Reincarnation with AI (Unemployment-Free)

It was another bright and sunny morning.

Rudius arrived at the large tree where he had met Sylphie.

"Rude..." Hilfi, who had arrived earlier, noticed Rudeus's arrival and called out softly as she walked towards him.

Hilfi hid one hand at her side, as if she were concealing something.

Rudius smiled and greeted her, pretending not to see her, "Silphie."

"Rudy, have you had breakfast?"

"Hmm? There's food."

There's no reason not to eat breakfast if someone at home makes it.

"Well, I brought some wheat grains, would you like some?"

"Is that what you hid behind your back?"

"Hehehe, Rudy, you found out." Hilfi took out a small bag hidden to her side and poured out some wheat grains. "I was busy with this the other day when I didn't come."

"Hmm?" Rudeus cooperated by showing a confused expression.

Since verbal explanations weren't enough, Hilfi started demonstrating.

"That's it, Rudy," Hilfi said, placing the wheat grains into a wooden bowl and casting a steam spell on them. "I heard you say that steam can be used to cook, so I tried making it at home with wheat grains, and it turned out really delicious!"

Steamed wheat grains?

But this will take a long time, won't it be tiring to stand like this?

"Hilfi, come and sit down." Rudeus interrupted Hilfi's spellcasting and pulled her to sit down in the shade of a tree.

Using earth magic, Rudeus created a small platform, placed the wooden bowl on it, and then gestured for Sylphie to continue.

Indeed, although wheat in the jobless world is mainly used to make bread, that doesn't change the fact that wheat can be steamed.

Rudius, who was a modern person in his previous life, had never eaten it before. It was only because there was rice that tasted better and was easier to steam that he considered it a better solution.

Although Buena, where Rudius lived, did not have rice, steaming was not a mainstream cooking method in this world due to the limitations of the productivity of the time.

In this village, it's fair to say that there's virtually no knowledge about this.

To be honest, most villagers' homes don't even have ovens for baking bread, and even if they do, they don't have enough fuel to bake bread for a long time.

At this point, choosing a chef specifically responsible for baking bread and building a larger oven to maximize fuel and technology efficiency is both necessary and beneficial for everyone.

Rudius was still pondering the differences between medieval and modern cooking when he saw white steam begin to rise from Hilfi's hands, quickly covering the grains of wheat in the wooden bowl.

The steam visible to the naked eye is always at 100 degrees Celsius, because it consists of tiny liquid water droplets constantly undergoing phase change, not steam.

The steam obscured the view, and Rudius had no idea what temperature the grains of wheat within were experiencing.

If only I had a thermometer, I could insert it and take a look.

Hilufi's grains of wheat?

Whether the wheat grains were ripe or not could only be known by Hilfi's subjective perception.

Rudius's thoughts jumped around, and after staring at the wooden bowl of wheat for a while, he looked away.

This process seems to be taking a long time; wheat grains are not so easy to steam.

Looking up at Sylphie, who seemed to be concentrating, Rudeus decided not to disturb her and simply stayed quietly by her side.

Look at the wheat ears in the field, look at Silphie's beautiful hair, look at the swaying leaves, look at Silphie's elven ears, look at her focused gaze, and then look at the steam in the bowl.

Rudius would sometimes go blank, then appear and instantly resolve a small question, before going blank again.

Thoughts are like bubbles that occasionally rise to the surface of calm water.

Hilfi only took a small handful of wheat grains. With so few ingredients, it should be easier to cook, but it was just for tasting.

Hey?

Does that mean if I had said I hadn't eaten breakfast, Silphi would have brought out a lot of wheat grains?

However, focusing on carefully preparing a small amount of wheat grains would probably taste better, right?

As time passed, Rudius tilted his head and gradually smelled the aroma of wheat, which began to grow stronger and stronger.

About twenty minutes later, a light sheen of sweat appeared on Hilfi's nose, and a look of joy appeared on her focused face.

Judging from Hilfi's expression, it'll probably be ready soon.

This time is already very short for steaming wheat. Was it because some kind of magic of pressurizing the air was used at the same time?

Hilfi is really clever.

After a brief heating process, the steam magic was stopped, and the water vapor obscuring the view was waved away.

The steam carried a simple, rustic aroma of grain, which made Rudius begin to look forward to it.

"Silphie, are you ready?" Rudeus asked.

"Mmm." Sylphie happily picked up the wooden bowl and held it up to Rudeus's face. "Smell it."

Rudius leaned closer and took a sniff.

"Mmm~, it smells delicious," Rudius affirmed.

It's not the bland, unremarkable wheat porridge, nor is it the strong, complex aroma of wheat that comes from being ground into powder and baked into bread.

This is the natural aroma of wheat.

It has a fresh, sweet, natural grain scent with a hint of grass, reminiscent of lush green plants.

Because it is accompanied by a lot of water vapor, the aroma is moist and mild, without any sharp, burnt smell.

I always feel that it's similar to the feeling of Hilfi, the kind of flavor that makes you want to hold it in your mouth and chew it slowly.

Upon closer inspection, Rudius detected a scent similar to cooked rice, the sweet aroma that comes from the rising steam when you open a rice cooker.

"Right!" Hilfi exclaimed excitedly, "I was startled at first too! Come and try it!"

"Hmm." Rudius reached out and grabbed it.

"Watch out, Rudy, it'll burn you."

"It's fine."

Rudius picked up a few grains of wheat and pinched them between his fingers; they felt quite plump.

When you put it in your mouth and chew it, you feel that it is very chewy and bouncy. You can feel the fun of the wheat grains bursting open when you chew it.

It's also very chewy; even hard-cooked rice doesn't have the same strength as this.

As he chewed, Rudius experienced the same aroma again, but this time it was much stronger.

The back of the mouth and the nasal cavity are connected, which is normal. However, can this be used as evidence to help Silphie understand anatomy...?

As you chew further, the sweetness of starch begins to appear in your mouth, just like when you chew rice. Is it the sweetness from the steam, or the sweetness of the starch?

"Rudy, how is it? Is it good?"

"Mmm, it's bouncy and delicious," Rudeus replied with a smile, snapping out of his thoughts.

"Right, right? It's really bouncy. I was quite surprised at the time."

"Hilfie is amazing! She actually thought of using steam magic to make the wheat grains taste so good," Rudius praised deliberately.

"No... Actually, my mom taught me to soak it in water first so that it would taste so good," Hilfi said shyly.

Rudeus finished the prepared wheat grains with Sylphie in a few bites, looking somewhat unsatisfied. Snacking in another world was indeed a novel experience.

Is it a problem with the living environment?

If there are mountains nearby, you can go up the mountain to find all kinds of wild fruits to eat. The varied environment will shape all kinds of creatures. There are countless treasures in the mountains, which can be considered as making up for the regret of not having a snack shop when I was a child.

Unfortunately, the entire Kingdom of Asura is mostly plains. While these plains ensure that Asura is a country free from hunger, they also mean it has much less of a wild and untamed atmosphere.

Speaking of snacks, Rudius recalled a way of eating green wheat from his previous life.

In my past life, when I was a child, I would pick green wheat directly from the field, stir it with fire, rub off the husks, and eat it directly. This is usually called "roasting wheat" or "burning wheat ears" in dietary customs.

Rudeus smiled slightly. Perhaps a few days ago, he would have simply enjoyed Silphi's "work" in silence before continuing today's lesson.

After all, this kind of thing can't be used in combat; it's best to stop when you've made a point.

But now, Rudius plans to insert a lesson as an extension of Sylphie's steamed wheat grains, to teach Sylphie's past self how she ate wheat when she was a child.

"Hilfi, I also know a way to eat it," Rudeus said mysteriously as he approached Hilfi.

"Huh? What is it?" Hilfi asked, her eyes widening in surprise.

"But before I say anything, Silphie has to promise to be a naughty girl with me for a day," Rudeus continued with a mysterious smile.

"What naughty boy? Rudeus, what bad thing are you going to do?"

"Yes, we should do really bad things," Rudius the Fly said, rubbing his hands together.

"Rudy..."

"Alright, since you've agreed, let's go!" Rudeus interrupted Sylphie, pulling her towards the wheat field.

"Huh? Rudy... what are we going to do? We can't do anything bad." Hilfi asked nervously.

"You'll see when we get there," Rudeus said without turning his head.

Looking out over the wheat field, and focusing on Somar's land, Rudius pulled Silphie straight ahead.

Before long, we arrived at our destination.

"Rudy?" Hilfi asked, her voice tinged with doubt.

Rudius did not reply, but carefully selected two ears of wheat and handed one to Sylphie.

"Watch closely, Silphie."

After Rudius finished speaking, he released fire magic with one hand and pinched the root of the wheat stalk with the other, inserting the ear of wheat into the flames or charcoal fire and turning it continuously like a skewer.

The wheat awns were instantly burned away, and the wheat husks were burned black and curled up, with a small flame briefly appearing.

Rudeus stopped his fire magic once the wheat ears had turned from green to dark brown and he could smell the rich aroma of burnt wheat mixed with the scent of wheat.

Compared to the lengthy process of steaming wheat grains, the process of roasting wheat ears probably takes less than a minute.

Having magic is really convenient; otherwise, we would have to figure out how to start a fire first.

Looking at the wheat ears in the flames, Rudius realized that this process was not simply burning or roasting.

During the charring process, the wheat husk acts like a layer of tin foil, protecting the wheat grains inside from being directly burned into charcoal. Instead, the grains are evenly "steamed" and cooked, which is actually a different kind of steaming and cooking.

It might be similar to beggar's chicken covered in mud, but it's different due to its small size. Because of its small size, the wheat ears will inevitably caramelize and saccharify, resulting in a burnt taste, which is more like the aroma of toasted bread.

Perhaps this childhood snack contains abundant and ancient wisdom, which is why it is so delicious?

Although this was the first time doing this in another world, neither Rudeus's nor Sylphie's family had wheat fields. They did have ripe wheat, but if they wanted to make this roasted wheat, they would have to go into the fields.

This is why Rudius said that he had become a bad child. In Sylphie's opinion, stealing other people's wheat was already bad enough, and good children would not do such a thing.

Looking at the slightly steaming ears of wheat in his hand, Rudius felt a familiar feeling well up inside him.

With practiced ease, he clasped his hands together and rubbed them back and forth. Now, even the sensation of his hands being burned by the wheat ears felt so familiar.

Rudius smiled and looked at Sylphie, calling out, "Sylphie."

"Hmm?" Sylphie, who was looking intently at Rudeus's hands, looked up at Rudeus with a puzzled expression.

"Whoosh—" Rudeus suddenly opened his clasped hands and gently blew the black charred crust he had rubbed off toward Sylphie.

"Ugh~ Rudy...you blew into my eyes," Hilfi complained, covering her face.

"Haha, Silphie, can you smell the fragrance?"

"Hmm~, I can smell it, it really has a fragrance."

Blowing off the charred husk, Rudius stuffed the ear of wheat in his hand into his mouth. In addition to the sweet and soft texture of the wheat grains themselves, there was also the aroma of the charred husk.

Last but not least, there was a faint trace of smoke, like the smell of burning wood that I would smell when I helped my family with the fire when I was a child.

Yeah, that's the smell of fire.

Children's sense of taste is incredibly sensitive, and Rudius believed he was full of talent to become a gourmet.

I'm a genius!

At this moment, Rudius was in a very good mood.

Rudius felt like there were thin layers of wheat husks stuck between his teeth as he chewed... but he was enjoying his chewing, so he decided to deal with it later.

"Why don't you give it a try?" Rudeus said to Sylphie when he had a moment to spare.

"oh."

Following Rudeus's instructions, Hilfi looked around before casting a fire spell and placing the green wheat ears inside.

"Sylphie, make sure you spin it, or it'll burn."

"Is that so?"

"Yes, that's right, just wait until the outer skin turns dark brown."

"OK."

Rudius pointed at Sylphie, licked his teeth, and then looked at the wheat field.

I feel like I haven't had enough. Should I eat my fill first and then deal with the food getting stuck in my teeth?

After Sylphie finished burning the wheat ears, Rudius had five more newly sprouted ears of wheat in his hand...

"Rudy..." Hilfi looked at the ear of wheat in Rudyus's hand, hesitating to speak.

"Hilfi, quickly blow on the wheat ears and then rub them off quickly, they won't taste good if they cool down," Rudeus urged.

"Oh... okay."

Hilfi did as she was told.

"Okay, okay, that's enough."

"Is that so?"

Hilfi opened her arms, looking at the dark grains of wheat in her hands, and hesitated for a moment.

"But it's dusty, Rudy. Aren't you supposed to avoid eating dirty things?"

"This is different, Silphie. It's been burned by flames. It's definitely ash, but it's okay to eat some," Rudeus added, referring to what he had said earlier. "Come on, don't hesitate, gulp it down."

After saying that, Rudius lifted Hilfi's hand and helped her finish the action of gulping it down.

"Huh!?"

Hilfi frowned and made a sound of surprise.

"Try chewing it," Rudeus said with a smile, as if to say, "I'm waiting for your reaction."

Sylphie hesitated before chewing, her expression freezing instantly. Rudeus's eyes suddenly lit up when he saw Sylphie.

"How is it? Smells good, right?" Rudius asked.

"It smells really good!" Shilufi replied.

After Hilfi finished chewing, Rudius handed her another ear of wheat.

"Again!"

The process of roasting wheat ears was not complicated; after a little practice, the two of them became quite adept at it.

"Hilfi, I'll tell you another secret," Rudeus said, watching Hilfi as she finished kneading the wheat grains and prepared to eat them.

"What secret?"

"Actually, a person's mouth and nose are connected. If you pinch your nose and then eat, the wheat won't taste good."

"What? Really?" Hilfi asked in surprise.

"You can give it a try."

Hilfi pinched her nose as instructed, then stuffed a handful of wheat grains into her mouth. After a brief chew, she showed a surprised expression.

"Now you can let go and try again."

As she released her grip on her nose, Hilfi felt the aroma of wheat grains, released from chewing and gathered at the back of her mouth, burst into her nasal cavity.

"Really! That's amazing!" Sylphie pinched her nose again, chewing as she asked Rudeus, "How can this be?"

"Do you remember the atmospheric pressure we talked about when we were learning flight magic?"

"Yes, I remember."

"Think about it, since the mouth and nose are connected at the back, what would happen if you pinched your nose?"

"It will prevent the air from flowing out of the nose, which means the air pressure in the nose will stabilize and no more air will enter, so you can't smell the fragrance!" Hilfi realized.

"That's right," Rudeus said with a satisfied smile.

Speaking of wheat, if you make noodles from wheat and then blow them out of your nose while eating them, wouldn't that better illustrate that the oral cavity and nasal cavity are connected?

After all, a noodle is a whole strip, and if you pull it, you can even deeply feel how your mouth and nose are connected.

However, after imagining Sylphie spitting out noodles from her nose, Rudeus felt that it was a bit too beautiful... If he were teaching Somar, he would have to try this method.

Therefore, Rudeus doesn't mind inventing noodles in another world.

Speaking of Somar, Rudius picked up an ear of wheat and burned it.

Thank you, Mr. Somar, for the gift!

The novel discovery made Hilfi forget that she was stealing someone else's wheat.

After pinching her nose and eating the fourth shumai, Hilfi finally realized what was happening and hesitated before saying, "Rudy, isn't this a bit inappropriate?"

"It's alright, Silphie. Being a good child isn't always the right thing to do. Sometimes you just have to be a bad child," Rudeus replied nonchalantly.

"But Rudy, don't you only like good kids?" Hilfi asked Rudy.

Rudeus tilted his head. Sylphie was right; he did indeed like good children.

How can this be explained?

When I said a long time ago that I liked good kids, I was just talking about personal preference... but what I just said about being a good kid was about life experience...

"How about this then?" Rudeus turned to Sylphie and said, "Sylphie, how about we be good friends with Somar for a day?"

"Huh? Why?" Hilfi's expression showed obvious resistance, but she didn't directly refuse because it was Rudeus's suggestion.

"Think of it this way, Silphie. We're good friends today, you know. If we're good friends, you won't mind if we eat some of his wheat, right?" Rudeus added.

This is the way of brotherhood; all within the four seas are brothers!

"If it's Hilfi, you probably wouldn't mind if I came to your house for dinner, would you?" Rudeus continued.

"No, but... but..." Hilfi felt something was strange, but couldn't quite put her finger on it.

"It's alright, Silphie. Somar doesn't need to agree. We're only friends for a day, so we don't need his permission. After we finish eating, we won't be friends with Somar anymore," Rudeus explained for Silphie.

Brothers are not such inconvenient things!

"Huh? Is that even possible?" Hilfi felt that Rudeus's words made a lot of sense, although her instincts told her that it was wrong, but she couldn't refute it.

"That's right, that's exactly it."

Rudius chews and chews...

This is the true art of sophistry passed down by bad children through words and deeds!

Rudeus nodded to himself; now Sylphie had truly learned the ways of a bad kid.

Amidst their banter, Rudius and Sylphie finished showing off the ears of wheat they were holding.

Looking at his dirty hands, Rudeus used water magic to create a water ball to wash them, and Sylphie followed suit.

Controlling the water sphere to float in front of him, Rudius took a sip of water to rinse his mouth and spat out the wheat bran stuck between his teeth.

Hilfi looked like she had learned something and followed suit.

"Hahaha, that feels so good now."

"Rudy, you still have dust on your face."

"Oh dear, this is bad, we have to destroy the evidence."

"Rudy, you still say you're not doing anything wrong? Then why did you mention destroying evidence?"

Hilfi discovered the flaw.

"Silufie, we're done eating now, so we're no longer friends with Somar. Of course, we need to destroy the evidence!" Rudius said, washing his face with water. "Next time we come to eat, let's be friends with Somar-kun again!"

"Hehehe, really, Rudy, how can you do that?" Hilfi laughed.

"Alright, Sylphie." Rudeus looked at Sylphie and noticed that there was also soot on her face, so he reached out and said, "Here, don't move, I'll wipe it off for you."

"Um, thank you..."

Hilfi accepted Rudius's offer with tact.

"Let's go, let's go back to the big tree."

"What are we going to do today, Rudy?"

"I'm going to be a naughty boy today!" With that, Rudius burst into laughter, "Hahahaha!"

It feels really great.

"Hehehe." Sylphie, infected by Rudeus's laughter, also started to laugh. "Rudeus seems to be in a very good mood today."

"We have to thank our good friend Somar for this!" Rudius began to express his gratitude to Somar without permission.

The two walked towards the big tree, laughing and chatting all the way.