Supreme Magus novel Chapter 3961

Chapter 3961: Changes and Challenges (Part 2)

The large mana geyser kept a vast area around the oasis fertile despite the harsh climate of the Desert and provided the village with a freshwater pond formed by an underground river.

Salaark had chosen that location for the merfolk settlement because it was one of the few places in the Desert teeming with life. The merfolk craved for the colors and vegetation they had missed since their defeat in the War of the Races.

It was the only thing that kept them on the surface after discovering the challenges of living out of the water. Their customs, habits, and even the way they communicated with each other needed drastic changes.

It was too much to ask from anyone, and without the flowers, fruits, and green of the oasis, the merfolk would have already given up and returned to the ocean.

After the tour of the village came the welcome banquet that the merfolk had prepared for their guests. Much to everyone’s surprise, there was no seafood. Most of the dishes were typical of the Blood Desert, and the rest were vegetables.

"We had enough fish for a lifetime." Rem explained when Aran asked her about the absence of traditional merfolk dishes. "Besides, it has been millennia since my people had any cooking skills.

"When you live underwater, you eat everything raw with no spices or condiments aside from a few algae wraps."

"Eww!" Aran gagged at the idea. "I’m so sorry for you. Here, try this. It’s my mom’s world-famous meat pie."

He took a large oven-fresh serving out of his dimensional amulet.

"I always keep some aside for when I’m sad or hungry, but you need it more than I do."

"Thank you, young man." Rem chuckled, accepting the steaming plate with both hands.

Aran’s honesty would have been rude if not tempered by his kindness. Moreover, he belonged to a different race. Rem found several human customs weird at best and disturbing at worst, so she took no offense.

Especially after tasting Elina’s dish.

"By the sea gods, this is delicious!" Rem was so enraptured by the rich flavor that she dropped the fork and started eating with her hands.

"I told you it’s world-famous." Aran puffed his chest out with pride. "Mom even wrote a book about her recipes."

"What’s a book?" The merfolk asked.

"A bunch of pieces of written paper glued together." Aran handed her a physical copy of Elina’s cookbook. "Don’t worry about your hands. My big brother enchanted it so that it can’t get dirty."

"Oh, gods! How could I forget my manners?" Only then did Rem realize her blunder.

Merfolk had a tough skin that made the heat of the meat pie irrelevant, but it could do nothing against the oily layer of spices that now covered her fingers. She hastily dabbed it on her pristine desert robe, making things much worse.

"It’s fine." Aran cleansed both her hands and dress with a short pulse of darkness magic. "My mom’s cooking has that effect on me as well."

"Kind and charming. You’re just like your brother." Rem took the cookbook and flipped through the pages.

There were realistic depictions of the single ingredients and the various dishes that Rem tried to grab. When it failed, she sniffed at them.

"They are not real." Aran said. "Have you never seen a drawing before?"

"No, young man." Rem shook her head. "Cooking and magic are just two of the many skills that my people lost after our banishment from the surface. We also had to forsake all forms of art that require perishable materials.

"Besides, it’s really dark down there. We don’t read with our eyes but with our fingers, like this."

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