"Is this... The rice we grew?!"
Uvogin witnessed this scene firsthand, especially the moment he watched the wheat grow from planting to maturity.
A sense of exhilaration welled up within him that was even more intense!
This feeling was truly too satisfying!
"..."
Machi still didn't say much, but the faint curve of her lips and the slight brightness in her eyes were enough to reveal her inner emotions at this moment.
"Okay, one last step."
Luke tossed each of them a small sickle, one of the included planting kits.
"After harvesting the glutinous rice, simply place it into the chimney of the machine."
At this point, Luke didn't need any further instructions.
Uvogin had already crossed his arms, energetically stepping back into the field.
Machi followed closely behind.
Looking at those golden ears of wheat, their throats instinctively gulped.
They could almost smell the sweet fragrance of the wheat.
Their already hungry stomachs were now even emptier after two hours of toil and waiting.
Seeing the fruits of their labor, they could no longer resist and rushed forward, brandishing their sickles.
Click! Click! Click!
For a moment, the only sound in the room was the relentless slicing of wheat.
Soon, piles of wheat began to pile up before Luke.
"Put this wheat in the machine. It will automatically hull it, then steam it until cooked, and finally it will become sticky rice cakes..."
Luke shoved the wheat into the top of the chimney of the machine, then pulled the lever as the device began to shake.
And then...
When Uvogin and Machi had harvested all the wheat and climbed out of the field…
"This is..."
They watched as the machine swung, and a square, sticky rice cake, fragrant with the aroma of glutinous rice, emerged from the bottom opening!
It carried a faint wisp of steam, instantly sweeping away the fatigue felt by Uvogin and Machi.
They stared intently at the freshly baked sticky cake, and then...
Tick-tick.
One after another, steaming, freshly baked cakes emerged from the opening at the bottom of the machine.
"Hmm..."
Luke casually picked up a sticky rice cake that popped out of the machine and popped it into his mouth.
The fragrant aroma of glutinous rice, mixed with the sticky, chewy texture...
"Delicious..."
He savored it, nodded at Uvogin and Machi, and commented with a smile.
Uvogin: "..."
Machi: "..."
Bang!
The two tossed their sickles aside and charged forward like hungry tigers pouncing on their prey.
Crack, crack, crackle!
Uvogin grabbed three sticky rice cakes with one hand and stuffed them directly into his mouth.
He chewed them with a crunching sound, the sticky fragrance rushing from his mouth straight to his nose and brain!
"Delicious..."
He mumbled the words and continued stuffing his mouth with sticky rice cakes.
If it weren't for the sticky texture and the tendency to get stuck in his mouth, Uvogin would have eaten them all.
Even so, every sticky rice cake that popped out, he would swallow one almost immediately.
Although Machi's eating style wasn't as wild as Uvogin's, her little cheeks puffed out adorably as she stuffed herself.
"This is even better than the church's sticky rice cakes."
Those were the second words Machi had spoken since meeting Luke.
"Of course it tastes different when you make it yourself."
Luke smiled while casually picking up a piece of sticky rice cake and putting it in his mouth.
It tasted good, but unfortunately, it was a bit dry. Something to drink would have made it perfect.
Uvogin and Machi didn't say anything, just focused on eating the sticky rice cake.
Luke also watched the numbers ticking on the Mochi-Maker.
The top column was constantly increasing, while the bottom column was fixed at 219.
This meant that the wheat they had harvested so far could produce 219 sticky rice cakes.
Originally, it should have been 259, but because Uvogin and Machi were unfamiliar with the process, some of the wheat hadn't grown properly.
But over 200 was enough, just enough to divide into three portions, 73 each.
But it was obvious…
Luke glanced at Uvogin, who was still gorging himself on the sticky rice cake.
The big, stupid guy had no intention of sharing the food that was right in front of him with the others.
But it didn't matter.
The delicious food was still to come.
Finally, when all two hundred or so sticky rice cakes were made and quickly devoured by Uvogin...
"Burp!"
Though he wasn't feeling particularly full, Uvogin still burped politely.
"So good!"
Uvogin leaned back contentedly, wanting to grab a stick to pick his teeth.
But after glancing at the empty house, he gave up.
Machi, standing by, wiped the sticky rice cake residue from her face and fixed her small eyes on Luke.
People, only after a full stomach, can think deeply.
For example, who was this person before them, and why had he gone out of his way to entertain them?
And then there was this so-called invention, Mochi-Maker, that had suddenly appeared out of nowhere, along with all its accompanying props.
All of it made one's mind churn with questions.
Machi could see that, despite his carefree demeanor, Uvogin was also quite thoughtful.
He didn't have Machi's habit of remaining silent.
Instead, he spoke directly.