Who Is the World’s Strongest Appraiser? ~Living in Another World With Satisfying Meals~

Got Dried Ingredients, So Made Dried Dashi

That day, Yuuri messed up again.

However, as usual, he had no awareness of having messed up. Not at all. He simply did it as usual, in pursuit of a better life and tastier meals. There was no ill intent. None at all. …In fact, it’s probably because he wasn’t even a bit malicious that he gets scolded more.

“…So, what is this?”

“…Dried dashi…”

“And what is that?”

“…Something made by crushing dried ingredients, which becomes dashi when dissolved.”

On the dining table sat Ali’s alchemy cauldron. Today, Yuuri borrowed it from Ali again and experimented with an excited mode. And it was successful. It was, indeed, successful.

What Yuuri made today, as mentioned, is dried dashi. This was also thanks to Hallows, who returned from the sea and delivered lots of dried ingredients. Hallows only wanted to see how Yuuri would use these dried ingredients. Dried bonito, kelp, wakame, dried sardines, and various other dried seafood were delivered.

And when Yuuri saw them, he had an idea. An idea that he could make dried dashi by throwing them into the alchemy cauldron and adjusting the proportions. Throw in the dried ingredients and a little salt, and switch it on. And lo and behold, in no time at all, individually wrapped powder dashi packets were made.

Yuuri, delighted with his success, and Hallows, who was asking him questions, were getting excited when Ali arrived.

Despite having messed up with tartar sauce the other day, Yuuri hadn’t learned his lesson. Or rather, he continued to make tartar sauce the same way several times afterward. Just today, Hallows found out and with a smile said, “Shall we visit the production guild together?” That incident is still fresh in memory. And now, he even made dried dashi, so in Yuuri’s mind, the alchemy cauldron had become equivalent to a magic item for conveniently making seasonings.

Indeed, the alchemy cauldron is a wonderful tool that can create all sorts of things, seemingly ignoring physical laws, once you put in the materials. It’s influenced by the user’s skill, technique, and imagination, but generally, using the same materials results in the same output. Regardless of quality, it’s a convenient tool for producing consistent results.

…Questioning why he uses it to make large quantities of seasoning is futile. Because it’s Yuuri.

“Wasn’t today the day Hallows brought back a souvenir?”

“Yes. I made dried dashi with the dried ingredients I received.”

“So, why do you keep using the alchemy cauldron for making seasonings?!”

“Ouch! It hurts, Ali-san! I give, I give!!”

Once again in an Iron Claw hold, Yuuri was smacking the desk beside him. However, this wasn’t enough to calm Ali’s anger. The onlookers, watching from a distance, didn’t lift a finger to help.

…Meanwhile, Hallows was holding the unknown dried dashi (the individually packaged paper bags were also unfamiliar to him) and was staring at it intently with a serious expression. His merchant instincts were likely telling him something.

“Why are you even doing this in the first place?”

“…Well, dashi made from dried ingredients is delicious, but it takes time to make from scratch…”

“What?”

“Besides, when you make dashi, it turns into liquid, but if it’s in powder form, you can just sprinkle it and instantly add dashi flavor, making seasoning and cooking much easier!”

“…So why does that lead you to use the alchemy cauldron?”

Ali sighed tiredly at Yuuri’s enthusiastic explanation. The alchemy cauldron is a magic item that can only be handled by those with alchemy skills. Ordinary magic items don’t choose their user. The alchemy cauldron, however, demands the user to have the skill to wield it, making it a high-level magic item. And because of that, creating something with the alchemy cauldron is considered a status symbol.

In other words, it’s normally used to create rare ingots, accurately mix chemicals, or transform materials into other magic items—highly specialized tasks. That Ali was gripping Yuuri’s head tightly, using it to make seasonings, was only natural. It was the anger of a guardian wondering why Yuuri lacked common sense.

“For the sake of saving time?”

Freed from the Iron Claw, Yuuri tilted his head, answering with genuine curiosity. The onlookers glanced away awkwardly. Ali was completely drained, his head drooping. It seems he realized correcting Yuuri was impossible. …Father, you realized it a bit too late. It’s too late now.

Seeing Ali’s dejection as a temporary halt to the scolding, Hallows poked Yuuri’s shoulder. In his hand was the dried dashi Yuuri had made (individually packed in paper bags).

“Hallows-san? What’s up?”

“Yuuri-kun, how about selling this?”

“…Huh?”

Yuuri tilted his head with a question mark floating above it. He had no idea what Hallows meant. Yuuri made the dried dashi just to make daily cooking easier. He wanted to make cooking easier for himself. That was all, so the idea of selling it didn’t make sense to him.

Hallows, however, had a flash of insight after Yuuri explained the dried dashi. This finely ground dashi can be dissolved in water to make instant dashi. Moreover, being in dried form makes it easy to use in stir-fries and other dishes. This is bound to sell. His merchant instincts were screaming that this would sell not only to housewives but also to restaurants!

“…It’s just finely ground dried ingredients, you know? With a little salt added.”

“Of course, I understand.”

“It would taste the same as regular dashi, you know?”

“Yes, I understand that. But Yuuri-kun, you said it yourself, didn’t you?”

“…Me?”

“Yes. You said, ‘It shortens cooking time’.”

Yuuri gave a disinterested reply to the cheerful smile of Hallows. He didn’t understand at all why Hallows was pushing so hard. Sure, dried dashi would shorten cooking time, and that was what Yuuri aimed for. However, he still couldn’t grasp the idea of selling it or thinking about selling it.

But at the same time, a doubt suddenly arose.

“But Hallows-san, isn’t it that people around here don’t have a habit of making dashi?”

“No, they don’t. That’s why I was also thinking about how to sell the dried ingredients. Of course, famous restaurant chefs might know about it, but it’s a culture unfamiliar to common people. …In fact, the miso soup Yuuri-kun made was better than the one seasoned only with miso, right?”

“Dashi is essential for miso soup.”

Yuuri said firmly with a serious face.

This is a non-negotiable point. It seems to be one of the walls faced by Japanese men with foreign wives. Miso soup isn’t just about seasoning with miso. Dashi is needed. Seasoning only with miso makes it bland. The soup that is created with dashi, miso, and the umami of the ingredients is what miso soup is.

“So, you’re recommending this to people who don’t have a habit of making dashi?”

“The dried dashi, yes.”

“Yes. With this, you just need to add it like salt when making soup, right? If it changes the taste, it will surely sell.”

“Well, in my hometown, dried dashi has become a staple of daily life.”

Japanese people grow up surrounded by dashi and umami. Dried dashi has become ingrained in daily life. And if the convenience and taste of dried dashi spread, it might sell, Yuuri thought vaguely. Just vaguely.

“…Uh, does that mean I’ll be making the dried dashi for sale?”

“…With my alchemy pot?”

“…I thought so.”

As soon as Yuuri asked Hallows, Ali interjected with a low voice. Yuuri had anticipated this reaction, so he glanced at Hallows and asked, “What will we do?” However, it seemed Hallows had a solution. It looked like he was thinking of having Yuuri make the initial batch.

“For now, I’d like Yuuri-kun to make a few as product samples, but after that, I’ll ask other alchemists.”

“Will the alchemists even take such a job?”

“Ali-san, that’s the idea of someone skilled in alchemy like you. …Everywhere, young apprentices in training are struggling with a lack of work.”

The calm words from Hallows seemed to resonate with the training alchemists, who groaned quietly. Since they are still beginners, there are fewer jobs they can take, and they often get low-paying jobs. Accumulating experience is important.

Alchemists vary greatly in skill, from those who can create rare items to those who can only do basic alchemy. Dried dashi has simple materials, and once you see the actual product and taste it, it’s easy to imagine. It’s a low-difficulty recipe.

“So Yuuri-kun, let’s go to the production guild together tomorrow?”

“…Uh, so we’ll be registering the dried dashi recipe too?”

“Yes. Of course, the tartar sauce as well. I think that will sell too.”

“…Ali-saaan.”

“Go and do it.”

“…Okay.”

Yuuri, who didn’t want to deal with the troublesome rights issues, tried to back out, but Ali rejected his refusal. It was clear that Hallows would use every trick to take him there. So, it’s better to give up and go to the production guild quietly from the start. And once the recipe is registered, Hallows will handle the business.

In other words, considering future troubles, it’s better to give up now and head to the production guild. Because once the recipe is registered, other alchemists will handle the supply.

“So, Hallows-san, I’ll leave it to you.”

“Yes. Thank you.”

Yuuri, who had given up on various things, bowed his head, and Hallows, with a smiling face, nodded. It was a stark contrast. Hallows, the traveling merchant, was excited about the new business prospect. To him, Yuuri probably looked like a chicken laying golden eggs. He casually drops all sorts of bombs every time.

As a side note, following the same logic, Yuuri also made dried dashi from chicken bones, pork bones, and beef bones, received Ali’s knuckle sandwich, and after being told by Hallows, registered those recipes as well, leading to their sale.