Preparing the food was much more fun than I was expecting. I never really saw cooking as something more than just making food, but I started to get a real appreciation for the craft. They explained how much care they could put into a dish and how the crops and the meat would work together, enhancing each other's flavors. That was something that I heard about before. From both people in my life who were proficient in cooking and some of the old shows that Pops used to like, but I don't think I ever truly understood what that meant. Hell, I still wasn't entirely sure, but at the very least now it sounded more realistic.
In the end, I was able to give a proper buff to the amount of Energy they would provide. And just like the System had told me, this wouldn't affect the amount of particles that could be generated. Basically, my {Energy Extraction} allowed me to use part of the Energy spent on the cooking process to create small storage areas inside the food that could then be used by whoever consumed the meal. According to the System, the reality was somewhat more complicated than that. Something to do with the subatomic particles wasted some Energy when they were converting from one thing to the next and the skill was just helping that conversion to work a bit more seamlessly. But my version of the explanation felt a bit more neat in my mind. It was easier to explain to someone else if I needed to.
More than that, the food that I made gave a few different buffs. One dish, which I only helped put in the oven or the small furnace that was being used as an oven, gave a minor benefit to eyesight for some time. The stew with meat, potatoes and steamed veggies made anyone who ate it handle changes in the temperature better. Meaning that it would take longer for them to get cold or hot during the day. And the last one was a dish that I made pretty much from scratch. Some noodles with marinara sauce. This one gave a buff that would increase people's body and mind by one.
The number didn't seem to be that big, but it was considerable. Especially since anyone who ate would receive the benefit. It didn't matter if they were tier two or tier one. If, when we were about to attack the Eater's nest, I was able to create something that gave a more significant buff. Maybe five points or, who knows, even ten, the end result could be a massive increase in our army's power. However, hoping for something like that was probably too much. I barely had thirty points in my attributes in total. Increasing people's attributes by ten with just a meal sounded like something that would take a very powerful skill or a very high level, and I wasn't entirely sure I would be able to do that.
And on a different note, I couldn't really understand why the buffs were behaving like this. In my mind, they really didn't make that much sense. Not entirely, at least. Sure, some people said that carrots were good for your eyes, but a carrot cake? I couldn't see the cake or the sugar on it being helpful in that. And yes, maybe stew could help with temperature since it was a warm meal. But so was any other meal that was cooked. And it wasn't as if stew by itself was eaten only during the cold. As a matter of fact, the fact that it had meat on it made it more likely to have something to do with increasing attributes. Since we were consuming an actual animal. And the pasta giving a blanket buff related to all attributes, to body and mind, I couldn't really understand why that was happening with this specific meal.
'Sys, can you help me figure this out? Why are these buffs happening like this?'
[System is unable to assist user Cassandra in uncovering this information at the moment. There is not enough data for System to come up with a conclusion. User will be required to either make more dishes with similar ingredients in order to understand the minute differences that the various aspects of cooking can create, or user will be required to acquire a specific skill that explains said differences.]
I nodded but didn't say anything else as we finished the meal. The four Rodenti who were working with me were all happy with the results. And so was I. Especially since this was the first time I was making food for so many people. Everything was massive. The pots, the amount of firewood being used to boil everything, even the utensils here were made to be enough for a battalion. Which, in a sense, that was the case.
Once we were ready, the kitchen staff quickly started to set up a few different plates, and I helped them. Imagining that this would be for someone important. But once they were done, and I turned to them, asking, "So, who should we take these to?"
The staff just turned towards me with confused expressions. "Us. This, our plate."
They were really taking the best parts. The juicier parts of the meat that was in the soup and the stew, the parts of the sauce that had the most tomatoes, and the noodles that were holding their shape the best. They also pointed to a few other dishes that were around and said, "For friends."
My time with Rex made me understand that they were not specifically talking about friends in general but their own personal friends. We continued, and I set aside a couple more dishes for my companions since we could also let our friends have their meal too.
Once we were done, we headed to the main building where everybody else was waiting. The mood there was already happy and excited. There were dozens of Rodenti drinking and offering beverages to my companions, who all seemed to be enjoying themselves. But as we walked inside, there were cheers, and they all let us sit where we wanted. Only after all the kitchen staff was seated and had given out the plates that we were carrying did the other Rodenti get up and start heading back to the kitchen. It was clear that here they would eat and serve themselves, and that's why it was so important that we made our own plates before them.
We spent time exchanging stories, talking about what happened with the witch, the Rodenti updated the people we rescued about the latest happenings in the village. Halfway through this initial part of the party, the System gave me a notification.
[User's subclass has leveled up. Cook has reached level 2. One extra point in Mind acquired.]
'Why did I just level up? I wasn't really doing anything cooking related.'
[User might have not been actively cooking during the level up, however user's buffs were being distributed at an increased rate. This also allows user's subclass to increase its proficiency. As a reminder, subclasses behave differently than main classes. They do not require an increase in particles to level up. Instead, they require a deeper understanding of the class. Having this many people consume food made by user in such close proximity gave enough information for System to perform the level up.]
'Is there any information that could help me somehow?'
[The information received is not something that would help user directly. Instead, it will help System to better control and understand the behaviors of particles related to subclass.]
'Well, I'm not going to complain about that one. Thanks.'
Just as I finished that conversation, Rico stepped up to the center of the building and raised a glass of the unique blend of wine that they were making here. I honestly was surprised by how tasty it was. Especially considering that they didn't have any knowledge about fermentation before they had started. This was a big conversation that Riley was having with a couple of the Rodenti who were responsible for the wine making process here.
"Family. The feast now is for one thing. To celebrate family return. But more! We all thank the humans! Without them, less friends. Less family. They prove not all human bad! Some are good. Some are friend!"
There were loud cheers as the speech was apparently over and the party continued.
Eventually, I decided to ask about one of the things that we came here to do. "Rex, did you get a chance to talk to them about helping your family?"
My Rodenti companion shook his head. "Not yet. It's party. Ask later."
I nodded, realizing that maybe I was a bit too eager to think about that kind of thing, and we continued to enjoy ourselves.
When things started to die down, some of the Rodenti just got up and left. Not even saying anything when doing so. And that seemed to be the norm for them. They didn't have to worry about some norms of being polite and making sure to say their goodbyes once they were about to leave. I found that both odd and refreshing at the same time. Not that saying bye to people when I was leaving a party ever felt like a hassle, especially considering that in the Hidden Horn village there were not that many people. But it was interesting to see the difference in culture between us.
At the end of our meal, we were also guided towards the house where my friends and I would be able to spend the night. The Rodenti didn't really use beds in a regular sense. Or at least not as we were used to. Instead, they had bedding. Almost like small nests for people to sleep inside. It was quite comfortable, even though without the Belt of Frost I would feel it was a bit too scratchy for my taste. Still, we were all happy with the results of this small detour, if we could even call it that.
But I also wanted to ask one thing of my companions. "Did anyone else manage to level up their subclass already?"
"Already? As in you got it?" Michael asked.
"Yeah. I got the level up during dinner. Apparently, making a feast for a crowd like that helped my System understand how the buffs behaved on different people. That seemed to be enough to level me up, but I don't think I can count on that to happen again. It felt very much like a onetime thing, you know?"
Michael and Astrid nodded, but it was Riley who spoke next. "I got my second level a few days ago. But I didn't get any skills."
"Did you get any attribute points?" I asked, just trying to confirm if that was the standard or if what happened to me was not something I should expect.
But as soon as the words came out of my mouth, I realized that it was probably a stupid question. Riley didn't know more about the System than I did. Not to mention that we had no way of confirming if getting extra attribute points was going to be a standard thing or not until we were deeper into the levels.
"I did. One in mind," Riley replied. It was funny to think that a cook and botanist would have similar upgrades. Then again, it did made sense.
"Maybe that's why I'm not getting levels as quickly," Michael frowned. "I've been only doing arrows for the most part. That could be the reason why I haven't leveled up even though I keep making a bunch of arrows anytime we have some moment to rest."
"That could be the reason," Riley nodded. "But it could also be because you keep doing the same arrows over and over again. I mean, instead of trying to come up with something different, you keep creating the same handful of variations, right?"
"Yeah," Michael sighed and started staring at his arrows with a serious expression.
Right after that, Rex walked into the house with a massive smile.
"Friend! Rex talk with chief. They want help! Rex can bring them to home. Just need some help."
"Of course they do," I sighed. It felt that every time we went somewhere, we ended up doing favors for someone else.
"No. No. Easy help. They need food. We make mushrooms!" Rex turned to Riley.
"If it's just that, then maybe we can work. They do have an underground river passing by, and there are places that could work as greenhouses," the witch said.
I nodded, and it seemed like, this time we wouldn't have to stay for too long before continuing with our mission.
#### Author's Note ####
At least is not another fetch quest
Sorry for the delay on this one.