Chapter 21: Using Alchemy To Eat Hot Pot
Early the next morning, Artoria blushed over her behavior from the previous night.
Of course, she wasn't embarrassed about being held by Noah until dawn—rather, she felt ashamed that as a guard, she had fallen asleep so quickly after lying down!
She even suggested that Noah should punish her for this.
But Noah outright rejected the idea.
Moreover, to prevent her from becoming like the future Lancelot—who would spiral into darkness because the king didn't punish him—Noah specifically explained why he wouldn't punish her.
It went something like...
"Although you did make a mistake last night regarding the kingdom's security, the responsibility should actually be distributed among the royal guards, patrol units, knights within Camelot, and those stationed in the surrounding villages. If I were to punish all of you simultaneously, given that our kingdom's security wasn't compromised last night, I believe the related punishments could be postponed. Otherwise, many of our kingdom's issues would be delayed. Compared to this problem, since our security wasn't breached, we should simply keep this mistake in mind for now. As for the rest, I will make a decision when the time is right."
Artoria listened very seriously to Noah's explanation, but then she felt that something wasn't quite right... It seemed profound, yet also sounded like a bunch of nonsense...
No, if the king said it, there must be deep meaning behind it! Thinking it's nonsense must mean I didn't understand it!
While she was pondering this deeply, Noah had already gone to have breakfast.
After all, he had given his explanation.
As for whether Artoria could understand it... that was no longer his concern.
If she really couldn't get it, she could just consider this her punishment!
That's what Noah thought as he went for breakfast. But when he returned after eating and saw Artoria still frowning in deep thought, he actually felt that he—the one who went out for breakfast—was more like the one being punished...
No!
No matter what, something had to be done about the food situation!
Even if he couldn't make large-scale changes in this area, at the very least he needed to make some simple improvements to his own meals!
With this in mind, Noah sent someone to gather some materials needed for alchemy. Before noon, he had created some simple alchemical devices based on blueprints already in his mind.
He wasn't aiming for stir-fried dishes.
After all, stir-frying required many conditions.
But hot pot was actually feasible.
In this Britain of the Age of Gods, the quality of meat, vegetables, and other ingredients was exceptionally superior—even surpassing that of the industrial era.
Plus, during that simulation where he became the Alchemy King, he had indeed created alchemical devices capable of making hot pot. He had even developed devices that could produce hot pot broth and dipping sauces, and had experimented with the ingredients needed to create delicious broths and sauces.
So now, Noah just needed to have people gather some ingredients according to his memory, then create these three alchemical devices himself.
Just the day before yesterday, he was still thinking that no matter what, he couldn't be like "why not eat meat porridge"—he couldn't indulge in culinary culture while his people were still starving.
But after inheriting two sets of memories, Noah understood clearly: in Britain during the late Age of Gods, the people never went hungry.
Because the land in the Age of Gods was simply too fertile.
The only two threats to the people were magical beasts and invaders.
Every village had knights stationed to deal with magical beasts, just like he had done before becoming King, with knights handling such threats.
As for invaders, they were defended against at the borders.
With that, he felt no psychological burden.
However, once freed from this concern, he also knew that in Pictavia, where the Picts lived, parts of the land had already begun to lose their mystery. Resources were severely scarce, land yields were declining, food was starting to rot, pests were emerging, along with natural disasters and diseases...
If not for these circumstances, the Picts wouldn't have invaded Britain from the north.
After all, they weren't like the Saxon barbarians.
So while improving his own meals, Noah also contemplated a proposal to use diet as an entry point and then promote Alchemical Constructs among the common people.
This way, he could employ methods from his time as the Alchemy King—first using Alchemical Constructs to change people's lifestyles, then subtly integrating more suitable modern ways of living into their daily habits.
Then, when the Age of Gods truly ended, as long as they survived the inevitable crisis, Alchemy could directly transition into science.
Noah was mentally mapping out this idea.
But in reality, by the time Artoria realized she had forgotten to eat breakfast because of Noah's words that morning, what she saw was Noah already lighting a pot made from an Alchemical Construct, boiling hot pot broth, and having various prepared ingredients laid out on the table.
Artoria knew a little about Alchemy.
She had also seen wizards brewing potions.
But...
What kind of potion was the King brewing...? Why did it smell so delicious...
Noah was about to start today's simulation while having lunch.
But then he noticed Artoria staring intently in his direction, and he couldn't just eat alone. So he cleared his throat.
"Arthur, come join me for the meal."
Hearing this, Artoria swallowed hard.
But verbally, she didn't agree.
"As a knight, sharing a table with the King is disrespectful..."
However, although she said such words, her tone wasn't particularly firm. Even as she spoke, she quietly moved closer to Noah.
Seeing her like this, Noah felt helpless internally but maintained a serious expression outwardly.
"It's fine. Hunger is the great enemy. If my personal guard is starving, neither my dignity as King nor my safety can be guaranteed. Therefore, I permit it—take your seat!"
Hearing this, Artoria seemed to have heard some great sage's famous quote. She quickly sat down, her eyes shining.
"Yes, hunger is the great enemy!"
Seeing Artoria like this, Noah first demonstrated how to use chopsticks, then picked up a slice of meat to show her the proper way to eat hotpot.
As Noah took his first bite of meat, he felt he had finally bid farewell to Britain's 'cuisine,' experiencing an immense sense of relief.
Though Artoria found the demonstration lively, being her first time using chopsticks, her grip was quite clumsy. After several failed attempts, she turned her gaze back to Noah.
She intended to ask Noah for some conventional cutlery.
But Noah couldn't even imagine eating hotpot with a knife and fork. Seeing Artoria looking at him, he directly picked up a slice of meat, cooked it, dipped it in sauce, and brought it to her lips, filled with the urge to share something delicious.
Though surprised by Noah's action, Artoria—tempted by the aroma and having skipped breakfast—took a bite without hesitation.
Mmm...
If Noah still had memories from simulations to cushion the experience, for Artoria, this was an unprecedented delicacy she had never tasted before!
For her, it was a genuine leap—from eating half-raw roasted meat to enjoying hotpot that, while not quite matching the flavors of the industrial era, still captured about seventy percent of its essence!
Perhaps Artoria felt a little resistant at first, but after that initial bite, she simply set down her chopsticks and stared eagerly at Noah.
As a result, Noah barely ate much himself—most of the ingredients ended up being fed to Artoria.
Though he was feeding someone, it strangely felt like he was raising a human-sized baby dragon... as if she could eat anything, and probably even more if offered!
This led Noah to order additional ingredients several times. Only when the prepared ingredients were nearly exhausted did their lunch finally conclude.
After the meal, as Noah called for someone to clear the table, Artoria finally realized what she had just done.
Ah, not only had she vied for food with the King, but she had even... even let the King feed her!
It must have been the effect of that fragrant magical potion!
Now fully aware—or perhaps just full—she blushed at the thought. Using her guard duties as an excuse, she hurried to stand watch at the door.
Seeing Artoria like this, Noah shook his head slightly.
He had originally planned to conduct a simulation during lunch.
But now that lunch was over, the afternoon... well, the simulation could wait. For now, it was better to promote some alchemical creations first.