Love can be as simple as a mother making a warm soup on a cold day.

~Cerridwen, Goddess of the Cauldron & Hearth

“So you did meet that man?” Mara grumbled.

Ara chuckled while handling the customers. Instead of answering, she pointed at a wooden crate in the corner. “That’s for you and the others.”

Mara walked over to it and took the top off, only to find several packages with their names. She opened the packet left for her and found it filled with undergarments. Seeing that, Nin grabbed hers and opened it, laughing delightedly. Song Lin did the same, curious because the other two styles were different. Inside, she found provocative garments for her but heavily accented her innocent appearance.

Suddenly, Song Xue’s package disappeared. The other three noticed it instantly but didn’t say anything. They knew Song Xue felt responsible for not detecting Madame Rouge following them. Since then, she’d been honing her skills. Others may think she vanished, but not the girls.

“This pervert,” Nin joked but loved her gift very much.

“He said to tell you he made all those himself. Used the technique he learned before going to that other place. I’m guessing you are my new boss. He taught me the basics of the technique, and I agreed to run this business for him.”

“You aren’t ascending?” Mara asked.

“I did for a while, but that kind of life isn’t for me. So I took up sewing and ran my boutique on the sixth floor. I heard about the farm you set up and even saw you a few times. That man of yours is interesting.”

“He… didn’t?” Song Lin asked shyly.

“Hah, no. Besides, men aren’t my thing,” Madam Ara said and winked at the blushing Song Lin with a laugh. “Don’t worry, I won’t eat you. I’ve got a lover I’m happy with.”

“You have a store on the sixth floor and run a stall here?”

“Yeah. Crow wanted me to set up shop in Rosdoe, but I won’t go to any big city like that. I don’t mind making the clothes and setting up shop here since it’s safe, but I’m sorry, I won’t go to any vile places with cultivators who feel entitled to touch my body.”

“That’s fine,” Mara said. “We were talking to Dara of Gealbhan Shipping. Would you be alright working with her if we can come to terms? She’d take care of supplying the clothes to other venues.”

“Oh, yeah, she’s been around a lot, always asking questions. I can set up a workshop to make the clothes, as long as you don’t force me to open a shop in any big city.”

“We won’t do that, and since Crow trusts you, we can even provide the funds to help you set up a shop and all the things you’d require. My only request is that it’s near a keystone so we can easily ship the goods.”

“Alright, I can work with that. But we should talk business during the day because this is a night market at the peak of its busiest hour. And… you should talk to the woman cooking next to me. I’ve got a feeling she’s been waiting for you.”

“For me?”

“Well, maybe not you, but I heard her mention Crow a few times.”

Nin sniffed the air and ran out of the shop, with the others following behind.

“What are you doing?” Mara asked Nin.

“You’ll see,” Nin said as she approached the stall next to them. It was larger and was a permanent structure, which was unusual. Nin went in through the back door without knocking.

Nadia didn’t even look up from her work, but her laughter shocked all of them. It was pure and clear and unlike the Nadia they knew. “I’ve wondered how long it’d take you to make your way over.”

“Are you really Nadia?” Nin asked bluntly and poked the woman’s cheek.

“I am.”

“What happened to you?”

“Crow gave me a few warnings before I left to find Kafe. He was right. Kafe never loved me and only saw me as some sort of trophy.” Nadia sighed, but in the next instant, her melancholic feelings were gone. “But now that I know, I’m good. No, I’m better than that. Whatever Kafe did to me harmed my Soul. Most of the damage was to my Spirit, but now that I have my answers, I’m recovering and feel better than ever.”

“But cooking?” Nin blurted out. “I never expected you to be a foody.”

“I decided to join you when you’ve all arrived if you’ll have me. But previously, my value has always been judged by what my body can offer. My natural strength is way higher than an average person’s, and I could be a front-line fighter, but I’d be selling my body once more. I wanted to contribute something more. I’ve created a new Scholarly Talent that others call Mana-Infused Culinary Arts. It’s mostly Culinary Arts mixed with Alchemy, and Song Lin deserves some of the credit.”

Nadia blew the hair from her face, and one of the hired assistants came into the back to grab the food for customers. They looked curiously at Mara and the others—surprised they were back here chatting with Nadia. All the time they’d been helping out, they never saw Nadia this friendly with others. None of them made a peep, afraid of interrupting. Instead, they grabbed the goods and took them out front.

“The infusion is medicinal herbs?” Song Lin asked out of curiosity. She grabbed a breaded piece of meat from the tray and gave it a sniff before tossing it into her mouth. Tears beaded her eyes as she moaned subconsciously. The sound caused the others to look at her suspiciously. “This is so amazing!”

Song Lin grabbed a handful and started devouring them before the other women could claim her treasures. Nin was so shocked at Song Lin’s uncharacteristic behavior that her mouth fell open in awe.

“You called me a foody? That’s your gourmand!” Nadia laughed, watching Song Lin turn into a devouring beast. “Slow down, Lin’er. Don’t choke. If I join you, you can eat all you want.

“Yes, mphm, join. Must join!” Song Lin mumbled while crumbs flew from her mouth. Mara and the others finally recovered and grabbed some of the food. Before long, the entire tray was gone. “That was awesome. How did you come up with this?”

Nadia shrugged and brought out a bottle of wine for them to drink. She still had to work, but dawn was approaching, so her shop was about to close. “I suppose it was because the recipes I bought used rare ingredients, so I started replacing them with the medicinal herbs you taught me about. Herbs are easier to get than some things in those recipes. After that, I spent a lot of time combining your alchemical methods with culinary processes until I created the infusions used you tasted. I’m still learning and only can work with lower-tier products. The meat in that pastry you ate was from a low-tier beast, and I usually use the herbs found in low-end potions. In time, I hope to create dishes that will help with cultivation and improving the state of the Body.”

The girls drank and talked until well after the sun rose. It was unanimously decided that Nadia would join them. Secretly, Song Lin was already thinking of ways to get Crow to take her as his wife. No way would she let Nadia escape her grasp now that she knew the seductive woman could cook. Song Lin was a die-hard fan of Mana-Infused food.

For the next few days, Mara and Nin were busy working out the logistics of their cooperation with Madam Ara and Daria. Song Lin spent most of her time helping Nadia in return for copious amounts of food. Even Nadia was stunned at how much the small girl could eat but didn’t mind it a bit. The two instantly became best friends.

Sadly, Crow didn’t know that his soft-spoken gourmand wife was sinisterly plotting an engagement with her new best friend. Song Lin was dreaming up ways, including the use of potions and pills, to have Crow press this woman down on the bed. And what would shock Crow the most was that Song Lin was planning on joining in to ensure her plan was a success. With Crow, she knew she couldn’t leave it up to fate.