“Bro… Brother~”
“Alright, alright, Ya Yi, stop scratching your brother’s face.”
His sister’s small hand interrupted Shen En’s thoughts. He pinched his one-year-old sister’s chubby cheek, and when he looked out the window again, the open space was already piled high with stones for construction.
If all went as expected, the Mage Tower wouldn't be repaired for another two years.
“Yi Ya~”
“Don’t be naughty, keep following Big Brother to learn your characters.”
“Yi Ya~”
Looking again at his one-year-old sister, who was staring at him eagerly, Shen En felt she wasn’t in the mood to learn. He took her hand to interact with her, while recalling the Witch Cult incident.
Seven days ago, the Witch Apostle invaded.
He had been unconscious for five days due to mana exhaustion.
His and his sister’s bedroom was destroyed, Old Ai’s study was gone, and two guards at the main gate had died.
The inner courtyard of the Lord’s mansion was a mess.
His father, as the governor, had two primary tasks: first, to inform the populace about the situation that night, announce the Witch Cult’s invasion, and use his private funds to compensate the families of the unfortunate knights; and second, to organize manpower to begin rebuilding the Lord’s mansion.
It would be busy for a while.
For the past few days, Shen En had been thinking about why the Witch Cult came at this time and even summoned a monstrous Corpse Demon in advance.
Shouldn’t this thing have first appeared more than ten years later?
Had he already caused a butterfly effect?
No, he hadn’t done anything!
And…
Shen En looked down at his wrist.
This bracelet…
“Xiao En!”
“Bring your sister out for dinner! Xiao En!”
His mother’s call came from outside the door. Shen En immediately stopped thinking and got off the bed.
“Bro… Brother~” Ya Yi reached out her hand, looking as if she wanted him to hold her.
“I guess you only know how to call ‘Brother’.” Shen En used all his strength to pick her up and handed her to Seranya, who had pushed open the door.
Seranya smiled as she took Ya Yi, seeing the stack of early learning books on the bed: “Are you teaching Ya Yi to read again?”
“Yes.”
Shen En nodded. He wanted to train… cultivate Ya Yi from a young age.
He had thought and planned a lot in the two days since he woke up.
It was impossible for him to just lie around as a rich Young Master in the territory.
In his previous life, his body didn’t support it, but now he naturally had grand ambitions.
A true man born in troubled times should wield a three-foot magic staff and achieve unparalleled feats!
A close sister like Ya Yi, who could be cultivated from a young age, was the most trustworthy and irreplaceable choice.
She absolutely had to be trained from a young age.
“It’s a bit too early for you to teach Ya Yi to read; she’s only just learned to crawl. However, logically speaking, even children your age shouldn’t know many characters.”
As Seranya spoke, she stroked Shen En’s head with great satisfaction.
“Our child is truly a genius!”
“Mom!”
“Hmm?”
“About learning to bake…”
Seranya paused, remembering that her son had suddenly said two days ago that he wanted to learn to cook with her.
It was strange, but Seranya didn’t think much of it. After all, Shen En was still a child, and there was no saying among noble Lords that one shouldn't go near the kitchen, or that it was “undignified.”
“Alright,” Seranya agreed.
…
Dinner was garlic bread with steak, with caramel apple rolls and spiced biscuits for dessert, and a jug of wine brewed from the territory’s special produce.
It was prepared by Seranya and Xiao Anni.
Horn was staying as a guest at the Lord’s mansion, so tonight’s dinner was quite lavish.
Edwin cut off a piece of steak, brought it to his mouth, and took a bite. While chewing, he looked up at Horn across the table, a casual expression on his face: “Master Horn, thank you for your help a few days ago. Otherwise, my Klaester Territory would have been in trouble. You’ve traveled far and wide, surely seeing much across the Empire. Why don’t you tell us, what’s the food like in the Imperial Capital? Is there anything special about it compared to our humble countryside?”
Upon hearing this, Horn put down his half-eaten bread and slowly wiped the corners of his mouth.
Shen En, watching from the side, immediately saw that the old fellow was about to fall back into his old habits.
Horn stroked his long beard, a hint of pride flashing in his eyes. Though he tried his best to maintain the calm demeanor of an elder, his tone couldn’t hide his arrogance: “Lord, the food in the Imperial Capital? That’s something the countryside can’t compare to. Although you have wine and butter here, and the taste is quite rich, compared to the feasts in the Imperial Capital, it lacks a certain grandeur and refinement.”
Edwin raised an eyebrow, “Oh? I’d be delighted to hear more.”
Horn cleared his throat, as if recalling a beautiful scene, and the corners of his mouth turned up slightly:
“The banquets in the Imperial Capital, now those are luxurious. There are often whole roasted peacocks on the table, with their feathers still on, dusted with gold powder for display, looking as if they’re alive. The meat is stuffed with spices, honey, and walnuts, tasting sweet and savory, melting in your mouth.
“And there’s that soup made from sea whale blubber, served in silver bowls, with a layer of caviar floating on top. Just smelling it makes your mouth water. The drinks are even more incredible; frostberry wine transported from the Northern Ice Fields, red like blood, yet crisp and cold like ice when you drink it. Even the old fellows in our Mage Tower scramble to have a few cups.”
The way Old Man Horn described it, it sounded amazing, but it was probably just so-so.
He boasted to the heavens, but wasn’t it just a roasted peacock with some honey and walnuts?
In modern times, it would just be a dish for an internet-famous restaurant, good for photos, but how amazing could the taste be?
And sea whale blubber soup with caviar? Wasn’t that just a medieval version of fish oil stew, terribly fishy but trying to pass for elegant?
If Shen En could go back, he’d directly treat these unworldly old fogeys to his hometown’s spicy hotpot. With that pile of spices, they’d be calling him ancestor after one bite!
As for that frostberry wine, red like blood and cold like ice, it sounded pretty cool.
But Shen En would bet that in terms of taste, it absolutely couldn’t beat a 19.9 yuan bottle of RIO cocktail from the supermarket downstairs. Plus, you could smash people with the bottle afterward—how multi-functional!
Shen En grumbled inwardly as he tore off a small piece of bread and popped it into his mouth, chewing twice.
But then again, these people, equivalent to those in the Middle Ages, hadn’t really eaten anything good.
Spices that were affordable for every household in the post-modern era were more valuable than gold here, so it was no wonder the old man could boast so enthusiastically.
However…
This happened to align with Shen En’s thoughts from the past two days.
If he could bring some replicable modern desserts, he might be able to make a fortune.
One had to know that in this world, those noble young ladies, besides watching various operas for entertainment, also loved to eat delicious food.
Upon hearing Horn’s description, Edwin laughed heartily, picked up his wine glass, and took a sip of his homemade wine, saying half-jokingly: “Hearing you speak, my meal seems rather humble. But Master, you, with your elderly appearance, become so animated when talking about food and drink. Could it be that in your youth, you were also a frequent guest at Imperial Capital banquets?”
Horn’s thoughts had been hit. His old face flushed slightly, but he waved his hand gracefully:
“In my youth, who didn’t have a few romantic escapades? When I was studying at the Arcane Tower, it happened to be during a grand Imperial celebration, and the Emperor invited all the mages in the city to a banquet.
“At that banquet, there were thirty-six dessert dishes alone. There were dragon-shaped pastries sculpted from frosting, and coconut jellies transported from the Kingdom, soft like clouds. I was young and headstrong, and ate too much, and as a result, my mana circulation was obstructed the next day, almost making a fool of myself in front of my mentor.”
Edwin couldn’t help but laugh, slapping the table:
“Haha, Master has such an embarrassing story too! It seems the art of dining can truly make one forget oneself. But speaking of it, in our Empire, the nobles feast lavishly, while commoners can’t even chew black bread. No matter how good the Imperial Capital is, I fear only those high and mighty people can afford to enjoy it, right?”
Horn was quite arrogant and looked down on country folk, but he wasn’t a fool, nor was he unreasonable.
Having stayed in Klaester Territory for a week, he had long since figured out Edwin’s temperament.
It could be summed up in one word—benevolent.
He was considered an enlightened Lord.
Although this minor border Lord didn’t have grand ambitions, he was genuinely good to the people of his territory.
Horn understood the benefits of being good to commoners.
He had traveled throughout the Empire for most of his life and found that territories that were good to commoners were often more prosperous, while those nobles who were harsh on their subjects often had assassination attempts in their homes every now and then.
When one’s life was threatened, how could one manage a territory well?
So, at the age of forty, he understood a principle: what comes from the people, returns to the people.
Though country folk were crude, they were an indispensable part of human society.
Horn nodded, his tone slightly subdued: “That’s true. No matter how prosperous the Imperial Capital is, it’s merely the view from the top of the pyramid. The commoners at the bottom eat only oatmeal porridge with pickled fish all year round. Sweetness is a luxury for them; even something like your local frost sugar root has to be reserved for the nobles to extract sugar from.”
He paused, glancing at the wine on the table, a fleeting hint of disdain in his eyes, which he quickly concealed.
“But your Klaester Territory isn’t bad. With vineyards and pastures, you at least haven’t let your people starve to skin and bones. At least it’s better than those dilapidated villages in the Eastern Marches, which is also why I chose to cooperate with Lord.”
Edwin heard the arrogance in Horn’s tone, smiled, and wasn’t offended:
“Master is right, our countryside can’t compare to the grandeur of the Imperial Capital. But I think it’s better for the people to have a hot meal than anything else. As for frost sugar root, I’d like to keep more for the children, but the tax collectors from the Imperial Capital are like death reapers. Last time, they even threatened to confiscate my vineyard if I didn’t pay enough. How can we live like this, you tell me?”
Shen En’s eyes lit up when he heard this.
He hadn’t expected his father to know about the discord between the mages and the Imperial Court.
So, he was saying this to win over Old Man Horn.
Horn stroked his beard, clearly displeased with the tax collectors’ behavior:
“Those tax collectors, relying on the Imperial Court’s backing, all act like important figures. frost sugar root is just a specialty of the borderlands; they take it to extract sugar paste, isn’t it just to show off to their masters in the Imperial Capital on golden plates?”
Edwin laughed heartily, slapping the table: “Master, that’s a satisfying thing to say! But you are well-traveled and knowledgeable, so why not give me some pointers? If my territory wants to have an easier life, what else can it do besides growing grapes? We can’t always rely on the Imperial Capital’s mood, can we?”
Horn narrowed his eyes, gently tapped the armrest of his chair with his finger, thought for a moment, then slowly said: “In my opinion, your butter and cheese here are quite presentable. Although their taste can’t compare to the refinement of the Imperial Capital, they are substantial. If you can come up with some new ways to eat them and sell them elsewhere for silver coins, it might not be impossible.
“As for frost sugar root, don’t turn all of it over. Keep some for yourselves, make some sweets to coax your people, and it might make them work harder. There are some alchemists in the Mage Tower who have researched ways to increase production. I’ll write a letter later and have them send some seeds for you to try—but don’t get your hopes up too much. Those fellows are always thinking about alchemy furnaces exploding; whether it works out depends on luck.”
Edwin’s eyes lit up, and he nodded repeatedly: “Master is willing to help, I thank you in advance! As for sweets, my Xiao En has recently been quite fond of learning to cook with his mother. The day before yesterday, he was even clamoring to make bread. Perhaps he can really make a name for himself.”
Upon hearing this, Horn frowned slightly, clearly not expecting much from a three-and-a-half-year-old child.
He thought to himself: “The countryside is just the countryside. They’re even relying on a three-year-old child. As expected, it’s not presentable.”
However, he maintained the demeanor of an elder on his face, calmly saying: “It’s good that the Young Master has the heart. Let him tinker. Perhaps one day he really will come up with something.”
Edwin laughed heartily, raising his wine glass: “Then I’ll take Master’s auspicious words! Come, another toast to you. Although our country wine isn’t refined, it’s enjoyable to drink, and certainly more substantial than those flashy syrup wines!”
“Hmm, to the Lord.”
…
Shen En gained quite a lot from this casual conversation at dinner.
Horn and the Imperial Court didn’t have a good relationship, and besides wine, Klaester Territory also had specialties like butter and frost sugar root.
These were all good things.
He had been messing around in the kitchen with his mother and Xiao Anni for the past two days, trying to figure out what modern desserts would be good and appeal to Western tastes.
Now, it was perfect. He had butter and cheap, local sugar.
That made the choice obvious—butter cookies.
Of course, there was no rush for this.
Horn was going to stay in Klaester Territory for at least three months. Not only was Shen En scared by the Corpse Demon, but the old man was too.
Shen En’s baking skills also needed time to develop and mature, otherwise, it would be too sudden for a child to suddenly produce something so advanced.
After resting for two days, tonight, Shen En wanted to first figure out what was going on with the silver bracelet on his wrist.
…