The stove hissed with life.
Its belly roared with a low heat Kai fed slowly—charcoal dust, broken sticks, resin chips. He watched how
the flames curled, danced, sank.
Then he fed the ingredients in, measured and cautious. The sludgy mix of Spirit Gel Root, Boneflower Seed,
and Coldleaf Dust began to simmer.
His eyes never left it.
Twice, the mixture boiled too quickly. Once, it cooled too fast. Every adjustment was followed by a note
scratched in soot on the wall beside him.
"Add root early if the flame is weak." "Don't stir clockwise—spiral counter." "Wait until it thickens before
adding water essence."
He was building a process, not just a pill.
And in that process, he began to understand the true difference between cultivation and crafting.
One was consumed. The other created.
When the first pill emerged from the crude mold, it pulsed once.
[Stabilizing Pill – Grade: Low-Tier (Stable). Effectiveness: 48%]
The system chimed:
[Unlocked: Basic Pill Formation Schema. Passive Bonus: 5% Flame Efficiency When Using
Primitive Stoves.]
His hands trembled.
Not from fear.
From pride.
But the moment didn't last.
The stink had traveled farther than he expected. Smoke trails. Glowing embers. Heat waves that flickered
into alley paths.
Someone had seen.
That night, when he stepped away to wash his hands in the gutter, he returned to find the shack roof peeled
back like fruit skin.
And waiting inside were three figures.