A mid-level (middle-aged) office worker's laid-back industrial revolution in another world - Chapter 156

Translator: Jasper Kadowaki | Editor: NovelMultiverse

Takeo was telling the story of what had happened after he had met Grandpa Elvis, was taken back to the manor and had introduced himself.

“I see… But, tell me… What’s with the snack you gave Elvis when you met him?” asked the king.

“Alan-san… You’re concerned about the snack?” asked Takeo.

“Yes. I have just eaten three things I have never eaten in my life, and so, that snack is all that I can think about from your story,” said the king, “Would you be able to make that snack, Takeo?”

“It would be difficult,” said Takeo, “I haven’t seen anyone selling the raw ingredients for it, and I don’t have the spices to season it.”

“Well, what are the raw ingredients called?” asked the king, “We might have some of it at the royal capital.”

“It was called rice, or kome, in some places… Have you heard of it?” asked Takeo.

“Hmm… I haven’t heard of it,” the king replied.

“Well… I do plan to look for it at some point. It’s possible that it simply hasn’t been put on the market, yet.”

“Hm? What do you mean by that?” asked Layla.

“Well, it’s just that it might be used for animal feed, right now,” explained Takeo. 

“You’re going to serve animal feed? To humans?” asked William. 

“Hm?… Oh, well I think you might be misunderstanding me, a bit,” said Takeo. 

Takeo then began explaining the matter to William.

“Well, for example… Yes, well. Here, where the Elvis household rules, the land is mountainous, and all fish products are dried. So, most people might view fish as a dried product, in general, whereas people that live by the sea are used to catching fish, cooking it, and eating it fresh.”

“Ah… Yes, that’s true,” said William.

“I mean to say that what is considered animal feed in one place is considered a food ingredient for people, in another place,” said Takeo. 

“I don’t understand,” said William.

William made a face that said, What could you possibly even mean by that?

“Well, in other words,” said Takeo, “Staple foods vary by country. For most countries, whatever they feed their animals isn’t considered food fit for humans. Snacks and desserts are usually made from other grains that aren’t fed to animals. In other words, if a country has many different kinds of grain and ingredients, they can afford to differentiate between the quality of grains.”

“Hmm, yes,” said the king, “That makes sense.”

“Where I come from,” said Takeo, “wheat was not a staple food. Therefore, rice was food that was fit for humans, and many of our snacks and desserts were made from it. Here, wheat is the staple grain. So, there are many desserts made from it. For example, the chiffon cake is a popular dish, here. I don’t know if rice is considered a common grain for animal feed, here, though. Nevertheless, you can’t just consider rice a food only fit for animals. After all, I know of countries that include corn and potatoes as staple foods for humans.”

“What?… Is that true? You really don’t have wheat where you come from?” asked Alice. 

“Yes, it’s true. If you study your own history, you are sure to find a point in time where wheat became a staple food for your people. In lands that don’t even have wheat growing nearby, the people there probably don’t even know about the existence of wheat. They probably consider the grains that they eat the only suitable grains, and that any other grains are dangerous for humans to eat. It’s a slippery slope to think that what you eat is the only thing fit for humans. With that kind of thinking, if you ever end up in a different country, you may come across as disrespectful, you know? They may serve you something they consider top-notch, and you might end up saying, ‘What? You serve this trash to your guests?’”

“Ah… Now that would be dangerous, indeed,” said Smith.

“Yes, and so, you can’t just call a certain grain ‘animal feed’. It is true that animal feed isn’t usually fit for human consumption,” said Takeo, “But when the quality of any of those grains is raised, they can be awakened as new, delicious ingredients.”

“I see,” said William, lowering his head, “Takeo-san, I apologize for my rudeness.”

“Hm? I didn’t take it to heart,” said Takeo, “I actually am glad that you helped me realize that point I was just talking about.” Takeo laughed, softly. 

“Yes, that’s right,” said King Azupal, nodding, “What’s important is widening our ways of thinking.”

“Well, then, I’ll go on and speak of what happened, next.”

————————

Takeo then explained the whole trench coat ordeal. 

“That trench coat sounds like a good idea,” said the king. 

“Yes,” said William, nodding, “To make clothes that aim to prevent the body from getting too cold while moving is a good idea.”

“The master of the house and I both own examples of it, and so I will bring them to show you, now,” said Frederick. He retreated out of the room. 

“Why did you even think to make such a thing, Takeo-san?” asked Layla. [Read this novel and other amazing translated novels from the original source at the “Novel Multiverse dot com” website @ novelmultiverse.com]

“I asked to see the soldiers’ clothes, thinking that they would be heavy-duty, durable, and warm, but… I had never seen soldiers wearing ponchos where I come from. And so, I made the trench coats,” said Takeo. 

“Are ponchos really that bad?” asked Layla.

“Putting the advantages and disadvantages of the poncho aside for a moment… to be honest, I just felt that it didn’t look good,” said Takeo. 

“Is that right? I don’t think it looks particularly bad,” said Layla. 

“Well, I mean, that’s a subjective thing… It’s just my personal opinion,” said Takeo, smiling awkwardly. 

Then, Frederick reentered the room. 

“Here are the trench coats,” said Frederick, handing over Grandpa Elvis’s trench coat and his own to Layla. 

The three guests touched the fabric, tinkered with the belt, and tried on the trench coats. 

“Hmm, yes,” said King Azupal, “I believe this would be quite hot to move around in.”

“It’s designed to build up body heat within the coat, and then hold that heat in, even while moving,” said Takeo, “Why don’t we undo some of the buttons?”

Takeo undid the buttons along the chest and belly, giving some space for air to come through. 

“Ah, I see,” said the king, “You can adjust the heat.”

“Yes. Try it with a loosened belt,” said Takeo, grabbing the belt and tying it off behind the king’s waist. 

“This way, these clothes shouldn’t affect one’s movements very much,” said Takeo. 

King Azupal turned left, turned right, and nimbly walked around with the trench coat on. 

“I actually quite like this,” said King Azupal.

“Yes, I do, as well,” said Layla. 

“Do you think I could get one of these coats?” asked the king.

  “Alice, you are good at handling questions like this. Better than I could ever be, anyway,” said Takeo. 

“If you want one made while you are here,” said Alice, “You would need to pay quite a large sum.” 

“Hmm… Yes,” said the king, “That makes sense.”

The king of Azupal was apparently enjoying the coat, and asked, “Would you give me this coat, Duke Elvis?”

Grandpa Elvis frowned and asked, “Are you mad, your highness? I can’t give these coats away. Takeo made them especially for Frederick and me.” 

“Yes… That’s true,” said the king, with a troubled expression. 

“Takeo, do you think you could have some made, quickly?” King Azupal asked. 

“Hmm, I wonder?” said Takeo, “It should take about two or three days… I would need to ask the tailor. With Alice and I, we needed test products, so it took about three days, but… Well, if we take the same raw materials as the base, it should be a bit quicker, I think.”

“Is that so… Hm…” King Azupal, said, wondering. 

“If it were to be made immediately, it would cost some money, but if you wanted it order made and gave them a hefty sum, it should be possible to make quite quickly. That may be the best way to get one.”

“That sounds like a good idea.”

“Well, then, let us go before dinner and put in an order before dinner.”

“What?!” Grandpa Elvis, Alice, and Smith all exclaimed at once. 

“What?” asked Takeo, with squinting eyes. 

“Yes, well, let us go,” said King Azupal, in agreement. 

“Well, then, William, why don’t we go, too?” said Layla. 

“All right,” said William.

All three guests had agreed to go. 

“Ah… Grandpa… I will go, too,” said Alice, sighing, and getting up from her seat. 

“Hm… Alice, I’ll leave it to you,” said Grandpa Elvis. 

“Hm? You’re coming, too, Lady Alice?” asked Takeo. 

“Yes. I think it would be hard for you to escort three people on your own, Takeo,” said Alice. 

“Thank you, Lady Alice,” said Takeo. 

“It’s not a problem. Sister Layla, will you and your guests please wait in the foyer? Takeo and I will bring the coats along,” said Alice. 

“All right, understood,” said Layla. 

The five of them all left the parlor. [Read this novel and other amazing translated novels from the original source at the “Novel Multiverse dot com” website @ novelmultiverse.com]