Chapter 184: Aroma

Varth took out a high-quality cauldron that automatically cleanses the meat of beasts in the magical and demonic realm as long as a person uses mana crystal to charge it up. He opened the lid of the cauldron and put many chunks of meat inside of it. The meat belonged to the demonic beast that Vincent had killed in the spider kingdom. After that, he closed the lit. Then, he put a piece of low-quality mana crystal, a crystal that contains a thousand units of mana, on one of the three handles of the cauldron.

The handle had many inscription patterns on it. The moment he placed the mana crystal on the handle, the inscription patterns brightened up in a blue hue. In the very next second, the mana crystal melted into wisps of blue energy that got sucked inside of the cauldron by a powerful suction force, which belonged to the inscription patterns engraved inside of the cauldron.

These inscriptions used the mana to activate a special effect that automatically purified the chunks of meat from their impurities.

The impurities seeped out of the meat, and a mysterious force pulled them towards the bottom corner of the cauldron.

Ding!

The cauldron released an attention-grabbing sound right after, one that told Varth that the chunks of meat were now free of all impurities.

He opened the lid of the cauldron before pulling out the contents inside of it and putting them in two separate places. He put the chunks of meat on a tray while emptying out the impurities inside of the cauldron in a trash bag.

After smashing and mixing a few exotic fruits and vegetables, he created a paste that was literally glittering in specks of gold and silver.

He used that to marinate the chunks of meat before putting them on a griller, turning on the fire, and letting them sizzle.

Nevis, John, and Iris were looking at him preparing a meal for them with eyes sparkling in excitement. As the meat sizzled and the paste seeped into it, becoming one with it, a mouth wetting aroma wafted outwards and permeated the surrounding areas.

The aroma was extremely enticing, enough to whet the appetite of a thousand full-bellied soldiers!

Their mouth watered when the scent reached them. It tingled on their tongues, and the texture of meat blinded their senses. It felt almost as if they were eating rather than smelling.

They breathed heavily through their nose to relish the aroma in all its entirety. Instantly, their mouth watered, and their appetite roused, roaring like a white tiger.

Vincent and Leilani were sitting behind the others, enjoying each other company and watching Varth cook a meal for them. Even resting in each other's arms was surprisingly healing for their souls and good for their mental health. Maybe it was because they were lovers who hadn't quarreled; Maybe it was because Vincent didn't mind whatever was wrong with Leilani and loved her unconditionally; Maybe it was because Leilani was devoted to him that Vincent felt at home around her. Or it might be because they were attracted to each other for no reason except for the fact they exist.

Vincent didn't feel anything when the aroma spread far enough to reach them, but one can not say the same for Leilani.

Her mouth watered after the aroma assaulted her senses. A bit of it trickled down one corner of her mouth, and she didn't even notice it.

However, when Vincent saw it, he gently swiped the saliva off her face with his thumb. As he gently wiped the drool off her smooth chin, Leilani realized that her lips were a bit parted, and her saliva was trickling out of the corners of her mouth. Her eyes widened as she realizes that he has seen such an unladylike side of her.

Her emotions were vivid on her face, and thus, Vincent managed to make out what she was thinking in her mind.

"Don't be so embarrassed. It's normal for a person to drool." Vincent said as he licked his thumb, tasting her saliva, unsurprisingly finding it to be sweeter than honey. Except for blood, he could also taste someone's saliva. Maybe it was because they were both liquids?

If he had said those words without tasting her saliva in front of her eyes, then she wouldn't have been embarrassing. After all, light pecks and kisses on the lips had become casual between the two. Still, french kisses only happened on special occurrences, and this was her first time seeing him taste her saliva, so of course, she felt embarrassed.

Her cheeks turned red, and she hurriedly closed her mouth to stop more of her water from flowing out of it in case she ends up embarrassing herself even further by showing such an unladylike sight to her lover.

Vincent felt amused by watching the way she reacted. Interacting with her felt not much different than playing with a cat.

"My little and sweet baby, why were you drooling like a child?" He asked teasingly while patting her head.

Leilani pointed at the meat on the griller and said, "It's all because of that, alright? I was caught off guard by the powerful aroma of the meat. I don't normally drool like that, not even while I am sleeping."

"I know. I know. Anyway, you honestly look cute at that moment." Vincent said, telling her that she looked exceptionally cute when she was drooling. She felt teased by him and turned even redder. To hide the wonderful view from the others, he hid her face in his embrace.

"Ahh!"

When it entered through the nostrils of the others, their senses were also blasted apart by it. The men felt as if they were pirates, sailing a ship across the mermaid lands. Drinking wine and eating meat as the mermaids sang for them all night long. While Iris felt as if she was sleeping in the center of a field of roses, left with nothing but peace and a clear blue sky.

Only Vincent remained indifferent as he couldn't relish the aroma. Varth, the one who was making the meal, thought back to the time when the owner of the cauldron treated him to his first homely meal. A smile crept on his face before melancholy and sadness filled his eye.

The said person has already died in battle, after all.