BXBX NOVEL Chapter 176: The Party Begins
Chapter 176: The Party Begins
"Pizza!" Ed told them and saw the confusion rise on their faces one by one. Even Bard, a restaurant owner, had no idea what Ed was talking about. Of course, this was a normal reaction as pizza is not a dish known in this world. If someone had made something similar, they might have named it something else. Or, it never left the person's home.
"Along with some other dishes," Ed spoke to them while preparing the ingredients. He wanted to start with the pizzas and store them in order to have more time for the other dishes.
"I'll make the first one, so you guys can learn." After Ed spoke to them, he started preparing the first one. The dough, sauce, toppings, and then finally the cheese. All three of them memorized exactly how Ed had done these things. The dough was the trickiest part, but Ed's cooking skill helped guide him through it. The things that Ed created in his dimension were fire stoves, like the ones used in modern day pizzerias. He controlled the temperature by using his Fire magic, as he was accustomed to cooking using it.
The first pizza was done rather quickly. "You guys can have a taste." It was a seafood pizza created by the ingredients Dorothy and Ed had prepared earlier. All three of them had a surprised look on their faces. The pizza was piping hot, yet they still ate it. Ed was also proud of himself, as it was the first pizza he had ever made. Even he was surprised at how good it turned out to be.
"Ehm!" Audun faked a cough and looked at Ed. "If it's for this dish, I'll allow you to use my cheese!" as hard headed as Audun was, he had to submit to the power of pizza.
"I'm glad," said Ed as he started working on the other batches of pizza. He was going to make at least one hundred pizzas today. He knew that many people would show up, and he knew how much his companions could eat. So, he had no choice but to give it his all.
Ed spent the first ten minutes supervising the others' work. Dorothy and Bard were a natural as they spent their time in the kitchen, but Audun wasn't any worse. Ed was relieved to see that they could handle the pizzas, so he started working on other dishes. He withdrew two bags of rice that he had bought, and started working on a second dish, paella. He had made it before, so he quickly handled it. It was an amusing sight to see Ed use his speed clones to take care of multiple pans at once.
The next thing he started making was a chocolate birthday cake. Sweets were his week point, so he asked Dorothy for her help. Bard and Audun took care of the pizza. They were able to handle a dozen stoves at once with no issues.
Certain ingredients such as Vanilla extract didn't exist in this world, so Ed had to make do without them. Dorothy's experience as a sweets master showed themselves, as she followed Ed's imagination of the birthday cake.
Finishing up with the cake, which turned out to be fine, Ed started working on some meatballs. He used two camels, and two bison bodies. Hundreds of meatballs were made in less than ten minutes thanks to Ed's sword techniques. He made simple meatballs with a tomato sauce.
Any dish that was deemed finished and worthy of being eaten would go into Ed's Inventory. All four of them ended cooking until it was almost noon. The birthday party would take place at sunset, but it didn't mean that people wouldn't already be present. Sect Elders, foreign messengers, and Elizabeth's family were all present in the castle. The messengers only provided the gifts and returned. They apologized on their kings' behalf for not coming, as they were all tense due to wars with Blood sect. Of course, everyone could understand that the current situation was not the best. It was good enough for them to prepare a gift.
Some enemies tried to sneak inside the castle, but of course, this didn't escape Ed's companions. They might not be as accurate as Ed's Map, but they had a knack to pinpoint evildoers. Of course, their performance rose after Ed joined them. Bard and Audun wanted to take their eave, but Ed convinced them to stay. He told them that he wanted to discuss some stuff with them. They were welcome to stay, as they helped prepare for the party.
Ryuu, Schweisse, Titan, Schweiss, Avalez, and Kaeborg kingdoms all sent gifts. Titan and Kaeborg were Liza and Charlie's kingdoms. Ryuu sent a necklace of Magatama-like jewels. These jewels were comma-shaped and curved beads with a small hole in them. They had a green luster that shone even in the dark. These beads represented good luck and longevity. The others kingdoms also provided clothes, other jewels, or some warhorses. Most of the messengers didn't change from these categories of gifts.
As sunset closed in, Ed started helping the maids and butlers to prepare one of the great halls of the castle. They had a long table, enough to sustain all visitors, and filled it with plates and such. The visitors started coming as well and were seated according to their status. The seven old Elders of the sect, plus the new one, Edmund were seated close to the royal family. Griffin and Oliver were specially invited so they sat a little further than the Elders. Ed reserved two special spots near the Elders for Bard Audun.
Some great merchants, along with some foreign nobles, were also invited. These ones were seated in the latter parts of the table. Ed's companions preferred not to join such a group of people. Only Merry, Agumon, and Suika joined everyone at the table. Merry and Agumon didn't care about the people, but Suika simply wanted to stick around Ed. Ed made sure that the dishes would be sent to where his companions are staying.
Finally, the sunset and the royal family joined the hall. Elizabeth sat where Arthur would usually be sitting at. Arthur and Ed sat at the next two seats, followed by Eric and Bella. Ed's companions sat right next to the royal family. Some people didn't like this, especially the foreign nobles. They couldn't accept the fact that monsters would eat at a table like them. Those that belonged to the kingdom didn't have any qualms about it. Those that did couldn't speak. It would be foolish to get on the wrong side of three Immortal Establishment monsters.
Finally, the party started as the various dishes were brought in. Everyone held their breath, even Elizabeth. It took her a while before she spoke, as she said, "Thank you for coming everyone. Please enjoy."