Don't worry guys, I keep count on the bonus chapter. I should be quite free this month, except for a few days, like maybe 5 or 6 days when I have to fly to another city. We have 6 bonus chapters pending right now. Let's see if I can finished it this month, yeah?
The game wouldn't be a problem, dw. If you play Lol or DOTA, you know we raged at every player who is so bad at the game, right? And this Teamfight Manager 2 game... The match engine AI sucks...
Lunch service was still hours away, but the kitchen was already moving.
Ludwig stood near the prep counter, sleeves rolled once, watching Bilo portion stock into ceramic containers. Steam rose and thinned in the cool air before being swallowed by the vents. Finka worked beside him, hands steady as she sealed vegetables into neat piles. Valerie moved between the counter and stove with the certainty of someone who no longer needed direction.
At that moment, the door opened once again. And Claire stepped in from the Tempest door. The air shifted slightly when it closed behind her. A different scent lingered around her coat. Stone, clean wind, and the faint mineral trace of Tempest's streets.
Ludwig raised one of his eyes to her and opened his mouth. "She didn't get into trouble this early in the morning, did she?"
Claire chuckled as she pulled a chair and sat. "Thankfully no. I just hope it will continue throughout the day."
Ludwig let a smile appear on his face before looking at the kitchen again.
The large iron pot at the back stove had been given the smallest flame to make the content inside warm but not burning.
He walked toward it and lifted the lid just enough for steam to escape in a slow ribbon.
The onions had long since surrendered their shape. What remained was color. Deep brown leaning toward mahogany, layered through the broth until it no longer looked like liquid. Mushrooms surfaced and sank as the heat moved beneath them, their edges dark and softened but not dissolved.
He dipped a ladle into the pot and lifted it halfway. The broth clung rather than ran. A good sign.
That was what he wanted.
He adjusted the flame down another fraction. After all, too much heat at this stage would dull the edges he had built.
He leaned closer to the pot. The scent had shifted from sweet to grounded. The mushrooms no longer released water. They were absorbing now.
He reached for a small pinch bowl near the stove and added a restrained measure of cracked black pepper. Then a thin splash of vinegar along the side of the pot, letting it travel before stirring.
Finally, he tasted it.
The first impression was warmth. Then the onion. Not sharp nor sweet. It was just right. The mushrooms followed, carrying a darker note beneath it. The vinegar did not rise to the front. It stayed in the back, keeping the body from sinking too deep.
He lowered the spoon and considered.
Then, he moved his hands towards a pinch of salt. Nothing more.
He stirred once slowly while making sure he reach the bottom to make sure nothing had begun to catch. The stew answered with a quiet movement, thick but not stubborn.
Good.
He set the spoon aside and replaced the lid fully this time.
But unlike before, he didn't use his mana to wrap the pot. What had needed some quickening had already been quickened. From here on, it would just normal pot in a kitchen.
Behind him, knives tapped wood in steady rhythm. Containers slid across the counter. The kitchen did not wait for him to finish. It continued around him.
His gaze shifted to the prep table.
Potatoes had already been cut into thick batons and rinsed clear of starch. They lay drying on linen, pale and firm. Bilo had par-fried them earlier at a lower temperature, just enough to cook the interior without color. Now they waited for their second immersion later in the day.
Ludwig picked one up and bent it lightly. The potato strip yielded without breaking.
"That's fine." He said.
Bilo gave a short nod without looking up from the fish.
The fillets had been portioned evenly. Skin removed. Bones checked twice. They rested on a rack so air could move around them. Surface dryness meant better adhesion later.
The batter ingredients were separated for now. Flour seasoned. Cornstarch measured. Baking powder kept aside. The wet component would only be mixed when service began.
"Oil ready?" Ludwig asked.
"Ready," Bilo answered.
Ludwig crossed his arms as he looked at the big metal container.
That thing was one of the money sinks in his budget. 3 gold coins for the industrial grade vegetable oil.
Pushing that bitter thoughts to the back of his mind, he moved on.
At the next station, Finka had already brought the steaks out to temper. Thick cuts. Even marbling. She pressed one lightly with her fingers to judge resistance.
"Room temperature before noon." Ludwig said.
She nodded.
A small pan near her station held crushed peppercorns and shallots resting in reduced wine. The base for the sauce had already been built. All that remained later would be to mount it with butter and adjust consistency.
He checked the herb butter resting in parchment. Firm, flecked with green. Ready to be sliced into coins.
"Rest them properly." He added.
"I will." Finka said.
On the side counter, skewers had been assembled in disciplined rows. Beef cubes threaded with onion, chicken thigh alternating with pepper, and mushroom and zucchini for those who preferred lighter fare. The glaze had been reduced until it coated the back of a spoon. A brush lay beside it, waiting.
He lifted one skewer and inspected the spacing.
Even.
The tempura station sat further down. Shrimp cleaned and straightened. Vegetables sliced thin but not fragile. Batter mix covered, dry until needed. A separate pot designated solely for lighter fry, so flavors would not bleed.
He adjusted the cloth covering it and stepped back before glancing once toward Claire, then back to the room.
The preparation was done. The food had been chosen to reflect the capability of the staff. So, he did not need to hover anymore.
"You ready to leave?" Ludwig looked at Claire.
Claire nodded. "Yeah."
"Let's go then." Ludwig moved through the separator, blinking, not walking.
Claire stood up from her seat and walked behind Ludwig.
Just as Ludwig twisted the doorknob, he looked back to the kitchen and shout. "Break a leg guys, you know the drill."
"Yessir!" The employees all answered in unison, making Ludwig smile.
Ludwig twisted the knob and opened it to white.
Ashfrost never welcomed any visitors gently. Snow moved across the peak, wind pushing it sideways rather than down. The sky carried no color beyond pale grey. The restaurant stood firm behind them,.
He stepped out first. Claire followed before she stopped. Her shoulders tensed up, and her jaw tightened even for just a bit. It was a telltale that something was happening to her. Something which Ludwig also felt back when he walked into Latina's and Rimuru's world.
Their mana wa syncing and getting enriched by the mana of the new world.
However, It lasted less than a breath.
Her posture returned to neutral. She uttered no complaint nor remark. Only a small exhale through her nose.
It seemed like the adjustment was smaller now. He could tell by how quickly she resumed walking. The first transition had left a longer pause. The second had sharpened her for several seconds afterward.
This one barely registered beyond that controlled twitch.
But he knew it was there.
Ludwig stopped as his shoes sank into the snow beneath. He then looked at Claire and offered her his hand. "Grab it, we'll teleport."
Claire looked at him dead in the eyes, then she smirked. "I will be the first customer of Checkpoint you brought with your teleportation, huh? What an honor."
Ludwig looked at her blankly for a second before also smirking. "Oh, it will be your honor alright."
Claire took his hand without hesitation.
"Don't look so pleased." She said.
"I'm not." Ludwig replied.
In truth, he was. Not because of her, not because of the fact she held his hands, but because of something that would happen soon.
Ludwig let his mana out to touch the mana of Ortus. Then, the Space around him folded.
Snow vanished, cold vanished, and Ashfrost Mountain Range became a speck in his vision.
For a fraction of a second there was nothing but pressure, then he saw it, a hut standing in the middle of nowhere, emitting pressure that pushed his body back.
Just like before, he respected the ward. The clearing near Greito's hut reassembled around them. Trees, grass, smell of dew, and the faint curl of chimney smoke.
Claire let go of his hand immediately and stood still. Then, colour started to leave her face in rapid succession.
Ludwig stepped half a pace to the side just in time.
Claire bent forward sharply, one hand braced against her knee, the other pressing against her stomach as she retched into the snow.
The sound was… undignified. It was a sound that he sure Claire would never let out even if someone pierced her stomach with a blade.
Through it all, Ludwig waited.
The first time was always like this. Head ringing. Stomach turning inside out. The body rejecting the idea that space could collapse and reform without consequence.
He crouched once she finished and offered her a clean handkerchief.
"You could have warned me." She muttered, voice thinner than usual.
"I did." He said calmly. "I smirked."
She shot him a look, but before she could do anything more, another wave tried to rise. She swallowed it down through discipline alone.
He waited until her breathing steadied.
"I hate you." She said flatly.
"That's temporary."
He handed her a flask of water. She rinsed her mouth and straightened slowly, still pale but calmer now.
To be honest, he had seen worse.
Satoshi had been far less dignified. The boy had insisted he could handle anything. The first teleport had left him on his knees for nearly five minutes, armor clattering against stone while he swore loyalty and betrayal in the same breath.
Imelda had lasted longer. She had held herself upright for three full seconds before turning aside with remarkable composure. Even while vomiting she had criticized his method.
She had called it crude afterward. But what could he do? It's not like he deliberately make the journey unpleasant for them.
Claire wiped her mouth and exhaled once.
"Is that normal?" She asked.
"Yep."
"Does it improve?"
"Yeppppppp."
She gave him a narrow look as he let the last 'p' to pop.
"How many times."
"Maybe three, maybe four… Who knows." Ludwig shrugged.
Claire closed her eyes briefly before adjusting her coat.
"Next time," she said evenly, "We walk."
"If the distance is not too far." Ludwig shrugged.
Claire shot him a look, but before she said anything, he added. "Time is money, you know that much, Claire."
She did not answer. At the same time, her color returned gradually. Shoulders squared again. The sharpness in her gaze reassembled piece by piece.
Good.
He stood.
"Ready?"
She inhaled once more at his question, steady this time.
"Yes."
The hut waited ahead, smoke rising from the chimney in an unbroken line.
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