“You carry these around with you?” Loviki asked, her expression slightly surprised.
“I've lived in the forest for a long time,” Chen Mian replied.
Flora looked down at the bamboo basket in her hand. The Silver-light Fruits, purple pulp berries, and Moonlight Mushrooms could all be used as ingredients, but the Gold-Thread Moss hadn't been dried yet and couldn't be eaten for now.
“We need to go back first to get the ingredients and cooking tools. Let's make this magical cuisine outdoors!” Flora said with a smile, pointing at the Moonlight Mushrooms in her basket.
“Let's go,” Chen Mian nodded.
Fortunately, the Fluorescent Forest was not too far from the apartment.
While Flora was preparing the ingredients, Chen Mian planted the vegetation they had gathered from the forest in the orchard.
The empty Mana Orchard finally had a few decent magical fruit trees, especially the Spirit-Silver Tree, which might have some effect on Flora's curse.
Additionally, the Magic Hot Spring that would unlock upon completing Initial Quest Two might also have a similar effect.
This way, there was a real possibility of lifting Flora's curse.
He would also get 5,000 Points all at once... Of course, his desire to lift Flora's curse now wasn't just for the Points.
Consider it a reward for her cooking for him every day...
Soon, Flora and Loviki had gathered everything they needed, and the three of them headed to the Fluorescent Forest together.
Most of the items Flora brought were ingredients and cookware. She had changed out of her thick cloak and into a light gray set of loungewear.
In addition to taking a shower and changing into her academy uniform, Loviki also brought a blanket.
As for Chen Mian, basically everything he wanted to bring was kept in his storage space.
The three of them walked deeper along the path.
After walking for about ten minutes, they reached the top of a low hill.
Once again, they beheld the meadow covered in fluorescent spores. Swayed by the wind, the glow drifted and intertwined everywhere, resembling a flowing river of stars.
Even though she had been here before, Chen Mian could still catch a glimpse of pleasant surprise in Flora's eyes.
“So beautiful...” Loviki stood at the edge of the meadow, the sky full of fluorescent light reflected in her ruby-like eyes.
She squatted down and watched a speck of light drift up from between the blades of grass, slowly rising before her eyes. She reached out to touch it. The moment she made contact, the speck glowed slightly brighter before splitting into many smaller points of light, like a miniature firework. “What is this?”
“Spores of the fluorescent tree fungus,” Chen Mian said, pointing to the ground.
“Where is the fluorescent tree fungus?” Loviki looked in the direction he pointed. “There's nothing but grass and spores here...”
“Underground. It grows from a very ancient mycelium, and it only glows.”
“Oh.” Loviki looked down at the specks of light regathering on her fingertips. “So the ground beneath us is completely filled with mycelium?”
“Mhm,” Chen Mian nodded. “Probably under the entire meadow.”
“So we're basically stepping on its head right now?”
“You could put it that way.”
Loviki lifted her foot and put it back down, her expression delicate.
Flora chuckled softly at her reaction.
As the sky gradually darkened, Chen Mian found a flat spot in the middle of the meadow and began to pitch the tent.
He laid out the waterproof mat, inserted the frame, covered it with the tarp, and tightened the ropes. With Loviki helping by his side, the entire process took less than five minutes.
Meanwhile, Flora had already set up her iron pot on a simple stove built from piled stones.
The ingredients were laid out one by one: magic tomatoes, Moonlight Mushrooms, purple pulp berries, and Silver-light Fruits, along with bread, butter brought from the apartment, and various unidentified jars and bottles.
“Loviki, help me start the fire.”
“Okay.” Loviki stretched out her hand. A ball of silver-white blazing light condensed in her palm. As she brought it close to the firewood, the wood instantly caught fire.
“Your control has improved,” Chen Mian remarked.
The corner of Loviki's mouth curved up slightly before she quickly suppressed it. “I am a genius, after all.”
“Flora, what's inside these jars?” Loviki asked, looking at the bottles and jars nearby.
“Chilled magic tomato juice, condensed magic chili extract, and a bag of dried Moonlight Grass powder. These are all the raw ingredients needed to make Moonlight Mushroom Condensation,” Flora introduced with a smile, pointing at the bottles.
Gradually, the bottom of the pot began to heat up.
First, she poured the magic tomato juice into the pot.
The tomato juice was chilled, still giving off cold vapor as it was poured into the pot. Upon contacting the residual heat at the bottom, it let out a soft sizzling sound.
Flora tested the temperature of the pot's side with the back of her hand. “The magic tomato juice needs to be heated slowly. If the temperature rises too fast, the mana will easily dissipate.”
Once the tomato juice was slightly warm, she picked up a Moonlight Mushroom and used the tip of her knife to gently score a few fine lines on its cap.
“Why score it?” Loviki leaned closer.
“To let the mana inside release slowly so it doesn't dissipate all at once.” Flora placed the scored Moonlight Mushroom into the pot.
The Moonlight Mushroom slowly expanded in the warm tomato juice, sending ripples of gold outward from its surface to blend into the deep red broth.
“It smells so good...” Loviki took an involuntary breath, her eyes wide and unblinking.
The broth in the pot gradually darkened, turning from red to deep crimson as tiny bubbles surfaced.
Flora added a spoonful of magic chili condensation, slowly stirring along the side of the pot with a wooden spoon, before adding the Moonlight Grass powder. “The Moonlight Grass powder stabilizes the mana.”
As she stirred, she added, “It prevents the Moonlight Mushroom's mana from clashing with each other during the release process.”
Gradually, the color shifted from deep crimson to a faint silver-purple, and a soft luster appeared on the surface.
“It's done.”
【Flora has successfully crafted a magical cuisine! +300 Points】
【Dish Name: Moonlight Mushroom Condensation】
【Quality: Novice Magical Cuisine】
【Effect: Upon consumption, magic casting speed is increased by 20% for 30 minutes. At the same time, the consumer is unable to lie and will involuntarily speak their true inner thoughts.】
Eh? This effect?
【Current Points: 2340】
Flora ladled the cooked Moonlight Mushroom Condensation into separate bowls.
The Moonlight Mushrooms floated in the broth, the gold patterns on their caps still glowing faintly.
Loviki took her bowl, looked down at it, then looked up at the fluorescent spores filling the sky. “There's light in the soup, too.”
“Mhm.” Flora smiled. “That's why it's called 《Moonlight Mushroom Condensation》.”
Chen Mian picked up a Moonlight Mushroom and popped it into his mouth. “Flora, did you know that eating Moonlight Mushroom Condensation has a side effect?”
“What side effect? I only know it increases magic casting speed,” Flora asked, somewhat puzzled.
“Nothing, it's not really a side effect.”
Well... that made sense.
Flora had probably made this magical cuisine inside a secret realm before, where there was no one to talk to anyway.
The texture of the Moonlight Mushroom was very unique—slippery and tender with a slight crunch. Upon chewing, one could feel waves of mana surging from the mushroom, followed by the sweet and sour taste of the magic tomato juice, the subtle heat of the chili condensation, and the refreshing fragrance of the Moonlight Grass.
All the flavors unfolded layer by layer in the mouth, blending together perfectly.
“This dish is delicious,” Chen Mian evaluated very honestly.
Loviki also took a sip, her eyes narrowing slightly. “This is way better than regular tomato soup.”
Flora took a sip as well, a satisfied smile on her face. “That's because, besides its own savory flavor, the mana produced by the Moonlight Mushroom can perfectly fuse the flavors of the ingredients. If one has a deep enough understanding of the ingredients, even more blended flavors can be brewed.”
“Feel free to experiment. Loviki and I will help you finish them.” Chen Mian took a sip of the soup and looked at Flora. “Flora, are there any meat-based magical cuisines?”
Loviki nodded in agreement, a trace of anticipation in her eyes.
“Mhm, yes! But we'd need to find rare magical fowl. Although magical beast meat is edible, its flavor is far inferior to that of magical fowl.” Flora nodded, a hint of longing in her eyes. “But magical fowl are usually only found inside mana-rich dungeons...”
“Maybe one day, we won't even need to enter dungeons to raise magical fowl,” Chen Mian said with a smile.
Hearing this, Flora's eyes sparkled as she looked at Chen Mian, her lips curving upward. “Mhm! I believe you, Mr. Chen Mian.”
The three of them drank the soup and toasted some butter-honey bread as their main course. Slices of Silver-light Fruit served as dessert. During the meal, Loviki had a sudden whim to try grilling the Silver-light Fruit, but the result proved that it was much better eaten raw.
The night grew deeper.
The soup was finished, and the bread was gone.
Loviki had eaten three Silver-light Fruits.
“Didn't you say you were full?” Chen Mian asked.
“Dessert goes to a different stomach.”
Flora sat on the grass, watching the fluorescent lights filling the sky. A gentle breeze blew by, carrying the scent of the glow and the grass, pleasantly cool and comfortable.
The wood in the campfire had mostly burned down, leaving behind dark red embers that occasionally crackled, sending up a few sparks to blend into the glowing canopy overhead.
The three of them eventually went from sitting to lying side by side on the grass.
“If we spend the night here, won't monsters come by in the middle of the night?” Loviki asked, a little nervously.
“Are you scared, Loviki?”
“Yes, I am... Wait, what?!” Loviki covered her mouth in shock, her ruby-like eyes wide with disbelief.
Rate on N.U.
