novelraw Chapter 196
Chapter 196
Chapter 196
When it came to preparing the goat-bear, they decided not to use the internal organs as ingredients this time.
That was because they couldn't tell which organ was which. It would've been helpful if Adie Ze had some knowledge, but apparently the smallfolk only retained a visual understanding of animals from their homeland. So for now, they decided to use only the meat. Even for a medium-sized animal, the goat-bear had a bit too much meat for just the two of them.
Kait casually peeled off a few worker bees of a suitable size from the Queen Bee. He lined them up to use as chairs and a table.
After that, it was time to butcher the meat. He placed the peeled pelt on top of the Queen Bee and suspended the goat-bear, now reduced to a hunk of meat, in midair.
"First, I need to wash it."
He picked one of the countless trees lined up below and sliced it with a worker bee. By separating only the moisture from the trunk, he could obtain both dry firewood and a decent amount of water.
While chopping the wood down to firewood-sized pieces, he gave the goat-bear meat a quick rinse. It was a good thing he had prepared thin worker bees for this task. He cut the back meat into manageable portions, completing the meat prep.
He lit the now appropriately sized firewood and got it burning efficiently. Then he moved the makeshift table of worker bees above the flames and placed the meat on top.
Sizzle—the sound whetted their appetite. However, the bluish color of the meat went against Kait's instincts. Like the green-tinged meat of Traltan 4, the universe's meat series seemed designed to challenge his appetite.
On the other hand, Emotion had no preconceived notions about the color of meat and simply looked forward to it being cooked. Her expression didn't change, but her eyes stayed fixed on the meat.
He flipped it. The fat crackled and popped. As Adie Ze had said, its biological composition was indeed similar to Earth's lifeforms. Meat, fat, blood, and bone. The aroma of the cooked meat was excellent, and if you ignored the color, it could be rated a perfect score.
He sliced the first piece halfway through. After confirming it was thoroughly cooked, he served it on a small plate. Ever since Emotion had started enjoying meals, the Queen Bee had been stocked with tableware and seasonings.
"Here you go."
"......Today, I think you've been the most competent Captain ever."
"You're so noisy."
He first took a bite of the meat without any seasoning, just grilled.
The first thing that hit was the rich sweetness of the fat. The texture of the meat was a bit firm. The gamey smell wasn't too bothersome, though it might be off-putting to some.
It didn't taste like the bear meat he vaguely remembered. As for goat meat, he couldn't even recall its flavor. He had only eaten it twice during his time with the Organization.
Back in the Organization, they had a policy of trying ingredients from all cultures, so Kait had eaten various kinds of game meat from different regions. Maybe that's why he had no aversion to wild game.
"Phew... This is delicious, Captain. My taste circuits are unintentionally sparking."
"I can't really agree with your way of expressing deliciousness."
Circuits sparking sounded more like a malfunction.
In any case, Emotion was happily munching on the meat. If she liked it, that was all that mattered.
For the next piece, he sprinkled on some salt and pepper. A classic choice. The salt melted into the fat from the heat, losing its color.
When he took a bite of the grilled meat, the salty fat made his cheeks relax. Just chewing released the spiciness of the pepper on his tongue and its aroma in his nose. Yeah, the gamey smell didn't bother him at all anymore.
"Emotion. Using spices might change the impression."
"That sounds exciting. Let's see......!"
Emotion closed her eyes and focused on chewing for a while. After swallowing, she murmured softly without opening her eyes.
"I believe spices were humanity's greatest discovery."
'K-Kait, Third-Rank Citizen (Enec Lagif)! It looks really tasty......!'
"It is, Adie Ze, Fifth-Rank Citizen (Alto Romia). Want to try some?"
'I-I'd love to, but......'
"Prepare your plate. I'll send it over."
'S-send it, you say?'
Kait decided to forgive the slightly casual tone and cut the meat into small pieces for Adie Ze. Dice-sized steak.
"How well-done do you like it?"
'P-preference? Um, I'd like it cooked until it's almost burnt.'
"Got it. Is your plate ready?"
He grilled it until it was nearly overcooked. For rare-loving Kait, it felt like a waste, but he wasn't petty enough to criticize someone's preference.
When he got the word that it was ready, he replied with an acknowledgment. He pictured the connection running from Emotion's eyes back to the Federation. Aiming above Adie Ze's head, who was holding the plate, he teleported the freshly grilled dice steak.
'W-whoa! It really came!?'
"Bon appétit."
Using the flustered voice and excitement of Adie Ze on the other end of the transmission as a side dish, Kait and Emotion continued to fully enjoy the goat-bear meat.
***
Even after eating their fill of goat-bear meat, there was still quite a bit left.
It would be a waste to throw it away, so Kait decided to turn the rest into preserved food.
"Alright then."
He took out a generous amount of stored salt and mixed it into water prepared separately from the meat-washing process. After thoroughly dissolving it, he added some herbs and cooking liquor he had brought. He then packed appropriately sized pieces of meat with the herb and liquor-infused brine into airtight bags, sealing them to keep out air.
He placed the resulting bags inside the Queen Bee and gave Emotion instructions.
"Emotion. Lower the Queen Bee's air conditioning to refrigerator level."
"A refrigerator? Won't it get too cold?"
"It's fine. We won't be coming back for a while anyway."
"Okay."
The goat-bear meat had been satisfyingly delicious. Even as jerky, it would probably taste great. He could use psychic power to remove the moisture quickly, but doing that from the start would take the fun out of it.
"Alright. Next, I need to find a tree that smells good."
"A tree?"
"Yeah. I'm thinking of trying smoking."
Kait's goal was smoking. By smoking the salted, dried meat, it would gain a whole new flavor.
It would take some time, but that time was part of the enjoyment too.
"Smoking, huh. This will be my first time trying it."
'Kait, Third-Rank Citizen, what is smoking?'
"Oh? Is that a cooking method the Federation doesn't have?"
Now that he thought about it, the Federation had solved its resource issues. That meant they could always get fresh food anywhere, anytime. So maybe they had no need for preserved foods like smoking.
After telling him he'd send one when it was ready, Kait decided to descend into the forest again to search for wood suitable for smoking.
***
Since staying by the Queen Bee was boring, Emotion tagged along this time. In truth, both Kait and Emotion were overkill when it came to dealing with this planet's wildlife. There was no reason to refuse Emotion's company.
"I was surprised the Captain could cook. Should I learn too?"
"Either way is fine, I think? In my case, even if I can cook, I don't have much variety. If you get tired of grilling, boiling, and smoking, then you can consider it."
"True. For now, I just want to enjoy the different flavors of grilled meat."
Emotion said something rather dangerous, but Kait had no plans to hunt more meat for now. After all, there was still plenty left in the Queen Bee.
He wanted to try the local fruits while looking for smoking wood. If he remembered right, Adie Ze had mentioned a fruit that runs away. His curiosity was endless.
In any case, no beasts would be approaching for a while. He felt sorry for Emotion, who was looking around eagerly, but Kait currently reeked of goat-bear blood. The scent of a top-tier predator and its blood. Any lesser creature would flee at first sight.
"Hmm... There are fewer beasts than I expected. Captain, this is a serious situation!"
"Yeah, it really is. Oh, I wonder what that fruit tastes like."
"Captain!"
Ignoring Emotion's complaints, Kait eagerly focused on gathering whatever caught his interest.
"Oh, this one has a scent and flavor that might work as a spice."
"Spice... W-well, I suppose it can't be helped."