Experimental Cooking, a New Commission

Stark pulled Rienta aside and whispered something to her.

A short while later.

Having realized what was happening, Rienta arrived at the shore of Xierhai.

"I'm sorry, Uncle Hill."

Xierhai waved his hand and said with a smile, "It's alright."

"Magic, how amazing!"

"Then I won't bother you any longer."

After saying that, Xierhai picked up the 'After the Rain, the Sky Turns Azure' teacup, drank the tea in one gulp, stood up, and walked outside.

Rienta wanted to invite Xierhai to have a meal with her, but was refused.

He didn't insist on keeping him; he simply saw Xierhai off and then turned back to the kitchen to continue his work.

Outside, the wind and snow continued to howl, showing no signs of abating.

Xierhai tightened the scarf around his neck and hurried toward home.

To be honest, he was quite tempted by Rienta to stay.

The short time I spent inside the house.

The aroma wafting from the kitchen had already made him secretly swallow his saliva several times.

But...

He was just an ordinary boatman.

Dinner's ready!

Inside the house.

Rienta placed the last dish on the table and announced that they would begin eating.

The table was laden with dishes of all shapes and sizes.

Stir-fried lamb with scallions, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, eggplant with minced meat, steamed pork ribs with rice flour, stir-fried seasonal vegetables, dry-pot pork ribs, and steamed fish.

Every dish exudes an enticing aroma.

Rienta stood up and distributed the steamers placed to the side to everyone.

'Crab-Stuffed Orange'.

Rienta did not spend any time carving the orange peel before steaming.

So what was presented to everyone was a whole orange.

Seeing the bewildered looks on their faces, Rienta took the initiative and opened the orange lid.

A fresh, sweet aroma wafted towards us.

The others simultaneously opened the orange lids.

A powerful yet gentle sweet aroma instantly enveloped everyone.

Frieren stared at the orange in front of her for a moment, then picked up a spoon and reached into the filling inside.

A generous spoonful of 'Crab-Stuffed Orange' was put into Frieren's mouth.

Rienta looked at Frieren with a somewhat nervous expression.

"Not bad, not bad."

After giving her praise, Frieren continued to work on the 'Crab-Stuffed Orange' in front of her.

Just as Rienta breathed a sigh of relief, Fern and Stark also finished tasting the 'Crab-Stuffed Orange'.

Rienta picked up the spoon and took a bite herself.

The freshness of the crab and the sweetness of the orange blend perfectly.

In terms of taste, this 'Crab-Stuffed Orange' is absolutely flawless.

Rienta raised her head and looked at everyone's reactions one by one.

Frieren was eating it spoonful by spoonful, and her satisfaction with the dish was evident from her actions.

Fern, on the other hand, would squint his eyes slightly with each bite, as if he were savoring it carefully.

Stark's performance was rather mediocre.

However, this was exactly what Rienta's expectations.

He and Stark have similar tastes.

This 'Crab-Stuffed Orange' dish was rather mediocre for the two of them.

Rienta was about to invite everyone to eat.

Unexpectedly, Fern, who had gained great confidence in her "experimental dish" after trying "Crab-Stuffed Orange", took the lead.

Rienta's eyes twitched slightly, and she stiffly accepted the 'Stargazy Pie' pastry that Fern handed her.

It wasn't that he didn't believe in Fern's cooking skills.

I just don't believe in this dish.

Rienta took a deep breath, mentally prepared herself, and then took a bite.

Surprisingly, this "Stargazy Pie" dish wasn't bad at all.

But it wasn't exactly delicious either.

It's not much different from a regular pie, except the flavor is a bit strange.

Rienta breathed a sigh of relief, then looked at the others.

Frieren took only one bite and then paid no more attention to the 'Stargazy Pie' piece.

Stark, on the other hand, accepted all offers.

Both 'Crab-Stuffed Orange' and 'Stargazy Pie' have been solved.

Fern frowned slightly, clearly dissatisfied with his dish.

Rienta had a thought. Although the taste was just so-so, she couldn't dampen Fern's enthusiasm too much.

He was even hoping that Fern would eventually take full control of the kitchen.

"Ahem, Fern, your dish..."

"'Stargazy Pie.'" Fern stared at Rienta and said seriously.

"..."

Frieren and Stark looked at each other, both staring at the fish heads on the baking tray.

What's the deal with these dishes having names that sound like they're from Rienta?

However, it is quite a vivid description.

The flavor is a bit abstract, though.

While Fern was looking at Rienta, Frieren discreetly handed her copy of 'Stargazy Pie' to Stark.

Stark instinctively took it.

But he quickly realized what was happening, his face contorted with a pained expression. He looked at the "Stargazy Pie" in his hand, then at the other steaming dishes on the table.

"... Okay, 'Stargazy Pie'."

"There's a lot of room for improvement in this 'Stargazy Pie' dish. Fern, keep up the good work!"

As Fern's mentor in culinary arts, Rienta is qualified to say this.

Fern nodded without refuting.

She herself was very dissatisfied with this "Stargazy Pie" dish.

It was clearly inspired by Rienta.

How come my "Stargazy Pie" and "Crab-Stuffed Orange" taste so different?

Fern thought for a while.

Fern didn't understand.

Fern chose to put 'Stargazy Pie' aside and began to concentrate on the 'Crab-Stuffed Orange' dish.

The other dishes on the table were dwindling under Frieren's relentless attack.

Rienta picked up her rice and joined the battle.

The meal lasted a long time, not ending until it was completely dark.

This went on for a long time.

The blizzards over Codoria Lake did not end until winter was over.

Rienta and her group spent the entire winter in this Trade Port City.

During this time, Rienta would occasionally visit the Lakeside Cottage to have tea with Xierhai.

His main task is to continue researching and developing new magic.

Stark has been training in Martial Arts and occasionally goes winter fishing with Rienta.

Fern is diligently studying magic while also acting as Frieren's 'mother'.

Oh right, and Frieren too, she bought a lot of Grimoire as well.

It's not an adjective; it really is a lot.

Frieren has practically monopolized all the Grimoire available in the entire Trade Port City.

Fortunately, they are not short of money now.

Lakeside Cottage.

The sky was cloudless, and Codoria Lake was calm and still.

It's the perfect time to set sail.

Having already been here for several months, Fern couldn't wait to drag everyone to the Lakeside Cottage to find Xierhai.

Xierhai had no reason to refuse and readily agreed.

As Rienta and the others were preparing to go back and pack their luggage, Xierhai called them back.

"Rienta, do you remember when I told you about the Abandoned Monastery in the middle of the lake?"

Rienta was taken aback, recalling something Xierhai had mentioned when she asked Xierhai about the legend of 'Codoria Lake'.

"Yes, it's the autobiography of the hero Himmel, right?"