Chapter 20: Bread Baking (Part 1)

Molly stood before the bakery, her crimson eyes stretching wide as she took in the structure that rose before her like a great hall from the old tales. Smoke curled from the chimney in soft, drifting ribbons, pale grey against the morning sky, twisting upward until it dissolved into nothing. The building itself seemed to breathe, a low thrum seeping through its stone walls and vibrating faintly beneath the soles of her feet.

“Surprised?” Lilly’s voice reached her from beside.

Molly turned, her hair swaying with the movement. Lilly watched her with a bright, knowing curve resting on her lips, her ponytail bobbing gently as she tilted her head.

Molly nodded, a rapid bounce of her chin.

~ I’ve never seen a building as big as this, neither did I imagine Eoma’s main bakery would be this massive.

Lilly’s round face held the cheerfulness of a young child as she nodded back. “It’s expected,” she said, turning her gaze toward the building once more, an amused expression settling upon her features. “Would you believe this building was raised almost five centuries ago?”

Molly’s eyes expanded, her jaw slackening a fraction.

~ Five centuries?

Lilly nodded again, a small chuckle escaping her throat. “Yes. Five centuries.” She extended her hand in a gentle sweep, motioning for Molly to walk alongside her toward the entrance. Molly gave a short nod and fell into step beside her, her robe brushing against her ankles as she moved.

As they approached, the humming rhythm of milling machines grew steadily louder, a low thrum that climbed through the ground and buzzed against their soles. “This main building was built by Fire, a great figure who once ruled over Sigsug, and who was the primary force behind the further development of this city.” Lilly’s voice carried a note of reverence as her eyes traced the interiors of the bakery’s main hall, visible now through the wide entrance.

She swept her hand in a graceful arc, and Molly’s gaze followed the line of her gesture until it landed at the center of the hall, where a statue stood embedded in the stone floor. It was a sculpture of a young man, carved with such precision that every strand of hair and fold of clothing seemed frozen mid-motion. His face held a resemblance to someone Molly had seen before, though not in the flesh, but rather in an image, someone Jen had woven stories about during quiet evenings.

Lilly’s voice confirmed Molly’s silent speculation.

“Jack Eoma. One of the great rulers of Sigsug, and the younger brother of Changing Ice, the strongest of the centuries.”

Molly’s expression warmed as she stared at the statue of Jack. She studied the vivid, picture-perfect carving that mirrored exactly what she had imagined Jen’s brother would look like, the same proud set of his shoulders, the same gentle determination etched into his stone features.

“The bakery is this way.” Lilly’s voice pulled her back.

Molly glanced over to see Lilly pointing toward the right side of the hall. She nodded and pivoted alongside her as they approached an entrance marked with a sign that read, ‘Production Zone,’ the letters carved deep into the wood and painted in silvery gold.

Lilly gestured behind them, toward the left side of the main hall. “That’s where the wheat is milled and stored,” she said, her hand lingering in the air for a moment before dropping back to her side.

Molly nodded, her eyes flitting to the figures of people moving about the vast space. Bakers walked with purposeful strides, aprons fastened snug around their waists, their faces set with quiet concentration as they focused on their errands. Some carried sacks slung over their shoulders, while others pushed carts laden with ingredients, the wooden wheels clicking softly against the stone floor.

“Ted.” Lilly called out, her voice carrying clearly through the hum of activity. “Have the flours been mixed?”

Molly’s eyes darted to the person Lilly had addressed.

Ted was a slender, tall young man who wore a cream-colored apron. A frown creased his brow as his deep shade of purple eyes shifted toward the voice that had summoned him. The moment he registered Lilly’s face, a mask of realization washed the frown away, and he shook his head.

“We’re in the process of mixing the zahav flours with the stored-up Me-khutar flours,” he said, dusting the pale powder off his apron with quick, practiced swipes of his hands before adding, “It’ll be finished anytime soon.” He turned and began hurrying away deeper into the passageway, his footsteps echoing against the walls.

Molly turned to look at Lilly. The black orb that hovered beside her dissolved into tiny swirling particles and reformed to project her thoughts.

~ Stored-up Me-khutar flour?

Lilly nodded as she read the words floating in the air. “Yes,” she said, her ponytail swaying. “Before the blight struck a year ago, Eoma’s bakery had always been storing Me-khutar flours in mass.” Her lips lifted at the corners. “So we were more fortunate than other bakeries when it fell upon the land.”

Molly’s face lit up as everything clicked into place. If Eoma’s bakery had been storing Me-khutar flours in bulk, and with one of its properties being its ability to last long even after being milled, that meant this bakery would not run dry of Me-khutar flour for a very long time. And to make things even better, Eoma’s bakery had already begun blending other kinds of flours with their native flour.

A frown soon settled on her features, pulling her brows together.

The orb immediately dissolved and reformed, projecting her thoughts.

~ Does the bakery mix the other two flours with Me-khutar?

Lilly shook her head, the motion firm but gentle. “No. We don’t use the remaining flours.”

Molly’s frown deepened, a small crease forming between her brows.

~ But why? Why only zahav flour?

Lilly considered for a moment, her round face tilting upward as she gathered her thoughts. “You remember what I told you about the quality of flours?”

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The moment Molly heard that, her eyes widened in realization. She gave a subconscious nod, understanding dawning across her face like a slow sunrise spilling over the horizon. She turned to Lilly.

~ The gold flour?

Lilly nodded, a bright expression surfacing on her features. “Yes. And that’s precisely why the bakery only uses zahav flour, since it shares similarities with Me-khutar, and it has a range of forty to sixty percent chance of producing gold flour from its grain.”

~ So the reason for blending both zahav and Me-khutar is to keep the constant achievement of gold flour while also reducing the quantity of Me-khutar flour used?

“That’s correct.” Lilly beamed in approval, her cheeks rounding. “You have a good grasp on these things.”