HTLCCBFT Chapter 44

Has The Lord’s Career Chart Been Filled Today? – Chapter 44

“Whoaa—!”

Just as Wynn was immersed in the joy of savoring his soup, a rather boorish exclamation shattered the quiet dining atmosphere: “Oh great Cat God, I’ve never tasted such peculiar food before!”

Instantly, all eyes turned toward the source—Bir, another major wine merchant who had accompanied Wynn to the banquet.

“You unbelievable fool!!”

Wynn lowered his voice and stomped hard on Bir’s foot to his left.

He genuinely wished he could dig a hole right there and bury his idiot partner in it!

They knew better than anyone how temperamental high nobles could be—even most minor nobles were notoriously irritable.

Even the slightest breach of etiquette could sometimes be interpreted as a serious offense by a noble in an inexplicably foul mood.

At best, they might be scolded harshly and thrown out; at worst, they could be imprisoned, forcing their family and friends to pay an exorbitant fine.

Having struggled and climbed his way up all these years, Wynn had long figured out which high nobles had tempers too foul to approach lightly and would deliberately avoid them in his travels.

But what in the world was Bir doing?!

Wynn felt both terrified and furious.

To suddenly shout and make a scene in front of their host, and even offer such blunt, rude commentary on the food!

This level of disrespect was severe enough that being thrown into prison on the spot would be considered perfectly justified by everyone!

“I-I’m terribly sorry!”

Bir, who was usually rather quiet, flushed bright red under the sympathetic and puzzled gazes of the others.

He hastily set down his spoon and was about to prostrate himself on the floor, scrambling to beg forgiveness from the Duke, whom he had offended with his earlier outburst: “I beg you to forgive me, merciful, dear Duke…”

“Sit down first.”

Oliver had actually been slightly startled as well.

Fortunately, the butler Fosse had been personally cutting his bread with a silver knife at the time, so he had recovered quickly and was now merely curious: “Did you eat something strange?”

Based on his understanding of people’s mental fortitude in this era, they could probably swallow half a fly without batting an eye.

There was nothing on his table that should provoke such an extreme reaction.

“N-No, not at all.”

Bir, drenched in cold sweat, dared not actually sit back down after committing such a grave mistake.

So he maintained his uncomfortable, nearly prone position on the floor, thought carefully, and offered his sincere assessment: “Actually, it was quite delicious.”

Oliver blinked and glanced directly at the plate in front of Bir.

When he saw the half-eaten spoonful of pickled corn on it, he immediately understood.

“Alright, get up then.”

Even after Oliver spoke again, Bir, his legs weak, could hardly believe he had truly escaped punishment.

In the end, Fosse simply had two footmen step forward and forcibly helped him back into his chair.

To prevent other merchants from having “unseemly reactions” to the specialty of Laina City that he was about to proudly introduce—pickled corn—Suppressing the erroneous fear that had just surfaced, Oliver curled the corners of his lips into a friendly smile.

He cast an encouraging glance at Bir, whose face was as pale as paper: “What you just tasted is the crystallization of wisdom bestowed by the great Cat God. It is indeed the most unique dish on this table.”

Having said this, Oliver simply nodded to Fosse, signaling him to instruct the footman to serve a spoonful of pickled corn to all the guests: “Everyone, have a taste.”

It was done.

With the Duke’s personal order, even after witnessing Bir’s reaction and feeling extremely uneasy, the guests had no choice but to brace themselves and comply.

But… it just looks like corn kernels soaked in water, doesn’t it?

The only one who showed no hesitation in tasting the pickled corn was Wynn, who was deeply embarrassed by Bir’s reaction.

As soon as the Lord spoke, eager to atone for his mistake, he couldn’t wait to shove the spoonful of pickled corn the servant had previously served him into his mouth—

“Mmph!”

The taste buds on his tongue were hit with an unprecedented, intense stimulation, and Wynn’s eyes widened uncontrollably!

This was—

A sourness that made one frown, a sweetness that was endearing, and just the right amount of saltiness.

As his teeth ground the kernels, there was a juicy, chewy texture.

Once the crisp and refreshing corn kernels were thoroughly crushed, a hint of sweet spiciness gradually spread, tingling the very root of his tongue.

The assault on his senses came in layers, one after another—a bizarre experience for a tongue accustomed only to dull and monotonous flavors!

God, he had never eaten anything with such an intensely complex and incredible taste!

Caught off guard, Wynn was even driven to shed physiological tears by the rich and intricate flavors.

“This is just too… too delicious!”

After chewing the spoonful of pickled corn until it was completely mashed, Wynn slowly swallowed it and exclaimed from the bottom of his heart: “Truly, it is food bestowed by God!”

Oliver’s gaze toward Wynn subtly shifted.

Such vivid expressions, such animated gestures, and heartfelt praise that anyone could tell genuinely conveyed his love for the pickled corn…

Compared to Bir, who had caused misunderstandings, Wynn was practically the best promotional food streamer of the entire banquet.

Things were getting better.

“The wise Cat God, in bestowing the method to make this food, intended for us to experience all the flavors of being human in one bite.”

Striking while the iron was hot, Oliver earnestly spun his tale to the skeptical others: “Sour, sweet, salty, spicy, and the weariness of a long life… This is the corn bestowed upon Laina City by God.”

“However,” Oliver smiled leisurely, spreading a spoonful of pickled corn onto the white bread Fosse had just sliced for him, and continued his nonsense: “Just as people have the company of friends and family, corn should not feel lonely either. In fact, you can pair it with any food you like. In many cases, they make excellent combinations.”

Although the intense impact of the pickled corn on everyone’s taste buds wasn’t something everyone could truly appreciate.

For people of this era, accustomed to monotonous flavors, being able to taste so many impressively different flavors in just one small spoonful of corn—layered together in a miraculously harmonious way—was absolutely fascinating to them.

The simple dinner had not yet concluded when Kondiment[mfn]康迪门特[/mfn], the sole spice merchant present, could no longer remain seated. He eagerly inquired of the servant about the price of pickled corn.

Merchants were undoubtedly shrewd: after hearing the beautiful Duke mention “the wisdom of the Cat God” and “unique to Laina City” several times, they had some inkling of the Lord’s true intentions.

Though it was perplexing that the noble lord was not lavishing gold coins on luxury goods but instead turning to peddle products to them… this uniquely flavored pickled corn had indeed won the favor of most in an instant.

To Kondiment’s immense delight, since he was the first to inquire about the specifics of the pickled corn, the excessively generous and kind Duke graciously had a servant gift him a jar!

—God, in his lifetime, he had actually received a reward from the Duke!

Overwhelmed by the unexpected honor, Kondiment clutched the exquisite little wooden jar, too moved to speak.

But his purpose was not for rewards; he genuinely wished to discuss an order.

After he earnestly expressed his intention to the servant, Oliver, upon receiving the message, gladly had his butler Fosse represent him in the negotiations.

Oliver actually had no issue with conducting business directly with merchants.

But as the Duke, whether for the sake of his own dignity or for long-term cooperation, it was indeed inappropriate for him to appear personally.

Fortunately, he had the reliable butler Fosse, so there was nothing to worry about.

Soon, Fosse brought good news: not only Kondiment, but several other merchants had also expressed interest in purchasing a batch of pickled corn, offering a high price of 10 gold coins per jar!

For them, even if not for the intent of reselling for profit, simply being able to enjoy that delightful flavor spread on their bread daily was quite appealing.

Even Oliver had not expected that the pickled corn, which he found merely “tasty,” would be so popular.

While he was pleased with this outcome, the production of pickled corn required time, and there were only a pitiful eight jars available—far from meeting Kondiment’s desired quantity.

“If they are willing to pay a deposit of one gold coin per jar and exercise sufficient patience,” Oliver considered for a moment before decisively deciding to launch a pre-sale plan: “On the day of the Autumn Fair, Laina can supply a total of 100 jars to them… I suppose the rarity of certain items is what makes them precious, right?”

Oliver had already abandoned his initial plan.

He did not intend to create an entire “pickle factory” as if playing a game.

Firstly, the amount of coal required to make pickle jars was too great; he would likely have to spend the entire next month, or even two, solely on logging to gather enough for a stable, large-scale production of pickled vegetables.

He had even resisted the temptation to overharvest the trees in Laina Forest: insisting on cutting only half and preserving the other half of the original woodland entirely.

After all, both the pickle jars and the cornfields existed based on his game system, and subsequent production relied entirely on it as well.

This meant that once these two areas were vigorously developed, they would inevitably bear the immense risk of “everything becoming useless if the game system failed.”

Oliver did not want that.

The assistance provided by the game system should be utilized, but after addressing urgent needs, it must be used in a controlled and selective manner.

Perhaps the flavor wouldn’t be as good as the system’s products, but he did know the specific method for making pickled corn.

When resources became more abundant, he planned to teach his subordinates how to make it.

Only when the true people of Laina could master the technique would it become the authentic “Laina specialty.”

According to Oliver’s gradually refined vision, the ideal and ultimate economic and agricultural development path for Laina was to rapidly accumulate foundational resources through the shortcuts provided by the game system while maintaining certain fallback options.

Subsequently, a path would be developed that allowed the educated slaves to continue progressing even without relying on game items.

With the existing pickle jars, he already had enough to cash in early and obtain at least sufficient liquid funds to purchase a new batch of livestock—there was no need to be overly greedy.

Oliver couldn’t help but reflect.

For a village to prosper, it truly relies either on farming or on animal husbandry.

“As you have wisely stated, my insightful Lord,” Fosse bowed cheerfully. “Your command shall certainly be fulfilled.”

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