After completely processing the Mont Blion's mane, Zephyr wrapped all the cut cakes in oil paper and put it into Lili's backpack.
Dessert is best paired with milk tea. If it could be garnished with some fruit and cream, the taste would be even better, and it would be quite nice as an after-meal dessert.
Lefiya broke the silence. "Um… Zephyr, where do we go next?"
"Back to the surface, of course." Zephyr said with a smile.
"Next, let's head back to the Familia's compound. Later, I might need to go to the Hostess of Fertility. There's something quite important waiting for me to handle."
"Huh?" Lefiya was stunned.
Her gaze subconsciously fell on Lili's backpack. Besides the mane, it contained only monster meat collected from the Dungeon.
She asked, "Are you going there to eat, or to do something else?"
"To run an errand along the way. Lefiya, don't you think it's a waste if we can't finish all these delicious foods?"
"I saw that their restaurant has quite a lot of customers. Maybe they'll buy this kind of raw material, which could earn us some extra money."
Lefiya: ???
So, all he is thinking about is spreading this corrupted understanding of Gourmet throughout Orario to this extent?
...
By the time they returned to Orario, dusk was already approaching.
In this Dungeon exploration, the most satisfying harvest was undoubtedly the enormous quantity of Mont Blanc Cake obtained from the Mont Blion.
As for what's next?
Zephyr had no intention of heading directly to the Hostess of Fertility. After all, the freshly cut mane needed to be processed quickly. If eaten plain, no matter how much there was, it would become tiresome.
Fruit Cream Cake.
This was the solution Zephyr came up with on the way back: adding layers of flavor to this dessert would make it more interesting.
As for going specifically to the Hostess of Fertility now to share the cake with Syr, it felt like it would be a bit of a delay.
...
Twilight Manor.
Pushing open the wooden door of the reception room, the magic stone lamp illuminated the entire room.
Loki was sprawled on the sofa, her feet resting on the other armrest.
Noticing the movement of the door opening, she lazily lifted her head.
"Oh. You're finally back?"
She sat up straight, her tone filled with unconcealed anticipation. "How was the Dungeon exploration today?"
"Not bad."
From her tone, Zephyr knew what she was getting at. He turned his head and cast a glance at Lili. She understood and placed her backpack on the ground, loosening the inner drawstring.
She took out the Mont Blanc Cake, tightly wrapped in oil paper, from her backpack and placed it on the table.
"This is…" Loki's eyes were full of doubt.
She reached out and pressed it. The surface sank slightly, then rebounded after she released her finger.
"Looks pretty good. Shall I try it?"
"Feel free."
After receiving Zephyr's nod, Loki tore off a small piece and put it into her mouth, chewing it carefully.
Her pupils narrowed slightly and she said, "The taste is indeed quite good."
She licked the crumbs from the corner of her mouth and added, "But I feel like eating it plain like this is a bit too monotonous. It gets tiresome after a few bites and it's not amazing enough. But to think this thing was brought back from the Dungeon... it's quite incredible."
Loki wasn't resistant to these unprecedented foods. It's just that when she thought of it, she couldn't help but marvel.
"That's right."
Zephyr nodded. "In the Dungeon, I only simply tasted it to confirm it wasn't poisonous. I was thinking that after returning, I could process it to fully bring out its flavor."
"It needs some other ingredients. Drizzling it with cream and pairing it with fruit will make it taste much better."
Loki wasn't very familiar with cooking. She recalled the extremely delicious dishes Zephyr had cooked and nodded. "Then Zephyr, what ingredients do you need?"
"If the Familia doesn't have them readily available, I'll have the Demeter Familia's children send them over. They'll definitely be quick."
Zephyr pondered for a moment and said, "Hmm… Seasonal fruits like strawberries, mangoes, and oranges will do. As for the other ingredients, the kitchen seems to have them. For the fruits, prepare a slightly larger quantity."
Zephyr's experience in making dessert wasn't particularly rich. However, given the right conditions, he could certainly make a Fruit Cream Cake, even if its appearance might not be outstanding.
"Is that all? No problem."
Hearing the few ingredients Zephyr listed, Loki waved her hand cheerfully.
She was certainly happy to help Zephyr, and even more so to get to eat dessert.
"Leave it to me."
—
Zephyr went straight to the Familia's kitchen. For this dish, with the Mont Blanc Cake already prepared, the entire process was actually very simple. The only tricky part was the lack of ready-made cake cream in the medieval era. He had to make it from scratch.
He rolled up his sleeves and put butter into an saucepan, heating it in a double boiler. Once it gradually melted, he poured in milk and stirred repeatedly to combine.
Next came the physical labor. He whisked and beat in a fixed direction, the butter and milk gradually becoming thick and viscous with continuous beating and turning white.
Just then, the fruits were delivered.
After Zephyr thanked the delivery members, he washed them clean and cut them into uniform small pieces.
Next was the dessert assembly stage.
A layer of cake base was spread out on a porcelain plate. He evenly spread a layer of hand-whipped cream, sprinkled on diced mango and strawberry pieces, stacked another layer of cake base, and repeated the cream-spreading process.
Finally, the surface of the cake was completely covered in dense cream. He didn't try to sculpt it, simply placing bright red strawberries and stemmed cherries firmly on top. This was the garnish for the entire dessert.
"Done."
The snow-white cream cake was decorated with vibrant fruits. The color combination alone was alluring, not to mention the sweet aroma in the air.
Lefiya stood at the kitchen entrance, her eyes staring intently at the cake she had never seen before.
The appearance of this thing... it's seriously unfair!
Lefiya finally fully understood why Zephyr had gone through all the trouble of bringing that cake back to Orario.
So, it was all for this dessert!
The overall presentation was so exquisite that she couldn't bear to look away, until she noticed Zephyr picking up the cake and inviting her to leave.
"Let's go outside and have a taste."
When they arrived at the room, Loki was busy at the table, setting out several sets of white porcelain teacups. The mellow aroma unique to black tea permeated the room.
"I brewed some hot tea. I feel like desserts have to be paired with hot tea to taste right." Loki said.
Since Zephyr had done everything, from the ingredients to the preparation, she had to find something to do herself.
Immediately after, she saw the cake Zephyr was carrying. Snow-white cream accented with bright red strawberries, mangoes, and cherries with emerald green stems. The color coordination was so beautiful it was hard to look away.
Loki's eyes lit up at that moment. "It looks so good. Is this a fruit cream cake? It looks so good, I just wonder how it tastes."
She rubbed her hands together, her eyes full of eagerness.
"I'll cut it first."
Zephyr picked up a table knife and cut evenly along the surface of the cake, each slice having a complete layer of cream and fruit garnish. He served Loki first.
She immediately picked up a piece and put it in her mouth.
The light, fluffy cream spread across her tongue first, carrying a faint aroma of milk fat, followed immediately by the soft, airy texture of the cake base. Finally, the sweet and sour juices burst forth when the fruit was bitten into. The taste of the fruit perfectly neutralized the slight sweetness of the cream that had just begun to emerge, elevating the layers of flavor in her mouth to a whole new level.
Perfection!
"Damn!"
She hurriedly picked up another piece to stuff into her mouth, her pupils swirling with unprecedented shock.
"This taste is a pleasant surprise."
Loki looked at Zephyr sitting across from her on the sofa, her eyes filled with undisguised admiration. "Your skill in making desserts is no worse than pastry chefs."
Her tone was filled with genuine praise. "I've eaten some desserts in Heaven before, but no one could make them as delicious as you. Compared to this thing, all those previous desserts don't even count as food."
Zephyr modestly waved his hand. "It's not that exaggerated. I just felt the cream would be too greasy, so adding some fruit would improve it."
Loki said, "If you retire in the future and open a shop in Orario, I'll definitely go there every day."
Zephyr was a bit embarrassed by the praise.