Their pockets filled with ingredients the siblings returned to the novice village. Serena wore a bright smile, obviously happy to spend time with her brother.
Just looking at her right now would brighten anyone's mood.
Apparently, the female NPC Ebonora thought similarly, showing a warm smile as the siblings approached her.
"Aunty! I gathered soo many fruits! Can I use your kitchen?"
"Of course, go ahead."
In Fate of Crunaboul most profession needed the suitable workstations. Bigger cities usually offered some for rent. But in the novice village one could only build a good relationship with NPCs like chefs or blacksmiths and ask to use their tools.
Fortunately, Ebonora was fond of Serena, generously letting her use her kitchen.
Under the elegant elf's lead Liam and Serena entered a wooden house to the side, finding a spacious kitchen which was obviously built to serve a large number of people.
A young male elf was busy with cleaning pots as the trio entered.
"That's Rehan. He helps me out sometimes."
"Friends of Ebonora? Welcome."
Afterwards the elves went to the side, doing their own thing.
Serena looked around at the two fireplaces enclosed in bricks and the many pots and knifes, appearing somewhat lost.
"What do we do now?"
"Since you have a recipe, let's try and follow it."
Serena nodded, taking out the recipe for baked Behr Fruit.
"First we need to cut the herbs into pieces."
Leaning the recipe against the wall, Serena took out a stalk of the gathered herbs, placing it on an empty spot on the working area made of stone.
Liam felt somewhat hesitant as he watched Serena take a large knife and begin slowly cutting the herb. Even if it was only a game, he didn't want to see his sister cut herself.
But after a few seconds he was surprised. Serena worked carefully and precisely. She took off the herb's leaves, leaving only a few torn pieces on the stem.
Next, she compared her work to the recipe before cutting the leaves into tiny bits with deliberate strokes.
"You're doing great Serena!"
Hearing her brother's praise the young girl beamed immediately:
"I know, right? It's because I cooked together with Merida!"
"That's why the food was so delicious the last few days!"
"Hehe. But, Liam…"
"What?"
"Why are you only watching? We have so much work to do!"
Liam opened his mouth, not knowing how to retort. Chuckling he took out a few stalks of herbs and began to help his sister.
But a few seconds later…
"Ouh!"
"Ah! You're bleeding."
Serena abruptly put her knife aside looking worriedly at Liam's bleeding index finger.
The perpetrator however was rather perplexed than worried.
How did I manage to cut myself with my agility?
Luckily Liam's fans of his past life weren't able to see the scene, or they would be going crazy. How could Mr. Perfect be clumsy?
Liam's HP ticked down one by one, stopping after he lost five points. His wound quickly disappeared in a few seconds.
"Good, you're fine…"
"Of course. Don't worry."
Liam let out a light laugh to hide his embarrassment before continuing, avoiding looking into Serena's eyes.
The latter felt reassured and tended to her own herbs. The siblings worked swiftly, preparing a full ten stalks. Liam glanced at Serena from time to time, noticing that although she moved slower, the result looked better than his own.
Fortunately, Serena didn't comment as she put away her knife and read the recipe.
"Next, we need a pot of water. 200ml per stalk of herb. We have ten herbs, so it makes… 2000ml?"
Liam felt a stab in his heart as he noticed the hesitation in Serena's voice. The poor girl hadn't been to school in years, lagging behind her peers in some subjects, especially math.
Liam gritted his teeth. He knew his sister was an intelligent child, suffering unfairly from a harsh life. Now that he was earning money it would be time to organize a school for Serena or even a private teacher.
Although the United Human Federation prided itself in taking care of all humans, the jurisdiction ultimately laid with the planet's Governor. And Owen Colville was not known for providing help for the poor.
Liam cursed the Colville family in his heart, subtly excluding Silva's branch, while he helped his sister preparing a pot of water.
"Nono, too much.", complained the young girl as she watched Liam fill the pot nonchalantly.
"Don't worry a few milliliters won't make a difference."
"They do! We must adhere to the recipe!"
Liam wanted to refute but quickly shut up. While he was absentminded, he almost forgot that he was still in the game. Here, the produced food's quality would be evaluated at the end. Based on the rank its effect would be somewhat stronger.
But to achieve a better rank it was important to follow the recipe strictly.
Thus, Liam apologized to his sister, carefully pouring out the excess water.
"Mhm, that's more like it."
Serena put her hands on her waist, nodding her head. She only needed a tall white cap to look like a head chef.
Liam smiled seeing her like this before throwing the herbs into the water.
"Now we need to wait… 20 seconds? How does that make sense?"
"The processes in the game are vastly simplified. The water should boil after around ten seconds."
"Oh."
Serena accepted the explanation, staring carefully at the pot and counting down in her mind.
For professions like cooking, blacksmith, alchemist, etc, the game's assistance was kept to a minimum.
The shortest way to advance one's profession was by producing high-quality products, which required talent and dedication.
Thus, players focusing solely on their professions were often comparatively low levels. But their importance in a party or guild could be higher than most fighters, especially when it came to making money.
But Liam didn't think about how much help Serena could be for him. He only wanted his siter to be happy. If she decided tomorrow not to follow the path of a chef, Liam wouldn't dissuade her.
Serena thought even less about the future. She was glad to spend time with her brother without having to worry about the food for the next day.
Even something simple like watching the water suddenly became enjoyable.
"Now!"
Serena exclaimed loudly, shooting a glance at Liam, who had two cloths in his hands. With those he quickly grabbed the hot pot and took it off the fire.
"It smells good. So sweet and… like herbs.", said Serena.
"Well, it would be strange otherwise."
Serena rolled her eyes at Liam as she took out five Behr Fruits from her inventory. She poked small holes in their plump red peels before throwing them into the pot.
"1, 2, 3, 4, 5!"
Liam waited for his sister to count the seconds. After the fifth he grabbed a ladle and hastily took out the fruits.
"Nonono, you got the order wrong!"
Liam looked at his sister in confusion.
"I put that fruit in first, but you took it out last! Now it had an extra second in the water!"
"… I'm sorry, chef!"
"You should be!"
The sibling looked at each other. Liam couldn't hold back a chuckle be he quickly noticed from Serena's reaction that she was serious.
With that attitude she might really do well as a chef in the game…
Pressing his lips tightly together Liam took the first fruit, keeping it on the ladle as he held it above the fire.
It's skin visibly turned a deeper shade of red.
Serena watched sternly, suddenly giving a signal for Liam to take out the fruit.
A soft steam rose, spreading a sweet smell with a hint of sour, indicating that their first Baked Behr Fruit was ready for consumption.
A notification popped up before Liam and Serena.
[Produced: Baked Behr Fruit
Quality: 3,5 Stars
Effect: Recover 0,3% HP per second over 35 seconds.
Reward: 7,5 EXP; 7,5 EXP for profession chef]
"We did it!"
Serena exclaimed happily. She ignored the other fruits, taking the finished one from Liam. The peel came of easily, revealing a red flesh which had softened through the process of cooking.
Taking a big bite, Serena showed a blissful expression. The fruit tasted unbelievably delicious simply because it was made by her and her brother.
"Here, you dake a bide doo!"
Serena spoke with a full mouth, dangling the fruit before Liam's eyes.
The young man smiled brightly as he stuffed a big piece into his mouth, savoring the moment.
"Thank you, Liam."
Liam was surprised as Serena suddenly spoke in a quiet voice, yet still reaching Liam's ears.
"For what?"
"For always giving your best."
Liam felt a throb in his heart. Old memories and new memories swirled chaotically. He gazed at the young girl next to him, feeling unexplainable emotions.
Liam patted Serena's head, a gratified smile forming on his mouth.
A warm atmosphere engulfed the kitchen as the siblings enjoyed their fruits.
For the rest of the day they continued cooking, baking more fruits and even coming up with their own creations.