Arcane Chef - Slice of Life x Adventure LitRPG

Well, if I can't use an essence on a batch like that, I guess the other options would be to make a large one and break it up… or maybe see if I can use it in a drink.

Micca was still slowly eating her cookie.

"You know, these would sell really well..." she said.

"They would. He'd probably need to tone down on some aspects though—like fire immunity on everything," Liane added. "Speaking of which, did Crisplet hit level five?"

Wow, how had I forgotten? I didn't even remember the last time I had checked my notifications.

Notifications:

You have earned 100 bonus experience for a buff used in combat

…

You have earned 500 experience for making an exceptionally Rare meal.

…

You have reached Level 5 in Fiery-Sous

Crisplet has 3 available Evolution Quests

…

You have earned 25 experience for making an enjoyable meal

You have earned 25 experience for making an enjoyable meal

…

"Where did I get the buff used in combat experience?" I muttered.

"Have you checked since you fed the cat?" Liane asked with a chuckle.

I don't think I have? But I honestly don't remember…

"It says Crisplet has three evolution quests!" I said excitedly, pulling up the details on Crisplet.

Fiery-Sous (Active)

Crisplet

Level: 5

Experience: 59/1543

Hit Points: 290/290

Mana: 360/590

Stamina 190/290

Abilities:

Flame Control

Fire Immunity

Fire Conjuration

Mana Enhancement

Active Evolution Quests:

Protect the Flamebearer - Intimidate or drive off threats 0/5

Feed the Flame - Help prepare meals using open flame 0/25

Constructive Cooking - Construct protective cooking hearth 0/5

What I noticed was that it said Crisplet had the evolution quests—so did that mean Crisplet would get to choose its own evolution path?

The next thing I saw was the variety of options it had. The Feed the Flame one made sense—it was just assisting in cooking meals. I'm guessing the Constructive one came from Crisplet's hobby of building with coal?

How would that even work in an evolution?

The final one, though, seemed very odd: Protect the Flamebearer. Did that mean it was meant to protect me?

"So, it appears like Crisplet has a defensive quest—he'd need to intimidate or drive off five threats—a cooking one, helping to prepare twenty-five meals, and a construction one, where he needs to construct five protective cooking hearths?" I said to the group.

By now, Milo's attention had shifted toward us.

"You likely don't pay a lot of attention to it," he began, "but every time you've been in danger, Crisplet has taken on a very intimidating posture—those dark red, violent flames, and the dangerous-looking sparks. So, that quest doesn't surprise me at all."

"What's really interesting is the construction option," Milo added thoughtfully. "An elemental is rare at the best of times, but it's not unheard of for a mage to befriend an earth elemental. And those have been known to take on construction evolutions. But I've never heard of a fire elemental going down that path…" He trailed off, already scribbling something in another notebook.

"Will I get to choose?" I asked curiously.

"No, probably not," Milo replied. "Crisplet has shown time and time again that it has sentience. You'll find everything from ability selection to evolution choice will probably be in its hands. You mentioned early on that it gained an ability—I would guess Crisplet had the choice of abilities when it was summoned, and just waited to choose."

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Looking over at Crisplet, who had been quietly watching us, I asked, "Is that true?"

I received the usual burst of bright sparks to indicate a yes.

"Did you get another ability selection now at level five?" Milo asked.

Another burst of sparks.

"Wow, I hope you have good selections," I said excitedly. I couldn't see any of them—so I just had to trust that Crisplet would choose something helpful. That said, the last one—Mana Enhancement, which seemed to boost buffs on existing items—was something it picked very early.

No reason not to trust Crisplet.

I received a burst of bright sparks as the little elemental returned to the fire and began deconstructing the miniature manor it had built out of coal.

"That's exciting!" Micca added, watching Crisplet get to work.

"Now… these snacks—I can sell them! I can be your merchant!" she said, clearly thrilled by the idea.

"Wouldn't that be dangerous for you, though?" I asked, glancing more towards Liane and Milo for their input.

"Honestly? Yes and no," Milo said, not even looking up from his books. "Having a merchant you trust not to blab where the food comes from is incredibly helpful—but also, anyone keeping an eye on your movements will eventually notice who you're interacting with. So no, you couldn't travel together, or stay in the same places too often. That would make it too easy for people to connect the dots."

"So how could it work, then?" I asked. "If we can't really be seen interacting, wouldn't I need to be nearby to give her food to sell?"

This time, Liane chimed in.

"Not really," she said. "She'd need to set up somewhere central—probably the capital, or a major trade hub we swing past every few months. When we visit, you'd pass off a storage device full of food that she can sell over the next three to six months."

"You'd still draw a bit of attention," she added, "but since you'd be in and out with us pretty quickly, most people wouldn't catch on. And once it's clear Micca's not the one making the food—once they see she has the merchant class—she could just hire a couple of guards to deal with any thugs who think they can squeeze her."

"Whoa—the capital?" Micca said, wide-eyed. "I don't know if I could set up there… I'm not that rich."

"This cookie alone would sell for a couple of gold each," Liane said casually, picking up another one.

"What?!" Micca cried out, nearly dropping the one in her hand—before quickly recovering. Liane just laughed.

"Honestly, a good merchant could probably get five gold for a triple resistance snack like that. And that's not even counting the ones that give an ability. Though..." She held the cookie thoughtfully. "I wouldn't sell anything that boosts speed until you're well established and have decent protection. That kind of thing would get any merchant into hot water."

"So what—you're saying I just cook a whole bunch of stuff, give it to Micca, and then check back in a few months?" I asked, still trying to wrap my head around the idea.

"Correct. Think of it as an investment. It's hard to do with someone you don't know or trust, since there's nothing stopping them from selling you out—or running off with your gold," Liane said, lounging back in her chair. "But she seems alright."

"What should I make?" I asked, wondering what would be best.

"Pastries. Jerky. Something small and easy to eat in a bite or two. Also think of all the experience you'd get from people buying them and using them in combat! You'd have a constant flow coming in," Liane added.

That would be amazing if I could organise it. Micca would need to reach the capital, and we didn't know how long I'd even be in Forest's Edge for. I also didn't know what the market situation was like here. The town was clearly busier than usual, with so many people stuck here unable to reach Boltron—but that would also mean more farmers were likely offloading their goods locally instead of hauling them further, right?

"I mean, the hardest part honestly is going to be the initial investment," Liane said. "You'd need a couple of storage devices capable of keeping food fresh. Not all devices are made equal—space, time flow, quality of preservation... it all changes with quality and type." She looked over at Micca.

"I'm guessing you have a basic one on you now, since I've not seen you with a gold pouch or a change of clothes," she added.

"I do," Micca said, a bit sheepishly. "I've got an amulet, but it's a really small space. There isn't much room left after the clothes."

"Don't be embarrassed by that," Liane said. "Having one is a must for merchants. I don't know your gold situation, but I imagine we could pick up a proper storage device that slows time for around thirty gold at the guild—maybe even cheaper in the capital."

"We'll likely be heading to the capital next anyway, unless something comes up," Milo added without looking up. "There's something we need to get taken care of and sold. The only place that's going to happen is the capital… though we won't be there long if someone's cat is still following us." He chuckled.

"Not my cat…" I muttered, but no one listened.

It was a few hours before Hari and Jen returned. Hari was carrying a sack over his shoulder that turned out to be filled with different varieties of melons. Jen emptied a bunch of apples from her storage ring.

"Thank you!" I said, quickly storing them all.

"No trouble here, I take it?" Hari asked, glancing around the room and noticing Milo still buried in his notes.

"Nope. Quiet day. Trevor just made snacks—pretty tasty ones too," Liane said lazily. That caught Jen's attention.

"Can I try one?" she asked.

I pulled out one of the cookies and handed it to her. She took a bite, and I watched her face cycle through a full range of emotions.

"It's so strange! Like icy water going down my throat… it feels like I'm breathing frost!" she said.

"We didn't see that Simon guy around town today," Hari continued. "Jen was keeping an eye out. I might get you to do a sweep this evening, Liane—see if he's up to anything, or if he's finally accepted that he can't win this one."

Liane nodded without complaint.

"Next, we need to work out how we're going to approach the job," Hari said, his tone shifting into something more serious. "Obviously, we're here in town for a reason. Ideally, we'd leave Trev behind to cook away while we handle our patrol—but that's not an option anymore."

That got everyone's attention.

"So, we've got a couple of options moving forward. And I'm putting it to the group to decide—mostly you, Trev, since it's your safety on the line," Hari said, looking directly at me.

"First option: we leave someone behind with you while the rest of us go out. I'm not thrilled about that. We work as a team, and leaving one of us behind weakens the whole formation."

He paused.

"Second option puts more danger on you, Trev—we bring you with us on patrol," he said, voice heavy with caution.

Milo immediately broke the tension by laughing.

"You know, if we bring Trev, we're likely not going to run into anything at all."

Hari frowned. "What do you mean, we won't run into anything?"

"Oh, come on, Hari. You're usually pretty sharp. It's not just a coincidence that we saw absolutely nothing in the forest that day—not even spiders. And that night? We just happened to see the cat?" Milo said with a grin.

"That could just be coincidence," Hari tried.

"You mean like how we didn't run into anything climbing the mountain? Or on the road after the Galvonson?" Jen added, raising an eyebrow.

"The forest is its domain," Milo said. "I'd argue that if the cat weren't in the middle of a fight right now, Trev could probably walk straight to the centre of the forest and nothing would touch him. If his mana channels could handle the potency."

"We're not testing that theory," Hari said firmly.

"But if we do patrol with Trevor," Hari added, glancing around the group, "we need to be clear—we'll be at a slight disadvantage. Someone will always need to be ready to protect him."

At that moment, Crisplet came into the room, his flame a deep, roaring red as he burst off a few sparks.

"We don't need protection yet, Crisplet—but yes," Liane said with a chuckle.

I leaned down and whispered to the little elemental, "Thanks for the backup!" earning a burst of bright sparks before he returned to the fire.

"I think it's settled then," Milo said. "Trev will come with us. The disadvantage of losing a team member is worse than needing to protect him. And let's be honest—there's a good chance we won't run into anything at all while he's around."

Hari let out a long sigh. "Okay. If Trev's fine with it, we'll bring him along. But please don't get complacent."

He turned to Micca.

"Micca, obviously we'll be leaving you behind. Please be careful if you head out in town—at least until we can confirm he's gone."

"It's fine with me," she said. "If I can just stay here, I'm more than happy with that."

"That won't be a problem. We'll be staying here until the job is done," Hari said, finally taking a seat and relaxing. "Now—these snacks you made. Can I try one?"