"Calm down, Miss Filly," Gail hurriedly said. "Although we use this so-called chili in our poison making, it is actually not poisonous."
Upon hearing this, Filly calmed down. "Oh, is that so?"
"Yes, Miss," Gail nodded. "It has quite a funny taste though; it's as if—"
She couldn't finish her words as Filly raised the red pointy 'fruit' and put it in her mouth. She started chewing, her face turning curious. After she swallowed it, she glanced at Gail in confusion. "I didn't taste anything, and why is your face like th—"
"Ahh!" Filly shouted, her face red like a tomato. She clutched her neck and let out her tongue, which shared the same hue. "Whash haphenig?!"
"M-Miss, take a deep breath and blow on your tongue! Wait for me here, I'll go get some milk!" Gail said in a hurry. She was surprised that Filly had eaten the red pointy 'fruit'. She was about to explain its taste, but Filly didn't listen! But this was not the right time to mull over what had just happened.
After reassuring her boss, she hurriedly made her way out and went to the kitchen to procure some two-headed goat milk.
Filly put her tongue back in and started blowing on it. She couldn't understand the feeling, but that stingy taste evidently lessened. However, her throat and tongue still burned.
When Gail came back with a glass of milk, Filly immediately took it and drank it in one gulp. As her gulping sound echoed, Gail sighed in relief.
"Hah," Filly put down the glass of milk, her breathing heavy and eyes watery. "A-are you sure this is not poisonous? I feel like I'm dying!"
"Y-yes, Miss," Gail scratched her cheek. "I was about to tell you its effects and taste, but…"
Filly glanced at the chilies on the table and couldn't help but shiver. She took a deep breath to calm down. If she had known that the red pointy 'fruit' had that taste, she wouldn't have hastily eaten it. "I was hasty. But are you sure that kid is not trying to do something funny?"
If one of the ingredients already has this effect, what about the others? Filly began to doubt the authenticity of the journal, especially if she didn't recognize some of them. But if that beggar is really a Wanderer, a cultivator pretending to be a beggar who has traveled the world, then it makes sense that she doesn't understand the ingredients on the table.
Shaking her head, Gail glanced at the plants and 'fruits'. "But one thing is for sure, these ingredients are not poisonous."
"I see," Filly nodded. "Then where did you get the other ingredients?"
"I found some of them outside the city, in that area filled with grasses and plants," Gail explained, describing where she had found each ingredient on the table. She had found the coconut in the market, as it's one of the fruits that has become popular these days.
After explaining the origins of the ingredients, Gail glanced at Filly strangely. "Did the beggar write the effects and taste in the journal?"
"Well, he did," Filly answered while avoiding her gaze.
"Then why didn't you…" Gail glanced at the chili on the table before looking back at Filly, who was now glaring at her.
"Don't say another word about it!" Filly said. That is going to be one of the most embarrassing moments of her life. Just thinking about how she looked after eating that stingy fruit made her face red.
"S-sorry," Gail bowed.
"I was lost in excitement, I forgot about what I read," Filly explained and cleared her throat. "Anyway, at least we got something we could try. These ingredients should be enough to make our food good."
"Probably," Gail nodded.
"Call the chef while I study the journal," Filly ordered, and Gail left the room. She then sat down behind her table and started reading the journal. According to the beggar, these ingredients can complement each other, and it's up to them how they are going to use them. But there's also a recommendation in the journal that the kid wrote.
This coconut, for example, could be used to make something like 'oil'.
They have to cut it open and take out the delicious juice from it along with the coconut meat. Then they will have to blend the coconut meat with water until it becomes thick and creamy. After that, they will have to take out the coconut milk by 'straining' the meat. The coconut meat, on the other hand, can be used as flour, which is surprising as she thought flour could only be made from grain.
Anyway, after they take the coconut milk, they will have to cook it for 1 to 2 hours on low heat while constantly stirring it until the coconut milk darkens. The 'oil' will then separate from the coconut milk and will stay on top.
There's still the process of removing the lump from the coconut oil. Just one ingredient already involves a lot of steps. Will it get more complicated if she has to use all these ingredients? Filly glanced at the ingredients on the table before she went back to reading.
If she were to compare the process in the journal to the methods she knows, it is miles apart, with the journal taking an enormous lead. She thought that having high-quality meat like two-headed goat, Flame Rooster, Ice Jackal, and other monsters was enough to make delicious food just by cooking them over the fire or in a pan.
However, the journal suggests otherwise, indicating that simple ingredients are more than enough.
Soon, a knock came on the door, and Gail entered with a man who had a large belly. The man took off his white hat and bowed his head. "Miss Filly, you wished to see me?"
Filly closed the journal and put it in a safe that only she could open.
"Yes, we are going to experiment with something," Filly said. "Do you know how to make a dish with these ingredients?"
Filly pointed at the ingredients on the table.
The man, known as Temor, had black hair with streaks of white here and there. His eyes were squinty, and even when he fully opened them, not much could be seen. He was one of the chefs in the main household of Kleinford, the family to which Filly belonged, and he had been asked to move here at Miss Filly's request.
He glanced at the ingredients on the table and shook his head. "I only recognize a few of them, but I don't know how to make dishes with them."