#873 Revolutionary Noodles

Today’s story is about Veil.

“Master! It’s finally complete!!!”

Her abrupt declaration caught me off guard.

Lately, Veil has been constantly researching and developing things, exuding an intellectual air that would have been unimaginable when we first met.

Who did she inherit that from, I wonder?

So, Veil, what exactly have you created this time?

“I’ve overcome the challenge we talked about the other day!”

Challenge?

From the other day?

I had no immediate recollection of what she was referring to, so I delved deeper into my memory.

“Sorry, can you give me a bit more of a hint?”

“Sigh, you’re so helpless, Master. All right, a big hint then. Remember how we got all excited about smoked foods?”

Her “hint” was more like the answer itself.

Not unusual.

Come to think of it, smoked food has recently become a huge hit on the farm after we got some cherry wood chips.

Smoking any dish adds a unique twist.

It’s a pure culinary buff.

During that craze, Veil insisted on smoking a particular dish.

It was ramen.

No way.

That’s just impossible.

While smoking seemed to work with almost any dish, the one element that posed a challenge was moisture.

Moisture thwarts the essence of smoke’s flavor and aroma, and ramen, constantly soaked in soup, was deemed impossible.

That’s where the conversation had seemingly ended back then.

But Veil’s curiosity and love for ramen didn’t allow her to give up so easily!

“After extensive research, I’ve finally developed it! A smoked ramen!!!”

“No way, seriously?”

I reacted with praise, seeing the effort she had put in.

Smokable ramen, huh?

To think such a thing could be brought into reality.

“I figured it out. The problem with smoking ramen was the moisture. So, what if we completely remove the moisture first?”

“Uh-huh?”

“So, I decided to start by drying the noodles, just like they do with spaghetti!”

“Smart move.”

We usually make pasta on the farm, both fresh with the pasta machine and a dried version for storage.

Veil must have taken inspiration from that and embarked on creating dried noodles!

“I tried various methods of drying. Eventually, I narrowed it down to two: blowing hot air to remove the moisture and frying them in oil. And from these experiments, this was the result!!!”

She hands me something.

A clump of thread-like, dry, entangled strands that initially made me wary.

But to me, a traveler from another world, it was a familiar sight.

“Instant noodles...?”

Yes.

The best friend of someone living alone. Just add hot water, and it’s ready to eat.

Cheap and long-lasting.

Instant noodles, the quintessential bachelor’s companion.

And now, this staple of my former world sat before me in this fantasy realm.

“How about that, Master? It’s not easy to get the noodles this dry! With this, smoking them should pose no problems!!!”

Veil puffs out her chest with pride. It’s truly remarkable.

Recreating instant noodles in another world, that is.

It might have been a coincidence, but instant noodles are arguably one of the greatest inventions of the 20th century.

Thanks to these noodles, how many bachelors managed a decent diet?

And how many busy mothers found a moment of respite in their hectic routines?

Veil presented two methods: frying and air-drying. Essentially, she was offering the choice between fried and non-fried noodles.

Non-fried noodles have a different texture, more like handmade noodles, and preferences vary.

But the fact that she provided these options is an achievement in itself!!!

This world has now gained instant noodles!!!

“All right! Let’s boil them and see!”

“Huh? Aren’t we going to smoke them?”

Idiot! Why jump to such advanced applications right away?!

We should first appreciate the taste of these otherworldly instant noodles as is!!!

And so, I immediately throw the rock-hard dried noodles into boiling water to see how they will fare.

“Hey Veil, where’s the powdered soup?”

“Huh? What’s that?”

It turns out the instant noodles of this other world are still a work in progress, lacking powdered soup.

After boiling them just right, the noodles are simply dropped into the soup. A basic but effective system.

Well, let’s give these newly finished noodles a try.

The first batch of otherworldly instant noodles!

“Let’s eat.”

“Yeah!”

I slurp the noodles with Veil.

Delicious.

The instant noodles have a nice firmness and slide smoothly down the throat. Are these non-fried?

Even non-fried noodles back in my world weren’t this close to hand-made noodles in texture.

“Muahaha...! My research is a resounding success!”

“What do you mean?”

“I used dragon magic to blow the perfect warm breeze, drying the noodles just enough to preserve their firmness!!!”

Her dragon powers are being used in the most unexpected ways.

But if such high-quality instant noodles were realized, wouldn’t they change the very fabric of this world?

Even in my world, instant noodles brought about a significant change. 

They’re a paradigm shift!

Shouldn’t we do something before Veil realizes the gravity of this situation?

“Hehehe... It’s too late, Master...!”

“What?!”

“Reading your expression, I’ve realized that I’ve accomplished something quite remarkable. But then, that’s to be expected from me, a mighty dragon!!!”

Oh no, Veil’s too quick on the uptake, realizing the value of instant noodles!

“Indeed, it’s rare to find a dish that’s so delicious with such little effort! Not only will it reduce our daily work, but it can also be a great emergency ration!”

She’s even considering such diverse scenarios?!

“I see a business opportunity! This could be a bigger hit than we first thought! We could distribute it worldwide, and it would spread like wildfire! And if we add gonkotsu extract to the soup, demand will skyrocket even more!”

Stop!

Are you planning to unleash gonkotsu broth, a potent concoction, across the world?!

Extracted from dragons, gonkotsu extract is so powerful that if a normal creature consumes it, it’s almost like undergoing a physical transformation!

We cannot allow such a hazardous substance to be distributed worldwide along with instant noodles!

Thus, an unexpected battle for the fate of the world began.

***

By the way.

I also tried making smoked ramen.

Just smoking the dry noodles.

It’s a simple flavoring, but when rehydrated, the noodles retained a rich, smoky aroma and tasted fantastic.

“Just as I thought. The effort put into drying the noodles was worth it.”

Veil is satisfied, too.

Lately, other people have started developing new products without my direct involvement.

Maybe that’s another result of my continuing to live in this other world?