---

Unlike the East, which enjoys a variety of dried seafood such as dried sea cucumber, abalone, squid, and octopus, the West does not have many types of dried seafood.

However, dried seafood still has its influence in the West.

There are periods where people cannot eat meat due to religious reasons.

The lower class struggles to have meat because of a lack of money.

Preserved food is prepared before traveling long distances.

Dried seafood is a vital means to supplement the lack of protein. Wars have even erupted over fishing grounds, affecting the rise and fall of nations.

Similar incidents have occurred in Europa, making it understandable for Godwin to think of the delicacies made from Ship’s Claw Crab.

“I just can’t figure out how to sell this…”

“If it has distinctive product value, we might find a market.”

“I believe it has enough product value.”

At that statement, both Godwin and Viktor nodded their heads, tipping like a weeble wobble at the end of the table.

“This makes for a fantastic drink accompaniment.”

Karem was confident.

Smoked Ship’s Claw Crab.

It wasn’t dried by sea breezes, nor was it snow crab.

But whatever the outcome, it was obvious.

Sea Snacks.

Unless there were health, mental, or financial issues, no drinker would dare refuse such a high-quality delicacy.

Moreover, the ingredients were everywhere.

One could simply go to the swamp and gather them.

Even if one were to catch a countless number, they would be replenished from the coast before a day passed.

Such creatures gorge on peat, filling their shells with meat as stout as king crab.

To be honest, the typical sea snacks made from snow crab aren’t very meaty.

But how much more would there be if we made sea snacks from fully packed Ship’s Claw Crab?

Of course, it wasn’t dried by sea breeze but rather smoked with peat. But Karem didn’t care about such trivialities; no one was going to nitpick.

“Hmm, smoked crustaceans, huh.”

Ishikobaharten, late afternoon.

Viktor rubbed his short beard. His eyes were fixed on the public smoker at the outskirts of the village.

The outskirts of Ishikobaharten were unseasonably warm due to the hot heat emitted from the public smoker. There were only three of them, though.

A strangely appetizing smell mixed with thick smoke began to rise toward the twilight sky.

“I’ve never heard of anyone smoking crabs.”

“From Europa? Not once?”

As Karem put dried peat into the smoker, he asked.

“Correct. Not once.”

The former smuggling king shook his head. There was a valid reason that no one could dispute.

“Smoking is ultimately a technique for preserving food.”

“Well, that’s true.”

“If you have the means, you’d want to eat crustaceans fresh, just caught. Who in their right mind would smoke crabs?”

“Mm, I concede.”

Karem couldn’t argue. The best way to enjoy crustaceans was fresh from the sea.

Moreover, the only smoking he had ever seen was jerky and fish. Beyond that, he had never encountered dried seafood or smoked items, save for the periodically delivered dried kelp.

“By the way, if a Servianus sees this, it’ll be quite the spectacle. I mean, smoking crabs?”

“I don’t think it’s that extreme.”

“Even if Ship’s Claw Crab is merely a vermin, it’s still a crab.”

Viktor’s gaze turned to the shells of Ship’s Claw Crab legs lying at Karem’s feet. He couldn’t help but lick his lips. Just looking at them made him feel hungry.

“Heh, the Servianus really pride themselves on their culture. Well, considering they claim to be direct descendants of the Palatino Empire, that’s understandable. They tend to be quite sensitive about food.”

“Like the two countries that bicker over alcohol?”

Viktor snorted in agreement.

“Yes, the national love of alcohol in Eisenvalt and Bersengzeto is well-known. It’s a similar context.”

Karem also knew of Eisenvalt’s love for beer from Zigmeser, who hailed from there.

The Beer Purity Law.

In Eisenvalt, beer is defined strictly as beer brewed from wheat, barley, hops, and water. Selling anything else under the name beer would result in punishment, even from the chieftains elected by the thirteen clans.

It had the same name as a certain country’s law regarding warfare in the past, but the content was much stricter.

“So, does that mean Servianus would start beheading people for making dried seafood from crustaceans?”

It wasn’t surprising for Karem to come to this conclusion.

“What? Surely not.”

“The love for culinary art doesn’t go that far, does it?”

“Arguments often arise over which is tastier: pizza with fruit or without, or how much to boil pasta for the best flavor.”

“Uh… that can happen.”

Karem had indeed had moments where William would ask if he was an amateur at tasting food over how he cooked steak.

He was quite accustomed to that type of debate.

Dipping versus drizzling, crispy versus moist, and thigh meat versus leg meat, and so on.

People do have their preferences.

“However, I simply will not tolerate hot mint tea.”

Speaking of mint tea, he had also heard that it never managed to penetrate the market share held by Alraune’s Tear.

How splendid.

Karem had absolutely no intentions of ever accepting hot mint tea.

“So, I have a question for you,” Viktor’s inquiry interrupted Karem, momentarily submerged in his disdain for hot mint tea.

“What does this taste like?”

“Do you drink alcohol, Mister Viktor?”

“Only out of necessity.”

“In that case, prepare to be amazed. I mentioned this earlier, didn’t I?”

Godwin raised an eyebrow innocently.

He had heard something he never expected.

While he had seen Godwin’s skills before, to be told with such confidence to look forward to it was unexpected.

“You won’t be able to get enough later on.”

Of course, Karem had never smoked crabs before.

But that wasn’t a problem at all.

Cooking, by its nature, usually requires some trial and error.

Although he had no experience smoking crabs, he had once smoked shrimp during barbecues.

And fundamentally, barbecuing is not that different from smoking; it utilizes excess legs to find the optimal cooking time.

Based on his past experiences, he estimated that the best time to smoke crab legs was about half a day plus a little extra.

Of course, one would need to sample them regularly while checking the smoker, so he would need to put in a considerable number of crabs, but Karem wasn’t too worried.

As he mentioned earlier, there were loads of Ship’s Claw Crabs everywhere once you stepped outside the village.

Even if he caught all of those, there would be no cause for concern, as crabs would continue to crawl in from the coast to fill the void.

Using the excess crabs to shorten the trial and error time with sufficient volume was the plan.

“Indeed, doing it this way might yield results within a day.”

“By tonight at the latest, I expect,” Viktor replied with an approving nod.

It wasn’t that different from smuggling.

Even if one failed dozens of times, a single success would make it profitable.

“So, are you skipping meals for the sake of this?”

“As for meals, I prepared something for Miss Catherine earlier and munched a bit while testing this.”

Karem opened the smoker and pulled out a Ship’s Claw Crab leg with his bare hands, inspecting it amidst the thick smoke.

“Hmm, this is progressing faster than I thought.”

“No, you shouldn’t be touching that with your bare hands—”

“Divine Power. Divine Power.”

Karem demonstrated the use of Divine Power with his empty hands. A holy sensation of crisp white snow gathered moisture and flowed like fog down to the ground.

“My goodness, using Divine Power in cooking… a cleric… huh.”

“That sounds a bit off.”

“No, thinking back, it isn’t entirely impossible.”

“Oh, are there really such oddities?”

“Are you really the one asking that?”

Viktor looked at Karem as if he were a gnome calling a dwarf short.

Karem didn’t bat an eyelash as he focused on the shell of the half-finished smoked crab leg pulled from the smoker, exhaling a deep sigh.

“While it’s not in cooking, it isn’t uncommon for alcohol to be brewed using Divine Power. At least in the mainland of Europa.”

“Oh, really?”

“The resulting divine brew can serve both as holy water and a tonic, and it’s often displayed for sale at temples.”

Whichever method it was made, it would surely be fortified with Divine Power, allowing for multi-faceted uses.

“I wonder if I could ask Elder Iona for a taste.”

“Stop right there. Even so, divine brews belong to the realm of temples.”

“What if I traded for it with mammoth meat?”

“Would that really be enough?”

Viktor mused, picturing Elder Iona’s reaction in his mind, letting out a chuckle.

“Heh, a piece of horn would likely procure a barrel with no qualms.”

“Then there’s no problem. Here you go.”

“Huh? All of a sudden?”

Viktor received the somewhat under-smoked crab leg Karem suddenly presented and was surprised at how light it felt.

“Weren’t you coming here because you wanted to taste it?”

“Hmm, ahem. Hmph.”

“Were you planning to hide it or something?”

“Could it really be so obvious? Well, I need to sample it before selling, don’t I?”

Karem smirked as he inverted the Ship’s Claw Crab leg he had just taken out.

“Here, give it a try.”

“Can I just eat it as it is?”

“Eat it just like you would a crab leg.”

Viktor took a moment to examine the slightly cooled crab leg, thanks to the Divine Power.

“It feels lighter than expected, probably because of the smoking.”

The shell was sooty, but the unique fragrance wasn’t something that could easily be called mere smoke.

As Karem demonstrated how to hold and twist off an unseen joint of the crab leg, Viktor mirrored his action.

His hands were smudged with soot, but he didn’t mind.

Crunch—

The joint blackened from the smoke crumbled like a snack. The meat from the leg slipped out effortlessly down the widened path with no resistance, just like the peeled horn of a roasted bull or an eel. It was easier to pick than a chicken leg.

Slurp—

“Huh!?”

Only after eating did Viktor grasp what Karem had meant.

The sensation of transparent bones slipping out from the center of the flesh gripped between his teeth.

Despite the intriguing sensation, there was no taste to be felt.

Flavor emerged precisely when he started to chew.

Chomp— Chomp—

Indeed, as suggested, the dried exterior mingled perfectly with the still-soft inner flesh.

The soft inner meat hinted at the pure flavor of crab, while the dried, concentrated outer layer concealed the flavor.

Both distinctly different textures merged through his teeth, making the rich taste of the ocean meet the authentic flavor of the sea within his mouth.

The taste of bottled sea breeze exploded.

The delicate flesh quickly traveled down his throat, while the roughly charred, smoky part from the outside lingered.

Crab leg meat tore more finely and delicately than barbecue chicken legs, shredding like needles made of ice.

As the minuscule piece of dried meat regained its moisture, it brought back the ocean’s delight that had vanished with the swallow.

In such a situation, his nose wasn’t idle either.

A scent different from ordinary smoke enveloped him.

A harmonious mix of oak barrels, well-dried firewood, burning charcoal, and toasted bread pleasantly tickled the insides of his nostrils.

The taste felt by his tongue stimulated his nose as well.

While tastes and fragrances fought intensely in a chaotic battle, the mouth, the battleground, dried up severely, gasping in defeat.

Now both his mouth and tongue craved something.

A refreshing, cool drink to wash away the saltiness in his mouth—

“Where’s the beer?”

“That’s the one!”

Viktor clutched the crab leg with his fingers and roughly seized Karem’s alcohol pouch, gulping it down.

Before he became an Icelander, Viktor had always regarded Eisenvalt ale as his favorite.

However, this moment was different.

Of course, the ultimate beer would still be Eisenvalt beer, which packs a punch with the aroma of freshly baked bread with just one sip.

But right now, right this moment, without the Drunken Fire—

The beer that matched this snack was definitely a lager.

Karem asked Viktor, who had already downed half the crisp and light, effervescent liquid full of refreshing flavor.

“So, what do you think, Viktor?”

“Urgh!”

“Though it’s unfinished, how does it taste?”

“A strong salty flavor, a persistent sweetness of crab. The aroma complements the drink perfectly. This is fantastic! If only the packaging could be sorted out, it would be ready for sale—”

“It’s said to be good for vitality.”

“Huh? Vitality?”

“Crustaceans are indeed good for vitality. With moisture removed, the meat should work even better, right?”

As Karem’s conviction deepened in tone, Viktor’s eyes widened, almost bulging.

Where on earth did he learn that… no, it must be true.

Viktor had experienced enough to know.

When it comes to food, Karem’s claims tended to hold considerable weight.

Keeee—

Just as Viktor opened his mouth, a tremendous sound like wood twisting echoed.

“Whoa, that’s one impressive belch.”

“No, that can’t be a belch. This is—”

“Hey, the ship is sinking!!!”

“That’s the sound of the hull twisting.”

As a shout from a villager echoed above the barrier, Karem briefly looked at Viktor. When the twisting sound rang out again, both hurriedly climbed up to the lookout.

Their position was on the opposite side of the coast, but they could still clearly see the sea beyond it.

The galleon was sinking below the water’s surface.

Dozens of oars fell into the ocean, resembling broken wings.

And then.

Guwaaaahhhh!

“That’s definitely a dwarf, right?”

“Yeah, he’s running on the water.”

A dwarf was splashing through the waves with abandon.

 

---