leonardwarren Chapter 23 Miss Moran, who loves food
Chapter 23 Miss Moran, who loves food
The copper bell on the door rang out with a clear, crisp sound.
Upon entering, Lucius noticed that the dark-haired lady behind the counter, wearing a blue, pointed hat with a wide brim, didn't seem to be greeting any customers.
A newspaper covered in illustrations obscured her facial features.
"The Elon Food Gazette"... This is a newspaper from the capital? Lucius silently read the headline on the side of the newspaper facing him.
"Lamb chops from the North, simply pan-fried and sprinkled with black pepper, are a top-notch delicacy."
There are also Hell silver knife fish, which will only migrate from the deep sea to the Hell River estuary next month.
Its flesh is translucent silvery-white. Sashimi best brings out its freshness. After slicing it thinly, chill it on ice for ten minutes and dip it in Elon Royal Soy Sauce...
I absolutely cannot miss it…
The black-haired lady was completely absorbed in her culinary fantasies...
Lucius had to tap the counter lightly to get the dark-haired lady's attention back.
The newspaper was put down, and the black-haired lady's face was fully exposed to the light of the chandelier.
She was in her early twenties, her face was so pale it was almost translucent, her features were delicate but not particularly friendly, and her gray eyes held a displeasure at being disturbed.
Before Lucius could speak, the young lady abruptly interrupted his possible self-introduction:
"I never ask guests' names."
Those grey eyes scanned Lucius up and down, and he spoke again:
"You can buy a book in the shop for 1 gold pound, choose one yourself, and then tell me."
After speaking to this young lady, whom he could tentatively call Moran, Lucius picked up the "Elorne Food Gazette" again, flipped it over, and began studying a feature article about chocolate desserts from the Southern Continent.
He shook his head and looked into the room.
The layout of the entire bookstore is exceptionally simple. Apart from the tall bookshelves that line three walls and reach the ceiling, there is only a long table for reading and a few cushioned chairs in the center of the room.
The only light source was the brass chandelier on the ceiling, with the gas flame on the lamp arm adjusted to a moderate brightness, just enough to illuminate the entire room.
Lucius's expectations were dashed, or as Leo Harrison put it.
Is this Miss Moran a spendthrift lunatic and a money launderer?
Since he was already there, he casually picked up a purple hardcover book from the bookshelf on the left.
"It really is a tracking language," Lucius thought to himself in surprise, his gaze sweeping from the translation information on the first page all the way to the paragraph mark at the end.
He spread the book out on the long table and began to translate and interpret it little by little.
[On June 27, 1855, during the Fifth Age, I read "The Locksmith's Dream: Composition and Size" and gained occult knowledge from "The Locksmith's Secret".]
[Complying with the code of conduct "Seeking Knowledge" earns +1 Mysticism Point]
The Locksmith's Secret (lv0, 0%)
【Nature and Appearance: Enlightenment (1), Knowledge Required (1)】
【Effect: Unlock】
[Introduction: Every locksmith dreams sooner or later; now let's memorize its seven stages.]
The occult diary recorded Lucius's recent gains, but could not suppress the shock in his heart.
"What a joke, a book I just randomly picked up contains knowledge of occultism."
Lucius looked up from the diary and scanned the room. He saw at least a hundred books, if they all contained knowledge of the occult…
He swallowed hard, eager to verify his idea, when he heard a voice coming from the counter:
"Each person can only read one book a day, and once you finish reading 'The Locksmith's Dream: Composition and Size,' you must buy it."
Lucius turned to look at the counter.
Miss Moran's posture remained unchanged, and the Elorne Food Gazette was still held in front of her.
Her eyes remained fixed on the feature article about chocolate cake, as if the sentence she had just heard was merely a hallucination accidentally heard by the newspaper as it turned the page.
Lucius, however, had no intention of testing Miss Moran's patience; the fact that she could open a occult bookstore right under Felix's noses said a lot.
He withdrew his hand from the outstretched reach for the second book, picked up "The Locksmith's Dream: Composition and Size" from the long table, and walked toward the counter.
"One gold pound," Moran's emotionless voice rang out.
Lucius dared not delay, took out a green banknote from his pocket and placed it on the counter. Seeing that Miss Moran did not seem to want to talk, he had no choice but to leave Moran Bookstore.
The sky over Bank Street began to darken, and Lucius had just taken a step when another page was turned in the diary deep within his consciousness.
On June 27, 1855, I was forced to abandon the occult books that were within easy reach of me, my heart filled with reluctance.
[Compliant with the code of conduct "Desire", Mystic Points +1]
"This works too!?" Lucius was surprised by the unexpected delight; he had thought that "food" was the simplest thing to do.
He glanced at the Moran Bookstore behind him and suddenly thought, "Wouldn't this mean I could get a book on mysticism and two mysticism points every day?"
The idea was immediately dismissed by Lucius; he didn't have that much money, and whether this "craving" could be triggered repeatedly was also unknown.
Lucius opened the door, his previously depressed mood improved considerably thanks to the sudden increase of 1 point in mysticism.
"Since things have come to this, let's eat first."
He placed "The Locksmith's Dream: Composition and Size" in the bookstore on the first floor, and then went into the kitchen.
No matter how many occult books are waiting for him on the bookshelf, his stomach always comes first.
…………
Lucius rinsed the meat under the tap, then put the whole piece of meat in a pot of cold water, added three slices of ginger, and poured in a small cap of brandy.
Blanch the meat until the skin tightens and it can be pierced with chopsticks but still has slight resistance. Then remove it from the water and cut it into small, even pieces about the thickness of a thumb.
The most difficult and crucial step is caramelizing the sugar.
In his previous life, Lucius had mastered the art of cooking this dish to the point where he could control the heat with his eyes closed, but this was the first time he was caramelizing sugar in a new kitchen after transmigrating.
Only when the pool of sugar syrup turned a thick, dark reddish-brown color did he pour the fried pork belly into the pot and quickly stir it in the caramelized sugar.
Add star anise, cinnamon, and bay leaves to the pot in that order, stir-fry with the meat chunks, then add water to cover the meat, cover the pot, and simmer over low heat.
The pocket watch was placed on the countertop, the cover was open, and the hands moved forward one tick at a time.
Thirty-five minutes later, Lucius lifted the lid of the pot, and a rich aroma of meat mixed with caramel and spices wafted out.
Add the quail eggs and potatoes to the pot, then put the lid back on.
Twenty minutes later, just as Lucius was about to open the pot lid, there was a sudden knock on the door.
Boom, boom, boom...
"Who is it?" Lucius asked, his tone tinged with annoyance at being disturbed, but he received no response.
He had no choice but to go downstairs first. When he opened the door, he saw that Miss Moran, who was wearing a blue, high-pointed, wide-brimmed hat, had put away her indifferent expression and was sniffing something.
Moran was clearly not expecting that the person who opened the door would be the same guest who had disturbed her reading the newspaper. Her twitching nose paused for half a second, and her entire body, from the brim of her hat to the hem of her long skirt, froze slightly.
However, for the sake of the food, she broke her principle of not asking the customers without batting an eye:
"My name is Moran, Mr. Gourmet. You seem to have created a dish that I have never tasted before."