It only took about an hour of nonstop travelling in the carriage before I reached the western borders of Hoffen City. This place was called Qazhad which was similar in size with Bragen although it is only categorized as a town and not a city. I guess the category is dependent on the number of people living in it and how prosperous the area was.
Once I arrived at the borders, I paid the coachman handsoly since he is soone I have known for so ti. As for the carriage, it is one that I borrowed from one of my business associates that I helped to increase his revenue through new carriage designs so this short trip barely cost anything.
I can only describe Qazhad as so kind of a lting pot or a hodgepodge of people and cultures. It is obviously divided to different areas where one part looked a bit urbanized with so shops and stalls of various businesses which should make up about half of the whole area. The rest of the area is equal parts forest and plains.
In the forest, people who are skilled enough go hunt for animals, gather herbs and get firewood. The animals in the area though are not that ferocious or too big. It should be a good thing but it also ans that it is hard to get a big haul. The last part were flat lands or plains that the townspeople used for farming though the soil is not as fertile as that from Arista so the crops they could grow aren’t that varied.
The common crops that grow in these area are the more sturdy root crops like potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots and radishes since the crop is under the ground and is more protected from the harsh sun, rain and wind. In so parts of the plains that are nearer to bodies of water, they were able to plant so wheat and rice as well as take care of so livestock. The rest of the products were so herbs and at which were retrieved from the forests.
As to how I found about this, I have asked Noir to get information about all the areas I will be visiting for this imrsion in advance. I never go to unknown places knowing nothing.
Instead of calling for the people from Astrantia, I opted to stay in this town for the night before continuing my journey by tomorrow. In short, they did not know that I already arrived here.
As a certified foodie, my first stop was of course one of the more famous restaurants in this place. I have heard about this place back in Hoffen City and I also asked around the guards by the gates just to be sure. I wanted to see for myself if their nu is really worth their prestige and popularity.
When I got inside the restaurant, I am already dressed as a commoner and my face is already sporting an older woman’s visage. I even wore fake glasses and made my skin look a little bronze-like. I imdiately looked around the restaurant looking like a total tourist.
The restaurant is a bit empty since it is still quite early in the morning. I was actually quite surprised that they are open at this ti. Because of this fact, I was served imdiately and got to eat my breakfast in peace. The verdict: It was quite flavorful. For soone who was from modern society back in Earth though, it was honestly just passable.
I ordered each of their famous dishes based on the server’s recomndation without even bothering about their prices. After tasting each of them, I wrote so notes about each dish on a piece of paper. I did not leave my na and only my master certification code in cooking. I just put it so tips on how the restaurant can improve their best selling dishes further.
I left the restaurant discreetly after giving a tip and the folded note to my server with instructions to give it to the head chef or the owner, whoever is the main decision maker when it cos to the restaurant nu. The server gladly nodded due to the generous tip and he even hurriedly ran to the kitchen at the back. I guess the chef has the last say in this restaurant then.
They should have been wondering where I went since I suddenly disappeared from the table I was sitting at. As I left the place, I walked right inside the nearest deserted alley and when I ca out from there, I was already wearing a different set of clothes and a different countenance too. The next shop I was looking for would be either a dessert shop, bread shop or cafe of so sort, whichever is available.
While going around the less crowded alleys and streets, I saw a small bread shop in one hidden corner. The light inside looked warm and the sll coming from it was very enticing. There were no custors inside but there were a few custors lined up by the window buying so freshly made bread.
As a foodie, I couldn’t help but be pulled by the scent and before I know it, I was already peeking in through the window to the inside of the shop to see what they were selling. I saw a middle aged lady and a young man kneading so dough and placing the fernted ones into their small ovens. The whole place slled amazingly delicious.
The first one to see was the elderly lady manning the window who imdiately smiled at who was obviously curious to whatever they were making inside. She left the selling window and opened the main door of the shop then invited in to take a seat.
On the inside, the shop was designed simply but and everything inside was placed with convenience and functionality in mind. There were a few tables and chairs, two small shelves that were used to display the newly baked goods and a small counter where people pay their orders. As for the window a while ago, it is most likely for those that are in a hurry and have no ti to sit inside to eat.
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