Cooking Small Fish Is Like Governing a Great Nation (Continued)
So she let go of that skin on the back of her neck that held her back.
She saw Hong land on all fours, then suddenly spring up, first jumping onto the wall, then onto the streetlight, her neck stiff, her pupils constricted, her gaze filled with fear as she looked at her.
—I kind of want to bully him a little.
Miss Surtr tilted her head slightly, somewhat surprised that Little Red Riding Hood hadn't jumped away the moment she gained her freedom—clearly, she hadn't appeared here without reason. She must have some task, or purpose, on her side?
"Red, is that right?" In her memory, she shouldn't have had much contact with Little Red Riding Hood in this timeline. So she gave a faint smile. "Did you come here for something?"
She saw the little gray wolf's ears twitch.
"Kal'tsit, quest, Red, follow Surtr and provide assistance." This little wolf always had a distinctive way of speaking.
"Kal'tsit?" Miss Surtr raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised to hear the name.
She remembered that when she first went to this city to contact Persephone, Kal'tsit had given Red an order: to follow her and obey her commands. This order was triggered sometime before Persephone awoke, before the save point for the time reversal was set.
It appears to be something that has already happened on this timeline.
When did Kal'tsit make this arrangement?
"Hong, I received the assignment two days ago."
"So what have you been up to these past two days... Oh." She remembered that she had just met Kal'tsit last night. And when she pushed open the door of that Foul-mouthed Lynx, she had seen Red Riding Hood in the doorway—only for a few seconds, but she had calmed and subdued the Little Red Riding Hood using wolf-taming techniques she had learned in another world. Then came the 'date' with Kal'tsit, and the breakdown in their negotiations.
—Hmm, indeed, I've been busy the past two days. Even when I wasn't busy, I was spending time with Persephone. With her orchestrating things behind the scenes, the assignments for this little wolf were clearly not on her schedule for me. It's only now that perhaps Red has finally had a chance to run into me...
But it may not necessarily be a chance encounter.
She glanced around but didn't see any surveillance cameras or drones nearby. She also didn't realize she was being monitored and tracked by magic; there weren't even any obvious electrical signals or energy signatures around her.
—Persephone wasn't nearby; she wasn't watching this place.
—Or she might pretend she wasn't looking here... Hmm, being suspicious isn't good.
A few fleeting thoughts crossed her mind, but strictly speaking, they were of little use. These subtle shifts in thought didn't take her much time. In about half a second, her reflection had reached a conclusion.
So she waved to Hong.
She noticed the little wolf seemed hesitant, but it eventually jumped down from the telephone pole and came to her side.
She rubbed his little red head again.
"Good boy." Her voice held a rhythm that would soothe a canine. "How has Kal'tsit been lately?"
She glanced at the Rhodes Island standard PRTS terminal hanging by her ear and added a comment.
"Don't ask her, just tell her your opinion."
"Kal'tsit is very busy. This morning, she was running around performing surgeries." Red's body gradually relaxed a little. "But Kal'tsit looks extremely tired."
"You've been busy all day?" Miss Surtr nodded. She picked up the bag of groceries she had placed on the ground. She weighed it in her hand, and the amount that immediately came to mind made her slightly satisfied.
—There are a bit more ingredients than expected, so it would be good to have Red bring some to Kal'tsit later.
—I suppose Kal'tsit wouldn't take her temper out on Red... She only ever targets me.
"Well, I do need your help with something." She nodded.
She received an immediate response – "Red, awaiting instructions."
"Alright." She released her hand from Hong's head and stepped towards the manor she had originally planned to visit. The timing was just right; the sun was almost directly overhead. As she focused her senses on the interior of the manor, she caught the subtle scents of the spices she needed, as well as the musty smell that would inevitably build up after several days of inactivity.
"Come help me cook."
She said—and looked at Red, who tilted her head and looked puzzled.
The cooking time is forty minutes.
The process need not be detailed, but the final result was that Miss Surtr successfully created a novel dish that did not exist on Terra, and ensured that its taste was at least acceptable to the general public.
Red was the first to taste... or rather, to evaluate the dish. Because she made many portions; the first was a bit too strong in flavor, the second a bit milder. And the third time, she saw Red wag its tail happily and squint its eyes as it took a bite of the stuffed meat roll.
The effect is good.
If it can satisfy Lupo's sensitive palate, then with a slight adjustment to the formula, it should be no problem to handle Feline as well.
After rewarding Red with an extra treat for her palate, Miss Surtr slightly adjusted the recipe based on the tasting data. She made two copies of her new dish and packaged them separately. While preparing the new dish, she also used ingredients already available on the estate to make some side dishes and accompaniments to ensure the portion was not too small.
Of course, she made an extra portion for Red. It was plentiful, delicious, and nutritious. After feeding the little wolf, she let her go, allowing her to take the two different dishes with different markings.
"Give the red box to Kal'tsit and the blue box to Persephone. Go to whichever is closer first. But don't deliver the boxes to the wrong places."
She handed the two packaged food items to Hong and watched the little guy disappear from sight in no time.
Hong is good; she won't make any mistakes. And she's sure she can complete this simple task. So after handing over the commission, she didn't think about it anymore.
After Danghong left, she began to find her own food and lodging.
Food and lodging.
She hadn't planned to take a nap—it wasn't interesting, and she didn't really want to see Theresia at this time. However, when she prepared four dishes and a soup for herself and sat down at the table, she saw the pink and white furry creature looking at her from a mirror on the side of the table.
Well, this pink and white one always likes to join in the fun. She wasn't very active before, but now that she's in Chernobog, she's always jumping around.
—In the past few years, all I knew was that Theresia was alive. But I had never actually met this guy.
—And she started contacting me after I made changes... It seems like many people around me only changed their attitude towards me after I made changes... No, not entirely. Yelena's attitude towards me was quite strange from the beginning. And Alina ...
—Alina is a real headache.
She nodded to the mirror, then turned her attention back to her lunch in front of her. Just as she picked up her first piece of meat with her chopsticks and put it in her mouth, Theresia's reflection in the mirror shifted its gaze to the surface of the soup spoon.
"What's wrong? You seem a little strange." The Princess spoke silently on the smooth metal surface. But she could decipher the meaning the Princess wanted to convey from her lip movements.
"—It was a troublesome matter, but I've figured it out. Now, I'm thinking about other things."
She picked up a spoon and scooped up a piece of tofu. The tender bean curd crumbled into hundreds of tiny pieces as she lifted it. The cracks on different surfaces overlapped, forming the answer she wanted to give Theresia.
What's the problem? Can I help?
Theresia jumped from the spoon to the chopsticks, and finally clung to the edge of the plate, looking at her with a worried expression.
So she peeled a shrimp from the plate.
"—One is a matter of personality. I've decided not to change, to stay the way I am. I think I'm actually doing pretty well right now. Hmm... Theresia, what do you think?"