On the wooden table in the Church, a pouch of Gold Coins was placed, its golden radiance looking especially enticing under the sunlight.
Aunt Colton, sitting across the table, swallowed hard.
He had run trade routes for so many years, but this was only the second time he’d seen someone make such a large-scale purchase in a rural Church.
The first time had also been in this Church, only it had been the previous Priestess then.
“I want this one, the third-generation Alchemical Freezer.”
Celia pointed at the item in the product book, which featured exquisitely drawn illustrations.
“Dual-circuit cooling, silent operation, and a quick-freeze function? Though the energy consumption is a bit high, that’s not a drawback for me.”
“And this, the New Magic Furnace that can ignite in one second.”
“And this set of Lazy Sofas—use only the best filling.”
“I want all of them rushed. By tomorrow night, I want to see them in my kitchen and backyard.”
Now that she had money, of course she needed to spend it well.
She couldn’t be like in her previous life, scrimping and saving only to pass away before ever truly enjoying anything.
Aunt Colton wiped the sweat from his forehead, did a quick calculation in his mind, and then spoke:
“Miss Celia, all these items together, including the expedited shipping fee, will probably come to eighteen Gold Coins.”
“Deal.”
Celia pushed the pouch of Gold Coins over to Colton without even trying to bargain.
This was what it meant to spend with abandon.
But Elent, who had been standing to the side, had something to say.
That was hard-earned money he’d fought desperately for under the claws of the Demon Wolf, and now it was being spent on a few metal cabinets?
“Priestess, is it really necessary to buy such an expensive furnace? I could handle lighting the fire—my fire control skills have improved a lot recently.”
“Elent.”
Celia interrupted the Hero’s argument for thrift.
“Money only counts as money when it’s spent. Hoarded in your hand, it’s just a pile of worthless paper.”
“Besides, this isn’t just about enjoyment, it’s about more efficient logistics support. Imagine—being able to drink ice water in the summer, hot meals in the winter. Isn’t that also a kind of combat strength?”
This twisted logic left Elent completely confused.
He scratched his head, feeling something wasn’t quite right, but seeing Celia’s righteous expression, he finally nodded.
“Priestess is right!”
……
The power of cash was immediate.
By the following evening, the Luxury Cargo Truck rolled into the village and stopped in front of the Church, watched in shock by the villagers.
A few workers moved the massive cabinet and the Magic Furnace into the kitchen.
Celia couldn’t wait to open the freezer door, reaching inside to savor the long-missed sensation of artificial cold air.
Comfortable—too comfortable.
This was the breath of civilization.
But when the excitement passed and Celia looked at the empty refrigeration compartment, she felt something was missing.
She had the freezer, but nothing to put inside for a chilled drink.
It was like buying a top-of-the-line 5090, only to play 4399 browser games.
Suddenly, she missed Happy Water.
Without the tingling burst of bubbles on her tongue, or the dopamine rush from caramel and caffeine, the freezer’s very existence lost half its meaning.
Celia closed the freezer and turned to Elent with a serious expression.
“Hero, we have a serious problem.”
Elent immediately looked around, on high alert.
“Is it an enemy attack? Or are those bandits back again?”
“No, it’s worse than that.”
Celia pulled out the Mysterious Recipe Book and began jotting down notes.
“Our Strategic Resource Reserve is critically low. To cope with the coming heat, we need to develop a Strategic-grade Beverage that can boost morale.”
If this world didn’t have it, she would make it herself.
Besides, the principle of making Happy Water wasn’t complicated.
There were plenty of substitute ingredients to be found in this world.
Berserk Berry would provide the carbon dioxide and that tingly sensation, Awakening Grass would bring the caffeinated kick, and for caramel color and sweetness, ordinary sugar would do the trick.
As long as the proportions were right, it should be possible to recreate that black fountain of happiness.
Celia smacked the finished list onto Elent’s chest.
“Hero, go to the Back Hill and find a plant called Berserk Berry. It grows in shrubs, is purple, and explodes if shaken—be careful.”
“And look for some Awakening Grass—the more bitter, the better.”
“I’m on it!”
Although he didn’t know what new scientific experiment the Priestess was up to—magic disguised as science—but as long as he didn’t have to tear down any walls, Elent was happy to help.
A boy’s hunting journey—
An hour later.
Elent returned to the Church with his hair all tousled, holding a bunch of purple fruits and several herbs in his arms.
“Priestess, these berries really are explosive.”
Elent blew out a mouthful of black smoke, apparently having tested the explosion-on-shake feature firsthand.
“Thanks for your hard work. It’s a necessary sacrifice for the progress of science.”
Celia offered a completely insincere consolation, then took the materials and disappeared into the kitchen.
The new Magic Furnace was indeed great, its heat control as smooth as silk.
Celia poured sugar into the pot, slowly simmering it into a deep brown syrup.
While the syrup cooked, she sliced up a couple of leftover Golden Potatoes and tossed them in oil until crispy and golden.
Once the syrup was ready, she added water, juice from the Awakening Grass, and finally squeezed in the prepared Berserk Berry.
“Glug glug—”
As the berry juice mixed in, the black liquid in the pot began to bubble furiously.
Countless bubbles rose to the surface in a frenzy, and there were even faint purple sparks flickering on the surface.
No matter how you looked at it, it didn’t seem like she was making a drink—more like brewing some kind of deadly poison.
After a few rounds of various strange failures, Celia finally produced a finished product that looked the least questionable and most like cola.
“Done.”
Celia found a bottle, filled it, and popped it into the freezer for a quick chill.
Half an hour later.
Next to the lounge chairs in the Church’s backyard.
Celia took out two glass cups, filled them to the brim with the black liquid that was still fizzing mysteriously, and thoughtfully added two freshly frozen ice cubes.
“Give it a try, Hero.”
Celia slid a glass of Happy Water to Elent.
“As the Chief Executive Officer of this research project, you should be the first to taste it.”
Although it looked pretty much like cola, Celia wasn’t sure if this Happy Water had any hidden problems.
At the very least, let the thick-skinned Hero try it first.
Elent stared at the cup, where the liquid churned like an abyss, then glanced at Celia’s eager eyes.
The Priestess was up to something weird again.
Although her stewed dishes and roasted wolf steaks had both turned out well before, could this stuff really be safe to drink?
Elent wasn’t confident.
“What’s wrong, scared to drink it?”
“Who says I’m scared?!”
Provoked, Elent’s Heroic pride immediately took over.
He picked up the glass as if he were drinking a parting shot of liquor, tilted his head back, and downed it in one go.
“Gulp.”
One second.
Two seconds.
Elent froze in place, not moving a muscle.
“Hey, dead yet?” Celia reached out and poked Elent with her finger.
The next instant.
“Hic!!!”
A long belch burst from Elent’s mouth. An unprecedented surge of stimulation shot straight to his brain.
The fatigue from running errands vanished, his body instantly flooded with energy.
“What is this?!”
Elent stared at the empty glass in disbelief.
“This tingling sensation, this soul-stirring sweetness, and this irresistible coolness—this is…”
“It’s amazing!”
Success.
Celia let out a sigh of relief. Looks like the recipe worked, aside from some minor side effects.
Then Celia took a sip of her homemade Happy Water—the familiar taste exploded in her mouth.
Although there were some subtle differences from the cola of her previous life, it was unmistakably the taste of Happy Water.
Celia collapsed back into her lounge chair, letting out a satisfied sigh.
“Ah, I’m alive again.”
On one side was her newly bought expensive freezer; on the other, her hand-brewed otherworldly cola.
This was what life should be.
Celia took out a bag of freshly fried potato chips and handed it to Elent, who was still lost in bliss.
“With these, life is truly complete.”
Elent grabbed a handful of chips, stuffed them in his mouth, and chased them down with a gulp of ice-cold Happy Water.
“Priestess.”
“Hmm?”
“I think…this might be even happier than being a Hero.”
“Of course! Never underestimate the power of Happy Water.”
There is more to Colas then just caramel.