The next morning, I woke up early. I wanted to have everything ready for the dinner that night, and after I left my room, I made my way directly to the kitchen with Crisplet trailing behind.
I would first need to get a list of all the ingredients I needed Archie to get for . I would have liked to go to the market myself, but I couldn’t risk running into any trouble on the second-last day in the city. Besides, I really wanted to visit the temple before we left, too.
Passing Milo, Jen, and Liane in the dining room, I waved to them all.
“I’m going to make so breakfast and prepare our offering for the temple today. If anyone would like so, too?” I asked them all.
Milo didn’t respond, just gave a grunt as he continued to work on his rune.
Jen waved it off. “No thanks, Trev. Archie already made us breakfast.”
“Speak for yourself! I’d love so more!” Liane said happily.
“You’ll not fit your armour if you keep eating so much,” Jen joked.
“You can’t judge . I caught you eating that pastry last night,” Liane retorted, giving Jen a light punch.
“That you stole half of,” Jen bluntly replied.
Liane practically jumped out of the chair. “Details, details.”
Making my way into the kitchen, I had a good idea of what I wanted to make for breakfast. The book simply referred to it as sweet toast.
I even had Archie get the two ingredients I was missing ahead of ti for this dish. The first was a black paste made from a seed pod, Vilia. Its taste was complex, with a very floral aroma, while the taste was sweet, floral, and woody.
Only a small bit was required, which is just as well, because it was incredibly expensive.
For the sweet toast, however, it was very simple: eggs, milk, a pinch of fire salt, and a tiny amount of the Vilia. You’d mix all this together, then dip the bread into it before cooking it in a pan with so butter.
Once it was cooked and got a deep golden-brown crust on each side of the sliced bread, you sprinkle so fine sugar on it. Ideally, you’d also add so fruit. Unfortunately, I used all the berries yesterday making the tarts. I did, however, have the sugar-sap it requested.
I was surprised that Lily didn’t show up, so after giving Liane hers, I cooked off my own. The book made it clear that it should be eaten hot, so that’s what I would do!
“Trev, this is so good. It doesn’t seem like royal food, but I can see why they’d like it,” she said between mouthfuls.
“It’s not from the royal cookbook. I’ve started going back through the first couple of books I purchased. This one ca from Sweetie’s Sweet Tooth,” I explained.
“Good book. You should use it more,” Liane simply said, going back to her food.
She was right. It was delicious. Perhaps sweeter than I’d like for breakfast, but for a dessert or a treat, this would be nice to repeat.
Next, we needed to prepare our offerings for the temple. This ti I got Crisplet his own chicken and plenty of ingredients for him to choose from, and I sneakily gave him so of the Ignel petals. I’m sure the princess wouldn’t mind if it went to the goddess, right?
“Liane, what happens to offerings that are placed on the altar, usually?” I asked.
My concern was that these als would have buffs, especially Crisplet’s, and if they are shared with people or eaten by the residents of the temple, it may cause issues.
“That really depends on the items. If you’re worried about the food, it’s generally not consud unless it’s a smaller temple. Here in the capital, you’ll see there is a garden on either side of the temple, and food offerings are either buried in the garden as a symbol of giving if it’s a at, or if it’s vegetables, it becos part of the compost that nourishes the garden,” she explained.
“But at smaller temples it can be eaten?” I confird. This was useful knowledge to have in case I did this in the future.
“Yes. They get fewer donations and have less inco in general, so they will justify a food donation as nourishnt for the temple,” Liane nodded.
“I see. I’m just worried about making this donation and soone getting buffed food,” I said, feeling better about it now, only a hint of worry remaining.
“Just have Crisplet encase it in charcoal. No one will touch it if they think it’s on fire or inedible,” Liane shrugged.
Crisplet clearly agreed, as he let off a burst of sparks.
“That’s a great idea! Thanks, Liane.”
We both got to work on our als. We were both going to make roast chicken since that had been accepted last ti. I was going to do a simple spiced seasoning with a lemon stuffing. First, I rubbed the chicken with oil, placing half a lemon inside the chicken itself with so virfolium leaves, then on the outside I rubbed in so fire salt and so of the dried mixed herbs I got from the market.
I was proud of myself for not going overboard.
I couldn’t say the sa for Crisplet, however, who had seemingly taken the challenge to heart and was currently crushing the Ignel petals and chilli together into a vibrant red paste.
What amazed was that none of this was a recipe we had done before and Crisplet was making sothing up. I felt Crisplet push across a feeling of help.
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“Do you want to put it inside the chicken, or on the outside?” I asked.
Crisplet threw a tiny piece of coal at the outside.
“You got it.” I took the paste that Crisplet was crushing and rubbed it on the outside of the chicken, the whole thing turning a vibrant red, as did my hands.
Once that was done, Crisplet let off a burst of sparks and finally made a charcoal spoon to spread so pepper and salt.
“All done?” I asked happily.
Another burst of sparks.
They only took a little over an hour to cook, and I had to admit, Crisplet’s was potent. The sll coming from it tingled the nose. I was kind of glad I wasn’t eating it. This would absolutely be too spicy for Darren and George.
As they sat in the oven, I watched as both chickens slowly beca encased in a black and white charcoal. The good news with this was that no one would think these were edible at all, so that concern was gone.
Once they ca out, I figured there was no reason I shouldn’t infuse them. After all, maybe that was the difference between the goddess liking it and not liking it. How was I to know?
“Liane, is it just you coming to the temple today?” I asked.
“Nope. Everyone is coming, even Hari. We need to collect him from the cafe on the way,” Liane said, getting up from the corner.
Archie, as always, had the carriage ready to go, and it took us no ti at all to collect Hari. I was not really sure where the temples were, so I was eagerly looking out the window to see where we were travelling to, especially when we left the noble district altogether and moved through the main roads of the city.
Our carriage was garnering a lot of attention, as people stopped what they were doing to look.
The trip through the city was great. I was shocked at how many houses and shops there were. It felt like on almost all streets there were small vendors selling food and small goods, and I rembered being overwheld by how tightly packed Boltron was with its buildings.
It had absolutely nothing on the capital. Every building felt as though it was so tightly packed together, and most of them had several levels.
“So many people,” I muttered.
“There are. It’s the core of the kingdom. Even your farrs on the edges are affected eventually by what happens here,” Milo explained.
“How do they all have jobs, though?” I asked.
“Simply having so many people creates jobs, from food to cleaning to maintenance and finances, inns and services for adventurers, while many of the crafters sell to rchants who then spread those goods throughout the kingdom; it all works together.” Milo said.
It made sense when he explained it like that.
The houses beca more scattered and looked far richer than what we had passed before.
“Do these houses belong to nobles?” I asked, rolling past a place that had a giant water fountain in its front garden.
“No. Most of these are owned by rchants, adventurers, or master craftsn,” Jen said.
There was so much of the capital I just didn’t know, and I wasn’t surprised when I had spent most of my ti either in the house or stuck in the upper noble district. It really reminded that it wasn’t the life for at all.
The houses started to vanish, now with parks and occasional food stalls.
“Right, we’re nearly there. Nobody should bother you in a temple, but if they do, leave it to us,” Hari said, sounding very serious.
“No lightning bolts this ti, at least,” I joked.
This just earned a glare.
“Lighten up. If you can’t laugh at it, what else can you do?” Liane said, tapping Hari.
“I’ll be relaxed when we’re back in this carriage or when we’re leaving the city. Sothing always happens when we’re about to leave,” Hari muttered.
As the carriage ca to a stop, I really took in the temple in front of . It looked remarkably similar to the temple in Dunhearth; the only difference was the garden that was ntioned, which was thriving with large green bushes and several giant trees, which felt very out of place in the middle of the capital.
“I expected it to be far larger than Dunhearth,” I comnted.
“It is slightly larger, but Dunhearth has one of the original temples of fate in the kingdom. Really, this is a replica of that one,” Jen said.
“Does that an the goddess won’t be watching here?” I asked, looking at them.
Milo let out a laugh before cutting it off abruptly. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have laughed. Look, normally, Trev, the gods don’t care what happens in mortal affairs, so it’s unlikely she’d be watching at all.”
I felt sadness from Crisplet at that, but we made our way up the stairs that led into the temple, flanked on all sides by the team.
Entering the main room, I was happy to see a large carved statue that was a mirror image of the Dunhearth one, carved in polished white stone, sitting on a large plinth that had dozens of offerings already placed on it.
In fact, there was very little room left for more.
Joining the short line leading up to the statue, we finally got our turn, where, unlike Dunhearth, the acolytes here were guiding each person to spots, and when one was freed up, another person was escorted there.
I didn’t ask for separate spots for Crisplet and myself, but the acolyte certainly gave a double take at him.
Once we made it to the plinth where our spot was designated, I pulled both chickens out of storage. I saw so eyes looking at us, and I didn’t bla them. They must have looked like incredibly burnt and unappetising chickens.
Crisplet knew imdiately which one was his, which was just as well, as I couldn’t tell the difference. Then together we held the chicken, and at least I said my prayer to Oris.
Dear Goddess Oris,
Thank you for keeping safe so far and allowing to et so amazing people. I hope you’ll continue to look out for , and that fate smiles on . We have brought you a gift of chicken again. Uh, it’s inside the shell.
I felt silly explaining that and was imdiately embarrassed. Of course a god would know the chicken was inside the charcoal.
I reached out, and Crisplet copied my actions as we both placed our chickens on the plinth at the feet of the statue. Looking up, wondering if sothing would happen.
Nothing.
Oh well. I can’t expect a goddess to be watching all the ti.
Standing up, Crisplet let off a small burst of sparks, which I found odd because he was still facing the statue.
Then the shell holding his chicken cracked open as a hot breeze swept through the building.
I had no ti to consider what was happening when a voice in my mind that sounded cold and detached, and ever so slightly feminine, spoke.
“Thank you, Trevor. Your offering is most welco.”
The shell surrounding my chicken cracked in half as well; the breeze only getting stronger in the temple. At this stage, it was even blowing other offerings off the plinth, as both Crisplet’s and mine remained.
Only for a second, before they both vanished.
The breeze halted as suddenly as it ca, with no other offerings still left on the plinth. All of them had been knocked off, except for two charcoal shells, cracked in half with the chickens inside missing.
Everyone stood in stunned silence for only a mont before I felt hundreds of eyes turn on and Crisplet.
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