Kael and all his friends eventually walked out of NoctaMarket and back onto the dark path, using their torchlight to lead the way. Many night races were still heading toward the NoctaMarket.
Maybe it was still early in the night for them.
After walking for several minutes, the black cracked brick path slowly turned into a white brick road. The thick forest full of bushes and vines gradually became less dense, the trees standing farther apart from each other.
In the distance, the Flame Might crystal street lamps flickered, shining their light across the white brick path. A few wooden houses and several closed stalls could be seen nearby, while some day races were still hanging around.
Kael and his friends turned off their torches as the street lamps already lit the road clearly.
Nibsken and Nylum turned their heads back to look at the path they had just walked through.
To their surprise, there was no sign of the cracked brick road that had led to the NoctaMarket.
"Yoo… where's the way to NoctaMarket?" Nibsken asked, his voice making the whole group turn around, except for Reyvik and Liraen.
Kael's eyes widened and as he was about to speak.
Liraen cut him off.
"NoctaMarket… isn't just a night market," the elf said calmly. "It is more like a dream. A dream that disappears the moment you wake up."
Reyvik continued, his voice quiet.
"Awoooo… it's really like that, Kael. Once you experience the dream and wake up the next morning, there's nothing you can do to return to it…"
He looked at the empty path.
"Same goes for the road we just walked."
Kael stared at the place where the path should have been. Confusion filled his mind.
Unlike the others, his thoughts started racing.
There must be an explanation for this…
But he pushed the thought aside.
For now, he had something more important to finish.
His invention.
After seeing a few two story wooden houses, all of them made a turn, and Kael's house finally came into view.
They walked along the side of the house and entered the backyard.
As they stepped in, a huge figure was already sitting there. His eyes were focused on a few large magical insects flying nearby.
It was Volgran, Kael's giant friend.
"Volgran!" Kael called, waving at him.
The giant waved back slowly, his gaze shifting toward Kael and the others.
"Giant!" Nibsken ran toward him excitedly while the others walked more casually.
Kael placed all the ingredients on the wooden table near the back door of his house. It was his working table.
He immediately grabbed the Z Book from the wooden box on the table.
"Alright guys! Let's start this thing!" Kael announced.
As he was about to open the page showing the step-by-step process for making the energy drink, he first removed the bandage from his left hand. It still hurt slightly and hadn't fully recovered, but he needed both hands now. Besides, he could apply the medicine again later.
Holding the book in his left hand, Kael kept his eyes on the instructions while walking into the house, heading straight to the kitchen.
He grabbed a metal pan and a few other cooking tools needed for the project.
Returning to the backyard, he placed all the tools on the wooden table. Then he closed the book and looked at his friends.
"Alright, all the equipment is here… Now… we need fire to start this, guys."
"Fire?" Reyvik's ears twitched.
"Yeah, fire, Reyv," Kael replied. "I need it to turn this sugar cane into glucose by heating it. I already prepared some firewood outside. I don't want us doing this inside my kitchen with all of you around."
He glanced at Grak'Mar.
"Especially you, Grak'Mar. You wouldn't even fit in my house."
Grak'Mar just glance at Kael
"Of course I don't fit in ya small house, Human"
"If ya want fire… just ask giant, human."
Nibsken placed his green goblin hand on Volgran's knee.
"Yap! That's what I wanted to do!" Kael replied excitedly.
Kael looked at Volgran, then walked closer to him.
"Volgran, can you use your Flame Might?" Kael asked, touching the giant's huge knee as Volgran sat cross-legged on the grassy backyard.
Volgran slowly nodded.
"Alright then! Help me burn those woods to make a flame." Kael pointed at several chopped logs that he had prepared.
Volgran opened his giant palm.
An orange flame emerged from it.
FWOOOSH!
Then he lowered his hand and burned the logs where Kael had pointed. The wood immediately caught fire, forming a steady flame suitable for cooking the glucose.
Kael placed the metal pan on top of the burning wood, holding it steady with one hand.
"Alright! Grak'Mar, help me crush this sugar cane so the juice goes into the this pan."
Grak'Mar nodded. He grabbed the chopped sugar cane and squeezed it over the metal pan with his huge ogre hand.
KRUNCH—CRRRRCH!
The sugar cane crushed in his hands, and the juice poured into the pan.
Immediately, Kael turned to Liraen.
"Ren, help me stir this."
Liraen nodded calmly and began stirring the sugar cane juice as it slowly started to heat.
"Just stir it until it thickens, Ren. I need to prepare the second ingredients."
Kael then looked back at the book and found the second instruction.
Prepare the electrolytes.
"Alright… for the electrolytes, we need water, now…" Kael said, turning his eyes toward Nylum.
The water elemental rippled slightly.
"Nylum, give me water to fill this metal container."
"Ariiiight… Kaaael…" Nylum replied, his body rippling as water flowed out from him into the large metal container.
"Aaaand… done," Nylum said as the container filled with water.
"Nice! Now… for all this salt…" Kael said, looking at the instructions in the Z Book.
Fill the metal container with sodium, magnesium, and potassium.
"So that means…" Kael grabbed the seven glass containers of salt, each one a different color.
"Alright… now we put the salts into the water. All of them, huh?" Kael muttered while reading. "Okay, book… whatever you say."
Kael poured all seven salts into the metal container that Nylum had filled with water.
"Now stir it…." Kael follows the instructions from the book.
He grabbed a wooden cylinder stick and began stirring the mixture of salts and water while placing it near the fire so the heat could warm it from the side.
As he stirred the salt and water solution, the aroma of heated sugar cane drifted toward him.
"Hm… that smells nice," Kael said, sniffing the air. "Ren, is the sugar cane juice starting to thicken?"
"Yes… and….whoa!" Liraen said calmly, though slightly surprised as he stirred the pan with a wooden spoon. "The smell is very sweet."
"Ya, human! It smells sweet without even tasting it!" Nibsken added, sounding shocked.
"Ha! That means it's almost done," Kael said with a grin.
"Just keep stirring it until it thickens like honey, Ren."
Liraen nodded and continued stirring.
Now both Liraen and Kael were working side by side over the same wood fire, each stirring a different ingredient for the energy drink.
Nibsken and Reyvik watched the process closely, while Nylum quietly controlled the fire with his Water Might—making sure the flames didn't spread or grow too strong.
Grak'Mar was collecting extra wood from Kael's backyard storage in case they needed the fire longer. Volgran quietly watched the process, ready to use his Flame Might again if the fire started to fade.
As they continued stirring, Liraen spoke.
"Kael… how do we know when this is done?"
Kael looked at the thickening sugar cane mixture.
"Hmmm… try lifting the wooden spoon, Ren. The book says if it forms a spider-web-like string, it's almost done. Also, the color should turn almost golden."
Kael said this while stirring the salt solution with his right hand, his left hand holding the book that he had placed on the ground.
Liraen had already noticed the color changing. The sugar cane liquid was slowly turning golden and becoming much thicker.
For the final test, Liraen lifted the wooden spoon.
The thick liquid slowly dripped down, stretching into thin strands like a spider web.
"I think it's done, Kael," Liraen said, showing him the thickened sugar cane.
"Alright! Move the pan away from the fire. It needs to cool down before it turns to something else, Ren."
"Yeah…" Liraen replied, carefully moving the pan away from the fire and placing it on the wooden table.
As they worked on the first two ingredients, Elvareth noticed what Kael and his friends were doing from inside the house. She approached Kael from behind slowly.
"Kael? What are you all doing?" Elvareth asked gently, her voice warm and curious.
Kael jumped slightly in surprise.
"Woah! Old elf, I didn't notice you there!"
He turned toward her.
"We're making an energy drink! I found the method in this book. Right now we're preparing the ingredients."
"Oh… alright," Elvareth said with a small smile. "Don't forget to eat dinner. I've prepared food for you at the table."
Then she walked back into the house she doesn't really talk much about it
"Alright… Weird…she is always a bit angry if I use her cooking tools…" Kael murmured to himself.
Then Kael snapped, noticing the salt solution neared completion, Kael turned to Reyvik.
"Reyv, can you give me the ice crystals? I want to cool down this salt solution."
"Alright." Reyvik handed Kael a few of them.
"Put them in that wooden container, Reyv."
Then Kael turned to Liraen.
"And Ren, can you pour the sugar cane syrup into that glass jar?"
Liraen nodded and poured the thick sugar cane liquid into the jar, while Kael placed the boiled water mixed with the various salts beside the Ice Might crystals to let it cool down.
The whole process had taken almost an hour, but they managed to finish just in time, before Elvareth could scold Kael.
Nylum then sprayed the fire with his Water Might, gently putting it out now that their work was done.
After a few minutes, both the hot salt-water mixture and the sugar cane syrup cooled down, the latter already settled in the jar.
"So… that's all for tonight!" Kael declared.
"Huh? That's all? I don't see any drink yet," Liraen said, confused. The others looked just as puzzled.
"Just for tonight, guys," Kael explained. "I split this energy drink making process into two nights so we don't spend all night making it. Also… yawn… I need to rest already. But I'll eat first."
"Don't worry. We already have the two main ingredients."
Kael held up the two jars. One contained the thick sugar cane syrup, the other a jar of honey, not yet sealed.
"And the electrolytes," he continued, showing them the cloudy water in the metal container, already dissolved with the seven types of salt.
"Can I taste that sugar cane, human?" Nibsken asked eagerly. "It looks sweet!"
Kael handed the glass jar to Nibsken.
Without any hesitation, Nibsken dipped a finger into the jar to scoop up the thick sugar cane syrup. Liraen did the same, though his hand barely fit into the jar. Both tasted it as Kael held the jar, watching them.
"So? Sweet, right?" Kael asked.
"Yoo! That's really sweet, human!" Nibsken jumped excitedly.
"Yup! That's sweeter than any fruit I've ever eaten," Liraen added, licking his finger.
"Great! That means it's ready. Now let me close these jars and the metal container."
Kael grabbed a wooden box, filled it with Ice Might crystals, and carefully placed the sealed glass jar and the metal container inside.
"Alright, guys! It's all done!" he said, closing the box and clapping his hands.
"Awoooo!" Reyvik howled.
"So… we will continue tomorrow night?" Liraen asked.
"Yeah. I also need to rest for my training tomorrow," Kael replied.
All his friends nodded, preparing to leave.
"See you tomorrow, human!" Nibsken waved before jumping into Volgran's hand, followed by Reyvik and Nylum sliding onto Volgran's shoulder platform.
"Remember our Satu training tomorrow, human," Grak'Mar reminded him. "We'll be training your physical strength."
"Alright, Grak'Mar!" Kael answered, still feeling the soreness in his muscles.
Liraen looked at Kael and added a reminder about the Bilah aspect of his training.
"Alright, Ren! I'll do my best tomorrow."
With that, all his friends left Kael's backyard. Without delay, Kael tidied up the mess he had made before Elvareth could scold him.
Kael entered his house, his face tired, and sat at the table to eat. Elvareth was still sewing his torn clothes on a nearby chair.
As he bit into the meat on his plate, he suddenly remembered an ingredient he had skipped buying at NoctaMarket.
"Hm…" Kael muttered, holding a piece of meat. "Yoo, old elf… is there any meat or bones in this house? I need it for my energy drink project."
"Bones?" Elvareth said thoughtfully. "Hmm… I think I stored a few in that wooden cabinet. But they've already been cleaned, so don't worry. As for meat… we're out of stock. Maybe I'll buy some more tomorrow."
"Alright! Thanks," Kael said.
She nodded silently.
Kael frowned. Hm… why isn't she talking much today?
"Hey, old elf… you alright?" Kael asked, still chewing.
"Hmm? Yeah, I'm fine, Kael," she replied.
He tilted his head, noticing her unusual mood.
"Yeah… she's clearly out of sorts."
"Nah… you're lying," Kael muttered to himself.
Sighing, Elvareth finally spoke, her voice sharp. "What do you want, human?"
"Nothing… I jus—wait…"
Kael's mind raced. "Wait… I met a female Moon Elf realm protector at the market earlier. Maybe Elvareth can smell her scent on me… And both of them are female… I need to take a bath after this."
Kael snapped his fingers, trying to cover up the awkward moment.
"Hohoho! Thank you, my beloved mother! I really enjoyed your meal. But I guess this time… I need to rest."
He then went straight to the bathroom and took a shower.
Unlike male elves, female elves were a bit sensitive when their belongings or things they cared about were touched by another female.
Kael understood this, which was why he immediately bathed before Elvareth could stay in a bad mood for the rest of tomorrow.
After finishing, he went upstairs without even glancing at her. He closed his door and lay down on his bed.
Little did he know, Elvareth smiled quietly. She could see that Kael cared about her feelings.
Kael settle down on his bed, he stared at the night sky through his glass roof and whispered to himself:
Sigh… I thought I was just training to become a Realm Protector… I thought I was training only to make myself stronger. Yet I realize there are still things about this world I don't know.
It's like climbing a mountain to reach the peak… and then, when I turn my gaze, I see a view I've never seen before….