A/N:
Skip this chapter if you wish. This is more of a filler chapter with not much importance as a reader.
***
"It's great to have you back."
Wearing his signature black robe, Hakuya welcomed the duo of Damon and Aisha, who had finally made their way back to the royal capital.
"W-welcome back, Damon! Lady Aisha!" Poncho, standing by Hakuya's side, also greeted them. His rounded figure appeared thinner, and Damon immediately noticed the difference in fat.
"Is it just me, or have you lost some weight, Poncho?" Damon asked as he jumped down from horseback, lending a hand to Aisha to help her down.
"A-ah yes," Poncho replied, scratching his head. "Last time... in the competition, I collapsed and got severe food poisoning."
"Honestly, that was painful," he said, his tone softening as he clutched his stomach. "I don't ever want to experience that feeling again."
"That's why I'm cutting down on food and dieting—to get my life together," Poncho declared, earning Damon's admiration.
"Looks like you achieved some enlightenment, Poncho," Damon said, though inwardly, he was apologizing sincerely.
'Oh god, did I overdo it? I'm sorry, Poncho, but this is for your own... good?'
"Anyway, is this the place you found?" Damon asked, looking at the large storehouse located on the outskirts of Parnam.
Though on the outskirts, it was still surrounded by a dense population. Giant capital walls loomed to the west, and a large open ground stretched before them—an ideal space for Damon and his company.
Made of stone, the place looked old, but considering it was the medieval era, it was one of the few buildings that met Damon's requirements.
"The place was used to store harvested crops. Now empty, with no current use, the owner decided to rent it after hearing our needs," Hakuya explained as he led the duo inside. From within, it was a vast, empty hall.
The ceilings were high above the ground, the interior dark with almost no ventilation save for a small window-like opening on one end that allowed light to enter. A large slab served as an additional floor, with a wooden ladder being the only way to reach it.
"...That's—" Damon wanted to say it was perfect, but the words caught in his throat. Instead, he thought positively.
'Don't worry! This is just the beginning.'
He reassured himself. The place might not have been his ideal starting point, but it was a start nonetheless—and a practical one at that.
Having no other place to call their own, the group of four decided to make this their temporary residence as well as the office to begin their work.
"...By the way, I d-did agree to be employed, but why am I doing this?" Poncho muttered as he arranged utensils and cooking ingredients on a giant table in the middle of the room.
"You don't have to worry about that, Sir Poncho. You'll understand in a moment why we asked for this," Hakuya said as he set a large wooden box down on the table.
Aisha tilted her head, puzzled by the contents, but her eyes widened the moment Hakuya lifted the lid.
"A Gelin?!" she gasped, recognizing the infamous creature.
Gelin—a slime-like creature common across the world of Landia—was one of the most notorious yet most common beings in the animal kingdom of this world.
"That's a Gelin, but...!" Aisha leaned closer to the box. "Hold on. Is it dead?"
"Yes, Lady Aisha," Hakuya nodded. "Normally, when you kill a Gelin, its body just spills out its fluid."
"But with a method Sir Poncho taught me—destroying only its core—we were able to preserve its body like this."
Taking over from there, Poncho elaborated.
"Well, you see, there's a slight trick to it. This is a technique I learned from a tribe that lives far to the west, in the Empire."
"By using a pole-like object to strike the nucleus without breaking the membrane, the Gelin maintains its shape even in death."
"The fluids of a Gelin gradually lose liquidity and harden once the core is destroyed," Poncho continued, arranging utensils as he picked up a knife while Hakuya placed the Gelin on the chopping board.
"If you leave it longer, the fluids will evaporate, and it'll turn into a dry husk. But around two hours after death, when it has hardened somewhat yet the flesh is still supple, it's possible to cook it. That's the state this one is in, yes."
"When the Gelin is in this state, you can insert the knife vertically and cut it into pieces without the body collapsing. The fibers of the Gelin's body run vertically, so doing it this way gives it the best texture."
Poncho skillfully cut the Gelin into long, thin strips. They turned into noodles with an udon-like thickness. He then dropped them into a pot of boiling water.
"Now, if we boil them in a pot of water with a little salt, the flesh will firm up more."
As they boiled, the vibrant bluish-green color darkened, resembling green tea soba. Then, Poncho added dried mushrooms and kelp to the pot.
Lastly, after adding more salt to adjust the flavor, he served the mixture to everyone in bowls of soup.
"Here you go. This is Gelin Udon."
The aroma that rose from the bowls made both Damon and Aisha drool as they accepted their servings.
"Is it really edible?" Aisha asked one final time before digging in, though the drool on her lips betrayed her anticipation.
Having lived with Aisha for nearly a week, Damon already knew how much of a glutton she was.
'...Honestly, she should've participated in the big eater tournament too.'
Her martial prowess was incredible, but her appetite could rival even Poncho's.
Watching Aisha feast, Damon chuckled before turning to Poncho. "This udon is great and all, but how long can it be stored?"
"What's the expiration period for Gelin?"
"Hmm... honestly, a Gelin can last for months when hardened, if handled properly," Poncho said. "But we can't cook the ones that become too hard. To keep it cookable, we'd need to use some simple preservatives—which aren't too hard to make."
After thinking for a moment, Poncho added, "If we use those preservatives, we can store it in edible form for about two months before it hardens completely."
Hearing this, Damon praised Poncho before turning to Hakuya. "So, what do you think? Will this work?"
"Honestly, this will do more than just work," Hakuya replied, prompting Poncho to tilt his head in confusion.
"We mean, Poncho..." Damon said, revealing a toothy grin. "This will work very well—"
"As our first product, that is!"