The menu at the Three-Legged Sea Dog Tavern did not include "Cream Mushroom Soup" as an option.
Xia Nan had known that on his very first day in Barracuda Bay.
Fortunately, back then, his craving had made him ask one extra question. Noticing Hera, the tavern owner’s hesitation, he had decisively struck, unleashed the "power of money," and only then gotten the kitchen to make him a special order.
Now that so many days had passed, this particular preference of his was naturally known to the tavern's cooks, and they kept the relevant ingredients on hand as part of their daily routine.
But it was not, after all, an official dish on the menu with a fixed preparation process. Perhaps the delicious essence of the "cream" and "mushrooms" in the seafood cream mushroom soup remained unchanged, but the "seafood" used to highlight Barracuda Bay's local character varied depending on what different sea goods had been purchased that morning.
Xia Nan still remembered that the first bowl of Cream Mushroom Soup he had drunk in Barracuda Bay had contained two shelled fresh shrimp the size of his palm, with springy clam meat mixed into the broth as well.
And today's bowl... the plating was even more exaggerated.
Before the waiter even came close, he had already seen the enormous orange-red crab shell set over the plate.
"Silver Shuttle Crab from the waters off the bay mouth. It was only hauled up this morning. One of them cost me a full two Silver Coins."
"Unfortunately, there weren't any customers today who knew their goods. No one's ordered it so far."
"It won't make it through the night in the kitchen's water tank. It can't wait until tomorrow."
"I was originally thinking of cooking it for myself, but now... you're getting it cheap."