“To make good connections with important people, even if just as a passing good memory, is already profitable in itself.” - Old Merchant’s sayings.

“Please, do enjoy-fill yourselves up with the feast, yes-yes,” said the rotund therian merchant as he brought Cal’s group towards one of the larger buildings on the port city. The building turned out to be a large eatery, where he had already booked a large private room - large enough to accommodate the whole group even while Lumi and Ida were cared for in the stables behind the building - for a feast to welcome them with.

On the large square table - set low while the guests sat on cushions laid on the floor - was a veritable feast, plated on expensive porcelain plates with the foods heaped in abundance, while the waiters kept bringing more dishes in without making the slightest noise so as not to disturb the diners. Other waiters waited nearby with large pots and pitchers of drinks in their hands to refill the cups on the table.

“You didn’t have to trouble yourself like this, Merchant A’ng,” said Cal as she munched on some of the appetizers that were set on the table just as they arrived. They appeared to be the upper parts of jellyfish sliced into finger-width slices, marinated in salt, vinegar, and spices, together with some local nuts which made for a melange of crunchy textures over the spicy and tangy flavor of the marinade.

“How could that be? It would be an insult-offense if this humble one did not prepare at least this much to welcome such a famous-known figure, yes-yes?” replied the rotund merchant with his ever-present smile. “Might be a different case-situation if we had not known-heard you’d be coming-arriving, but we do, so we prepare feast-party as only suitable-fitting.”

“If you say so, then I won’t refuse,” said Cal with a nod. She was quite familiar with merchant types like A’ng-Whu, the ones that tried to build connections and make good impressions when they met with important people. For them, sponsoring a feast on a whim would be worth it if their name came about in a positive manner when they were talked about later, and since he seemed blatant enough about it without hiding other motives, Cal decided to just roll with it.

The food was good stuff after all.

After the appetizers, the waiters brought in a large bowl of thick soup that seemed to have white clouds floating within the pale golden broth. It was only when they scooped up the “clouds” that they realized that their nature as cooked brains, which given the size seemed to be pig brains for the larger ones, and probably from poultry of some sort for the smaller ones.

While the ones who were less used to consuming such parts of animals like Tal gave the soup a bit of an odd look, most of the group just slurped it happily, as the thick soup was well-flavored with what tasted like a meat broth and the brains provided a gentle richness that simply melted in their mouths. After looking at the others enjoying the food, even the worried Tal gave it a try as well and found it to his liking.

Then some more local seafood was brought in and shown to the diners prior to cooking. At a glance, they resembled the sea spiders raised in Al-Shan for their silk, appearing much like an oversized spider-crab hybrid, with eight long, pointed legs and two shorter limbs that ended in large pincers at the front of their bodies.

After they were cooked, the unappetizing greenish-black carapace of the creatures turned a vivid reddish-orange instead. The legs and pincers were brought to the table on large plates, as they had simply been steamed, and served with a small bowl of sauce that looked rich and oily, yet also smelled of citrus fruits and chili peppers.

Most of the diners used the prepared tool to crack the shells and extract the plump meat within, though Cal and her blood mage students had no need for those, as they easily cracked the hard shell with their bare hands. The light pink flesh of the spider-like creature was sweet and tender, as they unraveled pleasantly in the mouth, and the subtle flavor was brought to the fore by the sauce which apparently consisted of molten butter, citrus juice, and sliced chilies.

The rest of the creatures were brought in on the two halves of the shell that covered their main “body”, the various edible organs of the creature left within, together with the roe. The waiters then mixed in several fresh scoops of white rice - which was apparently grown on the island as well - and mixed everything together, before they portioned it into individual bowls and poured hot broth over it.

It proved to be a delicious way to enjoy the innards and organs of the creature, as their strong flavor was

cut somewhat by the plain rice. The rice was not as sweet as the ones she was familiar with from her homeland, and it was cooked harder on purpose to give it more of a textural contrast, rather than the fluffy softness Cal was used to.

Even so, the combination of flavors meshed well, brought together by the hot, savory kelp broth that was poured over the bowl. Every now and then, the roe of the creature burst as she bit into it, which caused a flood of rich, saline flavors to coat her tongue and further enrich the meal as a whole.

The region being an island chain, seafood naturally was one of their main food sources, and nobody was surprised to see a large fish as long as an adult human carted in, where the chef expertly sliced into it before the watching guests.

Slices of the fish was quickly seared on a heated flat piece of polished rock, then dunked into a soy sauce mixed with citrus juice, and served, which gave them a gradient of temperature and doneness, with the fish’s natural flavors at the fore, chased by a refreshing aftertaste from the sauce.

For the main course of the meal, perfectly roasted geese and a suckling pig was served whole, their skins roasted to a perfect golden crisp, where they shattered under the slightest pressure, while the meat was kept tender and yielding, spiced lightly to highlight their natural flavor and richness more.

Everyone ate until their stomachs were fit to burst that night, before they adjourned to one of the most expensive inns in the port city.