Adrien was also making progress, albeit much slower. He was able to levitate the rocks in front of him for a minute or two before losing concentration. His biggest issue was the lack of patience. He wanted magic to happen quickly, which often led to explosive results due to overabundance of mana he possessed.
Leliana also came to practice, although she was focusing fully on trying to imbue plants with her mana. She could do it, but the amount she imbued was too small to be of any help for anything more than a tiny seed. Understanding mana as a whole was difficult for her.
But the biggest progress came from the little kitsune. Mango for the first time ever managed to conjure her own little motes of snow. They were just tiny snowflakes that melted almost instantly in the summer heat. But they were definitely there. It had left the little fox tired, so Melina gave her an extra helping of feyfruit that evening.
Monday passed by in busy preparation for the bakery opening. Melina was going to prepare a few chocolate shimmercakes to display in the bakery the next morning. She also modified her shimmertart recipe, creating a separate tart which she called a jelly tart. Instead of using shimmerglaze, she poured glassberry liquid with gelatin in it over the tart, thus creating a thin layer of jelly once it was cooled.
These two new additions created quite the stir on Tuesday morning. Everyone wanted to try the new cake, despite the exorbitant price Melina had placed on it. She deliberately priced it 30 silver coins—nearly the price of a new outfit. Melina did this for multiple reasons.
First, the cake did take a lot of time to make, so she had to take that into consideration. Second, cakes on their own were a luxury product in Sunglow and Melina was the only one who sold them fresh. Third, she didn't want people to fight over them. This would limit the cake for wealthier customers.
Unfortunately, Melina had severely underestimated how much people wanted to try her chocolate shimmercake. The moment they saw the three cakes available to display, they began calling dibs on it, without even knowing the price. Even once she told the price, it hardly deterred anyone.
"I'm going to make a line for the chocolate shimmercake. I currently can't manage to make more than a few each day, so you'll have to reserve one in advance," Melina said, trying to pacify her rowdy customers.
"I want one!" An eager lady called.
"Two for me Melina! I'll pay extra," Erina called.
Then a lot of people began offering extra just to get the cake sooner. Melina just had to wonder whether she had some strong attraction to that cake. She wished she had a skill to examine her own creations. Without Gilbert, she could only guess the true extent of effects she imbued on her pastries.
"Extra payment won't be accepted. Please wait for your turn," Melina said firmly.
There was a wave of some disappointed sighs, while others sighed in relief, likely happy that they wouldn't have to pay even more money for the cake. In the end, many signed up to have a chocolate shimmercake of their own, while those who couldn't quite afford it asked if there perhaps was a cheaper alternative.
Melina had chocolate shimmercake and regular chocolate-cherry cake reserved two weeks in advance. The three regulars that managed to secure one of the first three chocolate shimmercakes looked incredibly proud while others regarded them with envious glances. She couldn't believe how much people wanted to buy it. The price had barely been a deterrent.
"I don't know how we are going to manage all those cake orders…" Adrien exclaimed, showing the long list of reserved cakes.
"At this rate we could easily switch to selling only cakes," Roxie noted.
"I don't think I can handle that kind of pressure…" Melina said. Each cake was a piece of art. It wasn't something she could mass-produce, not even with her skills and magic.
"Maybe people will calm down once they had a taste of the cake. After all, it's not something one could afford often. 30 silver is a lot," Roxie said with a shudder.
"Yeah. I'm so glad that I work here, otherwise I could never get a taste," Adrien exhaled in relief.
"Alright, let's clean the place up. We'll have to retrieve a shipment of Monster Realm ingredients in the afternoon," Melina said, while mentally trying to figure out just how many cakes she could manage in one morning without sacrificing other pastries. She felt like she was already pushing the limit.
As she was cleaning the glass of the counters and knocking resounded on the door, and the familiar face of Milo peeked through the window. She went to let him in and greeted the young carpenter with a smile. "Hello, Milo!"
"Melina! I have finally finished it," he said excitedly with a spark in his eyes. "I'm sorry it took so long. There were many orders, but I kept tinkering with the glittershale bark, trying to assess its properties and how to best apply it. I also wanted to save a bit of money to buy an actual mana crystal so I could—"
Melina raised her hand, interrupting the excited man. "Slow down. I'm not sure what you're talking about."
"The cold cabinet you wanted. I have made a proper magitect refrigerator!" He said, throwing his hands up in the air in excitement.
"You made a magitech refrigerator? No way!" Adrien came up to the, having heard the whole conversation.
"Yes way! Just come look!" Milo pointed excitedly at the cart that stood near the bakery.
They all went outside, even Roxie following after them curiously. Mango appeared very excited about the supposed refrigerator, running circles around the cart and trying to jump into it.
"Be patient, Mango!" Melina chastized, picking up the fox.
"She must be sensing the cold!" Milo cheered and pulled off the cardboard and blanket that he used to cover the refrigerator with.
They all stared at it. It was the shape of a closet with three separate doors, each section a different size. But the most surprising thing was the color—irisdescent black of the glittershale shone in the sun, making the refrigerator looked like it was made from gemstones. On top of that, there was a mana crystal embedded at the top.
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"Wow, what is that even made of?" Adrien gasped.
"It looks like black opal," Roxie added.
"Glittershale bark. Amazing materials, even if it is a pain to work with. Combining the separate bark pieces together was the most challenging part. Took me about two weeks to figure that one out. But I did. The whole refrigerator is thoroughly sealed so the heat wouldn't get inside and the cold—outside," Milo bragged and opened the doors. The inside lit up the moment he did and they all saw that inside was lined with metal.
"I didn't know you used metal in your creations," Melina admiringly looked at the insides. She wanted to reach out her hand to test for the cold, but Milo shook his head.
"I picked up some things from the blacksmith that worked next door in Pertia. After all, you need to know how to work with metals to make magitech. But this one isn't strictly finished just yet," he said, awkwardly scratching his head.
"I knew it! No way can someone create a magitech refrigerator just like that!" Adrien said.
Milo gave the boy a stink-eye, but didn't reply, instead turning to Melina. "The mana crystal I purchased was near empty. It's enough to light these inner lights, but not enough to properly cool it."
Melina smiled. "Not a problem."
She reached out to the mana crystal on top and poured her mana into it. She focused on it being ice mana, so it would match the device's needs. Surprisingly enough, Mango jumped on the fridge and pressed her paw on the crystal, pouring her own mana inside.
Melina quickly had to pull the fox back before she overwhelmed it. Just like Adrien, she had an abundance of mana. The crystal shone briughtly in response and Melina could feel cold air coming out of the refrigerator. Adrien stuck his hand inside disbelief and Roxie followed him.
"It really is cold!" She exclaimed.
"YES!" Milo jumped up and ran up to his creation, touching the inner walls. "It works!"
"Amazing! How did you do it?" Melina asked. "I thought complicated magitech like that was very complex."
"Normally, yes. I'm nowhere near level to create an actual magitech refrigerator. However, I don't have to be, thanks to the glittershale bark. All I had to do was link the mana crystal with it and make sure that all of the bark was connected and it would provide the necessary cooling effect."
"That's wonderful!" Roxie cheered.
"Yes! We'll finally have a proper place where to keep and chill our dough, creams and cakes," Melina said, staring at the refrigerator in awe.
Milo cleared his throat. "T-That being said, making this was by no means cheap. Even if I didn't have to pay for the glittershale bark, which I obviously won't charge you for. But I did put a lot of hours into this and the mana crystal wasn't cheap."
"It's alright, Milo! I never expected to get it for free. What do I owe you?"
"I'm afraid I can't ask for less than six gold pieces," he said, almost shamefully.
Melina just barely restrained a wince. She couldn't show how much that price hurt since she was sure that Milo was still undercharging her by a good margin.
"Of course. Let's go inside," Melina said while mentally calculating how much money she would have left afterwards. Not much.
"Let's get this inside too, while we are at it," Milo smiled. "I'm sure it would be difficult for you alone."
"Don't worry, I have it covered," Melina said and picked up the refrigerator with her magic, levitating it safely above the ground.
The young carpenter's jaw opened wide at the sight. "Y-You can lift it up with m-magic?"
"You don't want to know what else she can do," Adrien grumbled.
"With practice you'll be able to do it too," she said.
"Yeah, right. Even a fox can do more than me," the boy muttered, pointing at Mango.
"Don't compare yourself to Mango. Her whole species is very specialized in magic. It comes to them as naturally as breathing."
Melina carefully moved the refrigerator inside. For the time being, she placed it next to the kitchen table. Later she would figure out where to put it.
"Hello, Milo!" Gilbert greeted the young carpenter, carefully hobbling into the kitchen. His hands were covered in dirt, indicating that he was once again working in the garden.
"Grandfather, shouldn't you be resting?" Melina chastised.
"Don't treat me like an invalid, girl! I'll have you know that I'm single handlely keeping that garden of yours in shape," he retorted.
"It's nice to see you in good health, Master Gilbert," Milo said.
"Nice to see you too. Finished the cooling cabinet my granddaughter requested," Gilbert said, hobbling up to the refrigerator.
"Better! He made a whole magitech refrigerator," Melina said.
Gilbert let out a surprised whistle and opened it, sticking his hand inside. "Well, I'll be. It really is cold. Doesn't like an actual magitech refrigerator. I don't see the mechanism in the back."
"That's because it is fully reliant on glittershale properties," Milo said, and went into extensive explanation of how exactly he discovered the glittershale bark worked, how it could be fitted together and the properties amplified by the mana crystal.
Melina and Gilbert both listened eagerly while Adrien and Roxie looked bored, although the girl had enough tact to appear interested.
"This is quite the achievement, boy! Your master would be proud!" Gilbert praised.
"You think?"
"I know! In fact, one of these could easily make you rich if—"
Gilbert suddenly trailed off, thoughtfully scratching his beard.
"If what?" Milo asked.
"If the Church wasn't so against Monster Realm ingredients." Melina finished.
"Oh no! I completely forgot about them. Am I in trouble?" Milo gasped.
"Don't worry. I use Monster Realm ingredients all the time, and Sunglowers aren't exactly shy in using them either. If there is a place where you can pull this off safely then it is here," Melina soothed.
"Phew! That's good. Although… I won't be able to sell them beyond Sunglow," Milo said, looking longingly at the refrigerator.
"Not yet. But in time it might be possible," Melina said.
"You think?"
Gilbert shook his head. "Don't listen to this revolutionary. She thinks she can change the world all on her own. Let's get your payment sorted."
Melina wanted to object, but stopped herself. There was no need to stir the pot just yet. She needed more allies before she could truly begin any revolution. Because it would indeed take a revolution to take down the Church and stop them from destroying both realms.
The gargantuan task weighed heavily on her shoulders, all the more so because Alistair wasn't next to her. But she would face the challenge, one small step at a time.
Melina was about to follow Gilbert and Milo to check that everything was alright with the payment. Gilbert still helped her manage the finances but she was learning to do it on her own. But suddenly she felt something tingle in the back of her mind. Like a mild itch on the back of her head.
At first, she just scratched her head, not thinking much about it. But the itch got increasingly stronger and stronger, but both of her familiars reacted to it as well. They stared at her quizzically, Mango also trying to scratch the spot behind her ear.
But then itching grew into a full on siren in Melina's mind. She realized that it was one of her wards activating. Namely, the one near the port was warning her that many individuals with holy mana were approaching the port of Sunglow.
"Melina, is everything alright?" Milo asked, noticing her hesitation. "You suddenly look very pale."
"I… It's alright. I just remembered that I forgot something very important at the Guild," Melina said.
Gilbert stared at her for a moment. She didn't have to say anything. The old baker sighed and nodded—he understood exactly what happened.
"Go. I'll handle the payment," he said.
"Thank you, Grandfather. I'll be back as soon as I can," Melina said, and tried to walk to the door calmly, so as not to make others worry.
But as soon as she was out the door, Sienna turned into her large form. Melina grabbed Mango and jumped on the wyrm's back. They bolted off to the Adventurer's Guild as quickly as possible. The Guildmaster had to know. The Church was here.