How To Suck Honey With Extras [EN]: Chapter 116

127. Meeting and Grace as Planned (8)

Even Elnia frowned, looking suspiciously at my words.

“If that’s the case, Aileon, I might be able to take some of that quantity off your hands.”

“Really? But…”

“It doesn’t matter. Uncle Nelvis was only concerned about the current budget. But I also have some personal funds I manage.”

Usually, the amount of money a young lady has as pocket money wouldn’t be much, but Elnia is a bit special.

The Grand Duke spoils his granddaughter too much.

She owns several mines and iron workshops managed under her own name.

In other words, she has money.

Of course, I know that. It was my intention from the start.

“I’ll buy some of it.”

Hehehe. Is she going to buy it out of charity?

But instead of eagerly accepting, I pretended to hesitate.

Not yet.

More than anything, that’s not enough.

“But… relying on mere pity to sell it off would disqualify me as a merchant…”

“It’s not pity. More than anything, it’s a necessity.”

Unexpectedly, she readily stated the truth.

“The rumors you’ve heard about the soldiers at the front starving are true.”

“But…”

“Ah. So, you’re thinking, ‘Doesn’t it seem like I, a noble, am eating well?’ Hehehe. Is that what you want to say?”

“I wasn’t trying to say anything that harsh.”

“It doesn’t matter. After all, what you ate, Aileon, was the last of it. There’s no more.”

…Huh? I was a little surprised this time too.

That snack, that was the end of it?

I thought it was just a simple treat, so I didn’t think much of putting it in my mouth…

Come to think of it, in the original story, the Grand Duke and Elnia weren’t portrayed as shameless people who only cared about their own comfort.

That’s why the protagonist chose to intervene in the war, even taking sides.

He never helps anyone he doesn’t like or who isn’t right.

“In reality, merchants haven’t been coming because of the rumors, so I’m glad to see you here.”

A completely different reaction from Nelvis.

The Princess is seriously considering and evaluating the value of this deal.

“Or do you not believe me?”

“Of course not. I believe you.”

“So, Aileon? How much food did you bring?”

“The quantity is quite substantial.”

I borrowed the largest merchant ship owned by the Pileros Merchant Guild to transport this shipment.

“I can’t say for sure, but based on the number of soldiers stationed in a typical fortress, it’s enough to feed them for two months.”

“…That’s quite a lot.”

The Princess fell silent, and Lucel quietly pretended to count on her fingers, saying, “Wow… two months.”

No, you won’t get an idea even if you count like that.

“You’re taking quite a bold approach to business…”

“Hehehe. You flatter me.”

Her eyes say, ‘I’m not praising you,’ but I don’t care.

It’s definitely a reckless attempt.

“Managing food in large quantities won’t be easy. You must have had a lot of confidence in the deal.”

The Princess changed the subject, perhaps wanting to buy herself some time to think.

That was exactly what I wanted to talk about.

I was planning to appeal to her first anyway.

“Managing the goods isn’t difficult. I chose to bring that kind of product.”

“That’s a strange thing to say. I don’t understand.”

“I can show you the actual product.”

“Yes, that would be good. Show me.”

Judging it was a good opportunity, I asked the maid to bring my bag.

I had put one of those products in my bag for this moment.

It’s also unconventional, so I always carry it with me.

After successfully recreating this, I’ve also been using this type of food.

As I instructed, the maid took out a cloudy, opaque glass bottle from the magic bag.

“…A bottle?”

“It’s a glass bottle. But it doesn’t seem that special.”

Glass bottles are only treated as slightly expensive storage containers.

“The important thing is the food inside.”

“…Ah, you don’t mean you put food in there?”

Lucel grimaced as if she finally understood.

She looked like she was asking if I was playing with food.

The Princess also gave me a look as if she was looking at someone incomprehensible.

In reality, the glass bottle contains meat cooked in my special sauce.

“Aileon, you shouldn’t play with food.”

“Even I wouldn’t do such childish things. There’s a reason. Food stored like this lasts much longer than food stored in boxes or sacks.”

“Is that so? I’ve never heard of that.”

“…Well? I’ve never heard of it either.”

The Princess asked blankly, and Lucel shook her head as if she didn’t know.

Meanwhile, the maids had slightly subtle expressions, as if they had some idea.

Perhaps they’re in charge of cooking, so they have some sense of it.

“Of course, if you simply leave food outside, it will spoil quickly, and even if you store it well, it won’t last very long.”

“Hmm, I suppose so.”

“So, in my hometown, during the winter, when it snows, we bury things that have been dried or smoked as much as possible in caves filled with snow.”

“Hmm hmm. I see.”

It’s a common example of winter preparation, but it seems quite unfamiliar to the Princess.

She listens to the story with great interest.

Lucel muttered, “Come to think of it, I almost froze to death back then,” and looked distant.

Is she reminiscing about her difficult childhood?

That elf has a surprisingly rough past.

Anyway, that’s enough.

I continued.

“To store food for a long time, you need to keep it as cold as possible. Or store it as carefully as possible.”

Strictly speaking, I should explain the difference between decay caused by bacteria and temperature, but that wouldn’t be a common concept here.

Theories about mana are more advanced than theories about microorganisms or viruses.

That’s another difference from modern Earth.

“This is an attempt to realize that principle as much as possible.”

“Putting food in a bottle? Does that alone make a difference?”

“If you don’t open it in this state for a month… if the conditions are right, you can store it for two more months here.”

“Two months! Really?!”

At that, Princess Elnia forgot her dignity and raised her voice.

She even stood up from her seat, grabbing the table.

The maids were flustered, and Lucel was also surprised, but she probably didn’t notice the expressions of those around her.

“That’s not a joke, is it?”

“It’s true. There’s a guarantee from the Pileros Merchant Guild. If it’s not, I’ll take full responsibility. Of course, I can’t do anything if it’s intentionally spoiled.”

At least if it’s supplied normally like the others, it will last that long.

Of course.

The storage method I’m offering is ‘bottled preserves’.

The first to bring about a revolution in food storage that changed many wars on Earth.

That prototype!

The ancestor of canned goods, the eternal friend of self-boarding students in the distant future!

‘I thought of this almost by accident…’

I didn’t intend to sell this from the beginning.

The reason I started mass-producing this was nothing special.

‘If I go back to a dungeon… will I have to eat hard bread or jerky again…’

A truly sudden and sad worry.

As I started handling money while trading with the Pileros Merchant Guild, my diet gradually improved.

Until recently, I ate even rock-like bread without hesitation to survive.

Now, I wanted to find food that was more delicious and more convenient.

‘That’s a luxury, but…’

It was a concern that I, who aimed for a honey-like life, would have.

Then, I suddenly came up with that idea.

Come to think of it, it would be nice to have something like canned food.

Of course, there’s no way it would exist here.

‘But even if it’s not the existing method, can’t I process food with the technology here?’

I learned that the Alchemist Guild was selling yeast earlier than I knew in my timeline.

That’s when I tried bottling.

Glass bottles themselves aren’t cheap, but you can find suitable ones if you search around workshops.

‘The problem is, even if you just put it in a bottle and store it, it won’t make much of a difference.’

If you make it carefully, it will last about a week longer.

But then there’s not much merit.

‘In the first place, the long-term storage food I know is made thoroughly in factories.’

The key to preserving food is high temperature, sealing, and sterilization.

Besides that, you need to do various processing.

Of course, that’s impossible without a mechanized factory.

I almost gave up there.

‘But you don’t necessarily have to do all the manufacturing processes with machines, do you?’

If modern Earth has science, this place has fictional products like magic or elementalism [the ability to control elements].

Of course, the development system of technology differs accordingly, so it’s foolish to match the common sense of modern Earth.

You have to abandon the existing way of thinking.

If highly developed science is like magic.

Conversely, magic isn’t that different from science, is it?

‘The heat treatment for sterilization can be done delicately with the power of Salamander [a fire spirit]… If I use Undine [a water spirit] for washing, it can be cleaner and more precise than any machine. Sealing with Sylph [an air spirit]? If I do it well, can I not only remove the air but also create a complete vacuum inside the bottle?’

One by one, alternative means come to mind.

If I use not only elementalism but also magic, I can somehow do it.

I set up assumptions and tested them all.

I ate the failed ones well, so I didn’t waste any food.

As a result, I succeeded in recreating a storage food that could be sufficiently used here!

And it lasted longer than most things.

That’s because my elementalism is efficient.

With a little practice, I can mass-produce it without any problems if I work hard for a few days.

Hurray for elementalism!

‘This won’t change the world much, but simple food that is easy to store will be an attractive element.’

It will be a greater merit than simply piling up and selling a lot of flour or potatoes.

That’s what Lowell also acknowledged when I consulted with him.

“Above all. It’s easy to eat. You can take out the contents of the bottle and eat it, or cook it to your liking if you have time.”

I realized its charm when I first came here.

At that time, I happened to possess this body when ‘Aileon’ was conscripted for the subjugation war.

I knew it well then.

Basically, the supplies given to soldiers are usually rye bread or jerky.

However, when the battle with the monsters intensified, I only received flour.

What can I do? Seeing the other soldiers, they couldn’t stand it and ate it raw.

“This difference will be a great advantage for the soldiers.”

I explained, citing examples from my own experience.

Since I’ve actually been conscripted, it’s much more credible.

“There are quite a few complaints about food.”

“…Is that so? I didn’t know that far.”

“Come to think of it, the letter that guy sent said that everyone was in trouble because food was running out these days.”

Lucel took out the letter from her chest, glanced through it again, and made a subtle sound, “Ah…”

I heard that the soldiers at the front were catching animals because they couldn’t stand the food problem.

‘Come to think of it, the protagonist had such an episode.’

Maybe what he caught was a monster that could be used for food.

He seemed to have caught a huge fish-like monster.

Is he somehow helping by hunting like in the original story?

But I don’t care about that.