Complete ✪ Stokbon Renovation Efforts

[Darko Ljubicic]

After so many years, the time had come: the time that the restaurant magnate Miroslav Milosevic had returned to this world. But this time, he returned not for the legacy of his dead family members, but for himself. He had always craved the freedom he had in Terrasphere in contrast to the stuffy life of a celebrity that he was in the real world: in this world he was a nobody, and even if he was somebody special here, the slow spread of news ensured that nobody would know where and who he was, except in extraordinary situations, and even then in just the locale of where he frequently stayed. As he inhaled again the crisp fresh air of this world, a genuine smile flashed upon the mug of his that had always hosted a sneering smile if not a frown, as he then moved towards his former workplace.

He then found himself at the front of a building by one of Stokbon's major roads, and a faint hint of nostalgia settled inside of him. The building was all too familiar, it just lacked the distinctive sign and he would then surely remember if he had not known from the start. But this should be the only building on this address, and that familiar sign was just lying beside the wall on the right side, so it should be the one: the restaurant that he had worked in as both head waiter and sous-chef: Stinky Ivàn's Curry House. Darko made sure of the distinction and the right pronunciation of the owner's name: the Ivan that he met during the subjugation of Titanius who was some researcher of sorts was an arsehole that deserved to be ingested whole by a squid, and this Ivàn was a far more decent fellow than him.

As he examined the building, it had seemed as if it was broken into: the front entrance was intact but one of the large windows had been open: its shutter being shattered apart by some sort of a blunt object. He then sighed at the thought of what possibly would have happened: the former owner, who also was a known adventurer, had died in a huge campaign, and the robbers thought it a golden opportunity to break through the shop to get whatever valuables they wanted. Although he had also learned of the fact that a fourth death in this world was a permanent death without revivification, the greater one is what he had empathize the most with. He had already willed his wealth to his siblings and possible new wife and children, but without those plans, the same thing that happened to this person would also happen to him.

In a literal single blink of his right eye after which it glowed violet with magical inscriptions, the old sign was then realigned to its rightful place, and after a few seconds, the nails were then driven down by precise maneuvering of gravity. Dark magic was still taboo in most countries and so it was an advantage for him to learn more about other types. As he then glanced again at the sign, he then decided that he might change it due to its really old nature. But maybe it should be for another day.

 

[Lune]

After running several errands in the Falderen capital, Moonsong decided she should take a rest. While here, she might as well try the local delicacy. After gathering some recommendations from the population of Stokbon, she found herself in the poorer part of the city. Her doubt grows even bigger when the supposed main road is akin to the slums she visited in the real life. She readied her magical swords in case some thugs decided to trap and corner her to take her hard-earned money.

There's a high probability that this is a trap. A popular curry house shouldn't be around this part of the town...

She stopped and turned left.

STINKY IVÁN'S CURRY HOUSE

Stinky is literally the first word on the sign displayed on the restaurant, of which one of the windows had been apparently smashed open. The expectation of a hot, delicious curry has been completely shattered. What could have happened here? Curious, she approached the restaurant closer. There's a person standing right in front of it, currently checking out every corner of the entrance. Judging by his appearance and mannerism, he couldn't be a customer. Sighing, she inched closer to the restaurant.

"Excuse me—" she approached the youth with an already empty stomach. "—You seem to know about this place. What happened here?"

@Darko Ljubicic ​

 

[Darko Ljubicic]

As he had managed to completely reattach the sign, Darko then reminisced about the shop's former glory days. In its zenith, this was one of the premier restaurants in this part of the city: offering great food at a decent price. This is also the place where adventurers with no money to spare will order something for food, as it also accepts valuable items and even equipment pawns for orders. But now it was a shadow of its former self: Darko had been forced to log out of this world, and not long after that, the owner had been murdered by a group of lander supremacists. It was left closed by god knows how long, and some bandits had clearly taken advantage of this. If he would even find an intact spoon in this building, it would definitely be a miracle. Darko, of course, had some kitchen equipment stashed in his inventory, as well as essential spices needed for curry as well as any other dish, but the most essential thing needed in the kitchen, the stove, might have been rendered inoperable by the numerous break-ins that might have happened. It might have been for the good though, since that stove would be rendered obsolete by this era of magitech, but an old-fashioned stove should be needed for curries that needed it.

As he pondered on what should be needed in order to have this restaurant going again, he heard some footsteps going towards the direction of the restaurant, and he had not yet started renovating it, let alone starting to accept orders. But knowing that it might just be another passer-by, he paid it no heed and continued planning on what to do from this point forward. But then he heard a voice coming from what he had supposed to be a passer-by, inquiring about what happened to the restaurant. Darko then sighed, and then replied, "If you need something to eat, this is currently not the place as it is under renovation at the moment. This restaurant, once the beacon of affordable dining, once able to feed the poorest of the poor, the most gluttonous diner and the fanciest connoisseur alike, had fallen prey to uncultured swine that had no regard to its illustrious culinary history."

 

[Lune]

She peeked inside a little while the youth responded to her questions while raising her eyebrows.

I don't understand any of those big words. But it sounded like the food here was really good. And cheap.

"Then may I, uh, take a look around?"

She invites herself inside anyway, eyeing the furniture around the restaurant. It seems that this place where thrashed several times, there were pieces of wood and glass everywhere. But it still has that atmosphere of a cosy, homey restaurant. The wooden flooring creaks with every step she took. Was this place abandoned for a long time? Trying to put two and two together, she theorized that during the period when Terrasphere's access was blocked from the outside world, the place was left neglected for a while and eventually looted during the chaos.

Such a waste, especially if the food here was really fancy and legendary like all the people in the Stokbon told her.

After looking around for some time, she stopped at a table and leaned on it. "Honestly, the place doesn't seem too bad. Maybe it just needs a few cleaning—" And the table just collapsed on itself before she can finish her sentence, almost causing her to fall. Really impeccable timing. "Okay, I take that back. Maybe it does need some renovation." Moonsong squatted down to salvage what was left of the dining table, helping to clean up the mess that she might have caused. "So, are you the owner here? You neither look like an Iván to me, nor you are stinky."

@Darko Ljubicic ​

 

[Darko Ljubicic]

"All right, you can look around but I might..." Darko had not completed his words when the woman jumped right in inside the building. He currently had the keys to the main and back entrances, and he would definitely use them had she waited. He just muttered, "...Eager beaver. We still do know know what really is inside." as he then used the key to open the main entrance.

What Darko saw after he opened the entrance for the first time in years seemed to have triggered his nostalgia again: besides the ransacked bar, the remains of chairs and tables, and pieces of wood and glass on the ground, he really felt that he just came back to his old workplace. And now, more then ever, was the time to fix things up as he had always did before. That was his job as sous-chef and head waiter of this place... No, everyone that had mattered except him were gone, so he should be back to his own roots, that good old rut where he was owner, chef, and waiter at the same time.

"Time to assess the current state of the restaurant." Darko was focused on the job at hand and will stop at nothing to finish it. As the woman remarked that the place only needs a few cleaning as she sets up a table, he then noticed that there was a slight fracture on one of its legs. "Hey you, that's..." Darko had again not finished his words when that fracture gave way as the woman leaned on it, crashing the table and the woman on the ground. Seriously, this woman had an energy of a massive tornado and was as destructive as one as well. Seeing the wreckage, Darko just shook his head in disappointment, and then remarked, "That table should be due for replacement anyway, as well as almost every table and chair here. Thanks for the firewood, I guess." He then took a glance at the kitchen. "I will definitely need it as I think the traditional stove and the tandoor is still intact. The magic stove and the magic icebox is gone though."

As the woman then asked if Darko was Ivàn or something, he then answered, "That Ivàn that you spoke about was already dead, got himself killed in an expedition. And yes, he would definitely fit the moniker of 'Stinky' as I had worked with him, he really smelled like he had originated from the pits of Hell. Great chef and a much greater person though."

 

[Lune]

She arranged the wood pieces in an orderly fashion for easier cleaning while listening to the young man telling the story of the late owner. "So he's dead, huh. People must be really sad." Moonsong doesn't know what to say; she doesn't know the man and hasn't engaged long enough in this world to be able to empathize with what people might think about the deaths of the travellers.

The real mystery might be how a person with a deathly smell was the greatest chef in Stokbon though.

Judging by how the guy recalled the logistics of an abandoned restaurant pretty easily, it means that the aforementioned person must have worked here for some time. Probably a manager? "Ah. Then you surely must have worked here for a long time. Doesn't that make you, like, the next owner in line?" Wait, this could actually lead to something. Wasn't he talking about a renovation? If the best restaurant ever in Stokbon reopens, imagine the customers they could bring.

If anyone looked at her eyes directly, they can swear there were dollar signs flashing for a millisecond.

Her fantasy quickly subsidizes as the girl realized that she was thinking about profiting off the legacy of others. Her late grandmother would've looked at her with sadness. Disappointed in her own greedy pursuit of wealth, Moonsong asked the employee of the curry house a curious question. "So, this place is due for a renovation. Are you planning to reopen the place or even transform it?"

She got on her feet and turned around. "You know, I could be a help. I make coffees and bake pancakes for a living. Well, not here. In the other world." She extended her hand for a late introduction "Moonsong."

 

[Darko Ljubicic]

Darko sighed as the woman named Moonsong mentioned about the people who had the restaurant had served in its lifetime. "Yes, I clearly imagine. And now the other restaurants had increased their prices regardless of what their dishes tasted. They are getting too uppity since their major competition had vanished so much that they are cooking atrocious food at exorbitant prices. When this restaurant reopens, I will like to see their surprised faces." Seriously. When he had visited some of the other restaurants incognito, they had seemed to drop their standards from when this restaurant was still open and even before that. Now he could only applaud what Gordon Ramsay had been doing in those "reality" shows.

As Moonsong then inquired about his former and current involvement in the restaurant, he then said, "My name is Darko Ljubicic, but for all intents and purposes you can refer to me as Darko. My official designation in this restaurant was sous-chef when I worked here four years ago. This time though, I am the owner and most likely the head chef as well until I find another chef of the same caliber as Ivàn or myself, in that case I will resume my duties as sous-chef where I think I will fit best. Also, if you wanted to help, then you are welcome to. A pâtissier is also needed in this curry shop as well, for the preparation of various kinds of bread. If you needed some help, you can call on me for anything." The sous-chef position was also the best one for his secondary aims in opening this restaurant: scouring for rumors amongst the customers and employees, but he was also highly capable of taking this position and no one else would think of taking this seriously thankless task so he had to do it.

He then scanned the entirety of the building, assessing what kind of job should be done, and then said, "There are many things to be done. Most important of all, this building should be renovated again to what it had been 4 years before. Any more additional changes will be reconsidered when it will be the time to reconsider."

 

[Lune]

It seems that the long-term effect of this restaurant closing has sparked an ambition in Darko, as he criticizes the offending rival restaurants for being petty and greedy, while not maintaining any food quality. Gosh, this guy must be a really successful businessman in real life.

"Pleased to be acquainted with you, Darko." Yup, Moonsong wasn't even going to try and pronounce his last name. Pumped to start, she looked around only to be disappointed yet again as she was reminded of the pitiful state of the restaurant. "But we're going to renovate... this?" She motioned. Broken pillars, half-standing tables, missing kitchen utensils and salvaged utilities. There's so much to do for a two-person job.

"Also, you mentioned the magic stove and the magic icebox are gone. Aren't they a little bit expensive though? I know magitech alternatives are cheaper, but it's still otherworldly pricey." She opened her pouch and shook it around. "See, I don't have money at all. How are we going to start? Unless you suddenly have an endless stream of coins behind your back." Moonsong sighed. The struggle just to eat a wonderful curry is long and hard.

Standing around won't get the job done. She decided to help to check what might still be able to be used and what is not. There were so many chairs smashed that she bet the looters were fighting among themselves with it. "Well, at least we're eligible for volume discounts." After moving the chairs and the tables back to their proper place, they noticed most of the intact ones are still in great condition and just needed to be cleaned. "There's... stinky dried substance on this table. What in tarnation is this?"

@Darko Ljubicic ​

 

[Darko Ljubicic]

As Darko then heard Moonsong suddenly complain about something stinky on one table, he immediately hurried towards her, the sound of his heeled boots on the wooden floor reverberating within the building as he walked briskly so as to not damage his always poised stature, as he then muttered aloud, "Could it be that damned..." He then moved towards the table that was mentioned and examined the pale green goop that was the origin of the unpleasant smell. "It is definitely that cursed ant juice that the former owner had always brought with him on his travels. When fresh it smells really bad, but as all animal products will be when left for too long, that stink definitely intensifies when it is rotten. I always told the owner not to stock in that ant juice at the bar because I knew this will definitely happen, but he always said that he will always finish drinking it immediately before it gets too rotten. And he definitely held to the belief that there will certainly be a person who will be interested in that juice, that crazy ba..." He then stopped his tirade, for reasons only known to himself, as he then readjusted his ensemble. "I guess that might have been an acquired taste, but still. I did not like it when it was fresh, and it is definitely hard to get the smell out once it is rotten. Maybe that particular one should just be buried, the plants should not be very picky on that stuff."

He then sighed again, as he looked at the other tables and chairs. "Definitely a lot should be done here, more than us two can manage. For starters we needed a handyman to secure the pillars and the walls first, we do not know for how many years it had lasted in this state but we will not wait for a disaster to happen before we do anything. Then we needed someone to deliver the tables, chairs, and other things that I had ordered in advance to this building. Also, we needed to replace all of the wooden shutters here as they might be too brittle and riddled with termites. Also, we needed to have a pest control specialist if we do have some termites, but also to remove any rats that had managed to make this building their shelter." He then generated from his inventory a decently-sized bag of currency. "These amount of coins should do the trick, and there are much more of these bags in my inventory if ever, but I will also offer free food and refreshments to those that will do the work. And for that to work, we should make ready the kitchen." He then pointed towards it. "As I said, the traditional stove and the tandoor should still work, and the marble countertop should be still intact. That should be all I need to cook, as I do have some cooking equipment stocked in my inventory for some needed outdoor cooking. I also have a decent amount of ingredients, and everything in there should suffice for a complete meal for 20 days for one person. You might really be hungry, right?"

 

[Lune]

"Ugh, this one is going, then." Never in her life, real or virtual, ever she had smelled something as hellish as that. And to hear that the former owner brought that thing regularly? And drank it? Not to disrespect the dead, but no one definitely would want to kiss him, let alone marry him. Using her magic to lift the table while she covered her nose with both hands, she moved it outside where no one would accidentally smell it while walking nearby.

"Remind me to bury that one next time." The smell had apparently sapped away her spirit and power.

Moonsong took a look at the place. It's definitely better, but it's far from proper. "Yeah, there's still much to be done." A considerable amount of time has also passed while they work around and chat too.

They plan for the next step of the renovation. "That's... a lot of specialists. I'm kind of new here, so I don't know anyone that could do any of that. And also their payment—" she stopped as soon as Darko pulled out a bag of money, which is said to be just a portion of his wealth. Is this person is actually swimming in money?

"Oh yeah, the kitchen. On it." She darted to the kitchen while Darko is recounting the utensils. "Yep, those things are still here. The stove might be a little clunky, but some cleaning will make it work flawlessly. There are some spare pots and plates that haven't been smashed. I think we're good." She checked all the essentials in the kitchen. If the restaurant is not in the proper state yet, at least the kitchen is usable.

Moonsong poked her head around the kitchen doorway as Darko asked if she was hungry. "No, I think I'm good—" and the stomach rumble timing couldn't be any better. She sighed and continued "I am. That's what six hours of monster hunting and two hours of cleaning would do to anyone."

@Darko Ljubicic ​

 

[Darko Ljubicic]

Darko then moved in with Moonsong so as to assess everything in there, this time in detail. As she then mentioned some plates and utensils were still intact, he then remarked, "Yes, fortunately those bandits had not taken everything that was not nailed to a wall. Although I also have a set of utensils just to be sure." He then looked at one drawer to see if there was still spoons, knives or forks, and sure enough there were still some that escaped the bandits. Or those bandits were on the rush and grabbed everything important without double-checking. The number that remained was of course not enough for a whole restaurant to rely on, but it was enough for two people. Or one person, as Darko would eat using his own utensils.

"Hmmm, looks enough. All right." Darko then changed his outfit that fits a workman the most: a white short-sleeved shirt, denim overalls, and calf-high harness boots. He then also produced two buckets, a gallon of liquid soap and a bunch of scrubbing equipment and rags. "Let us get to work, shall we? We need to get some water at the nearby well: the plumbing in here looked really wrecked and it also needed replacement anyway. We need this place to be clean: not really squeaky clean so as to keep the health inspectors out from here, but clean enough so that I can cook for later for both of us. We will proceed to that kind of cleaning later when we renovate."

@Moonsong

 

[Lune]

She eyeballed the dirty countertop and the stove. If they were to eat something made there, the most probable outcome is death. "Aye aye, captain!" Moonsong grabbed one of the buckets and went outside. The well wasn't too far from the restaurant itself; there's one right around the corner of the street, and the water seems clean enough despite being in the poorer part of the neighbourhood. After drawing enough water from the well, they walked back into the restaurant.

Setting down the bucket, Moonsong grabbed one of the scrubbing brushes and put some liquid soap on it. Almost one-fourth of her shift was cleaning duty, so this task is as easy as pie. "Germs be gone." She began to scrub the countertop with commendable speed and dedication, bringing back the shine from the dusty, oily and dirty marble. "Now to wash it clean." Using her magic, she levitated one of the rags and splashed it with a little bit of water, catching it in the air with her hand and wiping the excess soap and filth.

Cleaning the plates and utensils was not a hard task for them, mainly because there weren't many of them left anyway to clean. The place was quite well-maintained before the abandonment, thus cleaning was straightforward and most of the things sticking were just dust and dirt.

Or someone's footprint.

The stove was next. Scrubbing it for a good few minutes turned the stove back to its original, luster black color. "Time to test if it still burns." She didn't know anything about traditional stoves, so she motioned @Darko Ljubicic to light it up.

 

[Darko Ljubicic]

Darko then proceeded to get water from the well together with @Moonsong, picking up the other bucket. While the woman carried the bucket with ease, Darko with his small stature had some difficulty even if he applied the correct posture that he was used to in his early days. He still managed to carry the full bucket to the kitchen though, and while Moonsong focused herself on general cleaning, Darko focused on getting the tandoor ready as well as removing anything blocking the chimneys of the pair of cooking equipment and making sure that those worked before he could start cooking.

He then got a really long stick, and then, opening the latched openings of the chimneys connected to the stove and the tandoor, he then started poking around their circumferences, first while standing on the ground, and then climbing up the stove to open the upper openings, while Moonsong was cleaning the countertops. When he was then sure that the chimneys had no more blockage, he then clambered down the stove. He then focused on cleaning the tandoor and making sure it worked. He then opened up the cast iron casing to reveal the huge pot inside it, still untouched from the various bandit encounters, and then rolled it out of the place while he then cleaned the insides to remove any ash, soot and unburnt fuel. He then scrubbed the pot inside and out with a hand scrubber and an ample amount of soap, then, when he had thought he had scrubbed all the dirt out of it, he then rinsed it near the drainage area of the kitchen. After cleaning the rest of the cast iron body of the tandoor, he then rolled the pot towards it, installing the pot inside, and then reassembled it to make the tandoor operational again. He then went to the dining area of the restaurant, and then split up all of the broken tables and chairs that he could split with his hands, and then gathered all of it into the kitchen area, together with some scraps of paper that he found there. By then, Moonsong had finished cleaning the plates and utensils that remained, and she started on the stove. Darko then materialized a bottle of something from his inventory together with flint and steel, and moistened an end of one crumpled paper and an end of a decently-sized piece of wood with the liquid; the scent of strong alcohol wafting around the area as he then lit up the paper with the sparks from the flint and steel, and after the paper lit instantly, let the paper on his left hand touch the wood on his right hand, the wood bursting into flames as he then let the paper drop down to the ground and stomped it with his left foot to put out its flame. He then moved to the tandoor and placed the lit wood inside its fuel chamber, and then added more wood one by one as he saw fit, and then after that, he then closed the chamber to let the tandoor condition and also to heat it up for the incoming cooking that he will do.

When he then saw that Moonsong had already finished cleaning the stove, he then said to her, "Stellar job," while he then took a piece of wood, moistened it with the flammable liquid, and then moved to the tandoor to light up the wood. Once it was done, he then opened the fuel chamber of the stove, shoved the burning wood in it, and then added wood one by one as he see fit, and when he was satisfied, he then closed the chamber to see if it would heat up while he then cleaned up the floor of any debris except the wood that he had taken earlier. As he then saw that both equipment had been heating up nicely, he then materialized another bucket, this time of iron. He then said to Moonsong, "May I entrust you with another errand? This time I will need you to fetch water for me while I am cooking for both of us. After that you may just watch me while I cook, or help me with some things if you want." He then materialized various ingredients, spices, pots, chopping boards, knives, and a large jar of what smelled like marinated meat. "Today's dish is butter chicken with flatbread and optional chicken tandoori."

 

[Lune]

As soon as she had finished cleaning up the stove, the woman noticed the tandoor has been heated up nicely. Moonsong isn't familiar with the cooking equipment but she speculated that it's going to be used for Eastern or South Asian style cooking. "How hot does it get?" She curiously asked.

Darko took no time to heat the newly cleaned stove, which by the way is also traditional. Where did the petite dude learn to do all these things? Was he secretly a fifty-year-old cooking master playing as a young man? She decided to hold all the questions for now and lifted the slightly heavier iron bucket. "I'm excited to try it. Be right back."

Walking out the entrance, the orange color of the sun setting in the west has her distracted for a while. Then she noticed sweats running down her forehead and neck. How long have they been cleaning? It seems that she enjoyed it a little, that time passed easily without her being tired. Of course, it must feel silly if you play a game just to get tired. But when everything in this game is almost indistinguishable from the real world, those feelings might be important to immerse yourself in this world.

Snapping out from her trance, Moonsong quickly made her way to the well to draw water from it again, before walking back to the restaurant, not wanting to make @Darko Ljubicic wait. This time, the view from the outside doesn't feel too shabby with the broken items of furniture already taken care of. Noticing earlier that the young man had difficulty lifting the bucket filled with water, she offered to help. "Where should I put this?" After setting it down, the woman would proceed to watch the action unfolding. "I might learn a thing or two. Tell me if you need something."

 

[Darko Ljubicic]

As he watched @Moonsong take the bucket, he then changed his outfit again, this time to a white chef attire that he had always wore when he was still an employee of the curry house which, if he would take away the chef coat, would reveal his waiter uniform that resembled a British tropical naval uniform from the turn of the century. He then nodded as Moonsong said that she would be back, and as she left, he then started every preparation step. For starters, he washed his hands with the remaining clean water in the wooden buckets, using a dipper and soap, wiping them with a clean thick cloth that he materialized; as he moved to the countertop, materializing a stool where he could climb up and better see what he was doing. He then measured an amount of milled whole wheat flour into a large bowl, to prepare for the making of roti. After this, he then chopped a number of herbs and ground a number of spices finely, and then, measuring every single component, he then laid the measured components on a plate. Next were the tomatoes, onions, garlic, ginger, and turmeric: he then diced the tomatoes, chopped the onions finely, and then ground the three others in a different mortar and pestle, one at a time.

As Moonsong then returned with the bucket of water, Darko then directed her to just place the bucket on the ground, as he then lowered himself with an iron kettle and a pitcher, scooped some water with the pitcher, poured the water into the kettle until it was full, then clambered again up the stool to place the kettle on the stove, which seemed to be hot enough to do some cooking. He then took a cup, filled it with some water from the pitcher, and then drank it.

"Hmmm... good enough."

He then poured the remainder of the water in the pitcher into a smaller pitcher on the table near the stove, until it filled three-fourths of the small pitcher. He then clambered down the stool again, filled the pitcher with water again, and then set it on the countertop. He then opened the jar of meat, pierced its contents with long skewers with loops in their other ends, and then clambered down the stool, added more fuel to both the stove and tandoor, then moved the stool to a position near to both the stove and the tandoor, after which he then washed his hands again with the remaining clean water in the wooden buckets, which by then he had relocated near the sink; taking water from a dipper and washing his hands with soap and the water. After wiping his hands down with the thick cloth, he picked up the meat skewers from the countertop including a really long skewer that was used for rotisserie chicken, and then made a setup, having the larger skewer hang the smaller skewers by their hoops inside the tandoor. Realizing that he might be moving the stool a number of times if he was to do everything by himself, he then turned towards Moonsong.

"All right, maybe I really need your help. You had made pancakes before, so it should be really simple enough for you to make roti, or flat bread as it should be known commonly. I have readied the flour and boiled some water for it, so the preparation should be easy enough. Pour some warm water into the flour and knead it, and then add more water as is needed until the resulting dough is smooth but not sticky. Wait for around 5 minutes, then take the unused large chopping board there, flour it to make sure nothing sticks there, then take a ball the size of your fist and then flatten it with the rolling pin nearby, as flat as a typical cracker. When you have done as many as could be done, just hand it to me so that I can cook them in the tandoor. This thing can reach really high temperatures like a typical oven, so extra care is needed to cook here, even if one has hands accustomed to really hot surfaces and environments."

 

[Lune]

Moonsong was watching carefully from the corner, tracking every move Darko made but she eventually lost count on how many times he moved the stool around. She chuckled a little when he finally turned to her for help. The task was simple enough, she knows roti but never made one, so this one will be a good learning experience. "On it." She took off her gauntlets and washed her hands first before working on anything. The flour on the bowl was already weighed so she only needed to put some warm water into it.

"Does roti not need any yeast?" She asked the chef while slowly kneading. The coffee shop she works at creates its own bread, pancakes and doughnuts so making dough isn't a hard task. She rounded the dough to check the texture, before splashing a little bit of water and kneading it back to ensure that it was uniformly smooth. Rolling it back into one big ball shortly after, she spun it around to see if there was any crack or dry spot. "It's all good. Now we should wait for it to rest a bit, right?" Moonsong looked at Darko to confirm.

While waiting, she washed all the utensils that she didn't need any more; it's a good practice to not let the dishes pile up. Moonsong decided to make some small talk while waiting "So, do you cook a lot in the real life?" It's better than to straight-up ask if he's a chef in real life, which might be too private.

After wiping the large chopping board clean, she sprinkled some dry flour just enough on the chopping board surface. "Alright, that's five minutes." She grabbed the earlier bowl that contained the dough and pinches it to reveal that the dough is quite bouncy and elastic, ensuring that enough gluten has developed. Taking a small portion to roll into a smaller ball, she rolls it with both of her palms to create a mini dough ball, after which she proceeded to flatten it with a rolling pin. Moonsong looked closer to see if it was thin enough.

The diameter of the roti was roughly around seven, maybe eight inches. That should grow more in the oven so she was satisfied with the size. She flattened a lot more with the same size until the dough was all used, then she quickly passed the chopping board for @Darko Ljubicic to inspect before putting them in the tandoor. They might shrink in size if she's slow. "How's the dough? Perfectly sized?"

 

[Darko Ljubicic]

As Darko was preparing a large saucepan to be placed on the stove, he was then asked by @Moonsong who he had tasked to make the roti if yeast was needed, Darko then replied, "No yeast needed, but I did add a very small amount of salt in the flour to add some depth to the taste." He then added a portion of unsalted butter in the pan for him to start sauteing. When the butter was decently heated, he then added the finely-chopped onions and the ground cinnamon, and then when the onions had become opaque he then added garlic and ginger, and then when the ginger was already cooked he then added the turmeric and the remaining spices that he had chopped or ground earlier, stirring them as he went. When he then heard Moonsong say that she was already finished with the kneading and then she would then wait, he then spared a short glance at the finished product, which he then thought of as decent as he then nodded.

He then added the whole amount of chopped tomatoes and poured water from the pitcher into the saucepan, which he then he left to simmer for some time to check on the skewers to see their condition. Those had seemed to be cooking really great, as he then turned towards the saucepan again. He then mashed the tomatoes within the saucepan as he stirred the contents, and he then took a small saucer, ladled a really small portion of what was cooking into it, and then, after blowing it for a bit, held the saucer into his mouth. As he then estimated how much seasoning should be enough, and how much time should he wait, he then added the needed amount of salt and freshly ground pepper into the sauce that had been cooking, and then answered the question that Moonsong had asked earlier, about his cooking experience. "Yes, I had been cooking on my own since I was 7, and I had started in the restaurant business when I was 12. Before that I had been in part-time jobs in other restaurants when I was 9, but I do not really have an experience in fine dining as my country then was at the phase of reconstruction, so basically I was just winging it and serving food on the basis of 'if the recipes I read in magazines that I slightly altered to my taste tasted right, and if four out of five people in my neighborhood agrees on it, then I will serve it.' Eventually my restaurant exploded in popularity to the point that I only needed to hire a chef and just communicate to him what I wanted as well as discuss more recipes with, giving me more free time to taste the finest recipes the world had to offer, and also to expand the business, just managing the restaurant to check on the general quality. No stars for the restaurant though, only a simple bib gourmand, which I then leveraged to the hilt. Imagine this: dishes worthy of a Michelin mention, easily franchised, for fast food level cheap. So as of now I am enjoying a very early semi-retirement, due to that and other factors, enough for me to travel more around the world and taste more dishes, but also to play games like this." Although he referenced most of the talking points of the Milosevic Group in his sentence; a great chain only known in Serbia and having only a few locations in other places mostly in Eastern Europe and West Asia should not really be heard of in the Americas and Western Europe, as well as the name of the multimillionaire named Miroslav Milosevic, for there were far too many multimillionaires in his age group that were more successful than him.

As he then finished recounted his story though, Moonsong was already creating the roti, as he watched on while carefully monitoring what he was cooking, before the time he could not watch anymore since the level of liquid in the saucepan had lowered to his expectations. He then moved to the tandoor to remove some of the skewered chicken from being grilled inside it, for it was the time to add those to the sauce, to make the butter chicken. He then chopped the grilled chicken to bite-sized pieces, and then added them the sauce, just enough for the sauce to cover the chicken, and then added more unsalted butter but not as much to change the color of the sauce. After another tasting session with the saucer to confirm, he then added only a little more butter to complete the taste he wanted. He then removed the remaining chicken from the tandoor, and then served them in a platter with slices of lemon, and then set it aside on the portion of the countertop he could reach. He then also placed the saucepan with the butter chicken on the portion of the stove which was heated less, while Moonsong then handed him the chopping board with the roti on it, who then asked him if those were perfectly sized. He responded with a nod, and then, using tongs, he then laid the roti on the walls of the tandoor, one at a time, three per batch, where they would not slide down, flattening them deftly with the tongs so that they would puff up slightly. After some more flips to ensure that they would be perfectly browned, he would then place the finished product on a large plate and then laid down the next batch. But the way he laid down the cooked roti was in a way that would remind someone of two flowers drawn by a child, a flower inside a flower, with a singular piece of roti at the middle. After laying down the plate of roti on the freed up space on the countertop, he then ladled out portions of the butter chicken on two deep plates and then set them aside.

"So there you go, butter chicken, chicken tandoori and roti. Three of the many different curries and dishes that were served here." He then said, removing his chef's coat and revealing the waiter uniform. He then got a pair of spoons, knives, and forks from the place where Moonsong had placed the washed utensils in. "Maybe we should proceed to where we should eat."

 

[Lune]

When she asked whether he also cooked in real life, Moonsong wasn't expecting an entire information dump because Darko doesn't seem like a man who would talk much while working. Started cooking at 7? At that age, she was licking doorknobs. When listening to his story, she was pretty convinced that he was Gordon Freaking Ramsay™ until the line about early retirement came. Not only this man was actually not old, but he has a big food business chain?

Businessmen are actually playing this game? The next thing she knows, Elon Musk could also be playing Terrasphere. Hell, wasn't it him that wanted to advance civilization further and ventured a little into AI and metaverse?

To prevent her brain to be blown any further, she refrained from asking any more follow-up questions and reacted accordingly. "Tasting dishes all around the world, huh? Sounds really fun." Remind me to google up this guy when I log off. She watches as Darko finished the butter chicken before immediately baking the roti. Watching them puff a little is very satisfying as they brown on the edges. She observed the whole process and is confident that she might be able to replicate the cooking in the real life.

At last, the dish was complete and waiting to be served on the countertop. Moonsong takes a clean tray and put the dishes on top of it. "Let's grab a seat at the table in the middle."

She slowly walks toward the dining table in the middle and set the plates on it, putting the tray on the nearest table. The orange hue of the sunset was already replaced by the bluish tone of the dusk. "Let's eat!" Moonsong pulled the chairs for both of them. Sitting down and looking at the dishes, she pondered a little, eyes switching between the roti, chicken tandoori and butter chicken before looking back at @Darko Ljubicic. "Uh, so, how do we eat this?"

 

[Darko Ljubicic]

Darko could only offer a wry smile as @Moonsong picked up the plates for him and served it on a table she had recently clean. Looks like he was being outdone in the department of being a waiter or waitress huh. But anyway, he still had a job to do, as he still held the utensils, and so he moved towards the table and set them up in their correct positions, not that it really mattered for a standard fare restaurant. He then sat on one of the chairs and then replied, "Sometimes if one needed to really know the essentials of a country's cuisine, they really need to go to the country itself, because most things could be really lost in translation and are neglected in favor of what one usually favors. Like the British and curry." He then glanced at his own work. Europeans always tend to align in favor of creaminess in their dishes, while the Indians always focused on the aromatic synergy in their dishes, both for smell and taste. This one had a decent creaminess, but he emphasized more on the latter whenever he was making curry, so the taste should be more close to how the Indians do their dishes.

"Now, how to eat this," Darko then demonstrated each method of eating the butter chicken with roti. "There are three methods, and either of these three are perfectly acceptable. First, break off a piece of roti that you can decently handle, and either you use it as an open-faced sandwich, like so," He then smeared the piece of roti with the sauce, placed a slice of meat on top, and then ate everything whole. "And there's also this." He then took another piece off the roti that he had already torn, and then dipped the piece into the butter chicken, used it to clamp onto a piece of meat, and then ate the whole thing. "You can also just eat the butter chicken as is, and then use the roti to suck up all the remaining sauce."

 

[Lune]

She smelled the fragrant aroma of the dishes in front of them which is very appetizing, especially since she's been holding the hunger for a while. "Yes, there's this familiar aroma, yet it's different." She then grinned. "I have only tried Japanese and Korean curry, though." Which are derivatives of the British curry, but they're still great for her standard.

Moonsong looked closely as @Darko Ljubicic demonstrated how to eat the South Asian dish because she didn't want to butcher it with improper handling. Her eyes glimmer a little as he wrapped the meat and sauce with the piece of roti and ate it in one go. "Ah! So it's just like ssam!" She referred to the Korean method of eating dishes by wrapping them inside a leaf and then putting it whole inside the mouth. The girl enthusiastically ripped a piece of roti, putting a piece of meat and a generous amount of sauce on it, and wrapped it a little before making it disappear inside her mouth in one send.

It took a few seconds of munching and processing before she reacted, wide-eyed. She can taste more spices inside the sauce than anything she had ever eaten in the real world, complementing the slightly charred meat. If anybody told her this was a thousand-dollar meal, she would have believed it. She praised, "It's a perfect flavour combination! Or the other thing they say in cooking shows!" To say that it might be the best food she had eaten in her life would be an understatement. However, her lips soon turned red after a second bite. "I would say it's more on the hotter side though, even for me." She looked around. "Do we have water?"