READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 63
Karem shivered as he followed the others into the warehouse near the port.
The temperature difference between inside and outside was starkly clear at the warehouse entrance.
“Ugh, why is it so cold?”
Karem, dressed lightly for the thawing weather, absentmindedly rubbed his arms. It felt like the season inside the warehouse had reverted to the early winter of Iceland.
Creatures often exhibit bizarre and astonishing evolutions to survive and reproduce in diverse environments.
Like the mantis shrimp, which has successfully weaponized plasma to launch plasma shockwaves at distant prey, remaining unutilized even today.
Or the Grass Tree, which turns the surrounding area into a sea of flames during its breeding season, incinerating competing plants.
Even fungi that infect through insect spiracles and control their hosts’ muscles could be mentioned.
And these incredible evolutions were not so different in this world either.
Aside from the passages people moved through, the warehouse was jam-packed with wood, releasing an icy chill that tingled against the skin and made the hairs stand on end.
Perhaps because of this, those working inside were dressed thicker than outside.
Especially those from Adobice, who looked bear-like in their fur clothing but were still visibly trembling from the cold. Yet, they meticulously inspected each piece of wood for quality.
As soon as they entered, Olivier tightened his cloak and puffed out white clouds of breath.
“Whoa! It’s clearly cold here. Need me to lend you a cloak?”
“Oh, really? Then just one-”
“Just kidding! I’ve only got this one I’m wearing. I’m young, so I can withstand it, right?”
“….”
“Well, anyway, to think I’d end up doing things like this at my age. What a life.”
Ignoring Karem’s condescending gaze at the pathetic old man who wasted his age, Olivier lamented his circumstances.
Meanwhile, Catherine approached after finishing up with the representative of the wizards inspecting the timber, hands on her hips, scolding him.
“Old man. What are you whining about? Get to work.”
“I’m too old for this kind of job.”
“If you’re that old, you should just die already. But hey, you’re still alive? So hurry up and work! Karem, make sure you stick close to Mary without getting in the way!”
The tasks for the two Grand Wizards scattered around the warehouse were simple.
Much like the other wizards, they had to check the quality of the samples of the stored goods, reporting any abnormalities to the nearby overseers for a check.
Of course, it wasn’t just wizards; experienced lumberjacks could also make these judgments.
But with everyone out chopping wood, and with the remaining Obsidianberry and Adobice wizards being insufficient, even the Grand Wizards had to step in.
The method of inspection was straightforward. Detecting the mana in objects was the most basic of mana manipulation techniques learned by every wizard.
However, to Karem, who had no talent for magic, it merely looked like they were touching the heaps of timber while briefly closing their eyes.
Curious, Karem gently placed his hand on the wood.
It exuded a chill since it was stacked high, but it was not as cold as touching ice.
Still, he wondered if it would last long even against the desert heat; the thought tilted his head.
“It doesn’t feel all that cold after all.”
“That’s because this is Iceland, which is cool even in midsummer. The Melbourne oak, Mackermore birch, and Vince cycad release the ice mana they contain, lowering the temperature more as it gets hotter.”
“You mean that the ocean gets even colder than this?”
“Of course. But it won’t be cold enough to freeze; plus, since it’s processed, the mana will leak out faster.”
Just like large meals take longer to cool down, these trees would also release ice mana and chill the air for shorter periods as they shrank in size.
“Ugh, it’s refreshing but I’m starting to feel hot from moving around.”
“Refreshing? Are you sure you didn’t mean frigid?”
“My major is ice magic, so I feel less cold than others; it’s not wrong.”
“Well, that’s convenient for you, isn’t it?”
Upon further reflection, Karem realized that he had only worn a single, lightweight cloak when he came to Coldon. Of course, recalling that price gave him a shiver of terror once more.
Catherine, nodding at Karem’s words, returned to another stack of logs, pressing her hands on them and shaking her head.
“It’s not all that great. If the heat gets too bad, it feels better to die. So, in that sense, Iceland is my territory.”
“Hmm. Is that so?”
Karem placed his hand on the timber like Catherine.
So was he susceptible to extreme spices too?
He recalled how even Alicia, who was still developing her taste buds, couldn’t handle spicy food, which could be an inherent trait.
Except for kimchi, every spicy dish Karem had recommended to her had been piping hot.
At that moment, Karem’s mind conjured up the image of cold noodles.
He had more than enough kelp for broth and other ingredients.
Although they had no gochujang, with sugar, fire witch finger powder, and garum on hand, he could easily whip up a sauce with whatever fruit was available.
As for noodles? Unfortunately, he’d have to make the somyeon from scratch, which was tedious, so he could ask Mary to do it. Mary would be thrilled to have more work anyway.
While Karem was piecing together his ingredients and recipe in his mind like Tetris, Catherine stretched and asked.
“Hey, kid. What are you thinking of making for lunch today?”
“Well, is there something you’d like? I know it’s cold, but I would assume you wouldn’t want something too warming, right? How about a hot broth?”
“I’m not feeling a broth. I’ve eaten rich foods lately, so something lighter would be nice. But I’d like meat in there.”
“Light meat… That’s not impossible.”
In other words, if she wanted vegetables alongside meat, a lot came to mind.
The first thing that popped up was shabu-shabu.
Unlike Korea, where people cook at the table themselves, they’d have to prepare the ingredients beforehand for millefeuille shabu-shabu, or millefeuille hotpot.
Alternatively, they could grill various vegetables and wrap them together.
They had brought a copper grill with them, and since they could obtain firewood easily at this time of year, there wouldn’t be a problem.
However, the broth needed for the first option had already run out, while the second option might provoke anger for being too simple.
Could I add a twist to it?
“How about lettuce wraps?”
“Lettuce? What are you wrapping with lettuce?”
“Crispy fried ground meat with sautéed vegetables piled together and drizzled with a fresh sauce, wrapped in lettuce for a single bite—”
Chomp—Crunch! Karem acted out the motion of picking up a lettuce wrap and taking a bite of his imagined creation.
It was one of the representative dishes mistakenly thought to be American-Chinese cuisine.
Sure, they didn’t have oyster sauce or soy sauce, but they could always improvise, so Karem wasn’t too worried.
However, Karem’s description was mouth-watering even for Catherine.
Crispy ground meat with a smoky vegetable aroma, fresh sauce, and crunchy cabbage.
Catherine’s eyes sparkled as she opened her mouth, preparing to speak.
“Karem, my junior. Contractor. I think that’s something to prepare for the next time.”
“What? What on earth are you talking about?”
“While the two of you were busy gossiping, someone passed by. Your lord wants to invite you to a meal and will have a request.”
“Request? Sure, an invitation is one thing, but what kind of request?”
At Catherine’s question, Mary silently gestured to Karem with a nod.
“Me?”
“Yes. Karem, you.”
Little one, did you get into trouble while I wasn’t looking?
Trouble? No, I’ve been following you around all day!
The employer and the personal chef exchanged blank stares.
*
*
*
Luckily, the one who had caused some ruckus wasn’t Karem.
Instead, he was being asked for help.
Catherine headed towards a restaurant on the horizon of Iceland along with Alfred, whereas Karem was led to the kitchen attached to the restaurant.
There, a group of chefs waited for Karem.
The reactions were distinctly split in two.
On one side, the familiar faces of chefs, including Zigmeser, greeted Karem warmly, having seen him once or more while meeting with Winterhome’s chefs.
On the other side were the chefs from the horizon of Iceland who looked at him with disgust, wondering why a kid showed up when they had been told a temporary head chef was being called in.
Naturally, this side was more abundant near the capital.
It was a stark contrast in reactions.
Finally, a few were completely neutral, just examining him as if it were business as usual.
Judging by their attire rather than skin color, they were unmistakably showcasing their Adobice origins.
“Karem, head chef. It’s been a while. I owe you my gratitude from before.”
“Please, just call me by my name; head chef sounds too burdensome.”
“Oh please, I can’t do that! Regardless of age, you’re in charge of a kitchen. If I did otherwise, the executive chef back home would swing a pan at me.”
As the chef continued, the other chefs stared wide-eyed in disbelief.
Of course, chefs had their ranks; those working in a noble’s kitchen couldn’t be equated to those working in an inn in a city or town.
Yet, if one were a chef from the Duke’s family, that position hovered near the peak of the hierarchy. For them to bow their heads like this?
The chefs sent from Winterhome were earnest.
Being the head chef of a kitchen was no empty title.
Before receiving immense attention from nobles and dishing out long-held family recipes, a chef had no choice but to bow their head gracefully.
Feeling their relentless, awkward worship, Karem fidgeted with his hands.
“I’m hoping to avoid any assumptions here, but Alberto, I am not responsible for the dinner, am I?”
“Of course not! The time-consuming dinner preparations have already been handled, so all Chef Karem needs to worry about is a few desserts to grace the table.”
“Now that’s a relief.”
“While you’re at it, I hope you’ll critique our recipes—”
“Critique? That sounds rather presumptuous. Let’s just call it an exchange of opinions.”
Karem honestly clicked his tongue.
The sycophancy of Zigmeser was dwindling, but it seemed others still needed time to change their behavior. Ugh, it was so intimidating!
As friendly, suspicious, and curious gazes flitting around, Karem hurriedly made his way to the spot he was guided to, like a tardy employee.