Only by offering Mango's favorite treat, a feyfruit tart, did the fox turn away from him and give Alistair enough time to leave. Once it realized that he was gone, it cried for quite some time until Melina was able to calm her down.
From Tuesday to Thursday, Melina was so busy with the bakery that she didn't really have time to think about much else. She was making one pastry after the next while trying to grow Roxie's confidence in cooking. The girl was still very timid and messed up new recipes often. Melina barely even registered that she reached Level 35—it was a mere afterthought while she was trying to keep on top of all of her tasks. Bakery wasn't the only thing keeping her busy.
Milo had completed the frame for Adrien's bed, so they needed to prepare a mattress. Melina couldn't afford to buy one of the fancy mattresses that Alistair had in his home. Instead, she and Adrien worked together to make their own from wool and hay. It was a compromise of sorts—she couldn't afford so much wool to fill a mattress, but hay on its own wasn't very comfortable. The combination of the two should be comfortable enough.
After that, it was already Thursday afternoon, and Melina's first shipment with Monster Realm ingredients had arrived. Count Speziale was kind enough to have it delivered to the port, but Melina would have to retrieve it herself. Which meant taking Knight, who was extra grouchy with Alistair gone, and heading to the port.
"A-Are Monster Realm ingredients dangerous?" Roxie asked nervously on the way.
"Not more dangerous than the plants growing in the Human Realm. Some can be poisonous, of course, but we have our fair share of poisonous fauna too," Melina said.
"That's true…"
"Besides, you've already seen the sapmelons. It's probably the oddest fruit that there is in the Monster Realm," Melina soothed her. "With a few exceptions."
"Do… Do you think I could make magical pastries too one day?" Roxie asked hopefully, although she averted her gaze quickly. "No, never mind… I-I can't even use magic."
Melina thought about it for a moment. While refining some ingredients definitely required magic, and the effects were strengthened thanks to the System skills, it should be possible to make magic pastries even without the System. They wouldn't be as potent, but they would certainly still be magical if the ingredients were used correctly.
"Yes," Melina said. "Some ingredients have to be refined, and some are very sensitive, but I think it should be possible to make unusual pastries even without magic."
"Really?" Roxie's eyes lit up.
"Yes. The effect wouldn't be as potent since I use magic to further strengthen the potency of my recipes. But they would certainly be magical."
"C-Could you teach me?" The girl asked, then added in a hurry. "Not right away. Not now! I don't think I'm ready for it yet. But once I'm more confident."
"Of course," Melina confirmed. "Master the recipes of regular pastries, and then I don't mind teaching you how to make magical recipes."
"I'll master them soon!" Roxie nodded to herself, her expression brimming with determination. Melina couldn't help but smile at the girl. She chose right by allowing Roxie to come.
When they arrived at the port with the cart, the sailor with their shipment was already waiting for them. Melina was excited to see the crates, looking forward to the moment when she could tear into them and start her experiments.
"Here's the order form, Missy," the sailor said, giving her the document and pen. "Sign here that you've received everything."
Melina checked the crates to make sure that everything was there. There were six crates in total. One contained sparkleaf, one feyfruit, and one zephyr root, while the remaining three contained three new ingredients. Melina and Auden had agreed that he would send new ingredients over the course of time, so she would have the chance to experiment with them and determine whether they could be used in baking.
It was likely that some ingredients wouldn't be useful. That was fine. Melina had already decided that any excess would be given to Heilia. She can use them in her brews and potions. Perhaps, Melina might even split a potion recipe or two among the ingredients. She knew that the elf wouldn't question its origin.
The whole way home, Melina was giddy with excitement. She couldn't wait to start experimenting with ingredients. It had been a good while since she had a chance to create something new. Her current plan was to find something to incorporate into the sweet rolls and cakes. But obviously, she was ready to expand if she stumbled upon something particularly good.
Once they returned to the bakery, Melina quickly levitated the three crates of familiar ingredients into the storage room and the three crates of new ingredients into the kitchen. Mango was gnawing at the edges with her sharp, little teeth, eager to get inside, while Sienna tried to peer inside through the cracks.
"You think we have something good in there?" Melina asked the two familiars with a chuckle. Both replied with obvious excitement.
"They really like Monster Realm ingredients," Roxie noted.
"Yeah. Sienna would be happy to eat nothing but feyfruit if I let her," Melina said. "These are for the pastries. But both get to taste them if they can be safely eaten raw. Just don't expect these to be your snacks."
Sienna lowered her head guiltily. Mango, however, wasn't deterred, continuing to gnaw at the edge of the crate. Melina chuckled, then proceeded to open the first crate.
It contained what, at a first glance, one might mistake for glass marbles. But they were actually glassberries. Melina instantly used
[Glassberries – Rank A]
[Transparent fruits with a hard skin but a liquid filling. The filling carbonates the moment it comes in contact with the air.
Effect: Removes mindfog and sharpens focus.]
"These are fruits?" Roxie asked in surprise, taking one of the glassberries in her hands.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
"Yeah. They are called glassberries," Melina said. She picked one in between her fingers, looking at it from all angles. It looked and felt like glass as she could see clearly through it. She figured that the main problem with these would be cracking the tough skin.
"Glassberries, huh? Is it alright to try one?" The girl asked, carefully.
"Yes, just be careful not to break a tooth," Melina warned.
Roxie popped the berry in her mouth. For a moment, she swished it around—Melina could hear the berry hitting her teeth. Suddenly, the girl's eyes widened and she giggled.
"It burst open," Roxie said in a muffled voice. She had a contemplative look on her face as she savored the berry and then swallowed it. "It's kind of sweet and… tingly. I've never tasted anything like it."
Melina popped one in her mouth, too. At first, it felt like she was trying to eat glass. But after a while, the skin seemed to melt away, and the berry burst into her mouth. The juices inside were fizzy and bit into her throat lightly. But it wasn't unpleasant. In fact, she could see this getting really popular. Although incorporating it into a pastry would prove tricky.
She moved onto the next crate. It contained what Melina instantly recognized as dreamplums. The red skin with purple swirls was a dead giveaway. This ingredient gave her mixed feelings. She knew that if fermented, it developed powerful hallucinogenic properties. Drow occasionally used dreamplum juice as a weapon. She had the misfortune of experiencing it on her own skin—it wasn't pleasant.
But she had never encountered this fruit in its raw form before, so she was willing to give it the benefit of the doubt and used
[Dreamplum – Rank B]
[Sweet fruit with a pleasant honey-lavender aftertaste. Eating one induces vivid, pleasant dreams if consumed right before going to sleep.
Effect: Reduces anxiety and improves the nervous system.
Warning: Eating in excess or when overripe can induce hallucinations.]
"What are these?" Roxie asked curiously.
"Dreamplums. Be careful. Eating too many induces hallucinations," Melina warned.
The girl instantly pulled her hand back, not so eager to try the plums anymore.
"We can split one, if you're worried about eating too much," Melina suggested.
Roxie nodded. Melina took a knife and cut one of the plums into four pieces. Just like the outer skin, the inner pulp was multicolored, red and purple. She gave smaller pieces to her familiars, then the bigger pieces were saved for herself and Roxie.
The plum tasted similarly to Human Realm plums, the most distinct difference being the honey lavender aftertaste. Melina also felt herself feeling more relaxed. The effect was indeed potent. She'd have to be very careful with the amount that she applied to the pastries. Wouldn't want to cause anyone hallucinations.
Finally, Melina turned her attention to the last crate. It contained the most unusual ingredient of the day. She didn't even recognize me. It vaguely looked like a stumpy potato combined with cabbage. Only by using the System did she find out what it was.
[Moonfern Shoot – Rank A]
[Crisp, refreshing shoot of a young moonfern. It has absorbed lunar energy and glows faintly in the dark. Has to be cooked before eating.
Effect: Provides the eater with temporary night vision. Its juice can amplify other magical effects.]
[Your skill has ranked up.
"Now that's interesting," Melina said, holding the moonfern shoot. It would certainly be useful if they could have night vision when heading into the Monster Realm. Especially since the nights were so long in this particular part of the Monster Realm.
The question was how she could utilize this ingredient. She couldn't even tell which part was supposed to be edible. The leaves, the core, or perhaps only the juice. Yet another thing she would have to discover through experimentation.
"What is it?" Roxie asked cautiously.
"Apparently, these let you see in the dark," Melina explained.
"Wow! Really?" The girl stared at the shoots with newfound awe.
"Temporarily. I'm not sure how long. I suppose that would depend on how we prepare them."
"I'd certainly like to try that," Roxie noted.
"Me too. It could be very useful for our adventurers. But for today, let's focus on the easiest ingredients. Which one do you think could work in our sweet rolls?" Melina asked Roxie.
The girl seemed a bit flustered to be asked such a question, but she looked at the three open crates, examining each ingredient.
"Not the moonfern shoots. I think. They remind me more of a vegetable than a fruit, and they have this strong herby scent. I think it would work better with something savory," Roxie explained.
Melina hadn't even noticed the smell, but pulling the shoot close to her nose, she realized that the girl was right. The scent was like a mix of rosemary and thyme. It likely would work better in a meaty dish.
"I agree. Then what about the other two?" Melina asked, wondering if Roxie could deduce the correct answer.
"I-I normally would say plums. Plum jam would work great in a sweet roll. But if too much of these plums could cause hallucinations, concentrating their flavors into a jam could maybe make it worse?" She guessed, uncertain.
"You're right. There are cases when the negative effects get cooked out, but dreamplums isn't one of them. A jam would certainly induce hallucinations," Melina agreed.
"That would leave glassberries, but…" Roxie took a berry and hit it against another one. "I'm not sure how something so hard can be made into a jam. And hiding raw berries in the roll could result in broken teeth…"
"But we did discover something important," Melina prompted.
"They… dissolve in the mouth? We can't exactly dissolve the skin and spit out its juice…" Roxie said. "Can we?"
"No, of course not. That'd be just gross. But there is something in our mouths that triggers the skin to become soft. We just have to figure out what. Perhaps a simple application of moisture and heat is enough."
So began their experiments with glassberries. Melina started with things that would most likely fail—trying to cut or break the skin. Knives did absolutely nothing, just sliding off or sending the berries flying all over the kitchen. Mango was always on the lookout for rogue berries, catching and eating them as soon as one rolled further away from Melina.
Then they tried using the mortar and pestle to crush the berry. That didn't work either. In fact, the pestle broke while Melina tried to crush the glassberry. She had to fix it with magic and pray that Gilbert wouldn't notice. Likely a new pestle was in order.
Melina even decided to take one glassberry to the shed and smash it full force with a hammer. But it remained intact. At least she wouldn't have to worry about bruising these particular berries. She wouldn't be surprised if somebody tried to weaponize these.
But once it was clear that the berries wouldn't break, Melina turned to other methods. She ordered Roxie to try boiling the berries, while she tried cooking them in a pan. Berries in the pan remained intact, although they lost their pristine color and became muddy yellow. Berries in the boiling water disappeared.
In a way. Melina and Roxie couldn't pinpoint when exactly they burst, since they were practically invisible in the water. The result was hot glassberry water. It fizzled ever so slightly; however, the warm glassberry didn't taste pleasant.
So Melina switched to her last two methods—cooking the berries slowly in a small amount of water and steaming them. Steaming resulted in glassberries bursting in about five minutes, leaving concentrated, fizzy glassberry juice. It wasn't tasty while hot, but once it cooled, it was quite pleasant and refreshing.
Slow cooking resulted in skin remaining partially intact, creating a liquid sort of jam. If it could be called that. It was far too wet to spread like a proper jam. Melina suspected that it would make a wonderful jelly. That's when an idea struck her.
"We're not really bound to adding just one ingredient to the sweet rolls, are we?" Melina said.
"No. I suppose not," Roxie agreed.
"We're going to turn this into jelly and put it into the sweet rolls along with a jam. Which just needs to figure out which one it works better with. Perhaps, whipped cream would complement it better."
Melina was excited. To think that she'd discover something that could work as a perfect, clear jelly. She could use this in a wide variety of dishes. Perhaps even pour it over her tarts in a thin layer instead of a glaze. The possibilities were endless.
But while Melina was having the time of her life with her glassberry experiment, somewhere far out in the sea, a summer storm struck a ship headed to Fenrora.