Chapter 339: Chapter 300 Treasure Lord_1
Old Mumu extended the invitation for Yan Xing to enter the city with considerable ceremony, giving him ample face. Even though the Orc soldiers at the city gate were shabbily dressed, it was still a welcome with lined streets.
However, upon entering the Lord’s Mansion, the atmosphere immediately turned grim.
Elven council halls were far less grand than those of human cities. This one, already not very large, was now chaotically filled with Ogres.
These were the elite of Marshal Old Mumu’s tribe, donning decent armor and wielding steel maces.
In the center of the hall, a bonfire raged with a large pot suspended over it, in which a thick soup boiled, stewing some unknown type of meat.
A group of short Big-eared Monsters held large bowls of meat, which they respectfully offered to the Ogres.
Yan Xing entered, accompanied by Li Zhua and Arlanda.
The Ogres merely glanced at them, not a single one coming forward to receive them.
Marshal Old Mumu sat prominently in the main seat, gnawing on a large bone, ripping the meat off with his teeth.
Seeing this, Arlanda stepped forward and shouted, "Respected Marshal Old Mumu, standing before you is the Lord of the Eternal Domain, Yan Xing. We come to Frostleaf City with good intentions, hoping to establish diplomatic relations, open markets, and prosper together."
Marshal Old Mumu continued to gnaw on his meat as if he hadn’t heard a thing.
At that moment, an Ogre said loudly, "Are there still Elves running around free in Frostleaf City? The meat in the pot is almost gone; we can stew this Elf instead."
The Ogre’s words sparked raucous laughter, with shouts to stew the Elf for meat echoing around.
Angered, Arlanda was about to retort but saw Yan Xing had already passed him and walked to the middle of the hall.
He picked up a ladle and stirred the contents of the pot.
The meat was mushy, but the bones looked like they came from a cow.
Yan Xing took a sip of the broth.
It was just plain boiled beef, likely seasoned with only a bit of salt and no other spices.
Disapprovingly, Yan Xing tossed the ladle and its contents back into the pot, then said to Li Zhua, "Indeed, it’s not easy to discuss matters over a meal. Since we’re all hungry from our journey, let’s eat first and talk after we’re full."
Li Zhua stood up straight and answered loudly, "What are we eating, my Lord?"
Yan Xing replied, "When away from home, one shouldn’t be too extravagant... Let’s just have a simple hot pot meal."
"Yes, my Lord!"
Li Zhua took the order and went out, soon returning with all the necessary equipment, ingredients, and food for the hot pot.
A folding square table was set up on the ground, with stools around it.
Li Zhua placed a flat-bottomed pot on the table, with an opened can of solid fuel underneath. He lit it, poured water in, and tossed a block of hot pot base into it.
Arlanda then prepared dipping sauces using various seasonings and arranged vegetables, meatballs, sliced meats, tofu, duck blood, and yuba in plastic baskets.
At this moment, the hall fell silent. All the Ogres stared at the three of them, utterly puzzled.
How did you start eating here?
Soon, the Ogres sensed something was amiss.
It was too fragrant. As the broth with the hot pot base began to boil, the entire hall filled with its rich aroma.
Once the variety of ingredients was poured into the pot, the mingled scents made the Ogres forget the meaty broth in their own bowls.
The Ogres sniffed greedily, their eyes fixed on the steaming food in the pot, not looking away for a second.
Arlanda served Yan Xing a bowl filled with meat, meatballs, and greens.
Yan Xing took the bowl, intentionally blowing the rising steam towards the nearby Ogres’ nostrils.
Then he picked up a piece of meat covered in sauce and said to Arlanda and Li Zhua, "This is called snowflake meat, from the back of a cow’s neck. The meat here is interlaced with fat and lean, resembling snowflakes. The texture is tender and juicy, and it only needs to be blanched in the soup for ten seconds to be cooked perfectly, offering the best mouthfeel."
Having said that, Yan Xing placed the piece of meat into his mouth.
A chorus of swallowing sounds followed.
Next, Yan Xing picked up a fish ball and said, "This fish ball is made from sea fish. As soon as the fish is caught from the sea, it is immediately beheaded, de-tailed, and gutted, keeping only the freshest fish meat, which is preserved with ice Magic.
"Right after reaching the shore, it is sent straight to the kitchen for processing.
"The chefs use Magic to mince the fish meat into a paste, stirring it at least ten times to bring out the firmness of the meat, ensuring that the fish balls produced have the right resilience and chewiness.
"Of course, the most important aspect is its delicious freshness, as if eating it right by the sea."
After finishing, Yan Xing placed the fish ball into his mouth.
More swallowing sounds emanated from the surroundings.
Yan Xing smiled and picked up a leafy vegetable.
"This is something even more precious than meat. In this winter season, you probably haven’t seen such green vegetables, right? These vegetables are grown in a specially constructed magical environment, where it’s always summer inside, regardless of the weather outside.
"Inside, you can grow any vegetables you want to eat, in any season."
Having said that, Yan Xing put the leaf into his mouth.
The sounds of swallowing grew louder.
Yan Xing, Arlanda, and Li Zhua feasted like this right in front of the Orcs.
Various ingredients took turns going into the pot.
When the water level was low, they added more; when the flavor weakened, they added more seasoning.
When they ran out of ingredients, Li Zhua went out and brought back another pack.
When coming here, Yan Xing had prepared a large batch of food for himself, as he didn’t know if he would be able to adapt to the Orcs’ food. Now was the perfect time to use it.
The entire council hall was filled with the rich scent of hot pot, and the Ogres could no longer stomach their own boiled beef soup.
They glanced at the hot pot and then at Marshal Old Mumu.
Marshal Old Mumu had not expected his plan to intimidate the visitors from the Eternal Domain to end up like this.
Seeing his subordinates’ pathetic looks, he knew he had outsmarted himself.
Marshal Old Mumu waved his hand to have the stew pot removed and said to the three of them, "Has Lord Yan Xing eaten his fill? If you are full, let’s start discussing business."
Seeing that Marshal Old Mumu finally spoke, Yan Xing asked Li Zhua to clear away the hot pot.
He stood up, wiped his mouth with a napkin, and let out a satisfied belch before saying to Marshal Old Mumu, "I’m full. On behalf of the Eternal Domain and Thunderous Swamp, I extend my greetings to the respected Marshal Old Mumu.
"It’s really too hot in here."
Yan Xing took off his fur coat and handed it to Arlanda, revealing a cashmere sweater underneath.
He wore three gemstone necklaces of varying lengths around his neck.
Like the rings on his hands, these gemstones were all magical. Although they had not undergone Alchemy to endow them with magical functions, the Ogres did not know that.
News of mysterious Alchemy deep within the Thunderous Swamp had spread throughout the Wildwind Highlands long ago.
In the eyes of outsiders, these were as good as magical artifacts, whether they truly were or not.
The Ogres, whose nostrils had just been bombarded by the hot pot, felt their eyes being blasted once more by so many magical gemstones.
Especially the "magic wand" in Yan Xing’s hand; the gemstone orb embedded on it was as big as a fist.
Truly a walking treasure!