"It's already deep into the night. I think we should sleep first."

Rant Valo suggested to them. He yawned as he stood there. Walking for so long was very tiring.

"Sleep? Aren't you already a cultivator, Disciple?"

Floriana Sabina looked at him oddly. Cultivators are meant to have a strong body and long-lasting endurance compared to mortals. It was odd for him to be sleepy right now.

"Really? I'm feeling very sleepy though."

"It must be because your body is still not used to being a cultivator. It thinks that you need sleep right now when you actually don't need any."

Floriana Sabina theorized the reason for Rant Valo's sleepiness. After all, Rant Valo's strength grew very fast. It was basically unthinkable to even grow in strength that fast.

"I guess?"

Rant Valo nodded his head at her theory. It makes some sense to him so he thinks that it should not be too far from the truth.

"So do you still want to sleep?"

Floriana Sabina eyed Rant Valo.

"I'll try to stay awake. *yawn*"

Rant Valo yawned as he followed Floriana Sabina as they went looking for water sources to wash the yellowberries with. They talked about some senseless things while walking until they found a lake just before dawn.

"Quite a big lake. Just perfect."

Rant Valo stopped being sleepy after walking for a few hours. Now he was quite energetic in fact. It was unlike what he was feeling last night.

Rant Valo walked over to the lakeside. He carefully placed the stalks and stalks of yellowberries into the water. He shook them in the water and carefully scrubbed their surfaces. He inspected them a few times and washed some he missed before placing them all on top of the rectangular woven rattan.

"What do you do now, Disciple?"

Floriana Sabina watched as Rant Valo walked over to the side and sat down beside the rectangular woven rattan.

"We could do two things with it. We either flatten them or just dry them the way they are right now."

Rant Valo explained to them. There are different ways to prepare a fruit before drying it. Some are done to speed up the process, some to make the dried fruit last longer, over all you have different options depending on your purposes.

"Flatten them? Why?"

Veia asked curiously. Even she herself couldn't wrap her head around that reasoning. It sounds like an unnecessary step to her.

"Yes. If we flatten them, they will dry faster as the skin of the fruit is broken and the water contents of the fruit will evaporate much faster."

Rant Valo explained patiently. Given that they were not like him who had experience in drying fruits.

"Where did you even learn all of this stuff, Disciple?"

Floriana Sabina tilted her head. Rant Valo was just a villager yet he seems to be very knowledgeable in this subject.

"Well, my father was a failed scholar. It was something he learned while studying in a faraway city."

When Rant Valo was still not avoided like a plague in the village, his father used to teach him many basic life skills. This included the preservation of fruits. His father grew up as a farmer and coupled with what he learned when he was still studying to be a scholar, he became really knowledgeable on what happens when drying fruits.

"I thought you were as clueless about the world as the average farmer, but it seems I was wrong about you, Disciple."

Floriana Sabina had genuine praise for Rant Valo. She was already impressed that he was very good at spear fishing and cooking fishes. Now she was even more impressed.

"Hehehe, It's nothing."

Rant Valo became embarrassed at her praise. It was rare for her to do something like that. She only does it when he advances in cultivation. So having her do it for a life skill he knows is just satisfying.

"Master, you did great!"

Veia couldn't really make sense of what was happening but seeing that Rant Valo seemed pleased to be praised, she joined in. She couldn't have it that only she did not praise her master. She was her master's slave after all.

"Thanks, Veia."

Rant Valo smiled back at Veia. Being praised was really nice. It felt like all of the time he was alone in the village was worth it.

"Now, what will you do, Disciple? Will you flatten them or not?"

Floriana Sabina asked as she placed her hands on her knees and looked down at Rant Valo. Her beautiful and silky long hair draped down her head and swayed with the wind. Rant Valo couldn't help but do a double-take when he saw that.

It was like Rant Valo was looking at a different person. She even seemed mesmerizing at that moment.

"Disciple?"

Floriana Sabina tilted her head when she saw Rant Valo staring at her blankly.

"Ah, yes. I'll flatten them since we're out here and don't have much time to dry the fruits."

Rant Valo quickly shook his head to remove the unnecessary thoughts in his mind. His heart was beating quickly for some reason he couldn't comprehend.

"I can dry them with my flames, right?"

Floriana Sabina thought out loud. Her flames are very hot and could essentially speed up the drying process.

"Y-yes. We could do that."

Rant Valo didn't know why he stuttered but he acted like nothing just happened.

"Alright! I'll dry them for you, Disciple."

Floriana Sabina pumped herself up. Having some use for her magic techniques is really fun. It makes all of that hardwork she put into cultivation worth it.

"Wait, I'll arrange them first."

Rant Valo removed the yellowberries from the stems and lined them up neatly in the rectangular woven rattan. After a short while, he finished lining them all up but there were still quite a lot of yellowberries that didn't fit so he gave them to Veia who held them in her arms.

"Done. You can dry them now. .....But don't burn them, Master Floriana."

Rant Valo's words were about to end there but he had flashbacks of her burnt cooking so he couldn't help but remind her for good measure.