He used some to fill up his plot while the rest was chopped up nicely along with onions while he let his potatoes boil. A few minutes later, he drained all the water and put the boiled potatoes on a plate.
Dumbnut oil was then heated, onions sauteed until they began to sweat and then, he tossed in the chopped chillies and some salt. The oil spluttered but Lukas was unflinching as he moved his hands quickly, moving the ingredients around in the pot.
A few seconds later, he moved onto the plate of potatoes which he mashed and tossed into the pot. Using his spatula, he mixed it all up and took it off the flame before nodding to himself with a satisfied look on his face.
[Spicy Mash - FFF Rank]
Mashed potatoes infused with spiciness of fresh chillies and the sweetness of cooked onions. It's a dish that no one has ever voluntarily created. It's recommended to be paired with bread, but if you can handle the spice then feel free to go raw.
Effect: +11 Vitality, +2 Perception, +2 Durability
He was pretty shocked to see a huge increase in vitality, but was also slightly disappointed as he wished for perception. With 5 perception as the base and an increase of 2, he still wouldn't be able to reach the required number which was 10.
"I need three more…" he muttered and then frowned, "The potato was the only ingredient that was of FFF rank. Which should mean that it provides vitality…. I think. If my theory is right, then chilly and onion should give perception and durability. The only problem is that I don't know which one they give."
"System, can I check the effects boosting of raw ingredients?" he asked but received no response.
Feeling annoyed he checked the information on all three ingredients but found nothing. Then, he took out another potato from his inventory and cut out a small piece before tossing it into his mouth.
It was hard and didn't taste great. Yet, he swallowed it.
'I really hope this helps…'
[Cut Raw Potato]
A firm, starchy tuber with rough brown skin and small dimples. Earthy in scent and heavy for its size, it promises hearty nourishment once cooked. It holds a mysterious energy inside and it seems like someone cut it.
There were no effects on it, which clarified his doubts. Raw ingredients didn't work.
"Gotta cook more I guess…. I just hope that buffs can stack as long as they're from different dishes." he said optimistically as he went out for another round of stealing.
An hour later, he sat on the floor feeling defeated. Buffs did not stack no matter how he cooked. Boiling, roasting, deep frying and even burning the food in the fire directly until was charred black, everything.
Yet, it didn't work.
He glanced at his divine farm and held some hope. Just like the potatoes, the chillies needed six hours too. Having nothing to do, he lay down on the floor lazily and waited as he sorted out his memories, reliving the past of the other Lukas.
The time when his father left for war only to never return, his mother dying of a common cold to when he took a loan from loan sharks who were still hounding him and how his life changed once he became an orphan. The responsibility of taking care of his sister and how she was forced to grow up due to their family situation.
As he thought of all this, he let out a sigh and shook his head, 'I can't change the past but… maybe I can do something about the future.' he thought as he got to his feet, grabbed a stack of papers from his trunk and decisively went to the village chief.
The village was pretty big, with houses appearing once or twice in a hundred meters. Every single house was bigger than the one he and his sister lived in. The area was large but the population density was small.
He remembered the kind people who lived here and nodded to himself, "Should be around forty people."
Soon, he knocked on the Village Chief's door which was open. He peered inside to see a middle aged man sitting on a table. He wore a half top hat that was dark brown in colour and leisurely sipped a cup of tea.
He looked up to see Lukas standing by the door and nodded, "Oh Lukas! Come in, come in. If you're here about your sister's marriage, I suggest thinking it over. Oleg is known for being an aggressive drunkard."
'Ah yes… that dumb looking guy who's been harassing Nina for the past two years.' Lukas thought as he recalled the man called Oleg. He used to be Lukas's best friend until his proposal was rejected. Things turned sour after that.
Lukas walked in, activating his skill Charm and Velvet tongue.
"It's not about Oleg. Well it's related to him too but not directly." Lukas said as he smiled at the Village Chief before sitting down opposite to him, "I've decided to sell my land. Two acres of land in total with half of it currently being used as a farm and the other half as you know, is where my hut is located. You mentioned that you wished to buy if I ever thought of selling so here I am."
"This is great news!" the village chief said, his eyes locking in on the stack of papers that Lukas had placed on the table between them.
The cost of land in a remote village didn't amount to much but to Lukas, it was substantial. He nodded and slid the papers forward, "I'll sign the documents today. I'm hoping for at least two gold coins."
Even though he knew that the value of his land was around one gold and a hundred silver, he demanded a lot more. The village chief frowned and shook his head, "The most I can do is three hundred fifty silvers."
Lukas readily accepted. Smiling widely, he shook the chief's hand and said, "Deal! But may I ask you for a favour? I plan on heading to Frascine Town so I'm hoping that you can help me acquire a decent place to set up a restaurant. I'm okay with rent."
"You don't have to worry about that. I'll write a letter to my father immediately." the chief said as he grabbed a paper and began to write one right in front of Lukas.
'With this, everything is set. I just need to unlock my mana heart and become a knight. Then, it's all about acquiring ingredients. I wonder if I can rear animals in my farm… hmm.'