MTLNOVEL Chapter 261 - Divine Cat Mii-chan Strikes a Pose.
Chapter 261: Divine Cat Mii-chan Strikes a Pose.
Zelgad stands frozen in place, unable to move. Jin, meanwhile, tips his glass upside down, extending his tongue to catch the last drop.
“It takes time to brew alcohol of this quality, but the first drink we tried could be on the market in two or three years. Would you lend me a hand?”
“What could I possibly help with?”
“There’s plenty to do—designing, manufacturing, assembling, and adjusting the distillation equipment, for one. Plus, I have other things I’d like to ask of you. Don’t you want to work on something fun?”
“You’d let me do what I enjoy?”
“As long as you get the job done, you can do whatever you like.”
“And how’s the pay?”
“You’d be working for the Divine Cat Trading Company. The salary will be worlds apart from what you’re used to.”
“Can I bring my family?”
Wait, Zelgad has a family? That’s unexpected.
“Our headquarters are in the royal capital, but you’ll be traveling a lot. If that works for you, I can arrange for a place in the capital for your family.”
“I want to open a shop for my sons.”
Oh, so he has sons too. What kind of sons does this mad dwarf have?
“If they have the skills, we can set up a shop under the Divine Cat Trading Company.”
“You’re really willing to go that far?”
“This man here is Sigmund of the Five Thunder Warriors. Who better to serve as your witness? And if you still don’t trust us, I can ask Serion, the Hunter Guild Master, to vouch for you.”
“Sigmund of the Five Thunder Warriors and the hero Serion… Nero, who in the world are you?”
“Will you continue down the same path, or forge a new one?”
“Guh… Fine, count me in.”
Got myself a mad dwarf!
As we continued to talk, it turned out Zelgad had some debts. He owed money to the Quint Craft Guild and couldn’t leave town without paying them off. His workshop was also rented from the Craft Guild, so he decided to return everything all at once.
Zelgad didn’t own much personally. After selecting only the essentials, his belongings fit into two suitcases and a large backpack. Everything else would be dealt with by the Craft Guild.
We visited the Craft Guild, paid off his debt, canceled the lease on the workshop, and then headed to an inn. He’d stay in his room for another two or three days, settle any remaining matters in town, and then head to the capital.
“Thanks for everything…”
“I’m expecting a lot of hard work from you in return.”
“You got it!”
After parting ways with Zelgad, Jin and I went shopping at the market. On the way back to the Hunter Guild, Jin kept pestering me about the special liquor I let him try earlier. Even though I told him it was a rare drink, he wouldn’t give up, saying he’d pay any amount of money. I considered squeezing every last coin out of him, but instead told him I could offer him a younger batch of the same type. He cried tears of joy at that.
When we entered the Hunter Guild, we were greeted by a fashion show featuring Mii-chan and a mother-daughter pair of beautiful cats. Even Eva was joining in…
“Mii~”
Every time Mii-chan struck a pose, the crowd erupted in cheers. When did she learn to do that? No, better to just ignore it…
After lunch, I helped Sykes prepare some dishes. I stored them in my bag for now, but later I’d transfer them to Mii-chan’s bag, which has better performance.
While cooking, I learned more about the new shop Sykes had opened. His wife was running a small store in a corner of the shopping district. He said that while the red bean paste can be prepared in advance, the pudding has to be made fresh, which is a challenge. They’ve been selling the pudding in limited quantities, and it always sells out quickly. Apparently, customers are clamoring for more.
Since a new cook would be joining the kitchen soon, Sykes was planning to increase the number of puddings they made. Although the pudding is priced fairly high, it sells out right away, which shows that people in this town are willing to pay for quality. This was a valuable lesson for the future of the Divine Cat Trading Company—there’s no need to lower quality for the sake of affordability.
Later that afternoon, Perro and the others returned with some chicken, so I made fried chicken with a strong ginger flavor, coating it with only potato starch for a crispy finish, similar to tatsuta-age.
“This flavor is simply indescribable, nya. The ginger and soy sauce are spot on, nya. And this coating, it’s different from the usual—so crispy, nya! The meat inside is juicy, while the outside is crunchy. Nero, you’re a genius, nya!”
Well, I didn’t exactly invent it… Meanwhile, the Munakata siblings were stuffing their tatsuta-age into bread with vegetables and mayo. That looked delicious. I’ll try it too.
“Freshly fried, this is the best!”
“This is… even better than MC’s limited-time offerings.”
“Delicious, nya!”
“Did I just become a genius chef?”
“““Definitely!”””
Mii-chan’s bag is still packed with food. With what we’ve prepared today, we’ll have enough to last us a month in the labyrinth. Good food is essential for keeping spirits up, especially in places like a labyrinth, where the oppressive atmosphere can wear you down. Meals need to be enjoyable to keep morale high.
Alright, we’re all set—time to head out on our labyrinth exploration. The situation around us is still unpredictable, but there’s nothing I can do about that. After pushing myself so hard until now, I deserve to have a little fun, right?
Alright, Mii-chan, let’s head for the labyrinth!
But first, ladies, are you satisfied now? Mii-chan, come back!
“Mii~”