Chapter 254: Dark Demon Sun?Moon (4k)
The two had been to the cafeteria together for the second time, the first being when they were making their “Fusion” cards.
Dark still remembered the meaningful smiles of the halfling chefs.
The food at Saint Maryan’s cafeteria was actually quite delicious; the half-elves’ cooking skills were no less than those of the restaurants on Traveler’s Street.
If one had to point out any flaw, it would be that the menu was fixed every day, leaving students with limited choices.
Dark glanced at today’s menu and suddenly had an idea.
He decided not to join the queue.
“Sophomore Pandora, come with me.”
Pandora followed Dark curiously toward the kitchen entrance.
The half-elves were always gentle and understanding.
After a brief conversation with one of the chefs, Dark gained access to a corner of the kitchen.
He rolled up his sleeves, ready to cook!
Though the status of chefs was low in the kingdom, nobles often engaged in cooking for various reasons.
Seeing Dark’s eager demeanor, Pandora was surprised.
“Do you need help?”
A kind half-elf chef approached.
Dark thought for a moment and did not refuse.
The half-elves had their own responsibilities, ensuring the kitchen ran smoothly.
Said as helping, but in reality, it was supervision.
To prevent overzealous students from burning down the kitchen—such accidents had happened before!
Feeling he could not let them struggle, Dark agreed.
With the half-elf chef’s assistance, he quickly prepared the ingredients and started frying ribs.
“Are you making rib soup?” the half-elf chef asked curiously.
Dark shook his head and smiled. “No.”
After their meal together in the cafeteria, he had learned Pandora liked meat, particularly sweet and savory flavors.
That day, he wanted to show off his cooking skills, but never got the chance.
Today was the perfect opportunity to make sweet and sour ribs for her.
Among the various sweet and sour Chinese dishes, sweet and sour ribs were relatively simple to prepare.
The requirements for ingredients were not high.
As long as there were pork ribs, vinegar, rock sugar, and some seasonings.
In the half-elves’ kitchen, almost anything one could think of was available.
Dark boiled water, added the ribs, and threw in some ginger slices and cooking wine to remove the fishiness.
He then took out the ribs, rinsed them, and fried them in hot oil with ginger and garlic until golden brown.
Next, he added oil and sugar to the pan, stirring over low heat to caramelize the sugar.
Once the rock sugar melted and the color deepened, he added the fried ribs and coated them evenly with the caramelized sugar.
Finally, he added water, brought it to a boil, and simmered over low heat, adding various seasonings along the way.
He then reduced the heat to thicken the sauce.
Sweet and sour ribs were ready!
Dark picked up a piece and bit into it, the tender texture spreading throughout his mouth. The perfect balance of sweetness and savory made the cells in his bones dance!
“Still sharp!”
He nodded in satisfaction.
Dark picked up another boneless piece and offered it to Pandora.
The steam from the kitchen reddened Pandora’s cheeks. She brushed her hair aside, slightly lowered her head, and opened her lips, biting into the meat.
The aroma of sweet and sour immediately stimulated her taste buds. The long-awaited moment finally arrived!
“Mmm!”
Pandora couldn’t help but chew faster, her cheeks turning even redder.
It was so delicious!
Whether it was the person or the meat.
…
After serving the ribs with a few side dishes and bread, the two enjoyed their meal in a corner of the cafeteria.
Eating sweet and sour ribs again after a long time, Dark felt a little regretful.
Without rice, the sweet and sour ribs seemed incomplete.
He couldn’t help but mutter, “I wonder where I can find some rice…”
Pandora: “Huh?”
Dark looked up and saw her cheeks puffed out, her lips smeared with oil, revealing a rare expression. His regret instantly dissipated.
He smiled, “Nothing.”
Perhaps the rice was waiting for him somewhere in this world.
If he could travel like Aunt Claire someday, maybe he would find it.
…
Only after finishing the large plate of sweet and sour ribs did Pandora have time to speak.
She reluctantly licked her lips and said regretfully, “That’s all.”
Dark: “We’ll make more next time.”
Pandora: “Okay!”
Dark asked curiously, “Sophomore Pandora, have you joined any clubs?”
Pandora wiped her lips with a napkin and casually replied, “Yes, but just nominally. After all, I have library work to do. Why? Are you considering joining a club?”
Dark: “Just curious.”
Pandora raised her eyes, “Let me think. I joined the Literature Club.”
Dark: “Literature Club?”
Pandora: “Don’t you think it’s fitting for a librarian to join the Literature Club?”
Dark: “Indeed.”
Pandora: “Come to think of it, I haven’t participated in any club activities in the past two years. I wonder if they’ve removed me from the list.”
She smiled as she said this, seemingly very satisfied with the Literature Club, which hadn’t bothered her.
Her schedule was already tight enough.
The time for club activities overlapped perfectly with her library work hours.
She chose the librarian job over club activities, so naturally, she gave up on the latter.
…
Dark talked a bit more and understood her situation, giving up on the idea of bringing her into a future club.
There was no need to forcibly change someone else’s life rhythm due to his own wishes.
He only had this thought because the school required a minimum number of members for clubs.
Any club needed at least five members within a month after approval.
The Magical Animal Club maintained its minimum membership of five until they all graduated.
Dark wasn’t in a rush.
This semester had just begun, and club formation was planned for next year.
Including himself, three members were already chosen.
Only two more were needed, which wouldn’t be a problem to find later.
Perhaps by then, no more would be needed.
…
Happy times were always limited.
After eating and drinking their fill, they chatted for another ten minutes before parting ways.
Pandora was actually very busy.
She arrived at school a week late and had a lot of coursework to catch up on.
Both yesterday and today, she squeezed time out of her busy schedule.
Fortunately, she not only had the company of her classmate but also enjoyed his cooking.
Today was satisfying!
…
After dropping Pandora off at the library, Dark turned back toward the tower of the Noble Academy.
He too was very busy.
Night had fallen, stars and the moon hung high, casting a silver-gray glow over the ancient castle.
Suddenly, a gap opened in the empty night sky, and a witch riding a pumpkin carriage entered through the barrier’s entrance, circling around the castle before stopping at the dragon training ground guided by mana.
Professor Shylph, the school’s vice principal, had been waiting at the dragon training ground for a while.
Her long, transparent golden hair seemed to blend into the wind at the ends.
But her stern face, despite her striking beauty, made her appear unapproachable.
However, as the pumpkin carriage descended, her expression softened, and the air around her seemed to thaw.
A tall lady dressed as a witch stepped out of the carriage, her movements graceful.
“Dear Medea, you’re finally here.”
Professor Shylph paused and greeted her.
Medea Bartholomew lifted her long legs, wrapped tightly in purple stockings, stepping onto the ground from the carriage.
She wore a black witch robe with a pointed hat, but the tight-cut dress perfectly accentuated her mature figure.
Her extraordinarily long eyelashes paired with pale purple eyeshadow gave her a seductive aura.
The thin purple veil covering her nose added a mysterious allure.
Despite being a witch, she looked more like a noble and elegant lady.
Medea, stepping onto the ground, casually flicked a star, illuminating the dim dragon training ground.
“Sarah Shylph, it’s been a long time.”
Medea smiled, lifting her witch robe’s skirt like a noble lady, stepping gracefully in crystal heels toward Professor Shylph.
They were clearly old acquaintances.
But their relationship might not be as warm as it appeared.
Professor Shylph sighed, “I never expected you to accept the principal’s invitation. I thought you would reject it without hesitation given your personality.”
Medea smiled, “Sometimes adding a bit of restraint can be interesting. I heard there are remarkable students in my class this year?”
Shylph shook her head, “Remarkable? Just a bunch of kids.”
A silver crescent moon reflected in Medea’s eyes, her smile growing, “Great people are born great; their destinies are predetermined.”
Professor Shylph helplessly said, “Stop with the fatalism. This is the Mana Academia.”
Medea: “But it wasn’t always like this.”
Professor Shylph remained noncommittal.
Medea: “Show me around the castle.”
Professor Shylph was surprised, “So late?”
Medea’s lips curled lazily, “Isn’t it common for witches to go out at night?”
Professor Shylph’s eyes twitched slightly.
But she controlled her emotions, “Follow me.”
…
“The night sky is truly beautiful tonight.”
Dark glanced at the night sky, then continued extracting “Pride.”
He had already extracted today’s “Pride,” totaling 10 points, and now it was time to make “Pride III.”
By now, Dark was proficient in making “Capital Sins” cards below level III.
Based on the method of refining emotion cards, making “Capital Sins” cards was relatively simple.
The likelihood of failure was very low.
What truly troubled him was the subsequent “Capital Sins IV” series.
No matter how he looked at it, the method of refining emotion cards could not support the refinement of “Capital Sins IV.”
But thinking about it now was futile.
He needed more knowledge to capture that spark of inspiration.
…
Before starting the refinement, Dark drank a glass of apple juice to stay alert and focused using the “Technique of the Shadow God.”
Finally, he successfully eliminated some hasty thoughts, becoming more cautious.
In fact, he could not afford to fail.
Ten points of “Pride” required seven full days to accumulate.
Failure would leave him in a terrible mood.
As soon as the golem spirits saw him start the experiment, they all quieted down.
The big milk jar brought the three playful cat grass plants to the balcony to watch the stars, preventing them from disturbing their owner at an inappropriate time.
Everything was ready.
Dark calmed his mind and began refining “Pride III.”
About an hour later.
The clock’s hands moved from 7:30 to 8:30, and a dark gold mana card, deeper in color than “Pride II,” finally took shape!
From this mana card, a strong aura emanated, undiminished by the cold winter night.
A slight touch dispelled the coolness of his fingers with a warm current.
“Pride” symbolizes the sun, the light that illuminates the earth.
This “Pride III” clearly had more of the sun’s essence than “Pride II”!
“Yes, this is my aura!”
The imp beast jumped up immediately.
It had been watching the experiment table for a long time.
No matter what, each experiment was unavoidable, at least to understand what was being experimented on.
“Bliss” affects its wing speed; only “Pride” is worthy of it as a capital sin!
The imp beast felt unusually excited.
Was it coming?
…
But Dark’s gaze swept over it and landed on the small Eevee curled up on the round cushion.
“Bliss III Moon” could evolve Eevee into a Moon Eevee.
“Bliss III” could evolve Eevee into an Eevee (Sun).
Then what about this “Pride III”?
“Should be an Eevee (Sun)?”
Dark had some confidence in his prediction.
But until he tried it, he couldn’t be sure.
He waved to Eevee, and the small Eevee, which had been watching intently, stood up!
