Chapter 477: The Techres House (1/2)

Jin and the others were quickly invited inside.

They were led into a magnificent hall. There were many maids and servants, and a middle-aged man with pure white hair was standing at the other side of a large table.

“Welcome, everyone. I’m the head of this household. My name is Eckert Techres.”

He seemed to have the low-profile of like a merchant instead of the pride that rich people tend to have. His hair was completely white, and his eyes were brown. He had a solid physical build.

“I recognize Miss Vivian, but I see we have a lot of new faces.”

“My name is Jin.”

“I’m Elsa.”

“I’m Saki.”

Jin and the others introduced themselves. After Reinhardt and Berthie finished their introductions, Eckert invited them to take a seat. Reiko, Edgar, and the other attendants remained standing behind them.

They all took a seat at the table, which was made of solid dark wood. Immediately the maid brought everyone something to drink. It was cold Kaffi.

“What do you think? This is some of our prized cold Kaffi.”

Eckert seemed to be a bit boastful about it, but since Jin and the others were aware of the existence of refrigerators, they weren’t as deeply impressed as he would have liked. Still, that didn’t change the fact that the cold Kaffi was delicious.

Eckert quickly noticed their lack of surprise, which made him look a little disappointed.

“Hmm, so cold drinks are not unusual to you, huh? Ah, but I should have expected that.”

Eckert upfrontly conceded defeat.

“Yeah, do you know about a thing called refrigerator?”

That quickly caught Eckert’s interest.

“A refrigerator? What’s that?”

“As the name implies, a refrigerator is a Magic Tool built as a cabinet that keeps things cold inside of it. It was created in Blue Land, in the Egelia Kingdom.”

“Really! …Hmph, I’ve only reached as far as Fantole Town there, I should have done an extra effort and gone to Blue Land as well!“

Eckert seemed to be tremendously vexed. But he immediately got back on his feet.

“Ah, excuse me. Of course you would know of such exotic things. This is something to be happy about! Do you happen to know about other unusual Magic Tools or other devices?”

He had started to sound like an actual merchant trying to do business.

“Ah, so you’ve gone to the Egelia Kingdom by ship?”

Reinhardt was the one to speak up this time.

“That’s right. It’s far more convenient than using the highway.”

So far, there were no restrictions on maritime traffic. This is because the Celuroa Kingdom was originally an inland country.

The Korin region, where Coupu was located, which once was known as the Korin Kingdom, was considered as nothing more than a pivot point by the Celuroa Kingdom.

For that reason, the regulations on maritime traffic were still a bit rough around the edges, which in turn made it possible for the area’s maritime trade to flourish.

“Have you ever been to Potlock, in the Elias Kingdom?”

“Potlock? No, I’ve heard about it, but I’ve never been there myself.”

“Ah, that’s a shame. An excellent shipbuilder called Marcia lives there.”

Earlier this year, Marcia had teamed up with Jin in a golem boat competition in Potlock.

Reinhardt and Elsa had teamed up and participated as well. Jin and Marcia won the competition, with Reinhardt and Elsa taking as runner ups.

From that moment on, Jin, Marcia, Reinhardt, and Elsa became friends.

That’s why Reinhardt, using his skills as a diplomat, casually mentioned Marcia as a recommendation.

“Ohoho, I see…”

Eckert seemed to be in a good mood. It looked like he was seeing an opportunity for good business within his reach.

After that, Jin and the others went on having an unreserved conversation about various things Mr. Techres.

“Oh, it’s nearly time for lunch. Let me get it prepared for you.”

As Eckert clapped his hands, his maids skillfully arranged plates for everyone on the table. After they were done, an attendant brought along a huge pot.

“Well, you might have already known about cold drinks, but what about this?”

A brown soup was served on their plates. It didn’t have any garnish.

But Jin remembered that scent very well.

“…Miso soup?”

“Oh? So you know about it, Mr. Jin? This is an ingredient I got from a certain contact the other day. He called it ‘Bin Pei’, but you just called it ‘Miso’. I think your name for it rolls easier on the tongue.”

Eckert was surprised. But Jin could only think of one thing.

“Can I try it?”

“Of course. Please try it to your heart’s content, everyone.”

Regardless of whether or not Eckert had finished saying that, Jin picked up his plate and started sipping on the soup, which was very similar to miso soup. It was definitely a violation of manners, but Jin couldn’t afford to worry about that.

“…”

“How is it?”

Elsa and Reinhardt also scooped up the soup that looked like miso soup with a spoon and brought it to their mouths.