Lao Tzu smiles and replies to the voice that says, "It's not something to hit.

"This is rude. You shouldn't take food for granted.

The owner of the voice looked surprised.

"This is a surprise. You are the first person to guess that it was food!

The owner came out of the back of the store, a man about 30 years old with light brown hair and gray eyes. Lao Tzu guessed that this must be Oliver, the owner of the restaurant.

"Are you the owner?"

"Yes, yes, my name is Oliver, the owner. Are you ...... far from home?"

Looking at Lao Tzu's ...... attire, the standard butler's attire in the Lesser Antilles, Oliver could tell that he was not from this neighborhood in the least.

"Yes, my master sent me."

No lie. These are the ingredients that Jin is looking for so hard.

"You know that what you are holding in your hand is food, don't you?"

Yes. Yes. It's dried bonito flakes, isn't it?　You shave it thin and put it in hot water to extract the extract for use in soups and other dishes.

As soon as Lao Tzu mentioned it, Oliver jumped up.

"My God!　So that's how you eat them!"

"What?　You didn't know?"

"Yes, yes. I'm ashamed to admit it. ......"

Oliver said, "I tried to break it up into little pieces and suck on it, but it didn't taste very good.

"Your master knew better!　I have been somewhat puzzled by the fact that I have bought some but do not know what they are called or how to use them in detail.

"Yes, well, it seems to be a tradition that has been passed down in my husband's family for generations.

Since there was no need to lie, but also no need to tell the whole truth, Lao Tzu decided to make a fool of himself.

"In short, it is an ingredient that is used to extract <. Since it is originally a fish, it is good to use it in stewed vegetables."

"I see...I see!　I see. ...... If you don't mind, could you tell me how to make one dish?　Oh, and if you do, we'll give you a free bottle of that ."

Oliver thought that if he could figure out how to use it, this dried bonito flakes would sell better.

Lao Tzu, knowing that Jin had no qualms about promoting Japanese food and culture, decided to take him up on his offer.

"I understand."

"Oh, thank you!　Would you like to use the kitchen?"

So Lao Tzu and Oliver went to the kitchen.

"First of all, I need to make dried bonito shavings.

Since there was no katsuobushi sharpener, Lao Tzu pulled out a self-defense knife and began to shave the katsuobushi that Oliver had offered. It was a little chipped, probably from being crushed and sucked.

"Wow, you shave it so thin!

Lao Tzu put the shavings into a pot of water and put it on the fire.

"There are two ways to use the shavings. One is to turn off the heat just before boiling, and the other is to let it boil for a while. Boiling it seems to give it a fishy smell.

Peridot Reader also mobilizes his accumulated knowledge to explain.

"After the extract is removed, we scoop it out with a net. This can be fed to some livestock.

In the Edo period, they fed it to cats.

"This is ."

"This is what you use to make soup, right?"

"Yes. What kind of vegetables do you have?

"We only have a few dried vegetables because they are so precious around here."

But Lao Tzu noticed a few eggs on the shelf.

"May I use these eggs?"

"Oh, they are sandbird eggs. Please use it.

The sandbird is a medium-sized bird that lives in the Hariri Desert and preys on scorpia. Oliver explained that the meat of sandbirds is not good for eating, but their eggs are edible.

Lao Tzu was going to make egg soup.

He dropped the eggs into the broth, stirred and sprinkled them, added salt to taste, and voila, he was ready to eat.

"Here you go," he said.

After tasting the egg soup himself and checking the saltiness, the old man offered the egg soup to Oliver.

Oliver accepted it and took a sip,

"This is delicious!

He took a sip of the egg soup and said in surprise, "This is delicious!

"I didn't know it was so easy to improve the taste!"

But Lao Tzu denied his words.

"No, it is easy to use, but there must be a lot of work involved in making dried bonito flakes.

This is the knowledge he learned from Jin. Oliver was impressed by his words, although Jin probably got his knowledge from a comic book.

You can certainly say that. No, thank you. I now know how to use it, and as promised, you only have to pay for one bottle.

The price for one bottle was 400 dollars, or about 4000 yen.

Lao Tzu thinks that even with such a discount, it must be a small price since he now knows how to use dried bonito flakes. It is not the kind of knowledge that can be exchanged for 400 dollars.

But Lao Tzu considered it a success in terms of getting a connection with Oliver.

"I'll get some more for you, if you like."

Oliver said as he was leaving, and Lao Tzu casually asked him.

"When do you think it will be this time?"

Oliver hesitates for a moment, but then smiles and replies.

"About five days, I think.

"Well, then you are still here. I'll be sure to stop by again.

"I look forward to seeing you again.

Lao Tzu was happy to have made the connection with Oliver, though in an unexpected way.

"Now, the only thing left to do is to find out about the other people."

Lao Tzu guessed that within five days Oliver would meet with someone who could supply him with dried bonito flakes. The possibility that this person is a foreigner is great.

But it would be an illegal transaction. The old man was probably acting with such discretion that even the secret agents of the Shoro Empire would not be aware of his presence. Lao Tzu reminded himself not to be hasty.

"How will you make the most of this opportunity? ......"

The magic brain of Horai Island, who is using Lao Tzu, concluded that he should report this to Jin.

So, he instructs Laozi to send the two dried bonito flakes he has obtained through the warp gate.

He thought that the dried bonito flakes he had received would be sufficient reason to summon Jin.

* * * * *

When Jin heard this information, he jumped up and down, just as the old man had expected.

"You found dried bonito flakes?

His drowsiness seemed to have vanished.

"I'll be right there!"

Jin runs from the workshop to the command center. Reiko followed.

"Oh!"

On the table in the command center were the two dried bonito flakes that Jin had been asking for.

"I wish I could have them make miso soup with this. ......"

Peridot Leader, who was standing by, replies to Jin's murmur.

I understand. Right away. And master, may I use one for cooking and the other for research?"

Bonito flakes are flavored with mold, and the mold converts protein into amino acids, giving them a delicious taste. He wanted a sample to identify the type of mold and to study the degree of mold.

"Yes, of course. According to the old man, we should be able to get some more soon.

"Thank you very much. When would you like me to prepare your meal?

I'll have it in an hour.

Reiko knew that Jin was sleep deprived and wanted him to take a nap for an hour or so.

"Right. Elsa and Hannah will be back by then, so that makes three of us.

"Yes, sir."

Peridot takes the two dried bonito flakes and leaves.

Jin put a futon on the floor and took a nap.