“&h.e.l.lip;What’s this?”
The Treasure Hunter Sarah was nearly speechless as she raised her voice in reaction at what’s there at her “destination”.
Five Years ago, the legendary treasure hunter died in this city of abandoned mines. It is said that William Gold spent his last years in this desolate town. In the deserted mine shafts, where the iron supply had been exhausted long ago, there is a secret hidden location that contained countless treasures built over generations!
Well, that was the rumor anyhow.
Of course, it was more like a fairy tale than anything else. William’s family, the Gold House was a large merchant household whose ancestral legacies still remained even to this day. Yet even in those numerous doc.u.ments, there was no record, well no official one, that even hinted at hidden fortunes ama.s.sed by William.
Despite all this, Sarah ventured into the abandoned mine shafts, and by a stroke of luck, or perhaps merely a freaky coincidence, acquired the diary of William Gold from his last few years.
According to the dairy, after emigrating to this town, William Gold made sure to visit the abandoned mine shaft once per week without fail.
The content was often short, such as “Today is finally Sat.u.r.day. Once again I’m headed off to the mine shaft.” They were all relatively brief descriptions, but there was an emphasis every time on the date, Sat.u.r.day. Without fail, when Sat.u.r.day came around there would be mention, almost dutifully as if the visit and trips he took became second nature to him.
As for William himself, as long as his body was able to move, he visited the mine without fail. When his body was struck down with an illness that rendered movement impossible, he wrote in his diary over and over again “Today is Sat.u.r.day, I resent this immobile body of mine.” Once, there was a day he visited the mine the Monday after a Sat.u.r.day. He left that day with a string of curses with a description that said “Tis amounted to naught but a fool’s errand.”
While young, Sarah was marvel of a treasure hunter, or huntress. At the very least, she was unlike those rouges and thieves who could not tell a sham if it spit them in the face.
Her intuition told her that this diary was no sham, even if it did look like it had been spit in a few times, especially during the curses. It also told her that she needed to visit the mine during Sat.u.r.day, or else the end result would always be nothing. And so, Sarah, while still thinking about William’s unseen hidden treasure, entered into the abandoned mine.
She found a hidden pa.s.sage way that was no doubt hidden by William himself so it could not be found by an amateur. While sometimes fighting with monsters who called the dangerous cave home and mapping out her path along the way, she finally reached the deepest part of the abandoned mine on a Sat.u.r.day and was face to face with&h.e.l.lip;
A door.
But not just any door, this one had a picture of a cat with what appeared to be strange characters on a sign.
Yesterday there was no sign of such a thing here. Yet today from the shadows, a door made from a black oak tree had emerged.
“It’s a door&h.e.l.lip; I think?”
She examined the newly popped up structure, and determined there were not traps&h.e.l.lip; In fact, there was no place to put the key and the door itself did not seem to be locked.
In other words, if you are going to enter there would be no better time than now.
“&h.e.l.lip;Well, anyway the problem here is should I try to enter or&h.e.l.lip;”
While troubled over her decision, Sarah decided to enter.
In order to obtain William’s heritage, Sarah ha been preparing as much as possible.
She bought the most valuable healing elixirs available and the best equipment she could prepare. There is no option but to head forward, there was no turning back.
“If I die from whatever is behind that door&h.e.l.lip; Then I suppose this is all I amounted to.”
And so, with a resolute and determined expression, Sarah opened the door.
Ding, Ding Ding.
As the door opened, the sounds of bells jingled inside.
(An Alarm!?)
Acting on pure reflex, Sarah crouched down and poised to remove her favorite dagger.
“Welcome&h.e.l.lip; Customer please put away this dangerous weapon, these things are not to be used in this establishment.”
Encouraged a middle-aged man who gently placed the dagger inside an amazed Sarah’s palm.
“&h.e.l.lip;What’s this?”
A stunned Sarah murmured.
“A Dining Hall?”
“Hmmm. It’s more of a Western Style&h.e.l.lip; Cat Cafe.”
As she put away the dagger, Sarah asked about this “restaurant”, to which the owner’s reply was very simple.
“A restaurant&h.e.l.lip; at the very back of this abandoned mine shaft!?”
To Sarah’s involuntary exclamation, the man simply shrugs.
“An abandoned mine?&h.e.l.lip; Oh! The customer came from Mr.William’s “door”.”
“So&h.e.l.lip; William had been using that door to come to&h.e.l.lip; here?”
As Sarah looked back at the entrance, she noticed the door she pa.s.sed through earlier could be considered very large. She saw that the black oak door furnished with a cat raising a right hand, attached on it was a tiny golden bell.
“&h.e.l.lip;Is that some kind of a magical item?”
Observing the bell again, Sarah noticed there was a very powerful magic put on it, trying to confirm with the owner.
He nodded in response to Sarah’s question.
“Hmmm&h.e.l.lip; I don’t know the exact details but an old regular said that the door distorts s.p.a.ce and time and creates different doors in separate worlds. However it only appears once every week.”
“&h.e.l.lip;A different world? Is this a separate world from where I came from?”
Asked Sarah who just couldn’t grasp the concept and even repeated the same question twice out of shock.
The Nether Realm, The Underworld, Heaven, Fairy’s Land, the Realm of Mirrors, each of had a door in random locations, a pathway to this humble establishment. In the world Sarah comes from, this door was located inside an abandoned mine shaft.
It is undoubtable that there are other worlds, but for such a place to be one of them is not a fact that is easily swallowed.
“I would say this is nothing out of the ordinary&h.e.l.lip; but we both know that would be a lie.”
With a shrewd Treasure Hunter’s eye, Sarah set aside her thoughts and initial impressions. From her knowledge, compared to the restaurants at home, this was far too&h.e.l.lip; different.
There was somehow an entrance that headed underground. The room had no windows, allowing no light from the outside to come in. Yet, attached to the ceiling, there was something different yet similar to fire. It was extremely bright, resembling a sphere that emitted a dazzling light. It could only be made from magic, it was almost as if there was a miniature personal sun inside the room. The tables and chairs were neatly organized and in condition, both giving off the glossy sheen common of high quality wood.
On top of the table were crystal clear gla.s.s cups, accompanied by a small jug. Everything in this place was judged by Sarah’s instincts as expensive. This “Cat Cafe” was obviously not a high-end establishment, but its interior aspects would not lose even to that of the most luxurious of shops. Yet despite all this, it had no other apparent employees. It seemed that this entire store was run and operated alone by that single person.
“Nah, this is just your ordinary, run of the mill restaurant. So, would you like to order anything? It’s going to be rush hour soon, but it’s no quite lunch time yet so I have a bit of spare time.”
“&h.e.l.lip;I guess I’ll take you up on that offer.”
For a moment, she suspected the offer was a trap but then remembered what little she knew about this place. William Gold had been an almost religious follower of this Other World Dining Hall. For this place from another world to have so deeply fascinated him purely with its cuisine, it would be an outright lie to say she wasn’t interested.
“Great! Well then, please take a seat.”
After saying such, the man quickly retreated behind the counter.
“Well then&h.e.l.lip; I wonder what food from a different world will be like?I hope it’s nothing too strange.”
Sitting on the chair, Sarah takes a glance to see what’s on the table.
Arranged on the edge of the table was a red liquid inside a gla.s.s bottle, there were also fine white grains that seemed to be salt. There were also bars of wood with a clear tip that has appeared to been delicately sharpened. (Chopsticks)
The ceramics all had a note that represented what they were, but because it was written with characters that Sara could not read, she was unclear of their uses.
“Miss, can you read the Samanaku Language?”
While she was looking at the contents of the ceramics, which had black liquids or white grains, the owner entered back into the room and asked her.
“Yes, of course.”
In response to his words, Sarah nodded. The Samanaku language is the most widely used language in Sarah’s world. If you couldn’t read or write it, then having a job like a treasure hunter would be impossible.
“Great, So this is the menu&h.e.l.lip; Please, take your time.”
After saying that, the owner placed the menu in front of her that was fully written in the Samanaku language, along with a transparent gla.s.s cup filled with water and ice.
“&h.e.l.lip;Wait. I, I didn’t order any water.”
Sarah said in a foul mood when she saw him place it down on her table.
While her throat was parched, and that her first thought was to ask for water, the fact that she didn’t know what kind of monetary costs were being applied was unforgivable.
“Be careful or else you’ll pay.” The teachings from her home were that of a merchant’s mindset.
The water was so clear, and the ice would be impossible without magic. The simple elegance of the water could be estimated to be one silver in the common sense of Sarah. She would rather die than buy such a thing.
But the man in question of Sarah simply laughs.
“Oh, the lemon water is a free service, it’s on the house. Seconds too, so don’t worry about it and take it easy.
After saying that, the owner returned to the kitchen and started cooking, from Sarah’s position his actions were clearly visible.
“&h.e.l.lip;What in the world is this place, this restaurant?”
It really seemed that this was a different world, the Other World. Sarah recognized this fact once again and lifted her gla.s.s.
“&h.e.l.lip;Cold and refreshing.”
The water had a faint tint of lemons mixed within, giving it an extremely refreshing flavor as it spread throughout her mouth. The taste made her come back to life after endlessly walking inside the abandoned mine.
Since it appeared to be free for the time being, she drank without reservations and opened the menu. There she saw the familiar Samanaku language&h.e.l.lip; accompanied by many unidentified dishes.
“Hmmm&h.e.l.lip; the only one I recognize is the grilled meat and beef stew soup. But I don’t really understand the others.
The appearance and name of a dish, as well as sentence that explained the food itself was provided. As far as the menu was concerned, there were many dishes made with rice, which was explained in her language as a type of vegetable. At the same time, there were also many foods that were fried in oil and sprinkled with crushed bread.
&h.e.l.lip;None of these unknown dishes adhered to the common sense of Sarah, this was simply unusual cuisine.
“Honestly, just which one is good&h.e.l.lip; Ah&h.e.l.lip;”
While she was stuck and couldn’t make a decision she noticed something on the menu. The “Daily Lunch Special.” From the description, this Lunch Special changes every day and recommended the dish of the day. They were also about two copper coins cheaper than the other dishes.
“&h.e.l.lip;Yup.”
Looking at it, Sarah decided to order it.
Anyway, if I don’t know what kind of food is delicious, it’s fine to just choose whatever. Plus it’s even cheaper than the rest.
“Miss, have you decided on what you would like to order?”
“Yeah. Give me the Daily Lunch Special please.”
The owner came to up to Sarah to see if her order had been determined yet and received a prompt response.
“I see, the Daily Special. Please wait a moment.”
“Hey, wait a second.”
As he heard that, the owner quickly stopped heading to the kitchen. He then turned to Sarah and asked, “‘Yes, What is it?”
“What’s today’s special anyway?”
Since she actually didn’t hear the name of the dish, she decided to ask. At that, the owner thought for a bit&h.e.l.lip;
“Let’s see, today is&h.e.l.lip; oh, that guy also had a special relationship with this dish.
He smiled wryly and told her today’s menu.
“Today’s daily special is the minced cutler&h.e.l.lip; The dish that William liked the best.”
In the past, the name of William was linked to this particular dish.
From the kitchen the clear crisp sound of oil sizzling and frying could be heard.
While listening to the sound, Sarah organized all the information that she learned.
(Alright, first of all William Gold seems to have settled in that city in his later years for this reason. It seems that it was a misinterpretation on my part that it was his hidden fortune. Only once in 7 days&h.e.l.lip; perhaps it is only possible to visit during Sat.u.r.day, this is also mentioned in his diary, the Other World Dinning Hall.)
Considering the obtained information, the reason why William choose to live in this section of the abandoned mine was clearly this restaurant.
(As such&h.e.l.lip; Is the cuisine here more delicious and wonderful than anything the luxury shops of the Imperial City could possibly hope to create!?”
The treasure that William kept secret throughout his entire lifetime. He even had a large mansion which was built-in pure gold that conducted business in the Imperial City, which gathered people and goods from around the world. It was more crowded there than anywhere else, it was no doubt that the restaurants also served delicious delicacies. This property was still known as on the best houses in the kingdom. But speaking of William, if the meal here is so great, just how much gold would it cost? Despite all of this, just for the amount of effort to come to this dining room, there were probably a great deal of delicious unknown foods that were available here.
While thinking so, Sarah waited for the food to come, and after a short while&h.e.l.lip;
“Thank you for waiting. The Minced Cutlet is served as a set meal.
The owner, who had just finished cooking, went and set down the meal with some side dishes.
(&h.e.l.lip;I see, this is certainty a different world’s cuisine, the Other World’s cuisine.)
At the contents of the meal, she once again recognized the fact that this restaurant was from a different world. Even so, it was simply lined with food that completely deviated from Sarah’s common sense.
At the front was an exceptionally large dish. It was still making a sizzling noise and seemed to be coming from the two mounds of big brown meat, around the size of a large adult fist. The oil cold still be seen buzzing on the meat and would make anyone swallow a gulp of saliva. Right next to it was a fruit that was finely cut into four pieces, white sauce that was intertwined with nice warm vegetables and pasta into a small bowl. Finally fresh green leaves on the left to accompany the dish.
On a separate plate, there were two pieces of bread along with a lump of rich smooth b.u.t.ter in the corner. Finally, inside a bowl was finally chopped smoked meat whose smell completely shredded Sarah’s composure.
Kyururururu &h.e.l.lip; (Stomach Rumbling)
Sarah had nothing to eat from the morning she set out. The owner grinned as Sarah blushed due to the involuntary sound, saying:
“The bread and soup are free and replenishable, please say when you want more. At the same time, Mince Cutlet is good on its own but the sour juice of a lemon can help ease the richness and thickness of the fried meat. The sauce in the blue bottle will also help enhance the taste.”
As he said that, he pointed to one of the ceramics, a pitcher with a blue lid.
“Well, enjoy!”
After saying, the owner retracted into the back of the kitchen. And so, in the vast dining hall, there only remained the fragrant Minced Cutlet Meal Set and Sarah. The delicious smell wafted off the dish and she finally dived into the meal.
“&h.e.l.lip; What’s this!? Delicious!”
First Sarah tried the accompany soup to get a hint of the taste to come. As the soup entered her mouth and slipped past her throat, she unintentionally let out a strange voice due to the unexpected flavor.
The sweetness of the onion is good along with the savory smoked meat. The soup contained more that couldn’t be seen. Countless flavors of various and exotic varieties of vegetables were contained, condensed and acc.u.mulated into this unified and harmonious flavor. Without thinking, she drank all of the soup in one go.
With only the soup only, the dining halls back home were incomparable to this flavor.
“Uwaa&h.e.l.lip; How tender!”
Next was the bread.
To Sarah’s common sense it was unbelievable that bread could be so soft.
On top of that, it was a fluffy white appearance, rather than the black bread Sarah ate on a daily basis and much softer than the white bread that was served in her family’s estate.
&h.e.l.lip;As a bonus, the smeared b.u.t.ter only made it more delicious. The melting b.u.t.ter’s saltiness and strong flavor pulled up and elevated the soft sweet wheat flavor of the high-quality white bread to a new realm. This too, disappeared in the blink of an eye.
“Hey! Can I get another serving of bread and soup!?”
“Coming right up.”
As the owner said that, Sarah finally got down to the main course. She directed the knife and fork to finally reveal the mystery of the brown ma.s.s&h.e.l.lip; the Minced Cutlet.
With a gulp she started to eat. In this delicious restaurant the bread and soup already blasted the roof off her expectations . Her initial suspicion towards this place had unknowingly turned to exciting hope.
Sarah carefully isolated the Mince Cutlet into bit-sized portions. Making a crisp cutting noise, the knife broke in and from the perfectly cooked center, the juices from the meat gushed and overflowed. Viewing the cross-section, it seemed to have been made from finely chopped meat pieces.
![146225393340588.jpg]()
“&h.e.l.lip;&h.e.l.lip; Wow.”
That was all she could say. That’s just how delicious it was.
The taste spread throughout her mouth and was topped with generous amounts of gravy intertwining with the rich natural meat juices that gushed out from the cutler.
It mixed with the light coating and unraveled itself in her mouth. The salt and pepper began to kick in, but it didn’t hit harshly. It was the most exquisite accompaniment to the meat. This invited Sarah to the great world of unknown and fascinating delicacies.
“&h.e.l.lip; Didn’t he say it would taste even better if I added something called lemon and sauce?”
Half of the Mince Cutlet had already vanished into her stomach in the blink of an eye before she remembered what the owner said. After only having one minced cutlet left, Sarah carefully cut in half before grabbing the blue jug.
Gently tilting towards the dish, a dark and thick brown sauce spilled from the jug and wrapped around the Minced Cutlet.
Then she squeezed the juice of the bright yellow fruit&h.e.l.lip; the bright yellow lemon that was a clear contrast to the Minced Cutlet only raised her antic.i.p.ation. The Minced Cutlet seemed to be sucking in and absorbing the juices as it became softer. Once again, Sarah brought the Minced Cutlet to her mouth&h.e.l.lip;
After that was pure silence. As f she had any time to say unnecessary extra words! She wanted to savor this taste even a little bit longer&h.e.l.lip;
A sauce with a complex flavor, the lemons fresh and clear acidity. Together with the heavenly Minced Cutlet elevated it from a Saint like status to a Divine one. This was something that was deserving to be the cuisine of G.o.ds that resided in heaven.
After that Sarah had seconds of minced cutlet.
(I heard from the owner that it was delicious to eat Minced Cutlet along with bread in the form of a sandwich.)
She drank and ate the soup with bread to her heart’s content until finally she couldn’t eat anymore before putting away the fork.
“Whew&h.e.l.lip; that was delicious.”
Cheerfully she put down one silver coin and several copper coins for payment.
“Thank you very much&h.e.l.lip; Also young lady could you do me a favor?”
Looking at it to make sure the payment was perfect, the owner handed something to Sarah.
“This is?”
“A lunch bag.”
Laughing with a hint of loneliness, the owner explained the contents.
“Minced cutlet sandwiches. William, whenever he would come here in the past, he would always order the Minced Cutlet Meal Set along with this. You seemed to be enjoying it so much that I made it without thinking. Don’t worry about the money, it’s on the house today so please take it. It’s good even when cold, but it doesn’t have a very long shelf time so please eat it as soon as possible.
“&h.e.l.lip; Okay?”
Sarah confirmed with surprise to the man’s offer
Although she didn’t feel like eating because her belly was filled to the brim right now, she would seek out the taste once again once the food was digested.
“Yes, today will be Mr. William’s treat.”
“I see, then I’ll accept it without reservations.”
Nodding, Sarah receives the brown bag from the owner. Still warm, the paper bag released a scent from the sauce that drifted and lingered in the air, giving her already stomach a bit of appet.i.te for more.
“Well then, until next time.”
“Yes, I’ll be awaiting your return.”
With that, Sarah headed towards the exit.
The sound of bells ringed out as the door opened. In front of her, the familiar view of the abandoned mine stretched out.
“Ah, that right&h.e.l.lip;”
From behind her, she heard the owner’s voice.
“About William. What happened to him in the end?”
“I heard it was a large affair. He could no longer come here much to his frustration.”
Finally, the door is closed as those words hung in the air.
At the same time the door disappeared, the surroundings were returned to the silence of the abandoned mine.
“The legendary treasure hunter’s last treasure&h.e.l.lip;”
Looking at the s.p.a.ce that used to contain a black door, Sarah licked her lips while recalling and reminiscing her experience.
“&h.e.l.lip; I see. A treasure befitting to the be the last of William Gold.”
Remembering the story of a young William&h.e.l.lip; Her great-grandfather had no acquaintances as was known as a glutton whose greed was unrivaled.
The young rising treasure hunter, Sarah Gold, hurried to return while looking forward to next Sat.u.r.day to visit.