Chapter 189. Mira you are freakishly talented

Chapter 189: 189. Mira you are freakishly talented

Cosmic came to the kitchen with Carlos the next morning and found Mira stirring a pot that looked too thick. Tarin had brought another two kilograms from the Crownroot’s first regrowth harvest.

She lifted the spoon. A pale coating stayed on it before slowly sliding back into the broth.

"I put the Crownroot in with the meat," she said. "It thickens around the heat before the seasoning has spread properly." She frowned.

Carlos looked at the prepared food beside her. "Can we eat it?"

"After it cools. The inspection cleared it, but the quality is lower than I wanted. I am preparing the root separately for the next one."

Two test portions stood on the side table. Mira had written their amounts down instead of letting another Hearthkeeper guess how much had gone into the pot.

The original buyer’s twelve meals were already finished. Carlos inspected and transferred them first, receiving Iron x720 and Copper Coins x1,440. That completed the three deliveries they had renewed after Cosmic’s attachment.

When the buyer asked to continue, Carlos answered that he could confirm the next short agreement after the kitchen’s morning work. He wanted to know what Mira could do before selling tomorrow’s time again.

Cosmic watched the thickened broth while Mira explained what she had learned from the root. Its nourishment survived cooking in water, but it absorbed some of the hot liquid very quickly when mixed with Emberhorn Meat.

Carlos understood the problem when she showed him the two separate inspection results. The heat had gathered unevenly and the consistency was weird.

"Can the cucumber help?" he asked.

"It will take some experimentation. It’s a difficult ingredient to use with others," she replied. "I need the root cooked before it goes near that mixture. Then I can control how much broth it takes."

She put the second preparation together while they watched. The Crownroot had been softened in its own little pot, then worked into a smooth paste.

She added it slowly to the balanced meat preparation rather than letting the raw slices draw heat into themselves.

The smell changed as she stirred. Carlos could recognise the peppers, but something warm and mild remained beneath them now.

One of the Hearthkeepers came to ask about the ordinary grain pot. Mira checked its consistency and sent her back with instructions before returning to the advanced food.

The kitchen kept moving around her. The others were capable enough and had enough training to let Mira work independently.

Six advanced test portions used three hundred grams of Crownroot that morning, including the first two attempts. Mira kept the rest of her advanced work to the familiar preparation so she remained within her daily capacity.

The final four test portions passed her inspection.

Carlos looked at them and his eyes widened.

"Are you for real????"

--

[Crownroot Emberhorn Stew]

[Ultra-high-quality food]

[Concentrated nourishment retained]

[Heat balanced]

[Consumption compatibility must be checked for recipient]

--

Carlos read it and felt the grin spread across his face. He looked at her with genuine shock and proudness in his eyes.

"You did it."

Mira looked pleased herself. She set the spoon down carefully before letting him take the record.

"Let’s see how the Bearkin reacts to it. Garr was coming for his meal, so let’s test it on him."

They found Garr near the kitchen path. The consumption check accepted the preparation, and Mira served him one portion with his ordinary food arrangement still recorded separately.

He took the first spoonful slowly. Then he looked into the bowl and began eating with more interest.

Carlos watched until the Guardian finished.

"Good?"

Garr nodded firmly. "More in it."

"More what?"

The Bearkin considered the question, then placed his hand over his stomach. "Stays. Good food."

Mira checked the consumption result. The concentrated nourishment had been accepted without the uneven heat of the first attempt. Garr scraped the last of it from the bowl and asked whether she was making the same thing tomorrow. Carlos looked at Cosmic, who had leaned closer to read the result himself.

Cosmic had become quiet beside him.

"What are you thinking?" Carlos asked.

"Your grandfather sells handles to working territories," he said. "I asked him who uses the larger ones when we were talking about the bindings. He gave me a contact who buys for high-grade excavation troops."

Carlos turned toward him. "You asked already?"

"He sent a useful order. I wanted to know what else he sells."

Carlos sighed. Of course he had already checked. He had spent dinner talking about boxes, while Cosmic had apparently found something else worth following.

His friend asked permission before forwarding the new food’s public preparation record. Carlos gave it after Mira checked which details the record showed. The growing method and her actual recipe stayed with them.

The answer came while Mira was sealing two successful portions. She kept the remaining successful one for the kitchen’s further checks.

The prospective buyer wanted those two portions for a paid consumption test, subject to receiving their actual condition record.

He would pay Iron x75 and Copper Coins x150 per accepted portion if they were compatible with his workers.

"That is higher than the other order," Carlos said.

"He is asking for a more concentrated preparation, in a small amount. Let him test it first. I want to see what he considers a portion too."

Carlos nodded. They confirmed the sample terms, including payment only after the condition and compatibility checks. The buyer’s name appeared on the request: Dorian Kessler.

Cosmic showed Carlos his verified trade history with the grandfather’s business before accepting a meeting invitation. Dorian had a receiving area near his mine offices and would allow both Lords to visit that afternoon.

"I can come with you," Cosmic said. "My people can keep sorting the outgoing goods for a few hours."

"Yeah, I might need your help there."

Before leaving the kitchen, Carlos asked Mira about the next days. She could continue twelve portions for the original buyer, set aside up to six for the new preparation and retain six familiar advanced portions for Ironroot. Their normal meals remained within the kitchen’s total limit.

Carlos renewed the original buyer’s twelve-meal agreement for three more days beginning tomorrow, at the same price and ingredient terms. The next contribution arrived for Mira to check before he put it into storage.

"We need to upgrade the kitchen and buy a new one, Carlos. That will solve most of the issues we have," she spoke.

Carlos nodded, the thing that was giving him the most revenue had not been upgraded or added to for a while now.

He made a mental note and returned to Cosmic with the two sealed samples.

"Six is the most we offer," he said. "Even if he wants to buy the whole pot."

"Yes, yes, let’s go first."