When the three of them returned to the village, it was already late at night.
Elent handed the kitten back to Grandpa Bagla, and the bakery owner was so moved he nearly cried, promising to deliver freshly baked pastries to the Church tomorrow.
Celia was very satisfied with this; the trip to the Black Forest had been worth it.
As soon as they returned to the Church, Celia couldn’t wait to call Lynn over too, and the three of them gathered around the dining table. The hefty Recipe Book sat right at the center.
“It’s time to begin.”
Celia took out a Glowing Mushroom and placed it on the cover of the Recipe Book.
One second, two seconds, three seconds passed.
Nothing happened. The Recipe Book remained quiet, showing no reaction at all.
“That’s odd.” Elent also took out a Glowing Mushroom and placed it next to the first. Still, nothing.
“Could it be that they aren’t ripe yet?” Elent recalled the size and brightness of the mushrooms and made a reasonable guess.
Not ripe?
Celia frowned. Did that mean she wouldn’t get to try a new dish tonight? She couldn’t accept that.
Celia thought of the half-bag of homemade Fertilizer left in the backyard corner.
No, mushrooms are fungi, not plants, so Fertilizer definitely wouldn’t work on them.
In that case, she could only try something else. Ripen them by force.
“Elent, and Lynn.” Celia suddenly spoke.
“What is it?”
Celia’s expression turned enigmatic.
“Do you… believe in the Light?”
“Huh?” Elent was utterly confused, while Lynn wasn’t surprised at all.
Ever since a few days ago, Lady Celia often said things no one could understand.
Before they could react, a gentle surge of magical power arose from Celia.
A ball of Saint Celery enveloped the dim Glowing Mushrooms on the table.
Good, first step complete. Now, how do you ripen mushrooms again?
Celia’s mind worked fast, searching through all the Recordings and Science Videos she’d watched in her previous life.
Temperature, humidity, nutrients…
Oh right, and carbon dioxide concentration. Saint Celery was pure life energy; in theory, she could simulate all of these.
Celia closed her eyes and began to control the Saint Celery.
First, she slowly raised the internal temperature to simulate a warm environment.
Then, she broke down the elements in the air, converting them into nutrients mushrooms needed, and sent them in.
Finally, she fine-tuned the mixture of gases within the sphere of light.
To Elent and Lynn, the scene looked unbelievably mysterious.
All they could see was the ever-shifting light and shadow inside the Saint Celery, as if a miniature world was evolving within it.
Miss Celia simply stood there, focused, like a deity wielding Creation Power.
Elent was transfixed. He’d always thought Saint Celery was only used for healing and purification, but this sight completely overturned his understanding.
So, Saint Celery could do this as well? The Priestess was truly unfathomable.
After a few minutes, the light slowly faded.
The Glowing Mushrooms on the table had changed dramatically. They were a whole size larger, radiating a gentle glow that cast a dreamy hue on the trio’s faces.
“Priestess, how did you do that?!”
“Heh heh.” Celia withdrew her hand, a look of smug satisfaction on her face.
“This is the Scientific Method.”
She had no intention of explaining the principle to Elent—he wouldn’t understand anyway.
Celia picked up a ripened Glowing Mushroom and placed it back onto the Recipe Book.
This time, the Recipe Book reacted.
On the blank page, lines of text quickly appeared.
[Dream Star Mushroom Soup]
……
The stove’s flames licked the clay pot as Elent followed the recipe. Soon, a rich and savory aroma burst out from under the lid.
The soup was milky white, with chopped Glowing Mushrooms floating like shattered stars. Even in the steam, they still glowed faintly, like stars in the night sky.
“It smells so good! Let me try it first.”
Elent took the first sip.
A warm current surged into his mind, and his fatigue from the late-night adventure faded away, leaving him perfectly alert.
He felt as though his senses had expanded a bit.
“Delicious!”
“Really?”
The two girls quickly ladled bowls for themselves, eager to taste.
Elent watched their actions and suddenly felt something wasn’t quite right. Besides the savory flavor, the soup also seemed to carry a hint of alcohol.
Elent’s expression changed, and he hurriedly reached out to stop them.
“Wait, Priestess, don’t drink it!”
But it was already too late.
Before he could finish speaking, Celia had taken a small sip and smacked her lips.
“It tastes a little sweet?”
The next second, Celia’s world turned into a kaleidoscope.
The ceiling spun, the table danced. The tall and sturdy Elent across from her suddenly split into three, wobbling like dividing cells.
“Eh, Hero, you can use Drunken Shadow Clone?”
Oh no.
The Priestess was drunk.
“No, I don’t know Drunken Shadow Clone. You’re drunk.”
“Drunk?”
“My tolerance is amazing, there’s no way I’m drunk.”
Celia confidently added,
“Besides, this isn’t alcohol, how could I be drunk?”
Amazing tolerance? Elent looked up and down at the little Priestess, cheeks flushed and eyes glassy—she certainly didn’t look the part.
Still stubborn.
“One more sip.” Celia said, raising her bowl again.
“Wait!”
Elent was a moment too late.
Celia took a big gulp of mushroom soup. A rush of heat blasted into her mind, burning away the last threads of her rationality.
“Delicious, I want more…”
Before she could finish, her legs gave out and she collapsed forward bonelessly.
But instead of pain, she landed in a warm, solid embrace.
Celia looked up, her usually lazy green eyes now glazed and misty.
“Eh? Hero, why are you splitting apart again?”
She poked Elent’s nose with a finger, flashing a silly, sweet smile.
This version of the Priestess was rather cute.
Elent had that thought flash through his mind. If only she didn’t boss him around so much.
Celia began to snuggle against his chest, mumbling incoherently.
Elent felt his self-control being pushed to the limit.
As a Hero, he’d faced fearsome monsters and herds of beasts, and would not even flinch at the prospect of slaying an evil dragon.
But right now, the defenseless girl in his arms tested his will more than any monster.
“You’re drunk. You need to rest now!”
“I’m not drunk! I can finish a whole bottle of Erguotou like a real man!”
A real man?
Elent paused, then his face showed sudden understanding.
So that’s it. The Priestess may appear delicate, but deep down she yearned to be like a bold warrior who could drink strong liquor?
Such iron will, trapped in such a petite body.
Looking at the girl melting in his arms, Elent’s respect for her only grew.
“Yes, yes, you’re a real man. But right now, this real man needs to sleep.”
“Miss Lynn? Are you all right?”
Elent turned his head and finally noticed Lynn had collapsed onto the table, completely passed out—more thoroughly drunk than Celia.
Looks like it’s all up to me.
Elent sighed, then had no choice but to pick Celia up and carry her to her room. He gently laid her on the bed and pulled the blanket over her.
Just as he was about to leave, Celia groped around and suddenly clung tightly to his arm.
“That’s strange, when did my FUFU get so hard?”
FUFU? What was that? Elent didn’t know—all he knew was that his arm was tightly held.
Warm breaths brushed against his skin, carrying a faint sweetness.
“I’m not FUFU, let go of me!”
“Wow, FUFU can talk!” Instead of letting go, Celia hugged him even tighter.
“…”
Elent tried to break free, but to no avail.
There was no choice—he had to use the ultimate move.
“Your FUFU has to go to work.”
He wasn’t sure why the Priestess hated working so much, but the result was immediate.
Celia let go of his arm in an instant.
“Eh, FUFU has to work too? So sad.”
“Go on, then.”
With that, Celia rolled over, hugged her pillow, and went right back to sleep.
Celery? that cant be right.