day every two seasons, we could distribute it, right?”

The hundred kilograms of sugar I got from Simon had been taken by the merchant guild. Well, they didn’t take it, but they bought it. They ended up asking for two hundred tons so I could give Sarz about two hundred kilos a year. They also said they would share their profits with the honey dealers, which was fine with me.

“Let’s look at it positively. Sandra-san, can you handle the coffee shop and pastries?”

“We could hire a few more people right away.”

“We can get you some help from the merchant guild.”

Kerg-san immediately responded to Sandra-san’s words. I thought it was a prepared comment, but it turned out to be true.

“The truth is that we have been inundated with more than ten or twenty people who want to work at the Wolf’s Tail Pavilion. But we have stopped them from coming directly to us.”

“Then I guess it’s settled. As soon as the opening hours are set, let me know.”

I don’t understand why Ecla-san, who is supposed to be irrelevant in terms of business duties, is the most enthusiastic about this.

Well, that’s okay. I think sweetness is an easily understood symbol of happiness. If only we could fill this world with sweet things instead of the death, fear, and carnage we have accumulated so far. It may be a strange expression, but I feel it would be a kind of atonement for me.

For the women who fidgeted in front of their empty plates, I began to take out some dead-stock American sweets.