Chapter 1331 – A Meal of Gratitude
Samantha dispelled the black mist. The soldiers and doctors around were still busy, completely unaware that many things had happened here before.
With the Life Elixir I provided, the efficiency of treatment greatly increased. Many soldiers with simple injuries were directly healed, and even many severely wounded soldiers recovered and were discharged, saving a lot of medical resources.
What remained were soldiers who had suffered special injuries, such as magic erosion, poisoning, or disabilities. However, even for these special cases, my Life Elixir did its best to treat them and save their lives.
Now, many doctors were questioning the soldiers about the origin of such a miraculous Life Elixir. The soldiers actually didn’t know and could only uniformly say that the Lord of the City’s purchased it from a mysterious master alchemist. The doctors had no choice but to drop the matter.
I walked to the entrance of the Medical Camp and saw that the refugees’ wounded had been treated. Soldiers were already selecting able-bodied men among them with intact limbs and good physical condition to work for the army.
Food and coal were also being delivered to the refugee camp for distribution. It seemed the Knight Captain was quite efficient. He had already gone to the bank with the voucher to withdraw money and open the granary for relief. I believe the lives of these refugees would be secured for a period.
I returned to the factory and went directly to the General Manager. I explained my idea to him, asking the designer to design armor that minimized costs while being as gorgeous as possible.
Unexpectedly, he managed to get it done so quickly. He didn’t even need to find a designer; the factory already had existing blueprints, and they were even more outrageous than I imagined.
The price for reducing costs while maximizing gorgeousness was to forgo steel altogether and use aluminum instead, a thin sheet of aluminum plate, on which intricate mysterious patterns were drawn. Actually, it was mass-produced by casting with molds, imitating the style of legendary armor.
The finished armor glinted with silver, appearing majestic and noble. However, it was as thin as paper and had no defensive capabilities. The advantage was that it was very lightweight, allowing even those who weren’t trained to wear it. Its cost was less than one gold coin.
I was quite surprised that such a suitable design existed, perfectly meeting my requirements and even exceeding my expectations. I suspected they might have done this kind of business before.
“Heh-heh, Miss Parul, you know, some farm owners, minor knights, and wealthy families buy this kind of cheap armor for their hired guards to wear just to save face,” the General Manager said.
Indeed, human ingenuity is endless. Someone had already been in this business. Perhaps they had also received orders from people like Rodrigo who offered low prices, delivering such defenseless armor to deceive them.
Come to think of it, isn’t this a fake? It imitates the style of legendary armor but is made with shortcuts. Perhaps some novice adventurers, wanting to look cool, would be tricked into buying this armor and then face misfortune.
However, it was sufficient for now. Anyway, these refugees were not expected to fight; it was enough to save face. Although this aluminum armor would undoubtedly be a laughingstock in the eyes of true nobles, the Lord of the City probably wouldn’t care.
I asked the General Manager to produce a batch of inventory to sell cheaply to the Knight Captain. He readily agreed, and then I went home.
As I pushed open the door, I smelled a very rich aroma, instantly making me extremely hungry. I had been busy outside all day, and as the Gluttony Witch, I was already famished.
Older Brother Jayad sat at the table and waved at me. “Parul is back! Giselle made dinner for us today. I tasted a little earlier, and it’s very good. Parul, come try it quickly.”
“Hmm, Giselle made it?” I looked towards the kitchen with some surprise. I saw the Thief lady wearing a home apron, holding a spoon, and walking out. Coupled with her fair skin and silver hair, and cute appearance, she had a unique charm.
“Yes, thank you all for your care these past few days. I’ve almost recovered, so I wanted to try making a meal as a small token of my gratitude. However, I’m imitating Miss Parul’s cooking, and I haven’t learned it very well yet,” Giselle said somewhat shyly.
“I think you’ve learned very well! You’re about seventy percent of Sister Parul’s level. It’s already very good for your first time cooking,” Via said, scooping soup into her mouth with a spoon.
“Eh~ I knew why you were watching my cooking and asking about my techniques these past few days. So you wanted to learn! You should have said so earlier, and I could have taught you everything,” I said with a smile as I sat down in my seat.
“Let me try.” I picked up a piece of stir-fried green peppers with meat, imitating my dish, and put it into my mouth. I nodded repeatedly to Giselle. “Good, good. You’ve grasped the basics. Stir-frying requires high heat and quick tossing. It should be even tastier with more practice.”
“Sister Parul is really strict. Miss Giselle is also cooking for the first time, so don’t be too harsh,” Lorna floated beside the dining table, pulling food into her mouth with her mental power whenever she saw something interesting.
“Yes, Miss Giselle worked very hard today. She’s been busy since the afternoon. We wanted to help her, but she refused, saying only by doing it herself would it be a proper thank you. However, we still helped a little,” Sherris also said.
Giselle had even prepared raw meat dishes specifically for Sherris, imitating the sashimi I directly marinated and seasoned. A small table was set up beside it. She was truly thoughtful.
“No, I’m a complete beginner in this regard and really need Miss Parul’s guidance. Please point out any problems,” Giselle said humbly.
“It’s nothing. I’ve always been straightforward. If there’s a problem, I’ll definitely point it out. Come, sit and eat with us, and I’ll tell you slowly,” I said with a smile.
Afterward, during dinner, we harmoniously and joyfully discussed Giselle’s first cooking attempt, offered her guidance, and even jokingly ranked her dishes.
It felt like I hadn’t been this happy while eating in a long time. It wasn’t just about the taste of the food, but the atmosphere of sitting around like family, talking and laughing. It was what I loved most.
Unfortunately, as our affairs become more numerous, we’ve been discussing more serious matters at the dinner table. The food is getting better, but that joyful, entertaining atmosphere is missing.
After dinner, the dishes were, as usual, handled by Sherris, who was acting as the maid. She was becoming more and more like a qualified professional maid.
“Then I need to go to Mr. Safah’s place. I’m leaving now.” As soon as dinner was over, Older Brother Jayad rushed home.
“Then I’ll go buy some materials. You guys take care of the house,” I said. As soon as Older Brother Jayad left, I also headed out.
However, I wasn’t going to buy any materials. In fact, I was almost fully armed. I stopped a carriage and headed directly to the location revealed by the divination at the meeting.
