Chapter 43 Seafood Banquet in the Castle

Returning to the castle with an abundance of seafood, Liszt didn't immediately instruct the kitchen to cook them.

While these marine creatures resembled the seafood in his memory, it was necessary to verify their edibility and potential toxicity. The verification process was straightforward: Marcus, accompanied by a few of the town's hunters, set traps on the outskirts of Thorns Ridge and captured several wolves and wildcats, carnivorous beasts.

The hungry wolves and wildcats in their cages were ravenous.

When the seafood was thrown into their cages, the beasts devoured it greedily. Next, cooked seafood was fed to another batch of wild animals. After waiting for a day, on the following day, two beasts that had consumed a certain type of sea urchin had died, while the others remained lively, showing no signs of poisoning.

"This indicates that the flavors from the seashore are similar to Earth's seafood, excluding the sea urchins. We should exclude the sea urchins and preserve the rest as edible samples for the fishermen to reference."

After contemplation, Liszt decided not to rush the villagers to harvest seafood.

He needed others to understand that seafood was a delicacy, not something unpalatable.

Many types of seafood could be eaten raw, but Liszt didn't recommend this method. He felt that consuming too much seafood increased the risk of parasitic infection.

With no medical facilities available, being infected with parasites meant waiting for death.

Thus, he called for the cook, Abby Soupspool. "Mrs. Abby, let me show you how to prepare seafood. See this crab? Brush it clean with a bristle brush and steam it; for this shrimp, do the same, clean it and boil it in plain water."

"Look at this, Abby. You can use clams for soup or simply sauté them. As for these oyster meats, they can be eaten raw, but I prefer not to consume raw seafood. You should boil or sauté them instead. We have plenty of oysters here, which I call scallops. If you can't finish them, you can dry them and use the dried scallops to make oyster sauce."

Oysters, scientifically known as Ostrea edulis, are also called mussels. They are a highly prized delicacy.

Back in his hometown, Liszt had a great fondness for oysters due to their high zinc content – an essential mineral that significantly influences the development of secondary sexual characteristics in humans. A small amount of zinc in the blood can invigorate one's vitality...

Therefore, oysters would undoubtedly become a staple on Baron Liszt's dining table.

Fortunately, Flower Town was situated by the sea and had not been over-exploited, resulting in an abundance of oysters in the ocean, eliminating any concerns about zinc deficiency.

Sixteen-year-old Liszt was still in a rapid growth phase, so consuming more would help him become stronger.

After instructing Abby Soupspool on how to prepare seafood, Liszt didn't anticipate his first taste of seafood in this world – or rather, he had already tasted it. In Longtaro Castle, fishermen had once found rock lobsters in the sea.

As an archipelagic nation, the Sapphire Duchy had a fair number of fishermen.

In times of hardship, the peasant slaves would naturally turn to the sea for sustenance and discover the delights of seafood. However, due to poor transportation and limited communication, knowledge of different cooking methods for seafood on various islands couldn't be shared. On Coral Island, the Tulip Family had yet to fully cultivate their land, thus they saw no incentive to explore the ocean.

As a result, the residents of Flower Town had never considered fishing for seafood in over a decade or two.

"Mrs. Abby is likely inexperienced with seafood, so she might not even know how to properly steam a crab. She'll have to experiment to find the best way to prepare it, gradually improving her culinary skills," Liszt predicted.

True to his expectation, at lunchtime, Liszt found himself enjoying familiar seafood dishes that lacked their former flavors on the castle table.

The crabs were overcooked, the shrimp were mushy, the oysters were too tough, and the clam soup was full of sand. Nevertheless, he savored every bite, finding it much more appetizing than the usual bread and roasted meat.

Marcus, Gort, Isaiah, and Blair joined Liszt for the seafood feast.

"Delicious!" Marcus simply remarked before diving into the shrimp and crabs.

Isaiah smiled, "Tasty!"

Blair gave a thumbs up, "A rare delicacy!"

The most remarkable one was Gort, who initially found the oysters too unappetizing to eat. However, after tasting them, he couldn't stop. He devoured everything on his plate and requested two more servings.

Sipping his hop-infused beer and savoring an oyster, his wrinkled face radiated contentment: "I remember, I remember."

"What do you recall?" Liszt deftly cracked open a crab shell.

"In my youth, I traveled to an island called Flying Fish Island. There, in a local's home, I had these... oysters for the first time. Back then, I was drunk and consumed a large number of them, enjoying a delightful night. When I sobered up and left the island, I never stumbled upon that delectable treat again. Now, to find it here is quite unexpected."

"Then eat to your heart's content; perhaps something wonderful will happen tonight as well," Liszt said with a hint of a smile.

He was already aware that Gort had taken a liking to a young girl in town, barely sixteen or seventeen years old. If she hadn't willingly followed Gort, Liszt would have certainly intervened to prevent such an age-gap relationship.

Gort chuckled, "Who knows? Anyway, I've fallen in love with oysters."

Isaiah and Blair exchanged knowing smiles.

As adults, they understood the underlying meaning behind the words.

Even Marcus's eyes betrayed a sense of anticipation, turning to partake in the oysters himself.

In the upstairs parlor, the nobles and knights were indulging in an array of seafood delights, while downstairs in the kitchen, the servants were likewise reveling in the joy these dishes brought.

"Irene Four-Fingers, this shrimp is absolutely delicious! Who would've thought such an ugly creature could taste so good?" Irene exclaimed as she savored her meal.

Abby chided, "Young lady, don't eat so crudely. You're behaving like a boy."

"I'm just a kitchen maid. Why can't I eat like this? Mr. Carter never said anything about it when I was at home," replied Irene.

Carter sliced an oyster with refined grace. As the butler, he always aimed to comport himself in a manner befitting his station, including during meals. He also insisted that the other servants strive for similar elegance.

Hearing this, he interjected, "Irene, you've met Miss Li Weiwei's personal maid. Perhaps you should observe how she eats."

"I don't want to learn from her. The way she holds her knife and fork, you'd think she was a noble lady. Even Master has praised Sister Macy's manners, yet she doesn't eat that way," Abby pointed out.

Macy chuckled. "I grew up in the village, and no one taught me how to dine elegantly. But I'm learning from Mrs. Mo Sen now. She worked at Tulip Castle, and their maids know more about noble etiquette than many young ladies of noble birth."

Mo Sen, holding a mantis shrimp by its head, squeezed the meat out with force. "That's because the nobles have the privilege to break the rules, whereas we servants must adhere strictly to them, or face criticism and punishment."

Irene exclaimed suddenly, "Master would never scold a servant. Tom broke a vase in the castle yesterday, and Master didn't even reprimand him."

"Merciful Master, I shall be more careful next time and not break anything again," Tom said with reverence in his eyes.

Thomas, savoring the oysters he had dug out himself, sneered disdainfully, "That's not necessarily true, clumsy Tom. Breaking a vase is just the beginning; you'll break many more things in the future. The master would do well to forbid you from going upstairs."