Author: Yume Neiji

When Lynn walked out, Char exclaimed,

“Father! Are you going to cook something delicious? Char thinks that fruitcake will be good.”

Fruitcake is Char’s current favorite food.

But this time, I can’t make her wish come true.

“I’m sorry, I can’t make fruitcake because I don’t have the ingredients or utensils for making one. We need an oven to bake it, you see.”

“Muu, we don’t have an oven in our house?”

Char dropped her shoulders in dismay.

It costs 2 points to install a magic oven in the kitchen. I have accumulated 37 points so there is plenty of points for creating one. However, baking a cake requires other small utensils. There are many things to prepare, such as measuring cups, flour sieves, baking molds, etc. And most of all, I didn’t really remember how to bake a cake.

However, I still remember that it is important to measure things when making sweets. I felt that those various scales are indispensable.

“Don’t be sad. Let’s go to town to buy a cake sometime. I’m going to make mayonnaise today. Mayonnaise tastes good too, you know.”

“Is it delicious?”

Char is still not feeling energetic.

“Char, you love baguettes, right?”

“I love it.”

“I’m going to make a sandwich with a baguette cut in half. I’m going to add sliced tomatoes, sliced onions, lettuce, avocado and smoked salmon on it.”

“Ooooh….…”

“Mayonnaise is like the conductor of an orchestra, it brings the individual ingredients together.”

Char probably didn’t know what orchestra is, but she nodded as if she had understood me.

“It’s a combination of tomatoes, onions, lettuce, avocados and smoked salmon, an all in one, is it?”

“Exactly! When each ingredient is mixed together, it transforms into a supreme taste that rises to the heavens.”

“Oooh!”

Charl is now suddenly full of motivation, in stark contrast to how she had been just a moment ago.

“Father, let’s make mayonnaise! Char wants to eat this supreme sandwich and become a rising dragon soaring through the heavens!”

O-okay, that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but it’s good to be motivated.

“Alright, let’s wash our hands and then make mayonnaise.”

In time for dinner, we got to work.

I cracked two egg yolks into a bowl, then I added a little amount of vinegar and salt.

“First, mix them well. Mix it well while incorporating air.”

Using a whisk borrowed from Lynn, I stir until everything is thick.

“Phew, this takes a lot of strength.”

After mixing for a while, my arms started to get heavy. Maybe I was an adult when I was cooking in my previous life.

I’ve never been this tired.

Or, was I using a hand mixer that time?

“Char wants to do it too!”

Char looked at me with her hands shaking in excitement.

“Can you make sure you don’t spill it?”

“Yes!”

I was a little worried, but I felt sorry for turning down Char’s wish, so I let her do it. Besides, those eyes are shining with anticipation.

Even if it fails, I just have to recreate it.

Fortunately, I still have eggs to spare.

“Okay, be careful.”

Char received the bowl carefully. Then, using her small hands, she deftly stirs the mayonnaise.

“Oh, you’re good at this Char.”

“…………”

Char usually quickly gets happy as soon as she receives a compliment, but now she is devoting herself to making mayonnaise with a serious face.

“Okay, Char, keep stirring. I’m going to add some olive oil.”

Thanks to the dragon power, Char’s hand doesn’t stop at all. She continues to stir the eggs in a steady rhythm.

I meticulously drip a thin, thread-like dribble of olive oil into the bowl.

“Whoa, it’s starting to solidify!”

“Aren’t your hands tired?”

“Tired? Why is that?”

For Char, who is a yellow dragon, this probably doesn’t count as exercise.

“Then keep mixing, I’ll slowly add the oil.”

“Yes!”

About a cup of olive oil was added to the bowl and the mayonnaise was complete.

“Is this mayonnaise?”

“Yes. It’s delicious on meat, fish, and vegetables, or you can use it when grilling.”

“Oh~ hurry, hurry. I can’t wait to try it!”

Just then, Lynn, who had gone to Lulu’s place, returned.

“I’m back! Right now, she didn’t have any salmon, but I did get some freshly caught mackerel. I’ll smoke this and use it.”

I’ve never eaten smoked mackerel, but Lynn seems confident.

I should trust the chef’s sense here.

“Just in time. The mayonnaise is ready.”

I offered the freshly made mayonnaise to Lynn.

“So this is mayonnaise huh. Can I taste it?”

Lynn put a little mayonnaise on the tip of the spoon and put it in her mouth.

“……This is interesting. It’s more like a dressing. As Cedie said, it would be nice to put it in a sandwich. Mmm, I think this will also go well with smoked mackerel. I’ll borrow your kitchen.”

Lynn placed a medium mackerel on a cutting board. It seems that the preparation has been done at sea.

“The amount of fat and the firmness of the meat are both the best. The seafood on this island is certainly unlike any other.”

With skillful knife cuts, Lynn quickly fillets the mackerel.

Just when I thought that she will chop the flesh into pieces, she now cuts it into sashimi-like slices.

But what is she planning to make by cutting it like that?

“Are you going to make sashimi?”

“Sashimi? What is that?”

“I thought you are going to eat the fillets raw.”

“Fufu. I’m not going to do that.”

Lynn laughs as she continues to work.

In this world, there is no custom of eating fresh fish raw.

I wonder if that is a uniquely Japanese culture.

I recalled that mackerel has parasites, so I was relieved when Lynn is not going to do it.

“What are you going to do with that fillet?”

“Normally, you smoke it in chunks, but if I do that, it will take a long time, right? So, I cut them into these thin slices to save time.”

Lynn took out a burlap sack from the back of her bag. Inside were wood chips.

“Ah…… is it okay to do it here? If not, I’m going to smoke it outside. Where can I make fire?”

“There’s a place to make fire on the side of the field.”

It is the place where I burn the dead leaves and branches that always appear in the field.

“I’ll use that spot then.”

Lynn came out with mackerel.

Char and I looked at each other and then we quickly followed Lynn.

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.

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Seeing the bridge to Gandalcia, Lynn was excited and delighted.

“This is nice. It feels like an adventure. I have a feeling that the food there will be delicious.”

That impression is as expected. The atmosphere here is very similar to crossing to an island on an area map in an RPG game.

We crossed the bridge and made it to the island safely.

“First of all, I’ll introduce you to Lulu. She is the fisherman on the island. You can ask her about seafood. You can pick any plants in the forest as you like. —Oh!”

In the middle of our conversation, I found a star-shaped depression.

“Please excuse me for a moment. Wait for a bit.”

I quickly dig up the ground with the shovel I carried.

I hope soy sauce fruit comes out this time.

As I was digging into the ground, I heard the conversation between Char and Lynn from behind me.

“What is Cedie doing?”

“Father is looking for treasure. When he digs the ground, treasure will surely come out.”

“Ah? That sounds like a lie though.”

“It’s not a lie. Father will 100% sure find something!”

When I dug about ten centimeters, something hit the tip of the shovel.

“Oh, it’s a spring insect autumn herb. This is an ingredient for a magic potion. I wonder if I can sell it in Sambabano?”

Spring insect autumn herb is a type of mushroom that is parasitic on insects. The book said that it could be used as a healing medicine or an aphrodisiac drug.

“Heh~, I thought he would find gold coins or something because you said it’s a treasure, but he found ingredients instead. That’s impressive.”

In fact, gold coins sometimes appear, but a detailed explanation will be good for another time.

“Father, it wasn’t a soy sauce fruit……?”

Char had a look of disappointment on her face.

I emphasized the deliciousness of sea urchin rice eaten with soy sauce, so Char was completely interested in it.

“Don’t worry, I’ll find it eventually.”

Even in Island Maker, the probability of finding soy sauce fruits was not low. If I look for it all year round, I’ll find it eventually.

After meeting with Lulu and Nowald-sensei, Lynn roam around the island to gather ingredients.

“Amitake, orange, and raspberry. Eh, what is this?”

Lynn held out a fist-sized black fruit.

“Eh, t-that’s…… A…., A……”

Memories of a distant past life come back to my mind.

“It’s an avocado!”

“Avocado? I’ve never heard that before. Do you eat it often around here?”

Nope. I’ve never heard of avocados being harvested in this area. I mean, I’ve never seen one on the table at Dantès’ mansion.

I’m sure it can only be found here in Gandalcia Island.

I’ll check with Nowald-sensei later.

“I think it’s probably only growing on this island.”

“It’s such a rare ingredient then! Whoa, this is a great discovery! I wonder what it tastes like.”

The fruit that Lynn had picked was black so it’s ripe and ready to eat.

“You can eat it raw, let’s try it right away.”

“Great!”

It was Charlotte who was more excited than anyone else.

In my previous life, I liked to pour soy sauce on avocados, but unfortunately, I don’t have soy sauce fruit yet. I couldn’t help it, so I decided to eat it with a little salt.

“I’m surprised, it’s very delicious! The creamy texture is also interesting. It could definitely be used for a variety of dishes.”

Lynn happily puts a bite size amount of avocado in her mouth.

“In my hometown, we called it hill butter.”

“Hometown? Is that what you call it around here? Didn’t you say that avocados only grow on this island?”

Oops.

Hometown here also means one’s birthplace, but the hometown I’m talking about is the one from my previous life.

“I said it wrong. That’s what I’m going to call it here.”

“I see. Hill butter is a good name too. It seems to go well with bread.”

Oh right. It’s delicious when added in sandwiches.

“I’ve had smoked salmon and avocado sandwiches before.”

“You paired it with smoked salmon!? That’s interesting. What else was in it?”

“I think it was tomatoes, sliced onions, and mayonnaise?”

“Mayonnaise? What is that?”

Lynn pulls out a notepad and writes down my words. Come to think of it, there was no mayonnaise in this world.

“Mayonnaise is a kind of sauce made with eggs and oil.”

“I’ve traveled all over the world collecting recipes for different dishes, but I’ve never heard of such a sauce.”

Well, of course that’s a given.

Mayonnaise was invented some time ago, was it the fu……, fla……, flamingo?

No good. I can’t remember well.

I kind of remember how to make it though. I think we can make it by whisking the egg yolks and vinegar well, while gradually adding the oil.

“Would you like to make it?”

“By all means, let me try it. I’ll do anything to repay you!”

“Do you have utensils?”

Salt, vinegar, eggs and olive oil are available in the kitchen.

The problem is the utensils.

“I don’t have the utensil for whisking, and I don’t think chopsticks will lather it well.”

“Do you need a whisk?”

Lynn pulled her tools out of her bag.

“Those are fine cooking utensils.”

“I had it custom-made by a blacksmith.”

In this world, cooking utensils are also custom-made. It is impossible to buy it at a hardware store.

That’s why all of Lynn’s tools are valuable.

It can be said to be equivalent to a sword for a samurai. Yet, Lynn is willing to lend me her utensils even though we just met today.

That’s how much she wants to try mayonnaise, and that highlights how passionate she is about food.

“I’ll borrow your whisk then.”

“I’m going to Lulu.”

“Why?”

“I’m going to get some fish. I’m going to find a replacement for the smoked salmon.”

Lynn immediately went out after saying that

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.

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After finishing our daily farm work, Charlotte and I set out for Lebon. Our goal was to sell the lobsters and abalone at the grocery store that Lulu had recommended.

After leaving the cottage and walking for a while, I found a star-shaped depression on the side of the road.

I excitedly took out the shovel and I happily dig into the depression.

Who knows, maybe some soy sauce fruit will come out.

I thought maybe such a thing would turn up, so I always carry a shovel with me.

“Father, what’s wrong? Why are you suddenly digging up the ground?”

Even Char, a Yellow Dragon, can’t see the star-shaped depression either huh.

It seems that I am the only one who can see it because I know that this is the world of Island Maker.

“It’s my special ability. My spirit is telling me to dig here.”

“Ooh……!”

Char doesn’t know how to be suspicious of people. She honestly believed what I said and was impressed.

I dug up the soil for a while and then I found something.

“Isn’t this a seasoning fruit!? Nice!”

Unfortunately, what came out was a yellow curry fruit. The soy sauce fruit that I want is purple in color. Still, I’m happy with this. In Island Maker, three curry fruits are enough to make two servings of curry. I’m sure it’s about the same amount in this world.

I wrapped the curry fruit I found in a handkerchief and carefully stored it in my pocket. Then we continued on our way.

✲✲✲

The grocery store I was told about was bigger than I had expected.

The purchasing counter is located at the backmost part of the store. A farmer’s wife carrying a basket full of eggs is already in the line. Char and I lined up behind her and waited for our turn.

“Next Person”

I was called by a middle-aged man with a sturdy body and rough beard.

“What did you bring, boy?”

“I was introduced by Lulu. I brought lobsters and abalone.”

“Lulu? Oh, the girly fisherman huh. Are you a fisherman too, boy? You don’t look like one though……”

The middle-aged man tilts his head in confusion.

“I am the lord of Gandalcia Island, and this is a product of my island.”

“Ah-, so you’re that rumored lord huh. I’ve heard about you from the old ladies of Sambabano and Lulu. To be respected by those old ladies, you must be a big shot then.”

It’s Char who is respected by them though….

Well, I’ll keep that to myself.

“I’m sure I’ll be relying on you on many ways in the future, so I look forward to working with you.”

“Hoh~. Indeed, you are so polite despite being so young. You’re a true nobleman. Alright, let me see the goods you brought.”

The middle-aged man began to examine the lobsters and abalone on the table.

“That’s a pretty big lobster. Where did you get it?”

Suddenly, someone called out to me from behind.

When I turned around, I saw a slender woman with deep-set eyes staring unblinkingly at the lobster on the table. Her black hair was tied in two buns and tied up on her head.

“It was caught on the nearby island, the Gandalcia Island.”

“That abalone too?”

“Yes. There is an abundance of seafood around here because it is by the sea, but the ones caught on Gandalcia seem to be particularly delicious.”

I’m advertising for Lulu.

“I’ve heard stories here and there about places in the same region where the seafood tastes much better than other places. I’ve seen them a few times during my travels.”

“Are you a traveler, Oneechan?”

“Yes. I travel around the world researching different recipes and ingredients.”

First Nowald-sensei and then this Oneechan. There seems to be many people who go on trips huh.

“Hey, are you a resident of that Gandalcia Island?”

“Well, I’m not really just a resident. I’m the Lord and my name is Cedie Dantès.”

“Lord!?”

She seemed surprised that such a child was the lord. Her eyes are somewhat wide open.

“Excuse my impoliteness. I’m Lynn Citron, and I’m a traveling chef.”

“Lynn is looking for ingredients, right? Why don’t you come to Gandalcia? I’ve only just arrived on the island, so I’m not sure about the resources there, but maybe you can find some rare foods. It’s a mysterious island, you see.”

“Mysterious Island?”

Lynn’s eyes are sparkling. She travels in search of ingredients, so she must be curious.

“The island’s seafood are big and they taste good, and the agricultural produce there are also abundant. It seems that they grow faster than other places too….…”

I’ll keep quiet about the fact that it just takes three days to harvest them.

“That sounds interesting. If I explore the island, I may be able to encounter unknown ingredients ….…”

“I’m sure you will.”

If Lynn goes to the island, she might discover new ingredients that I didn’t know about. I had such a childish calculation working in my head.

In addition, the island may develop again due to this new encounter. There’s no way I’m just going to let this opportunity slip away.

“If you don’t mind, why don’t you come back with us to the island? I’ll give you all the ingredients you find.”

“Are you sure? I might find some high-end ingredients, you know?”

Lynn is intrigued.

“I don’t mind. But when you find a new ingredient, I’d be grateful if you could let me try a taste of it.”

Right next to me, Char is nodding her head like a heavy metal band headbanging while playing a song.

Char also has an eye for good food.

“Sure, leave the cooking to me. I’ll serve you the best dish I can make with the ingredients I find.”

So, Lynn went back with us to Gandalcia Island.

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.

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