Cherry ribs

Today, Ina witnessed a rain of molten lava.

Unlike the rumbling boulders that plummeted from the sky, the lava rain was calm. Fiery red droplets fell with searing heat, burning holes into the ashen earth below.

Long before the droplets left the clouds, the villagers had already predicted this fiery downpour. Dragons could deflect boulders, but they struggled against the pervasive rain of molten droplets. Each drop was lethal to the villagers. If it landed on a house, it would burn through the roof; if it hit the fields, the growing wheat would instantly perish.

It was then that Ina truly witnessed the marvels of magical machinery in the remaining relics of the Old Gods. Within an unassuming tower-like structure in the village, a villager swiftly opened a square iron box. From within, he took out a fist-sized, circular magic crystal and slotted it into a groove on a complex machine.

A movable plate clamped the crystal securely. After confirming its position, the villager pressed another button beside it.

The machine remained open, leaving the magic crystal exposed. Ina observed deep blue magical energy flowing out of the crystal, coursing through the intricate patterns etched onto the machine. The energy flowed swiftly, illuminating the entire machine with a soft blue glow. The light flickered for a moment before stabilizing.

A light blue protective shield emerged, emanating from the tower and extending outward. Its edges precisely covered the walls of the Village.

Shortly after the shield was activated, the molten droplets began to fall in rapid succession. Upon contact with the shield, they rolled off just like real raindrops, accumulating outside the village walls.

A realization dawned on Ina. No wonder the walls of Gama Village showed no signs of construction joints; they appeared as if carved from a single massive rock. It was the accumulated lava raindrops over the ages, solidifying at the shield's edge that formed them.

She had wondered why the villagers went through the trouble of building a seemingly unnecessary wall, especially when their only foe, the demon vines, couldn't be held back by such a minor barrier.

The lava rain didn't last long. Gazing into the distance, the ground was spotted with tiny black dots. The molten droplets quickly solidified into black rocks. Someone informed Ina that, in a few days, this black hue would gradually fade to grey. The grey land she saw was the hardened crust formed by previous lava rains.

"No wonder there's not a blade of grass in sight."

Once the protective shield was deactivated, there wasn't much of the magic crystal left; each piece had to be used judiciously. The villagers emerged from their homes, holding branches of the demon vine that had been processed.

The dark green skin had been peeled off. This outer skin, which was fire-resistant and produced no ash, was an excellent fuel source. The inner core was a milky hue. The villagers braided these cores together, forming long intertwined ropes. These "braids" were then hung on the outer walls, which were still warm from the lava rain. Soon, the walls of Village looked like they were cloaked in knitted sweaters.

The inner core of the demon vine needed to be dried before it could be ground into powder. There was no sun here, and the heat emitted from the thick clouds was limited. However, after each lava rain, the outer walls, warmed by the molten droplets that slid off the protective shield, were ideal for drying the ghost vine.

Once thoroughly dried, the inner core of the ghost vine would be ground into a fine powder. This task was strenuous for humans and beast folk without tools like a stone mill. But dragons could do it quickly. Some dragons, due to their pride, declined such tasks, but some were more accommodating, like the silver dragon Claire and the red dragon Telyssa visiting today.

Their only condition was that they wouldn't be made to look like donkeys going round and round some millstone. In between guarding the fields, they were happy to help out, considering it a good exercise.

Humans selected a suitable boulder as a pestle and dragged over another naturally formed rock with a vast indentation to serve as a mortar. Red dragon Telyssa was now grinding the core of the demon vine. In her human form, she was a ravishing beauty with flowing red hair. Her dragon form was even more captivating, robust with fierce bone spurs lining her wings, and deep red scales layered over her powerful frame. Between these scales, occasional glimpses of crimson light flashed, reminiscent of the embers in a charcoal fire.

Ina stood by with a large silver box at her feet. She looked up at Telyssa, "If there were enough magic crystals, wouldn't you be free from guarding the fields? In case of a lava rain, you could simply activate the protective shield."

Telyssa, sensing Ina's intention, lowered her gaze to meet hers, "True. Do you have magic crystals?"

Ina opened the lid of the silver box, revealing a full box of uniformly-sized magic crystals with golden patterns.

The type of magic crystal Ina brought looked slightly different from what Telyssa had seen before, noted by the faint gold enveloping the crystal. But as long as it emitted magic, it served the purpose. Knowing Ina's resources were limited, Telyssa inquired, "Are you looking to exchange these magic crystals for gold with us?"

Ina shook her head firmly, "No, I want the ghost vine powder."

Even the reticent silver dragon Claire couldn't help but speak up, "You like to eat that?" The incredulity in his voice was palpable.

Ina couldn't find the words to explain, so she gritted her teeth and admitted, "Yes!"

She picked up one of the magic crystals with a golden pattern, "One demon vine for one magic crystal. If processing it is too much trouble for you, you can give me the fresh vines, and I'll handle it. And, remember to return the empty magic crystals once they're drained of magic."

Telyssa and Claire exchanged glances. Considering the frequency of stone rains and lava rains, one magic crystal could last about a day and a half. To catch a demon vine, including the time for searching and going back and forth, it wouldn't take half a day. It sounded like a great deal.

Even if there was nothing else to do, they would much rather laze in their gold-laden lairs than pound demon vines and fend off stone showers.

"No more work!" Ina could see the gleeful expression in the dragon's eyes.

Telyssa suddenly remarked, "Being able to exchange demon vines for magic crystals, Luciano will definitely thank you. His stash of gold probably only suffices for dining out."

"Is Luciano poor?" Ina asked, puzzled.

Instead of answering, Telyssa counter-questioned, "Do you know why Luciano is the only young dragon born in the last few centuries?"

Ina chuckled at the thought. Luciano was already massive, yet the elders still referred to him as a young dragon. It was a well-known fact that dragons had low reproduction rates. However, Telyssa was looking for a different answer.

"Is it because the environment here is too harsh, and you don't want the young dragons to suffer?"

"It's not really that," Telyssa replied, mischief sparkling in her eyes. "Here, young dragons can't collect treasures on their own. They have to request a portion from the elders. The day Luciano hatched, his father wailed all night on Dragon Island."

In the end, the deal to exchange magic crystals for ghost vine was struck. Telyssa and Claire didn't have ready demon vine powder to give Ina. Demon vine powder was the dragons' communal property. They directly handed the fresh demon vines to human or beast folk villages. After processing, mixed with flour or other ingredients, it would be returned to the dragons as freshly baked Moonlight Cookies.

So, Claire and the others had to leave and borrow a magic crystal from Ina in advance.

Ina assisted in delivering the magic crystal to the watchtower. It wasn't rare for wealthy dragons to use magic crystals as a replacement for working. It's just that Telyssa and Claire didn't usually opt for this.

The person guarding the watchtower took the magic crystal. The golden glow on it made him curious, so he held it in his hand and turned it over to inspect it.

"After the magic power is exhausted, I'll come back for it." Ina reminded him not to throw away the magic crystal once its power had been used up.

————

Telyssa and Claire returned to Dragon Island early.

The dragons they encountered were surprised, "Didn't you guys run out of magic crystals? Why are you back so soon? Who's watching over the fields for you?"

Telyssa replied with a casual tone, "I exchanged a demon vine for a magic crystal. Good deal, right?"

A dragon immediately stopped in front of her, "Who's making this unprofitable deal? I want in."

"Do you know the new black dragon, Ina? If you go to her restaurant with gold, you can get fresh food, and you can also exchange demon vines for magic crystals. But I think she has a limited supply of ingredients and magic crystals. Who knows when this exchange will end."

The dragon immediately took off, "Where is this restaurant?"

Telyssa shouted, "Behind the mountain opposite the Gamma village~"

As the dragon flew to his lair to fetch some gold, he thought, demon vines can be exchanged for magic crystals, meaning he wouldn't have to work. Gold could be used to buy delicious food, so he wouldn't have to worry about meals. Not having to work and still getting good food, what could be better?

————

Ina had just pressed a large bowl of cherry juice. Luciano came over and looked at the filtered pulp set aside, eyeing Ina's actions. He murmured, "You're going to throw this away?"

After Luciano had a crispy potato cake, he went out for a stroll but returned soon after. He sat at the entrance of the cave, waiting for Ina, honestly admitting he was hungry again.

Because Luciano kept staring at her, or more precisely, at the food she was preparing, Ina gave him a few strands of cherries. After tasting them, Luciano was amazed. Now seeing Ina about to throw away the leftover pulp from the cherry juice, his eyes widened in disbelief.

The dried cherry pulp isn't that tasty. Ina hadn't planned on throwing it away. She thought that perhaps she could take these residues to Gamma village to feed the chickens. Pushing away Luciano's nosy head, she said, "For the sake of your tender heart, turn your head away. I'm going to pour it out now."

"Don't," Luciano said sorrowfully, gazing at the half basin of cherry pulp, his fingers gripping tightly around the edge of the basin. "I'll eat it."

Ina snatched the basin back, "It doesn't taste good."

Luciano pulled it back, insisting, "It's delicious."

Unable to argue further with Luciano, Ina fetched a clean spoon and scooped some for Luciano to taste. "It really isn't good, it's dry."

Luciano swallowed the cherry pulp, pitifully remarking, "It's much better than moonlight biscuits."

Ina sighed, her heart softening. If it were any other dragon, hearing that this was leftover from juicing, even if they thought it was delicious, they wouldn't ask for it. But Luciano, having never experienced the world outside the ancient ruins and being young, was accustomed to acting spoilt. Ina really had no way to refuse him.

She poured a few spoons of cherry juice back into the basin of cherry pulp, internally musing that this might be called "reverting to the original recipe."

"Let go," she said, "I'll make it tastier for you."

Luciano obediently released his grip.

Ina poured a generous amount of sugar into the basin, followed by a splash of milk. What was once simply a basin of cherry pulp had transformed into a delightful pink mixture she named: Cherry Pulp Sweet Milk. She stirred it and handed it to Luciano, "Try this now."

Luciano took a sip and grinned ear to ear, "It's even better now."

Ina averted her gaze, relieved to have distracted the ever-bothersome young dragon.

She had juiced so many cherries not just for drinking but also to make cherry ribs. In addition to the usual seasonings for the ribs, she added fresh cherry juice to the mix.

While the ribs stewed on one side, Ina was busy preparing a new sauce on the other. Since the dish was fruit-flavored, she added lemon juice and apple puree to the sauce. Once the sauce was ready, it could be combined with the stewed ribs in a pot to thicken, or it could be coated over the ribs and baked in the oven.

The first was drenched in a juicy sauce, tender and fragrantly sweet, while the latter was roasted to perfection, its skin slightly charred, with the sauce seeping deep within, offering a distinct flavor.

Considering the voracious appetites of dragons, Ina prepared both varieties.

Luciano waited eagerly on the side, anticipating the delectable cherry ribs. Just then, Ahti and a few other dragons suddenly appeared. Ina greeted them with a smile, "You've arrived just in time."

Luciano froze, pointing at the table nearly overflowing with ribs, "Weren't all these made for me?"

His aunt Telyssa cast him a sidelong glance, "What were you thinking, silly boy? We had already reserved these."

Luciano, dismayed, exclaimed, "Oh no!"