Steampunk Era: Mad Abield
Chapter 981: Section 639: Wild Banquet (Part 1)_2

Chapter 981: Section 639: Wild Banquet (Part 1)_2

"Don’t worry, Dom, His Excellency will definitely come back. Think about it, has His Excellency ever missed a championship feast?" Electrum hadn’t had a chance to say anything when the champion’s comrade jumped in to comfort him first.

This made the champion regain his confidence as well. He nodded: "Yes, I should trust His Excellency Malin. After all, he has never let us down."

"Exactly. Think about it, His Excellency Malin has so many wives. Just managing them is already a Herculean task, not to mention he has kids now. Imagine how much effort it takes to deal with those little ones—there’s no way you could even fathom." Electrum added yet another irrefutable point to sway the young champion’s mental balance.

"...That’s true. My father had the five of us brothers, and every time he reminisces about when we were little, he always says that every day felt like an unending nightmare." The young champion nodded in agreement, feeling happier. Watching his comrade and Electrum, he even had the mood to crack jokes: "Speaking of which, since this is a championship feast, His Excellency Malin should be meticulously preparing it as we speak. Who knows, he might even be inviting some big-name guests right now."

"Definitely, brother. Think about that guy from the Third Battalion who won two championships; when he lost to you, he cried like a baby. You’re the champion of the feast, the ultimate champion, and it’s your first championship win." His comrade said, then draped the general’s coat over him: "Alright, Dom, my dear captain, have some patience."

Yes, brother, have some patience.

Electrum thought to himself as he glanced off into the distance, until he confirmed the red light flashing in the kitchen area—signaling that His Excellency Malin had arrived. This discovery made Electrum leap to his feet: "Hey! I see the red light! His Excellency’s here, Dom! It’s your time to shine!"

Oh my goodness! By the Hammer! Our Excellency Malin has returned!

Electrum nearly burst into tears of joy.

Meanwhile, their champion appeared a bit hesitant: "Wait a second, Jason, help me check if I look okay."

"Collar’s fine, hair’s fine, your face was healed and has no swelling—looks good. Smile... yep, teeth are intact."

After confirming everything, Dom’s comrade patted him on the shoulder: "Go on! You’re the star of the feast, brother!"

Thus the young champion followed Electrum. As Malin’s chief guard, Electrum was seen by many soldiers as Malin’s spokesperson. So as the champion, the young man stuck close behind Electrum and even handed him a cigarette.

At this point, Electrum wasn’t shy about accepting the smoke. The dwarf and the human smoked together as they walked, greeted by soldiers they passed along the way, exchanging nods and camaraderie.

Some particularly familiar ones even came over shamelessly, offering money to swap places with the champion, only to be laughed off and kicked away by him.

"Chief Guard Electrum, what should I do when I meet His Excellency later?" This kid named Dom walked up beside Electrum.

"If you can eat, then eat a lot. Most of the dishes were taught to the chefs by His Excellency Malin, and sometimes he even cooks himself. So just go ahead and eat more, since His Excellency likes soldiers who can eat." Electrum, the dwarf, glanced at Dom as he added: "Oh, and remember, don’t toast His Excellency with alcohol for no reason. None of us can outdrink him. Mark my words—don’t ask for trouble."

"I know, I’ve heard about it. His Excellency Malin is famously never drunk, and there was that one time when some guys from the Seventh Company toasted him, only for him to toast each of them back with a bag of three-pound dwarf spirits. The next day, not a single one of them could get out of bed."

This incident was immensely famous. Ever since then, no one dared to mention alcohol in front of His Excellency Malin—it was terrifying. A single company was wiped out, and he even said dwarf spirits tasted too mild. Humans feel the stuff burns their throats; how was that mild?

"Good, as long as you understand. Even we dwarves don’t dare say that." Electrum, having experienced that infamous night firsthand, recalled how he watched His Excellency Malin drink soldier after soldier under the table, from initial concern to complete numbness—Malin’s alcohol tolerance was such that he could likely handle another entire company without issue.

Honestly, where all the liquor he drank even went remains the greatest mystery in the hearts of the dwarves to this day.

......

Antoine sat uneasily in his designated seat. His old friend Eric, meanwhile, looked completely relaxed, casually seated next to him and every so often raising his glass to toast toward King Manheim and The Queen, seated to Malin’s left.

Hmm, come to think of it, why did His Excellency Malin invite King Manheim and The Queen anyway?

Antoine was perplexed, but that didn’t stop him from humbly accepting The Queen’s gracious toast, looking both astonished and honored.

"They call this a feast, but really it’s just a table of simple homemade dishes I whipped up myself. The flavors might not be the best suited to everyone, so please bear with me." His Excellency Malin’s words always carried such charm. Antoine felt that if not for maintaining the Great Craftsman’s dignified image, he’d already be stuffing himself like the champion at the other table.

Wait a second! Eric! That was the last piece of honey-glazed pork loin! No!!!

Slumping back against his chair, the middle-aged Antoine felt for the first time how dull life as a Great Craftsman truly was—forced to uphold such pretentious decorum, not even getting the chance to enjoy a proper meal.

Thinking of this, Antoine raised his glass once again—this time toward Lady Clovis. The rabbitfolk was a semi-legendary mage and, in the Mage Tower, she and Lady Rewo acted as Malin’s messengers, bridging connections between the tower and Malin. Honestly, Antoine felt envious of His Excellency Malin—his ease with women was simply unmatched.

What’s the point of women? All women do is slow down the speed of my drafting! Anyway, are women more delicious than that bowl of stewed meat and seaweed? Damn it, it’s the last piece again—no!

Watching that piece of meat being devoured by King Manheim, Antoine felt utterly despondent—look at King Manheim, so carefree, shamelessly feasting away. How free his life seemed compared to Antoine’s.

Seriously, you’re the king—how can you live more freely than me, a Great Craftsman?

"Our Excellency Malin is truly humble. Look at my husband, Eric, and Mr. Dom. Speaking of which, Antoine, why aren’t you eating more?"

"Stomach issues." Antoine could hardly tell The Queen that his prestige as a Great Craftsman prohibited him from stooping to the shameless level of Eric and King Manheim, battling it out over sugar-filled dessert balls.

Damn it, stop fighting and save me some! I swear if you keep this up, I’ll kill you all!

Antoine silently raged while carefully maintaining a polite smile.

"If your stomach’s acting up, I have some medicine here. Go on, drink this—it works wonders." His Excellency Malin smiled as he offered Antoine a bottle of medicine.

Antoine was so moved he almost started crying—how could anyone compare to His Excellency Malin!

He took the medicine, uncorked it, and drank it all in one gulp. Feeling reinvigorated, Antoine joined the fray, his fork shooting like lightning to spear the last dessert ball just before Eric’s chopsticks reached it, shoving it into his mouth in triumph.

A burst of sugary sweetness, a lush dessert, and the sesame filling—all of it combined to heal Antoine’s very soul. No wonder Malin was hailed as the strongest gourmet in the military!

"It seems the gentlemen are thoroughly enjoying His Excellency Malin’s culinary skills," The Queen remarked with a smile, raising her glass alongside Lady Clovis and Lady Lulu.

"I’m glad everyone enjoys my cooking. The upcoming dishes are all recipes I taught the chefs, and they’ve done a great job. There’s still plenty of food left." His Excellency Malin smiled as he surveyed the scene of utter chaos at the table.

Antoine grabbed a chicken leg right in front of Eric, licked it deliberately, and then, under Eric’s tearful gaze of agony, bit into it triumphantly.

You lot can forget about snatching this one from me!