While Lilia and Fia were preparing the pot-au-feu, I was working on a different dish. Not that it required much—just slicing and arranging ingredients.

"Alright, looks good! It’s got a nice color. This is smoked food. I tried a few different things, so give them a taste."

Smoking involves exposing ingredients to the smoke of burning wood to remove moisture, infuse them with a unique flavor, and improve their preservation. When the Outdoor Shop leveled up, I unlocked the ability to purchase smoking materials like smoke wood and smoke chips.

Smoke wood comes in processed blocks that, once lit, produce smoke for an extended period, ideal for low-temperature, long-duration smoking. Smoke chips, on the other hand, are wood fragments that need constant heat from charcoal or burners but can achieve high-temperature, short-duration smoking.

For this dish, I opted for the long, low-temperature smoking method using smoke wood—known as warm smoking. The quick, high-temperature method is called hot smoking. As for the type of wood, it’s likely the classic cherry wood since the shop currently only offers one option.

"I’ve prepared cheese, bacon, nuts, and dried fish this time. Give them a try."

Ideally, I would’ve included smoked boiled eggs, a classic, but I didn’t prepare any eggs this time. I’ll save that for another round.

"This cheese has such a unique aroma and flavor—much better than eating it plain!"

"This bacon is delicious! I’ve never tasted anything like it before!"

"The nuts and dried fish pair perfectly with alcohol. I made plenty, so let’s take our time enjoying them."

Even though I’m alone, I decided to have some alcohol. It’s not the best quality without Lange here to guide me, but anything tastes great in this atmosphere.

While this world does have dried meat and smoked meat, they’re typically dehydrated for long-term storage, making them quite dry. My method, which focuses on moderate smoking, undeniably tastes better.

That said, selling smoke wood or smoke chips as products in my shop feels a bit weak. Most adventurers smoke food for preservation, and I doubt they’d be particular about choosing the type of wood.

"This is how I spend my days off—making time-intensive dishes and relaxing."

"I see. Taking the time to prepare something elaborate can be a refreshing change of pace."

"Cooking together and enjoying delicious food was so much fun!"

I think I managed to convey some of the joy of camping and campfire cooking to Lilia and Fia. While camping typically involves spending a night in a tent, I only brought one tent to this world. …Not that I’d mind sharing a single tent, honestly.

Yesterday, we spent a leisurely day in the backyard. It’s nice to occasionally forget about work and unwind. Even after opening the shop, I plan to take two days off every week, just like back in my old world. Maintaining a work-life balance is important.

"Alright, let’s head out."

"Got it, looking forward to it!"

"I’m excited!"

Since Lilia and Fia enjoyed experiencing my way of spending a day off yesterday, today, I’ll learn how Lilia spends her days off. She mentioned that her free time usually involves visiting places related to adventuring, and I’m curious to see where adventurers typically go.

To visit those adventurer-related spots and explore the town with Fia and me, Lilia dressed in her adventurer gear, complete with weapons. It suits her quite well.

"So, where are we going first?"

"Let’s see. I usually visit the blacksmith to get my weapons maintained. Though I doubt you’ll find a blacksmith interesting."

"Not at all! Blacksmiths are incredibly fascinating to a guy like me."

"I’m excited too!"

Every man has a natural fascination with weapons. I wonder if they sell katanas here?

"This is the blacksmith I use in this town. It’s one of the best in Al-Flare, with some of the most skilled blacksmiths around."

The building was large, with black smoke billowing from its chimney. It seemed to be a well-known blacksmith in this starter town for fledgling adventurers. As we entered, a wave of heat immediately enveloped us.

"Welcome to Gregor’s Workshop. How can I assist you today?"

A human woman greeted us inside. I had expected a blacksmith shop to be staffed only by dwarves, but that wasn’t the case. Further inside, dwarves were hammering away with rhythmic clang clang sounds, crafting weapons.

"I’d like to get my weapon maintained. Is the master here?"

"Ah, Lilia! Thank you for your continued patronage. Please wait a moment."

It seemed the receptionist knew Lilia. Being a B-rank adventurer in this town made her quite famous.