Chương 142: Chapter 140 - A Good Meal is Better When Shared

Eli chuckled as he rose, once again in beach attire, his sandals clacking against the wood of the deck as he picked up the cutting board with requested fruit and brought it over to Vael." Fancy seeing you here. Come here often?" Vael chuckled as he squeezed a stream of juice across a few choice items on the grill, a hissing sound rising as some of the fluid hit the coals below, a warm citrus scent filling the air. He grabbed a nearby platter and began pulling a few items off as he spoke." Honestly? Yes.

Probably a little more than you would imagine. New places are always rather exciting for me, but the choices nature has made in a world so starved for energy have been rather compelling." He gestured with an elbow, and Eli carried the platter over to a nearby wooden table where several smaller dishes had already been laid out. He paused for a moment at spotting the oddly familiar dishes before slowly setting down the tray of meat, careful not to spill the juices collecting in the bottom of the platter.

How the hell does Vael know how to make coleslaw… Eli only realized he had been staring when he heard a scoff coming from behind him." Surprised? You know I can read right. I learned my letters millenia ago, could you grab some drinks from the fridge? A couple of those ginger ales for me if you don't mind." He shrugged and headed inside, grabbing a couple beers and a couple ginger ales from Vivian's fridge, as Vael shouted through the open kitchen window."

I was able to grab a fairly close approximation of this place from the simulation space the System had created, some of the more distant details were a bit hazy, but I was able to find a small collection of literature although it appears your sister is not much of a reader." Eli snorted in amusement as he carried the drinks back out to the patio, " No, she's not." Vael smiled, reaching for one of the bottles as he shifted a long fish filet a little further from the heat.

Eli opened one and passed it over as he opened a beer and sat at the table, sliding onto the low wooden bench. Viv's patio was a little weatherbeaten, she was never one for appearances, but the absolute monster of a woodfire grill, a custom handmade piece produced by the woman herself, was immaculate.

His eyes drifted over the neat welds and the intricate designs etched into the surface, thinning the metal just enough to glow in the fading light under the heat of the flames, she always did take such pride in her work." There was not much available on the nature of your world. Mostly I think they were guides for operating machinery of some kind, although I did find a 'cookbook' and I just had to give it a try."

He pulled the last couple filets from the grill and swept over to the table depositing the final platter with a flourish. There was a clear theme to the meal as the various platters and trays contained over a dozen different types of seafood, grilled lobsters, seared scallops, three different types of crabs, a variety of shellfish, a veritable rainbow of different fileted fish and more.

The side dishes were just as varied, and as he counted the fifth type of grain, I mean who serves millet with seafood, Eli began to suspect Vael was just trying a little bit of everything. Vael grinned at the table like a kid in a candy store, " Please, help yourself, before it gets cold!" Eli shook his head as he began stacking a few plates with a variety of samples from across the buffet in front of them, " So it?" Vael hummed and glanced over, " Is what?"

Eli nodded towards his apron, " Is the secret ingredient love?" Vael snapped his fingers, and a thick book appeared in his hands, Eli chortled with laughter at the familiar face on the cover and the name ending in Deen. Vael gave him a deadpan look before grinning, " No. It's butter." Eli's laughter eventually settled into a quiet chuckle, as he took his first few bites, groaning with pleasure as he bit into a tender scallop, " This is amazing!"

He chewed slowly, savoring the unexpectedly complex flavor of some kind of fruit flavored reduction that had been used to glaze the meat, fig maybe?" Don't you think you made a little too much?" Vael shrugged, " Can't waste anything in this place, so why not? Dream meat is about ethically sourced as you can find, exactly zero animals were harmed in the making of this meal." Eli burst out in laughter again, " Where did you learn about that? I have a hard time believing Mrs. Deen went vegan."

Vael shrugged, " I found a few booklets in the bathroom, there were a few adverts for some artificial meat types that were frankly unappetizing, but it is an interesting concept. I don't think I've ever heard anyone on Caelwyn debate the morality of harvesting before, I imagine the System makes drawing the line between sentience and sapience far easier." If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

He took a bite of lobster and chewed for a moment before his eyes lit up, he leaned forward a sly grin spreading across his face, " Say now. I did also find some rather fascinating reading material under your sister's bed, although I suspect reading was not the primary use case…"" Ah, no, NO!" Eli held up both hands, " I'm gonna stop you right there, the less I know about my sister's porn collection the better… and don't play dumb with me!

You know damn well what it is, aren't gods supposed to be omniscient or something." Vael cackled with laughter, " Fine, fine. It was worth it alone just to see all those wonderful shades cross your face. I didn't know humans could turn that color?"" So what do you think of the squid? In the book it said they would turn out bland if not braised properly, so how did I do? I was unable to find this 'Mirin' ingredient in your sister's store but I thought of a good substitute…"

Eli pushed his plate away and sat back with a satisfied sigh, " I have to say Vael that was a real treat. Damn good for a first try, you should open a restaurant, although people are going to call you a heathen for pairing ginger ale with fish." Vael snickered as he sipped on his ginger ale with a shrug, " I wager if they spent a few millenia with nothing but wine and tea, maybe they would appreciate the finer points of a flavorful carbonated beverage."

The sun had set, the stars had emerged, and Eli savored the briny scent from the cool sea breeze mixing with the oaky hints of the fire smoke as he looked upwards at the full moon drifting across the sky. I never realized just how big the moon was before, the ring is cool and all but Luna has her charm. He glanced over at Vael across the table as the man also looked up at the stars above, " It's good to see you again Vael, thanks for this."

He turned and gave Eli a warm smile, " You're more than welcome, every journey can benefit from a small rest, and every traveler deserves a warm meal. It is my pleasure to provide." Eli leaned one arm on the table, " Well, as nice as this is, what's the occasion? I doubt you brought me here just for dinner?"" And if I did? Meals are better when shared after all." Eli just arched a brow in response. Vael laughed, " I really did just want to treat you to a break.

You've been working hard, my boy, and I thought you could use one. Besides…" He gestured to the ocean in the distance, the twinkling light of the stars above painting the waves below in an array of dancing, glittering light." While you are making great strides to find a place in Caelwyn, this world will still be your home, or at the very least your place of origin, and all parts of a journey are special, even the beginnings. It doesn't hurt that your world is oh so very interesting." He smiled, " In fact…

I know someone who would absolutely love it here." Eli laughed, " Really?" He nodded, " Oh, absolutely. Give her a world like this to study and I doubt I'd see her for a century. Take this little one for example…" He picked up a small clam from one of the platters." I was unable to find any direct literature on this specimen.

However, after I read the little I was able to find, and what I could deduce through examining its physiology, it appears that it feeds by filtering small bits of organic matter from the surrounding water." Vael gave the ridged shell a loving caress as he stared down at it, " The amount of energy released by digesting those bits is so small. Barely anything at all, but it is enough for this creature to not only live but thrive, I found hundreds of them out there."

He gestured out towards the ocean in the distance before turning back towards Eli, the excitement at his find clear on his face, " Nothing like this exists on Caelwyn. Not because there are no aquatic environments, there are a few, but because there is no need to scrimp and scrape for every mote of energy, there is more than enough to share. So they simply… don't exist." His eyes shone with excitement as he spoke, " The more I observe, the more I come to understand this place.

Your previous world is not defined by power, but rather by the lack of it. The level of resilience required to survive on so little, the sheer ambition to exploit even the smallest niche at all levels…"" Well." Vael gave Eli a wide grin, " That is the hallmark of your world." He sat back with a sigh as he gave Eli a considering look, " And you are so very much a child of this place."" You strive and struggle for everything, endlessly, without ever knowing why, simply because you think you must."

His face grew somber, " You carry it everywhere with you, an invisible yoke across your neck, a backpack you've worn for so long I'm not entirely sure you know it's there." Eli gave him a confused look, " What are you talking about?" Vael gave him a gentle smile, " The guilt. I don't know what for, I thought maybe for the plight of those poor unfortunate souls in Whittenburg, but I suspect maybe it's something a bit older, although I imagine the extra weight doesn't help."

Eli grimaced, but was silent, his thoughts slowly drifting towards memories of the distant past before skittering away like a scalded animal, retreating from the source of its pain and discomfort. Vael nodded, " You don't need to say anything. You don't need to talk about it if you don't want to."" Just know that I am here for you, whenever you need rest, a brief respite from your burden." He smirked at Eli, " And don't forget I gave you that mark for a reason, don't be such a stranger."" Rest well, my boy."

Vael leaned over and tapped Eli's nose with a " Boop", and everything went dark. As Eli's form disappeared from the space Vael sat back and took another sip of his beverage, the salt on the breeze bringing to mind thoughts of an old friend, one he had not spoken to in a while." It has been too long." He took a final sip from his drink, " She really would love this place." A gentle breeze whispered across the dunes, stirring the dying embers. The chair across the table sat empty.