By the time Luolin finished making dinner, Loviki and Miya had already returned.
Additionally, Melo had come along with Loviki to the apartment and was currently helping Luolin carry the dishes out of the kitchen.
As for the other villagers, considering Chen Mian and the others had just returned and it was already late, Melo hadn't notified them, fearing it might disturb their rest.
Miya sat at the dining table, clutching the glowing peach Loviki had given her tightly to her chest. She had a joyful expression, as if she had just received a precious treasure. She had even temporarily let go of the treasure-hunting rabbit, granting it a brief moment of freedom to roll around by the table legs. However, its freedom didn't last long before it ended up in Louise's hands.
Louise placed it on her lap, her violet-gold eyes narrowing slightly as she stroked the treasure-hunting rabbit's fur. It struggled for a moment, but upon realizing it couldn't escape, it obediently resigned itself to its fate. “This isn't an ordinary rabbit, is it?”
“Yeah, a treasure-hunting rabbit. It can sense the location of magic ores and rare plants,” Chen Mian nodded and said.
Speaking of ore, the Frost-Steel Core he had obtained in the dungeon might come in handy. He should find some time to take the treasure-hunting rabbit around to see if there were any ore veins nearby.
Flora came downstairs. She had already taken off her heavy mage cloak and changed into casual home clothes. Her light brown hair was tied back with a hairband, with a few stray strands hanging by her ears, making her look much more relaxed.
The meal Luolin had prepared wasn't complicated—just some simple home-cooked dishes: a pot of stewed magical beast meat, a large portion of vegetable salad, a plate of stir-fried magic tomatoes, and a large platter of scones.
“Please, try some...” Luolin stood straight by the table, still wearing her apron, looking at everyone expectantly.
Chen Mian picked up a scone, stuffed it with a piece of stewed meat, and took a bite. The crust of the scone was very crispy, and it tasted incredibly savory when paired with the stewed meat.
“It's delicious.”
Hearing his praise, Luolin's shoulders relaxed. “That's wonderful... I was so worried it wouldn't taste good.”
“You've done an excellent job,” Flora said as she also popped a piece of stewed meat into her mouth, her eyes narrowing slightly. “The meat is stewed to perfection, and the spices are just right.”
“Really?” Luolin's cat ears perked up again.
“Of course,” Flora said with a smile.
Only then did Luolin untie her apron, hang it back in the kitchen, pull out a chair, and sit down with a satisfied smile on her face.
The atmosphere at the dining table was very relaxed. Thanks to Louise's presence, it was actually even livelier than before. Although she was currently suffering from amnesia, her personality was completely free of any awkwardness or constraint.
“Oh, by the way, Sister Loviki!” Miya leaned halfway out of her chair, holding up the glowing peach. “Did you pick this peach in the dungeon?”
“Yes, we did,” Loviki said, reaching out to gently pinch Miya's cheek. “Eating it can increase your mana, but you're still young, so don't eat it all at once.”
Miya nodded vigorously, carefully cradling the peach back in her arms.
The conversation at the dinner table continued, gradually shifting from their adventures in the dungeon to the vegetable garden. Melo gave a detailed report on the sales of their crops, noting that their transactions with Morris had been proceeding smoothly.
However, after several sales, news seemed to have leaked out. On her way back to the cottage after selling crops last time, she had encountered merchants who wanted to buy crops directly from them.
Chen Mian had already expected this. After all, it was virtually impossible for a small, ordinary merchant chamber to suddenly and consistently acquire all kinds of high-quality magical crops without drawing the attention of its competitors. Moreover, considering they would have other crops and even fish in the future, having more sales channels wasn't a bad thing. As long as those merchants didn't harbor any ill intentions, Chen Mian didn't mind.
After dinner, Louise quietly stared at the gas stove on the counter, the faucet by the sink, and the white refrigerator against the wall.
“What is this?” she asked, pointing at the refrigerator.
Flora walked over and opened the refrigerator door. “It's for keeping things fresh. Food placed inside can be preserved for much longer.”
Watching the cold air billow out from the refrigerator, Louise narrowed her eyes slightly. She reached her hand in to feel the temperature, looking thoughtful. “The cooling principle of this thing isn't magic.”
Flora was taken aback. “Yes, Mr. Chen Mian said it runs on electricity.”
“Electricity,” Louise repeated the word, her violet-gold eyes lighting up slightly. She stared intently at the refrigerator, as if she could see its internal structure right through the outer casing.
She squatted down, her fingers slowly sliding along the metal panel on the side of the refrigerator. After a moment of thought, she said, “Electric current drives a certain gas to repeatedly compress and expand... After compression, the machine inside blows air to carry away the heat, and when it expands again, the temperature becomes even lower.”
As she spoke, her other hand pointed to the back of the refrigerator. “This side is hot, while the inside is cold. The heat is being transported outside. But if it were just compressing simple air, the temperature shouldn't change this drastically.”
Flora blinked and turned to look at Chen Mian. “Is she right?”
Leaning against the kitchen doorframe, Chen Mian smiled and nodded. “More or less. A refrigerant is added inside, which is why it's much more effective than just compressing air.”
Chen Mian wasn't surprised that she could figure out the principle.
Louise had always been incredibly smart, especially when it came to mechanical creations and magical potion development, which was why she was always coming up with all kinds of bizarre inventions.
Louise's eyes lit up, and she stood up, pointing at the refrigerator. “Can I take it apart?”
“No, behave yourself,” Chen Mian said. Then he nodded and added, “I'll get another one for you to dismantle tomorrow.”
“Pfft!” Flora giggled softly at Chen Mian's helpless expression.
“Alright! It's a deal!” Louise tucked a stray strand of silver-gray hair behind her ear, smiling as she looked at Chen Mian.
She turned around and looked curiously at the gas stove on the counter. “What about this one?”
“This one heats by burning a type of gas.” Chen Mian walked over and turned a knob.
Louise leaned in close to take a look, carefully observing the shape and color of the flame, the flickering fire reflecting in her violet-gold eyes. “Can I—”
“No, you can't. Are you a husky?”
...
Luolin's cat ears twitched slightly. She stopped washing dishes and couldn't help but whisper, “Miss Louise is so amazing... It took me a day or two just to learn how to use these things, but she understands how they're made just by looking at them.”
Although she had spoken very softly, Louise still heard her. She turned back and said with a smile, “Luolin is very amazing too. The food you made is delicious.”
Luolin's ears immediately stood straight up, her face flushing red again. “No... I-I'm still learning.”
Flora let out a soft giggle, covering her mouth as she reached out to pat Luolin's head. “Tonight's stewed meat really was delicious.”
The catgirl lowered her head, her tail swaying gently behind her as she failed to suppress the smile playing at the corners of her lips.
Night fell deeper, and the Forest of Death was indeed exceptionally quiet tonight. The beast roars that could usually be heard had completely vanished. Meanwhile, the flame demon bear was sleeping just outside the perimeter of the apartment, though everyone in the apartment and the village had already grown accustomed to its presence.
The lights in the apartment were still on, but the living room had grown completely quiet.
After washing up, everyone else had returned to their respective rooms to rest.
Leaning back on the sofa, Chen Mian turned over the news Ryan had brought in his head. Something major must have happened near the Forest of Death. Dragons were incredibly proud creatures that typically only traveled alone. What could have possibly brought them together?
In this desolate land where even Epic Rank entities could rule as overlords, what on earth could attract a crowd of Saintly Radiance Rank or even Mythic Rank creatures?
He shook his head, putting those thoughts aside for the moment, turned off the living room lights, and walked upstairs.
Just as he reached his room and was about to push the door open, the door next to his suddenly cracked open. Louise poked half her head out, her long silver-gray hair slightly messy, her violet-gold eyes shining exceptionally bright in the darkness.
Rate on N.U.
