Cross-referencing the beverage recipe, Jhin bought the ingredients and produced an original, unmodified version of the drink. Aside from being sour to the point of astringency, it was indeed indistinguishable from a carbonated beverage.
The thinking behind this recipe was remarkably unconventional. Tremor Leaves, which were originally paired with laundry detergent, had been selected as the ingredient for generating carbonated bubbles. The moment these leaves came into contact with water, they would shake violently—making them quite suitable for washing large items like bedsheets.
Perhaps it was the suds produced by the laundry detergent that had given that particular judge the inspiration to create a bubbly beverage, which then led to him developing this rudimentary prototype of a carbonated drink recipe.
The violently vibrating Tremor Leaves, the foam-producing Foaming Citron, and the High-Pressure Vine filled with gas inside—these three raw materials were what truly formed the foundation of this beverage. In Jhin's view, all the other miscellaneous ingredients had been added by the creator in an attempt to counteract that sour, astringent taste, and they could all be removed.
Megumin curiously sidled up next to him, eyeing the leaves, lemon, and twigs arranged on the table with skepticism. "Can this stuff really be made into cola?"
"At the very least, they can produce the carbonated sensation. I'm still figuring out how to neutralize that sour, astringent flavor."
"Oh? You made a drink following the recipe? Where is it? Let me have a taste."
"It's in the kitchen. Word of warning—the stuff doesn't taste good."
"How would I know without trying?"
Megumin dashed straight into the kitchen and spotted the conspicuous wooden cup sitting on the stove, the clear liquid inside bubbling away. If only the color were black, it would have been no different from cola. Greedy as she was, she didn't hesitate to grab the cup and pour a big mouthful down her throat.
"Bleugh~"
The unbearable sour astringency seemed to drain every drop of moisture from her mouth. Megumin had never imagined that something so awful could come out of Jhin's hands. Her little face scrunched up, and she had to grab her own cup and chug several glasses of water in a row just to recover.
"I told you it didn't taste good..." Jhin said without even turning his head. Just hearing the retching sound was enough for him to know exactly what her expression looked like, because he'd worn the same one when he first tried it.
He really had to hand it to Pecorine—she'd actually been able to say the stuff was only a "little bit" sour and astringent.
When it came to knowledge of ingredients, Jhin believed nobody at the Gourmet Edifice could rival Pecorine. He'd already narrowed down the most essential raw materials; all he needed now was something to neutralize the sour, astringent taste. Asking her was the most suitable approach.
Putting the materials away, Jhin walked over to Pecorine's bedroom and knocked on the door. Her energetic voice immediately rang out: "Come in."
"Pecorine, I wanted to ask you—"
Jhin's words were cut off mid-sentence by the scene before him. His mouth fell wide open, his right foot—poised to step into the bedroom—froze in midair, and his breathing turned rapid and ragged.
Pecorine was dressed and posed exactly the same way she had been when the two of them first met. Hearing his voice, she whirled around in a panic and snatched up the bedsheet to cover her seductive, voluptuous figure with its full curves. "Wh-why is it you?! I-I'm changing my clothes... come back in a moment."
"Ah! Sorry... I'll head out right now."
"Slam!"
The small ornaments hanging on the door swayed wildly as the wooden door was shut with force. Pecorine shook her head, dispelling the awkward atmosphere that lingered in the room, her face flushed as red as a dewy, blooming flower.
This was the second time he'd seen her like that, wasn't it...
During her travels, she had heard and seen plenty of stories of stumbling upon a princess bathing by a lake, then becoming companions through various misunderstandings, and finally lovers. Thinking of her own identity and the title of Hero that Jhin had cast aside, she subconsciously projected herself into those tales.
A princess and a hero... weren't they actually a rather well-matched pair to begin with?
Ah... no no no, what nonsense am I letting my mind wander to... I really shouldn't take those stories seriously!
She slapped her own cheeks, with such force that red marks were left on her fair skin. Setting down the bedsheet that had been shielding her body, she finished changing her clothes and only then called out toward the door: "Y-you can come in now!"
"Pecorine, regarding ingredients with extremely high sugar content or that are naturally very sweet—what kinds are there?" Jhin pushed open the door and walked in, making no mention of the little incident just now and choosing to go straight to his question.
This was one of the reasons Pecorine found it so comfortable being around him—he knew exactly how to gauge the proper distance and attitude when dealing with others.
"There are plenty of such ingredients. Don't tell me making cola requires a lot of sugar?"
"Right. You know that sour, astringent taste yourself—neutralizing it requires a large amount of sugar."
"Hmm..." Pecorine folded her arms and sank into thought, mentally searching for the ingredients with the highest sugar content. That long ahoge atop her head kept twirling in circles.
While she was thinking, Jhin moved his gaze away from her large, pudding-like assets. Lately, the nights he'd spent meditating had been growing more and more frequent.
After a while, Pecorine slowly spoke: "From what I currently know, there are three ingredients with extremely high sugar content: the eggs laid by the Rainbow Hen, the silk of the Honey Spider, and the spring water beside Cloudmist Falls. They're all incredibly sweet—it's just that obtaining them... is very difficult."
Of the three ingredients, only the last one sounded anything like syrup, but Jhin still decided to acquire all of them first before doing the preparation and comparison. That way, he wouldn't have to go searching for another option after finding out one of them didn't work—doing it the other way would be too time-consuming and exhausting.
"Where can these three ingredients be found?"
"They're all in Maple Sugar Valley. The Rainbow Hen lives atop the mountain peak—it only lays eggs after drinking the morning dew from the Maple Sugar Trees. The Honey Spider hides inside the Magic Crystal Pit, and only the Queen produces silk. Cloudmist Falls lies at the deepest part of the valley, and the spring eye that produces the spring water hasn't been found by anyone in a very long time..."
"Sounds like it's no small challenge."
"It is."
"But this fits perfectly with the founding purpose of our Gourmet Edifice, doesn't it?"
"Mm, a perfect fit!"
Jhin and Pecorine exchanged a smile. Both of them knew clearly that the Gourmet Edifice's very first grand adventure was about to begin.
"As expected, inviting you into the guild was the most correct decision I've ever made—so correct it makes me wonder whether it was fate."
"Jhin... fate and all that... you're exaggerating way too much."
"I'm telling the honest truth. Bumping into someone on this continent who shares my interests, has similar tastes, and can hold endless conversations with me—isn't the probability of that even lower than running into the Demon King on the road?"
"Well, when you put it that way... I suppose it does make sense." The thought of "the princess and the hero being a perfect match," which had earlier been dispelled, resurfaced in Pecorine's mind, and in an instant a faint blush drifted across her face.
"Then it's settled. I'll go inform the others. We'll spend the next two days getting prepared and then set off." Having finished speaking, Jhin walked out of the bedroom. He didn't dare linger inside any longer—those large puddings were simply too enticing, and he was afraid he wouldn't be able to keep himself in check.
____
👻🔥Seek: Walnut-chan🔥👻
🔥 New history: A Martial Arts Master Will Never Be Humiliated
Let's hit these goals:
🎯 100 Powerstones = 1 extra chapter for the public!