Dear Lord Jackal Alexander,

I hope this letter finds you well, and that the Wolfkin Kingdom continues to thrive under your leadership.

I wanted to write and tell you that the knives you gave me have been invaluable. They've earned me respect here in Lumeria—people recognize Whisperwind steel, even if they think the kingdom is just a legend. I've been letting them believe my mother brought the knives from your kingdom, rather than explaining I went there myself. It's easier that way. Fewer questions.

I earned my Culinary Guild certification last week. The knives helped tremendously during the evaluation. Thank you again for your generosity.

She paused then, wondering if it would be a good idea to write the next sentence.

"The worst he could do is ignore my letter."

Marron tied up her hair in a ponytail and continued writing.

I think I made a mistake. While I explored a mimic dungeon, I discovered that my food cart is a Legendary Tool. It can be used to seal dungeons, and...I wanted to try and find another one. I dreamt of a copper pot that never boiled over, and was displayed in a restaurant window.

During my visit to Lumeria, I thought I found it. Like in my dream, it was sitting in a restaurant window, gleaming and beautiful. I was so certain it was special. The owner gave it to me willingly—said her grandmother had claimed it was magical.

But it's not.

It's just a pot. A beautiful, well-made copper pot from the eastern provinces. But it boils over. It doesn't control heat any better than regular cookware. It's... ordinary.

The sting of being wrong is sitting on the horizon like a storm cloud, and I know I'm going to have to admit I was mistaken. That I saw what I wanted to see instead of what was actually there.

But I'm not giving up just yet.

I've decided to test the pot properly for one week—use it for every dish I make, see if something changes or if I'm missing something.

I just wanted you to know that even when things don't work out the way I hoped, I'm still trying. Still learning. Still moving forward.

Thank you for believing in me enough to give me the knives. They remind me every day that I earned something real.

With gratitude,

Marron Louvel

She folded the letter carefully, sealed it with wax, and addressed it to the Wolfkin Kingdom. The next step was finding a post office that knew Whisperwind was a real place.

Marron tucked it into her satchel and hoped she could mail it within the week.

+

The Ingredient Market - Morning

Marron stood in the Lumerian Ingredient Market with a carefully planned list and a rapidly shrinking coin purse.

She'd done the math three times. Five savory dishes, five sweet dishes, enough ingredients to test the pot thoroughly for a full week. It would cost approximately eighty gold—more than she wanted to spend, but if this was going to be a real test, she needed to do it properly.

By the end of the week, she'd have roughly eight hundred and forty gold left. Still enough to live on, but uncomfortably close to her "emergency reserve" threshold.

Worth it, she told herself firmly. If this proves the pot is special, eighty gold is nothing. If it proves I'm wrong, then I'll know for certain and can move on.

She started with the savory ingredients:

Dish 1: Chicken Stock (the foundation)

Two whole chickens for breaking down Extra aromatics: onions, carrots, celery, fresh thyme, bay leaves Cost: 18 gold

Dish 2: French Onion Soup (something she knew intimately)

Six large sweet onions Butter, wine, stock (she'd make her own) Gruyere cheese, good bread Cost: 15 gold

Dish 3: Braised Short Ribs (something that needed long, patient cooking)

Three pounds of beef short ribs Red wine, tomatoes, herbs Root vegetables for braising Cost: 22 gold

Dish 4: Risotto (requiring constant attention and perfect heat)

Arborio rice White wine, butter, parmesan Mushrooms, shallots Cost: 12 gold

Dish 5: Seafood Stew (delicate proteins that couldn't be overcooked)

Mixed seafood: fish, shrimp, mussels Tomatoes, saffron, white wine Crusty bread for serving Cost: 25 gold

Savory total: 92 gold.

Marron winced. Already over budget, and she hadn't even started on the sweet dishes yet.

She adjusted. Smaller portions for the short ribs. Fewer types of seafood. She got it down to 78 gold.

Now for the sweets—ingredients she could also use in Maestra Vivienne's candy-making class on Thursday:

Sweet Dish 1: Caramel (testing heat control with sugar)

Sugar, cream, butter, vanilla, salt Cost: 8 gold

Sweet Dish 2: Custard (requiring gentle, even heat)

Eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla Cost: 6 gold

Sweet Dish 3: Rice Pudding (long, slow cooking)

Rice, milk, sugar, cinnamon Raisins, cream Cost: 7 gold

Sweet Dish 4: Chocolate Ganache (temperature-sensitive)

Good quality chocolate Heavy cream Cost: 15 gold

Sweet Dish 5: Fruit Preserves (testing if it prevents boil-over with high-sugar content)

Fresh berries (strawberries, raspberries) Sugar, lemon, pectin Cost: 12 gold

Sweet total: 48 gold.

Grand total: 126 gold.

Marron stared at her list, then at her coin purse.

She couldn't afford all of it, and had to choose.

974 gold left. Hopefully I can sell at least five of these dishes at the night market.

While it was a lot of gold, she already knew she was going to support different stall owners to sample their food. Marron sacrificed her daily sales to practice for the Lumerian certification exam, and at one point she was going to have to sell food again.

I don't want to feel like my back's against the wall and cook another batch of Aegis Chicken Rice, or just sell chewy Rose Meringues to get by.

She felt the culinary itch to invent something new deep inside.

Lucy burbled from her jar, forming a little encouraging shape.

"We're gonna be okay."

Marron smiled at the slime. "Yes, we will be. Now that we're in a city, there might be more options than just selling in the market."

Mokko nodded. "One thing at a time, chef. You don't want to spread yourself too thin."

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