Magical Tool Master Dahlia Never Compromises ~ Starting Today: Life as a Freelancer ~

Despite this, Fermo still finds time to develop derivative products of the bubble bottle and to make and improve the pots for the expedition stove.

"Firmo, why don't you get up early tomorrow and do it? This way we can save on magic stones for the magic lamp."

Barbara came to the workshop and subtly expressed her concern. Fermo smiled and then took off his gloves. He looked at the hand holding the small hammer. The blister on the palm had broken again.

"That's right. To save money, let's leave it until tomorrow."

As long as he is still working, his wife will keep doing it.

For Barbara's health, he decided to rest early.

He was very grateful to the other party for cleverly guiding his stubborn and clumsy self, but he would never say it out loud.

"The account book contains all the accounts so far, so don't worry. I'll also start making glassware as soon as possible."

His wife placed the account book, which had turned from loss to profit, on the table with a smile. The unicorn pendant on her chest still shone brightly in the night. Fermo stared at the light intently.

It was a rare magical tool, an ornament made of rare materials. It could actually relieve the pain of Barbara's erythema, and Fermo was both grateful and amazed.

"What are you looking at?"

"I'm a breast person."

Bang! His wife slapped him hard on the forehead.

This is going to hurt a little, no, a lot. The red mark on my forehead will probably stay there for a while.

"I can't stand it. What are you talking about!"

My wife's hands move faster than her mouth.

It seemed that as she recovered her health, she also regained her original strength and speed. No, perhaps even more than before.

But her tolerance for Fermo's jokes remained the same as before, and he should be more careful about his words and actions in the future.

He was thinking about these boring little things, and Barbara suddenly lowered her blue-purple eyes.

"...I really want to repay Miss Dahlia soon."

"yes."

The wife finished speaking quietly, and Fermo nodded deeply.

Not only did Dalia keep the workshop afloat, but she also helped them thrive by receiving a large amount of work. She even signed a profit contract under their joint names and helped Barbara regain a comfortable life.

They have received so many favors, and it will be difficult for them to repay them in the future.

Fermo prepared himself mentally and smiled confidently.

He is a senior craftsman.

Another stubborn man.

I will definitely repay the younger generations who have helped me with interest.

Volume 3 ◆ Salt-grilled spiny pomfret and the seven wonders of the royal capital

"What kind of fish is this?"

"This is called a 'spined pomfret', a companion of the sea bream."

Dalia was in the Green Tower kitchen, holding a bright silver fish.

Wolfe seemed to have never seen this kind of fish before. He looked at it for a long time and then tilted his head in confusion.

Dahlia wrote him a letter today, asking him to come and see the prototype of the expedition furnace when he is free, and he came here soon.

I heard that he received the news of the monster discovery yesterday and immediately set out on an expedition. He returned from the expedition looking exhausted.

Seeing him like this, Dalia told him not to be stubborn and to make an appointment another day, but he insisted that he was fine.

He might have encountered something unpleasant again. Dahlia remembered that he was attacked by a group of knights a few days ago, so she didn't ask too much.

Now that Wolfe had arrived, Dahlia decided to cook dinner using the modified expedition stove.

The ingredient she chose was "spiny pomfret".

"Today we're having salt-grilled tangerines, but tangerines are also great fried or dried."

The silver fish was nearly thirty centimeters long and resembled a sea bream. Its shiny silver surface was speckled with black spots.

Although the spiny pomfret is delicious, it is not very popular in Audigne because of its black spots.

"It's called a spiny pomfret, but it doesn't have any spines."

"It's said that it's named this because the black spots look like thorns."

This fish is exactly the same as the thorny pomfret from my previous life, but it is slightly larger and very filling to eat.

Dalia took it underwater to rinse it, and the prickly pomfret secreted transparent mucus.

"Dalia, it seems sticky. Is it still edible?"

Wolf was worried about the fish not being fresh. Actually, Dahlia was a little nervous the first time she prepared it.

"The fish shop owner said that the thorny pomfret must have this transparent mucus to be considered fresh."

She scraped the scales off the fish with a spoon, rinsed it again, and then cut open the belly and removed the internal organs. All she had to do later was sprinkle it with salt and grill it.

"That completes the preparations."

"Your movements are so smooth and swift, you really are a good cook."

"All I did was cut up the fish. From now on, we'll have to rely on the expedition stove."

She was a little overwhelmed by the other party's praise.

Wolfer mistakenly thought she was a good cook, but the reason her dishes were delicious was simply because the ingredients were fresh and she had all the necessary utensils to prepare them. She almost always grilled or boiled them.

In her previous life, she learned a little from her mother who was good at cooking, but her life ended before she could cook like her mother.

Although she had learned and consulted recipes from her maid Sophia in this life, she had mostly figured out her own recipes. She still remembered how she often failed when she first started cooking as a child.

But no matter what she made, her father would eat it all, which also prompted her to take cooking more seriously.

She remembered that she had burnt fish and meat in the past and hoped that was not the cause of her father's early death.

"This is the currently improved expedition furnace. This is the pot that Mr. Fermo treated."

"It's even thinner than before, and the pot is also made into a telescoping bellows."

They moved to the living room, placed three modified stoves on the table, and turned them on.

Two are used to grill fish and one is used to heat vegetable soup.

"It'll be ready in a little while, so let's have a toast."

Dalia listened to the sizzling sound of the grilled fish, poured crushed ice into a deep plate, and then placed the wine vessel she had bought a few days ago on it.

Two clear glass cups, each adorned with a few red and dark blue lines, look cool just by looking at them, and even cooler when placed on ice.

She poured the slightly cloudy white wine into the drinking cup through the glass opening.

What Wolf brought today was the Zhongxindong wine recommended by the wine shop owner.

They toasted to health and luck, drank from the wine, and then returned the still-not-quite-cool wine to the deep dish to continue chilling.

The two of them chatted about the furnace used in the expedition and waited for a while.

“…It smells so good.”

The pomfret develops a slightly sweet aroma during grilling.

Perhaps because of his keen sense of smell, Wolf seemed very excited.

"Can I turn it over now?"

"Wait a moment. You can only flip the fish once during the grilling process to prevent it from breaking."

As for the time distribution between the positive and negative sides, her mother in her previous life said it was 60% positive and 40% negative.

Sophia, the maid in this life, said it was 40% heads and 60% tails.

She also asked Irma and Irma's mother, and they said decisively that it was 50% each.

Dalia still doesn't know the correct answer, but today she plans to roast it with 60% heads and 40% tails.

Some of the salt absorbed the fat from the grilled fish, causing it to sizzle and bounce.

"One more time."

"……Um."

Seeing that Wolfe looked impatient, Dalia reminded him.

The two men, chopsticks in hand, stared intently at the spiny pomfret roasting on the expedition's grill. It was a rather comical sight.

She imagined cooking during the military expedition and suddenly realized something.

"Wolver, it's hard to get fresh fish during your expedition, isn't it?"

"If you go to the sea, you can eat it. We sometimes catch river fish to eat."

Despite this, fish is still not a convenient food on the expedition.

She grilled fresh fish this time, and maybe she'd need to try other ingredients that can be stored for a long time.

"Things that can be stored for a long time include dried goods and salted fish. Oil-soaked items should also be okay..."

She thought of many ingredients, but she also had to consider how to carry them, how long they would last, and how to cook them in an expedition oven. She was lost in thought when Wolf called her.

“Dalia, there’s smoke…!”

Fish can easily get burnt if you're not careful when grilling it.

Dahlia quickly turned the pomfret over with Wolf.

After the pomfret was grilled, the two picked up their chopsticks and started eating.

With a poke of her chopsticks, the white fish flesh peeled away from the bones. Dalia brought the fish to her lips. It was still hot when it touched her lips. She quickly blew on the thin white smoke rising from the fish before swallowing it in one bite.

The grilled fish skin was thin and crispy, and the fish meat underneath was surprisingly moist.

The salt on the outside of the fish blends with the saltiness of the fish itself, adding flavor to the slightly sweet fish. It also has very few bones, making it easy to eat.

The unique taste of salt-grilled fish reminded her of the white rice she had in her previous life.

“…It’s super delicious…”

She looked at Wolff, who was whispering and carefully separating the fish meat from the bones with chopsticks.

It seems he likes it.

Seeing his enthusiastic eyes, Dalia put another pomfret on the grill and turned on the stove.

"Is it cold?"

She waited until the fish taste on her tongue dissipated before picking up the swallowing cup.

The fingertips holding the wine cup felt cool as the cold wine swayed in the cup.

She took a sip of the cold wine. Although it was a medium-strength wine, it didn't have a spicy taste. It felt refreshing on the tongue and smooth down the throat, reminiscent of clear, sweet water, but still with a hint of alcohol.

This wine is dangerous and it's easy to drink too much if you're not careful.

Dahlia placed the swallowing cup back on the deep plate and rested for a while.

As her mouth slowly warmed, she was drawn back to the aroma of the spiny pomfret and began to eat the fish. This time, the fish tasted even more fragrant than before, and the finishing touch of saltiness was even more prominent.

Salt-grilled tang and chilled Tonjiu—what a perfect combination.

Dahlia sighed slowly with satisfaction, and Wolfe opposite her also sighed.

"How about it?"

She asked after taking a look at the expedition stove.

The expedition stove prototyped this time is lighter than the previous one, but its firepower remains the same.

The pot processed by Fermo also has good thermal conductivity, and the heat will not be concentrated in the bend.

This should make it much more convenient for the troops to use during expeditions.

Wolf looked back at her, his eyes moist with emotion.

"The spiny pomfret was born for Zhongxindong wine..."

"If the thorny pomfret could understand what you said, it would surely burst into tears."