Chapter 67: The Allure of the Teriyaki Burger?

Before I knew it, the artisans of the Zardan Workshop had crowded around the narrow entrance. If everyone present belonged to the workshop, then between the master, the journeymen, and the apprentices, it was a massive household of fifteen people.

Aside from one apprentice boy and three artisans who were Commoners, the rest were all Dwarves. It seemed that many Dwarven women took up the hammer as well; four of the artisans in this workshop were female.

By the way, female Dwarves were almost indistinguishable from the males in terms of height and build. They didn't have beards, though, so telling them apart wasn't actually that difficult.

Regardless, those Dwarven artisans were currently pleading for a burger with their eyes. The sheer pressure they exerted made dungeon monsters seem adorable by comparison. The Commoner artisans kept their distance from the commotion with weary smiles, though they made no move to actually stop them.

"Hey, you lot! This is an advance reward for the job. If you eat this, it means you’re going to help out with the kid’s commission. You got that?"

Just as a nervous sweat began to break out from the overwhelming pressure, Master Zardan barked at his crew.

…That was well and good, but since when did this become an advance payment?!

I was grateful they were taking the job, don't get me wrong. I just didn't think it was a project that required fifteen people.

Contrary to my doubts, the Dwarves were all fired up. Valiant shouts of "Leave it to us!" and "Consider it done!" erupted one after another.

"So there you have it! Sorry, kid, but you’re gonna have to provide enough for the whole lot of ‘em!"

He really wants enough for everyone? Surely fifteen people was overkill for making a mincer and a grater.

Besides, the burgers I’d brought were strictly samples. I hadn't expected to serve a crowd, so I didn't have nearly enough on hand. The whole reason I wanted a mincer in the first place was so I could actually mass-produce the meat. I felt like the logic of the situation was looping back on itself.

I only had three left in my Storage Ring. For now, I set them all out on the table.

"This is everything I have at the moment."

The Dwarves began to buzz with agitation.

"What…? That’s not enough for everyone."

"Blood may have to be spilled…"

"Wait, might shouldn’t make right! Let’s settle this with our smithing skills!"

They were making some seriously dangerous remarks! Did the concept of "sharing" just not exist to them?

"You idiots! Just satisfy yourselves with a little bit for now! We’ll just have him make more as a reward once the job is finished!"

"I see… a reward!"

"As expected of the master…!"

As expected…? I wasn't so sure.

Regardless, Master Zardan’s second shout seemed to settle the artisans for the time being. It looked like the official payment for the job was now set to be Teriyaki Burgers. I didn't mind, personally, but I did worry about whether this workshop was being managed properly.

Per the master’s instructions, the three burgers were sliced into five pieces each. Since there were fifteen people including the master, the math worked out perfectly. To my relief, they did share with the Commoner artisans as well. Even though the master had already eaten an entire burger by himself earlier, he claimed a slice as if it were his god-given right, completely ignoring the accusing glares of his staff. The man was a force of nature.

The Teriyaki Burgers were a hit with the Commoners too, but the Dwarves were on a whole other level of enthusiasm. They seemed to absolutely adore the flavor. Perhaps the sweet and savory profile just suited their race’s palate.

"Umu, that was magnificent! If it’s for a machine to make more of these 'burgers,' we’ll give it our all!"

The artisans roared in agreement with the master’s declaration. Well, if it got them motivated, I suppose the food was well-spent.

After that, I sat down with the master to discuss the mincer. I didn't know the exact internal mechanics, so I gave him a general description: a device where you put meat in the top, turn a handle, and have it come out the other side as minced meat. I figured the artisans could use trial and error to figure out the specifics. Probably.

"Right, I’ve got the gist of it. But without blueprints, I can’t guarantee we’ll nail your vision on the first try. We’ll have a prototype ready in three days. You can drop by then to check it out and we’ll make adjustments from there. That work for you?"

"Yes. Let's go with that, please."

Phew. I was glad we’d reached an agreement. I’d been worried when the mob first swarmed in, but everyone seemed genuinely excited to tackle the project.

Did Luranna-san introduce me to this place knowing this would happen? If so, I was grateful, but… I really wish she’d given me a heads-up.

Oh, right. I should probably make one more request.

"These burgers are going to be my new menu item for the cooking contest. They were originally a Wingfolk dish, so they aren't my original creation, per se. However, I’d appreciate it if you didn't spread the recipe until the contest is over."

I wanted the concept of minced meat to spread eventually—it would revolutionize cooking—but I thought keeping it under wraps until the contest would provide a better impact. I didn't have exclusive rights to the idea, of course, so it was strictly a favor.

"Ho! So the kid is entering the contest too! That means we can eat as many burgers as we want there! I’ll be sure to tell all my buddies to check it out!"

That might actually be a huge help.

I wanted the recipe kept secret, but I definitely wanted the word to spread about how delicious they were. In the contest, people could only vote for dishes they had actually eaten, and there was a physical limit to how much a person could consume in a day. That meant dishes with a high reputation would have a massive advantage. If people only had so much stomach space, they’d want to spend it on something they were certain would be good.

Also, he just said "too"…

"Is the master entering the contest as well?"

"You bet! In the blacksmithing division, of course!"

That made sense. This was a rare opportunity for workshops to show off their technical prowess; there was no reason for a master like him to pass it up.

"In that case, won't you be too busy for my request?"

"Hah? The contest is still a ways off. If I focused purely on the competition, I’d never get any real work done. Besides, I’ve already got the concept ready. I’ll have the final piece polished up by the deadline."

The master laughed off my concern with a confident grin. Dwarves were a race renowned for their blacksmithing sense, after all. If Master Zardan was entering, he was likely one of the favorites to win. My worries were entirely misplaced.

But if that was the case, it wouldn't hurt to negotiate early.

"If you happen to win a dragon scale, would you be willing to part with it? I’ll make sure to provide a suitable reward, of course."

"Hm? Oh, right, the winner’s prize is a Red Dragon Scale. It’d be useful to have, but it’s not like I’ll be hurting without one. Sure, I don’t mind. I’ll trade it to you for a hundred Teriyaki Burgers!"

…Wait, what?

It looked like the deal was going to close without me even needing to play my trump card—the Mithril. Provided Master Zardan actually won, of course.

The allure of the Teriyaki Burger was truly terrifying.