Karsipen's eyes lit up, and Nikaradas exclaimed loudly beside him, "Not bad, this is delicious!"

Agatakus, with beer foam still on his lips, raised a skeptical question, "Is this really beer?"

It wasn't surprising he asked this. These pirates had visited many Mediterranean port towns and tasted various beers from different regions, but they were all more or less the same: cloudy liquid, full of sediment, bitter taste, and an overall unpleasant drinking experience...

Because of this, the nobles and upper-class people in the Mediterranean regions had always sneered at beer. It was merely a reluctant choice for hydration and mild enjoyment among some lower-class folks. Naturally, the brewers did not invest extra time or money in studying how to improve the quality of this cheap alcoholic beverage.

But Maximus was different. Coming from his previous life, he certainly knew what real beer should be. Moreover, the current conditions in the Nix Tribe were not suitable for developing wine, but beer was a feasible avenue. Thus, when the tribe's wheat reserves began to exceed needs significantly, a brewery was established under his strong backing.

And with every batch of beer brewed, Maximus tasted it personally, always offering picky suggestions. This forced the brewers to put their full effort into researching methods to make better beer in order to pass the leader's scrutiny. This is why the beer brewed by the Nix Tribe took a whole year to be officially launched. Although Maximus still wasn't entirely satisfied with it, it was many times better than the beers from other Mediterranean regions.

While Elder Karsipempas and the others began drinking their beers, the ordered dishes were served one after another.

"Delicious! Absolutely delicious!" Agatakus and the others hadn't expected the Nix Tribe's beer to be so good, nor every dish to be so novel and tasty.

Take, for example, the fried fresh fish: fresh river fish were cleaned and gutted, coated in flour, and fried in boiling oil until crispy. The result was tender on the inside and crispy on the outside, with no fishy taste. This region had no olive trees and, of course, no olive oil. However, nowadays most families in the tribe raised pigs, and pig fat was rendered into oil for cooking. Frying the fish in lard not only made it more aromatic but also significantly increased the cost, making this a luxury ordinary households wouldn't indulge in.

Or the roast chicken: chickens were common poultry in the Nix Tribe, and their price wasn't high. The main seasoning—salt—was readily available in the markets. However, the restaurant's chef used a special marinade for seasoning and baked the chicken in a specially made clay oven, resulting in a golden, shiny roasted chicken that was juicy and fragrant.

Other dishes such as the uniquely flavored smoked sausages, tender mushroom stew, honey-roasted ham bursting with fragrance, and crispy fried beans—perfect for pairing with beer—all left these pirates, who had traveled across much of the Mediterranean and thought themselves worldly, with wide-eyed amazement and mouths drooling as they devoured the food ravenously. They seemed afraid to talk too much, lest they miss out on a single bite.

In contrast, the diners at nearby tables were more refined, chatting leisurely while eating.

"I heard you went to watch yesterday's game?"

"Ugh, don't remind me. If I'd known, I wouldn't have gone. Can you believe our Westeni team lost to Todleduo?"

"Yeah, I couldn't believe it either. Over the past few years, our team was contending for the championship against Snowdonia, but this year we couldn't even make it to the finals! It's so infuriating!"

This comment immediately sparked curses from the diners at one table, while a guest at another table said loudly, "Actually, Westeni's loss wasn't unjustified. Todleduo played well, especially their defense, which was incredibly tight. In the first half, they didn't even let Westeni score a single point…

This year's matches have shown that teams from other towns are improving as well. Snowdonia and Westeni can no longer easily dominate like they used to, and honestly, this is great for all of us—makes the games more exciting to watch!"

"You're absolutely right; this year's games have been much more intense. But as for Todleduo's victory over Westeni, I think the key was their sheer determination. When one of Westeni's players charged forward with the ball, Todleduo players dared to block him directly, even at the risk of injuring several of their teammates—"

"Todleduo's team isn't just about grit. They treat the game like a battlefield. Did you know that the Pannonian players in Todleduo's team were all warriors from other Pannonian tribes that we had previously defeated and captured? It's clear they're using the game as a way to seek revenge! If it weren't for the rule limiting the number of Pannonian players to one-third of any team, and if they'd fielded all Pannonian players, it would've been an outright war!"

"A bunch of losers who surrendered and became our reserve tribesmen now want to prove they're warriors through an olive-ball match? That's laughable!—"

"Shhh! Don't say such things carelessly, or the patrol might accuse you of undermining tribal unity and summon you to court!"

"If you ask me, a battle is a battle, and a game is a game. These are two entirely separate matters. There's no need to take the results too seriously! Look at Ophelia's teams. Every year, four of their teams join the festival but have never made it to the finals. Yet their tribesmen happily watch other teams' games and cheer for them—"

If I lived in Ophelia, I'd feel ashamed! They're in the main camp zone, with four teams, and they host the games. They don't even have the determination to win honors for their town!"

"I don't blame Ophelia's teams. Unlike us, they don't have the ability to handpick top-notch players from the townsfolk, train them over an extended period, and then select only the best-performing players to form a team for the festival…

Ophelia works differently. Each village forms its own team, and before the summer festival, a series of inter-village matches are held. Only the top teams from the eastern and western shores get to play in the final festival games.

A team formed by a single village certainly can't be as strong as teams formed from handpicked players across an entire town. Nonetheless, their method involves more tribesmen actively participating in the games. Some villages even have players in their forties competing—something unheard of here in Westeni. So while Ophelia's tribesmen haven't won the festival's olive-ball championship or received the Goddess's blessing through victory, they truly enjoy the games. It's a stark contrast to us, who are merely spectators!"

"Exactly, that's what I envy about Ophelia's tribesmen! But there's no need to feel too discouraged. Tribesmen have been protesting to the administration, and Reyus, the administrative officer, has already decided that starting next year, the town will be divided into several sectors, each forming its own team to compete. The final winners will represent us in the summer festival!"

"Is that true?!"

If you don't believe it, wait until after the summer festival ends and check the announcements posted by the administration. And it's not just us—Snowdonia and Todleduo are reportedly planning the same changes.

"That's wonderful! If next year's matches proceed like Ophelia's, maybe I'll get a chance to play too!"

You? Nah, you're a bit old. But I'm definitely still in top form!"

"Don't underestimate me just because I'm older—you're not guaranteed to outlast me in stamina, buddy. Want to bet?"

"Bet? Sure, I'd love to show you up!"

"Enough arguing! Let next year deal with itself. Why shout about it now? Better to focus on tomorrow's final—Snowdonia versus Todleduo. Who are you rooting for?"

"Snowdonia, of course—it's our brotherly team!"

"No way—I'm supporting Todleduo. It's boring to let Snowdonia keep taking the championship!"

"Snowdonia!"

"Todleduo!"

…

The restaurant suddenly erupted in noisy debates, becoming as loud as a bustling marketplace.

Since they had to get on the road, Elder Karsipempas and his group quickly finished their lunch and left the restaurant, sparing their ears from further suffering.

"Elder Karsipempas, thank you for your hospitality! This is my first time eating such a luxurious meal at Nix's House!" The coachman remarked, patting his slightly rounded belly. "I've long heard that the fried fish, roast chicken, honey-roasted ham… all invented by the leader, are exceptionally delicious. Now that I've tried, it's definitely not just talk!"

"Are you saying… the food we just ate was all created by your leader?" Agatakus asked in surprise, glancing curiously back at the restaurant.

"It's said that Leader Maximus taught these recipes to his steward, Acronis. Later, Commerce Officer Pigeris asked Acronis to share these cooking methods with the chefs at Nix's House, so we could enjoy these delicacies today."

The coachman explained with a smile, "Initially, Pigeris wanted to name these dishes after Maximus—for instance, Maximus Roast Chicken or Maximus Fried Fish—and heavily advertise them across towns. But he faced a stern reprimand from the leader and dropped the idea."

"I've heard your leader is highly intelligent—not only defeating powerful enemies and designing impressive weapons but also creating such gourmet dishes. He's… he's truly remarkable!" Diocles praised wholeheartedly.

The coachman replied with pride, "Certainly! Our leader is the great Danu Goddess's descendant!"

This time, none of the pirates expressed dissent or scorn.

While the coachman went to prepare the horse-drawn carriage, Nikaradas curiously asked, "Big brother, just now those people inside were talking about some olive-ball match. What exactly is it?"

"I've heard that it's another ball game invented by Leader Maximus under the inspiration of the Danu Goddess—intense and extremely enjoyable. I also love watching it—" Karsipempas wanted to describe it in detail but didn't know where to start. He simply said, "Anyway, you'll get to see it tomorrow. Once you've watched it, you'll understand."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.