"I'm a crab from the deep sea. When steamed in a salt kiln full of magic, it becomes moist and tender."
It was a dish made using the deep-sea magic salt and crab that Christina had requested among the food ingredients.
When she handed him a bento on the day she left the Light Lair, Christina subtly gave Xiaoming a sidelong glance, realizing his ulterior motive.
If natural ones weren't available,
it was clear that this clever hatchling had been planning to deceive Christina and help the Water Clan from the start.
'Really, how can such a young kid be so smart? Of course, his intentions were good, and he looks cute when he works hard.'
Christina thought to herself and smiled faintly.
Then, without a word, she placed the crab, which had been conveniently disassembled, on each of their plates.
While they had occasionally eaten fish and shrimp, the taste of the salt kiln crab was a pleasant surprise.
Heimi made a crunching sound as she picked the meat and, in between, finished off the crispy fried crab croquettes.
Perdikion skillfully dismantled the crab, showing off his deft hands as he picked out the meat.
"Rune, good job. Have some of this."
With his small fingers, Rune accepted the crab that Perdikion had prepared.
When he pulled out the claw, the moist and tender crab meat came out.
Taking a big bite, the sea scent and savory taste blended well, and the meat, retaining its moisture, melted in his mouth with a savory flavor.
'After all, the pearl can only be tasted after it has been purified.'
The more he ate, the deeper and cleaner the taste of the sea was conveyed.
Then, Christina suddenly spoke as if something had just occurred to her.
"By the way, I left all the ingredients you asked for in the kitchen except one. Thanks to the help of a Water Clan child, I managed to get some pretty good ones."
"Thanks. But what's missing?"
"The magic ink. It seems there isn't any in the Water Region Field."
"Yes. Normally, there should be many fierce and large monsters in the Water Lair. Just the size of a ship, there are Giant Krakens, Jellyfish, Giant Hydras, Sevil Shakers, Killer Horn Whales, and the sea butcher, Leviathan..."
Rune felt a twinge when he saw the monsters he had caught, but he didn't show it and nodded.
'Now that I think about it, that's right. Everyone was just asleep because of the curse, not dead. The Water Lair and nearby fields have all been purified, so where are the rest of them?'
There was definitely something going on. After all, there are no results without a cause.
'The only place we haven't been to is one. We should prepare just in case.'
He thought it was quite likely that the missing monsters were there.
Rune nodded after hearing all the monsters Christina mentioned.
"Yeah, I understand. I'll prepare just in case."
'I should use this opportunity to get Jedd to do some work.'
Despite the expected heavy workload, Jedd was rubbing the back of his neck due to an inexplicable chill, but Rune didn't care.
After finishing his meal, he moved to the kitchen with Heimi.
"Lord Rune, why did you come here?"
"There's something I want you to do for me."
Rune's gaze fell on a pile of pure white pearls stacked in one corner.
Not only that, but there were also yellow, gold-tinged pearls and pearls that were almost silver, all filled in bottles by color.
"Wow! They're so beautiful and white!"
Heimi's eyes sparkled as she gazed at the pearls in the glass bottles, entranced. Some of the pearls were as large as a fist.
'If natural ones aren't available, we can cultivate them. With the Water Clan's seal, management should be easier.'
Of course, it would be much more convenient to use a substitute that is easy to obtain and use.
'Pearls that contain life force should be a good substitute. If we can create the right environment, we can continuously obtain magic pearls. If that happens, we can make more dolls more easily.'
Even if it's hard to find a substitute, pearls are so versatile that he could always pass them to Jedd if needed.
Of course, if a normal person heard this, they would argue that it's easier to catch a boss monster than to obtain pearls that condense the life force of giant clams.
In a way, Rune had gained an unexpected benefit by saving the Amelia family.
'Anyway... some of them don't look very good.'
While they should be eating other animals or plankton in the sea, a few of the giant clams had become weak and deteriorated due to the change in their environment.
Checking each clam, Rune extended his hand toward the weak and dying ones.
The shells of the clams, receiving the power of the command, became unusually shiny.
'This should be enough for emergency measures.'
The revived clams were quite lively, moving actively.
Rune decided to ask Christina not to use the fresh giant clams for cooking.
Lying on the bed in his hatchling form, Rune only exhaled through his nose.
'How many days has it been now?'
When something is repeated, one eventually adapts.
Rune, who had been beaten up by Christina since dawn, had even developed a knack for quick recovery.
Although he was groaning on the bed, he was secretly feeling quite proud.
'At least better than when I was fidgeting in the cradle.'
Recently, Christina had been subtly hinting at delaying the dungeon exploration schedule whenever she saw Rune injured.
Of course, he had no intention of doing so.
Moreover, Christina's combat style was always varied, making it exciting to adapt to different environments and changes, which stimulated his competitive spirit.
Whenever Rune thought he could do something, Christina would invariably block him, making him frustrated, but when he felt exhausted, she would give him light hints to help him find a solution, making it quite enjoyable.
'Even if it's mentally tough, she does take care of my recovery.'
Thanks to this, he could be more daring in his attacks and experiment with various spells, which was quite fun.
He gave a light shout and got up from the bed, rotating his stiff arms to check his condition.
Then, instead of having lunch, he moved to the black room with a bento he had prepared in advance.
Although they usually ate together, it was a waste of time to do so now.
As the Dullahan approached to greet him, Rune gestured.
[Take a seat. Today, let's eat and do some other work.]
Rune took out an apple pie and placed it in the scent box artifact.
The savory pie and the sweet and tangy apple jam scent filled the air, and the Dullahan was deeply absorbed in the fragrance.
Lately, the Dullahan seemed to look forward to this time, showing more emotional changes.
While the Dullahan was absorbed in the scent of the apple pie, Rune opened his bento and began to supplement the black rose, the main body of Heimi, with magic stones and scales that could absorb his magic.
Then, he took out the pearls and scrolls from his subspace bag and laid them out.
The Dullahan, who had sufficiently absorbed the scent, stood neatly near Rune.
[Good timing. Help me with this.]
Rune handed him the mortar and pestle and a container of pearls.
[Hold it like this, put the pearls in, and grind them into a very fine powder.]
Although he didn't understand the purpose, the black knight began to fulfill his duty as a vassal without a word.
He settled down near Rune and held the mortar and pestle made from Christina's scales.
Then, he placed a pearl in the mortar and began to grind it, making a small clinking sound.
The pearls, ground with a steady clinking sound, were finely piled in a bowl.
Seeing the Dullahan start his work modestly, Rune laid out the ink pots and brush next to the unrolled parchment.
Lavender, chocolate, orange, black, and more.
He looked like a child about to play with paints.
Rune sprinkled the fine pearl powder that the Dullahan had ground over the paint.
The paint came to life, shimmering with a beautiful luster.
'At least this much of a reward is necessary.'
Rune dipped his brush deeply into the paint and began to draw letters and simple pictures on the parchment.
'This should be enough for a trial piece.'
The roughly drawn picture looked like something a 10-year-old child had drawn.
It didn't need to be an artistic masterpiece.
What mattered more was how well the caster's will and magic were embedded.
Rune held up the parchment with clouds and wind drawn in emerald paint.
As he chanted the incantation, a refreshing wind burst out of the parchment, messing up his hair and shaking the surrounding objects.
'Not bad for a first try?'
What Rune had made was a 'magic scroll'.
An artifact that stores magic in paper or leather by embedding magical symbols and letters, to be used when needed by chanting an incantation or tearing it.
Unlike the usual method, it boasted greater power because it contained pearls, magic stones imbued with life energy.
It was an experiment that would usually be too expensive to even consider.
'With this, not only I but others can use it too. There are many other ways to utilize it.'
Thinking back to how he had observed the talismans used by the sages in his past life, Rune began to draw more pictures.
'Anyway, Christina is worried about going to the <Cursed Dungeon>. Showing this to Christina and Perdikion might help them feel more at ease while they're away.'
He started to focus on making the scrolls with enthusiasm.
when he was satisfied with the finished product, Rune rolled up the scroll and tucked it under his arm.
Leaving a message for the Dullahan, Rune moved to the living room.
"Rune? You said you wouldn't eat today. What's with the paint on your cheek?"
Christina and the others were having a meal together.
Seeing tea and mini cakes on the table, it seemed to be dessert time.
[I have something to give you. Take this.]
Rune chose one of the scrolls he had brought and handed it to Christina.
Christina took the scroll with Rune's drawing and unfolded the parchment, her eyes widening.
A yellow dragon with spots and a round light were drawn.
The drawing was at the level of a child who had just started school.
'The pearls, which contain life force, make the effect clear. A scroll with this level of performance is rare.'
He was quite confident about his work.
He even wondered if he had revealed too much power.
However, Christina alternated between looking at the drawing and Rune, and her face twitched as if she was trying to suppress a laugh.
Christina couldn't continue speaking and trembled, holding the scroll to prevent it from crumpling.
'This is strange. Usually, she would say it's clever when I do something like this.'
It was a magic scroll with a drawing of Christina and Rai, and he thought it was a pretty good piece.
But her reaction was not what he expected.
Worried that something was wrong, Rune examined her face and became even more puzzled when he read her lips as she turned her head slightly and muttered.