Kit made the decision to move away from the sleeping white bear, fearing it might attack them for taking the flowers. He turned to Snowball and asked him to lead them back to the orchard of moon fruits. Kit needed more of these fruits than any other ingredient for his moon juice magic. He explained his plan to Mars.
"I trust your expertise in this matter. I'll follow your lead. Are you going to start creating the juice now?" Mars inquired.
"Yes, I believe it's best if I try to make it before leaving in case we need something else from this area. I'm afraid if we don't succeed, we won't be able to come back," replied Kit.
“You take care of making the juice, and I'll keep gathering the ingredients we've identified so far.” Mars walked off with Snowball towards the orchard.
While Mars collected the necessary ingredients, Kit began to work on making the juice. As he set up a makeshift kitchen area for their camping trip, he was determined not to waste any of the ingredients until he perfected the recipe. After retrieving a large jug, Kit realised that he had forgotten to bring a blender with him. He let out a sigh and resigned himself to mashing the fruit by hand using a mortar and pestle.
Carefully peeling away the skin of several moon fruits from his pouch, Kit revealed their white translucent pulp and brown seeds covered in sticky liquid. As he squeezed one between his fingers, he couldn't help but be reminded of a grape.
The fruit flattened when pressed but quickly regained its shape once released. Kit peeled five fruits and placed them into the mortar, beginning the process of manually pureeing them.
Ding!
[Skill learnt: Crude puree]
Player smashed the food to into liquid. Cavemen have the same skill.
Agility + 4
Intelligence + 3
Kit chuckled as he read the description of the skill. He knew it wouldn't be perfect, but he was in a hurry and didn't have time to finesse it. He could always improve the skill later when he had more time.
Once he was satisfied with the consistency of the puree, Kit poured it into a jug and repeated the process until he had two handfuls of fruit. Then, he added a cup of water.
Taking out a moon fairy flower, Kit crushed it into a paste and added it to the drink. He then grabbed one of the black flowers from his pouch. Despite not having examined it yet, Kit used identify to learn more about the mysterious flower.
[Blessed night velvet]
A black velvety flower shaped like a cone. Inside the closed flower contains the precious blessed night velvet seeds.
Kit's laughter echoed through the area when he saw the name of the plant. It confirmed his suspicions - they had been right all along. He recalled Curt's words about the moon berry fairies blessing the moon fruit for added magic in the drink.
The key elements were clear now: moon berry, fairy, and blessed. Gripping the velvety flower in his hands, Kit found the seam and carefully split it open with his thumb. Inside were small black seeds connected by delicate white stems.
Taking one seed out, he crushed it and added the paste to the jug before stirring vigorously with a spoon. Anticipation building, he gazed eagerly at the drink, waiting for the blue sheen to appear.
But after a minute of stirring, there was no trace of blue - not even a spark. With disappointment, Kit took a sip to taste it, only to immediately spit it out in disgust. It was far too bitter to swallow, completely different from what he expected - a sweet drink.
Kit frowned as he tasted his first concoction. He should have known better than to not taste the ingredients beforehand. How could he possibly get the ratios right without knowing what each component contributed to the flavour? Kit scolded himself for making such a rookie mistake.
He cautiously put a black seed in his mouth and bit down, only to spit it out onto the ground immediately. So that's where the bitterness came from. He was worried that he wouldn't be able to taste anything else after that.
After rinsing his mouth with water, Kit tried the moon fairy flower next. It had a refreshing minty taste that helped eliminate the lingering bitterness. Pleased with its flavour, he moved on to the moon fruit, which burst with sweet strawberry flavours as soon as he bit into it.
So, it was definitely the seed causing the problem. Just one of those would likely ruin an entire barrel of the drink.
Using this knowledge, Kit continued his experiments for three hours until he had to take a bathroom break from all the juices he had been sipping. When he returned to the camping kitchen, he could see the dawn light peeking through the trees.
Mars joined him again, handing over more ingredients as his bag filled up. By now, Kit had amassed quite a collection of ingredients to work with.
Mars glanced at the cluttered workspace that Kit had created. "Are you done with it yet?"
"No!" Kit's voice held a hint of dejection as he spoke, his numerous failed attempts taking a toll.
Mars gave him a sympathetic look. "Don't worry, Kit. You'll get it soon. I'll step out for a bit so I don't distract you."
This exchange had become routine. Kit shook his head, feeling exhausted and losing his determination to succeed. He decided to give it one more try before calling it quits for the day. They would have to log out eventually, and there were still some things left to discuss.
Kit reached for the juice barrel, convinced that he was close to perfecting the formula. If he didn't get it right this time, he would give up and try again tomorrow. He blew out a long breath and began adding the ingredients into the barrel.
Closing the lid tightly, Kit crossed his fingers in hopes of success.
He waited for the familiar hum of the barrel to stop before pouring a small amount into a cup. The liquid was a clear white colour with a layer of foam on top. Taking a cautious sip, Kit felt a tingle in his throat as he swallowed.
His heart started beating faster with excitement. This was the first time he had noticed any difference after drinking the juice. As the liquid settled in his stomach, Kit felt energised and enthusiastic. His excitement exploded as he realised he may have finally succeeded.
Ding!
[Moon juice magic created]
Quality level: Poor
Quality bonus: funky taste, leaves an unpleasant after taste after consumption.
A drink to quench the thirst on a hot summer’s day. The sweet flavour burst adds vitality using the magic of the moon.
+ 5,000 health
For three days.
[Restricted: chef Level 75 to unlock for sale]
Reward: 20,000 EXP, 10,000 culinary EXP, 1 gold crown, 1000 culinary points.
Ding!
[Congratulations, you are now Level 7 Chef]
Ding!
[Congratulations, you are now Level 8 Chef]
Ding!
[Congratulations, you are now Level 9 Chef]
Ding!
[Congratulations, you are now Level 10 Chef]
The notification made Kit drop the cup he was holding. His mind went blank in shock. It took a whole minute for his brain to process what had just happened. Suddenly, pure joy flooded through him and he couldn't contain his excitement.
Every part of his body felt like it was bursting with fireworks. He started to jump around and laugh uncontrollably. Mars heard the noise and came over to investigate. When he saw Kit's behaviour, he couldn't help but chuckle. "I take it you finally made the drink?"
"Yes, Mars! And it has amazing stats!" Kit screeched with excitement. "Quick, try some!"
He hurriedly filled a cup for Mars and shoved it towards him, causing some of the juice to slosh out in his eagerness. Mars took a long sip from the cup and had a blank expression on his face as he processed the effects of the drink.
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
Eventually, a smile spread across his features. "Wow, this was definitely worth all the trouble to make. We can drink this during our adventures. But how did you manage to get such great stats? The aftertaste is a bit..."
“Maybe the stats are good because this place is constantly moving,” Kit mused, taking another sip of his drink. “But that aftertaste…something definitely went wrong there. I'll have to figure out how to fix it.”
“The drink itself is great,” he continued, considering their limited access to this realm. “We might have to ask the moon sphinx for help in getting back here.” Mars nodded in agreement.
As Kit's excitement from earlier faded, he started to think about all the unique elements within the tropical paradise they were currently in. He wondered if there was anything else he could find and use. Perhaps he could even locate more of those beautiful slumber flowers that had helped him relax so much earlier. He mentioned his thoughts to Mars.
As they discussed potential plans and strategies, Kit filled glass bottles with the magical "moon juice" concoction that he had stumbled upon before. Suddenly, Mars interjected with a question.
"Did you manage to grab some of those crystal shards from the black flower field?" he asked.
"Yes, I did," Kit confirmed. "I have a feeling they could be valuable, but I wasn't able to identify them yet."
“I believe the white bear is a spiritual beast, so the shards should hold high value. It might benefit you to crush the shards and add them to your meals. Who knows, you may be able to create stat-boosting meals beyond your wildest dreams. It's worth a shot, right?” Mars suggested with a twinkle in his eye.
Kit gazed at the barrel of juice and contemplated. “It couldn't hurt to try it once. I've gathered quite a few of these crystals,” he said aloud.
After pouring the juice into bottles, Kit began preparing another batch of his famous moon juice magic. He crushed a shard of crystal using a mortar and pestle, then sprinkled it into the mix. He sealed the barrel and waited for it to settle.
With bated breath, Kit held up a cup and turned on the tap. Instead of the usual clear liquid, a golden glow emanated from this batch. Kit's eyes widened in amazement as he watched the liquid pour into his cup. His hand trembled with excitement.
Ding!
[Spiritual Moon juice magic]
Quality level: Poor
Quality bonus: Foul nightmare, due to the low level of the creator the juice is unfit for human consumption. Induces vomiting upon ingestion.
+ 20,000 health
+ 2,000 intelligence
+ 1,000 defence
Immune to all poisons
For 5 days.
[Restricted: chef level 200 to unlock for sale]
Reward: 100,000 EXP, 75,000 culinary EXP, 50 gold, 10,000 culinary points.
Ding!
[Congratulations, you are now Level 17]
Ding!
[Congratulations, you are now Level 18]
Ding!
[Congratulations, you are now Level 11 Chef]
Ding!
[Congratulations, you are now Level 12 Chef] …
As Kit's chef level rose to level 17, he was taken aback by the sudden influx of notifications. He could hardly believe it as he stared at his screen in disbelief. Mars noticed his shock and concern crept into his voice as he asked, "Kit, are you okay? What's going on?"
Kit couldn't form a coherent response, feeling like his brain had gone offline and scrambled. In an attempt to snap himself out of it, he pinched his leg but still couldn't focus. Mars started to panic, wondering if something had gone wrong during the process.
Unable to speak or move, Kit's gaze remained fixed on his drink. Mars walked up to him and slapped him hard on the cheek in a desperate attempt to get a reaction. “Kit, answer me! Are you ok?”
The impact of the slap sent Kit's head snapping to the side, and he felt tears welling up in his eyes. He wasn't sure if they were from the pain or something else. "Sorry Kit, I didn't mean to hit you that hard," Mars said, looking at his reddened palm and then at Kit's face.
The slap had shaken Kit enough to meet Mars' gaze, and he struggled to find his voice. "Mars, I think I'm in shock right now. I feel numb."
Panic set in for Mars, fearing that something terrible had happened to Kit. "Shock? Right. What do I do?" Mars muttered to himself before turning to Kit. "Okay, sugar, we need a sugary drink." He noticed the cup in Kit's hand and pointed to it. "Drink that juice, it should have sugar in it."
"NO, WE CAN'T DRINK THIS! IT'S TOO VALUABLE. WE SHOULD JUST ADMIRE ITS BEAUTY!" Kit exclaimed loudly.
Mars finally noticed that Kit was holding a cup and his eyes shifted to the golden liquid. "Kit, what is that?" he asked eagerly.
"IT'S LIQUID GOLD!" Kit's excitement was contagious as he couldn't control the volume of his voice. His mind was slowly starting to function again.
Suddenly, he let out a high-pitched squeal and erupted into uncontrollable laughter. Tears streamed down his cheeks from the overwhelming joy he felt inside. The same fireworks he had felt earlier were now bursting like a volcano, and Kit could barely contain his happiness.
Despite the laughter causing his stomach to ache, he couldn't stop himself. Mars approached him and lightly slapped his other cheek, causing Kit's head to jolt to the side once again. Gradually, he began to calm down and regain control of himself. "Thanks Mars, I really needed that."
Mars gaped at the golden liquid in disbelief. "What have you created?"
"I have to give credit to your idea, Mars. Mixing spiritual beast ingredients really does produce amazing results," Kit shared with a hint of pride. He didn't want to waste the precious liquid by trying it himself; they were logging out soon and it would be a shame to waste it. Curious, he watched for Mars' reaction.
Mars blinked in astonishment. "That's really liquid gold," he whispered, a look of awe on his face.
Kit couldn't help but laugh at Mars' reaction. He wasn't even bothered that Mars didn't praise him for creating such a unique concoction.
"I don't think I can bring myself to drink this tiny amount. It's too special to waste," Kit said as he shook the bottle and realised he was running low on the glass bottles he had purchased.
He filled a glass bottle and handed it to Mars. Mars gazed at the bottle with fascination written all over his face. Kit couldn't help but laugh at the sight. He filled another bottle for himself and one to sell, leaving the rest of the juice in the barrel. Kit was still overflowing with joy and wanted to savour the feeling, but time was ticking away.
Mars must have felt the same, as he brought Kit out of his happy daze with a question. "Kit, this is our last day before we have to log out. What do you want to do?"
"I need to buy some things from the market. We should be ready to head to the forsaken state as soon as we log back in. So I guess today is a shopping day," replied Kit, now that he had successfully made the Moon juice.
"I agree. Do you need anything else before we go? I know you were looking for slumber flowers, but we could spend all day searching and not find any," suggested Mars.
That thought had crossed Kit's mind as well, which is why he was eager to leave and not waste any more time. "I know. Let's go find the Moon sphinx and give him some Moon juice magic. Then we can leave." Kit turned his attention to Snowball. "Hey buddy, can you take us back to the entrance?"
Snowball had been lying down and watching them before Kit asked. He lifted his head and let out a small yip. Kit noticed how tired he looked and felt guilty for making him accompany them again. But then, Snowball stood up and started walking confidently, all signs of exhaustion gone. Kit marvelled at the dog's quick recovery.
They soon reached the entrance of the cave where the Moon sphinx was waiting for them. "Did you make the juice?"
"Would you like some?" Kit asked with a smile as he held out the bowl of Moon juice.
If cats could raise their eyebrows, Kit was sure this one would be doing so right now. He couldn't help but chuckle internally; he wasn't foolish enough to do it out loud in front of a creature that could easily render him immobile with its immense strength.
The cat's polite response shocked Kit. He realised that the feline must have been eagerly anticipating the juice. Making a mental note of the cat's manners, he filled up Pint's bowl with the magical liquid for the sphinx to enjoy.
"It tastes slightly different, but the formula is correct," hummed the white cat while delicately lapping up the juice.
Once it had finished, the cat looked up at Kit and thanked him. It then informed him that he could enter the cave again in three months' time, and mentioned something about making a contract if Kit had made a different type of juice.
"What other juice?" Kit asked, curious about this "special" juice inside the pocket realm.
"There exists a unique juice that can only be made within this realm," spoke the sphinx mysteriously.
Kit resisted the urge to laugh and instead asked, "So if I made this Spiritual moon juice magic, I would have access to this realm whenever I wanted?"
"Yes, as long as you have land of your own, I can attach the pocket realm to it. But you must also be able to make the Spiritual moon juice magic. Hold on, what did you just say?" The small sphinx stopped in its tracks and its sapphire eyes widened with surprise.
Kit's excitement was palpable as a broad smile spread across his face. He couldn't believe it - he was actually going to become the owner of his own pocket realm!
"Show me," demanded the cat, its expression stern and unyielding.
Despite the cat's angry appearance, Kit felt no pressure or threat emanating from it. However, he knew better than to take any chances. If he failed to produce the promised drink, things could turn ugly very quickly.
With a confident hand, Kit retrieved a bottle of spiritual moon juice magic. The golden liquid swirled in the glass container, sparkling under the warm rays of the sun. The moon sphinx emitted a soft purr at the sight.
"Can we sign a contract now?" Kit couldn't contain his eagerness, wondering if the sphinx would truly follow through on its promise.
"Of course," came the prompt reply as a parchment materialised in front of Kit.
He scanned over the contents carefully.
Essentially, once he owned a piece of land, this realm would attach to it, he would have free access to the realm whenever he desired. The moon sphinx held ownership over the White Moon Travelling Pocket Realm and would grant Kit access in exchange for his spiritual moon juice magic.
Kit's signature glowed on the document, and golden threads wrapped around his wrist and the moon sphinx. The thread pulsed and then vanished.
"How long will one bottle last for?" Kit asked, wondering how often he would need to make the drink for the sphinx.
The cat gazed at the bottle with longing eyes. "One year." Kit was surprised; he didn't expect one bottle to last so long.
He placed it on the ground as per their contract, and the sphinx eagerly approached and made the glass disappear.
Kit was delighted with this exchange. "Will you automatically know when I buy land, or do I have to come find you?"
"I will bring our realm over automatically when you purchase land. The contract will notify me." informed the white cat.
Magic really came in handy. Kit didn't want to log off today; he wanted to stay longer. This was the happiest he had been in a while. He now owned his own small realm!
"Master Hoarder of Precious Things wants me to ask why you haven't accepted his heart stone," Kit was taken aback by his new title, but also confused about the rest of the sentence. "The what?"
The moon sphinx let out a sigh and turned to Snowball. "Do you really want to give this to him? He doesn't even know what you are."
Snowball responded with a determined bark, and the cat rolled its eyes before refocusing on Kit. "When you first met Snowball, he gave you a red stone that radiated warmth. That is his heart stone. If you accept it, he will be bound to you and able to find you wherever you go in this world."
Kit was taken aback by this revelation. He could have easily sold Snowball's heart stone if they hadn't come to this place! Who knows where the little guy would have ended up!
Without hesitation, Kit reached into his pouch and pulled out the warm stone. He examined it closely, noticing small pulsing red dot among the glittering white flecks.
As Kit held the stone, his heart began to beat in unison with the red dot. This meant that Snowball would finally become his permanent companion!
Overjoyed, Kit couldn't contain his excitement. A wide grin spread across his face as he turned to Snowball, who was wiggling in excitement.
"What do I need to do?" asked Kit eagerly.
"Simply accept it," replied the cat.
Kit furrowed his brow, unsure of what exactly that entailed. After a moment of thought, he went with the most straightforward option.
"I accept Snowball as my lifelong companion."