Chapter 57 The delicious mutton rice
For businessman Leonard, the first day at Abidal was definitely the most unlucky day of his year.
He and his beloved griffin landed in the wrong place and plunged into the yellow sand, filling their mouths with sand.
After he spat out the sand, a group of locals with sour faces surrounded him with hoes in hand, loudly condemning his griffin for destroying their mushrooms.
Leonard looked down and saw that there were many broken mushroom caps in the sand pit where they had just fallen, and there were some mushroom fragments embedded in the griffin's claws.
What else could he do? He had to pay compensation.
After finally finding an inn to store the griffin, he immediately set out for the spice market to discuss business. However, a profiteer raised the price three times higher than the market price and insisted that he had to buy it if he touched it.
Leonard finally broke free and ran away, but was caught and thrown into a cell.
That damn profiteer took advantage of the tug-of-war between them to slip valuable spices into his pockets, and then asked the guards to arrest him once he was gone.
He didn't even understand what was going on when he was pinned down in front of everyone.
Now he not only has to pay compensation, but also go to jail.
"Oh. How can a person be so unlucky." Leonard squatted under the wall of the cell, holding his head in his hands with a sad mood.
When Darian and the others arrived, Leonard was already in jail.
The food in the prison was neither good nor bad. All they were given was a small pot of water and a large piece of hard wheat naan. It was clean, but hard to chew.
"Leonard! Someone's visiting!"
Leonard, holding a piece of naan in his mouth, leaned towards the railing in a daze.
"Leonard! It's me! Your old friend Glenn!" Glenn greeted him enthusiastically.
"It's you, why are you here?" Leonard lowered his head and opened his mouth, and the cake fell to the ground.
"Well, it's a long story..." Glenn avoided looking at her and stammered.
"Hello Mr. Leonard, if I pay your bond, can you be released from jail immediately?" Darien stepped forward to interrupt them.
The air in this prison was turbid, and every breath he took felt like he was swallowing dust. He didn't want to have any more conversations here.
"Of course! Thank you very much! Please help me pay the fine of 47 gold coins. I will definitely return it to you when I get out!" Leonard said excitedly, holding the railing with both hands.
Darien looked at Glenn.
Glenn could only reluctantly take out his wallet.
Now that they have finally found Leonard, it means they are one step closer to the Hammer.
"Thank you very much for coming here to rescue me. Glenn, what were you about to tell me just now?" Leonard, who walked out of the prison, swept away the decadence in the prison, and his expression looked much brighter.
"This...that..." Glenn was really a little embarrassed to say it.
"Sevier, you speak." Darien pushed him away. If they hesitated any longer, they would be able to see the moon tonight.
"He wants to ask you to return the water tank. There was a small accident in it and it needs to be repaired before it can be used again." Sewell's language was very artistic and he saved Glenn's face very well.
"That's what I thought. No wonder the water in the jar tastes like rust these days. Glenn, you have to do a good job of quality control." Leonard patted Glenn on the shoulder.
Although Glenn usually had a hot temper, he didn't dare to say a word at this moment. He was still very afraid of being beaten by his guests.
It was dinner time, and to express his gratitude for getting him out of jail, Leonard decided to treat them to dinner.
Everyone was hungry, so we didn't refuse and went to a nearby restaurant to taste the desert specialties.
Let’s talk about everything after we fill our stomachs.
Lamb pilaf, naan, salt-grilled sea bass, grilled lamb chops, spiced chicken stew... Food in the desert is mainly charcoal-grilled, and a lot of spices are added to stimulate the flavor of the food. It feels good to eat it occasionally.
Leonard came here for business, so he brought enough gold coins. He waved his hand and told them to order whatever they wanted and eat to their heart's content.
Darien ordered a plate of lamb pilaf and a pot of sea buckthorn juice. The salt-baked sea bass sounded good, so he ordered one too.
Sewell ordered a plate of hummus and a meat-filled pita, but didn't want anything to drink; he and Darien would just drink sea buckthorn juice together.
Glenn didn't care much about the food; he ordered a large portion of roast lamb with naan and plenty of wine.
In addition to being famous for its spices, the desert city of Abidal also produces wine and raisins.
Leonard had just been rescued from prison and had eaten such disgusting dry and choked naan, so he spent a lot more money on food.
Seeing that they didn't order much, he simply added half a roasted whole lamb, pocket flatbread salad, baklava and couscous coconut cake.
And there is no need to worry about not being able to finish the food. You can pack up the leftovers and take them back for the griffin.
Before the food was served, Darien could already smell the rich aroma of lamb, mixed with strong spices, wafting from the direction of the kitchen.
There was still a smell of curry in the restaurant, and the guests at the table behind them were enjoying a delicious fish curry.
In such an environment, it is normal for your stomach to growl.
It took time to serve the food, so the first things served were sea buckthorn juice and wine. To celebrate Leonard's release from prison, all the glasses on the table were raised.
Darien took a sip of the yellow juice in the cup, and a sour and astringent taste immediately rushed from his tongue to attack his brain.
"So sour and bitter." He swallowed it in one gulp, his face wrinkled.
Sewell's expression was better than his, but his tightly clenched and slightly trembling fists betrayed him.
"Oh, this must be the first time for you to taste this kind of fruit. Sea buckthorn juice tastes more sour than sweet. If you can't drink sour things, it must be a painful torture for your tongue. Please serve my guests two glasses of wine!" Leonard put down his glass and laughed.
Darien put down the glass of sea buckthorn juice and decided not to take another sip tonight. He would rather drink some wine.
Fragrant and hot desert delicacies were delivered from the kitchen to the dining table like water, filling up a large table.
The mutton pilaf placed in front of Darien was bright yellow in color. It contained not only large chunks of mutton, but also carrots and raisins. The rice grains were long and thin, and the bright yellow color was dyed with saffron.
Although the name is "hand-pulled rice", the restaurant is very considerate and provides spoons and forks, and does not really require foreign travelers to eat with their hands.
Glenn, who was sitting next to him, had already started eating. He rolled the chopped roasted lamb directly into the naan, sprinkled some crushed cumin and chili powder on it, and stuffed a very thick roll into his mouth.
Seville opposite picked up the spoon, scooped a spoonful of hummus and put it into his mouth. There was a slight change in the expression on his face, which seemed to indicate that he was satisfied with the hummus.
Darien also scooped up a spoonful of rice with carrots and raisins in it and put the full spoonful into his mouth.
The steamed rice with carrots and raisins tastes salty and sweet. The carrots are very soft and the raisins are a bit sticky. The rice has absorbed the flavor of mutton fat and tastes a bit sweet and fresh like meat. Although there is no mutton in this bite, it has the taste of mutton.
tasty.
Darien concentrated on eating, starting from the food closest to him in an orderly manner, taking a mouthful of rice and then a bite of mutton, and the bottom of the plate gradually became exposed.
The salt-baked sea bass in front of him was covered with a thick layer of yellow salt. Sewell quickly finished his own portion of hummus and began to tear the fish apart.
The yellow salt was cracked open with a spoon, and the fish skin stained with salt was directly peeled off and discarded. Another clean fork was picked up and the tender white fish meat was directly separated along the spine.
The tender fish, still steaming hot, was placed on Darien's plate, smelling of fennel seeds and lemon leaves.
"Thank you Sewell, that's very thoughtful," Darien said.
"You're welcome, dear master." Sewell raised the corners of his lips into a smile.
With his strong bite and the nourishment of wine, Glenn swallowed the thick naan bread wrapped in roasted lamb, and was now munching on a roasted lamb leg.
With such a companion with a good appetite sitting at the same table, the appetites of the others were also stimulated, and the amount of food on the table gradually decreased.
Darien finished his portion of lamb pilaf and ate some tender salt-roasted sea bass. He felt a little full, so he skipped the roast lamb and started eating his after-dinner snack.
Baklava was hard and crispy, while the semolina coconut cake was soft. What they had in common was that they tasted rather sweet. Darian stubbornly stuffed them all into his dessert stomach, and it took several burps to free up more space.
He ate too much again, and his stomach felt a little uncomfortable due to the bloating. Sewell handed him the cup of sour sea buckthorn juice.
"No." Darien stared at the yellow juice in the cup. He didn't want to drink such sour stuff.
"Sour juice helps digestion." Sewell whispered.
Darien took it and drank a few sips reluctantly.
The dinner ended in a pleasant atmosphere. Glenn and Leonard drank too much wine and were both a little drunk. The two half-drunk drunkards held each other's arms and stumbled forward.
Darien and Sevier followed them, watching as their steps never became straight, Glenn and Leonard taking curves, crashing from wall to wall.
"Can he really find the right direction to the hotel?" Darien couldn't help but whisper to Sevier.
"It should be possible." Sewell was not really sure.
"I hope they don't pass out drunk on the road, or we'll have to drag them back to the tower." Darion sighed.
The temperature in the desert was much lower after nightfall. Darien took off his wizard robe and Seville helped hold it. They followed the two drunks and walked aimlessly.
The drunks had already started singing, arms around each other's shoulders.
A moon hung high in the sky, and its soft moonlight spread over the city built on the yellow sand, falling on the uncovered streets and on Darien's shoulders.
Seville touched it subconsciously and found that it was not dust or wrinkles on clothes, but fragments of moonlight.
Darien didn't think there was anything strange about it, as Sewell often tidied his coat for him.
"They look so funny," he said to Sewell, tilting his head slightly.
"But they were very happy. Mr. Glenn's feet were off the ground. He was pulled up by Mr. Leonard." Sewell laughed.
Glenn is a short man, and although Leonard is not tall either, there is indeed a difference in their heights, and the action of linking shoulders makes Glenn completely suspended in the air.
"Leonard will definitely have shoulder pain tomorrow. Although Glenn is short, he is full of muscles, like an oversized weight." Darian commented.
The two drunks ahead of them stopped singing; they had drunk too much wine, and now it was time to release the wine in their bladders.
Drunkards have no sense of public morality. They find a corner, pull down their pants, and start to see who can pee farther.
Darien stopped and pulled Sevier back a few steps.
"From now on, we don't know them, we are just passing by." He decided to draw a clear line with them at this moment.
"Okay, master." Sewell nodded seriously.
Two drunks were releasing water into the wind, which should have been a pleasant thing, but they polluted the wall of someone else's house, and a dog immediately jumped out from behind the wall.
The barking dog scared the two drunks so much that they trembled and ran away barking. The dog owner ran out with a stick in his hand, but when he saw the wall of his yard, he became very angry and chased them for a long distance.
For a while, dogs barked and people cursed on the road.
"Dear master, you are very foresighted." Sewell lowered his head and whispered to Darien.
"They seem to have gotten lost." Darien began to feel a headache.
"It shouldn't be far. The people chasing them are back." Seville said in a low voice.
The dog owner who had just run away was holding a stick in one hand and holding the dog's neck with the other, rushing back into the yard with an angry look on his face.
He probably didn't catch up, and he probably didn't run far either.
If they walked a little faster, they might be able to meet each other.
Darien and Sevier followed the direction the dog owner came back in, and not long after they ran, they came to a fork in the road.
"We've really lost him this time. Let's go back to the tower and come back tomorrow." Darien sighed.
"It's not lost, it's not lost, it's here, here!" Glenn poked his head out from behind the wall.
They had just run such a long distance, which refreshed their minds and the two drunkards were mostly sober.
"You guys go ahead and we'll follow." Darien thought it would be best for them to maintain some social distance now.
Leonard sobered up and walked without turning. He successfully brought them back to the hotel and gave the water jug to Glenn.
Glenn wanted to leave after getting the water jug, and he was in a hurry to find a corner to immediately take out the hammer inside.
Leonard stopped them. "I have a request, and I hope you can help me. I was framed by a profiteer and thrown into prison. Thankfully, you guys helped me with the 47 gold coins bail. I suspect they're out to rip off innocent merchants. I hope you can think of a way to help me deal with them and vent my anger."
Darien said, "That's not too much to ask. As long as there's a suitable reward, I can certainly help you. So, how do you want to deal with them?"
Leonard clenched his fists: "Of course it is—"
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