Chapter 82: Luf A and Luf B
Feeling a bit lonely since I couldn’t tamper with the sanctuary, I set out to gather Gold Coin Grass. This high-priced grass is often overharvested, making it difficult to find in shallow areas with lots of people coming and going, but once I made it this far, things were different.
It grows through underground rhizomes and seeds, and it seems to have a decent reproductive rate, as I found quite a cluster of it. I changed locations a few times and filled that bag—big enough for a bear to fit halfway in—with my harvest.
Since I was pulling it up by the roots, I had to wash off the mud. I didn’t want to deal with the hassle of fetching water from the well, so I put it in a colander and washed it at home. Well, “washed” might be a stretch; there’s a stream flowing around my house, so I just soaked the colander in it, and it came out clean.
With everything ready in [Storage], I set up my workstation and a copper distiller on the third floor. It was quite bulky, and I found myself puzzled. I had envisioned something like Sherlock Holmes’ experimental apparatus, but it didn’t quite turn out that way. First off, the glass flasks were… mostly made of copper or pottery.
Do I not need to put water in the distiller for cooling? It’s just a flask-like container for the substance I want to distill, topped with a dome-shaped lid that has a tube attached.
The mechanism relies on the liquid pooling in the grooves inside the lid and flowing through the tube, but while it’s fine to heat the distilling flask, shouldn’t the lid be cooled as well? I mean, the steam needs to condense back into liquid, right? It’s like that method of making fresh water from seawater, where you put a cup in the center of a pot filled with seawater and place a wok on top, filling the wok with seawater for cooling.
Is it finally time to fire up the forge in the blacksmith’s workshop? Well, I’ll save the tool modifications for later. It’s better if it takes time to complete this batch of medicine. For now, I’d like the Gold Rank party to hurry off for their second subjugation before my potion is ready.
If I’m not imagining things, I have a mountain of things I want to do and create… But I’m happy that there are no restrictions, and I can decide the order of my tasks and pursue what I want.
Having finished preparing the equipment to make this batch of medicine, I spent the time until the party at the Library.
When I asked the Librarian where to find books about the People of Luf, she led me with a lit—spirit-infused—incense burner attached to a chain. The smoke rising from the burner had only a faint scent, spreading thinly and disappearing into the gaps between the books. It seemed the smoke had insect-repelling properties.
She guided me from the bright corridor into the darker areas. Books with fading memories, records people would rather avoid, and forgotten tales seemed to reside in the shadows.
There are two types of people referred to as the People of Luf.
The Luf people who founded the Kingdom of Pasa during the era of the Old Kingdom were said to have all received protection from spirits. Though few in number, they established a powerful nation and were even considered to have a higher cultural level than today. They fell due to the exhaustion from royal succession disputes and invasions by numerous barbaric tribes.
Afterward, several nations emerged, but governance was ineffective, leading to their quick demise. Eventually, they found a Luf woman barely surviving in the outskirts, and after hailing her as queen, stability was finally achieved. They named the country Luf, and its citizens began to call themselves the People of Luf.
“So, the royal family was wiped out when the Kingdom of Luf fell, huh?” I couldn’t help but mutter to myself, my eyes half-closed.
Naturally, the Luf people, considered to be of the spirit lineage, were the original Luf people of the Kingdom of Pasa. The ones claiming to be descendants of Luf today are mostly unrelated to them. However, thanks to the royal family, the country had many spirits, and it seems the environment produced a populace rich in magic power. It’s said that during the era of the Old Kingdom, there were more spirits, and people had greater magic power than now.
Though not as potent as Luf A, Luf B, who later adopted the name, is still strong compared to the current populace and has a notable affinity for spirits, making it unlikely for misunderstandings to be cleared up.
When spirits protect Luf A, it seems they could use the Spirit’s Power as if it were entirely their own, without any incantations. However, the spirits that provided this protection became invisible. Perhaps the protection Luf A receives is similar to that of Sacred Beasts or Demon Beasts.
I took a sip of coffee to gather my thoughts.
I’m not sure which Luf it refers to, but even after that, the name Luf keeps popping up in the rise and fall of nations. It could be considered legendary, but it feels like a presence that’s just close enough to spark curiosity. If there are traces, I can’t help but want to investigate.
“Cheers!” I raised my cup in a toast.
A bone-in rib roast that must weigh at least a kilo was plopped down on each plate. Well, it was more like a cutting board than a plate. It was a bit tough, but the satisfying chew made me feel pumped as I dug into the meat!
“This beef is delicious!” Dean exclaimed, downing his red wine from a wooden cup in one gulp, then tearing into the meat.
“Ah, this beef is so mild and good…”
“Freshly grilled is simply wonderful!” Retze and Chris, who had been unsatisfied with the dried meat and local Demon Beast meat during their subjugation, looked pleased.
Chunks of beef seasoned with rock salt were slowly grilled over charcoal, and they served it sliced, along with a choice of sauce made with oregano, onion, and salt, or another sauce with garlic, parsley, and vinegar.
The table was overflowing with dishes. It truly felt like a feast fit for an entire cow, with meat dishes piling up one after another!
There was a stew made from beef shank simmered with black pepper, red wine, rosemary, and bay leaves. I heard they placed the pot in the corner of a brick oven to cook it. It was spicy, with a rich flavor from the red wine, and while it was a bit different from the stews I was used to, it was delicious.
The fried dumplings, half-moon shaped and filled with meat and cheese wrapped in a wheat flour skin, could use a bit more juiciness, though.
“Mmm. I wonder if they’ll serve meat pie?” I caught Ash’s musing and felt a bit smug.
I sliced some tenderloin simmered with root vegetables and a cheese sauce, placing it on bread to eat. I’ll have to make that later; if I switch half the milk for cream, it’ll surely taste even better.
But I really want some vegetables. With this much meat from a whole cow, it’s quite a lot…