Chapter 854: Dark Powder, Bright Future ( 854 )
"GYAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"
Javier roared with both arms raised triumphantly. His voice echoed through the entire warehouse.
"This!!! This is the power of MAGIC!!" he shouted, spinning on one heel. "From jungle fruit to powder, nectar, and fertilizer!! No drying! No roasting! No shelling! No fermentation!"
He jabbed a finger toward the still-whirring machine.
"I! AM! GEEEENIUUUSSS!!!"
Everyone stood frozen.
Liana quietly covered her face.
Gloria exhaled slowly, adjusted her glasses, and murmured, "Here we go again..."
A beat of silence.
Then the farmers slowly started to clap.
Hesitantly. Awkwardly. As if unsure whether they were praising a miracle of agriculture... or witnessing their young master completely lose his mind.
Javier didn’t care.
He stood tall, arms still outstretched, his hair slightly tousled, cheeks flushed from excitement, and that ever-persistent grin on his face. He looked like a mad inventor from a fantasy play, but one who had just reinvented chocolate itself.
The soft cascade of cocoa powder continued to flow into the steel ember tray. Its aroma was rich, slightly bitter, but deeply enticing. Even the most skeptical farmer began to lean in slightly.
"Smells... really good," one of them muttered.
Javier turned his head sharply, eyes gleaming.
"Of course it does! This isn’t just any cocoa powder! This is Armand-class."
Liana looked at the stream of white pulp in the second tray and dipped a finger in. She gave it a cautious lick.
"...It’s sweet," she said, surprised.
"Natural sugars in the pulp," Javier replied proudly. We’re going to turn this into liquor. Into wine. Juice. Ice cream. Syrup. Candied pulp. Everything we can think of!"
He turned dramatically on his heel, finger raised.
"I already have prototype bottle designs. Sleek curves. Transparent crystal glass. A golden seal with the Armand crest... It’ll look elegant on any noble table."
He paused, tapping his chin.
"Still working on a slogan though. Maybe something like... ’From Jungle to Jewel’? ...Hmm. Nah. Sounds too poetic. I’ll come up with something better."
Meanwhile, Gloria approached the third tray. She knelt slightly and brushed her fingers across the finely shredded, warm pulp residue. Its texture was surprisingly soft for something that looked like waste. She pinched a bit between her fingers and studied it.
"You’re serious about using this as fertilizer?"
Javier turned to her, chest puffed with pride. "Of course I am."
He strode over like a man unveiling a royal strategy.
"If we mix it with Pekko manure, enhance it with enchanted minerals from our mine, and compress it properly. Our fertilizer factory gets a new line of product."
Then he slowly turned his gaze toward both Liana and Gloria.
His eyes sparkled with mischief.
"And we earn more money."
His grin stretched wider.
"Kekeke..."
Once the process finished, the machine gave a final soft hiss before falling silent. The humming crystal panel dimmed, and the trays stopped filling.
Javier stepped forward.
"Heave-ho!" he muttered to himself, grabbing the first steel ember tray filled with cocoa powder and dragging it across the polished warehouse floor. The metal scraped faintly as he hauled it near a long wooden table at the side of the warehouse. One by one, he brought the trays over, the juicy pulp, the fine cocoa powder, and the warm shredded husk.
Then, with a sharp flick of his wrist, Javier raised his palm toward the massive machine behind him.
The entire machine shimmered once before vanishing instantly into his magic storage.
The farmers blinked again, still not used to their young master pulling full-sized machines in and out of thin air like he was unpacking groceries.
Javier rubbed his hands together, and made his way to the long table.
"Alright! Liana!" he called, pointing dramatically at the cocoa powder tray. "Scoop that up with this" he handed her a clean silver bowl, "and bring it here!"
Liana tilted her head slightly. "What for, Young Master?"
Javier raised both brows and leaned forward slightly, grinning.
"We’re going to make chocolate now~" he said, voice low and mischievous, rubbing his palms together.
"Ko...ko...late?" Liana blinked.
Javier stared at her for a second, then sighed.
"Yes. Chocolate." He waved a hand. "Just bring it over. You’ll learn how to make it too."
Liana gave a small smile and nodded. "Very well, Young Master."
She gracefully scooped up a portion of the cocoa powder with the silver bowl, and carried it to the table, while Gloria silently moved behind them.
Javier glanced at Fringal, who stood waiting nearby.
"Bring over our sugar, make it quick," Javier said.
"At once, Young Master." Fringal bowed his head and motioned to a few farmhands. Without delay, the workers rolled out a sturdy crate, its surface stamped with the Armand crest and the words White Gold burned elegantly into the wood.
The crate was heavy, packed to the brim with Armand’s famed refined sugar, coveted across kingdoms, yet priced low enough that even commoners could afford it without hesitation.
As the lid was pried open, the contents shimmered in the afternoon light.
Javier’s lips curled in satisfaction. "Perfect. Let’s begin."
Liana and Gloria stood nearby, quietly observing as their young master reached into his magic storage and began pulling out items with ease, one after another.
A bottle of coconut oil.
A small portable magic stove stone.
A black iron pan with silver-lined edges.
Three crystal-glass bowls of varying sizes.
A wooden spatula and a heat-resistant whisk.
Liana tilted her head. "Isn’t that oil for cooking?"
"Yes~" Javier answered cheerfully as he poured the coconut oil into the pan. The clear liquid shimmered faintly.
He placed the pan on the magic stove and channeled his mana through the core stone embedded beneath it. The stove flared to life with a soft hum, heating the pan evenly without flame.
"Since this world, ah, I mean, since everyone uses it for cooking," Javier continued, "it became the standard. Healthy, rich in good fats, no strange smell and way more affordable for everyone."
He gave the oil a few gentle swirls with the spatula, watching it melt and heat smoothly.
"And more importantly, it blends perfectly with cocoa when melted. That’s the secret~" he added with a wink.
Gloria adjusted her glasses as she observed the process. "You’ve done this before."
Javier grinned. "Of course. When I was... younger. Ahem. I experimented with all kinds of sweets. This is a refined version."
( End Of Chapter )