When The Cute Godkiller Opens A Tavern [OP Mentor, SoL, LitRPG]

Chapter 7 - New Things New Plans


"I was too excited to fall asleep…" ~Grace Allturia

[Crispy Chicken Sandwich Recipe - Per serving]

1 Chicken breast, butterflied Salt and pepper, to taste Palm or corn oil, for deep fry Any available bread

Batter: 1-2 Eggs Flour, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, baking powder, cornstarch, sugar Breadcrumbs

Dressing and filling: Lettuce or cabbage Garlic, grated Egg yolk Bi'jown mustard Lemon juice Olive oil Water Pepper Cheese, grated Anchovies

Shallies woke up hours before sunrise once again to prepare the Crispy Chicken Sandwiches for Grace, her party, Danilo, and Yor'ylin. And of course, for herself as well. It was easy enough to cook with her current equipment, since the number of servings she had to make wasn't more than a handful.

First, she filled a pot with palm oil and turned up the heat. Then, she brought out three bowls. Prep trays would have been better, but those were in the order list for Danilo still. Shallies beat the eggs in one bowl. Even for six servings, there was no need to beat twelve eggs right away. They wouldn't even fit. Just five for now. Refill as needed.

She filled another bowl with breadcrumbs and mixed the flour combination in the last one. Truth be told, the flour mixture with all the powders was a touch excessive, but that was exactly why she was thankful for Ben and Marisa's Shopping Center. Even the dressing could've been just a simple mayonnaise, but the opportunity to make something better had presented itself. And Shallies had been itching for this chance for a while now.

With the batter ready, the next step was to process the chickens. While butterflying the chicken breasts, Shallies was reminded of her dulled knives. She laughed at herself for forgetting to purchase a proper knife back in town. Hopefully, Danilo would save her the hassle. In any case, the dagger from her Class Inventory once again came to the rescue. Chickens butterflied and flattened, she proceeded to flavor them with some salt.

Now it was time to check if the oil was hot enough. No thermometer, unfortunately. Yet another thing to purchase. Shallies scratched her head, looking for an alternative way while admitting to herself how underprepared she actually was.

So much for opening a tavern…

[I can help gauge the temperature, Shallies,] Stachie said.

"Oh, good. Please do." Still, Shallies continued looking for a wooden spoon, or a ladle.

[I was making a jest…]

"Ha, ha," she laughed sarcastically as she pulled the bottom drawer and found a large, wooden spoon. "Ha! Why would Catelyn store this at the bottom?"

[I know it wasn't that funny…]

A quick wash and dry, Shallies dipped the wooden spoon into the oil. Small bubbles sizzled to the surface, indicating it was hot enough.

Perfect.

Flour, egg coat, breadcrumbs. In this order, the new chef made sure the chickens were well coated with each layer before submerging them slowly into the hot oil. The sizzle was music to her ears. At most, she could fit only two. That was fine. Her Cooking Mastery Perk would make the process quick enough anyways.

Meanwhile, Shallies multitasked by working on the dressing and fill. No grater for the garlic, so she was left with no choice but to dice them as finely as she could. Dice and press, until they were almost paste. For the cheese, she used the sharp of a fork to grate it.

Time for another bowl, she was quickly running out of them.

Garlic in, lemon juice, egg yolk, Bi'jown mustard and olive oil bought from the B&M Shopping Center, splash of water, grated cheese, and a pinch of salt. Shallies had also procured a jar of anchovies from the same place.

Unsealing the jar let the strong odor of the preserved fish fill the kitchen. The details of the memory of when she had been first grossed out by these little miracle workers had long since eroded. Now, they didn't even bother her. She pulled out a couple and added them into the mixture. They would help the dressing emulsify into an even thicker texture while adding a salty punch, giving a much needed balance against the mustard.

After replacing the batch of chickens, the next challenge was to blend the dressing. She didn't have a blender, though. A sigh inevitably came out.

At this point, resorting to utilizing a minor Guiding Star Skill, Water Control, was her only choice. A Skill that branched from Elemental Control, the entire category was part of the basic essentials for every spellcasting Class, including the support Class Shallies had right now.

With a small investment of mana, she twisted the mixture into a strong whirlpool while she made an undercurrent, spinning aggressively in the opposite direction. At the same time, she made the portion underneath acquire some form of sharpness, mimicking the Water Blades of Mage.

It was an absurd practice of Water Control. One that even adventurers with a Hero Class would've had a hard time replicating. She even controlled it in such a way that none of the mixture spilled out of the uncovered bowl, not even the solids that were eventually minced and combined by the miniature vortices.

Still, Shallies would just rather use an actual blender in the first place. Another thing for Danilo to design. Probably a few, with exchangeable blades.

Before she got distracted into overcooking her deep fried chickens, she replaced them with the last batch. The final step for the dressing and filling was chopping up the cabbage in large cuts and tossing them in the mixture to combine. At the same time, she used her mana-control to heat some bread to the oven. Since she was using her Skills, might as well go all the way.

Just like that, she was done cooking. Now came the part she liked the most. Assembly.

Shallies sliced the warm bread in half lengthwise. After resting the crispy chicken for a while, she portioned them to fit the breads: one chicken for one bread. She topped them with the cabbage dressing, and then closed. Finally, she cut the sandwiches in half, wrapped them in cooking parchment, and sealed them with yarn.

Perfect Crispy Chicken Sandwich.

Shallies rewarded herself by making homemade croutons. She tore up a piece of bread into bite-sized chunks and spread it on the oven tray. She drizzled them with olive oil. B&M didn't have avocado oil, but Marisa had promised to get a stock and test if it would fit the local market.

Salt, pepper, garlic powder, a quick toss, then straight to the oven. A few minutes later, Shallies had crispy, chewy croutons. She tossed them with the rest of the leftover cabbage filling to make a nice salad for breakfast.

[Shallies, Grace and her party have left Cinterbrim Town.]

While eating on her main counter, Shallies brewed some coffee and monitored Grace's location through her System Console, courtesy of Stachie. A simple assessment of their speed told her that they had rented a carriage.

By the time they arrived, she had finished breakfast and packed three sandwiches in a metal container.

"They'll last for a few hours," Shallies said as she handed the food to Ben. "A day might be pushing it, so consume them before then or before you enter the dungeon."

While Ben gave his thanks, Shallies checked on Grace. The half-orc was a bundle of nerves shoved in half-plate armor with tough leather padding. Eye bags indicated her lack of sleep, and her unfocused long-distance stare told much of her internal struggles. For how excited she had been yesterday, this was certainly the complete opposite.

"You're a wreck," Shallies said, giggling at the poor girl.

Grace suddenly came to life, turning all over the place in surprise. "When did we get here?"

"You folks going to be alright?" Shallies asked Marisa and Ben this time.

"First time jitters, nothing unusual," said the wife. "Grace's had enough training in her to break out of it when she gets there. I'm pretty sure. She can catch some sleep on the way."

"It's the same for everyone," Ben added.

Shallies could've done something to ease Grace's fear jerks, but she agreed with the veteran adventurers. Newbies had to experience the freezing shock that came with a real adventure. Still, the poor half-orc could use some help.

The semi-retired Godkiller tiptoed and stretched out a hand to pat Grace's head a few times. It caused another flinch.

"Remember your training, Grace," she began. "Follow your instincts. Don't forget to gather firewood."

With a specific objective in mind, the half-orc clung to it to regain composure. "Yes, Shallies. Thank you."

She waved them goodbye before settling on the couch near her fireplace, monitoring the three's speed out of El'doron Kingdom's territory and into the Great Wilds.

Shallies sipped from her coffee and nodded to herself. "I should sort out my Inventory…"

It took the entire morning, but with Apple helping out, their Inventory was sorted. Somewhat. Part of it at least. Centuries' worth of items couldn't possibly be arranged in a few hours.

Shallies sighed. Now that she thought about it, there were probably rotten food and monster parts shoved somewhere in both their Class Inventories. She was thankful that they both had it upgraded to allow for item disintegration.

With the enormity of the task, the two decided to slow down. Now that they were settling roots into this place, there wouldn't be many chances of acquiring anything worth storing in their Class Inventories anymore.

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For now, they prepared items that had even the slightest relation to temperature control. Shallies even took the liberty to find some that also contributed to cutting, spinning, folding, grinding, or even pressing. Processes that could be made easier with the help of mana-crafted machines, rather than resorting to combat-related Skills all the time.

They found many. Quite a lot, actually. From monster parts, to ancient artifacts of the Gone Old, even gems and metals from the Glinting Skies. They ranged from Uncommon to Mythical rarities. Shallies and Apple made sure not to list down anything that surpassed the Rare rarity. A kitchen setup involving a Legendary or Mythical treasure would be awesome, but it would absolutely make Danilo and Yor'ylin suspicious of her.

Mythical treasures could never fall into the hands of a Heroic Adventurer in the first place. Not even luck would let it happen, for items or loot with the Mythic rarity were those that could easily bend minds and reality. Someone who wasn't favored by a god could just as easily have their souls crippled if not outright kill them.

Maybe if they're both Favored Profession Classes, I might reconsider…

Not that Profession Classes involved gods in the first place.

Shallies might've had focused her entire life on Combat Classes, but even she knew that Profession Classes were not divided in tiers. It was one long, branching progression without any ascension involved. The ascensions, in and of themselves, were the titles and specializations of the Profession Class, but unlike Combat Classes, there was nothing stopping a Field Cook from branching into Baking Skills, for example.

With a bunch of items sorted out, Shallies finally took the chance to look at her Chef Skills while Apple made lunch. The fairy was also a Level 3 Chef since being a Soul Confidant allowed either of them to take the higher level Class between them.

And just like Shallies, Apple never took a Profession Class.

"What Skills do I have available, Stachie?" Shallies asked her System.

[You have three Skills to choose from,] Stachie began. [They are: Extend Food Life, Ingredient Saver, and Enhanced Attribute Food Buffs. Which one do you want to hear about first?]

"Enhanced Attribute Food Buffs," Shallies replied. While she didn't have ingredients that could apply any Food Buffs yet, she was still curious to know.

[Enhanced Attribute Food Buffs. Multiplies the effects of your recipes that provide Attribute Food Buffs by 2 at Beginner proficiency. For example, a food that increases Strength by +10, will now provide +20 instead, at Enhanced Food Buffs Level 1, and so on. For clarity, Skill Proficiencies apply even to Profession Classes. At Master proficiency, this multiplier increases to 10.]

"10 times? Woah…" It was quite a hefty buff, given that adventurers could have a maximum of three Food Buffs. "Profession Class Skills Proficiencies level the same way as Combat Class Skills, right?"

[Without the cap of ascending Classes, yes. Specifically for Chef, experience is gained for each customer eating your meal, while you gain proficiency by simply cooking. You cannot gain experience from the same person until a full day has passed. And as for Skill Proficiencies, you can only practice one Skill per day as usual.]

"Does the Skill affect my Favored Flavor?"

[No. As Favored Flavor is not considered a Food Buff, but is rather an additional effect like Enhanced Attribute Food Buffs.]

"Do they stack?"

[Yes. However, plus 1 is not as significant compared to times 10.]

"A point is a point."

[True.]

Shallies nodded along, reading the other effects of the Skill from her System Console. Just like Stachie mentioned, it could be leveled up by continuously using or utilizing the Skill, with the added condition for the Chef Class that people should eat their meals. Different from Perks like Cooking Mastery, which automatically leveled up accordingly with the Class level.

"What about Ingredient Saver?" she asked next.

[Ingredient Saver. Whenever you cook a dish, there is a 10% chance that you will save 50% of all the ingredients you used for the dish. They will be stored in your Class Inventory with temporary containers. However, if your Inventory is full, they will appear beside you, instead. At Master Proficiency, this becomes a 50% chance.]

"What if I cook an entire batch for, let's say, ten people?"

[If Ingredient Saver activates successfully, then you'll save ingredients equal to five people. But the chance is quite small, until you reach a significant Skill Proficiency. It's usually just an afterthought passive Skill, unless you have an immediate need to save resources.]

Shallies agreed. She looked at the last one. "What about Extend Food Life?"

[Extend Food Life. The time it takes for all your ingredients and meals you cook to spoil is increased by 100% per Skill Proficiency. Storing conditions still affect the rate at which the food spoils. This becomes 500% at Master Proficiency.]

Shallies sighed. "There's nothing interesting in any of these."

[Probably just your Godkiller instincts demanding for more. It's not like you can get world-changing Skills as a Level 3 Chef, you know…]

"Why can't you just tell me the rest of what I can get in the future?" she complained, as she peeked at Apple, who was making a salad in combination to the rest of their meat jerky.

[It's against the System's rules. This way, it encourages people to talk to other high-level people of the same Class. I'd personally recommend against it, however. You lose any sense of anticipation, and the influence usually pulls you out of making the Class your own.]

"Fine. Just give me Extend Food Life, then," Shallies concluded. She slouched back on the couch and snapped at the fireplace, making it produce more warmth.

[You can choose to decide later, you know? The Skill Point won't go away.]

"No need. You'll most likely just give me more Skills to choose from as I level anyway. I don't want the hassle of indecision. I can't use Enhanced Food Buffs yet, and we don't have any problems with saving ingredients. We're not even sure what we can and can't acquire easily, yet. Besides, adventurers might find it appealing if I can make food last longer."

[As you wish. You now have Extend Food Life at Beginner Proficiency.]

With the decision out of the way, Shallies helped Apple out to finish cooking lunch. The fairy upgraded her tea bath with a small chunk of an actual apple. It was one of the rare moments that a teacup fairy would bite into the actual food. Her tiny face glinted with genuine shine as she chewed joyfully.

Shallies took this moment to appreciate her Soul Confidant. She could feel her happiness flow into their connection, and in turn, she was happy as well.

They enjoyed their meal and cleaned up just before Danilo and Yor'ylin arrived.

[Shallies, Grace and her companions have arrived and entered the dungeon. You can no longer track them for now,] Stachie said. [They also ate your sandwiches, resulting in another level up. Congratulations!]

"Thanks, Stachie," Shallies whispered as she opened the door to welcome her guests.

Only, the elven Blacksmith looked different. While Danilo looked like any juiced up muscle-head that every frontliner would be envious of, Yor'ylin, on the other hand, dressed up to hide all signs of muscle. A long dress, with a jacket that made her look thin. Hair ornaments decorated her loose hair and her face had just the right amount of makeup to hide the dryness caused by managing the forge all day.

Haven't seen an elf wear makeup before… Shallies blinked and turned to Danilo.

"You're not a cheater, right?" she asked, much to the couple's surprise. "I was kidding. Yor'ylin, you look great. I almost couldn't recognize you. Come in."

The elf blushed and bowed. "Thank you, Miss Shallies."

The new Chef blinked again. She saw the grin coming from Danilo, who proudly crossed his arms.

"Told you she's different outside of work mode. Very sweet, very shy, very cute—"

"Stop it!" Yor'ylin said, smacking her husband on the shoulder.

Shallies smiled as she gestured for the couple to take a seat. "Have you guys eaten anything?"

"We had lunch before coming here," Danilo replied, looking around. "Fancy place you got here."

"Very good space management," Yor'ylin added, though she was still blushing pink. "Could use more decorations, but I imagine you already have plans for that."

"That's right. Thanks." Shallies returned behind the counter where Apple was cleaning up the dishes. "Just drinks, then. Coffee? Tea? It's on the house."

"Tea," said the two at the same time.

Shallies went to work, but Yor'ylin interrupted her just as quickly.

"Do you mind if I look around the kitchen right now?" the elf asked politely.

The stark distance in personality from the one at the forge gave her pause, but Shallies quickly recovered and gestured towards the kitchen.

"Please, go ahead."

"You should've said no," Danilo said as soon as his wife was gone.

"Why?" Shallies brewed the tea based on Apple's recommendations. The fairy was having fun making combinations.

"Well, she switches into work mode even if she's just doing assessments."

"That quick, huh…" Shallies produced her organized list of treasures and items with her System Console. "Well, I have work for you too. You seem the same in either mode, though. Do you want it now?"

Danilo opened his own Console and agreed. His eyes widened as he read down the list. Then, he smiled.

"This is amazing!" he said.

"Does it have everything you need?" Shallies asked as she delivered the tea.

"And more, probably. If you're willing to part with some of these, I can use them in my other projects."

"Well, we can definitely talk about that," Shallies said, smiling. "But probably after you upgrade my kitchen."

"Yes." Danilo laughed shyly, scratching the back of his head. "Yes, of course."

Yor'ylin emerged from the kitchen with a different set of clothes. Her Class Equipment. She still wore the same makeup.

"I have my plans," she said dryly.

"Wow…" Shallies couldn't help but say it. "That's really quick…"

"Her personality change?" Danilo asked, amused. "Yeah… It takes a while to revert back as well."

"No. I mean, yeah, that too. But I'm also talking about the plans."

Shallies sat down with the two and talked the entire afternoon. No work was done, but they had everything almost finalized for tomorrow. Until, of course, the conversation went to the pricing.

"Since you're supplying all the expensive materials," Danilo began while he munched on his Crispy Chicken Sandwich. "We'll settle for a total of 45,000 bits."

"That's labor and the rest of your budget for materials?" Much like everything out in the countryside, it was awfully cheap.

"Yes. The budget is 20,000 bits, but that's just an estimate so you can provide the budget as soon as possible. If we need more materials, we'll send you the bills, but you don't have to pay those right away. If we manage to save some of the budget, we return them to you. This is your assurance that we won't skimp on the materials, since we won't be taking anything from it.

"The labor, 25,000, you can pay in installments. Half after we agree on the terms, half after we're done with the renovations."

"What if we can provide the wood?" Shallies turned to Apple, who grinned smugly from her empty teacup. "She's a Grovekeeper and can produce the exact same wood and stone you used for this house."

"Oh, then we can reduce the material cost even further."

Shallies raised a hand. "What I meant to ask is if you can make the kitchen even better under the same budget, if we provide you more materials. I have more items in that list."

The couple looked at each other and then at the list Shallies provided. She had included metals and other crafting materials a Builder might potentially use.

"Sorry," Yor'ylin said, realizing the point Shallies wanted to make. "I might have to reevaluate again. We don't need to change the original plan, but we can add to it more."

Shallies smiled. "It's getting late. We can finalize everything tomorrow."

"Morning, then," Danilo said, scratching his head. "Are you sure we can use any of this just for the kitchen?"

"What do you mean?"

"Some of these things we can use to improve your house overall," Yor'ylin added. "Like these Frost Golem and Flame Golem Hearts. You have enough that we can create room temperature controls for the entire house."

Shallies took a moment to think, before lifting a finger. "I'd like that. But I want to make sure that most of the house remains the same. You can change how the kitchen looks, make additional floors or extend outside of the house frame, but I want to keep the rest of the place the same for now, with the addition of that temperature control."

She wanted to make sure that the tavern she wanted to open still carried the memories from when Catelyn had had that dream.

The couple looked at each other before nodding. "We can do that."

"Then, last question," Shallies began. "Are you sure you can finalize all of this tomorrow?"

"Not exactly," Danilo said. "Now that we have more stuff to work on, we might make a few visits before we can get the ball rolling. Yor'ylin will come tomorrow morning. I'll arrive in the afternoon. This way, we can keep the shop in town operating."

"Alright. I'll see you guys tomorrow then. Oh, and if you guys don't mind, I'd like to cook meals for you while you're working here. See what you think about my recipes. Free of charge, of course."

"Like taste testers?" Yor'ylin asked. "I can eat this chicken sandwich everyday and not get tired of it."

Evening came and the mild exhaustion that followed—quickly remedied by her Mana Energy Skill—was different and new. Shallies lounged on her sofa once again, enjoying a cup of coffee while reading some of the old books she had collected over the centuries. Life was slow and calm. It was good.

[Shallies, Grace has emerged from the dungeon.]

The new Chef frowned and placed down the book. It was too soon for Grace to appear. She opened her System Console and observed the tracker's pings. The half-orc wasn't moving.

She was also alone.

Shallies spent half an hour waiting for Grace to move, or for Ben and Marisa to emerge from the dungeon. Sometimes, adventurers appeared late, either because they were carrying heavy loot or doing final assessments before leaving.

More than thirty minutes, however, and it was too long of a time for either of those to make sense.

"Apple," Shallies called out. The teacup fairy flew close and looked over the screen. She was visibly worried.

There was no exchange of dialogue. The two understood what had to be done. Within a few breaths, the semi-retired Godkiller was heading out the door.

"I'll be back by morning."

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