Vine cookies

Cicely was busy repairing her leaky treehouse. Savi arrived with her dinner, standing by and advising her, "I told you this silver-striped tree wasn't suitable for a treehouse. Better change it before the rainy season hits."

Cicely didn't want to move. She applied fish glue to the leaky areas, only to find, regrettably, her house was as leaky as a sieve, and she had only a little fish glue, something several sprites had helped her accumulate by fishing. Compared to the number of leaks in her house, it was like trying to extinguish a forest fire with a bucket of water.

Cicely sat on the ground, reaching to open the food box Savi brought from the Dragon Flame Restaurant. For the convenience of transportation, the soup and dumplings were packed separately. Savi relayed Ina's instruction to Cicely, "Mix them together before eating."

Cicely poured the soup into the dumplings proficiently, spooning a whole dumpling into her mouth along with the soup. The soup was delicious, and the dumplings were filled with tender meat, diced mushrooms, and corn kernels, quite tasty. As she ate, Cicely remarked, "Never before have I been so thankful for a restaurant in the forest. This dreadful roof has utterly drained me."

As Savi helped inspect the leaking areas, he casually mentioned, "I saw that you made a lot of vine cookies. You could eat those, just toast them over the fire. The restaurant is quite a walk away."

Vine cookies were also a creation of the sprites in Silverleaf Forest, made from a type of edible vine. The vine bore beautiful purple fruits that were too sour to eat. However, the core under the dark green skin was edible. After being dried and ground into powder, it was a similar ingredient to flour. The cookies, made with some mugwort and basil leaves, were one of the sprites' staple foods. Just a few small pieces could fill their stomachs, providing sufficient energy for their activities in the forest. Although the vine cookies had a refreshing taste, even Cicely, who didn't prioritize gastronomical delights, was getting a bit fed up with them.

"To be honest, I find the vine cookies a bit dry, and somewhat bitter if not eaten with maple sugar tea."

Having finished her meat dumplings, Cicely picked up the fruit yogurt mix.

The fruit wasn't rare, but the yogurt was uncommon in the forest. With the milk from animals scarcely enough to feed their own young, the sprites certainly wouldn't covet the hardworking mothers. They rarely consumed dairy products, but Cicely, having tasted the fruit yogurt mix, found it a wonderful combination.

Savi brought Cicely another piece of news, "The restaurant now not only accepts the raw materials for vine cookies but also needs maple syrup. The restaurant owner asked me for the recipe for vine cookies, saying she wants to sell them to humans. She's a wealthy merchant who owns many restaurants."

Cicely was thrilled. If even vine flour was acceptable, she wouldn't need to worry about what to use in exchange for dinner. She had been preoccupied with repairing her house, with no time to search for ripened cool fruits that hadn't fallen or happened upon a blue eagle needing her help. What delighted her more was that the boss was a wealthy woman, "This means she'll stay longer in Silverleaf Forest and we won't have to worry about her going bankrupt."

Savi nonchalantly replied, "We can only hope the high priest discovers the human-run restaurant in the forest a little later."

Cicely seemed concerned, "It's just a restaurant run by humans, after all. The high priest leads a secluded life, so I doubt anyone would bother him with this matter." The sprites were somewhat wary of humans but wouldn't indiscriminately treat all humans as villains. Moreover, their interaction with Ina was limited to food exchange.

Unlike the others, the high priest of the elves had suffered greatly at the hands of humans in the past, fostering an intense disdain for the entire race.

Stepping out of Cicely's treehouse, Savi found the world outside shrouded in a darkness so thick he could barely make out the foliage a few yards away, despite it not being sunset yet. Lifting his gaze to the sky, now heavy with clouds, he noticed the wind picking up, causing leaves to rustle ominously. Birds were skimming low over the forest, their calls drowned out by the encroaching storm. The moon wolf pups huddled closely at the base of a tree, whimpering with trepidation.

"Cicely," Savi solemnly, "I regret to inform you, a severe storm is on its way."

---

The storm struck overnight, with tempestuous rain and streaks of deep purple lightning slashing through the inky black clouds. At the same time, the elven village was invaded by another type of serpentine creature.

A group of massive water serpents slithered into the village under the cloak of the stormy night. Each serpent, as thick as a grown man's embrace and longer than six meters, moved with an eerie silence, their faint sounds swallowed by the thunderous rain and roaring thunder.

Not all beasts were in harmony with the elves. Among them were clever moon wolves that entrusted their pups to the elves, and water serpents who, driven solely by predatory instinct, saw elves as nothing more than tender-skinned prey.

In the ensuing battle, three elves were lightly injured. The stormy night was not a suitable time for combat, as the weak lamplight couldn't pierce the murk, and torches were either doused by rain or blown out by the wind. The elves, though not entirely blind in such darkness, were clearly at a disadvantage against the night-sighted water serpents.

Fortunately, the elves were still favored by the gods, and blessed with significant individual strength, unity, and mutual trust. They managed to expel the invading serpents before dawn.

Not all the injured elves were wounded in the battle, though. Cicely and Cosu, for example, had just had some unfortunate accidents.

"Why are you all huddled around me as if I've been gravely wounded?" Cicely asked, her fractured arm already bandaged. She still appeared spirited but was surprised to find herself the subject of curious and puzzled gazes from the other elves. It was as if she'd suddenly sprouted a horn from her head.

Savi was the first to question her. "We know that you had to move in with Cosu to avoid the rain, but why did you drink her soup?"

Cicely replied awkwardly, "I know Cosu's cooking skills are not the best, but she did invite me to taste it..."

"Not the best?" the surrounding elves burst into chatter. "If those plants knew they were going to end up in Cosu's pot, they'd rather be pecked as seeds by birds."

"How can that be called cooking? It's more like brewing potions."

"Taste? I think the word 'consume' would be more appropriate."

"Why do you all talk about her this way? She didn't invite any of you to eat. And besides, after the initial weird taste, I found the soup quite palatable."

The conversation halted abruptly, and the elves looked at Cicely with sympathy.

"The poison in the soup must have numbed your tongue after the first sip."

"Cosu's cooking might not have the properties of medicine, but it occasionally possesses toxicity."

Cicely froze, every bit of last night's oddness now explained. "So that's why I was drowsy last night and fell from the tree — I was poisoned!"

However, Cicely couldn't confront Cosu yet, as she herself had consumed a soup with a dosage far exceeding her own tolerance and was still in a stupor.

Last night, Ina also encountered a water serpent. Amidst the roaring rain, she heard the sound of a serpentine creature slithering around a tree trunk and caught a glimpse of massive yellow eyes, as large as lanterns, peeking through her window.

She considered for a moment, thinking that such a large serpent would probably not have tender meat. She then released a hint of her aura, followed by a dull thump as the colossal creature fell to the ground. The serpent hastily runs away.

As the morning light broke, Ina pushed open the door of her treehouse to find large swaths of grass flattened, and the trunks of trees still glistening with the remnants of the serpents' slimy trails.

The water serpents, as abruptly as they arrived, had retreated like a receding tide.

Today was not a good day for business. Following the storm, rivulets trickled down tree trunks and crisscrossed the forest floor. The soil was now damp and slippery, the bushes and leaves washed to a vibrant, dew-laden green. A lack of caution could trigger an unexpected downpour.

Ina doubted that the elves wouldn't visit the restaurant in such weather. The journey, though short, was likely to leave even the nimble elves muddied and disheveled. On days without the Dragon Flame restaurant, they fared well, foraging food from the forest, crafting bows and armor, and never reliant on others.

Yet, they came.

Savi, cloaked in silver marten skin, moved through the rain-freshened foliage to reach the restaurant's door. With a slight shake, droplets cascaded off his cloak, leaving it as dry as before.

Behind him, there was no cluster of moon wolf pups. If he'd brought them along, they would soon transform into six mud-caked pups, it's the arduous task of bathing them. This time, Savi had only one companion. They want to get food for the weakened and poisoned Cicely and Cosu. Cicely, with an injured arm, and Cosu, who was banned from cooking until she could recite all the inedible, poisonous plants in the forest. Savi thought it best to get some preserved food to give the unfortunate duo some comfort during their recuperation.

Upon hearing Savi's explanation, Ina filled the largest self-heating lunch box with food for the two injured elves.

Recalling the water serpents from the night before, Savi wondered if Ina had been affected. Taking the initiative, he asked, "The rain was quite heavy last night, Miss Ina. Did you sleep well?"

Ina replied nonchalantly, "Indeed, I slept very well. I barely heard the rain."

After Savi and his companion left with the lunch boxes brimming with food, Atelika looked at Ina, perplexed, blinking her wide eyes. "But you didn't sleep last night."

Ina, preparing to knead some green vine powder brought by Savi into the dough, glanced at the surprised young tree caretaker, stating indifferently, "That's not important." If she had responded that the rain had kept her awake or that she didn't need sleep at all, a series of questions might have ensued. But a simple "I slept well" could end it all.

Atelika gasped, her little face serious. "That was a clear lie, yet you seem happy and relaxed. Now I see why Alfred always says humans are dangerous. you guys deceive us just like this."

Ina pinched Atelika's chubby cheek, leaving two white fingerprints of flour on her face. "That's why I told you not to rely too much on your treekeeper's ability."

Atelika nodded vigorously. "I'll remember that, in case I ever need to use this experience."