Inside a massive iron pot large enough for an adult to curl their legs up and sit in like a bathtub, the thickening broth bubbled slowly.
This pot of food had been simmering for an entire afternoon, filling the kitchen with a complex aroma.
"Why does it feel like... something's a bit off?" Isis muttered, staring at the contents of the pot.
In her memory, Red Wine Stewed Basarios Tail should be a dark, brownish-red.
But the broth in the giant pot before them was a vivid, bright red. The dragon tail, which originally had the grayish-white appearance of rock, had now turned a brilliant pink, making one wonder if a couple of Paintberries had been tossed into the stew.
"Don't look at me, meow," the Felyne Chef said with a solemn expression. "I have never cooked anything this color before, meow."
"It makes no sense." Altaïr also looked like he had seen a ghost. "It wasn't this color before we covered the pot to slow-cook it, right?
It started as a clear, pale yellow broth. Even after pouring in a small keg of red wine, it shouldn't have turned out like this, right?"
"Ah, I added a few things just now..."
Isis said somewhat sheepishly, "Clawdia told me she suddenly remembered that when her father made this dish, he used a type of mushroom called Dragon Mushroom and a fruit called Kelbi Nuts.
I couldn't find you two just now, so I asked the Felyne chefs in the kitchen for some and threw them in."
"Meow-nster! Dragon Mushrooms are dried goods, meow! You're supposed to use the water they were soaked in, meow! And Kelbi Nuts have to have the pits removed, be roasted, and then ground up for seasoning, meow! Who throws them in fresh with the pulp still attached, meow!"
"I... I didn't put in that many. It shouldn't be a huge problem, right?" Isis asked cautiously.
Altaïr didn't answer. He simply glanced sideways at the Basarios Tail, which had turned pink while soaking in the broth.
If people didn't know better, they'd think you hunted a Ruby Basarios.
"I'm sorry..." Isis whispered, admitting her mistake.
"Sigh..." Altaïr let out a long breath. "Forget it, it's fine. You're the one who went through the trouble of bringing back the main ingredients anyway, and we aren't selling it. As long as you can eat it, it's not a waste.
In the future, if you get the chance, ask for a proper recipe and instructions and try making it again."
As he spoke, he picked up a large ladle from the nearby prep table. "The heat should be about right. Regardless, let's give it a taste first?"
Isis nodded obediently.
The Felyne Chef's ears folded back, but as a professional Felyne Chef, he was still the first to dish out a tiny amount and take a small sip with his eyes closed.
"Meow-meow?!" The Felyne Chef snapped his eyes open, staring at the small bowl of broth for a few seconds before taking another sip, closing his eyes again to savor it slowly.
Seeing the Felyne Chef's reaction, Altaïr's expression turned strange. He quickly dished out portions for Isis, Clawdia, and himself, and tossed it into his mouth.
A complex flavor he had never tasted before exploded across the tip of his tongue.
"Uh..."
Altaïr was momentarily at a loss for words.
You couldn't exactly call this soup bad, though it certainly wasn't "good" in the conventional sense either. In short, it just felt strange.
After swallowing the soup and exhaling, a peculiar scent lingered in his nasal cavity; but when he exhaled through his nose, another flavor entirely spread through his mouth.
Isis's reaction was far more blunt; she stuck out her tongue and said, "It feels weird. It's not really that good."
Clawdia nodded rapidly in agreement. This thing was an entirely different beast from the stewed Basarios tails she had eaten before.
Altaïr ladled a large chunk of Basarios tail meat from the pot and carved it up with a kitchen knife. The group picked up their forks and continued their tasting.
There is actually very little meat in a Basarios's tail; it consists mostly of fascia and thin, layered strata of fat. Because of its unique, oily aroma, gourmets often hail it as a "work of art."
After a bite, Altaïr's expression grew even stranger.
Having simmered all afternoon, the Basarios tail meat should have been melt-in-the-mouth tender, yet the texture had somehow become crunchy, somewhat like Aptonoth Brisket Fat quickly blanched over a high flame.
Isis swallowed a piece with a grimace. It wasn't exactly inedible, but this wasn't what she had been craving.
"This is an unexpectedly grand success, meow!" After chewing carefully and swallowing the tail meat, the Felyne Chef hopped excitedly onto the rim of the cauldron.
"The aroma of the Great Shroom has fused perfectly with the Basarios Monster Bone marrow, bringing out an oily fragrance similar to pine nuts that serves as the base flavor for the whole pot, meow!
The tannins from the raw boiled Kelbi Nuts and the red wine have combined to create the scent of dried fallen leaves, meow! Then there's the fragrance of the Honey, the sweetness of dried berries, the pungent kick of the White Moss...
It is a scent so complex and ever-changing, yet so clearly layered, meow! And the texture of the tail meat is extraordinary, every layer of fat provides a completely different sensory experience, meow!
Gourmets would pay a fortune for this dish, meow!"
The Felyne Chef hopped down from the rim and gave Altaïr's shin a quick kick. "What are you standing around for, meow? Hurry up and record the part about the Dragon Mushroom and fresh Kelbi Nuts into the recipe book, meow!
When did you put them in, meow? What was the order, meow? What was the quantity, meow?
Never mind, it'll be faster if I write it myself, meow! Someone, meow! Go to the counter and post a request! I'm buying Basarios tails at a high price, meow! This dish must be recreated from scratch to be a true success, meow!
Wait, meow... if it can't be recreated, this might become a swan song, meow! I must let more people taste it first, meow!
Take my calling card and invite guests, meow! Tell them a hunter has crafted a miraculous delicacy, meow!"
The normally composed Felyne Chef ran out, hooting and hollering.
Altaïr and Isis stared at each other in silence. After several seconds, Isis finally asked, "So... are we still eating this stuff?"
"Let's not. It feels like it's become a 'delicacy' in a completely different sense now. Let's leave it for those who can actually enjoy it."
"My Basarios tail..."
Having lost her tail meat, Isis's mood plummeted.
Fortunately, her emotions came as quickly as they went. After gorging herself on several meals provided by the Felyne Chef, the matter of the Basarios tail was largely pushed to the back of her mind.
It was only then that she remembered she still had more important business to attend to, that large bundle of Basarios materials was waiting to be taken to the smithy for processing.
Altaïr was in the same boat. He didn't intend to craft a full set of Nerscylla armor, but he did plan to forge a Sleep Attribute Nerscylla Long Sword.
Since they had hunted two Nerscylla in a row, the amount of materials collected was quite substantial. Seeing as crafting a single Long Sword wouldn't use it all up, he planned to forge an additional Nerscylla Sword and Shield as a backup.
This was actually a suggestion from Serl; according to him, the performance of the Nerscylla Sword and Shield was exceptional, with a Sharpness that could even reach the startling level of White Sharpness.
Though Altaïr hadn't used a Sword and Shield as a primary weapon for a long time, he couldn't help but feel tempted.
In fact, if possible, he would have liked to forge a pair of Sleep Attribute Dual Blades as well, but Nerscylla materials weren't suitable for crafting Dual Blades, so he had to give up on that idea.
As for where to place the order, Altaïr specifically sought out the Guildmarm to ask for advice.
She recommended an established smithy local to Metapetatto that had been passed down for several generations. Their craftsmanship was superb, and it was said they could even forge High Rank equipment.
That final point was particularly attractive to Altaïr. He called for Isis, and the two of them, carrying their Nerscylla and Basarios materials respectively, headed toward the workshop located near the pier.
Arriving at the front of the workshop, Altaïr looked up at the sign. "Meta Great Iron Hammer... that's a pretty blunt name."
Isis glanced around. "The business looks good. I just saw a hunter walk inside, so it should be trustworthy."
"If the Guildmarm recommended it, there shouldn't be any problem."
The two of them lifted the door curtain and stepped inside.
"Welcome~!" A greeting came from the counter. The voice sounded familiar, and Altaïr turned to look.
"Balina?"
"Ah! It's Senior Isis! And Senior Altaïr!" A girl who wasn't very tall, with bright red hair, ran out happily from behind the counter.
She trotted all the way over to stand before them.
"Why are you..." Altaïr started to speak, then realized. "Is this your family's shop?"
"That's right!" Balina nodded vigorously. "My family has been blacksmiths for generations!"
Clawdia, standing beside Isis, tilted her head and asked, "Then why did you become a hunter, meow?"
Balina scratched the ends of her hair, looking a bit embarrassed. "When I was little, my grandpa, dad, and big brother all said I was too small to be a blacksmith and wouldn't have the strength to swing a Forging Hammer.
I wouldn't accept that! Even if I didn't become a blacksmith, I was still going to swing a Hammer!"
(Translated by yourtl.app)