Ch.173Exploring West Point’s Famous Attractions

The outlaws trapped in the stone house reacted more tamely than expected.

At first, they panicked and tried to escape, but after the tall man presumed to be their leader calmed his companions down, they simply lounged around to pass the time.

When we released them from the stone house before arriving at Westpoint Trading Post, some even expressed regret, saying things like “it wasn’t cold and was comfortable” or “it was the first time in half a year I could sleep somewhere without drafts.”

You guys, don’t you have any thoughts about mourning your dead comrade or seeking revenge…?

Well, the one who died had his jaw twisted after grabbing a horse’s tail, so it would be troublesome if they held a misplaced grudge against us.

Anyway,

After safely arriving at Westpoint Trading Post, we handed over the outlaws to the sheriff’s office and received a bounty of 2,000 gold.

Adding the proceeds from selling the outlaws’ horses and possessions, we made about 1,800 gold more.

It was quite a lucrative temporary income compared to the effort we put in.

With our newly fattened wallets, we booked the best room at the travelers’ inn, enjoyed a luxurious lunch, and then decided to explore Westpoint’s marketplace to aid digestion.

Westpoint Trading Post is the last stronghold on the Southern Bypass and also the first stop when heading from Moon Lake toward Atelier.

Its primary role was naturally to supply travelers taking the long route with food, travel supplies, and medicines, so most products in the marketplace fell into those categories.

Flour and bread from Hopmill Farm, potions and medical tools transported from Paracelsus Workshop, vegetables grown in the White Earth tribe’s village…

The travel supplies and daily necessities probably came across from Moon Lake.

As we wandered around, we discovered a souvenir shop with a unique concept tucked away in a corner of the marketplace.

It was the only building made of 100% natural wood in a log cabin style among the stone buildings of Westpoint Trading Post’s commercial district.

The sign read “Elven Market – Specializing in Elven Products.”

“A shop selling elven specialties. That’s quite unusual.”

“Westpoint Trading Post actively trades with the elven village in the northwestern forest. What was its name again? Chestnut…”

“Ah, the Chestnut Sanctuary. That makes sense.”

“You know about it, Phyllis?”

“It’s an elven sanctuary centered around chestnut trees, as the name suggests. They make various processed foods using chestnuts as their specialty product. They’re so popular that there are even peddlers who travel to other sanctuaries to sell them.”

“Hmm~ I wonder what they have? Let’s go in and see.”

After listening to Phyllis’s explanation, we opened the door and entered the store, where we were greeted by display shelves neatly stacked with various products.

There were fresh chestnuts, processed foods made from chestnuts, handcrafted accessories carved from wood, medicines, textiles, and even a corner where you could purchase chestnut tree seedlings.

Among these, the processed food corner with its array of snacks naturally captured the attention of the women in our group.

“Roasted chestnuts, chestnut tarts, chestnut cookies… and even chestnut bread.”

“Looks like samples are available too. What’s this glossy thing?”

“Oh, marrons glacés, I believe. When it comes to Chestnut Sanctuary specialties, this is a must-have.”

“Is it tasty? I couldn’t buy it last time I was here because it was too expensive.”

“It’s the most famous product among the Chestnut Sanctuary’s specialties. When I was young, I used to count the days until the peddlers from Chestnut Sanctuary would visit, just to taste this.”

Phyllis reminisced about his childhood as he picked up a candied chestnut from the sample tray with a toothpick, but soon slightly furrowed his brow with a subtle expression.

“Hmm…?”

“What’s wrong?”

“No, I don’t know if it’s just my imagination… but it doesn’t taste like what I remember from childhood.”

“What kind of taste are you talking about? Let me try one too.”

I’d tried marrons glacés once before when I briefly dated a girlfriend and bought some at a department store.

It was a high-end French dessert made by simmering chestnuts in sugar syrup and rum, wasn’t it?

After breaking up with my girlfriend, I never had the chance to eat them again because they were too expensive. I remember looking up how to make them myself but quickly giving up because it required too much time and effort.

Recalling those memories, I tried one of the marrons glacés from the sample tray and immediately understood why Phyllis had reacted that way.

The chestnut and sugar syrup seemed disconnected. Or more precisely, the subtle underlying aroma of rum that should have been there was completely absent.

This was just an awkwardly made honey-glazed chestnut.

“It’s sweet and tasty, but it’s a bit different from the marrons glacés I know.”

“Will, you’ve had marrons glacés before?”

“Quite a while ago. When you ate marrons glacés as a child, wasn’t there a kind of fragrance that spread gently in your mouth?”

“Yes, exactly! There was a mysterious aroma that rose gently from the tip of your nose, something you couldn’t get from honey or sugar syrup.”

“Hmm… so the rum is the issue after all.”

“Excuse me, customers. May I have a moment of your time?”

“Hm?”

While discussing the subtle taste of the marrons glacés with Phyllis, an elven man with a short mustache approached us.

His face appeared older than the other clerks, and his uniform design was different.

It seemed a higher-ranking person had stepped in to stop customers who were criticizing their products right in front of other potential buyers.

“Regarding the marrons glacés you just tried…”

“Ah, I apologize. Other customers are listening, and I spoke out of turn.”

“We didn’t mean to disrupt your business.”

“No, it’s quite alright. However, I have a favor to ask of you. Could you spare me a moment of your time?”

“A favor…?”

I wasn’t sure what a food shop manager wanted to discuss with adventurers, but he didn’t seem to have any ill intentions, so I figured it wouldn’t hurt.

After confirming with the others through eye contact, I decided to accept the elven man’s request.

“Alright. Where shall we go?”

“I’ll escort you to the reception room in the back of the store. This way, please.”

Following the manager-like elven man, we went through a door beside the counter and entered a space with a large makeshift table.

It felt more like an employee break room than a reception room for guests.

The elven man instructed his staff to bring herbal tea and light refreshments, then offered us seats.

“Thank you for accepting my sudden request. I am Orpheus Armand, the manager of this specialty shop.”

“William J. Kim, E-rank adventurer.”

The manager with a name that seemed to promise compensation if our mood was spoiled exchanged handshakes and introductions with everyone before getting to the point.

“First, I deeply apologize for disappointing you with our marrons glacés. I don’t mean to make excuses, but… the truth is, we had to change the recipe due to supply issues with some ingredients.”

“It seemed that way. Is rum the problematic ingredient?”

“That’s correct. More specifically, it’s the main ingredient for the rum.”

“Huh? Rum is just sugar cane liquor, isn’t it? If there were production issues, couldn’t you just source it from somewhere else?”

“There must be a reason. Perhaps it’s rum made with a special production method unique to the Chestnut Sanctuary elves.”

While rum has an image of being cheap liquor that pirates drink, when properly aged, it can become a premium spirit rivaling whiskey, with many varieties depending on the ingredients and additives used.

If a special production method for rum is the secret to the marrons glacés’ flavor, simply using another product wouldn’t solve the problem.

“Will is correct. Our Chestnut Sanctuary’s arcane rum uses a special ingredient, but the water source leading to its cultivation area has been contaminated by monsters…”

“So your secret ingredient’s crop failed spectacularly, affecting the quality of your marrons glacés. But why are you telling us this?”

“That’s right. There must be combat-capable elves in Chestnut Sanctuary, and if they were overwhelmed, you could have contacted Moon Lake to recruit adventurers, like Phyllis did.”

If crop failure due to monsters wasn’t a recent development, they would have had plenty of opportunities to resolve the situation.

Neglecting it until now and then suddenly asking adventurers who happened to visit their specialty shop doesn’t make sense.

Orpheus responded to my and Jessica’s questioning gazes with a calm voice.

“First, our failure to resolve this issue isn’t because the monster is too powerful.”

“What kind of monster is it?”

“An amorphous creature similar to a slime. Apart from controlling the contaminated lake water like tentacles, it’s not particularly formidable. The problem is that no matter how many times we defeat it, it reappears as if nothing happened after about half a day.”

“A resurrection ability? Or perhaps there’s a main body elsewhere?”

“That’s precisely what we can’t figure out. Whether it’s dying and resurrecting, or if there’s a separate main body, or if someone is summoning it…”

“Then shouldn’t you contact the pioneer cities for help? Unlike us elves who are a local community, the pioneers have accumulated extensive knowledge and records while actively expanding westward. Someone might know about this unidentified monster.”

“Some of our younger Guardians argued the same. However, Chestnut Sanctuary has had friction with certain pioneers trying to steal our production methods in the past, so we couldn’t readily seek help from pioneer adventurers or scholars.”

So they’d rather risk losing their technique than seek outside help, trying to solve the problem themselves.

I suppose it makes sense since the situation isn’t directly threatening the sanctuary’s safety, just affecting the quality of some specialty products.

“So you approached us because you thought adventurers traveling with an elf wouldn’t be interested in stealing your rum recipe?”

“That’s not the only reason. Will seems knowledgeable about rum and even knows how to make marrons glacés, so you could create them yourself without needing to steal our production method.”

“In other words, you’re someone who has no reason to make counterfeit products and risk antagonizing an elven sanctuary. That’s why you felt you could trust us.”

“Exactly. At this rate, our marrons glacés’ reputation will continue to decline, and eventually, marrons glacés independently produced by pioneers will take their place.”

I have no intention of spreading the marrons glacés recipe I learned on Earth throughout Grantis, but I understand why Orpheus approached us for consultation.

“So the job you want to request is to investigate the monster’s abilities at the water source and, if possible, eliminate it. Those two things?”

“Yes. As I mentioned earlier, apart from its resurrection ability, the monster isn’t particularly strong, so adventurers capable of crossing the Southern Bypass should face minimal risk.”

“Well, I guess I don’t even need to ask what everyone thinks…”

“Hmm. We can’t let Chestnut Sanctuary’s marrons glacés disappear like this.”

“I want to help too. Delicious snacks are a serious matter.”

“If this goes well, maybe they’ll sell us some of that elven arcane rum too? Hee-hee~”

Even before I could ask for everyone’s opinion, Phyllis, Seti, and Mina’s eyes were already burning with determination.

Jessica, as the party leader, was trying to maintain her composure, but she didn’t seem inclined to stop the three.

“Looks like we have unanimous agreement.”

“Hehe, occasionally, adventures like this instead of ancient ruins or dungeons aren’t so bad, right?”

“I agree. Mr. Orpheus, we accept your request.”

“A-are you sure? I haven’t even discussed compensation yet.”

“As it happens, our wallets are quite full right now. So rather than money… how about sending us plenty of properly made marrons glacés and that arcane rum later as a condition?”

“Agreed!”

“I’m good with that too.”

Mina raised both hands in welcome, while Phyllis and Seti nodded politely.

Just yesterday we were involved in grand tales of Great Sages and Ancient Ones, and now we’re embarking on a dessert-making adventure.

I really can’t tell whether our adventures are grand or trivial in scale.