After their meal, they quickly rushed back to the stronghold. When the soldiers saw them coming back, they simply let them in. No one was dumb enough to bar the way of the commander's grandson.
When the Brigadier heard his grandson has come back he just blinked his eyes and slowly made his way to the Ranger and her assistant.
"When I said you could come to me with ideas when you need funding, I thought you would come back within a week with another crazy idea. Yet here you are, just a couple of hours later, so out with it. What has that brain of yours cooked this time?"
The duo looked at each other and grinned.
"What a wonderful selection of words old man," Ciaran said before he gave him a bit of dried meat.
Edward Clades was confused by his grandson's gesture, but soon he understood. He looked at his grandson in awe.
"Boy, it's been less than twelve hours, any more miracles and my soldiers will refuse to let you go." He said with a proud grandfatherly smile on his face.
The Brigadier called a meeting with the other Generals. This time the boy had to participate. Ciaran didn't realize it, but this concerned more than the local villages and even the zone in general. He had invented a way to fight famine for good.
If word of this got out, and it would, it would change the whole continent. Without the need to trade for mundane food, the Desert wouldn't need the Empire so desperately. With the increase in demand, the danger zones would once again see humans hunting in them.
With one casual cooking session, he had messed up the entire pecking order, and the culprit didn't even know it.
The old man tried to suppress the information as best as he could, but politics was a dirty business, and everyone had eyes everywhere. By the time the other Generals were ready for the meeting, the affair was known throughout the three nations.
What was supposed to be a demonstration between a group of a few dozen commanders, had turned into a stage with thousands of viewers. They used Light magic to capture his image, and Wind magic to capture his words. And each of the people watching him would be an influential person.
The Brigadier was worried his grandson would be overwhelmed. Yet when he looked in his direction, he barely suppressed a groan.
The boy was over the moon. He loved to perform and now the whole continent was his stage. Diana, to the old man's horror, wasn't calming him down, no, she was pumping him up.
"Show them the beauty of cooking Rony, show them how miserably uncultured they all are." She said, entirely ready to watch her partner set the world on fire.
Before the old man can tell him to be moderate and to do his best not to make a fool of himself, the boy was in front of the whole crowd.
"So, here is the thing, you all are stupid, and I am not." He opened up strong, and the old man lost all hope. Diana on the other hand cheered.
"For centuries, mortals have known how to do what I did, not even five hours ago, and you all, and I do mean all of you, just never bothered to learn from them. I don't know who you are, I mean I can guess, but it doesn't matter, what matters is that you are all fools." He continued to berate their lack of intellect.
Then he took out a Rank Two boar, they had hunted on their way to the base. It was large, and its rank was obvious. But the boy still had it examined by five people, four of which were confirmed spies.
After that, he began to cook. Doing the same thing as before, he made two kinds of preserved meat, never forgetting to hammer in the importance of proper seasoning.
"As you can see, except for the above-average control of an Apprentice, everything else needed is easily accessible to all of you, you just never thought it necessary to use it, and allowed countless lives to be lost. So tell me, what are you?" He asked with a mocking smile.
Many gritted their teeth behind the light screen; others honestly nodded their heads as they echoed 'Fools'. All of them acknowledged the fact, that the boy had presented them with a new option for feeding their people.
After he left the stage, there was a discussion among the members. This was a massive contribution for all of humanity, and the boy was to be rewarded. Yet there was a problem. For the remainder of his mission, all rewards were on hold, as he was technically avoiding prison by taking this mission.
Giving him a reward for the current him, which he could only use in three years, seemed contra-productive. So they left the matter on hold.
Next, they had to at least give him a title. Whit his accomplishments, and the fact they were all to feed the common folk, calling him 'Saint' would be appropriate. However, everyone, even his own family vetoed the idea. The boy was smart, and he did good, but at the end of the day, he was an asshole and the title would be more ironic than anything else.
After a bit of debate, they settled on 'Chef'. It had a food theme, and well, as far as most of them were concerned, alchemy was just a fancy way to cook.
Some of the people with a more scientific background started to see the truth in the boy's words after that statement. The people in this meeting truly were too stupid for anyone's good.
The debates continued, and new global decisions were made, but the boy who caused it all couldn't care less. He was just enjoying the food that he made with his partner, as they discussed their future plans.
"I want to hunt birds Diana, not because it would be good for my training, and because I miss their taste, well that too, but because I have a grudge against all birds. Well, all birds minus ravens." He said.
He still remembered the hawks he had to fight on that damn mountain. He still felt their talons and their beaks cutting and piercing his body.
"What you need, is to learn to use your magic. No offense Rony, but with that weak body, you can't harm a fly here, and you would be even more useless when we cross the border in three months." She said emotionlessly.
She didn't want to hurt his ego, but she wanted to see him dead even less.
"I know, but we don't have time to have me practice normally. I will learn in battle, as always. Well, not in battle, actually I mostly learn while I hunt and I practice science. You know what, you are absolutely right I am not fighting a Rank TWO bird." He said as he put emphasis on the rank.
She didn't like where he was going with this, so she started warming her slapping hand.
"Ok, so listen, we will place me in a controlled environment, where there will still be a danger, but not life-threatening danger. And I will hunt down while relying on Wind magic and trickery, a Rank THREE bird. However, you will be in charge, and if you believe things are going to go south, you can step in at any time." He said as he put up a guard with both of his hands.
He was expecting the violent woman to hit him again, but she didn't. She just nodded and sat near him, while looking him in the eyes.
"We will do that. You need to grow stronger Rony, or your life will be in danger on the other side." She said, and the atmosphere became heavy.
He stood up and called on his Wind, he also called on his Water, and he created two balls in each hand.
"My control over both elements is equal. I am basically two Apprentices for the price of one. You don't have to worry Diana, the hardest thing for a mage to learn, is control, and I have that covered. What I will be practicing is the practical application of my magic in battle."
Ciaran was right in that he needed more battle experience. So far he had relied on others, and on his own intellect to get him through everything, and it had worked. But, he needed to be able to defend himself, and for the next three months, that would be his number one priority.
"Good and I will be teaching you how to fight. You hunt like a pro Mr. Clades, but you fight like a disabled toddler." She said in a mocking voice.
The boy furrowed his brows. He knew she didn't mean that, but that didn't make it any less true.
His Master had been teaching him, but that was for Rank Zero, he had no training to lean on for his current Rank.
"Please be gentle with me, I have no experience, but I am willing to learn." He said completely seriously.
'At this point, he has to be doing it on purpose right?' Diana asked herself, as she stared at the clueless genius.