Episode 92 — Holiday Crash and the Golden Cascade

The last few days at home had been the definition of peace, with time flowing by at a leisurely crawl.

(I’ve tossed the basic diplomatic design over to Gustav and prepared the ultimate computational engine in the form of Argo. This should mean I can stay submerged in sleep mode in this cool room for at least a few months.)

I operated my Lumina Shopping terminal and started browsing for new game releases. From today on, once I finished my daily quest of brushing Tama, the rest of the day would be entirely my own.

"Meow. (...That look in your eyes when you stare at that little board is worse than a dead fish's.)"

"Rest after finding the optimal solution is the most important refactoring task for an engineer. ...Now, which one should I click?"

Just as I was about to move my finger to the purchase button—

"Ding-dong! Ding-dong! Ding-dong! Di-ding-dong!"

The chime rang through the living room with an intensity that perfectly matched the visitor’s urgency.

"Zect! I’m coming in!"

It was Master Garam, the stubborn craftsman with dwarven blood. Following behind him were Bartos, the Knight Commander standing at attention like a loyal hound, and Elishua, who was carefully cradling some new magic tool.

(And there it is. I just heard the audible sound of my holiday crashing. I wanted to pretend I wasn't home, but Master Garam’s voice penetrated my physical defenses. No choice now.)

Master Garam slammed a heavy wooden box onto the table in front of me.

"Just like you said, I finished them using nothing but the finest ebony! Take a look at this 'prestige'!"

When the box was opened, an ebony chessboard sat inside, polished to a mirror shine, with exquisitely carved pieces lined up in perfect order. When I picked one up, the weight felt right, and the smooth texture of the wood felt perfect against my fingertips. It had several times more craftsmanship and presence than the Japanese-made set I had ordered.

"As always, excellent work, Master Garam. This has more than enough specs to hack the vanity of the surrounding nobility."

"You bet it does! Zect, the 'jobs' you give us are tough, but they’re worth doing. My young apprentices poured their souls into every single one of these pieces for three days and nights. Twenty sets in total—I’ve already delivered the rest to the Lord."

Garam thumped his chest with satisfaction, then took a step closer with a defiant, toothy grin.

"But listen, this banquet is Felsen’s big moment, isn't it? Give us more work. We’ll make something that’ll blow everyone’s minds!"

Garam leaned in, his eyes full of expectation. Behind him, Bartos also took a step forward, his steel-like frame shifting slightly.

"Master Zect! I, too, have come to hear the specifications for what kind of 'power' the Knights should display to the neighbors at this banquet! My men are huffing with pride, claiming that merely guarding the gates will not suffice to show Felsen's honor!"

"Alright, alright, I get it. Don't lean in so far. And Elishua, put that magic tool down for a second."

Elishua was holding up a new model of a magic lamp with enough energy to perform a live demonstration right then and there.

(The heat from the front line is too high. Unless I cool this passion down, my peaceful sleep will be physically impossible. ...Fine, time to push an additional patch.)

I sat up in my recliner and searched my mental archives for a moment. The surrounding nobility were terrified of the casino and the rapid infrastructure changes. What we needed was a powerful "visual impact" and an "unknown experience."

"Alright. Master Garam, I’m going to have you build the 'Golden Cascade.' It’s a device that doesn't exist in this world, a fusion of dining and performance."

"A cascade!? You want to run water where people are eating?"

"No, we aren't running water. ...We’re running cheese."

I began drawing a simple system diagram on the back of a scrap of paper on the table.

"We’ll build a conical tower with three or four tiers. We’ll hide a pump in the center to draw up warmed, melted cheese to the very top. From there, the cheese will overflow like a waterfall and continue to circulate through the lower tiers. We call this a 'Cheese Fountain.'"

Garam stared at the blueprint with intense focus, his breathing growing heavy.

"A circulation structure... So we install bearings in this gap to distribute the weight of the liquid? Interesting. If we polish it with lipophilic metal, we can prevent burning. Zect, I can feel my heart racing for this one!"

"Elishua, I want you to integrate a magic circuit at the bottom of the tower to keep the temperature constant. If it’s too hot, the cheese will separate; if it’s too cold, it’ll harden and clog. We need perfect temperature management."

"Understood, Master Zect! With my formulas, I shall maintain the state of this 'cheese' at its optimal level!"

The two specialists immediately began processing my bizarre specifications as engineering challenges. As expected, professional field workers are fast on the uptake.

"I understand what we're making, but... what exactly is this 'cheese'? You talk about melting it... is it some kind of soap?"

Garam tilted his head, and Bartos and Elishua exchanged confused looks. It seemed that the concept of "cheese" as a dairy product wasn't common in this world.

"Oh, right. It’ll be faster to show you the real thing than to explain it. Let’s all have a taste."

I operated my phone and ordered a high-end cheese set from Lumina Shopping. A few seconds later, I took a block from the box that arrived at the door, releasing a rich aroma—one that some might find "pungent."

"This is cheese. Emmental and Gruyère. ...Elishua, heat the bottom of this pot at a constant temperature. Don't burn it, don't boil it; just keep it in a smooth, melted state. I’m counting on your perfect temperature control."

"Understood, Master Zect! I shall lock the formula!"

Under the heat of Elishua’s magic, the cheese in the pot slowly began to melt, filling the living room with a dense aroma. I skewered some bite-sized pieces of bread, dipped them into the golden liquid, and handed them to the three of them.

"First, a tasting. ...Try it. See for yourselves if this can serve as the 'fuel' for Felsen’s development."

Garam cautiously brought it to his mouth... and the moment he tasted it, his eyes went wide, and he was struck speechless.

"What is this...? 'Rich' doesn't even cover it. This hits you straight in the gut...!"

"This melting texture... Compared to the bread we usually eat in the Knights’ mess hall, this is something from another world!"

Even Bartos forgot his manners and was reaching for a second bite. Elishua, staring at the strings of cheese, shouted excitedly, "You’re going to run this through a tower!? The nobility won't be able to keep their sanity!"

"This cheese takes months to age, so it won't be ready in time for the banquet. That’s why we’ll make our own fresh cheese for the event using milk from Felsen’s cows."

I pulled out my phone, searched for brewing protocols for Mozzarella and Ricotta that could be reproduced quickly even with this world's equipment, and presented the key points.

"What I ordered was just a 'sample.' True independence comes from having your own server—your own production line. Once the cheese is ready, Master Garam will handle the circulation device, and Elishua will handle the temperature management."

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