The second night together with Mango proved to be much easier than the first one. She still cried and had to be fed and cleaned on several occasions, but it was much more manageable—Melina even managed to get a decent amount of sleep. Etrian wasn't joking when he said that monster grew up fast. The next morning, the little kitsune was already taking her first steps, exploring the living room cautiously.

"They grow up so fast," Melina joked.

"Very fast. She could barely move around yesterday, but today she's already walking. I'm afraid she just might be running up the walls tomorrow," Alistair joked.

"Don't jinx us," Melina said nervously, looking as the fox sniffed the area below the couch. "How are your patrols today, by the way?"

"I got one in the evening," he replied.

"Could you watch Mango until then? I want to try out some new recipes. Grandfather promised to teach me something new today, and I'll try to incorporate it with Monster Realm ingredients," she explained.

"Only if I get to taste test them," he hummed.

"Of course," Melina chuckled.

Afterwards, they had breakfast together—some fresh omelet, each made specifically to taste. Alistair and Sienna had a large heap of bacon along with it. Melina and Gilbert opted for a light cheese and herb omelet, while Mango had bits of ground meat in it.

With breakfast complete, Alistair took Mango outside to let her explore the backyard. Meanwhile, Melina put on her apron and tied up her hair. It felt so nice to be in the kitchen again, preparing to make pastries. It had been far too long since she had done that.

"Alright, what I'm going to teach you depends wholly on the direction you want to take this bakery," Gilbert said sternly.

"What do you mean, Grandfather? I'm going to focus on magical pastries, which could be useful for adventurers," Melina said, cocking her head. She had expressed this plenty of times.

"No, I get that part, but I want to know what you want to make into these magical pastries. The way I see it, you can take two routes. One—turn this into more of a cafe with a wide variety of pastries available, sweet and savory included. If you take this route, I'll teach you how to make quinces, meat pies, and the like," Gilbert said.

"Yes, that is what I wanted to do," Melina nodded.

"Let me finish. The other option is making this into a more specialized patisserie which focuses on the appeal of the pastries as much as the taste. In this case, I'll be teaching you how to make cakes, temper chocolate, and decorate them with icing."

"Cakes?" Melina's eyes lit up, and she remembered that wonderful chocolate cake she had in Elenor's shop. "I want to learn how to make cake!"

Gilbert arched an eyebrow. "Are you sure? It's not as simple as slapping together a tart. Cake needs a filling. It needs icing and decorations. You can't just make a biscuit, add the filling, and call it a day."

"I understand that. But this whole journey of mine started because of cake. If I have a chance to learn how to make it, then I will take it," she said firmly.

"Very well. Then we'll start simple today—sponge cake," Gilbert nodded, accepting her choice.

Melina did wonder for a moment whether she should have thought it through more carefully. It was a big decision after all. She couldn't mass-produce cakes like she could with cream puffs or even tarts. Each one would take time and special care.

But perhaps that was what she was looking forward to the most. Making the same pastries over and over was safe, and it brought plenty of customers. But Melina had always been the type of person who sought out new challenges. She wasn't about to change that now.

"But there is one very important thing you need to know before we begin," Gilbert said, and hobbled over in the direction of the storage. He rummaged around for a while, then returned with a small package in his hands. "Everything has to be carefully measured, down to the last gram."

"What's this?" Melina asked, taking the package. It was rather light.

"Magitech scales. I bought them during the festival—figured you might need them," Gilbert said.

"Actual magitech scales?" She gasped and gingerly unwrapped the package, being careful not to drop it. "Weren't these expensive?"

"I figured I could afford this much for my granddaughter," Gilbert hummed.

Melina looked at the scales from all sides. They didn't look like some grand magical artifact. In fact, they looked rather plain—a polished slab of metal connected to a sturdy base which had a display for numbers on one side and the mana crystal battery on the other. When she touched the mana crystal, she could feel that it was completely new and unused.

"Thank you!" She said with a smile.

"You're welcome. Now let's get to cooking. You're going to need these right away," Gilbert nodded. "Grab a large bowl, egg, flour, and sugar."

Melina didn't bother walking over to the cupboards or the storage. Instead, she tapped into her magic and allowed mana to flow out of her fingertips, like little tendrils. First, she guided it to the shelf with the bowls, taking over the larger ones and levitating it to herself.

With her other hand, she was manipulating mana to reach into the storage. She already knew where everything was, so she grabbed a large bag of flour from the bottom shelf and sugar that was standing right next to it. Eggs were kept in the shelf across, and she was extra careful with the carton, making sure it wouldn't tip over.

Once all the ingredients had "flown" over and settled onto the counter, Gilbert frowned. "There's no need to show off."

"This is just easier," Melina said with a shrug. "Besides, I'm still a bit rusty with my mana. In time, I should be able to do this much faster."

"As long as you don't drop anything," Gilbert grumbled.

"I won't," she assured.

"Very well. Grab four eggs, 120 grams of sugar, and a pinch of salt," he instructed.

Melina nodded and simultaneously grabbed four eggs with her magic, hovering them above the bowl. She concentrated on striking the eggshells with her mana, being sure not to apply too much force. The eggs cracked and smoothly flowed into the bowl without any eggshells.

Stolen novel; please report.

Shen then levitated a cup from one of the cupboards and placed it on her new magitech scales. They instantly whirled to life, the little crystal lighting up and numbers appearing on the little display.

"Apparently, you can press the crystal to reset the weight back to zero," Gilbert instructed.

Melina nodded and pressed the crystal. The number indeed turned back to zero, and she proceeded to measure 120 grams of sugar. It was so easy, Melina wanted to laugh. She wouldn't have to guess the weight anymore using cups—it was quite a relief.

She added the sugar to the bowl of eggs, then levitated the salt dish to herself and added a pinch.

"Good, now you whisk it. A lot. The whole mixture should be light and triple in size," he instructed.

Melina wanted to groan, thinking of her poor hands and how quickly they got tired. But then she realized that she didn't need to exert her hands at all. Instead, she retrieved the whisk, holding it with her mana, and began to whisk—hands free.

At first, the bowl nearly tipped over from the force. She quickly corrected this mistake by grabbing the bowl with her mana and holding it down. Meanwhile, the whisk kept going, evenly combining the eggs and sugar.

"I'll be damned. I'm almost jealous now. Is this not tiring for you?" Gilbert asked, watching the eggs get whisked. It was an odd sight—as if the whisk had come to life.

"It's a bit difficult since it's been a while since I've done something like this. But it's nothing when compared to the time I had to settle Leon's corrupted mana or keep the poison away from Sienna's vitals using foreign mana," Melina said with a shrug.

"As long as you're not exerting yourself," Gilbert grumbled.

Approximately five minutes later, the mixture had reached the perfect consistency, so Gilbert instructed to add 120 grams of flour while carefully folding it. It was crucial to retain the airiness of the mixture. She measured the amount on the scales and then sifted the flour. Once again, she didn't even touch anything with her hands, instead relying on her magic to do the precise work.

Folding turned out much easier with magic than by hand. With one strand of mana, she held the wooden spoon while with the other she gently pulled the eggy mixture away, letting the flour settle without ruining the air bubbles.

"Very good. I see magic can provide precision that hands cannot. Now you need to melt 30 grams of butter and fold that into this," Gilbert said, gently tapping on the bowl.

Melina retrieved butter from the storage, measured out the needed amount in a small bowl, then put her hands underneath the bowl. "Sienna, a bit of help."

The wyrm chirped in response, having observed the whole process so far from atop the counter. Melina felt their connection open up, and some of Sienna's fiery mana flowed into her. She redirected it to her hands, watching the butter melt. Afterwards, she repeated the folding motion to conserve the airiness of the mixture.

"How's this?" Melina asked, showing the folded mixture to Gilbert.

"I don't think I could have done it better myself. All that's left to do is to bake it. You'll need some cake pans—I've got some in that corner cupboard. Meanwhile, Sienna should heat up the oven," he instructed.

Sienna shot a hot fireball into the oven without hesitation, instantly heating the bricks. Melina, meanwhile, took two cake pans and carefully greased them up with butter, making sure that every bit of the pan was covered.

"Here comes the trickiest part. It's getting the temperature right. With bread, it isn't such a big deal if one morning the crust is a bit browner than the next one. Cakes, however, are fragile. Go to hot and you get burned cake on the outside and uncooked goop in the middle," Gilbert explained. "I suggest making the cake in two batches. Pay attention to how much wood you're keeping in the oven during each try."

Melina thought about it for a moment, scratching her chin, then said, "What if I try to regulate the temperature with magic?"

"With magic?" Gilbert arched his eyebrow.

"Yeah. It would take some experimentation, but I think I could pinpoint the right temperature," Melina said.

"You're really going full magic with this…"

"Yeah, it's fun cooking with magic. I regret not doing this earlier," she said gleefully.

"Just like Jasmine," Gilbert shook his head.

"Like Jasmine? You mean grandmother?"

"Yes. She, too, was obsessed with magic despite never awakening to the System. She never mastered it to the level you did, but she did know fire magic well enough to cook with it," Gilbert explained. "She'd set up the oven for me, just like Sienna does."

Somberness took over Melina as she wondered how much fun it would be if her grandmother could be here with them. Would she give her some tips on how to regulate heat? Would she praise Melina for her ingenuity?

"It's pleasant to see that a little part of her still lives on," he said somberly.

Melina smiled and hugged Gilbert. "What would you do without me?"

"Have a peaceful retirement."

"But that would be rather boring, wouldn't it?" Melina chuckled and, using her mana, poured the cake batter into the pans.

Gilbert just grunted in response.

"Thank you, Grandfather. I'm going to do some experiments with these cakes. You can go and rest."

"Don't just send me to rest all the time. Somebody needs to take care of the garden. You've been thoroughly neglecting it," Gilbert huffed.

"In my defense, Knight is more than happy to do all the weeding for me," she argued.

Gilbert just shook his head and hobbled away, muttering something all the while.

Melina watched him leave with an amused smile, then resumed her experiments. The first cake, she loaded into the oven and decided to apply what felt like a medium amount of heat to it.

Sienna chittered impatiently when she drew on her mana.

"What's wrong? Am I taking too much?" Melina questioned. It didn't feel like she was drawing too much of the wyrm mana, but perhaps she was feeling under the weather today.

The wyrm shook her head and turned into her large form.

"Sienna! Not in the kitchen!" Melina reprimanded, but the wyrm stood her ground. She pushed Melina away from the oven.

"Do you want to bake the cake yourself?" She questioned dubiously.

Sienna nodded approvingly.

"Are you sure? Controlling the temperature can be rather finicky, and you'll have to remember the right temperature in the future," she warned.

Sienna let out a puff of smoke and stood her ground, determined to do this job. Melina smiled and nodded.

"Very well. I'll entrust it to you. I'm going to make more cake batter that we can experiment with."

The next few hours, Melina and Sienna spent making the perfect sponge cake. The first few came out… Well, calling them burned would be an understatement. Sienna had been way too eager with heat. But as their experiments progressed, the wyrm lowered the heat and managed to keep it even through the whole cook time.

[You've made Sponge Cake – Rank B. You've gained +30 exp.]

[You've reached Level 31.]

[Your familiar Sienna – Level 49 has unlocked a new skill Convection Control.]

[Convection Control – Allows users to adjust the temperature within a cooking oven to suit the dish being cooked within.]

Melina stared at the System message in disbelief. If she had unlocked this skill, she wouldn't have thought much of it. But it was Sienna who unlocked it.

"Sienna, that's amazing! You unlocked a cooking skill," Melina cheered.

Sienna let out a happy roar, her tail slamming into the ground, making the plates in the cupboards shake.

"Okay, okay, settle down, before you break something. But I'm really proud of you. This is a great discovery. To think that monsters can learn skills like this, too. I have to tell Grandfather and Alistair," Melina was about to rush outside, but then decided she might as well let them taste the sponge cake.

She and Sienna already had their fill with the half-burned samples—they were still very tasty. But just as she was about to head outside, there was a knock on the front door.

"Why do I get a strong suspicion it's Leliana?" Melina said.

The redhead always had the knack for coming at the worst possible times. With a sigh, Melina set down the cut-up cake pieces and went to the front door. Through the window, she could already glimpse a bit of Leliana's red hair.

"Hello, Leliana! How—" Melina broke off mid-sentence when she noticed the panicked expression on Leliana's face, and how she was drenched in sweat.

"Hurry! Come! Elowen suddenly collapsed!" She said, tears welling in her eyes.