Chapter 42: Two Missions
At the Aurelia Pinehold base, after accepting the mission to return the items, Leon immediately went to find those who knew about the two objects.
The lifeless lava worm egg was easier to locate, as the chef at the base was quite interested in it. The moment he saw Leon with the egg, he called him over.
After a conversation, the chef informed Leon that the lava worm egg was a well-known delicacy from the Storm Islands, but it had been many years since they last caught a lava worm, let alone found a usable lava worm egg.
The lava worm egg that Leon brought was just right for cooking because it had lost its vitality. Beast tamers wouldn't use it for training lava worms.
Of course, the chef wouldn't take the egg for free. He told Leon that he would give him a unique recipe from the base, [Iron Mud Worm Supply Meal], and also allow him to watch as he made the dish. How much Leon could learn depended on his own comprehension.
After exchanging the lava worm egg for the recipe, the chef immediately got to work. He stayed by the base's fire pit most of the time, cooking there regularly.
However, this time, he changed the location of his cooking since the flames here weren't hot enough for the dish.
The chef gestured for Leon to follow him to a clearing behind the base, which was a sunken area with no buildings around.
Upon arriving, the chef gathered some steel fragments from nearby, piling them together to form a makeshift stove. He then found some firewood and started a small fire.
Compared to the large fire in the plaza outside, this fire was pitifully small. Leon figured the flame from his portable cooking set would be larger than this.
But the chef seemed quite satisfied with it. He nodded and positioned the lava worm egg on the stove.
That's right, the lava worm egg's shell itself was used as cookware. Besides, no matter how big the fire was, it wouldn't make a difference. Lava worms live in magma, so fire has no effect on them.
After securing the lava worm egg, the chef took a small hammer and slowly tapped the top of the egg, carefully opening a thumb-sized hole at the top of the shell.
Leon then saw the chef continuously fill the hole with various seasonings and oils, as if he intended to stuff the entire egg.
At first, Leon tried to keep track of the ingredients, but the chef moved too quickly, and he only managed to remember a few, unable to note them all.
Soon, the seasonings and oils began to overflow from the hole, at which point the chef applied some black mud to the outside of the lava worm egg.
After completing this step, the chef poured some alcohol into the hole and lit it. A blue flame ignited at the top of the egg.
Once the flame extinguished, the chef removed the black mud from the lava worm egg and carried it directly to the plaza of the base.
The chef moved swiftly, seemingly not wanting the egg to cool down. When Leon followed him, he noticed the base members already holding their utensils, waiting.
Naturally, the other players were also present, attracted by the gathering of the base members. Seeing the chef carrying the lava worm egg, they too quickly retrieved their utensils.
Leon, who had been following the chef, ended up being first in line. Holding his utensils, he watched the chef's final steps.
As the chef reached the center of the plaza, he placed the lava worm egg on the ground and, with a heavy blow from a stone, cracked the egg in half.
Inside the broken egg was a semi-solid yolk mixed with a large amount of seasoned egg white. The chef took a small ladle and continuously stirred the mixture before scooping some into a dish.
Although the lava worm egg was quite large, there were many people, so each person received just one ladle's worth—enough for two bites at most.
After receiving his portion, Leon sat in a corner and quickly ate. As the food went down, he felt as if his whole body was burning, as if he had fallen into magma.
This sensation only lasted a moment, but he immediately noticed a significant increase in his strength and stamina. This indicated the chef had succeeded in his cooking.
[Attribute Meal: Stirred Worm Egg (Blue), fully consumed in 1 minute, grants +1 strength and +1 stamina for 48 hours.]
After finishing the meal, the base members all patted the chef in satisfaction, clearly pleased. Meanwhile, the players eyed the lava worm egg. They knew how rare such a recipe was and how beneficial it could be for future growth if they could bring it back.
But in the end, none of them managed to obtain the recipe from the chef. Instead, Leon seized the opportunity to inquire about anyone in the base who might be interested in the scimitar.
Following the chef's directions, Leon arrived at a tent on the south side of the base.
According to the chef, the tent belonged to an old fortune-teller. She earned a living by reading fortunes, and she was also the base's sage. Her knowledge of legends alone was enough to convince the base members.
So, if anyone would be interested in the scimitar, it would surely be this old woman.
Carrying the scimitar, Leon stood outside the tent and loudly stated his purpose.
The fortune-teller quickly opened the tent door and let Leon in. After inviting him to sit, she immediately asked Leon to take out the scimitar.
After receiving the scimitar, the old woman didn't speak. She carefully examined the blade, even inspecting the nicks along the edge.
Finally, she set the scimitar down and nodded approvingly. "This scimitar is a replica of the Seven Knights' weapons. However, the original wielders of such scimitars perished over seven hundred years ago. What you hold is a copy of a copy. It doesn't carry the power of the Seven Knights and was likely made for decorative purposes."
"However, the technique used to forge this scimitar is ancient. It's not made of ordinary iron but rather carved from a wild boar's tusk, with layers of metal forged onto it."
"This technique has long been lost, so seeing it again is remarkable."
The fortune-teller paused for a moment before looking at Leon. "Since you've brought this item, it means you are fated to have it. As for your reward, you have two choices: I can teach you the method of forging metal onto tusks, or I can teach you the scimitar's blade techniques."
A thought crossed Leon's mind, and he couldn't help but ask, "Can the metal-forging method be applied to other bones?"