"Being part of a guild really has its perks," Marron whispered as she stretched beneath a quilt inside the cozy, guild-provided housing. A fire crackled gently in the hearth, casting warm light across the wooden beams.
The flames were a bright pink color and smelled like buttered popcorn.
"Still not used to that," she murmured, sitting up with a grin.
She listened. Mokko and Lucy were still asleep. That meant she had time.
Hmm... since they're still out, maybe I can cook a warm breakfast for all of us.
She padded over to the wall recess where her food stall clicked into place. Instead of a kitchen, the guild housing had a docking port—like parking a car and letting the engine idle.
Marron fit the stall into place, heard the soft click, and watched the startup runes glow to life.
"All right," she whispered, rubbing her hands together. "What's in the pantry today?"
Ding!
[Daily Quest: Earn 200g for an Automatic Pantry Refresh]
Progress: 0 / 200g
She peeked into the cold box and saw the same set of ingredients from after her victory in Rauk's challenge:
[Available Pantry Pull Ingredients:]
Snowroot (Mild bitterness. Used in tea or pickling.)Glacier Squash (Savory, starchy. High mana retention.)Spiced Charred Beans (Harvested from under-furnace vents. Deep smoke flavor.)Coalcrisp Apples (Tart. Black-skinned. Used in savory stews.)
[Basics in Cart Storage:]
80g Dreambutter
1kg Mana Long-Grain Rice
11 Goosefolk Eggs
1L Sugarmilk
1L All-Use Flour
[Seasonings:] Salt, Pepper, Merrymint, Rosemary, Thyme, Basil
"Huh. Still solid," Marron murmured. "And the cost for a pantry refresh is 200 gold…"
She tapped her chin. "If I earn at least one crystal, that'll cover a whole week."
Mokko had been explaining the currency to her—slowly, and with diagrams. 100 bronze was equal to 10 silver.
100 silver was equal to 50 gold.
1 crystal was equal to 1,000 gold, regardless of element. The adventurers loved them.
"I wonder what crystal shards are worth..." she muttered. "Back on Earth, the only math I was good at was calculating my take-home after taxes."
She laughed softly and rolled up her sleeves. "But I guess here, I'll have to cook my way through the numbers."
[Frostfall Menu: Creation in Progress]
She set out the glacier squash, feeling the mana hum under the knife as she sliced. Dice, dice, dice. The cubes dropped into a bowl.
Then came the spiced charred beans. When she popped the lid, smoke and warmth rushed out—like roasted coffee and a bonfire. She smiled. "Perfect."
She grated half the squash, folded in flour, a goosefolk egg, and beans. The batter came together with a thick, satisfying plop.
"Dreambutter, don't fail me now," she said, melting a golden dollop in her largest pan.
The first fritter hit the butter with a cheerful sizzle. Marron smiled. She didn't always feel this sure of herself. But now? She had this.
Next: the coalcrisp apples.
She cut into one and tasted a slice. Her eyes widened. "Tart, but not harsh. Almost... savory-sweet?" Like a Granny Smith blended with something ancient and earthy.
She diced the apples and slid them into a hot pan. They sizzled and caramelized, but the skins smelled divine instead of burnt.
Whether it's Earth or Savoria, cooking is magic. We put raw ingredients in a pan and they come out so different.
The rest of the beans joined the pan, followed by rosemary, thyme, salt, pepper. It was a beautifully smoky smell, like a suckling pig with apples. Marron thought about the lives she hadn't yet lived.
"Strange thoughts from strange ingredients, but it smells delicious," she murmured.
Echoes, a quiet voice in her mind suggested.
She blinked, confused—but kept cooking.
Meanwhile, the mana rice steamed gently in her current favorite cooking appliance: the guild had provided a magical rice cooker. The rice released a nutty aroma that filled the room.
"Flip time," she announced.
The fritters turned with ease—golden brown, crispy-edged, beautiful.
The apple and bean mix was velvety and dark. She cracked two eggs directly into the pan, letting them poach among the fruit. The whites set slowly, wrapping around the yolks like glowing clouds.
Ding!
Perfect rice.
Marron spooned the fluffy grains into two bowls, creating little wells in the center. The apple and bean mixture went on top, with those perfectly poached eggs nestled like golden crowns. A sprinkle of fresh merrymint for color and brightness.
The fritters came out of the pan crispy and golden, steam rising from their centers when she broke one open to test it. The glacier squash was tender and creamy inside, while the charred beans provided little bursts of smoky flavor.
She stepped back, admiring her work.
"Frostfall Warming Bowls with Golden Squash Fritters," she said aloud, as if announcing it to a crowd. "Savory coalcrisp apples and spiced charred beans over mana long-grain rice, topped with poached goosefolk eggs. Served with crispy glacier squash fritters studded with smoky beans."
The aroma alone was enough to wake the dead—or at least sleepy guildmates.
"Mokko! Lucy!" she called softly. "Breakfast is ready... and I think I just created our Frostfall menu special."
From the bunks came the sound of stirring, followed by appreciative sniffs.
"Marron," Mokko's voice was muffled but hopeful, "please tell me that incredible smell is coming from your stall."
She grinned, wiping her hands on her apron. "Get up and find out. But fair warning—you might be tasting the dishes that earn us 200 gold this season."
Maybe even more, she thought, watching steam curl up from the perfectly plated bowls. This feels like something special.
Marron barely had time to brush the flour from her hands before her guildmates shuffled in, still bundled in blankets.
Mokko made a direct beeline for the bowl set out at the table, eyes glazed with awe. "It smells like winter and home and... whatever food you dream about when you're too tired to dream properly."
Lucy oozed closer with a sleepy shlorp, eyeing the golden fritter with one gelatinous blink. She hesitated, then reached out a pseudopod to poke the bowl. The steam curled upward, and the moment her form absorbed the first bite, her whole body gave a shimmer.
A ripple of lavender and peach flowed through her slime core. Soft pastels. Contentment.
Marron blinked. "Did she just... blush?"