The Glutton's Feast

Chapter 66 The Glutton's Feast

After a long series of formalities, introductions, and toasts, the banquet finally began. Luo Xia had no idea what time it was, and he suddenly remembered that he hadn't bought a pocket watch.

The experience of those who have been there is correct.

The dishes at this banquet were indeed not as exquisite as those at the Starlight Torch Restaurant, which were full of the chef's best skills and ingenuity. However, as a state banquet, it was steady and the flavors were all restrained and palatable, except for the desserts—which were too sweet!

The highest praise for dessert should be: delicious, but not too sweet.

Oh, and there's one more heavyweight dish:

For the first main course, servants pushed exquisite little carts, carrying a huge white balloon to each table. Upon closer inspection, it was bulging, with veins bulging on its surface, and steam rising from it.

When the banquet reached its main course, everyone was able to talk again, and His Majesty the King was eating and talking with Deplesie. "Is this a pig's bladder?" Rorschach asked Cano in a low voice.

"Inside are tender and plump capons, cooked by the steam trapped inside," the prime minister's voice answered Rorschach's question, but he was still talking to the king.

"I remember this is a dish from Lord Deplesie's hometown?"

"Yes, Your Majesty, it wasn't easy to get this when I was a child."

It's quite an idea to come up with such a method; even using a stomach pouch wouldn't be this outrageous, right? Rorschach stared as the servant pierced the bladder, letting steam leak out. The whole chicken, exposed after being cut open, had two pieces of black truffle still attached to its back.

The servants elegantly and precisely separated small portions of the wings, thighs, and breasts, deboned them, cut them into bite-sized pieces, and placed them on Rorschach and Cano's plates.

Fortunately, it's not a heavy-flavored dish. It doesn't have the gamey smell of pork or chicken, and its texture and taste are similar to poached chicken. Even when dipped in sauce, the meaty aroma isn't masked. Even locals from Guangdong would say it tastes like chicken.

The next main course was barbecue, featuring large, perfectly roasted poultry, suckling pigs, and lambs, all served whole between the two rows of seats, directly facing His Majesty the King. Servants first cut off the best pieces to offer to the master of the palace and kingdom, and then distributed them to the guests according to their distance from the monarch.

During the main course, the animals, their ribs shaved to the bare bone, were deliberately left in the banquet hall. Gluttony symbolizes violence, and it is said that in the past, nobles used this method to display their dominance and enjoyment of their prey, to show their subordinates and servants the grandeur of eating large chunks of meat and drinking heavily, with the bare bones serving as proof that everything had been devoured.

"Master Cano, did the banquet at the palace suit your taste? I remember when Father was alive you often complained about the food at the palace. Do you think old Tim's cooking skills have improved?" During this time, Charles XVI also chatted with Cano for a few words.

"It's been a while since I've had this, and I'm quite nostalgic. Thank you for the invitation, Your Majesty." Luo Xia sensed from Cano's subtle implication that the court chefs were stagnating. It sounded like his teacher was an old acquaintance of the royal family.

Amidst the murmurs of voices, only platters of bones remained in the hall, the clinking of knives and forks against the pristine white plates creating a symphony. Charles XVI ate a great deal, while Rorschach and Duplessie had poor appetites. The bishop, preoccupied with his worries, focused only on drinking, leaving more than half-eaten food on each plate that was cleared away by the waiters.

For some reason, Rorschach wasn't interested. To let the guests taste the dishes and see if they liked them, the main courses were served in small portions first. If the guests liked them, they would push their plates forward, and the servants would serve them a full portion. Rorschach, however, only ate the first plate of each dish.

He didn't know why he was so tired and wanted to go back to his dorm and lie down instead of sitting upright here.

Dessert is over, is it finally coming to an end?

"Your Majesty," Necker stood up and gestured towards the main table, to which the King nodded.

With permission granted, Necker clapped his hands, drawing the attention of all the guests who were talking.

Upon hearing the applause, Varen immediately rose from his seat, took out an exquisitely inlaid wooden box from beside his chair, opened it, and revealed the papers inside. The papers were clearly much larger than banknotes; they were likely documents.

"Ladies and gentlemen! At the end of this grand banquet, on behalf of His Majesty the Great and Benevolent, I would like to present you with a special gift! This gift is also related to the guests of today's banquet."

He walked to the left, the side with more mages: "The lesser plane exploration team of the Magic Guild, the discoverers of the gold mine! Although they faced dire circumstances, they overcame all difficulties with extraordinary courage and wisdom, and selflessly reported their amazing discovery. Let us sincerely applaud these heroes!"

Granor and his wife led the applause, and the other grand dukes and counts, seeing His Majesty the King clapping lightly, also offered enthusiastic applause. Rorschach and the others had to stand up to respond.

"Without them, His Majesty the King would have missed out on a tremendous fortune! This fortune is like rain in a drought for the kingdom at present, resolving a major crisis and giving me, the Finance Minister, a long sigh of relief." Necker said, wiping his forehead exaggeratedly and flashing his signature business smile, which elicited a few light laughs from the audience.

"But some of you might be thinking, 'What does this have to do with me?' Don't be ashamed. Selfishness is part of human nature; in my observation and reflection, it's one of the fundamental characteristics the Creator bestowed upon all life. If you must feel ashamed, then feel ashamed of Your Majesty's magnanimity and benevolence!"

Valen began distributing slips of paper, and Necker grew increasingly excited as he spoke: "To share this joy, Your Majesty will grant every guest present fifty shares of 'Sareanna Mining Company'! In particular, the discoverers of the gold mine and the heroes of the Holy Kingdom will each receive one hundred shares! Each share is worth five hundred lang, and next year shareholders will receive a dividend of two hundred lang per share! If you hold government bonds, you can exchange them for one share at the designated exchange for only four hundred lang."

Rorschach received a beautifully printed document: "One Hundred Shares of Original Stock in Saliana Mining Company"; Shareholder: Rorschach

It also bears the date, the royal wax seal, the finance minister's signature, and the badges of the Seremban Bank and the Valuana Stock Exchange.

The Valuwana Stock Exchange? This finance minister is really something. Rorschach looked closely and saw the company and stock exchange addresses, right next to each other—it was practically like they were writing a sign saying, "Come on, sir! Come and play the stock market!"

"To His Majesty! To the Kingdom!" Necker led everyone in drinking the last cup of wine at the banquet.

It's reminiscent of casinos giving out free or discounted chips to new customers.

Although the Istani had already mastered the art of stock trading, Necker remained the world's first genius to manipulate paper money. Rorschach deeply admired this finance minister, foreseeing that this "star" would become history's most famous "alchemist," and a formidable figure whose financial calculations would rival those of Shang Yang.

Duplessi stared at Necker's performance with a gloomy expression, then silently pushed his stock certificate back, leaving Varen in a dilemma.

"Lord Deplesie, please accept it. The child is in a dilemma."

"It was not my intention, Your Majesty." The cardinal had no choice but to accept the paper.

After the banquet, Necker took several nobles to a side room to play cards. Granols also went, while François accompanied his mother home first.

Cano and Rorschach were about to return home when a servant led them to the door of a study: "Lord Cano, Lord Rorschach, His Majesty the King summons you."

I apologize for the irregular updates this week. Thank you for your support!

(End of this chapter)