Chapter 322: Cooking with Conspiracy (1/2)

”The Cooking skill can be used to create enhancement items, and this is part of the reason that the culinary arts became such a big part of the culture of the Riverlands. Cooking also holds the distinction of being the only known method of improving skills through the use of an item.” Morris started explaining in full on lecture mode.

”What do you mean? Like you can raise your skill ranks just by eating?”

”More or less, although only the most expensive materials can create that sort of effect, and even then the benefits are pretty minor. Quite frankly, unless you are stuck in a rut in your training, it is usually more cost effective to simply hire a trainer or pay for a dungeon guide.”

It made sense that the overall effect of Cooking couldn't compare to legitimate training. After all, if someone could get stronger simply by eating the right kinds of expensive foods, then the wealthiest members of this world's society should be taking full advantage of it. Since he'd never even heard of the possibility before arriving in Gildusi, it seemed likely that it wasn't very commonly practiced outside of the Riverlands. That did beg another question, though.

”If it's so ineffective, why do the people here take it so seriously?” He asked.

The bard sighed. ”Beyond the benefits associated with improving their food culture, it's a product of tradition more than anything else.” He briefly looked over at a stack of books sitting on a nearby table. ”According to local historians, the rulers of a few key city states originally invested in developing skilled chefs with the intention of using enhancement foods to give their followers an edge over their rivals.”

Morris stood up and walked over to the table selecting a slender volume with the title, Food Wars: The Origins of the Riverlands' Cooking Obsession. Flipping it open to a section near the beginning, he explained. ”The difference was pretty minor, of course, but it was enough to break the centuries-long deadlock which had been preventing territorial changes in this part of the world. Gradually, these cooks began to turn the tide of regional conflicts until their competitors started using similar methods. Eventually, all the other cities followed suit.”

[Ah, so it was basically a kind of arms race.] Mike thought, before asking, ”I assume something changed?”

”Yeah, they started running out of ingredients.”

”...What, like the whole country?”

Morris nodded. ”You see, out of all the edible products in this world, only a small percentage of them can be used to create enhancement foods. These products also tend to be difficult to procure or harvest, usually requiring a great deal of time and money. While some advancements in the field of Artifice have allowed for the artificial cultivation of a few materials, the vast majority of the ingredients typically used in this kind of cooking have to be collected from natural sources. After a few decades of heavy consumption, most of this region was depleted of said resources, and the cities were forced to rely on imports from other countries.”

”I'm guessing that was expensive?”

”Of course. The rising costs of maintaining force parity started to bankrupt several city states, eventually leading to the establishment of the so-called Seasoning Compact, in which rules governing inter-city conflicts were finally established and all participants were bound to uphold them. The newfound era of peace allowed governments to cut back on their overinflated military budgets to something more manageable.”

Guessing what the bard was leading to, Mike tried to steal his thunder. ”Which left the chefs adrift without sponsorship. This in turn led to the creation of the Mythril Chef concept, as well as the proliferation of these cooking contests as a means of maintaining their food culture without excessive cost. Isn't that right?”

Morris frowned. ”Essentially, yes. There was a bit more nuance to...nevermind, it doesn't really matter, I suppose. Anyway, to answer your original question, while you certainly could use Cooking to make foods capable of enhancing your skills, I doubt it would serve any purpose for someone like you.”

Nodding along with his friend, Mike nevertheless couldn't help but feel that it was still a path worth pursuing, assuming he had the time. Perhaps if he reached a high enough level of skill, the benefits would begin to outweigh the costs?

The older man sighed upon seeing his expression. ”It doesn't seem like you are going to take my word for it, so I guess you'll just have to try it for yourself. I'll see about tracking down some introductory manuals and some starting ingredients.”

Mike grinned. ”Thanks, I appreciate it. For everything, I mean.”

”No problem. I've determined that my role in the party is to be well-informed and have access to useful information. If my efforts have proved helpful, then so much the better.��� Morris replied, a slightly forlorn note entering his otherwise warm words.

”Well, alright then. I'll let you get back to sleep.” Mike replied with a wave, leaving the bard to his rest.

[...I guess Sera's not the only one who's been feeling inadequate lately.] He thought to himself as he began considering how to spend the rest of the night.

There were still several hours until sunrise, and even though the Guild likely operated all night long in some capacities, he was fairly certain that he'd need to wait for the Guildmaster to complete his request.

[Can't do anything too flashy, and I don't want to open up the demi-realm this late while everyone's asleep...I guess I can work on my less ostentatious skills.]

He pulled a few items out of his inventory and set about working on his Alchemy, something he'd been largely neglecting lately. He'd hit a stumbling point in his development and had been having a hard time breaking through to the next tier of the skill. It was his hope that the newly acquired materials would give him an edge.

After a few hours of work, they did the trick.

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Advanced Alchemy (Tier 2, Rank 1)

Alchemy is the process of altering magic and mundane materials into finished products. Although the methods vary based on the particular recipe, all alchemical products bear some trace of magical influence. Allows users to create alchemical items, retain memories of recipes, and develop an intuitive understanding of the subtle aspects of the craft. Current mutation rate: 0.5%.

Rank 1 Effect: Infusion

- Infusion -

Skilled alchemists inevitably develop a means of imbuing their consumable creations with a portion of their personal mana, allowing them to both enhance and subtly alter the effects of said creations. While the nature of these changes are limited by both a user's mana reserves and skill level, it is nevertheless possible to radically reinvent an alchemical item.

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[This seems like it could be pretty useful.] Mike thought to himself as he began packing up his utensils.