Let me introduce you, this is my girlfriend, the Israeli boxing champion

Boudica was left behind alone. Looking at the Byzantine Palace on the hillside, she felt an indescribable feeling in her heart.

Thanks to the developed trade and advantageous geographical location, the Byzantines were able to obtain a wide variety of ingredients, including cheese, figs, eggs, olive oil, walnuts, almonds, chestnuts, apples and pears produced in the empire, as well as various spices and fruits from abroad, and sugar, which was not common in the Roman era. However, the most common and most accepted cooking method is the traditional cooking method of the Aegean and Asia Minor.

The first dish served was a fish stew, mainly made of small fish, followed by a very strong stew with spicy sauce and mint sauce; the third course was mullet and sea bream seasoned with a sauce made of mushrooms, saffron, cloves, cinnamon, fruit vinegar, spikenard, valerian and honey. The fourth course was roasted lamb, the fifth was a traditional Byzantine omelette, the sixth was roasted flounder with fish sauce and coriander, and the last course was a fillet of sea bass.

In the Byzantine court, which loved drinking, wine was naturally an indispensable part of the dinner. While enjoying the main course, the waiters brought high-quality wine to the guests from afar.

After having a good meal and drinking, it was time for the final dessert. Desserts including almond biscuits, puff pastry, jam, candied fruit and fruits satisfied the guests who came from afar.

These were the standard dinners in the heyday of the Byzantine Empire, but in Constantinople today... Alvin even felt that it was a victory for the chef to be able to make flowers out of the cheese.

"What happened to the shortage of supplies? How come this is no different from the heyday?" Alvin was dumbfounded when he saw the appetizers on the ceramic plate.

"Why is there caviar here?"

"Before the Russians came up with the idea that caviar was the best food, it was a very common food. Of course, if you're not used to it, you can always try walnuts instead."

Before Da Vinci finished speaking, he saw Alvin pick up a walnut and start cracking it.

"You are really fast."

"Since it's right in front of you, just take it."

"You can catch fish in the Golden Horn, but what about the others?"

"Remember the castles of Rumelli and Anatolia that we captured?" Da Vinci said. "We seized a large amount of daily necessities and money there, which not only solved our urgent needs, but also gave us enough wealth to hire those powerful mercenaries."

"...I suddenly feel that my coming here from Venice to help the rescuers is nothing."

Alvin looked up at the ceiling. While waiting for the main course to be served, he had nothing to do but do this. The murals on the dome were full of Greek style, which to some extent was a return to simplicity.

"Don't say that. The arrival of reinforcements is a good thing for us and Constantinople."

Leonardo and Alvin were having a bland chat with each other, but it seemed so wrong to El-Melloi II.

"The relationship between these two people... I always feel like it has changed since returning from Venice... Is this an illusion?"

Chapter 070: Consider the course of history

"Okay, I take it back. It turns out that things like cheese and bread are indispensable." Alvin looked at the cheese on the plate with an expression that showed it was as he expected.

"It smells a bit like olive oil." Boudica quickly figured out the way.

"Olive oil is an essential ingredient in Byzantium. In addition to being used as cooking oil, olive oil can also be used to make sauces and as a seasoning for salads. In order to prevent food from spoiling, people often use salt and olive oil to preserve food. Pickled olives made with fruit vinegar are also a food that the Byzantines often enjoy - huh, so would you like some olives?"

"Your Majesty!"

Alvin was surprised to see Constantine XI coming to their table with a wine glass in hand, but our Basilius did not take it seriously.

"It's a bit of a pity, actually. After we lost contact with Bulgaria, we no longer have enough honey."

What Palaiologos said was true. You should know that honey became one of the reasons for the war between Byzantium and Bulgaria in the 9th century. In order to control important trade products including honey, the actions of the Byzantine government indirectly led to the subsequent war with Bulgaria.

"Forget it, let's not talk about this. What do you think of our wine?" asked Constantine XI. This was their proudest work.

"Greek wine with a pine flavor has been passed down to later generations. I don't need to elaborate on this."

After the Crusades, the reputation of Byzantine's high-quality wine spread to Western Europe, and there is a record of drinking Byzantine wine at the wedding of Richard the Lionheart.

Well, although the ingredients are rather peculiar.

Until the 7th century AD, Egypt had been the granary of Byzantium. Merchant ships transported grain to major cities and stored it in the empire's granaries. If the grain could not be delivered on time, the city residents would be threatened by famine. After the fall of several major granaries in Egypt, North Africa, and Sicily, the Thracian Plain replaced Egypt and became the main food supply for Constantinople.

"It's a pity that it's not wheat from the province of Egypt..."

Romulus could guarantee that this was the day he sighed the most since he came into the world. It was the first time he felt that the word "heartless" was a compliment.

"It would be fine if Altira hadn't come down to cause all this, but in this case..."

Bread was the staple food of the Byzantines. People in rural areas usually baked their own bread, while people in the city bought bread from specialized bakeries. In order to ensure the supply of bread, bakers were exempted from public service such as military service. Continuing the tradition of the Roman era, people in Constantinople were able to get "daily bread" as their rations.

Then, the second person came to toast.

“I didn’t expect Mr. Giustiniani to be so knowledgeable about Byzantine cuisine.”

"Don't say that, I'm just an ordinary general."

General Giustiniani, a famous Roman elite, a Genoese came all the way to Constantinople. What kind of spirit is this!

"I am not happy with what you said," Leonidas I said. "I don't think it's an ordinary person who can defeat the Ottoman generals in Edirne with a small force."

"You are far from Leonidas who led 300 warriors to personally guard Thermopylae."

"No, no, no, it's different now..."

The result was that the two like-minded generals went outside with their glasses raised.

"It won't do them any harm to drink some wine. At least it can help them relax." El-Melloi II shook the wine glass in his hand and was already a little drunk.

"Teacher, can you do without Xiao Hui?"

"How dare you doubt me! I don't believe I can't drink you down?"

Well, El-Melloi II was really a little drunk.

The Byzantines preferred spicy wines. They used anise to make a wine called "anisaton". In addition, there were complex flavored wines made from wormwood, star anise, chamomile, gentian, ginger grass, frankincense, rose, pepper, parsley, and violets, similar to today's absinthe. In addition, people at that time also produced a wine called Retsina, which was a mixture of gypsum, asphalt, and rosin, with an indescribable taste.

Well, under this exotic taste, no less than three cups of El-Melloi II made him fall.

"What a stubborn guy."

Okay, it seems he has to carry El-Melloi II back today.

The nobles of Constantinople were keen on exoticism, and spices were the best representative of exoticism. Most spices were already known in the Roman Empire, such as saffron, black pepper, cinnamon, ginger and cloves. In the late Roman era, musk also spread to Europe. The best musk was said to be produced in Afghanistan or Tibet. Although St. Jerome believed that this represented lust and hedonism, people still enjoyed looking for various spices.

In the Middle Ages, more spices arrived at this intersection of Eurasian civilizations, including jasmine from Iran, ambergris from the Indian Ocean, nutmeg from the Banda Islands, camphor from Borneo... They were fortunate enough to come into contact with these exotic fragrances. In addition to using them to make perfumes, thanks to the exploration of foodies, some spices that were originally used as medicines were also used in cooking for the first time.

"It's worth the trip, it's worth the trip!" Captain Barto of Venice was fascinated by the spices of this city. As a businessman, he had already made up his mind that after the war was over and the siege was lifted, the first thing he would do was to negotiate a spice business with Constantinople.

He was not the only one who had such an idea. Many people in the hall were already drunk and dreaming, as if the siege did not exist. If people who were not aware of the situation knew this, who would know that this was the normal scene for a city that had been under siege for nearly 800 days?

"Although Constantine XI's starting point was good, after seeing what happened today, I'm afraid..."

Boudica, who unexpectedly did not drink any alcohol today, was one of the few who was still clear-headed. In contrast, El-Melloi II, who should have been awake, was already sleeping soundly on the table.

"Compared to the Empire, this place is more like the stronghold of bandits who have become bandits."

Alvin looked up at the dome again. He didn't know if it was an illusion, but the archangel had a crying face.

"The course of history?" He thought of what Flaunos had said again, his eyes blurred.

Do you think I still have a chance, Vassago?

Da Vinci looked at his expression, and worry appeared on his pretty face.

"Alvin..."

Chapter 071: I sucked a fox named Tamamonomae

"What's going on, Miss Tamamo?"

Ritsuka, who was sitting on the bed reading the Koran, couldn't help but ask when he saw Tamamo coming in.

"I think I might be able to get Nero out of the room."

A stone stirs up a thousand waves. Upon hearing this, Li Xiang put down the book in his hand and said excitedly: "Are you serious?"

"Do you think I'm the kind of person who comes here to trick you?"

Uh, wait, it seems like I've actually done this before.

Tamamonomae felt embarrassed when she thought of this, and she looked at Ritsuka's reaction from time to time, because what she had done at that time was known to everyone in the world.

"What's wrong, Miss Tamamo?"

"Uh, it's okay, it might be my illusion. By the way, Ritsuka, I still need to trouble you about this matter, Migu."

"I?"

Li Xiang pointed his finger at himself, seeming a little bit unbelievable. "

"To be more precise, I need your magic power, Ritsuka."

After Tamamonomae finished speaking, a mirror appeared on her palm. The decoration of the mirror was gorgeous, but when Ritsuka saw the mirror again, he still felt that it was no different from the souvenirs sold at the Ise Shrine when he visited it before.

"As for the legend of the mirror... Is this the Yata Mirror?"

"That's right. This is the Mirror of the True Sutra. How about it? Do you want to take a look at it? It's just an ordinary mirror now, Migu?"

The Eight-foot Mirror, also known as the Shinkeitsu Mirror, is one of the three sacred treasures of Neon Legend. As the imperial spirit of Amaterasu, it is enshrined in the Ise Grand Shrine, the ancestor of shrines.

But since Tamamonomae has this mirror, her identity is obvious:

"Um... Miss Tamamo, I can go to Ise Shrine during my final exams--"

"No, Migu! Only this one won't work, Migu! The one with golden hair and white face is really not me, Migu!"

This is definitely a dark history for Tamamo-san, Migu! ! !

After seeing Tamamonomae's vehement opposition, Ritsuka could only give up with regret, but she had not forgotten the reason why Tamamonomae found her in the first place.

"So what method is Miss Tamamo going to use to make Nero recover?" When he said this, Ritsuka looked at the door opposite him. That door had not been opened for a long time.

"Could it be the Eight-foot Mirror?"

"The answer is correct, Migu!"

Suiten Nikko Tensho Hachino-Zhinoseki, a mirror-shaped treasure of Tamamonomae, can temporarily release the sacred treasure of Tamamonoseki, which was originally a sacred treasure of the underworld used to resurrect the dead, but...

"Because she doesn't have enough tails, she can't use such a powerful ability, Migu!"

Tail?

Ritsuka looked behind the fox maiden, and yes, there was indeed only one tail. So at that moment, Fujimaru Ritsuka somehow pulled the furry tail with his hand with a little force.

As for the result...

“Mee, mee, mee--!!!!!!”

Tamamonomae's strange cry echoed in the sky above Bursa.

"...That's it. Anyway, I'm very sorry, Miss Tamamo!"

"Curiosity almost killed the fox, Ritsuka."

Faced with Tamamonomae's "earnest teachings", Ritsuka had no choice but to apologize.

"Yeah, not bad, touch it for a while longer."

"Yes, Tamamo-sama."

The result is that it becomes a fox sucker...

"So, Tamamo, you want me to sign a contract with you to replenish your magic power to use the Noble Phantasm?"

"That's it, Migu. And it can't be an ordinary contract. You have to make a contract with me in the way of summoning heroic spirits in the Holy Grail War. This may allow me to return to the state of having only three tails. Then we can start the operation to save Soldier Nero, Migu!"

What Tamamonomae said was true. The Eight-foot Mirror was the mirror that Tamamonomae carried with her. It could temporarily release the sacred treasure called "Tamamono-suppressing Stone". It was a barrier that blocked the laws of the ordinary world through a curse, and all the costs of using cursed power in this barrier would become zero.

As the person's spiritual rank dropped, the level of this Noble Phantasm also dropped. Originally, it was an EX-level Noble Phantasm for opposing worlds, and its range when EX was considered to cover a country.

After hearing Tamamonomae's explanation, Ritsuka immediately drew a summoning circle on the spot, and then recited the summoning process he had learned in Olga Marie's small class.

However, the words that were read sounded a little wrong to Tamamonomae:

"So ni gin to tetsu. So ni ishi to keiyaku no taikou..."

"Wait a minute, Ritsuka, you're speaking Latin now?"

"Ah, this, that's what the director taught me."

"It doesn't have to be Latin, Migu!"

After a lot of haste, Ritsuka resumed his Spirit Summon (even though the target was right in front of him) and started his first card draw again (?)

"Pure silver and iron. The Duke who made a contract with the cornerstone. Build a wall before the wind of advent. Close the four doors. Come out from the crown. Go back and forth on the three-way road to the kingdom."

"Close (full). Close (full). Close (full). Close (full). Close (full). Repeat five times. But when it is full, it should be abandoned."

"---declaration."

"Your body obeys my command, and my fate depends on your sword. Just like obeying the fate of the Holy Grail. Those who follow this intention and this principle, respond!"

"I swear on this."