Taste of Magic: Ambassador's Voice

"W-We were just trying to make some ice-cream using feyfruit, and I asked Mango to help me chill it. I thought it all turned out okay, but then she suddenly turned to ice!" Roxie cried.

"Did she use too much of her power? I never thought that an ice fox could turn into an icicle," Adrien blurted out in a panic.

Melina thought back. She had received a notification about Mango reaching Level 20 while she was in a meeting with others, but hadn't really thought much about it. She had concluded that Roxie must have made something with Mango's help and left it at that.

But to think that this would be the level when Mango evolved for the first time.

"Calm down, you two. Mango is completely fine. She's just undergoing evolution. I would have thought that you would have realized that, Adrien," Melina said.

Adrien blinked, then looked at Mango's crystalized form. "Now, when you mention it… It does look very similar to how Sienna looked when she evolved. But it looks exactly like ice and feels cold to the touch, so I thought Mango had somehow encased herself by accident."

"Ice would have started melting by now, no?" Melina suggested.

Roxie blinked the tears out of her eyes and looked at the evolution crystal. She reached out and touched, holding her hand firmly pressed to the crystal for a short while. When it was clear that it wouldn't melt, Roxie removed her hand.

"It really isn't melting," Roxie said.

"See, she's fine," Melina assured the girl, although inwardly she wasn't quite as calm.

Melina had expected Mango's evolution to occur sometime soon. But this wasn't exactly the best timing. They had to begin constructing the building for the cooking lessons tomorrow, but a newly evolved monster needs extra care and attention. She and Alistair would have to share this burden to make sure that Mango is properly attended to during this process.

"What's going to happen to Mango? Is she going to get bigger like Sienna did?" Roxie asked, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"I… I don't know. I can't say that I know much about how monster evolution works," Melina admitted.

"Is there anyone who does?" Adrien asked.

"I don't think so. The Church doesn't exactly like to study monsters, beyond the methods of killing them," Melina admitted.

"That's horrible…" Roxie gasped.

"That's stupid!" Adrien objected with a frown. "Monsters should be studied properly. I mean, the way they evolve could be a whole science in its own right. Like, what even is this crystal?"

"Most likely crystallized mana," Melina said.

Adrien blinked, then hurried off upstairs. "I'm going to grab my notes! I need to study this!"

Melina and Roxie chuckled.

"He should become a monster researcher or something like that," Roxie mentioned.

"If only there was such a profession," Melina muttered, then perked up. If they managed to accomplish what they wanted, then perhaps it could be a real profession in the future, and Adrien could be one of the first people in this field.

The next day, after Mango was safely put away at home and warded to warn Melina of any changes. Melina, Alistair, and Milo went to the location chosen for the new building meant for cooking classes. It was located at an empty spot near the market.

Apparently, it used to be a large warehouse used by some of the richer merchants, but it was destroyed during a horrible summer storm. The damage had been so horrible that the only way to salvage it would have been to build everything anew. Nobody could afford it, so in the end, the broken warehouse was demolished.

But the location was perfect for Melina. It was located right at the heart of Sunglow, so a lot more people could come by here than to the bakery. Erina's inn was also nearby, so any apprentices staying there wouldn't need to travel far. On top of that, there were already pipes in the ground that were connected to the town's network.

All they had to do was build it.

Melina was nervous about the whole thing—after all, she had never built a building with magic. But in the end, it turned out that she would be nothing more than just somebody helping with her levitation magic. Lord Eidranis had sent some of his builders to take charge of the task. In exchange for fair payment, of course.

In either case, the drow builders were actually excited to work on this project, citing it as the "first job done in the Human Realm". Apparently, it wasn't often that their services were needed since the drow population remained mostly stable without sudden growth spikes. They were a long-living race after all.

Alistair was very excited to hear that these talented builders were sitting around without work. Melina could already tell that he would try to employ them in the future to help with Sunglow's expansion. They just had to complete this project first, so they could show that they can really do it.

The work on the building lasted for three days. Those were very intense days. Melina was constantly lifting and moving materials with her magic whenever she came to help. Obviously, during work days, her priority was the bakery.

However, she quickly realized that she was not the moving force behind this operation. Milo and the drow builders were taking solid charge of the project and moving forward at an astounding pace. The skills drow builders possessed were amazing, allowing them to do normally slow tasks quickly, increasing the precision of their building and improving the overall quality.

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Seeing this, Melina was even more convinced that human System users should also take mundane classes. With the help of the drow, they actually managed to finish the large building for classes in three days. That would be normally impossible.

It wasn't a barebones building either, and the style was rather unique. The base reminded Melina of the Bakers Guild—a large stone building with large doors and wooden windows. It was drawn by Milo after all.

But the overall feel and style were more like something from the Monster Realm, similar to the architecture of the Monster Lord's tower. The stone used in walls was more crystal-like and shone with gentle blue light when viewed from the right angle. The wood looks more natural and sturdy, almost like driftwood tailored to the right shape, rather than wooden planks and boards humans used.

Not to mention that drow weren't shy in adding pleasant curves to the building. It wasn't box-shaped, but rather had rounded edges with arch-like doors and windows.

The interior was also different from what Melina was used to. The main kitchen was a huge room with windows placed on the roof. Another idea from the drow, who knew how to reinforce the windows so they wouldn't be damaged by the elements. These windows provided heaps of natural light into the room, which made it feel very pleasant.

The crystalline structure of the walls also made it feel far more like a part of a castle, rather than a simple bakery. In other words, it looked almost opulent. Especially the shop at the front. The drow had gone all out, making huge front windows and walls made of more reflective crystal than other rooms. If one came close enough to it, they could see their own reflection.

"I can't believe you made all this in three days!" Alistair praised, admiring the building from the outside.

The five drow builders and Milo all puffed out their chests in pride, despite the tired look in their eyes.

"It's been a while since I've had this much fun building something," one of the drow said.

"Yeah, we've always only built things the drow way, so implementing human architecture into it was certainly interesting," another builder said.

"I learned so many new techniques! I think I can make even better magitech now," Milo said excitedly.

"Somehow this has become the fanciest building in all of Sunglow…" Melina said, looking at the building in awe and dread. This would undoubtedly draw the attention of anyone who had a working pair of eyes.

"That's good. Nobody will have to ask for directions," Alistair said with a chuckle. "Now, all that is left is the interior."

"Don't worry. Compared to everything else, it's easy. We'll get it done tomorrow," the drow builder assured Alistair.

"What about the apprentices?" Alistair asked Melina.

"I got a huge list of applicants already, most sent by nobles, but there's also some applications from the Bakers Guild. Although… I'm not sure how to pick the right people. I'm scared of somebody… less savoury might be mixed in among them," Melina said.

By that, she meant that the Church might have implanted a spy among the applicants. Likely more than one.

Alistair nodded, understanding her words. "That certainly is a possibility, but realistically, you're only going to teach the recipes, no? Would it be bad for the Church to learn about them?"

"I would think not, but this is Heiliger we're dealing with."

"Yeah… That woman is nothing but trouble. Don't worry, I'll assign guards to be present at your classes at all times," Alistair assured.

Melina nodded. It wasn't her safety she was concerned about, but rather Heiliger twisting Melina's recipes to fit her own narrative. She would have to remain vigilant.

"Thank you," Melina replied.

After making sure that everything was secure for the night, Melina and Alistair headed home. It was already getting dark, and as they walked, the street lights turned on. Days were getting shorter by the day, and Melina couldn't help but tuck her hands into her sleeves in an attempt to warm them.

She wished Sienna were with her, but the wyrm refused to go out for any long periods of time. This did make Melina worry a little—staying inside all winter couldn't be healthy for an adult wyrm. Perhaps, it would be necessary for Sienna to stay in the Monster Realm during the coldest winter months.

Seasons didn't work the same way in the Monster Realm. There was no such thing as winter or summer; instead, each region retained mostly the same season with just increased times for rain and storms. Cold regions would remain cold throughout the year, and warm regions would likewise remain warm.

The region the Sunglow passageway led to was in a rather warm region, mostly due to the hidden underground hot springs. It would be a good place for Sienna to spend the winter. Although Melina didn't relish the idea of being separate from the familiar for a long period of time. And what would happen with the bakery in the meantime? It would be harder without Sienna's precise heating ability.

"What are you worried about?" Alistair asked, squeezing her hand gently.

"Nothing really! Just some random thoughts," Melina said sheepishly.

Alistair gave her a look that indicated that he didn't believe her for a second. "What random thoughts?"

"I'm just worried about Sienna. She doesn't seem to want to go out in the cold weather, and it's not even winter yet. I was thinking that perhaps it would be better for her to spend the winter in the Monster Realm," she said.

"What about the bakery?"

"Yes, I was worried about that too, but Sienna's comfort is more important," Melina said. "Besides, it might be good for everyone to learn how to work with a proper oven. Especially for Roxie, who might want to go someplace else once she gets more experience. Maybe even open her own bakery."

Alistair seemed to be lost in thought for a moment, looking up at the starry sky as they walked.

"You know I was going to order a few magitech ovens for your class, to make things easier since they have inbuilt temperature control—"

"What?! No! They are so expensive," Melina instantly objected. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

"Yes, they are, but it's just a drop in a bucket for the Sinclair family. Father approved of it, too."

"You already asked your father…"

"Don't get mad. I know you want to do things on your own, but we're on a tight schedule right now, so I believe these ovens will save you a lot of time. Not to mention that you'll be able to send Sienna off to the Monster Realm without worries that you wouldn't be able to keep up with your orders in the bakery," Alistair reasoned.

He made sense. Melina knew that, but she still didn't want to rely on Sinclair's wealth to solve her issues.

"Melina…" Alistair smiled, noticing the pout that was forming on her lips. "You know that it would be a good solution."

"It just doesn't feel right that I use the money belonging to the Sinclair family," she muttered.

"You're going to be part of our family very soon. Everyone has already accepted you, even Richard!" Alistair pointed out.

"But it still doesn't feel right…"

"How about this? If it makes you feel better, you can just repay us for the ovens at your own pace," Alistair suggested.

Melina thought about it for a moment, then nodded. "It might be a compromise I'm willing to agree on."

"Excellent, now why don't we—"

Alistair didn't get to finish his sentence as they both felt a strong mental tug from Mango. They shared a look and then rushed home. Mango was about to emerge from her evolution cocoon.