Kit and Crackers left the reception area and made their way back to the restaurant. As soon as they arrived, Kit handed over the stack of paper that Phi had given him to Milka, asking her to distribute it. Then he rushed over to check on the vodka.
Annoyance boiled up within him when he couldn't budge the lid. "What's going on? Did I make a mistake or is this barrel broken?" Kit rubbed his head and studied the barrel with furrowed brows.
“Is it still not ready Kit?” Crackers came over to his side and stared down at the barrel. “This must be goin ta be a good vodka!” exclaimed Crackers.
Crackers' words made Kit's face light up with a smile. "I hope you're right, Crackers!" Kit stepped away from the barrel, knowing there was no use staring at it any longer. He would only find out whether the vodka worked or not once he could open the lid.
He took the newly acquired mincer out of his pouch and placed it on the counter. As he examined its shiny surface, he realized that it was a manual mincer. He would have to turn the handle to grind the meat.
Kit couldn't wait to try out his new tool. He quickly grabbed some ground scurries meat and sliced it into pieces that would fit into the mincer's spout. Once the spout was full, he began turning the handle.
He expected it to take some effort to turn the handle, but he was pleasantly surprised when it turned easily. Before long, minced meat was coming out of the bottom of the device.
Ding!
[Skill learnt: Advanced novice mincing]
Player can turn a handle to produce mince.
+ 20 Agility
+ 20 Speed
+20 Intelligence
Surprise washed over him as he heard the notification sound. "Yes! Another skill unlocked!" Kit couldn't help but laugh in delight. The rush of unlocking a new skill pushed him forward, and before he knew it, there was a giant pile of Ground scurries mince in front of him. He looked at the heap and chuckled to himself. "I may have gone a bit overboard."
Laughter came from beside him. “Ya think? That be a lot of mince, maybe ya should be packin some away for later use.” Crackers squeezed out between chuckles.
Kit expressed his agreement with a hum, then divided the meat into portions and stored most of it in the cool room. He set aside the remaining mince and pulled out the necessary ingredients to make spring rolls.
As he was getting ready to make the pastry, Crackers interrupted him. “Kit, I be thinkin that I don’t really be needed to watch the vodka. Could I help ya make whatever it is ya are doin?”
"Don't worry, Crackers," Kit said reassuringly. "Being near the barrel, we'll definitely hear the beep when it's done. In the meantime, would you mind making the pastry for me?" He then proceeded to explain the steps to make the perfect pastry.
Confidently, Crackers puffed out her chest and declared, "I got this!"
Kit smiled and left her to work on the pastry. Meanwhile, he whipped up a sweet and sour sauce and portioned it into small bowls to serve with the spring rolls.
Next, he prepared the raw vegetables - garlic, mushrooms, carrots, cabbage, and bean sprouts from the Devouring ranges. Once done, he fried some minced meat until it turned golden brown and added in the vegetables for three minutes before pouring in soy sauce and oyster sauce from their supplies.
Once the liquid had thickened, Kit removed the pan from heat. Glancing over at Crackers, he saw that she had finished making the pastry. Together, they filled each sheet with a generous amount of filling and rolled them into 12cm long spring rolls.
Kit heated up a frying pan with plenty of oil and began frying the finger-sized rolls until they were crisp and golden brown.
As Kit finished cooking the first batch of spring rolls, he noticed a familiar blue hue swirling around. His heart rate quickened as the intensity of the hue increased. Without wasting any time, Kit plated up the six completed spring rolls and added sweet and sour sauce before a notification rang.
Ding!
[Ground scurries sprout spring rolls created.]
Quality level: Poor
Quality bonus: Constant eye twitch for 1 hour and a 25% chance to grow a Ground scurries tail for 24 hours.
A light and crispy entrée, that clears the mind.
Permanent + 200 Mental Fortitude on first consumption.
Consecutive consumption + 200 Mental Fortitude for 24 hours.
[Restricted: chef level 100 to unlock for sale]
Reward: 75,000 EXP, 75,000 culinary EXP, 50 gold, 5,000 culinary points.
Ding!
[Congratulations, you are now Level 63]
Ding!
[Congratulations, you are now Level 64]
“Bouncing beans! We did it Crackers.” Kit could not help shout.
Joyous laughter sounded beside him. “Ai, now let me taste one!” Crackers did not wait for his reply she picked up one of the spring rolls and bit into it.
Watching in horror, Kit saw Crackers quickly spit out the bite she had just taken. "Oh no! Did it taste bad, Crackers?" Kit's heart raced with worry until Crackers made a funny face and started blowing on her tongue. It dawned on Kit what had happened. "Let me get you some water!"
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
After taking a few sips of the cool liquid, Crackers blushed. "Oops, I forgettin it would be hot!"
Kit couldn't help but chuckle at her silly mistake. "Drink more water and you'll be able to taste it."
Crackers followed his advice and continued sipping on the water. As she did so, Kit's eyes were fixed on the golden crispy rolls in front of him. His mouth began to water as he assumed they had cooled down enough to eat.
Picking one up, Kit heard a satisfying crunch as he bit into the spring roll. The flaky pastry shattered under his teeth, releasing a delicious savory flavour into his mouth. It was amazing! Kit took a moment to open his menu and saw a notification pop up as he ate the small roll.
His eyebrows shot up as he read the stats for the spring rolls. "Mental Fortitude? Is that another hidden stat like Luck?" Kit pondered its meaning. Could this increase one's ability to withstand mental attacks?
A smile spread across Kit's face and his eyes crinkled in satisfaction. Not only had he created a new dish for his restaurant, but he had also expanded the range of options available for customers to purchase. When he closed his laptop screen, he noticed Crackers devouring one of the spring rolls.
"Wow, Kit! This be amazing!" Crackers exclaimed with a mouth full of food.
"What did you make?" Red's voice made Kit jump; he had forgotten there were other people in the kitchen. As he turned around to respond, he saw three pairs of eyes fixated on the cooked Spring rolls. Without hesitation, Kit offered Red, Kola, and Finn a taste.
A warm feeling filled Kit's chest as he watched his employees enjoy his food. He realized how much he had missed this while he was away from the restaurant. Now that he was back, he could once again bask in the joy of watching others savour his creations.
As Kit finished off another spring roll with a wide grin on his face, he suddenly felt his eyelid twitch. Then it dawned on him that he may experience side effects from his dishes if he didn't have the right level to make them.
Kit's lids flickered as he winced in pain. He tried to tell the others to stop eating, but Red beat him to it. "Are you not going to have any more?" Kit shook his head, about to explain.
But just as he was about to speak, Red's delighted expression transformed into one of shock and he slowly turned his head behind him. "Something is going on!" He cried out, then turned back with a look of horror on his face.
"Um, well..." Kit hesitated, unsure of how to explain the situation. "One of the possible side effects is growing a tail. But don't worry, it's only temporary!"
Comprehension dawned on Red's face, and he burst out laughing. "I see!" A ripping sound interrupted their conversation and everyone in the room froze as a bald tail sprouted from Red's backside. "Well, this is certainly different." Red chuckled at the absurdity of the situation.
"Pfft, Red should probably avoid eating any more spring rolls or else he might grow ears too," Kola teased.
"Well, it's not so bad. The spring rolls are definitely worth it!" Red grinned, happily wagging his new tail.
Feeling sympathy for the man, Kit quickly fried some more spring rolls for Red. "A few extra won't make a difference, especially since you already have a tail," he said.
Red gratefully devoured the additional rolls while everyone else politely declined. Kit couldn't blame them for their hesitance; the eye twitching was bad enough, not to mention growing a tail. As he packed up the ingredients for the spring rolls, Kit thought about what he could try next.
Before continuing with his experimentation, he checked on the vodka. "Still can't get the lid off," he sighed. Dismissing the alcohol once again, Kit turned his attention to preparing the wolf meat.
As he contemplated what to cook, his eyes kept drifting towards the new mincer on the kitchen counter. Suddenly, Kit's face lit up with excitement. "Wolf burgers!" Who didn't love a juicy and delicious burger? And now he had the perfect device to make them.
Kit quickly summoned a clean sprite to tidy up the area before getting to work on mincing the wolf meat. As he sliced through the tough meat, he chatted with his companion, Crackers. "Do you want to help with this recipe too?"
"Absolutely!" exclaimed Crackers.
"Great, then why don't you make the burger buns?" Kit turned to see Crackers nodding eagerly. "I'll leave that in your capable hands." With a smile, Kit returned his focus to slicing the meat.
He got lost in the task once again and had to store some of the minced meat in the cool room. On his way there, he stopped by the storage room to gather the remaining ingredients needed for the wolf burgers.
As he gathered the necessary ingredients from the shelves, he soon realized there was a problem - no eggs! Kit's mind went back to Crackers, and how she looked when he first saw her. His eye started twitching even more.
Kit trudged into the kitchen with heavy steps. The last thing he wanted to do was go out and fight the chickens for some eggs. He took a deep breath, trying to muster up the courage, when suddenly, the back door opened and Lindor walked in. "Kit! You're finally here!"
"Hey Lindor, how are things at the farm?" Kit asked, feeling a bit guilty as he looked at his friend. It had completely slipped his mind that he owned a farm. He hadn't put any effort or money into it in a long time.
Lindor didn't seem to mind that Kit had forgotten about the farm. "Kit, I'm here because we have some amazing news!" Lindor didn't bother waiting for a response before continuing. "We successfully grew a sapling of the Swamp Dweller apple tree!"
"What!" Kit's hand trembled with excitement. This was incredible news! "Are you serious?" He couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Lindor quickly waved his hands in a panic. "Wait, don't get too excited just yet!" Kit's elation was short-lived as Lindor continued. "There is a catch."
Kit felt his bubble of joy pop. "What catch?"
"We need to create a swamp for the sapling to grow into a full-fledged tree," explained Lindor.
Kit couldn't help but release a sigh. "Right, a swamp…" Kit pondered the situation. "Why don't we just plant the new trees in the same spot where the original Swamp dweller apple trees were found?"
"We considered that option, but there's no guarantee they won't be destroyed again," explained Lindor. "However, we have come up with a solution. Do you remember when I mentioned the Environmental farmer to you?"
Kit vaguely recalled the conversation. "I think so."
"Good, if we can get that Environmental farmer to come to our farm, our problem will be solved!" Lindor said with a smile.
Kit's mind drifted back to their previous conversation about the Environmental farmer and the exorbitant cost of hiring one. However, the potential benefits were immense; an Environmental farmer could transform a terrain into various environments, allowing for the growth of unique ingredients.
Kit couldn't help but worry about the expense, until he remembered Lindor's suggestion. There was an Environmental farmer living in the hills behind Astro Bronze who might be willing to work at their farm for something other than money. "But are they still available to hire?" Kit eagerly asked.
"Yes!" Lindor replied with a grin.
Kit's excitement was palpable. "Excellent! As soon as the others return from their trip to the Devouring Ranges, we'll head over to Astro Bronze and try to convince the man to come work for us." The recovery of the Swamp dweller apple was crucial, and Kit would do whatever it takes to make it happen.
Once everything was settled, Kit turned his gaze towards Lindor. "Lindor, how are you with handling chickens?"
"I'm pretty good at it. We have plenty of them back at the farm," Lindor replied nonchalantly. "Actually, that's why I'm here. I need to deliver some eggs." Kit couldn't help but see Lindor as a knight in shining armour after hearing those words.
As he handed Kit a large basket of eggs, Lindor received a warm smile in return. "You know, Lindor, I always enjoy your visits," Kit beamed as he took the eggs, praise was needed for the good news Lindor brought.
"I'll have to make sure to visit more often then!" said Lindor with a smile.
After delivering five more baskets of eggs, Lindor stated that he needed to head back to the farm and couldn't stay for long.
As he prepared to leave, Kit gave him some Trembling desolate flowers of reduction to plant and 20 gold crowns. The gold alone was almost half of the profits the restaurant had made in the past two months.
But Kit believed it was a worthwhile investment if Lindor and his comrades could successfully grow more Swamp dweller saplings.
Recently, the daily earnings from his restaurant had plummeted to only 1 gold crown, a stark contrast to the previous high of 20 gold crowns when he sold Lucky candy apples.
Kit said goodbye to Lindor after giving him the money, then turned his attention back to cooking wolf burgers.