Blazing Roasting: Grain Fragrance Filling the Valley

The corn kernels filled two large cloth sacks to the brim.

Every kernel was heavy, its shell hard and smooth, with a warm amber sheen. Brought close, it carried a faint, fresh-grain fragrance.

Gon dusted the ash from his hands and straightened up. "That's enough. Let's roast a batch and see how it goes."

Everyone retreated a few steps, clearing an open space.

Leorio rummaged through his backpack and took out several heat-resistant stone slabs, arranging them on the ground into a simple enclosure to keep the exploding popcorn from flying everywhere. Kurapika used his Chain to set up two layers of sparse netting above the enclosure. They allowed air to pass through while catching any kernels that flew upward.

Killua crouched beside it and used electricity to burn away the gravel and weeds on the ground, flattening a clean area.

Everyone worked in an orderly fashion.

The suppression and tension that had followed them along the way eased a little amid their anticipation of eating top-tier ingredients.

Genos walked to the center of the enclosure and slowly raised his palm.

"Initial temperature test: one thousand degrees."

Pale blue flames surged from his palm, precisely enveloping the dozen or so corn kernels piled on the stone slabs.

The flames were extremely hot, and the surrounding air warped instantly.

Yet after more than ten seconds, the kernels showed no reaction whatsoever.

Their shells had only grown slightly warm. Not even a crack had appeared.

"Insufficient temperature." Genos calmly reported the reading. "Raising it to one thousand two hundred degrees."

The flames shifted from pale blue to deep blue, and the heat climbed another level.

The air inside the enclosure began to heat up. Even from several meters away, they could feel the waves of heat rushing toward them. The shells of