Chapter 97: A New Experiment

With Ciaran now awake and her job complete Verdania decided to leave.

"I will be back in another three months kids, don't slack off. Now that your little science experiment is over, why don't you go explore the forest a bit? You could use the exercise and it will help you get accustomed to the new state of your body." She told them and teleported out.

Before she left she cast the illusion spell on the boy again, and he looked more or less the same. But Diana had seen him at his worst now, and the boy was scared to look her in the eyes.

"We better say goodbye to the Brigadier before we leave, or he will cry. And Rony, I have spent the vast majority of my life in the Capital. Most of the people around me know only politics. Anatomically they are human, but between you and me, I can tell you they all share a common ancestor, and it's a snake."

She said and sighed. She really hated being around those leaches.

"The reason I accepted your proposal was that I can trust you as my partner, be you a fish, a monkey, or something in between." She said with a serious expression.

He looked at her and then let out a sigh of his own.

"I proposed partnership, why did you have to go and attack me like that; it made things really awkward you know? Can't help it I guess, it's a curse being too good-looking." He said, urging himself a glare, and an explanation, that that was how soul deals were sealed.

The boy's ignorance never seemed to amaze her. He had all this knowledge of the natural world, but when it came to more nuanced topics or magic, he was as blank as her grandfather's face when someone told him 'Silver isn't a personality.'

They both agreed to drop the topic, happy to keep things simple. They went to the old man, who at this moment was running drills around his base.

"We are leaving Gramps, thanks for having us. All the stuff is ready for exportation. With this much every village on both borders and probably, all the bases of both countries will stay warm this winter." Ciaran said with a goofy smile.

If there was one thing he took pride in, it was his chemistry, and he just proved himself to not one but two nations. His head had gotten so big, his poor body barely supported it.

"Fine, but if you come up with more weird things come back here first. I will be sure to find funding for it. "The Brigadier said, with sadness in his voice, and the nepotism in his actions apparent.

At first, his soldiers didn't like the fact that the old man was showing such favoritism to the kid, a blood relative or not. But after their barracks had been fortified and they now had a warm bed to look forward to every time they slept, they now wished their commander found a way to keep the miracle worker with them longer.

"Send a word to my parents that I am doing fine, I am not allowed to contact them," Ciaran said and didn't elaborate further.

The old man cursed out but agreed. He didn't like the fact his grandson was going into the wild, but with his power, and more importantly with the Ranger by his side, as long as they didn't cross into the danger zone, they would be fine.

The two ran across the forests of the border for an hour before they stopped to eat and strategize.

"So, what's the plan now? How will you improve the efficiency of our mission now smart guy? As far as I remember you said you didn't want to play hunter with me." She said, pretending to be hurt by his words.

He looked at her and bit into his pork. Then pointed at a nearby mountain as he chew on the tough meat.

"We will hunt birds, or more precisely I will. Then we will make preserved food out of it. Preserved food could have its toughness lowered, so we can give it to regular people." He said and swallowed.

"We stockpile on Rank Two food here for three months, and make rations for the villagers from Rank Zero, and if I can manage it from Rank One as well. If I am really lucky, I might even find a way to make Rank Three food edible for myself as well." He said, as his partner deadpanned.

She was joking. He just had his body basically restructured, cut, and stitched back together, multiple times in the span of a whole day. And he was planning something outrageous again.

"No hunting for you. Not until your wounds heal." She ordered, and he knew there was no way to convince her otherwise.

"Fine, then you hunt while I heal, and bring them to me. I will cook us dinner, and begin my experiments with the preservation process."

She nodded and ran off. Less than fifteen minutes later she was back with two bears, both in Rank Two and one fox in Rank One. She didn't doubt his ability, but it was always better to be safe than sorry.

He used his Wind to cut them all into pieces. Even if he wanted to, and had a decent weapon to use, his body couldn't handle chopping up large creatures a whole rank above him.

When the meat was chopped into smaller, steak-sized pieces and separated into two groups. One was meant to be a stew, and the other was going to be smoked.

For the stew, he created a giant Ice cauldron and threw the meat in there. The Ice wouldn't melt, even tho the water in it was hot. The process would eventually help to break down the tough muscle fibers and connective tissue, resulting in more tender meat. Normally the water used was only lukewarm, but this meat was special after all, so the boy experimented with boiling hot water.

He made it boil but didn't allow the steam to leave the pot, instead, he made it turn back into the water, and boil once again. This process repeated multiple times per minute, but he only paid a partial amount of his attention.

He was busy drying the other part of the meat. He first used his wind to trim any excess fat and slice the meat into thin, even pieces. Then he used a local fruit as a marinade. He then surrounded the meat in steam, and slowly had it extract all of the moisture out of the meat.

He wanted to use fire, but without Ariadne by his side, he would be content with this method. After an hour of cooking, he was done.

They had dinner, and once again Diana was amazed at what her partner had created. By common knowledge what he did was impossible. But similarly, by common knowledge what he did was not only manageable but also applied to the lives of everyone, including mortals.

They couldn't use magic, and the process took a lot longer, but still, they could do the same if they were given the meat.

"What do you think? It should be edible by even normal children, and the meat retains its nutrition. Also if I am correct one of the Rank Two meals should keep a mortal adult fed for a while, probably at least a week. I will have to test that. But most importantly of all, I believe the taste is also at a decent level. It's not the best work, but it will suffice."

She looked at him and smiled. The boy played a scientist, but deep down he was an artist. He applied what he had learned in a book, and with just a smidge of creativity, he was able to achieve something that no one else had done before, and he didn't even realize it.

"Eat, after that, we need to go back to your grandfather. You just solved our food crisis you a stupid genius. I swear to God, the fact someone as clueless about you is so smart is driving me insane." She said with genuine frustration.

She liked her partner and admired his genius, but this was too much. He created miracles out of nothing but was more concerned with the taste of his dinner, than the hundreds of thousands if not even millions of lives his new recipe would save.

He just looked at her with disgust in his eyes. She even flinched a little. She had never experienced him looking down on anything like that, let alone having that look aimed at her.

"Ok I know you lived like an animal for a year or whatever, but no partner of mine will stay culinary illiterate. I swear to you Diana, I will not allow your simple mind, or your brutish pallet to hold you down." He said as he took her arms into his. With both of her arms restrained, she couldn't slap him, so the boy had to suffer a head butt instead.