Herald of Steel

Lady Nanazin might have been exaggerating a bit but indeed, many of the delicacies Alexander introduced were highly sought after by the nobles.

Dishes like pasta, spaghetti, and noodles were so new to the Adhanian nobles that many lords drooled for an invitation to his party and whenever they got it, found themselves gouging on the many new items without almost no restraint.

There was even one time when a particularly rotund noble kept and kept ordering a version of the Alfredo pasta until the kitchen ran out, the man did not even touch any of the other items.

As for how Alexander could continuously create so many unique and delicious dishes, there were many speculations among the nobles, with some naturally bringing up the topic of Alexander’s divine.

Even Cambyses was made to comment on the matter when she attended those food parties.

But naturally, due to the overall politics of the time, they outwardly denied such claims or just brushed past them feigning ignorance.

It was the same tactic that Alexander seemed to take with Lady Nanazin here, as he replied with an agreeing nod,

"Hmmmm, Your Highness’s words indeed are true. Perhaps it might have been better for me to withhold the recipes… or at least restrict who I give them."

"Hahaha, I really did not think it like that. I guess I felt that if someone wants to have a dish, they should be able to make them. Hahaha, okay, I will pay heed next time."

In fact, it seemed to only darken, especially after that nonchalant chuckle. She had been with Alexander long enough to know he was just saying this to placate her.

And this angered her because she thought he was just throwing away these valuable recipes when these precious items could be used to gain socially and politically.

So throwing away all the formalities, the curly haired Adhanian queen felt very justified in anger and decided to advise Alexander in a sincere yet firm tone,

"Alexander, I do not know if you know this, but most nobles treat their family recipe like they are heirlooms. The number of unique recipes each house has is seen as a status symbol, with the older and more prestigious houses even having personal cookbooks… written over generations."

"They show these books off to visiting nobles and dignitaries as proofs of their long lineages, telling stories of how a popular local dish was made a hundred years ago by their grandfather."

"I believe you should do the same. This will help cement your legacy. I know you are very powerful, but I am afraid your house lacks… ’prestige’. This is a problem!"

The queen seemed a bit reluctant to say those words, to demean her own man, but in the end, she thought she needed to.

Then, perhaps to compensate for it, she quickly added, "Of course that is only because you are so

young. You just lack time. I am sure with your divine status, you will be able to write ten cookbooks within a week!"

"....." Alexander once again gave a pleased smile and acknowledged nod at the words, knowing the lady was truly just thinking the best for him.

But just as he was about to reply with some honeyed platitudes…

"I believe he is doing this because he knows he lacks prestige," Lady Parthia decided to finally chip in with her own two cents, suddenly making this firm announcement.

Turning to the other confused lady, this beautiful, mature woman then put down the empty goblet, before elucidating with a light brush of her hand,

"As a former slave, Alexander is well aware his low birth puts him at a disadvantage with his other retainers. So him giving away those recipes for free is a calculated move. Sort of his way of buying their trust, forming stronger bonds, and showing he is a generous lord… Remember how happy you got receiving that recipe, my lady?"

"???" Despite Lady Parthia making the delivery in a very nonchalant manner, the revelation hit Lady Nanazin like a wrecking ball, shattering her stance on the matter.

She quickly turned to find Alexander and see if it was true, and the man could not help but produce a sort of rueful smile.

Lady Nanazin clearly understood that he had been mostly humoring her.

’Ahh! Of course, how could someone as smart as my Alexander not know something so basic,’ Lady Nanazin realized, feeling both proud but also a bit hurt.

She thought she was helping, but now, not only did efforts seem to have been wasted, but she also got beaten at her own game by her rival.

Losing to Lady Parthia seemed to be becoming almost a certainty for her, and thus sulking a bit, the lady could be seen taking comfort in another slice of the sweet and sour cheesecake.

While Alexander’s rueful smile turned into a more complicated one as he turned to look at Lady Parthia, finding it a bit scary how quickly she was able to deduce his true intention despite him playing totally dumb.

Everyone liked a competent subordinate but not too competent of a subordinate. Because then the boss feared getting replaced.

"Hehe, it seems nothing escapes my lady’s eyes." Alexander thus suddenly broke into a frank chuckle, taking a sip of his own sweet drink, "Indeed, I felt it was more valuable to utilize my recipes in this way. I also did not think they were that valuable to be worth hoarding. I wonder if you have any advice regarding this?"

"...." Lady Parthia could be seen pursing her lips a bit as she started playing with her fork, trying to catch one of the grapes on the cheesecake.

"This new spoon… is quite convenient.." She seemed to then suddenly mutter while veering off a tangent, "Is this what they use in heaven?"

"...." Alexander did not give a yes or no reply, only a silent smile.

He had no idea why Lady Parthia made this particular comment now, but it did make him internally lampoon a bit,

’*Sigh*, you really cannot make claims of divinity and then make a bunch of never before seen stuff and not expect people to make the connection. They might be less sophisticated but that does not mean they were stupid.’

On the other side, Lady Parthia naturally understood why Alexander was reluctant to give a straight answer, neither did she truly expect a real answer. She was just talking to herself.

So she quickly got back to the topic, and posed in an ethereal voice, "From the way my lord spoke, would it be correct of me to assume you have even more recipes with you? Delicacies you think are even better than this?"

"Yes. In fact, I think most of the food here is all show and little substance. They try to appear delicious by just seeming huge… piled atop each other like a hill. I know much better food." Alexander was very direct with his criticism of the food of this time.

And indeed this was what he had found after living here for fifteen years.

Due to missing many of the modern spices and their sophisticated blends, the food here tended to be… for lack of a better word- crude.

All those roasted meats and smoked fishes might sound very tasty on paper, but in reality, after tasting a few bites, they mostly tasted like ’smoked meat’.

It was still good don’t get it wrong, but it was just not the kind of juicy, sweet, and sour full of species and aromatics our modern tongues were used to.

It was like the difference between a cheap pair of headphones and a very good, expensive one.

The first one might get the job done and you might even think they are good without context, but once you know what really good headphones sound like, that cheap one will feel like someone is constantly screaming into your ear.

This was also precisely the kind of thought that went through Lady Parthia’s head, as she was unable to even guess what that ’even better food’ might taste like. She had always found the dishes served at those feasts mouth watering.

But she naturally did not ask Alexander for an example, and just regally nodding her head, chimed,

"Then that is good. It seems my lord has no problem gifting these recipes because you plan to introduce even more delicacies in the future. Mmmm…if that is the case, then there is little for me to add."

"But if you want I still want my thoughts on this… well then my only small advice would be that you keep a full record of all your recipes. Even if you gift them to the other lords, you should have them acknowledge that the original came from you."

"This will help boost your prestige and more importantly stop the nobles from thinking these recipes are cheap. Something free can be both the most priceless object in the world, it can also be the most useless thing in the world."

Alexander of course easily understood the statement, thus replied with a nod, "Mmm, that is good advice, my lady. I certainly do not want them to think my recipes are easy and cheap." Continue your journey on NovelBin.Côm

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