READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 54
The seemingly endless winter sky of Iceland was gradually spitting out less snow, a fact that the locals were keenly aware of through their experience.
It was a sign that winter was ending and spring was on its way.
Of course, spring in Coldon was more cool than cold compared to winter, but as previously mentioned, it was indeed a warmer season.
Naturally, it would be odd for Iceland, known for its barrenness, to have minor issues in the seasons, but Karem was still unaware of that fact and had no time to worry about it.
Karem had originally intended to create seasoned fried chicken.
The two most important ingredients required for that were simple.
Gochujang, and ketchup.
Actually, no. The origin of ketchup was a fish sauce with a pronunciation that’s difficult to replicate, so it seemed possible to ask Zigmeser for garum and twist his entire body into submission. There would surely be a price to pay, though.
Yet there was no way to substitute gochujang.
Or rather, he had no clue how to replace it at all.
Determined to try something, Karem began experimenting with various alternatives.
Most were failures, and while a few results were somewhat useful, they were completely unlike gochujang, so they were failures nonetheless.
After dragging Zigmeser into the hunt for a new sauce, Karem found himself out of luck in that regard.
The sauce that was produced turned out to be rather exceptional. He could never have imagined he’d create a spicy mayonnaise sauce famous in the franchise known for grilled chicken.
He could have been satisfied with plain fried chicken, but the moment Karem thought of seasoned fried chicken, he found it impossible to think about eating any other type of chicken, and thus found himself researching a substitute for gochujang without achieving his initial goal of seasoned fried chicken.
So far, all the results had been failures.
However, Karem hadn’t given up hope and continued experimenting with doughnuts or frying until he could finally throw out the lard requested by Catherine and Mary.
Of course, it wasn’t all bad news.
As he recalled the hefty money pouch received as compensation, a smile crept onto Karem’s face.
Naturally, this was money received as payment for Alfred’s suggestion.
He regretted the moment he’d lost his grip on his sanity, which was hard to experience in both his past and present life, but thinking of the bonus made it not such a bad experience after all.
Of course, while walking down the street, his sudden laughter drew curious glances from his companions, Catherine and Mary. Catherine asked the reason behind his amusement.
“What’s got you giggling like that?”
“I’m just really happy about receiving the bonus.”
Catherine felt a strange sensation at his resolute response.
It’s not like I pay poorly, so if he enjoys it this much, wouldn’t that make me look bad?
Karem’s following query ended her contemplation.
“By the way, isn’t there a forge within Winterhome?”
“Of course. For such a big castle, having a resident blacksmith is considerable. His skills are among the top five in Coldon.”
“Then is there really a need to venture outside?”
“With all the work pouring out from the castle, he’d be too busy handling ice worm byproducts to find the time. Besides, I also needed some items for the orders I was given, so it’s a two-for-one situation.”
In other words, he was swamped with work and needed to hurry, which Karem could understand. The principles of order and priority established by the Duke of Iceland wouldn’t let him casually ask for favors first.
“So, Karem, have you decided what to buy?”
“Well, I plan to go and figure it out. What I need for the kitchen right now is… no, wait. Is there something?”
As Karem was about to reply to Mary’s question, a flood of discomfort he’d been experiencing without realizing it poured into his mind.
For instance, a whisk, a skimmer, and a grill.
There was no way he couldn’t make those. Can’t make them? Wouldn’t he still be inspired to say something with a bonus bigger than a month’s salary? But surely, he wouldn’t spend it all for real, right?
Just as Karem was lost in thought, Mary brought him back to reality.
“Karem, where have you been?”
“Huh? Yes?”
“We’ve arrived.”
*
*
*
The forge had no sign, and it looked like a rundown building at first glance.
However, there was no doubt that the blacksmith, the owner of the forge, was skilled.
After all, the fact that it was located within Coldon’s inner castle indicated that the craftsmanship must be rather exceptional. But what truly preoccupied Karem’s thoughts was something else.
“But isn’t that sign a bit odd?”
“Huh? What sign?”
“That one, the one hanging above the forge.”
In stark contrast to the grand forge that bore the marks of time, the sign looked like it had been made just yesterday, with zero signs of wear, lacking any lettering whatsoever.
The sign displayed a horned helmet growing towards the sky and two cross-bladed axes hanging from iron chains horizontally below it.
However, there was a distinctly unusual aspect.
Both the horned helmet and the axe were extravagantly decorated.
They were adorned in gold leaf with vine shapes, and no matter how you looked at it, it bore insignias that looked like runes, faintly shining at various spots.
“It seems a bit overly ornate.”
“Of course it is. The last sacrificial offering during Wintersend entitles the chosen person to a commemorative plaque for several years. I believe it was called a gopain.”
“You sure know the details.”
“Of course; I worked on the finishing touches for it, so it’s only natural I’d recognize it. Now enough chit-chat, let’s head inside.”
Surely, that wasn’t what mattered most.
As Karem followed Catherine into the forge, Mary immediately closed the door behind them.
“It’s more than just weapons, isn’t it?”
Karem agreed with Mary’s assessment.
Around the large charcoal stove placed in the center of the room were several anvils arranged in a circle, neatly organized blacksmith tools.
Materials and weapons of all kinds were stacked and organized by type throughout the forge.
However, there was something that caught their attention.
“Are they taking a break? There’s not a single person here.”
“It’s not just a simple break. No one has been here for at least two days or even three.”
I see… wait a second. How do you know that?
Karem sensed Mary’s smirk despite her not having asked him that question.
“I may have organized it relatively well, but my keen brownie senses cannot be fooled, Karem.”
“Right. If it were simply on a break, there’d be no reason to extinguish such a large stove. There’s probably something going on…”
While the two were inspecting the surroundings, a small voice began to grow louder from deep within the forge.
“-surely, the gopain’s soul has gone to a good place, so do not grieve any longer.”
“Cough. That’s a valid point. If the stove goes out any further, the bones will leap from their urn and wield a hammer at me.”
“Yeah, so will you be back to work starting tomorrow?”
“I’ll be back to work immediately.”
“Good. Then gather the apprentices.”
Karem, who had been quietly listening to the conversation, turned his head to the side.
Catherine, who shouldn’t have missed that last comment, was holding her head in her hands.
“That gopain fellow has passed away; won’t that be a problem?”
“Ugh… it’s troublesome. I should have sent someone in advance to check. Have I been too relaxed all this time?”
Mary then asked Catherine.
“Contractor, should we look for another forge?”
“No, we only came to get a quote, so let’s observe the situation.”
“Understood.”
Just as they finished their brief exchange, a burly man with tousled hair and an old man stepped out of the forge.
*
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*
Discussing someone’s soul was indeed as they’d expected.
Gopain, who had expended all his effort in crafting the sacrifice, had simply closed his eyes on the bed shortly after Wintersend ended, as explained by his son, Gobanio.
The reason the stove was extinguished was due to the craftsman, the Master Blacksmith, being absent.
As Gobanio was explaining, the elderly man, the guild master of the blacksmiths, had left, and he sought to excuse himself before ushering the guild master out.
“Hm. If we save a bit of time, it’s beneficial.”
“That’s great. Sir Atanitas, we can inquire right here.”
Once he finished seeing off the guild master and had intended to receive visitors late, Gobanio couldn’t help but immediately glance toward Karem upon hearing a word in Karem’s statement that he could not overlook.
And he quickly reorganized his demeanor.
“Hem, hem! Excuse me! May I ask your name—”
“Catherine Marigold Atanitas. We came to make an order, but given the situation, I can see you’re quite heartbroken.”
“Haha, well, he might have fulfilled his final wish before he passed, so you could see it as a blessing in disguise. Do you have items you wish to order?”
“Initially, I came to check a quote. So, what’s the verdict? Can you make it?”
Taking the blueprint handed over by Catherine, Gobanio immediately examined it and began asking questions.
Karem, patiently waiting for his turn as the process progressed naturally, let his gaze wander about, eventually getting fixed in one direction.
As expected in a forge, there were stacks of leather and metal lying all over the place.
Nails, longswords, shields, armors, maces, and arrowheads.
However, what caught Karem’s attention was a chef’s knife.
He didn’t usually have a preference for tools, but it was impossible not to be drawn to a good cooking instrument.
Yet soon enough, Karem composed himself.
Even the tableware, including the chef’s knife already in the kitchen, was in great condition and quality.
But today’s objective was something different…
“Karem, so have you decided what to purchase?”
“I’m considering a copper whisk or a hand grill, perhaps a skimmer. It looks like I’ll have to request custom orders.”
“The materials alone will be pricey, and thus it will require substantial payment.”
“Still, since I received a bonus, I think it’ll be fine.”
Karem replied to Mary, who had approached him. Although he might have to order custom tools, after all, they were just cooking utensils.
“How pricey could tableware possibly be?”
*
*
*
“Um, quite a lot.”
“Uh, that’s not what I expected.”
And the blacksmith’s reply to Karem’s various explanations and sketches was beyond what he had anticipated.
Gobanio nodded affirmatively.
“Indeed, while copper cookware isn’t the cheapest, these require special attention.”
He began detailing them one by one, but summarizing it was quite simple.
Due to its unique properties, copper is softer than iron, so Karem’s concepts were indeed feasible.
The issue was that they required a great deal of work, which meant that the labor costs were high.
“In particular, even if we can create the grill, your desired whisk and skimmer would have to be made thinner than that. They’d end up resembling ornamental items instead of cooking tools! Furthermore, to ensure they don’t warp due to heat, more effort will be needed as well.”
“Ugh. I had sort of prepared for this…”
Since the borders between decorative and functional were so blurred, the costs skyrocketed.
Thinking about it, high-end maker cooking tools were always absurdly priced in his past life.
Realizing that the minimum would be half the bonus he just received, Karem’s heart sank.
At least it was a relief that no matter how expensive, it would remain within the bounds of his bonus.
“Seems like money can come and go swiftly, huh?”
Having lived endlessly post-reincarnation made the boy feel more acutely aware of this reality.
“Karem, if you’re trembling like that, is it better to wait on the order?”
“I’ll place the order right away!”
With the words he heard, there was no backing down now.
He couldn’t drag things out any longer.
It’s not as if he was without money.
Karem decided to keep his spirits high as he handed over the deposit with trembling hands.
After all, he had to think of it as necessary expenditure for comfortable cooking-
“Ugh! Is Gopain inside? But why is the stove extinguished?”
Just as Karem was enveloped in deep thoughts, the door creaked open, and an old man walked in.
With a thick fur cloak draped over him and a hat pulled low, the grizzled old man leaned on his long staff as he surveyed the interior of the forge.
“Old man? What are you doing here?”
“Sir Atanitas, do you know him?”
“Of course. Too well.”
The old man, hearing Catherine’s voice, lifted his hat to see her.
“Old man? Your choice of words is still quite lacking, Kitty.”
“Don’t call me Kitty!”
The old man smiled broadly, his wrinkled eyes sparkling with delight.