Ming Dynasty and New Rome and Infinite Magic Machine

Chapter 1569 Sacred Forest
Shangluo cut a square piece from the venison and wrapped it up.

"Would you like me to help you sort them? I was thinking you might want to give them away?"

"Oh, right." Shang Luo nodded vigorously. "Uncle Kaiser, how did you know?"

"If I had such delicious meat, I would also want to invite my friends to come and eat it together. Today is just in time. If you hadn't come, I would have planned to teach you to come in two weeks. This venison can indeed be eaten after aging for 21 days, but I prefer it to be aged a little longer."

"Uncle Kaiser, you have quite the taste."

"It's not that I have a particularly strong palate. It's just that I've come across such good venison once in a while, and I want to try cooking it in all sorts of ways."

He simply had a strong palate. The Romans loved all sorts of strongly flavored stews, but he was too embarrassed to admit it, because he knew you Chinese preferred a more refined diet.

“Who’s eating something refined? I’m a very common person, I just love braised pork knuckle.” He carefully put the meat away and lowered his voice, “Actually, I was going to give it to the Emperor.”

Mayor Kaiso paused for a moment: "You mean the Emperor of China?"

"Yes, he is my good friend."

"Oh, this... how can this be offered to such a noble person! This meat has been sitting for 21 days, it's really not appropriate."

"It's alright, it's alright. He just likes this kind of thing, so don't worry. I'm telling you this because I want you to know who got the meat. Such good meat should definitely be given to people with good taste who will appreciate it."

“Ah~~” Mayor Kaiser was relieved. “Wonderful, wonderful. Then I’ll make a fool of myself and let the Emperor taste our family’s aged meat skills. Let me tell you, the temperature and humidity in our cellar are specially adjusted, absolutely first-class.”

Actually, I noticed this on my first visit to Shangluo—not everyone eats as elaborately as Mayor Kaiso's family. Karin's family are truly food enthusiasts.

As members of the knightly class, his family didn't actually have unlimited funds. However, their income was just enough to allow them to pursue this hobby that was both expensive and relatively inexpensive:
Eating well is indeed expensive. But from another perspective, such a large fortune wouldn't be ruined by eating alone; it would only be ruined by squandering. Compared to many extravagant Romans, Mayor Caesar's hobby was quite refined, even valuable. Because he had indeed acquired something good.

The source of this meat is something that Shangluo finds difficult to explain.

But from another perspective, if this meat hadn't come from a powerful and mysterious being, it probably wouldn't taste so good.

"Ugh, I'm so conflicted." Shang Luo shook his head helplessly. "Anyway, Uncle Kaiser, you don't need to think too much. Now that the meat is in your hands, eat it properly and don't waste it. That's the only way to do justice to the act of hunting. I think as long as we handle the prey properly, everything should be fine."

"Wait a minute, this could actually cause an accident?"

Shangluo nodded: "Some time ago, I went to the territory of the Germanic people—that is, the United Arab Emirates—to handle some matters. The Wild Hunt there suddenly became active, so I took the opportunity to deal with the situation there."

"I know that, it's a matter for the Night Shift Bureau, right?"

This news had already spread in Rome. Shangluo handled the situation after Rome's departure very well: he used a surprise attack to directly dismantle Prussia, one of the technologically barbaric nations.

Rome could have done this, but it didn't. Lifting the veil was risky; if it provoked resistance and alarm throughout Prussia, the consequences would outweigh the gains and have far-reaching repercussions. If these technologically advanced barbarians were truly angered and began attempting to break free from Rome's shackles, it would cause unpredictable disturbances throughout the spiritual realm.

At that time, a tide of anger will sweep across the entire spirit world, and the spirits living there may even go mad.

—Of course, none of this happened. Shangluo smoothly settled things in Prussia and successfully established the Night Watch Bureau there, binding the most technologically advanced barbarian to the chariot of the New Order. Then, the rolling chariot crushed the other barbarians.

"You've done something really important, we all know how capable you are."

"It was there that I learned some things about the Wild Hunt—the Wild Hunt, which is a hunt launched by elves in the wilderness, and sometimes it is not so hostile to humans. Sometimes, if you give directions to the Wild Hunt or help them in other ways, you will receive a reward from them."

"Like prey?"

"Yes, for example, prey—but the Wild Hunt also follows the rules of the Hunting God lineage and takes its prey extremely seriously. If you receive prey from the Wild Hunt, it's not entirely a good thing. Because if you don't handle the prey properly and offend the Hunting God, the Wild Hunt will come after you again."

"Ah, this..." Mayor Kaiser immediately understood. "Diana is petty! That's true! Shangluo, have I done anything wrong?"

"Actually, if we follow the rules of the Wild Hunt, there are two main points—first, the prey cannot be abandoned."

"..." Mayor Kaiser's head immediately exploded. "If I hang the meat here and don't eat it, waiting for it to ripen, does that count as discarding it?"

"Huh? Do you think that counts?"

"I asked you this because I was scared. You see, it takes ten, twenty, or thirty days to mature. I haven't eaten meat for so long, what if I'm judged as having thrown it away?"

“Uncle Kaiser, I think you can think of it this way—throwing away trash is also considered throwing away, right? This means that the act of discarding is related to the purpose. If this meat is in your house, in the storage room you specially built, then you can have something to say even if you go to court.”

"That's good, that's good. And the second point?"

"The second point is that it cannot be given away."

"????"

“Yes, that’s why I brought this up.” Shang Luo held up the wrapped piece of meat in his hand. “I suddenly realized that it shouldn’t matter if I eat here. But if I take the meat away, it might offend the God of Hunting.”

"Shangluo, I've made up my mind!" Mayor Kaiso hardened his heart. "Take it with me! Even if I'm hunted down by hunters today, I'll make the Emperor of China taste our meat! Such good meat, such good meat! If I can't offer it to a monarch, then all this risk has been for nothing!"

"Hmm," Shangluo thought for a moment, "Actually, there is a way to have the best of both worlds. Wait a minute, wait a minute, I'll go make a phone call."

It's 200 steps from Mayor Kaiso's house, right in front of the phone booth.

Inside the phone booth, light and shadow flickered, and two hurried figures emerged—

"Where? Where can I find deer meat?" Zhu Xianxi arrived in casual clothes. "I heard there's good meat here, so I jumped out of bed right away."

"Senior brother, what time is it at home?"

"Eight o'clock? The meeting is at eight-thirty, but I postponed it. Anyway, I can go back at ten o'clock to listen to the briefing."

"Where's the meat? Where's the meat?" Zhu Ling squeezed out from behind. "Shangluo, is the place to eat meat far from here?" "Aren't you in class today?"

"I pushed it aside and had someone sign me in. Anyway, I just need to get back before get out of class ends at 10:50."

These two look exactly alike.

"These two aren't new to this. If they weren't like this, I'd feel strange—cough cough, esteemed guests, since you're already here, why not try this demigod's flesh, a rare find both in heaven and on earth? We'll help Mayor Caesar eat the meat, so he won't have to worry."

Half an hour later.

"Shangluo." Zhu Xianxi put down his meat fork. "Now I know why you notified me—this really was worth the trip."

Zhu Xianxi wasn't really convinced before he came to eat there.

The Zhu family has never really liked eating particularly precious ingredients—at most, they would stew shark tendons (fish tank), bird's nest, fresh shrimp, fatty chicken, sea cucumber, and pig's trotters together in a pot, like Buddha Jumps Over the Wall.

Although this kind of food is available in the market, it was an extreme luxury for the Zhu family. They simply ate a lot and didn't have high demands for particularly rare delicacies.

But he had eaten and seen such things—after all, he was the emperor. Although he didn't eat them often, he must have tasted rare ingredients like bear paws, and he had his own insights into these ingredients.

But this venison was different. Even by his standards, it was extremely delicious.

Because this was a piece of venison without any flaws—based on the size of the venison, Mayor Kesso used the appropriate processing method to avoid the defect of venison lacking fat, making it tender and juicy, falling off the bone without losing its shape, so that it went straight into Old Zhu's good ball area.

The Zhu family loves to eat this kind of soft, stewed meat.

"It's not just the meat that's good, the way it's stewed is also very tasteful."

There's a crucial point to remember when handling fermented foods like aged meat and ham—you have to be willing to cut them. It might seem wasteful to cut off certain parts, but if you're worried about wasting food, then don't eat it that way.

These ingredients, after a long fermentation process, will inevitably develop a sour taste. Therefore, it is essential to remove the undesirable parts and retain the delicious core of the meat. This is the only way to bring out the unique characteristics of aged meat and prevent the traces of time from affecting the final dish.

This is venison, and this dish is cooked using an extremely particular method—it is not blanched in boiling water when it is put into the pot, as that would cause the meat to shrink and harden, which would have disastrous consequences for the venison.

After the meat was put into the pot, it obviously underwent a slow temperature change, which made it heat up evenly from the inside out, and caused uneven shrinkage of the meat due to the temperature difference.

The meat is also seasoned with apple cider vinegar, which tenderizes the meat. Much of the vinegar's acidity dissipates during the stewing process, making it perfect for mixing with onions, celery, and carrots. The addition of bay leaves and cloves creates a rich aroma. The slight residual acidity of the apple cider vinegar provides a refreshing taste.

"Brother, brother, brother," Zhu Ling said in a low voice, "I feel guilty. Did it offer us this delicious meat willingly?"

“My foolish sister,” Zhu Xianxi said in a low voice, “we must assume that the deer’s prey is happy.”

"Huh? What does that mean?"

"If you don't understand, just eat. Don't overthink it. Even meat can't shut you up, can it?"

"Oh"

These two could eat far more than Mayor Caesar had imagined. They seemed to have three stomachs when they ate meat.

From the moment they sat down, their meal lasted for an hour without interruption. The two maintained proper dining etiquette, yet the meat in front of them seemed to magically vanish.

The two of them ate the entire core of the deer, leaving nothing behind.

"Thank you for your hospitality." Zhu Xianxi stood up and shook hands with Mayor Kaisuo.

“No, no, no. Please sit down, please sit down.” Mayor Kaiser was flattered. “It is an honor for my ancestors for nine generations to have such a distinguished guest as you dine in my humble courtyard. I am truly humbled that you would deign to shake my hand.”

“Hey.” Zhu Xianxi shook his head. “Don’t worry about it. I’m here as a guest, and you’re the host. When in Rome, do as the Romans do. It’s only right that I greet you in the Roman way.” He also had Zhu Ling go forward and shake hands with Mayor Kaiso.

“Thank you, thank you both.” Mayor Kaiser shook hands and nodded. “This is truly touching. In fact, if you two hadn’t come from afar to share this meat with me, I wouldn’t know what to do with it. I was afraid that I would incur the wrath of the Hunting God if I handled the prey improperly.”

"Don't worry about that, just leave it to Shangluo. If anything happens, just ask him."

"Okay." Shang Luo nodded. "Just come to me if you need anything. We're not going to eat this meal for nothing."

"Oh, right," Zhu Xianxi remembered something, "I have a question I'd like to ask before I leave—how did you stew this meat?"

"Keep it low and simmer slowly."

"Yes, that's exactly how you should prepare venison."

After saying goodbye to Mayor Kaiso, Zhu Xianxi and Shang Luo left together.

He pulled Shangluo aside: "What an honest and simple family, how did they get involved in this kind of thing?"

Shangluo shook his head: "Rome is teetering on the brink of collapse, and such things will likely become more and more common. So, senior brother, thank you. He insists on having distinguished guests eat before he'll share the meat."

“Of course. I didn’t lose anything, I just came here for breakfast as usual.” He glanced at Lake Nemi in the distance. “This is where you’re going to carry out your mission? And where you first helped Rome?”

“Yes,” Shangluo nodded. “This is Lake Nemi. This is the sacred forest of the Romans. Their oldest king was killed here by me. However, now it is the fox spirits in the forest that are causing trouble.”

"You're the mountain spirit, right? Do you have any good ideas? I'm obligated to help him after eating his food, otherwise I'll feel bad about it."

"Actually, I was planning to talk to that fox and persuade him to stop."

“If that’s the case, take this.” Zhu Xianxi took out a small gourd. “If he’s willing to back down, give him this. I know you don’t like violence either, so let’s try to resolve this through negotiation. Of course, if we really can’t reach an agreement, then you can decide for yourself. If it’s not going to work out, call for backup; we’ll be there anytime.”

(End of this chapter)