Doesn’t matter how many times I see it, it never feels old, does it? In appreciation, my hands began clapping on their own.

Following my lead, Zack also started to clap as he said, “That was amazing! Though, are your hands okay?”

Looking somewhat pleased with himself, Uncle Marseil replied, “That little fire was nothing. It’s not an issue even if it was a hundred times stronger.”

Remembering something, I said, “Yeah, I remember dad telling something like you being a chef in the capital.”

Sighing a little, he spoke, “That was a long time ago. Now I’m just an owner of a small shop here. And personally, I like it this way. Living in the capital with all those useless formalities is… quite stifling. I like the feeling of freedom here.”

“Yeah, I’m sure being able to sleep all you want on that counter is quite a leisurely life,” I retorted.

“You brat, you got that right. It is quite a miracle to have found a place to sleep however I want. Though… Never mind. Let’s get to serving.”

Putting the bowls on a tray, he brought them over before placing one each in front of us.

“There ya go. Have fun eating!” He spoke his usual line when he served his customers.

“Alright,” I nodded as I picked up the provided chopsticks.

Before beginning, I looked at my partner to find him a bit dazed.

What happened? Is he alright?

“Zack, you alright?” I asked, concerned.

His eyes regained some clarity as he replied, “Ah, yeah. I’m alright. I-I was just thinking about the way he cooked.”

My brows creased for a moment before relaxing as I said, “He’s like that. That’s his own way of cooking.”

Glancing down at the bowl, I continued, “Ready for it?”

“Yeah,” Zack replied. “Let’s get started.”

Uncovering the lid, a sudden blast of aroma assaulted my nostrils, causing my stomach to rumble in anticipation and mouth to water uncontrollably. Gulping down the saliva pooling in my mouth, I took in a deep breath, enjoying the aroma. My nostrils flared wide, while my whole body shivered in anticipation.

I slowly picked up one noodle using the chopsticks before slowly blowing on it while enjoying the aroma drifting from it.

After being unable to wait any longer, I put the noodle-strand in my mouth. As soon as it touched my tongue, it practically melted, leaving behind a burst of flavours engulfed one corner of my mouth to another in one fell sweep. The noodle itself was firm from outside, while tender and mellow from within.

Unfortunately, the burst of flavour was a bit short for my liking and my tongue hungrily craved for more. I slowly and gradually took in one noodle after another. Before I knew it, I was slurping down noodles like a hungry traveller who went hungry for days and finally found something to eat at last.

My bowl became almost devoid of noodles, leaving behind a pool of clear liquid with a few remaining stray noodles and vegetables drifting around.

Putting down chopsticks to the side, I picked up the bowl and gulped in the broth in anticipation and was sure it was worth it. I shook while feeling a myriad of flavours and spices rampaging on my tongue, like a group of flavours warring for dominance yet forming a strange harmony to not disturb the flavour in any way whatsoever.

Somehow forcing myself to stop, I looked to my side, finding Zack in a similar state.

Asking him to stop for a moment, I said, “If you were to look at the bottom of the bowl, there is a thin sheet. Poke it with the chopsticks and mix what’s within it. It’ll make the taste even better.”

I did the same as I had instructed. Poking a hole in that membrane, a small stream of gold colour slowly drifted to the top. As I mixed the contents underneath the membrane, the golden colour quickly spread and covered the whole bowl. The leftover broth was now translucent, with what appeared like gold dust suspended within it.

I gulped down the saliva before bringing the bowl to my mouth. My eyes went wide in an instant as the flavours dancing on my tongue changed completely. Before, it was a fierce yet elegant flavour, like watching an army preparing for war. But now it was smooth and gentle, like a lullaby being sung to a baby. Being unable to restrain myself, I enjoyed every sip of the broth before the bowl was completely empty.

What remained, however, was a sweet and refreshing aftertaste enveloping my tongue and a carving for more.

My stomach felt full, and my body brimmed with energy enough to run for a few hours. Yet, my heart desired for more.

With a ‘fuu’ sound, a deep breath of satisfaction left my mouth. Involuntarily, I uttered, “That was good.”

“Yeah, it was!” from the seat next to me, Zack responded.

His hand rubbed his belly as a smile full of fulfilment filled his face.

“Was it good?” the sound of our host sounded out.

Before I could say something, Zack unexpectedly said, “That was amazing! Extremely good! How did you cook it this good?”

Uncle Marseil rubbed the back of his neck while giving a sheepish smile as he replied, “Just something I learnt as a cook over the years. Interested in learning, young man?”

Zack hesitated for a moment before nodding, “Yeah, I want to learn how to make food taste this great!”

Uncle Marseil rubbed his chin before asking with his brow raised, “And what do you plan to do after learning it? Open a shop like mine?“

Zack’s head drooped low before he responded in a feeble voice, “Actually, I don’t want to open a shop. I want to become a traveller when I grow up and also want to eat good food while at it. So I thought that if I learnt cooking…”

His head went even lower, while his voice turned to inaudible mutters.

“That’s not a bad thing,” Uncle Marseil nodded. After rubbing his chin for a few moments with his brows locked, he continued, “Cooking is definitely something important to become a traveller, as there are many times when you don’t have a place to stay and food to eat. So, in times like those, all you can do is to camp outside and cook for yourself with whatever you find.”

Zack raised his head and, with a glittering gaze, questioned, “Um… Sir, did you happen to be a former traveller?“

Uncle Marseil chuckled before replying, "Well, something similar. I travelled with a certain adventurer party several times in the past. Though gotta say, the members were real bastards. We’d have to camp for days outside and eat dishes made from cooked monsters. We’d sit around a campfire and enjoy the food under the starry sky. And me having to force myself to not put poison in their food several times. Ah, good ol’ days.”

“Sounds… like a lot of… fun…” Zack replied while scratching his cheek.

“…, yeah, it was,” Uncle replied, looking melancholic. After a while, he smiled and continued, “Alright, I’ll teach you when you’re good.“

Zack followed Uncle’s gaze to look at his own body before nodding and saying with passion, “Yes! Sir!”

“Alright, kid, I had fun talking with ya.” Then he turned to me and continued, “I’ll make this one on the house. So where to next? Kyle?”

I nodded while saying, “Yeah. Alright Uncle, then we’ll take our leave.”