126: Drake Stew

Hari left shortly after that to head back outside. I didn’t know what to say. I knew I didn’t want to stay in the capital, and I couldn’t even imagine what I’d do with a title.

This was all too much to think about right now, and I needed to just spend some time sitting and thinking. Right now, I had candy on the go, and the ones in the mould had already set.

While I was tapping them out, I had a thought.

“Milo, do you think a cold rune would help these set faster if I could carve it into the mould?” I asked.

Milo shook his head. “Possibly, but it also might cool them too fast and cause them to become brittle, or solidify incorrectly—like what happens when you cool glass too fast. But being sugar, there could also be other things happening there that I don’t understand, so it’s probably not ideal. My suggestion would be to get another couple of moulds when we get to the capital.”

I tapped out the twenty-four candies, stacking them all in a single bowl before using infuse on them, making sure I put the duration to the maximum while keeping the potency low.

Using Essence Memory to bring up the buffs:

[Uncommon] Blood Stone Candy

• +1 Perception
• Fire Immunity
• Health Regeneration
• Minor Earth Magic Potency

“I forgot I was using the treant wood in the fireplace,” I said.

I handed one of the candies to each of them, even giving one to Lily. I didn’t know if she ate candy, but I figured it would be rude to leave her out, especially when she’d been watching me the entire time.

Trying one myself, wondering what flavour it would have—this was when I discovered my second mistake: I completely forgot to add a flavouring to this one, so it just tasted only of herbs and reed juice, with a little bit of grit from the Blood Owl beak powder.

“I also forgot to add flavouring. It’s just sugar,” I said, unhappy with what I made.

Heading to the pot with the rest of the mixture in it, I pulled out some Dilwater berries—not many, just a small handful and added them to the mix, using a spoon to fold them in, as well as crush them into smaller parts.

“It still tastes nice though,” Liane said.

The others nodded as well, but if they really liked it, they wouldn’t be acting this subdued. Lily just pushed the candy with her nose a couple of times before it vanished.

“This next one will taste much better,” I said, mostly to reassure myself.

I went back to the mould, now with the fruit added, and filled it using the rest of the mixture and getting a half-size one on the twenty-fourth candy.

Patiently, I waited for it to cool.

I was startled as George and Darren stumbled in the door, both of them looking exhausted. They were looking much healthier now, and seemingly rapidly growing in muscle too.

“Who won?” Micca called out.

“I did,” they both said at exactly the same time.

Hari came in a step behind them. “It was not supposed to be a competition, but even if it was, it was a draw at best.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle. “Don’t worry, tonight’s meal has a decent Strength buff. Maybe you can settle it after dinner.”

“Absolutely not. They’ll break their training weapons,” Hari said, shaking his head.

The conversation went on for a while about who actually won. I popped out the candies when I thought they were ready, but I didn’t share these with everyone. The only person still paying attention was Liane, and I gave one to her, having the half candy myself and saving the rest for Micca to sell.

The addition of the berries was very much needed. Liane gave me two big thumbs up. It didn’t add any extra sweetness, but the tartness from them, along with Dilwater’s unique taste, really made the candy pop.

There was, however, the addition of minor poison resistance to it now as well, with the buff lasting nearly five hours.

It wasn’t much longer before Crisplet alerted me that the stew was ready, and there was no mistaking it because Lily was immediately on her feet.

I rushed over, getting to the pot before some cat got impatient. Removing it from the flame, I opened the lid and was hit with a rich aroma. It was difficult to describe—like a more complex and in-depth Buvul. You could smell the vegetables, and the stock had reduced down, now creating a velvet-like sauce.

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The drake itself looked so tender that it was falling apart just at the touch of my spoon.

I used infuse on it before taking out my bowls. I knew this one wouldn’t last long, and I doubted anyone would get seconds once Lily tasted it, so I made sure to fill every bowl to the top.

Then, I took out a large mixing bowl, which I poured the rest into, for Lily.

Once it was all served, I gave everyone the signal to come grab it—although Liane and Lily were both already there. Lily didn’t even wait for me to place it on the ground, instead tasting it in her bowl right on the stone table.

“Trev, this is amazing!” Micca said after her first bite.

George and Darren nodded in agreement. Liane seemed to have gone into meditation—she just sat there, eyes closed, her spoon still on the edge of her mouth.

Eventually whispering, “So good.”

Even Hari surprised me. “This might be the best dish yet!”