Chapter 186: Food From A Wild Chef’s Menu
"Your Excellency, the Priestess is waiting for you," Dhruv heard the voice of the same boy who had arrived five minutes ago, once again.
Dhruv paused in his writing, turned towards the direction of the door, and replied, "Alright, I’m on my way."
"We will be waiting, my lord." the boy replied and began to walk toward the dinner area.
Dhruv wanted to write everything about the experiment in the notebook but knowing that it would cost him quite some time, he ignored this idea and stand up. He quickly put the notebook in his ring before writing anything in it.
After going to the bathroom, he quickly bathed with the water he had created with the help of magic and wore fresh clothes. These were the clothes Alric had brought when he had gone to map the mainland.
Wearing a white T-shirt and a comfortable black pants, Dhruv got out of the house. While he was moving toward the dinner area, Alaric appeared in front of him.
"Master, was the experiment successful or not?" Alaric asked as he followed Dhruv. This time, he didn’t ask about the nature of the experiment and instead just wanted to know the outcome.
"Ohhh!! that was a success," Dhruv replied with a pleasant smile on his face. He considered explaining the nature of the experiment but decided to refrain, as he preferred to share the details when all three of them were together.
"As anticipated, Master," Alaric nodded and continued to follow Dhruv without posing any further questions for the remainder of the journey.
After a two-minute walk, Dhruv arrived at the location where everyone had gathered for dinner. He was pleasantly surprised as he gazed at the scenery before him.
’They even managed to do this,’ Dhruv thought as he looked at the scene in front of him.
The space in front of him had undergone a complete transformation. Instead of bare ground, there was a wooden floor. Numerous chairs and tables were strategically placed around the area as well.
On top of the tables, all the necessary utensils were placed with great care. Even now, the crafting wasn’t perfect, but it was already a massive upgrade, nonetheless.
One more notable detail caught Dhruv’s attention. Right at the very beginning, there was a raised platform, a few centimeters higher than the rest of the flooring.
There was a beautiful table paced on top of the platform. Even from here Dhruv was able to see that the crafters had paid more attention while creating this. Four chairs were arranged behind it.
Anyone could tell that this area was reserved for the king and his guardian. Looking at the place where he was supposed to eat, Dhruv felt slightly uncomfortable for some reason.
"Don’t you think that is unnecessary?" Dhruv directed these words toward Azarex, who was walking toward him.
Before responding to the question, the undead lord first respectively bowed. Upon receiving a signal from Dhruv, he raised his head and gazed at Dhruv, wearing a smile.
"It wasn’t my idea, my lord," Azarex said with a smile on his face.
’Of course, this can’t be his idea. If it were to be his, then there would only be my chair, not for the trio one as well,’ Dhruv thought as he considers these minor points.
"Then whose was it?" Dhruv asked.
Before Azarex could say anything, a voice interrupted him.
"It was my idea, my lord." Dhruv heard a sweet, pleasant voice coming from his right side.
Turning right, Dhruv saw that the priestess was coming toward him. Instead of his usual guide Thala, she was being guided by the fire demon.
’Why is Vexar accompanying her?’ Dhruv thought, as he couldn’t make sense of this. His inability to make sense of this wasn’t surprising; after all, there was no connection between them.
One acted as the avatar of wrath, while the other exuded calmness to the point of seeming incapable of anger.
One was deeply immersed in combat, while the other never raised a weapon.
One was a fire demon, while the other one is a moon priestess.
There was just nothing similar between them...
Before getting entangled in the web of thought, Dhruv pulled himself out of that and faced the priestess. When she had come to the appropriate distance, he asked, "Why is that Lyra?"
Looking in Dhruv’s direction, Lyra smiled and answered,
"Your Majesty, I believe a king should dine above his subjects so he could observe all of them at the same time...." After pausing for a bit, she turned her head up, facing her lord’s face she continued.
"As you already know, it is quite difficult to meet with everyone at one time, and I thought this is the perfect place for that. This could also serve as a great place for any announcement." She paused. As usual, there was a smile on her face.
"T–that is an interesting choice. But isn’t it a bit extravagant? Why not keep things simple?" Dhruv questioned back.
"Your highness, it’s not about extravagance. It’s about creating a visual representation of your authority. The raised platform signifies your position of leadership, showcasing strength and dignity," the priestess explained.
’She was a leader of a tribe; there must be something that she is seeing in this situation that I can’t figure out... now. Let’s continue as it is; after all, there is no harm in this,’ Dhruv thought as he proceeded to walk toward his seat.
After claiming his seat, he ordered the trio to sit in their seats as well. All of them were a bit hesitant at first, but he was quickly able to convince them. When everyone had sat down, the food began to come in.
There were all types of weird things on the menu that Dhruv wasn’t even sure were edible or not.
Some examples were Chimera Charcoal-Grilled Steaks, Dire Boar Bacon Wrapped Dates, and Hippogriff’s Nectar....
Of course, some of the items were especially for him, like the Hippogriff’s Nectar.
It was an item that tasted like a mixture of honey and something slightly sour. Initially it would taste weird, but the aftertaste was great. At least that is what Dhruv was told.
These were the items that were cooked after following the skills that a person with the class [Wild Chef] gets. So, it was guaranteed that there was nothing wrong with them.
Dhruv put his hesitation aside and took a bite from Chimera Charcoal-Grilled Steaks...
’Is this heaven?’ Dhruv couldn’t help but ponder, as a myriad of flavors began to dance on his palate.
