Jin and his companions were ushered inside immediately.
They were led into a magnificent hall, where numerous maids and servants were stationed. Standing at the far end of a large table was a middle-aged man with snow-white hair.
"Welcome to my home. I am the master of this house, Eckart Techles."
He lacked the arrogance often found in the wealthy; instead, he possessed the humble demeanor of a merchant. His hair was completely white, his eyes were brown, and he had a sturdy build.
"I am already acquainted with Vivian-dono, but this is my first time meeting the rest of you."
"I’m Jin."
"I'm Elsa."
"I'm Saki."
The group introduced themselves one by one. Once Reinhard and Bell had finished giving their names, Eckart invited everyone to take a seat. Reiko, Edgar, and the others remained standing behind them.
The group took their places at a heavy table made of dark wood. A maid immediately served drinks—well-chilled kahyi.
"How is it? This chilled kahyi is the pride of my household."
Eckart seemed quite proud of the offering, but Jin and the others, well-acquainted with refrigerators, weren't particularly impressed. It was certainly delicious, though.
Eckart, quick to notice their lack of surprise, looked a bit disappointed.
"Hmm, it seems chilled drinks are nothing unusual to my guests. I should have expected as much from such a group."
Eckart accepted the minor defeat with good grace.
"Yes, we happen to be familiar with a device called a 'refrigerator,'" Jin explained.
Eckart latched onto the word immediately. "A 'refrigerator'? What might that be?"
"A refrigerator is, as the name suggests, a magic tool used to chill and store items. It originated in Blue Land, in the Kingdom of Egerea."
"What!...Ugh, I traveled as far as the Town of Phantol, but failing to go just a bit further to Blue Land was a grave mistake!"
Eckart looked truly regretful, though he recovered quickly.
"...No, no, it seems my guests possess a wealth of rare knowledge. This is a delight. Do you happen to know of any other unusual tools or magic tools?"
His curiosity was typical of a high-ranking merchant.
"Let's see. Do you travel to the Kingdom of Egerea by ship?" Reinhard asked, taking over the conversation.
"Yes, of course. It is far easier than traveling by road."
Currently, there were no restrictions on maritime traffic. This was largely because the Celuroa Kingdom had originally been an inland nation. The Corin region, where Koup was located, was formerly the Corin Kingdom and was still looked down upon by the central government of Celuroa.
Ironically, this meant regulations were somewhat lax, allowing maritime trade to flourish in its early stages.
"Are you familiar with Port Rock in the Kingdom of Elias?"
"Port Rock? No, I have heard the name, but I have not yet visited."
"That is a shame. There is an excellent shipwright there named Marcia."
At the beginning of the year, Marcia had been Jin’s partner in the Golem Boat Race held in Port Rock. Reinhard had participated with Elsa; the Jin-Marcia team had taken first place, while Reinhard and Elsa took second. That event had forged the friendship between the four of them.
Acting with the poise of the diplomat he once was, Reinhard was casually promoting Marcia’s business.
"Ho ho, I see..."
Eckart looked pleased, no doubt already sensing a potential business opportunity.
Jin and the others continued to share stories, keeping the conversation within safe bounds.
"Oh, it is nearly noon. I shall have a meal prepared."
Eckart clapped his hands, and the maids began efficiently laying out the tableware. Once they were finished, a servant brought in a large pot.
"Now then, chilled drinks may not have been a novelty, but how about this?"
A brown soup was ladled into their soup plates. There were no visible ingredients. However, Jin immediately recognized the scent.
"...Miso soup?"
"Oh? You are familiar with this, Jin-dono? This is called binpei; it is an ingredient I obtained through a certain contact. You called it miso? I see, that is certainly easier to say."
Eckart looked surprised, but Jin was too focused to offer a proper reply.
"May I taste it?"
"Yes, please. Everyone, please try some."
Before the permission was even fully out of Eckart’s mouth, Jin had brought the soup plate to his lips and sipped the liquid. It was a breach of etiquette, but Jin didn't have the composure to care.
"..."
"How is it?"
Elsa, Reinhard, and the others used their spoons to taste the liquid that looked like miso soup.
"...It’s a little salty, I think?"
"No, this is... quite unique."
"Ye-yeah, it’s a rare flavor... I suppose."
"I think it would be much better if it had some ingredients in it."
The others gave polite, somewhat strained impressions. However, Jin was different.
"It's terrible."
Reinhard gasped, surprised to hear Jin speak so bluntly.
"...There's no dashi. It's far too salty. And it's been boiled for so long that the aroma has completely vanished."
Having longed for the taste of home, Jin’s critique was exceptionally harsh.
"...If you don't mind, would you let me try making some?"
"Oh? By all means! Please!"
Eckart didn't take offense; instead, he looked intrigued and eager to see what Jin could produce. He ordered a servant to lead Jin to the kitchen.
"Jin-sama, I shall help as well!"
Bell, the designated taste expert of the group, hurried after him. Reiko and Neon followed as a matter of course.
"...So this is their 'miso'..."
In the kitchen, the chef showed Jin the miso. It was quite heavily fermented. Unlike soy sauce, miso is not heat-treated, so fermentation can advance depending on how it is stored.
"It's alright. I can still use this."
Jin took a dab on his finger and tasted it, confirming it was salvageable.
"First, I need to make dashi..."
There was no katsuobushi or kombu available, so he would normally use niboshi—dried sardines. But there were no niboshi here either. Searching the kitchen for a substitute, Jin’s eyes landed on something promising.
"Dried fish... that'll work."
He found fish that had been split, cleaned, and sun-dried. The process of sun-drying causes proteins to break down into amino acids, increasing the umami—but theory aside, Jin decided to use the dried fish to extract a seafood-based stock.
"Now for the ingredients..."
With a seafood stock, he wanted a vegetable. Seaweed like wakame would have been perfect, but the local culture didn't seem to have a custom of eating it.
"In that case..."
There was no tofu and certainly no deep-fried tofu.
"Hm?"
Jin found a vegetable that closely resembled an eggplant.
"Alright, eggplant miso soup it is."
Jin quickly peeled away the purple skin.
"Jin-sama, let me help you."
Since he was making enough for the entire group, Bell joined in. While she worked on the vegetables, Jin prepared the stock. He soaked the sliced eggplant in water for a few minutes to remove its bitterness.
Meanwhile, he placed the whole dried fish into a pot of boiling water. After letting it boil for a short while, he removed the fish and added the eggplant Bell had sliced, letting it simmer.
He didn't mind that the soup took on a slightly darker hue. After simmering for about two minutes, he added the miso. The key was to turn off the heat just before the soup reached a rolling boil.
"If you let it boil after adding the miso, the fragrance disappears," Jin explained to Bell and the chef, who were watching intently.
"There. Please, try this."
Neon carried the pot back to the hall, and the maids served the new soup into fresh bowls.
"Itadakimasu," Elsa said, being the first to taste it. Her eyes widened. "...It's delicious!"
Reinhard, Saki, Stearena, and Vivian each took a sip and were stunned by the difference. But no one was more shocked than Eckart.
"What... what is this?! To think it could taste this good!"
"Using a base stock and ensuring it doesn't boil over. Those two things alone make all the difference."
Jin and Bell, both sensitive to hot food, sipped their soup slowly. This time, even Jin was reasonably satisfied with the flavor.
"We could turn this into a specialty dish for the region!"
Eckart was as shrewd as ever, already turning the culinary success into a business plan.