Using Mage Hand

Offal really was among the more difficult ingredients to handle, and the problems were much the same as the halfling had described.

It had a strong gamey smell and was hard to clean. In this world, only the poor generally ate such things to make up for their lack of fats.

But that was no problem for Du Pont. As a citizen of a great foodie nation, he knew that countless people there had studied every kind of ingredient combination. Removing odors and enhancing flavor was merely the most basic of basics.

He had Butcher split open the pig's head, then went into the kitchen to singe the pig trotters and burn off the sweat glands. After using a cantrip to remove the blood and grime, he soaked all these miscellaneous parts in water. He treated the rest of the offal the same way.

The large intestine really did stink, though. Even with magic making the cleaning remarkably efficient, the smell was still unavoidable during the process.

Fortunately, the power of magic was limitless. In just over ten seconds, the several-meter-long pig intestine had been thoroughly cleaned.

The farmers had all gone home, leaving no one to help, but that did not trouble Du Pont. As he chanted a second spell, a dark-blue hand slightly larger than a human's was summoned.

School of Transmutation cantrip: Mage Hand. It was one of the essential spells every mage had to learn.

What Du Pont needed to do now was have Mage Hand wash the large intestine for him while he went into the kitchen to find spices.

Watching Du Pont work so professionally, Butcher glanced at the cook and raised an eyebrow. "This guy actually seems to know what he's doing?"

The halfling nodded. "It is interesting. Flour can quickly absorb the slimy residue that carries the odor, while salt can season it and kill some parasites. I usually add a little when washing fruit, but I have no idea what this stuff will taste like once cooked."

Then the halfling suddenly remembered something and hurried back into the kitchen. "No, I need to keep an eye on the kid. What if he uses all my expensive spices recklessly?"

The kitchen was bustling with activity. Most of the breakfast had already been prepared by the human cooks, while the freshly slaughtered pork simmered in huge pots. The stoves fueled by firewood and coal gave off terrifying heat, and with the bellows going, steam filled the entire kitchen.

Du Pont walked in just then.

The cooks were somewhat surprised to see Du Pont in an Apprentice Robe. The servers naturally knew who he was, but they watched as he wandered through the kitchen as if it were his own home. He even grabbed some freshly made small sausages and tossed them into his mouth, commenting as he ate, "Breakfast isn't until seven. If you fry them this much, won't they go soft before then?"

"Why are you boiling eggs over such high heat? The shells have all cracked. Who are you planning to feed these to?" He peeled one without hesitation and stuffed the steaming egg into his mouth. "What are you staring at? Check the meat soup. If you don't stir it, it'll burn. Let's see if you can make another pot after that."

"Goddess above, there's still grease on this plate! If someone sees that later, they'll smash the plate on the spot. Do you not want your wages anymore?"

The cooks fled in disarray after being scolded. Only after seeing that he was not pursuing the matter did they exchange glances.

Where did this kid come from?

No idea. How did he even get into the kitchen?

Could he be an inspector sent by the academy? Then we'd better do a good job today and not slack off.

When Judy returned, he found the kitchen in perfect order, which surprised him somewhat.

As the head chef, his authority over the kitchen's dishes was absolute. He could fire anyone he wanted. Yet for some reason, every cook who came here became rather lax after their initial period of nervousness.

But he had no time to care about the cooks' changes. His eyes were fixed on Du Pont in the storeroom. "Hey, close the door! All this cooking steam could ruin some of those expensive spices!"

But once the door was shut, Judy suddenly remembered that was not why he had come over. "By the Hearthkeeper's crucible, I haven't even gone inside yet!"

The door opened, revealing Du Pont filling a wooden bowl with spices.

Star anise, cinnamon bark, Sichuan pepper, angelica root, fennel... cloves, black cardamom—damn, that looked like a mutated variety. There was no soy sauce or dark soy sauce, but there was fish sauce and Red Yeast Rice. "Judy, why don't you have dried chili peppers? There are scallions and ginger in the kitchen, right? Hmm, this brandy would also work well for removing odors."

"Wait, that's cinnamon, not cinnamon bark. It costs several times more, and the flavor is different too! And this brandy isn't some cheap swill that costs ten copper coins a cup!"

Du Pont agreed and switched out the spice, though he did not put down the bottle. "What good wine could there be in your kitchen? Isn't it all for cooking?"

"Who told you that? Sometimes the instructors order drinks separately, all right? One cup of that costs more than all that offal." Judy rolled his eyes and pulled out a dust-covered bottle. "Use this. It's only one silver a bottle. Use as much as you want."

Du Pont did not stand on ceremony. Once he had gathered the spices, he took the utensils he needed. But there was still an urgent matter at hand. "The offal might still smell after blanching. Should we wait until they finish breakfast before making it?"

"No need. Just set up a simple stove outside the back door." As he spoke, Judy pointed at a half-height iron barrel. "Put an iron pot on that and you have a simple stove. We usually use it to boil whole chickens or geese. Just don't stink up my kitchen."

Du Pont naturally had no objection. Mage Hand had already cleaned the intestines and tripe, so all that remained was changing the water and rinsing away the flour and scraps.

But as he carried the water, Boulderstone, who had been watching the show, frowned. At the same time, a somewhat lazy voice sounded by his ear.

"Why have you been there so long today? This isn't like you."

"Someone's making a new dish today. It seems interesting, so I'm planning to try it."

"A new dish?" There was a hint of confusion in the voice. "Did the fleet heading to the Far East bring back a new recipe, or did Judy come up with some other new trick?"

"No. It looks like they're making offal stew. I haven't eaten the stuff in years." Butcher replied through Message, an ill-intentioned smile curling across his lips. "There are even intestines that used to hold shit. Interested in trying some?"

"Ugh, you're still as good at ruining people's appetites as ever. I shouldn't have talked to you. You won't be getting any of the sweetbreads tonight, either."

"You make it sound like I like them. The last time I ate that crap, it felt no different from pig brain. The texture was weird, and it was a little like the lymph nodes Morningstar said were absolutely inedible. You're the only one who likes that garbage."

"Hehe, what do you know? This is a top-grade ingredient famous even in the Silvermoon Federation. Forget it. I won't talk food with someone who knows nothing about it. Goodbye."

Du Pont had no idea what the others were busy with. Once the blanching was done, he changed the water, added the spices, salt, and pork, then covered the pot.

"All right. Once it boils, skim off the scum. Then reduce it to low heat. After an hour, remove all the fire and let it steep for another two hours so the flavors soak in. It should be ready to eat by nine."

"Oh, right, Judy, get me a whole chicken. This can be cooked with meat; they'll complement each other and improve the flavor of the entire pot."

"I always feel like you're wasting my ingredients." Though Judy sounded reluctant, he still picked out a fat chicken intended for lunch and called over a cook to prepare it. The halfling's curiosity left him patient with this interesting new method of cooking. "What about the offal? Weren't you going to cook that? Why are you leaving it alone after blanching it?"

"Cooking it together would definitely affect the flavors. Once the pig head meat and trotters are done, we can cook those afterward. They cook more easily, so an hour should be enough." Du Pont cleaned his hands as he spoke. "By the way, do you have flour? This stuff is perfect with flatbread. If there are cucumbers, scallion segments, or green peppers, we can make a refreshing side dish too. Otherwise, I'm afraid you won't be able to eat much later."

"What real man eats that green garbage?" Boulderstone shook his head and asked, "By the way, are you practicing killing because you plan to become an adventurer?"

"I'm considering it." Du Pont nodded. "Nowhere is particularly peaceful these days. It'll help me build some courage. Besides, I'll have to face it sooner or later."

"Adventuring isn't simple. Beyond their own powerful spells, what matters most for mages is actually their ability to adapt on the spot. But even if you can do that, finding reliable teammates is another difficult matter." Butcher spoke with a nostalgic expression. "Still, it's good that you have ambition. If what you make tastes good later, you can come with me to Great Barley Village in the Western Mountains. I'll show you something truly challenging."