The Lord of the Rings: Lords of Middle-earth.

Chapter 104 Cooking Master?

“Baron Badr, would you mind taking me for a walk around your territory?” Roland smiled as he looked at the wary centaurs behind Badr.

“Of course, Your Majesty…” Badr could only lower his head and say weakly.

“Relax, don’t get agitated. We don’t have any direct conflict. Being loyal to my king isn’t a bad thing for you! At least the heavily damaged Tuput tribe needs a powerful force to protect them, doesn’t it?” Reno approached the two men after sensing the tense atmosphere between them.

“…Please.” Badr glanced deeply at the army that stretched out behind the two men, then took a deep breath and made way for them.

"The Holy Knights will follow, the rest of you stay put!" Roland waved his hand to stop the army from marching. If the centaurs really had ulterior motives, the army would be less effective if it entered the forest. The Swift Infantry, hidden by the dense forest, could not form a Swift Formation and could only fight individually. The Battanian archers' best long-range projectiles would also be interfered with by the branches. So the number of people was completely irrelevant; one knight order was enough!

"Let's go check out the centaur camp!" Roland said, somewhat tempted. Seeing something exotic wouldn't be bad.

……

Led by the centaurs, the group traversed a barren forest, crossed a frozen stream, and leaped over fallen ancient trees. Finally, a sizable camp appeared before Roland and his companions. Tall wooden houses rose from the ground, their wide doors adorned with exquisite patterns—the centaur's totem, the winged celestial centaur! Legend has it that only one in ten thousand centaurs could awaken their wings beneath the Pegasus Stone in the centaur kingdom. However, with the passage of time, the once-mighty centaur kingdom vanished into the annals of history, and the Pegasus Stone disappeared along with it. The centaurs never recovered, never regaining their power to rebuild the kingdom, and the search for the Pegasus Stone was abandoned.

“Celestial Centaur…” Roland murmured, looking at the familiar totem. His eyes were filled with astonishment!
"Has Your Highness seen these totems before?" Badr quickly asked.

Roland gave a wry smile. He hadn't just seen totems; he'd seen them alive! The most popular follower in the game used to be the Celestial Centaur! Because centaurs could form mount contracts with humans! Knights who had contracted with centaurs could easily defeat most knights of the same rank, let alone these one-in-a-million Celestial Centaurs.

"Your Highness, I beg you to tell me what you know! I beg you!" Baldr knelt down before Roland with a thud. Only after leading his people on a long and arduous journey did he truly understand the fear of loneliness! Baldr had never seen another centaur tribe in the entire northern wasteland. He had even once believed himself to be the last centaur. Now, someone could actually recognize the centaur totem! This meant he had seen them somewhere before! Overwhelmed with emotion, Baldr knelt before Roland.

"Get up, it won't hurt to tell you!" Roland sighed. Roland appeared calm on the outside, but he was actually panicking. He was still thinking about how to cover up this lie. After all, he couldn't tell Baldr that he had seen these centaurs three thousand years ago!

"I found this in an ancient family book. I just saw it and it looked familiar, so I remembered it." Roland's lips twitched, trying to appear thoughtful.

"Ah! So...that's how it is!" Badr's bulging muscles instantly contracted, his straight spine hunched over, and the disappointment in his eyes was impossible to conceal. He had thought he would receive news of his kin, but he never expected...

"Your Highness, you haven't eaten yet, have you?" Badr's keen hearing instantly caught the rumbling of Roland and Renault's stomachs.

"Um... I haven't eaten yet..." Roland said, blushing slightly. After all, he had encountered such a mess early in the morning and had dawdled so much that he had missed lunchtime. "I'll have someone prepare food!" Badr said hurriedly. Although he didn't like humans very much, he was temporarily loyal to them, and besides, he had to give some face to the grassland elf king, Valve.

Soon, a variety of dishes, though not particularly refined, were served: roasted wild rabbit dripping with oil, a thick soup made with cabbage and dried venison, coarse whole wheat bread, some shriveled wild fruits, and even a wild boar piglet roasted until it was reddish-brown.

"Please enjoy your meal!" Inside the spacious wooden house, Badr knelt on all fours before a table covered with thick fur, extending his hand to invite the four to dine.

"Hahaha, I won't be polite!" The aroma of roasted suckling pig wafted into Roland's nostrils, making his mouth water. Even in Swiftstream City, he rarely got to enjoy such a delicacy. After all, Swiftstream City, which faces the Swiftstream River, mainly gets its meat from fish. Moreover, it is dangerous for ordinary people to hunt in the forest, and sending out professionals to hunt is too wasteful. Therefore, Swiftstream City has always had a shortage of fresh red meat.

"Snap!" The stone knife effortlessly sliced ​​through the crispy skin of the suckling pig, and the tender, juicy pig immediately released its fat from the opening. Roland, his mouth watering, quickly cut off a piece and put it on his plate.

"Mmm~ Delicious!" Roland couldn't help but exclaim. As expected of the nomadic centaur tribe, their meat-making skills are superb! Fatty but not greasy, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside—that's the food in front of him.

"Haha, I'm glad Your Highness likes it. This is a suckling pig marinated with seasonings unique to centaurs..." Badr said mysteriously.

"Hmm?" Roland took a bite of the crispy on the outside and tender on the inside pork and chewed it carefully. Sure enough, a faint apple aroma lingered in Roland's mouth. As he chewed for a while, the fruity aroma became stronger and stronger!
"Fragrant! This fruity aroma is truly amazing!" Roland exclaimed.

"Hahaha, this is Golden Apple Sauce made by centaurs! It's made from the finest magical plant, the Golden Apple! Only one vat can be made from one tree! And the only thing usable is the thin layer of golden sauce on top! There's only one bottle!" As he spoke, Badr gestured with his hand, making a circle less than half a fist in size.

"Not bad, not bad! I didn't expect a centaur to have a talent for cooking!" Roland almost swallowed his tongue after taking a sip of the thick soup.

"good to eat!"

"nice!"

Even Caslo and Reno were full of praise, saying that this simple soup was comparable to the skills of a hobbit. The creamy white soup was full of rich aroma, and the taste was mellow, fresh, and rich! It has to be said that the centaur's cooking skills must be maxed out. Tearing bread and dipping it in the soup, the wheat and rich aromas blended together, and the taste was instantly elevated.

"Someone come here! Bring the wine!" Badr shouted, slamming his hand on the table as he got into the conversation.

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(End of this chapter)