Chapter 314: Culinary Giant (1/2)
Partially out of curiosity, and partially since the crowd wouldn't let them do otherwise, they headed in the direction of the commotion to get a better look at the chef. In the process, they were treated to a lecture from Professor Morris.
”...Which is why the Mythril Chef title is typically a ceremonial one, only given to those who have not only won one of the cooking competitions hosted in various cities in the Riverlands, but been acknowledged by at least three other carriers of the title. That said, there are whispered rumors of an Adamantine Chef that is supposedly capable of promoting talented individuals on the spot. They say he or she wanders the country, visiting small restaurants and food stands, bestowing their blessing on any who meet their impossibly high standards.”
”So, let me get this straight. Despite being home to some of the greatest warriors and generals to have ever fought in a battle, the Riverlands' major claim to fame is that they have the best cooks in the Inland Sea Region?” Mike asked while pushing through the crowd. He'd gotten more than a few elbows in the ribs already, and he was beginning to feel a bit irritated.
”Arguably, yes. I'm sure the Bergellens would disagree. After all, they still hold themselves to be the pinnacle of culture, even this long after the fall of the Pyrathian Empire, but the general international consensus is that the best chefs and the best fighters both come from the Riverlands. With the former actually being the more highly sought after of the two.” Morris replied while nearly falling over a couple of times as surges of motion ran through the crowd.
”Their dessert chefs are world renowned, too.” Sera chimed in from behind them.
”Indeed.” Morris continued. ”Their placement at the mouth of the Inland Sea, coupled with surprisingly robust trade relations with the steppe peoples to the west, and a heavily diversified agricultural portfolio, has given rise to an unusually high level of culinary innovation. This has, in turn, led to some truly unexpected developments in the food industry.”
”Do you know anything about this Hammerfist guy? He seems to be quite famous.” Mike asked, hoping to direct the conversation to a more relevant topic.
”I'm afraid I'm not familiar with him. He must be a recent contest winner.”
Suddenly, one of the people crowding around them turned with a look of abject shock. ”You haven't heard of Korgan Hammerfist?! Where have you been? Living under a rock?”
The speaker was a thin man with slightly pointed ears and pale skin. He seemed mostly human, but a quick Appraise revealed his race to be Human (Sun Elf), and his name was Yuln.
”We've actually only just arrived a few minutes ago.” He explained patiently. ”I'm afraid we don't know too much about your country just yet.”
Yuln gave them a suspicious look for a few seconds before shrugging. ”Then you'll be in for a surprise. I haven't had a chance to see him in person before, but if he lives up to even half of the stories I've heard about him, this will be worth it.”
”Hm? What do you mean by…” Mike started to ask, but then trailed off when the center of the crowd finally came into view, and he could see what everyone was focusing on, or rather who.
It was easy to get a good look at the man known as Korgan Hammerfist, since he stood a good head and shoulders above the rest of the crowd. He must have stood nearly 2.5 meters tall, but had a stout, stocky build which spoke of incredible strength. With skin a deep chestnut brown, hair and beard the color of seasoned wood braided into an elaborate pattern with a seemingly random collection of beads, and intricate tattoos made with a silvery ink, he definitely was an unusual sight compared to the rest of the cityfolk.
”Mother Teun…” Yuln uttered breathlessly, ”He's even more impressive than the stories said...I've got to get in there!”
And with that, the cooking fanboy took off into the crowd, earning himself a tirade of verbal abuse from his fellows he was pushing past. However, he was not the only one attempting such a thing, and it looked like the situation would soon devolve into a riot as a small legion of maddened fans began to fight their way towards their idol.
”They're quite...dedicated? I suppose?” Sera offered, obviously taken aback by the almost religious devotion that the Gildusan natives were showing for this strange, giant sized figure.
Curious, Mike used Appraise on the giant.
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Korgan Hammerfist
Age: 139
Race: Half-Giant (Human)
Class: Grandmaster Chef
Title: Mythril Chef
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[Huh. I guess he really is a chef.]
That of course didn't prevent him from being a dangerous entity nonetheless. He could, after all, recall several stories from his old world where professional cooks turned out to be highly trained combatants, and deadly in their own right. In a world full of monsters, he supposed it made sense that chefs would need to be strong in order to acquire the best ingredients.
Or at least he assumed as much until he expressed those thoughts to the others.
”I hate to break it to you,” Morris started, ”but most chefs just buy or request rare materials from the Adventurer's Guild if they need something unusual. While there are probably a few individuals out there who hunt for themselves, it would be hard to put into practice. The sheer number of skills one would need to accomplish such a thing is hard to imagine. Not to mention the fact that most crafting classes have a limited number of primary skill slots.”