Chapter 29: A New Way to Earn

"Oh, then it should be fine if I cook something too, right? Can I take a look?"

"Sure, but can you actually cook, Nuoya?"

"A little. I do enjoy making food."

When Qiu Nuoya had first started cooking for himself, he had found it nothing but troublesome.

However, once he got used to it, he began enjoying experimenting with new recipes and creating different variations of dishes.

On his days off, he often spent the entire day preparing meals in advance.

He had never really had a proper hobby and he did not have many friends either.

When he wondered how to spend his free time, the things left were household chores, reading, and mobile games.

Housework itself was incredibly annoying. But once he treated it as a hobby, he realized that he was surprisingly suited for it.

Seeing his home gradually change into a place that matched his own preferences made him happy. So he often cooked, cleaned, and organized things.

The only chore he had never particularly enjoyed was laundry.

Back in his previous life, the washing machine could handle everything, including drying with just the press of a button.

Ah, but in this world, there was the everyday magic called [Clean] that could do the same thing instantly.

Actually, this world was even more convenient.

He really needed to learn cleaning magic as soon as possible.

When Qiu Nuoya peeked into the kitchen, he saw Aria busily preparing food.

The Sunrise Flower stir fry from earlier had also been made by her.

Thinking about it, Aria seemed to have been the one cooking yesterday and the day before as well.

It appeared she was often responsible for preparing meals.

"Aria, would you like me to help?"

"Huh? Really? Thank you!"

Today, just like every other day, the hall had become a banquet area.

The adventurers brought their own dishes, but Aria was probably making up for the lack of enough side dishes to go with the alcohol.

"Aria, do you always cook by yourself?"

"Only a little." Aria smiled. "Everyone grills the main meat themselves at their own tables. I just make some simple snacks and side dishes. My family used to run a tavern, so whenever I see something like this, I can’t help but start working." She laughed as she said that.

"But isn’t it difficult doing all of this alone? Everyone holds a banquet every day."

"Hehehe, you’re right. Ever since Nuoya came here, it really has been a banquet every single day." Aria smiled. "But it’s not like anyone is forcing me to do it, so it’s fine. Besides, everyone gives me some extra money, so it’s actually a nice way to earn some pocket money."

I see.

Then that was fine...

Wait.

What did Aria just say?

Pocket money?

Extra money?

Money?!

"If I cook food here, I can get paid?!"

"Of course you can~ Adventurers who have been drinking tend to be very generous."

The ingredients in the kitchen were apparently free to use as long as they did not belong to anyone.

That meant the only things he needed to provide were his cooking skills and his time.

There was almost no risk.

"I’ll cook too!"

Qiu Nuoya raised his hand and declared enthusiastically.

Aria smiled and pointed toward a basket placed at the edge of the kitchen.

"You can use whatever is in there. Just choose whatever you like."

Qiu Nuoya looked at the basket with renewed determination.

This was a chance.

A way to earn money without taking on dangerous missions.

Cooking had always been something he enjoyed.

If he could make food and earn some extra income at the same time, then there was no reason not to do it.

Inside the basket were vegetables that looked somewhat familiar, vegetables he had never seen before, and even some fish and meat all thrown in together without much order.

At first, Qiu Nuoya felt a little worried.

Was it really safe to leave fresh food stored casually at room temperature like this?

However, it turned out there was no problem at all.

The basket itself had been enchanted with magic, which kept everything inside perfectly fresh.

As expected, magic was incredibly convenient.

Qiu Nuoya carefully checked the condition of each ingredient while asking Aria to explain what each one was.

The vegetables that looked familiar had different names from the ones he knew, but they were mostly similar to the foods from his previous world.

Even the unfamiliar vegetables became easier to imagine once Aria explained their flavors and how they were usually prepared.

With that, Qiu Nuoya became confident.

This should work.

However, there was one problem.

The kitchen had very few seasonings.

There was salt, vinegar, and pepper, but there was no sugar.

When Qiu Nuoya asked Aria about it, she explained that sweetness was usually created using honey collected from a monster that resembled a bee.

Qiu Nuoya also asked whether things like soy sauce or fermented soybean paste existed in this world.

Apparently, they did exist.

However, they were not available here.

According to Aria, those seasonings were not commonly used in this region and many people did not know how to use them.

What a waste.

Those ingredients could greatly expand the variety of dishes people could make.

Still, Qiu Nuoya understood.

Trying unfamiliar seasonings required some courage.

If someone bought something they had never used before and ended up not knowing how to cook with it, they would naturally feel disappointed.

For now, Qiu Nuoya decided to work with what he had.

He sliced the fish and meat thinly, then made a sauce using vinegar and a cooking oil similar to olive oil.

Using those ingredients, he prepared a carpaccio style dish.

By adding some colorful vegetables as decoration, it already looked quite appetizing.

Aria warned him that eating raw fish and meat could upset his stomach, so Qiu Nuoya lightly blanched them before serving.

Although, considering the ingredients had been kept fresh through magic, he felt like they probably would have been perfectly fine even eating it raw.