The Cornflower Witch

Book 2: Chapter 38: The Girl Who Roasts Food

Vol 2 Chapter 38: The Girl Who Roasts Food

On the small iron grill, the slices of meat slowly changed from blood-red to crispy and golden-yellow under the licking flames of the charcoal fire. A small amount of fat gradually seeped out, giving the meat's surface a faint sheen.

Then, salt grains and seasoning powder were sprinkled on, mingling with the original meaty aroma and fat, causing an enticing fragrance to spread.

[Charcoal-Grilled Venison] (Rare): Venison roasted with special firepower, removing the 'Distortion' impurities and fishy smell, stimulating its nutrition and deliciousness, resulting in an excellent food. (Stamina Recovery +3, Blood Circulation +2)

Watching the grilled meat gradually take shape on the iron rack, Sylutia stopped pumping the small bellows, picked it up with tongs, placed it on her plate, cut off a small piece, and tasted it.

'Hu~'

After swallowing the scalding piece of meat, she slightly opened her small mouth to exhale, letting it cool a little, then slowly savored the heat and aroma within, as well as the wonderful texture of chewing the meat.

Soon, a subtle warmth spread from her stomach into her bloodstream, making her feel her body was slightly heating up. If she used her 'Breathing Technique' at this moment, the effect would probably be twice as good as usual. This was the effect of 'Blood Circulation +2'.

As for the other stamina recovery effect, it was roughly three times that of 'Excellent' grade food because the nutrition within had been pre-stimulated, becoming very easy to absorb.

'Stamina Recovery +3' was probably the limit here, as the original ingredient quality was only 'Excellent'. Unless 'Superior' quality ingredients were used, the effect could reach 'Stamina Recovery +4'.'Gold Steam' was only about reforging, not creating something from nothing. The quality of the raw materials still limited the ultimate potential of the product.

'Verdant Nectar' was actually better in this regard;

it could indeed achieve a certain degree of 'creating something from nothing', using seeds of ordinary crops to cultivate a 'Perfect' quality product that jumped five stages.

After cutting up the entire slice of meat and enjoying it in small bites, Sylutia left the house and came to the small courtyard at the back. She drew the Tree Jade Spirit Sword she carried, took a deep breath, and then her figure flashed, darting at extreme speed through the woods.

Her figure was like an afterimage, continuously leaping and flipping between the treetops, adapting to this speed far beyond her usual capabilities.

Finally, the young girl flipped into the air, her graceful waist like a crescent moon, twisting and turning her body, and together with the blade in her hand, she drew a flawless, perfect arc.

Afterwards, she gently spread her hands, her clothes and skirt slowly settling as her toes touched the ground and she stood firm. The large tree behind her slowly slid apart into several pieces and fell.

Feeling that she still had a slight surplus of stamina, Sylutia couldn't help but feel a little flutter of joy, like a child who had gotten a new toy. Although she wasn't a child anymore, this kind of pure and simple happiness remained just as potent.

It seemed that 'Blood Circulation +2' brought about a change in strength that far exceeded her initial estimates.

For example, her speed was previously only 30% faster than others, but now it was probably about 80% faster. Calculating this data in detail would be very complex, likely involving all aspects, such as respective body weight and agility, the gap in base speed, changes in relative speed, and so on.

If using terminology from the Earth era as a metaphor, then 'Blood Circulation' acceleration was probably like CPU overclocking, increasing the processing frequency within the same timeframe to achieve stronger performance.

However, this kind of 'overclocking' also required energy support. If stamina wasn't sufficient, one would collapse from exhaustion soon after. An extra 50% overclocking probably consumed about 200% of the original stamina.

Food was also different from potions. Its effect wasn't that fast. If you were about to fight, eating on the spot would be a bit late. It probably took about 3 minutes after eating to gradually take effect, and 10 minutes to exert its full effect.

Battles between high-level Transcendents were especially dangerous;

three minutes could decide life or death. So in this regard, food couldn't completely replace the rapid enhancement brought by potions.

After summarizing everything, Sylutia returned to the room and noted down the things she had just organized. It was only when she put down her pen that she suddenly remembered something.

That big tree outside... it seemed to belong to the town. She wondered if she would have to pay for cutting it down.

At this thought, Sylutia, who had been very happy just moments ago, now deflated like a little ball, slowly slumping over the desk.

Ugh, she'd ask Pona about it later, if she had to pay compensation.

...

In the evening, Sylutia arrived at the house where Pona lived, carrying a small food box, and knocked on the door.

"Wait a moment, I'm coming." The young girl heard Pona's quick footsteps inside, and then the door opened.

"It's you, Tia. I thought it was those guys."

"It's me. The captain and the others probably aren't back yet." But the time was about right;

it should be within the next few days.

"This is the food I roasted today. Would you like to try it, Sister Pona?" She brought out the food box from behind her.

"Huh? Tia has finally mustered the courage to show me the finished product?" An amused expression appeared on Pona's face.

A few days ago, when she first taught Sylutia how to cook, this young girl was particularly embarrassed because her skills weren't refined, and what she made differed too much from expectations. So she said at the time that she would bring it for Pona to taste only after she had made something she was satisfied with.

"Mhm, I managed to make something slightly satisfactory." The young girl walked to the table with Pona, then opened the food box, took out the plate inside, and lifted the lid.

Heat wafted out. The freshly roasted venison emitted an enticing aroma, a perfect fusion of spices and fat, a smell that easily made one's mouth water.

"Never mind whether it tastes good or not, just this presentation is very satisfying." Pona praised, giving a thumbs-up, then picked up a fork, speared a piece, bit into it, and slowly savored it.

"Mmm, the texture is really good, Tia." She praised again.

After finishing this piece of grilled meat, she put down the knife and fork, sat by the table, closed her eyes to feel, and only after a good while did she open them again.

"It has a stamina recovery effect, and a blood circulation acceleration effect. It should be Rare quality." After saying this, her eyes lit up, and she suddenly jumped up, hugging the young girl.

"See, I wasn't wrong. Little Tia really is a genius."

"Hmph, you look so young, you're probably not even 20 yet, right?" She guessed the young girl's age.

Sylutia wasn't too sure about her own age, but judging by appearance, she was definitely only 16-17 years old.

Afterwards, the two exchanged some more insights on cooking food before Pona let Sylutia leave.

Three days later, the team members who had been apart for almost two weeks returned one after another, gathering again at the tavern.

Compared to before, Yan hadn't changed much, except that the set of armor on his body was much shinier;

it seemed he had maintained it well. Captain 'Bad Apple' was toying with a newly forged snake fang dagger in his hand. The elegant yet dangerous curved blade, paired with the natural handle carved from the root of the snake fang, made the whole thing look like a work of art.

[Snake Fang Dagger] (Second Tier · Superior): Forged from the fang of a Blood Basin Giant Python, it has excellent armor-piercing and bloodletting effects. (Armor Penetration +2, Bloodletting +3)

On the other side, Karl was also sitting at the table. In his arms was a black cat that seemed like a living creature, currently sleeping on his lap.

[Ghostly Condensation Black Cat] (Second Tier · Dead Embers): Through a special ritual, after the soul's consciousness and concentration are greatly enhanced, it can transform into a solid phantom cat, possessing the ability to switch between solid and ethereal forms and attack unpredictably.

Seeing that everyone had gathered, 'Bad Apple' flipped his fingers, put away the dagger, and inserted it into the leather sheath at his waist, then spoke.

"Now, let's prepare for the next expedition. This time, the target is the 'Distant Mountain Gate'."

——

「Distant Mountain Gate」: Departing from the north of the town, travel 50 kilometers to reach the depths of the continuous mountain ranges. There, thick fog surrounds the area, making the situation dangerous. If you can find the right direction and traverse 100 kilometers, you can reach a natural stone gate between two mountains. Behind the gate, you can find a clear spring water pool containing the precious 'Stone-Mist Spring Water'.