Chapter 10: No, what about this item? (2)

“Welcome, Kyle! I’m so glad you could visit my workshop!”

Rachel’s workshop was larger than I had expected.

Well, to be more precise, it was larger than I had anticipated.

It wasn’t big for a mage from the [Teal Magic Tower], but for Rachel’s workshop, it was quite spacious.

‘I thought it would be like a storage room, given how she couldn’t even afford food and had a worn-out robe.’

But it seems that even a mage doesn’t skimp on certain things.

I handed her the basket I was holding.

“Here, take this.”

“What’s this?”

“It’s rude to visit someone’s home empty-handed, so I brought some food.”

“I don’t know what the custom is where you’re from, but this is truly wonderful!”

Rachel quickly grabbed the basket as soon as she heard the word “food.”

She lifted the cloth covering the basket slightly, and with a small disappointed sigh, she muttered.

“It’s sandwiches?”

“Yeah. Is there a problem?”

“No, it’s just that I’ve only ever had one of Kyle’s dishes, so I was just recalling that for a moment!”

Well, even so, having chicken for lunch is a bit much.

And besides, the shop isn’t even open yet, so there’s no chicken anyway.

But that’s beside the point; Rachel’s reaction stung my pride a bit.

‘What? Sandwiches?’

This isn’t just an ordinary sandwich, you know?

And the way she said it, as if I were someone who only eats chicken.

Of course, I’m the owner of a fried chicken shop, but that doesn’t mean I can’t cook anything else.

I casually said,

“Let’s eat first. There’s no rush to look at the magic tools.”

“Shall we? You really know what you’re doing!”

As expected, Rachel eagerly took the bait.

She smiled brightly like a puppy hearing about a walk and led me inside.

It was a space with a large box and a small box placed in it.

“Please wait for a moment!”

She placed the basket on the large box and took out the small box from inside, placing it down.

“Here! Please sit here!”

“…Is this also a magic tool?”

“No, it’s a chair! Just like it looks!”

But to me, it looks more like a box.

I stared at the box, feeling a bit confused.

‘Is this… a mage’s workshop?’

This doesn’t look like a workshop; it seems more like a student’s apartment.

Looking around, I saw more boxes and cloths scattered across them.

Wait, is that cloth the robe I saw yesterday?

‘Let’s stop thinking about it.’

I stopped my train of thought and sat down.

Rachel had already taken a seat and neatly folded the cloth that had been on the basket.

She picked up one of the sandwiches from the basket as a signal that I was seated.

And she looked at it with wide eyes.

“The bread… is quite unique?”

The special thing about my sandwich.

It’s that I used soft bread for it.

To modern people, this might not seem like a big deal, but actually, soft bread is quite extraordinary.

Because soft bread is made with milk, sugar, and eggs, which makes it a ‘soft’ bread for meals.

In this world, the bread that people commonly eat is baked hard like a stone for preservation, and the more luxurious ones are about the size of a baguette.

Considering that, soft bread is quite an innovative food.

Originally, I wouldn’t have thought to make soft bread, but it couldn’t be helped.

‘I really should have gotten rid of the chicken smell before returning.’

Because I hadn’t gotten rid of the smell, Selly thought I had enjoyed a delicious meal alone, and she sulked.

It was unfair to me, as I hadn’t even eaten a single crumb of chicken, but what could I do?

The only solution was to make something delicious and cheer her up.

And then, soft bread came to mind, so I decided to try making it.

Anyway, the reason I made it isn’t important.

What matters is the taste.

Rachel, who picked up the bread, opened her mouth wide and bit into the sandwich, chewing it with a pleased look and her eyes sparkling.

“It’s delicious! Does this have a special name?”

“It’s a ham and cheese toast.”

Yes, it’s the same ham and cheese toast you find at those toast shops.

That dish, which used to be my cheap meal during my student days!

Due to the limited ingredients, I couldn’t add any sauce, so it only has ham, cheese, and eggs in it, but—

Even so, the ham and cheese were so tasty that it didn’t feel lacking at all.

The slightly toasted, crispy and soft bread, with the fluffy egg, gives a rich texture, while the salty ham and umami cheese bring the flavor together.

It’s truly a textbook example of toast.

Since I remember the original version, I can confidently say it tastes great, so there’s no need to ask if it suits Rachel’s taste.

“Ham and cheese toast! It’s a very intuitive name! I really liked it!”

Rachel, who still devours food at an unbelievable speed.

Her speed reminded me of a round, pink something.

Still, this time, I was able to get a sandwich out just in time to taste it.

‘I’m glad I put in the effort.’

The effort I put in making this since morning.

Since I didn’t have a dough mixer, I had to knead the dough by hand, and since I didn’t have an oven, I had to carefully adjust the temperature while baking in a stone oven.

How many pieces of bread did I burn because of the unfamiliar stone oven?

Considering that this is the result, the satisfaction I feel goes beyond the taste.

But on the other hand, it’s a bit unfortunate.

‘I can’t put this on the menu.’

No matter how I think about it, the cost-efficiency isn’t right to put this on the menu.

It would be fine if the ingredients were just expensive, but it takes too much effort.

I’m doing all the complicated baking work by hand, so I fail often.

If only I had the modern tools I’m used to…

‘There’s nothing I can do about what I don’t have.’

I swallowed my disappointment as I thought that.

After finishing the short meal.

With a look of lingering regret, Rachel stared at the empty basket before she reluctantly stood up from her seat.

“Thank you for the meal. Now it’s time to show you my work!”

She led me further inside the workshop.

Unlike the outer area with many scattered boxes, this place had buzzing machines scattered everywhere.

It felt less like a wizard’s workshop and more like a factory.

I looked around at the various machines, nodding as I took in the sight.

‘I can see why the nobles didn’t buy these.’

It was clear even from the outside that this wizard didn’t care at all about appearances.

The magical tools here were completely focused on efficiency and function!

The level of focus on efficiency was so high that just by looking at the appearance, I could almost guess what each item was for.

‘This looks like a washing machine. Is this a printer?’

It felt like I had stepped into an electronics section at a store.

Although I couldn’t be sure if that was actually their function.

As I was guessing the uses of the various tools, Rachel stopped in front of one particular object.

“Here it is!”

“What kind of magical tool is this?”

“Don’t be surprised! This is a ‘Temperature Control Device!'”

“Temperature control device?”

What is that? From the name, it sounds like an air conditioner?

But there’s no air vent.

When I looked at her with a puzzled expression, Rachel continued explaining.

“If you open the door here and put something inside, it will keep the temperature constant!”

“Ah, is it a refrigerator?”

“The principle is similar! But that’s not why it’s my original invention! This device has my very own technology in it!”

“Original technology?”

“Yes! It’s a feature that allows you to easily control the temperature inside!”

Wait, hold on.

It controls the temperature?

I asked, just to be sure, how high the temperature could go, and Rachel answered in a slightly downcast voice.

“Well… it can go up to about 200 degrees. It’s not like the one made in the Turquoise Tower that can reach 1,000 degrees… but being able to freely adjust the temperature is still amazing, right?!”

“Wow.”

I couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration.

I never expected this to actually be an oven.

200 degrees might be a bit underwhelming in terms of heat power, but still, an oven in another world!

Seeing the potential, I eagerly asked Rachel.

“Can you add a feature that sets a timer to turn it off?”

“Huh? I haven’t thought of that feature before… but it’s not a difficult one, so I could make it quickly.”

Yes! It’s really an oven!

An oven is coming to our restaurant!

Once I saw the potential, I started eagerly asking Rachel about the functions of the other magical tools, and each time, she gave answers that exceeded my expectations.

“This is a magical tool that absorbs smells. It doesn’t completely absorb and decompose them, but it does release them afterward…”

A ventilation fan!

“Is this it? This is a device that measures temperature. If you insert this needle, the temperature of the object it’s inserted into will be displayed on the stone.”

A cooking thermometer you can insert!

“This isn’t related to cooking… it’s a device used to mix reagents. Many magical reagents need to be mixed at a certain speed…”

A slightly larger dough mixer!

Although some features were missing, and the size or purpose was different, all these were cooking tools I would see in modern times.

After thoroughly inquiring about the improvements that could be made to these items, I asked her in the kindest voice possible.

“Rachel, would you be interested in making a deal with me?”

I found it, the treasure trove.

From now on, you’re my exclusive engineer!