Yarra’s Adventure Notes
Chapter 741 - 6 - Everything Has Changed_1

Chapter 741: Chapter 6 - Everything Has Changed_1

The dining area of the Ice and Fire Inn was exceptionally large, not only because the inn’s own guests dined there, but also because guests from other inns would often sneak over for meals. They did this just as the guests of the Ice and Fire Inn would often sneak off to the other two inns to drink and listen to music in the evening. Even some city dwellers would join in the bustle and come here for meals. Theoretically speaking, each inn’s specialty services were only available to their guests and were not open to the public. The service fees and accommodation fees were usually settled together, but due to too many protests, the three inns simply changed the service fees to be paid on the spot. Although they did not openly amend the rules of the inn, this indicated their silent acceptance of these actions. After all, the increased income was more than welcome, and the innkeepers did not mind. Therefore, the dining area of the inn was built on a scale resembling a banquet hall, capable of accommodating up to two hundred people at a time without feeling crowded.

Catherine led the Lizard Lady while her teammates chose a spot diagonally opposite the members of the Light of Hope Adventure Team, in accordance with the adventurers’ habit. Although adventurers often collaborated, they were still competitors. Unless they were in the Guild or under special circumstances, the two teams did not like to gather together, as they each had their own privacy. Gathering would be inconvenient for team communication, and they would need to adhere to various etiquette when interacting with each other, which would not achieve a relaxing effect during breaks. Therefore, to avoid mutual awkwardness, the teams got used to keeping a certain distance from each other, benefiting both sides. Seeing Catherine deliberately keeping a distance, the remaining members of the Light of Hope Adventure Team relaxed again, picked up their cutlery, and began to enjoy the delicacies that poor Makara had no chance to taste.

"There are indeed many delicacies here, but if you ask me which are absolutely worth trying, there are three." Despite the girls’ strange looks which had made Pannis shiver earlier, it was just their daily joke. Everyone knew it was impossible for Pannis to have any strange relationship with Alcmene, whom he referred to. Hence, after they settled in, except for Vivian who seemed lost in thought and Galantis who was still gripping Pannis’ sleeve, everyone else had returned to normal. This relieved Pannis, who forced himself to ignore the Lizardman who was gripping his sleeve to prevent him from escaping, and he spoke with a normal tone: "Their most famous dish is roast beef loin. Don’t underestimate it. It may sound like a dish that any restaurant can cook, and it seems like there is no difficulty. However, a truly skilled chef can make the most common dishes taste the best. I once tried it, and indeed it was a delicacy among delicacies. Every ingredient, even a pinch of salt, undergoes strict screening. The cooking time is adjusted according to the meat quality, flame intensity, and even the temperature, with a precision down to the second. Though the process may seem complicated, the taste is unforgettable. The second dish is fried sausage. It sounds very ordinary, but the sausage is a special product of the Ice and Fire Inn. They grind the tender branches of sun fire, a type of edible shrub from the highlands, and mix it into the meat filling made from the front leg of highland sheep. They then stuff the filling into the sausage casing, and cure the sausage with smoke from dried Solanum flowers found everywhere on the highlands. The resulting sausage is tender, resilient, fragrant with the aroma of Solanum flowers, and slightly spicy due to the sun fire. Diners often finish a plate without even realizing they ate it all. The third dish is even simpler, boiled highland bamboo shoots. This is my favorite. Once you’ve tasted it, you’ll never forget it, it’s..."

"Dear customer." The waiter standing by the table waiting for them to order suddenly interrupted Pannis’ introduction. The selection of waitstaff in the Ice and Fire Inn’s dining room is unique. Most restaurants in human countries would choose handsome or beautiful young people as waitstaff in order to attract customers, but the Ice and Fire Inn’s dining room was not like this. All their waiters were older men, who seemed to have undergone strict etiquette training, from their attire to movements, and even the way they spoke and conversed was always refined, as if they were not waiters but gentle elders. These waitstaff, with their experience and worldview, offered a much superior service to customers than any young person could match. Generally, such waitstaff would not interrupt a customer’s conversation as it would be considered impolite, but the waiter serving them seemed unable to hold back any longer, and spoke softly in an appropriate tone, "You... have not visited our establishment for quite a while now, have you?"

"Well, indeed, it’s been quite some time." Pannis hesitated, before asking, "Is there a problem?"

"I suppose so," The older waiter nodded, his gaze maintaining due respect but unable to conceal the puzzlement within. He seemed extremely surprised by Pannis’s age and race. "Of course, since fifty years ago, after the death of head chef Old Blake, there hasn’t been anyone in the world who can make a true Highland bamboo shoot stew. The current chef, Mr. Blake, hasn’t completely mastered this specialty of his father’s and the taste is entirely different from that of Old Mr. Blake. When I was very young, I tried the stewed Highland bamboo shoots prepared by Old Mr. Blake, and I must admit, Blake’s version falls far short in comparison. Though the taste of current steamed Highland bamboo shoots is very good, if you had tasted Old Blake’s masterpiece, I personally wouldn’t recommend this dish to you; you’ll surely be disappointed and disappointing customers is our server’s greatest negligence."

"Right, Blake must have passed away too." The waiter’s advice left Pannis a bit dumbstruck. The passage of time once again demonstrated its omnipotent power. The city was still the same city, the inn was still the same inn, yet everything had changed. Nonplussed for a moment, Pannis managed a self-mocking smile filled with melancholy. Seemingly having lost his enthusiasm, he sighed and remarked: "Looks like my experiences are outdated huh, well, it can’t be helped then. I’ll leave the meal recommendations to you."

"The other two dishes are fine to order. The taste Mr. Blake brings out is almost entirely similar to Old Mr. Blake’s. You absolutely won’t be disappointed," Although the waiter didn’t understand what was on Pannis’s mind, he adhered to the inn’s principles and being a gentleman-like server, he would never probe further. Wearing a polite smile, he introduced: "Also, I would recommend Mr. Blake’s braised vulture wings. The wings of vultures from the Highlands are particularly tender and are a gourmand’s greatest delight under the Head Chef’s carefully-crafted preparation. There’s also Highland wolf’s wolf leg meatballs. The hard wolf meat is pounded rather than chopped until it becomes a meat paste which softens the wolf’s meat. The tender leaves of rabbit ear grass neutralize the wolfs meat’s bloody flavor and dryness. Paired with Mr. Blake’s carefully-selected spices, each meatball will give your taste buds a supreme enjoyment. Trust me, you will fall in love with this feeling. Moreover, other chefs have a variety of specialties. You can look at the menu, where there are detailed descriptions of each dish. As for the Highland bamboo shoots stew, I would advise against ordering it again."

"Alright, let’s go by your suggestions then," Pannis motioned dismissively, with no interest in reading the menu further: "Just recommend a few moderately-priced dishes. The food here, no matter what, won’t be bad."

"Thank you for your trust," The old waiter bowed elegantly: "Then as per your instructions, I will have the chefs begin preparations. While you wait, we have prepared a special highland product, Mist Blue Tea, for our guests. Although the taste is somewhat peculiar, it’s perfect to consume before the meal. We hope you’ll enjoy it."

"Wait a moment." Catherine suddenly called out to the old waiter who wanted to leave. She bit her lip, hesitating for a moment, then said to the old waiter, "We’ll have the Highland bamboo shoots we were just talking about. Add it to our menu as well."

"But..." The old waiter wanted to persuade her again, but seeing the resolved look in Catherine’s eyes, he wisely shut his mouth, bowed his head in silence, and walked away a few steps before turning to leave.

"Catherine, why would you do that?" Pannis asked in confusion, "Didn’t he say that the taste has deteriorated so much that it’s not worth tasting anymore? And the price is so high to make it totally not worthwhile. This isn’t like you at all."

"No reason, I just suddenly wanted to eat it," Catherine casually said with a slight smile on the corner of her mouth, her mood seeming good, "I really, really wanted to eat it."

"Yeah, I suddenly want to eat it too," Vivian said, resting her chin on the table, in unison with Lina who looked up from her book. "It’s such an interesting food, how could we not try it?"

"Exactly, of course we should try it," Freya appeared quite hungry but there was an undertone to her statement. "Everything may have changed, but so what? We’ve eaten Highland bamboo shoots once before. Why shouldn’t we try them again, right, sister?"

"That’s right," Catherine said with a smile. "Even though the taste of the bamboo shoots has changed, and the company I have while eating them has changed too, who’d dare say with certainty that the present taste of the bamboo shoots isn’t as good as before without trying? Perhaps, the current taste could be surprisingly good? So changes always occur. A new taste isn’t necessarily inferior to an old one. Rather than continuously indulging in the memory of the old taste, why not try the new one?"

"Hmm, maybe," Pannis paused thoughtfully, then suddenly laughed, nodding in an inexplicable manner. "Since you’re all so interested, let’s give it a try. After all, it’s just a dish."

"Exactly, it’s just a dish, after all," Catherine agreed softly, her smile deepening. (To be continued. If you like this work, please support it by voting and subscribing on qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users can visit m.qidian.com for reading.)