Oyster Rib Stew

The battle that followed was truly nothing worth mentioning.

After its unspeakable organ had been severed, even though the leader sea otter could still turn its body as hard as near-metal rock, it could not stop the unceasing torrent of blood. It had obviously lost all ability to fight.

Then again, who else could?

After striking down from above, Ian did not linger in battle. Using the momentum of his forward lunge, he dove beneath the sea and, amid the panicked shrieks of the sea otter pack, successfully returned to shore.

In truth, this had been the most dangerous part. Ian was still an ascendant apprentice who had not yet reached the First Energy Level. Facing two more Magic Beast-grade sea otters head-on in the water... the outcome could not exactly be called a joyous reunion. It could only be called too horrible to look at.

But beasts were beasts, after all. Seeing their leader howl in agony and suffer grievous wounds the instant it exchanged blows with the enemy, the first reaction of those two Magic Beast sea otters was to turn tail and flee with their respective followers!

If they had encountered other Magic Beasts competing for territory, or a giant predator like an Ironclad Shark, the sea otter colony might have fought the attacker to the death... but Ian's movements, his strike, and his disappearance had been far too swift and direct. They had not even realized where their attacker was now.

The unknown was the greatest terror, especially when their leader's injury was terror beyond terror. To avoid suffering the same fate, these creatures, somewhat clever but not especially clever, naturally chose to flee first.

Of course, Ian knew there was another reason.

The Illusion Maze Reef Cluster was a vast coastal ecosystem inhabited by many Magic Beast colonies. Even the natives normally refused to approach it, calling it the Sea of No Return.

Getting injured, bleeding, and crying out in agony here would not lead to anything simple.

Shaking his head and scattering a great spray of seawater, Ian could already hear the faint cries of other Magic Beasts and the unusual unrest in the nearby waters.

In his Precognitive Vision, the leader sea otter, which had originally only been wreathed in a faint layer of bloody light and might not have died, at worst becoming crippled, was instantly surrounded by black mist that meant certain death.

The leaderless sea otter colony had to retreat—their enemies were not only Ian, but great numbers of other reef-dwelling Magic Beasts.

But how could Ian possibly hand over his Magic Potion ingredients to others?

Thus, while the creature was still struggling and spreading crimson blood through the sea, the boy, having retrieved his handmade short spears from the shore, began hurling them one after another at his target.

Under normal circumstances, such crude wooden spears, merely sharpened at the tip, would at most pierce the leader sea otter's hide no matter how great their force. They might not even draw blood... but now, as the leader sea otter continued to lose blood and grew weaker, its sturdy Cleanrock Body could no longer be maintained for long. The wounded weak point on its back became increasingly obvious.

When Ian threw his thirteenth wooden spear, the leader sea otter, raging and struggling to counterattack, was struck in a vital point and declared dead.

A week of observation, preparation, and waiting had finally come to harvest time.

"Is this crystal bone?"

Ian moved quickly. He immediately entered the sea, dragged the leader sea otter's corpse back to shore, and began separating and cutting it apart.

The leader sea otter weighed over two hundred kilograms. The reason it could float on the sea surface was because its body stored large quantities of hydrogen separated by the activity of metal-based cells—the Reef-Eating Sea Otter could decompose water into oxygen and hydrogen through cellular electrolysis reactions, allowing it to dive regularly in search of food, gnaw on coral reefs, and make itself float on the water.

After the sea otter died, the hydrogen in its air sacs would not leak out immediately. Ian began processing it.

Magic Beasts, especially low-tier Magic Beasts of the First and Second Energy Levels, could not possibly be made entirely of ascendant materials. Generally speaking, a First Energy Level Magic Beast had at most one or two portions of Magic Potion ingredients, along with some flesh rich in Origin Matter.

From a giant sea otter over two meters tall, excluding the inedible portions and the organs laden with heavy-metal toxins, there would be roughly thirty to forty pounds of meat left, as well as the crucial ascendant materials.

Ian had done his homework long ago. Skillfully following the spear wounds, he cut open the prey's fur from its back. His steady, nimble hands guided the small knife as it flashed and sliced, swiftly finding his target along the spine.

It was a section of vertebra that shimmered with pale silver light and bore the characteristics of a metallic crystal lattice.

It was only a small section, but it showed a tendency to spread. Perhaps in the future, when its entire spine and even all the bones in its body had turned into such crystal bone, it would become a Second Energy Level Reef-Eating Sea Otter.

This lattice spine could gradually transform a Reef-Eating Sea Otter into a fully metal-based lifeform. It could obtain hydrogen and oxygen by decomposing water and absorb metals to strengthen itself.

In terms of affinities, it was a water-and-earth Magic Beast. Used in a Magic Potion, it could grant a person abilities similar to the Cleanrock Body, as well as the power to control and decompose water.

But now, Ian easily separated and removed this marvelous metal spine. Then he casually selected a rack of ribs and threw the remaining corpse by the shore before swiftly retreating in the direction of Harrison Port.

—The sounds of other Magic Beasts in the reef cluster were already drawing close. He had taken the best parts, so he would leave the rest for those scavengers to fill their teeth.

Otherwise, if a pack of Magic Beasts caught up to him, the gains would not make up for the losses.

"Little Ian, how was today's haul?"

Upon returning to Harrison Port, the residents and city guards he met along the way all greeted the small yet amiable psyker with smiles. "If you picked up any more big conches, could you sell me one?"

Because of the shape and retractable qualities of conch meat, coastal fishermen had always believed it had invigorating effects in that particular regard. It was quite popular on the market and always in short supply.

"Not bad. Next time, for sure!"

Ian's status as a psyker could no longer be called unknown; it could be said that everyone knew of it. In particular, Scott, the young city guard who had been a hero of the native siege, had repeatedly stressed that if Ian had not repaired the alchemical cannon, everything else would have been empty talk.

Now, nearly everyone in Harrison Port knew that Ian of the White Folk was an incomparably clever genius who had mastered rudimentary inscription techniques and psychic abilities at the age of nine.

And this genius was remarkably approachable. Anyone could exchange a few words with him, and speaking with him made people feel comfortable.

In truth, Ian had not done anything special. He merely responded whenever people greeted him, listened attentively when they spoke, and looked genuinely interested.

Besides, he really was interested.

At that moment, Ian carried home the small bucket he usually used for seafood. In theory, the city guards would inspect anything, but who would truly be that idle? With Ian greeting them obediently, the guards at the gate casually let him through.

And just like that, he brought the crystal bone and sea otter ribs hidden beneath the bottom of the bucket home.

After opening the door, Ian had originally planned to deal with the Magic Potion ingredients, then prepare the sea otter meat and make something delicious that evening as a celebration.

"Hmm, what is it?"

But hearing sounds of movement from his younger brother Elan's room, he set down the bucket in his hand and opened the door to check.

There was nothing unusual. Elan had merely awakened after noticing someone enter the house.

"B-Brother..."

Upon seeing Ian, the white-haired, violet-eyed child still looked somewhat dazed, but his delight was obvious.

He waved his little hands at smiling Ian, gesturing as he babbled away.

"Looks like you're hungry."

Ian reached out and pinched Elan's little cheek. Hearing him giggle, his already excellent mood grew even brighter. "You're calling so smoothly. Do you only remember food?"

"Food!" Elan answered with great conviction this time.

Ian laughed heartily and turned to prepare the ingredients.

It had to be said that the Focus Grass given by Viscount Grant was very effective. After two courses of treatment, Elan, who had originally been blank and dull, seemed much livelier in both thought and expression than before.

Although, because no one had taught him before and because of the sleep powder, two-year-old Elan could still only say a few simple words and found it difficult to form a complete sentence, there was nothing to be done about that. At least his current state was better than being foolish.

As for the future, they would deal with it in the future. With slow, careful nurturing, he would eventually recover to normal.

Today, Ian planned to make oyster rib stew—he had originally wanted hotpot, but unfortunately, since he truly could not find any spicy sauce resembling chili peppers, he absolutely refused to force himself.

If he could not have an all-spicy broth, then a divided pot was already the limit. Even seafood mushroom hotpot would not do!

Oysters, shellfish like these, were truly cheap for the people of Harrison Port, where they had not yet been fully developed as food.

He could casually take a stroll through the coastal reefs and gather heaps of them himself, all premium quality. It was the sea otter ribs that needed some preparation.

The ribs of a Reef-Eating Sea Otter were firm yet tender and contained abundant Origin Matter. They were entirely unlike the limbs, whose muscles had already begun turning metal-based, and fell within the category of food ordinary humans could eat.

In Precognitive Vision, they appeared pale blue. Even simply grilled with salt over charcoal, they would surely taste incomparably delicious. But Ian intended to marinate them first with Harrison Port's specialty Baison Rock Salt, shrimp paste, and fish sauce. Finally, he would add the root-stem juice of Refreshing Grass to remove the gamey smell and enhance the fragrance, while heating water in a pot as the ribs marinated.

Clearly, Harrison Port did not have clay pots, but it did have similar alchemical crucibles. Ian normally used one for separation experiments; it conducted heat evenly and was large enough. He heated a crucible of water, added a little refined salt that he had separated and purified through alchemical methods, brought it to a boil, then turned off the heat. He put the prepared oysters in to soak for one minute before removing them.

After preparing the pot, he stir-fried the marinated ribs in their own fat. Once they were half-cooked, he transferred them into the crucible to heat and added a spoonful of lard.

Ian had long ago laid a layer of crushed yellow pulpberries, a specialty of Southern Ridge, at the bottom of the pot. They were a somewhat sour and spicy fruit resembling plums. Eaten alone, they were intensely refreshing and stung the nose, while leaving a particularly astringent taste in the mouth. But when stewed together with oil, they tasted surprisingly good, with a flavor almost like garlic mixed with onion.

The oil, pulpberries, and the natural flavor of the sea otter ribs fused within the crucible. A peculiar fragrance lingered through the house, and at that moment Ian placed the previously prepared oysters atop the bubbling meat juices and ribs, covered the pot, and waited.

Gurgle, gurgle... Meat juices, fat, and sauce boiled within the pot.

Every ten minutes, Ian added a little salt water. Each time he lifted the lid, a rich fragrance poured out. The ribs had completely absorbed the flavor, while the oysters had taken on the color of the sauce. A familiar yet unfamiliar stew fragrance, one that made mouths water and appetites flare, had taken shape.

When Hilliard had just reached the street corner and was still some distance from home, he smelled the aroma.

"...So he really hadn't been lying to me back then."

The old knight's expression was complicated. "Are psykers really this miraculous? Or are some people simply born knowing how to cook? This smell... he could truly be a master chef."

"Forget it."

After pausing to think for a while, Hilliard shook his head. "It's a good thing, anyway. I don't need to understand cooking so clearly."

In a cheerful mood, he opened the door.

"I'm back."