Cthulhu Gonfalon

Governor Reif Kawat, the second mining director of the Northwest Republic, stood under a lush tree about two miles from Pyroxene Town and overlooked the northeast of the road. Beside him, there were tables and chairs that were placed here temporarily, along with a silver box on the table.

“Clito has sent me emails through the temple before saying that he will be back today. Why hasn’t he shown up since it’s already evening?” Reif waited for a long time, but Clito still did not appear. He could not help but frown and complain. “It’s all right that he has wasted half of my day. Anyway, I’m on vacation today, and I have nothing to do. But he still has not shown up; the fish meat will probably melt!”

Just then, he saw a carriage emerge from the end of the road and come briskly along the way.

A handsome man wearing light leather armor and who had long, black hair was driving the carriage. He could be praised by the people for his beauty, but he could also be called effeminate.

The man had good eyesight, and he could not help but laugh loudly when he saw Reif from far away. He waved his horse whip in the air and drove the hybrid horse with some scales on its forehead and limbs, whistling along with the carriage. Then he slowed down and stopped right beside Reif.

“Hey, Reif! You really came to pick me up!” he jumped out of the carriage and said with a smile. “You really shocked me! I didn’t expect you to act on what you said since you are so busy.”

“Biding by my words is one of my life tenets, and I have promised you before in the email,” Reif said seriously. “Originally, I asked for special leave today and as a result… It’s almost getting dark now. Actually, I don’t have to ask for leave today. It seems that I won’t be late even after work.”

“I had planned to come back earlier, but I met with an accident, so I was delayed for a while. Actually, I was going to arrive at Pyroxene Town right after your work… I’m sorry. I didn’t make it clear before and have kept you waiting for so long.” The man opened the carriage curtain with a smile. A young woman with bright, golden hair jumped down from the carriage and greeted Reif with a smile.

“Good afternoon, brother Reif… Oh, I should call you Governor Kawat!” Asner, Clito’s wife, who had served as the mayor of Pyroxene Town, was now the governor of the Northwest Republic like Reif. She greeted him with a smile.

Reif laughed and knew that they were just joking with him.

The couple did not care about their friends’ status. When he met them, they both were excellent adventurers, but he was just a miner. They still got along well at that time, and there were no barriers between them. Now, they almost had the same status, and they should be able to get along very well.

“What could delay you two for so long? I remember that you acknowledged Majesty Leon as your master and have stepped into the Legendary Realm recently. The Three Sword Combination in Garth City is you. You have a great reputation. What kind of enemies did you meet?”

“It was not an enemy but an old-fashioned guy who was slower than a normal person.” Clito laughed sarcastically. “What decade was he from? He still muttered words like ‘Druid traditions should not be destroyed’ or ‘the Pasteur School is heresy for the Druid.’ Come on! Mr. Pasteur has become a god now. Is he trying to make trouble for a god in order to preserve the old tradition that has been left behind for so long?”

Reif frowned. As a civil servant, he was not familiar with the killings in the world, but according to Clito, Arcaian Pasteur, the God of Healing, who had become a god ten years ago, seemed to be involved in this matter. That was not a small matter!

“Don’t worry. It’s settled,” Asner smiled and said. “Later the God of Healing descended his incarnation, and we left.”

Reif was relieved and talked about his business.

“Don’t talk about this. Let’s just enjoy my wife’s dishes.” He laughed and raised his hands. He pressed on the silver-white square box on the table, and the buckles popped opened. Inside the silver-white thermal baffle, there was a box of silver-white fish preserved in ice. It was clear that the chef had good skill in cutting up meat. Each fish was almost as thin as paper. Beneath the fish, various fruits as a side dish could be seen clearly.

“Ah! Is this ice fish? Oh my god, how did you get this in the summer?” Clito exclaimed, “Did you embezzle from someone?”

Reif was so angry that his nose became twisted, “Corruption? How could I! It is a joint commercial project of Pyroxene Town and Gold-Panning Town. I can’t say the specific content, but looking at your reaction just now, I know that this project has a bright future and will definitely be profitable.”

Clito was relieved, and without saying a word, he picked up a piece of fish meat with a small wooden fork beside the box and gently brought it to his mouth.

The ice fish that was supposed to be produced in the ice area during the coldest winter was tender in quality. When cutting it into thin pieces, it became the most delicious food. As soon as it entered one’s mouth, it melted between one’s tongue and teeth. Its special fragrance mixed with the sweet and sour taste of the fruits, turning into pleasure flowing through one’s lips and teeth. It made one squint with joy and sighed deeply.

“How delicious! I could even eat it in the mid-summer! Just this box of fish is worth me traveling back thousands of miles!”

Reif smiled and did not disturb his enjoyment. He just told Asner to taste the fish.

Of course, Asner would not be modest with her good friend whom he had known for many years. She also brought a piece of fish to her mouth and squinted her eyes and gave an admiration with her nose.

“Delicious!” Clito shouted and ate quickly. When he had eaten half of the box, he stopped consciously and talked to Reif.

“Reif, is this ice fish also the production of your mining sector?” he asked curiously. “In addition to minerals, gems, and energy essence, can people dig the ice fish from underground?”

“Business secrets,” Reif laughed and said. “To be honest, the cost of the fish is not low. A box of costs about twenty gold coins, which does not include my wife’s hard-working.”

“Her hard work is worthless, it’s at least worth double the price,” Clito said, but his face had turned serious. “However… it’s also very cheap. I guess one box of this fish will cost thousands of gold coins if it’s put in a fancy restaurant within Garth City. It’s almost the price of friendship.”

“To tell you the truth, I haven’t eaten this fish before. I remembered that you said you had eaten it once when you chatted with me. At that time, your expression was really…”

“Ha ha, don’t make fun of me!” Clito smiled awkwardly. “I just ate a little at that time, but it was so delicious that I couldn’t forget it for the rest of my life. But that was worse than this one. I’m not sure whether it’s my illusion or not.”

“It’s indeed your illusion.” Asner, who had eaten the rest half of the box and wiped her mouth and hands with a white handkerchief said. “To be honest, this one tastes a little different from the one produced in winter. Of course, the difference is very subtle and not obvious. The reason why you think this one tastes more delicious is mainly because of the weather—eating ice fish in the summer is totally different from eating it in the cold winter.”

Reif laughed bitterly. He never doubted Asner’s evaluation. In fact, before her, another government had made the same evaluation as her. The government who had published more than one gourmet books was the absolute authority in the world’s gourmet industry. Asner could make the same evaluation as him, which was enough to prove her outstanding taste.

“Don’t worry, my brother Reif. Weather is very important,” Asner advised Reif when she saw that he was a little depressed. “If the ice crumbs that can be seen everywhere in winter is added with some sugar and fruit juice in a bowl, it can become a best-selling product to relieve the summer heat. Melons and peaches can become the signature deserts in some high-end restaurants if it’s preserved well in winter. Ice fish can only be eaten in the coldest winter. It is very sensitive to space magic, so it can’t be stored with space magic. Therefore, no mortals could eat it in seasons except the cold winter. Now you can change the situation and bring it to the table in the hottest summer. That alone can produce an astonishing impact among people.”

She thought for a while and said, “In terms of taste, the ice fish cooked in winter is one hundred points; then this one that was cooked in the hot summer is ninety points. But due to the different climate, its score in summer should be multiplied by at least three times. If I were to score this ice fish, I would score it 270 points!”

Reif was happy to hear that and laughed loudly.

Looking at the sky, he pointed to a solid wall that was not very far away. “Let’s go. It’s getting dark now. It’s time for Martin and Yue to leave school… If we come back too late, Yue will complain again.”

“All these years, she has complained more than once that you work outside all day and that you don’t take your daughter seriously. Now you have a vacation, and you should get together well these days!”

After saying that, he picked up his tables, chairs, and boxes. The foldable tables and chairs were equipped with back straps and could be turned into large backpacks easily. The box was re-closed and held in his hand.

The group of people was too lazy to get on the carriage again, and they just led the horse and walked slowly towards the city gate.

In the sunset, Pyroxene Town’s thick walls looked as if they were painted with a golden layer, making people feel at ease. It was no longer the crisis-ridden Ashes Woods but the prosperous Northwest Republic.