Chapter 13: A Turbulent Day (2) "Ramen? That's a dish I've never seen before."
"It's hot, so please be careful."
Because chopsticks were difficult tools for people of the Francia Continent to use, Jinseo provided a fork instead. Not the small one he usually served with bunsik, but a large one.He also provided a spoon.
"I'll look forward to it."
Oswald scooped up some of the ramen broth with the spoon, blew on it softly, then carefully brought it to his mouth.
"Oh…"
Seeing the satisfied look on his face, Jinseo smiled in quiet contentment.
Slurp.
The sound of noodles being drawn in was enough to whet the appetite of anyone listening.
The two large men standing on either side of Oswald kept their faces forward, but their gazes were clearly fixed on the ramen he was eating.
As expected. As long as that's in there, it always works.
MSG.
A dish that included it could hardly taste bad.
Oswald continued eating the noodles without caring that sweat was forming on his forehead.
Once he began eating the ramen, the satisfaction bar floating above his head slowly started filling toward the right.
This time, it wasn't blue or red, but yellow, and before long it reached 50%.
After eating about half the bowl, Oswald wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand and took a drink of water.
"This is impressive. I thought it was simply a dish where the noodles were the main feature, but the broth exceeds my expectations."
"I recommend that you don't drink all of the broth. Please leave some."
Slurp.
Oswald continued enjoying the ramen by alternating between drawing in the noodles and savoring the broth.
"I also like these crunchy vegetables. They give the dish a texture the noodles lack and make the flavor richer."
"They're good vegetables for when you're suffering from a hangover."
"Is that so? Then I should try this after drinking next time."
Oswald ate some pickled radish to cleanse the slight greasiness from his mouth.
However, after tasting the kimchi once, he didn't touch it again.
I thought opinions might be divided, and sure enough. Next time I should serve stir-fried kimchi instead… or maybe just the pickled radish.
Fermented foods tended to receive very different evaluations from people who weren't from the region where they originated.
In fact, the moment Oswald tasted the kimchi, the satisfaction bar above his head actually slid slightly to the left.
Jinseo quietly removed the small dish of kimchi and refilled the pickled radish instead.
"Oh, this is good. Very good."
"..."
"..."
While Oswald enjoyed the ramen on his own, the two large men could only swallow their saliva and lick their lips.
Jinseo felt a bit sorry for them.
I should at least give them something to drink.
He opened the refrigerator and took out two 500ml plastic bottles—one cola and one soda.
"May I give something to drink to the two of you standing behind him?"
At Jinseo's question, the lord nodded while continuing to eat.
Jinseo held out the cola and soda to the two men, but they merely stared at each other uncertainly.
From their perspective, the clear soda was one thing, but the black-colored cola was something whose taste they couldn't even imagine.
Both men reached for the soda at the same time, then stopped.
"It looks like that, but the black one tastes better."
Even after Jinseo's explanation, both men hesitated, clearly wanting the soda instead.It looked like some sort of punishment game.
In the end, the man on the left chose the cola, and the one on the right took the soda.
"You twist it like this."
After hearing Jinseo's explanation, they opened the bottles.
Psssh.
The sound of carbonation escaping made both of them flinch at the same time.
"If you twist it the other way, you can close it again, so there's no need to drink it all at once."
The two men looked at each other, nodded, and then took a sip at the same time.
"Huh!"
"Oh?"
Exclamations burst from both of them simultaneously.
To modern people, the sharp fizz unique to carbonated drinks was familiar, but to people of the Francia Continent, it was an entirely new sensation.
They would take a sip and be startled, calm down, then take another sip and be startled again.
The sweet carbonated drinks pleased them far more than Jinseo had expected.
{-Sub Quest: Provide food or drink that satisfies those accompanying the special guest.Quest Reward: Half of the rewards obtainable from the linked sudden quest (upgrade coupon excluded).}
{-This quest is linked to a sudden quest. Even if the sub quest is completed, rewards will not be granted unless the sudden quest is also completed.}
{-Because business is being conducted together with a special entity, all rewards except coupons are increased by 10%.}
As a result, even a sub quest had been triggered.
Now satisfaction bars also appeared above the two large men, and Jinseo watched anxiously to see what outcome would follow.
They're rising at the same pace. Past 70%, then 80%… wait, 90%… 100%? Already complete?
{-The sub quest has been completed. Reward distribution will be deferred until the linked sudden quest is completed.If the sudden quest fails, all acquired rewards will be nullified.}
The power of carbonated drinks far exceeded Jinseo's expectations, fully satisfying both men.
Later, they even swapped drinks, and once the man on the right realized the cola tasted better, he refused to give it back.
Meanwhile, the lord finished all the noodles and toppings, then took one last sip of broth to end his meal.
"Thank you for the meal."
"I'm glad you enjoyed it. This is actually a menu I haven't officially introduced yet, so I was a bit worried whether it would suit your taste."
"But it still feels slightly lacking. If I drank all of the remaining broth, it might be perfect…"
Despite saying that, Oswald left the broth behind, following Jinseo's advice.
"It would feel that way."
Jinseo didn't need words to know. He could tell just by looking at the satisfaction bar above Oswald's head.
It had stopped at 85%.
However, Jinseo didn't feel disappointed. Instead, he brought out the final accompaniment.
"Mix this in."
After eating ramen, there were times when a vague sense of emptiness remained.
But if one mixed cold rice into the remaining broth, that emptiness could be dispelled.
It couldn't compare to gukbap, but it was enough to simply and solidly fill the stomach.
"Hm. Eating it this way…"
"Please trust me and give it a try."
Persuaded by Jinseo, Oswald nodded and mixed the cold rice into the ramen broth.
After stirring it so the broth soaked fully into the rice, he scooped up a spoonful and put it into his mouth.
"I see. Now I understand why you told me to leave the broth." A smile appeared on Oswald's lips beneath the hood.
As he began hastily eating the rice mixed into the ramen broth, the satisfaction bar started filling once again.
90… 95… 100%! Success!
Jinseo turned his back and clenched both fists.
{-Sudden Quest completed. Rewards will now be distributed.}
After the completion message, a series of reward notifications followed, including a report that the food truck's level had risen to 13.
No rank-up reward at level 13. Still, I'm closer to level 100. More importantly… this food preference is a little different from before.
{-Food preference analysis for the relevant occupation has been completed.}
{-Those who govern residents of a castle constantly consider how to ensure their people live comfortable lives.For such individuals, foods like bunsik and ramen—foods that allow them to understand the lives of commoners simply by eating—are optimal.}
{-Base ramen preference for castle lords: 70.When preference exceeds 50, special effects are activated for the consumer.The higher the preference, the stronger the effect.}
{-Activated effects: Increased probability of pursuing proper policies.Increased resistance to bribes and personal connections.Increased likelihood of showing benevolence toward residents, etc.}
{-Food preference analysis for the individual Oswald Hamilton has been completed.Ramen preference for this individual: 130.}
If that explanation is accurate, then gathering castle lords together and feeding them ramen would bring about a peaceful world…
Jinseo briefly imagined gathering castle lords from all across the Francia Continent and feeding them ramen.
If something like that alone could make the world a better place… that wouldn't be bad. Ramen isn't expensive, and most people like it.
While Jinseo seriously contemplated that possibility, Oswald set down his spoon and rubbed his stomach.
"Truly… thank you for the meal. It was a dish that really leaves one feeling full."
He gazed happily at the bowl, which still held a little broth.
"When will this ramen be added to the menu?"
"I plan to add it once things settle down, but for the time being, I don't intend to."
"Then would it be possible to deliver it only to me before it's officially added to the menu?"
"Ramen loses its original taste if it isn't eaten immediately after being made. The noodles go soft."
"I see…"
Oswald lowered his head in disappointment, then drank even the small amount of broth remaining in the bowl.
"However, if you visit at a time when there are no other customers, I can make it for you specifically."
"Really?"
Given his position as a Lord of the Castle, Oswald found it awkward to visit during busy hours.
He didn't want to make the residents uneasy while they were enjoying their food.
That was why he had deliberately come close to closing time, and hearing that a menu would be prepared exclusively for him made it impossible to hide his joy.
"Then I'll visit again tomorrow."
"Thank you for enjoying the meal. I'll serve ice cream on the house."
"But you know my name?"
"That's why it's on the house. You've allowed me to do business without collecting taxes all this time."
"I never imagined there would be a menu like that beyond tteok-twig-soondae…"
Oswald walked toward the castle gate while sucking on a JuX Bar.
When he removed the hood attached to his robe and revealed his face, the guards who recognized him straightened and snapped to attention.
Oswald Hamilton.
Before being known as the lord of Falstead Castle, he was known by another title.
Namely, the Gourmet of Falstead Castle.
For someone like him, the appearance of the food truck was like rain after a drought.
"Ramen… it truly was a captivating dish."
He already had tteok-twi-soon delivered to his subordinates and ate it daily.
But he couldn't be satisfied with just three menu items, which was why he had decided to visit the food truck himself.
His vague expectation that there might be a hidden menu had resulted in far more than he had imagined.
"And just as I expected, he really is an outstanding cook."
Jinseo provided a genre of cuisine called bunsik, unlike anything Oswald had seen before.
Despite being able to charge far higher prices, he kept his food affordable so that anyone could enjoy it.
On top of that, he remained calm and kind no matter who his customer was.
Oswald sincerely hoped that Jinseo would continue doing business near Falstead Castle.
"Dan. Austin."
"Yes!"
"Yes!"
"What was the name of the drink you had earlier?"
"It was cola."
"He said it was soda."
"Next time, I should order those together with ramen."
The two large men were holding the now-empty plastic bottles.
It was the first time Oswald had ever seen his usually expressionless subordinates react like that, and his anticipation for cola and soda only grew.
"It would be troublesome to lose someone like him. But since he isn't tied to a single location and travels around to do business, I can't stop him…"
"All I can do is provide as much convenience as possible and hope he doesn't leave."
Having developed a taste not only for tteok-twi-soon but also for ramen, Oswald had no intention of letting Jinseo slip away.
.
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