90 - Family dinner

  Nexha took a deep breath, still chuckling at Krahs’ reaction, and clapped his hands excitedly.

  — Alright! Time to cook!

  He looked at the flour spread over the stone and scratched his chin. He had never done anything like this before. Normally, he just roasted or grilled meat and fish, but this… this was new.

  — Hm… where do I start?

  His tail swayed from side to side as he thought. He could try mixing the flour with water to make a dough, but then what? How would he cook it?

  — A stone pot shouldn’t be too hard to make. After all, I’ve practiced sculpting a lot.

  He took a large piece of basalt left over from shaping the millstone and started crafting the pot. Once it was ready, he washed it and put a handful of flour inside.

  Then, he added some water, stirring with two bamboo sticks—after all, making chopsticks was much easier than making spoons or forks for now—until he formed a slightly sticky dough.

  — Okay, I think this is good. I hope it’s not too salty from the seawater… Maybe I should make a desalinator later to separate the salt from the water. Yeah, that’s a project for the future.

  As he thought about more things to build, the dough was slowly taking shape. To his surprise, the mixture came together with ease.

  — This could be interesting… Maybe the rice in this world has some unique properties, or maybe I should have cooked more things with rice before to know if this was normal.

  He wanted to go beyond just a simple dough, so he shaped the mixture into small flat cakes and decided to fry them. He took a smooth stone, heated it over the fire, and poured a bit of fish oil before placing the cakes on top.

  The dough began to sizzle immediately, releasing a unique aroma into the air. The toasted scent blended with the salty ocean breeze and the strong smell of the oil.

  — This… smells really good.

  He flipped the cakes with his improvised chopsticks and watched the edges turn golden. The scent intensified, and his stomach growled loudly.

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  — Hehe, I think I made something really good!

  Once the cakes were done, he took them off the stone and blew on them before taking a bite.

  The flavor exploded in his mouth.

  A light crunch on the outside, a soft and slightly sticky interior, the salty touch from the seawater.

  — This is amazing!

  Nexha was so surprised that he ate the first cake in seconds. He grabbed another and took a bite, still in awe.

  — Heh… I’m a genius, even in cooking!

  Excited, he started making more cakes. Since he had successfully fried them, maybe he could try something else. He emptied the stone pot and filled it with water and raw rice that he decided not to grind.

  As the water started bubbling, the sweet aroma of the rice became more noticeable.

  — Okay, now I just have to wait.

  Sitting on the edge of the platform, he watched the rice cook and felt a strange pang in his chest.

  He glanced at the bamboo basket he had borrowed from Nalu and sighed.

  — She would love this… Not just her, if Lilay comes here, all the rice I harvested today will be gone…

  But it still felt strange to cook something new without anyone around to give their opinions or complain that he was doing everything in a weird and unconventional way. He could almost imagine her face, saying he was wasting too many materials or that the mill looked like a strange monster.

  — Hah… Zhaelor would just be a suck-up… I miss them. I hope they come back soon.

  He poked the rice with his chopsticks, watching how the texture changed as it cooked.

  Before he could think any further, the sound of footsteps caught his attention. He turned and saw Krahs approaching.

  The shark looked at the pot and then at Nexha.

  — You're still messing with that… thing?

  Nexha held back a laugh.

  — Yes, Dad. I'm cooking.

  Krahs frowned, clearly suspicious.

  — This… smells like normal food.

  — Because it is normal food.

  Krahs glanced at the pot again and, after a long sigh, sat down next to his son.

  — Hm. So, what did you make?

  Nexha grabbed a fried cake and held it out to Krahs with a mischievous smile.

  — Want to try?

  The shark’s expression was pure distrust.

  — Are you sure this is safe?

  — Hehe, Dad, it loses all its effect when cooked or ground.

  Krahs narrowed his eyes but didn’t refute Nexha’s lie. He hesitantly picked up the cake and took a small bite. Nexha barely held in his laughter as his father’s expression subtly changed.

  — Hm.

  Silence.

  Krahs chewed a little more, looked at the cake in his hand, then at Nexha.

  — …It’s good.

  Nexha’s heart swelled with pride.

  — See? I told you!

  Krahs finished the cake without another word and glanced at the pot.

  — And those?

  — They’re still cooking. Want to wait and try them?

  The shark shrugged.

  — If it loses its effect when cooked, I guess I can risk it.

  This time, Nexha had to use all his strength to hold back his laughter.

  And so, father and son waited together for the rice to finish cooking, while Nexha, deep down, felt a little less alone that morning.

  After all, the smell had attracted the rest of his family, and soon they were all gathered together, enjoying rice, fried cakes, and fish for dinner.