Chapter 94

Chapter 94

New Department

Anyway the royal banquet somehow ended well.

Although the Marquess of Salisbury sent suspicious gazes, since he already declared with his mouth he'd raise the white flag there was no further interrogation.

What followed after that was a social place accompanied by alcohol and tobacco. An atmosphere that would continue all night and for me it was the worst.

That is even if dragged there it'd just be the same barley sack placed. Knowing people are only His Majesty and Chairman Balfour who to communicate with?!

It was a feeling of becoming the new employee itself dragged to a new employee training and sitting uncomfortably in FM posture while only watching surrounding eyes!

Fortunately Lord Chamberlain Lord Frederick who appeared belatedly saved me. He dragged me and quietly exited to a corner and put me on a carriage.

There was no separate savior. I sincerely expressed gratitude to him.

"Thank you. Lord Frederick. I was at the point of not even being able to breathe because stuffy!"

He clicked his tongue.

"Sir Durand. Clearly last time I advised not to make unsavory matters, but you continue bringing commotion?"

"It's not my intention! Today I was dragged without knowing why by Chairman Balfour!"

"I don't know what talk went inside. Anyway my advice is the same as then. People watching you are gradually increasing. Continue being careful with actions."

"Yes, anyway thank you."

Even his prickly speech somehow sounding like sincere worry is thanks to this tremendous sense of liberation felt now, right?

The moment the carriage was about to depart, Frederick stopped the coachman with a hand gesture. He still had remaining words.

"Ah, there's one congratulatory content for you. The previous investiture matter."

"Yes."

That was a story about my knighthood investiture. The preliminary investiture was already received, and I had the proof document but about the formal investiture I hadn't heard yet.

So I thought he'd finally convey that news.

As quite a long time passed, now administrative procedures would also be mostly finished, right.

Finally I'm becoming a quasi-noble! A tearful status rise!

"Since prior consultation with the government ended, the formal investiture is scheduled to be approved soon. Before that a royal protocol officer will visit your residence and proceed procedure education. Probably around next week. And the date is scheduled for the second week Saturday of November. Official announcement will go out in the newspaper at the beginning of that week, so don't be surprised and do surrounding control well."

Second week Saturday of November?! Not even 3 weeks left? Wait, but the date is strangely familiar...

I quickly rolled my head. And pulled out one familiar event from old memories.

"Wait a moment. Lord Frederick. Isn't that day the day the Lord Mayor's Show proceeds?"

"Right."

"There's also a parade, and a military band?"

"So. You know well."

"Fireworks on the Thames River too...?"

"Hmm, it was so."

Lord Mayor's Show. The largest scale festival among events traditionally proceeding in London.

Originally this event was an event proceeding from hundreds of years ago in the sense of the London mayor's inauguration and swearing loyalty to the king, but now it long ago degenerated into just a memorial day of eating and drinking in groups.

Just in time the best weather day in Britain transitioning from autumn to winter. Thousands march beating instruments from the Thames riverside toward Westminster Square, and hundreds of thousands gather and watch that march.

And when the march ends, everyone gathers at pubs or stalls and enjoys food and alcohol and fully enjoys socializing!

If not knowing this one isn't a London citizen.

When only the second week of November comes all London fills with festival heat, and various events open all over the streets!

Moreover 4 days before a large-scale fireworks festival called Bonfire Night proceeds, so when that time comes people couldn't help but be excitedly excited until the weekend!

Even depending on the person there was public opinion regarding the Lord Mayor's Show bigger than the St. George's Day festival to that point!

But exactly that was the problem.

"Don't tremendously many people gather that day...?"

"Would be so. Is there a problem?"

"No..."

Is it okay?! Slightly inserting my knighthood investiture on the day of such a big festival?!

It seems like opening a festival to congratulate my knighthood investiture? Depending on the person one could clearly regard so!

These words surged to my throat but in the end I couldn't spit them out.

"After meeting Chairman Balfour next say one word of thanks. Since he knew all consultations with the government resolved smoothly."

Was Chairman Balfour that strong in power?!

Somehow I seemed to know who set the date.

Chairman Balfour, what intention on earth.

Starting from the international cooking exposition, it clearly seemed he was drawing some big picture.

Lord Frederick also seemed to have no mind to raise objections anymore if Balfour's decision.

To him it might be a matter not much related, but from his expressionless face one couldn't read anything.

"Ah, almost missed a really important conveyance. After the investiture dancing with a partner at the congratulatory party is a very honorable ceremonial procedure. It would be good to decide an appropriate partner in advance."

"Yes? Dance? Partner?"

Dance? What I know how to dance is only the strange Italian traditional ganggang dance I learned from Mr. D'Annunzio at the pizza festival!

Moreover partner?! Where obtain a partner?

"Dance. Don't you know how to dance? Oh dear, that's the basic quality of one who rose to noble. It would be good to hurriedly obtain even a dance teacher. Anyway today's conveyance matters are up to here. Then have a good night."

The way returning to the restaurant bumping on the carriage, my head continued only becoming complicated.

Looking at my blurry face reflected on the carriage window I deeply sighed.

###

The next day, as soon as coming to my senses I put my body on the carriage. This destination was Mr. Royce's workshop.

Thanks to the carriage slowly passing I could watch numerous crowds walking through London's cold and thin fog from morning.

They were each tearing morning snacks bought at different stalls.

People putting grilled eel, bread, pie, and fish ball full in their mouths and chewing.

And the eye-catching Edward Sandwich.

Of course one could recognize even from afar.

The scenery of people walking and diligently tearing burgers with the outside wrapped in parchment paper was an appearance one couldn't see until last year!

A sufficiently astonishing matter. Why is the hamburger culture I knew being reproduced as is in 1901?!

Only the place changed from franchise to street vendors, in my eyes there was no difference!

"...Who on earth came up with the idea of wrapping burgers with parchment paper and selling?"

A little later won't they even print trademarks on the wrapping paper and sell?! What development is this fast?

By any chance is there something like history's maintenance power?

No way. In the end people's imagination might converge in one direction under the same conditions that thought arose.

While eating the Edward Sandwich, sauce or filling flows down. Naturally to prevent that wrapping with wrapping paper is the most convenient. For that cheap coated paper parchment paper is the best that thought, right.

While blankly staring at the Edward Sandwich like that, Joe quietly opened his mouth.

"Boss, you didn't have breakfast, right? Shall I stop the carriage and buy one?"

"No, it's fine. Just watching because amazing. No time for that."

Royce's workshop was in a place not far from Lombard Street.

And there also was busily turning from morning like other businesses in London.

Sounds of carving wood, sounds of hammering iron plates. Handcarts coming and going here and there, and workers wearing leather aprons and goggles pouring bubbling molten iron into sand molds and shaping were also there.

Something the scale seems bigger than when I came last time?

It wasn't an illusion. Here also completed expansion by purchasing front and back buildings.

Anyway while watching like that someone ran out in a hurry.

"Hey! Here isn't a place outsiders can watch! It's a technology workshop sponsored by the royal, if no business quickly withdraw before getting scolded!"

Royal sponsorship, what? I didn't come to the wrong place, right?

While flustered unable to answer anything, another figure came out and restrained him.

"Hey, this crazy guy! Daring not recognizing Teacher Jean-Paul Durand the acquaintance of the president and what are you doing? S-sorry! This guy is a newbie so seems so!"

"Hueok, J-Jean-Paul Durand?!"

"This guy, immediately apologize politely!"

"S-sorry! I was ignorant so didn't recognize the precious person!"

I came to the right place. Almost turned my footsteps?

Anyway I was immediately guided to where the president Mr. Royce was.

He was in the middle of wrestling holding a spanner with oil full on his whole body in front of some complicated looking machine.

"Jean! Why are you here from morning?"

"...Mr. Royce, what are you doing now?"

"Ah, this? Producing small parts the precision doesn't match at all! So modifying the lathe machine used originally! Thinking if using a blade mixed with diamond it might be better!"

Lathe? Thinking about it several parts were scattered on the surrounding tables too, seemed prototypes different from the grinder installed in my restaurant.

The 1st generation grinder first developed together with Mr. Royce was full of problems. Because one had to directly connect the electric wire to the distribution box, a very inconvenient method.

To install one electric appliance one had to call an electrician, and after finishing installation movement was virtually impossible! Safety part also failed!

So the 2nd generation grinder I thought of was a free grinder movable anywhere in the kitchen!

The problem was, to realize this a outlet system was absolutely needed, but at that time even a similar system was nonexistent.

I'm almost blind in technology, so I only knew the shape the outlet arose and didn't know the exact principle at all.

This problem was eventually solved with random boxes. After flipping all the remaining random boxes, luckily I obtained a multi-outlet and phone charger!

I tore them with a knife and drew drawings, and delivered to Mr. Royce saying it's a gift. The moment he saw those drawings, he made an expression as if electrocuted. From then, did Mr. Royce go crazy about the grinder?

After that all matters flowed smoothly. The genius engineer he instantly reproduced the outlet system with the drawings, and thanks to that it became possible to connect and use electric appliances with outlets up to the workshop and my restaurant.

That was exactly the start of the 2nd generation grinder.

The 3rd generation was a more advanced version, characterized by molding with glass so one can see inside.

And the 4th generation was a thing designed to be able to adjust speed according to lever operation by mounting a better small motor.

And what he was making now was much smaller...

I lifted that and pressed the button.

Then the small grinder attached at the end slowly, at a very slow speed started spinning whirring!

"Is this by any chance used by holding in the hand?!"

"How did you know? As expected genius! But that's a failure! Reduced the motor too small so power is weak, materials don't grind at all!"

"Hmm... Amazing? Can I take it?"

"It's a failure? Well it doesn't matter."

What failure! If just attaching a wire beater at the end and using as a whipper it'd be perfect?!

An invention bakers all over Europe would be startled and rush if knowing, Mr. Royce was not recognizing that value at all.

That was so, this person lived building a wall with cooking.

If making the motor a bit stronger here, this eventually becomes a hand blender, a goblin club!

Is there another electric appliance as useful in the kitchen as that?

So I decided to just cheer. If leaving alone this person seemed like he'd eventually make a hand blender. And I took out the real purpose of coming here.

"By the way what is the royal whatever talk? Surely decided to supply these grinders to the royal now?"

"Huh? Didn't I tell you that talk?"

"Yes? It's a talk I'm hearing for the first time?"

"I did?"

"You didn't."

"So... Hmm the day before going to find you last time, people came out from the government? They said making an advisory committee on technology applied to cooking overall? Giving a lot of support funds and even cutting taxes on products produced here so I quickly applied!"

"Yes? Advisory committee?"

"Not sure if that's correct... Ah, was it cooking innovation department? Or royal cooking exchange department? I don't remember the name! Still I remember it was a department under the Board of Trade!"

Absurd talk. Where is such a department in the government?!

Such a department didn't exist even in modern times!

While this person was crazy about the grinder and researching something memory tangled in his head for sure!

Of course if not someone else developed the grinder, clearly it flowed from this workshop, and since what made here all need outlet systems, they would have transplanted outlets to Buckingham Palace too, then in the end one should see outlet technology also leaked.

This won't exert another influence in the future, right? Surely Chairman Balfour saying genius inventor whatever to me also...?

Anyway I didn't come to interrogate him. Business was entirely entrusted.

I only provided ideas, the development, design, production of the grinder was Mr. Royce alone so there was nothing more to interfere.

Just because various matters occurred outside my sphere of influence I was curious and came to grasp the situation of what and how it turned.

After this I was thinking of visiting Mr. Pitton's peanut butter factory.

There was no particular matter there. As usual Mr. Pitton with his head wrapped made groaning sounds saying please help again so I quickly fled.

Like that another week quickly flowed.

And on the same day, the morning newspaper announced the launch of a new government department in Whitehall.

Department of Food Innovation.

A department where only the policy decision fields related to distribution and production, inspection, import and export of food ingredients fell off from the Board of Trade and Ministry of Agriculture, and Home Office.

That day my change degree jumped over 5 percent.