Chapter 244: Baking With Liliac

"We haven’t really had a chance to talk properly, did we?" I commented, looking at Liliac who was standing in the kitchen on my penthouse floor.

Originally, she wanted to use the communal kitchen below that was reserved for my Guardians’ use but I just brought her up here instead since we won’t be disturbed that way.

Also... I thought that it would be better for her seeing that she was already quite a nervous wreck around me but she could at least function normally if she forgot that I was the Mortal God.

If there were others in the room with us, she would definitely keep getting reminded of who I really was and just collapse again.

Right now, she was focused on moving the liquid into bigger containers to store them as I returned the liquid back to their original amounts.

She straightened slightly but managed to focus on her original task as she poured the next mason jar’s worth of the liquid into the bigger glass container, "I... I suppose we have not, Mortal God... Given that I joined right before the Summit..."

I nodded, "Yeah. So... I guess I don’t really know much about you right now. Aside from the fact that we first met when you were buried under that rubble."

She blushed visibly, her olive skin reddening up to her ears, "I... Still can’t believe you remember me... You saved my life..."

"Hard to forget the girl who I found being wrapped up in tree roots after all," I chuckled, leaning on the counter to change another batch of the flower ambrosia back to its normal amount. "It’s not everyday you see a sight like that after all."

She smiled despite herself and worked on moving the next jar into the container as well, "Th... Thank you, Mortal God..."

"You know you can just call me by my name right? Especially when it’s just the two of us."

"That... That would be inappropriate..."

"Come on... Don’t be like Olivia... Getting her to relax is already next to impossible. You can relax around me. I won’t bite, I promise."

She let out a soft chuckle at my joke which was what I was after to begin with as she relaxed a little more.

"I’ll... I’ll do my best... Mor... Umm... Qing," She relented after a while.

"Don’t think too hard about it. Here, let’s just start with this... If you’re comfortable with it... How do you find living in this world? Are you used to it yet?"

She seemed to consider my question for a moment before she answered, "It’s... Different than what I was used to... There... There were fewer machines... More magic in Eisenweld. The plants were also more wild and untamed and we tend to live around nature. Here, it seems like the humans have tamed and bent nature to their wills, which I suppose is also why the humans here awaken more powerful abilities than people from other Worlds."

I’m not really sure that’s the reason but... It’s not like anyone actually knows the reason why the people of this World awaken stronger abilities than people from other worlds to begin with.

"I suppose that’s why you spend most of your time in the forests on the island?"

She nodded her head, "I’m not used to being surrounded by such machinery... It’s not that they’re bad but... In the last few years of our world..."

She trailed off, her eyes looking off into the distance as though recalling a memory.

I understood what she meant, especially since I’ve heard of what happened to their world from Ava.

"The Anomalies devastated your world... The forests died and nature even turned against you," I finished for her.

She did not deny it, merely opening up another mason jar to pour out into the bigger container.

"Yes... We had to live in what was basically a wasteland... I could not feel the life I once could and it felt like everything was dead. I... To come to this World and find that it was still so full of life... I wanted to bask in it again."

"I would have thought that you would be upset about the pollution or something."

"There is... That as well, I suppose... But at least here, in this surrounding area, there is very little of it. I... I think it’s also largely thanks to you, Qing..."

I tilted my head and pointed at myself, "Me?"

She nodded, "Your aura as a God also affects your surroundings. I can feel the plants around us responding to you. In fact, the effects have grown even more pronounced ever since we returned from the summit. I believe the reason why the Ametila Rock Flower grew to such a big size was also thanks to your presence, Divine One."

I was going to deny it until I paused and realised something.

This was probably because of the fact that I got Siti’s powers as well... And it most likely also had a passive effect of affecting the plants around the island or... Possibly... The life around the island.

Which means Liliac was actually right in a way that I was responsible for it.

Now I wonder... Within my soul space, the plantation fields basically popped up by themselves after I gained Siti’s powers... Could I actually make things I want grow there as well?

Like... Could I make one of these rock flowers or whatever they are called sprout out from the ground too?

Actually... With that thought... Could I actually bring stuff into the soul space?

I mean... I could already get people inside it already so what’s stopping me from bringing other stuff in there, right? Could I even use that place to store things?

That’s something that would definitely be worth considering... Though the fact that I need to meditate each time I want to go inside the soul space would be a little inconvenient for storing and retrieving stuff easily.

Guess it would still be worth exploring later anyway.

Liliac finally finished emptying out the bottles and took the large container aside where she finally began making the ambrosia cookies she had told me about.

I watched as she laid out a baking tray and started scooping some of the golden liquid out to spread them into individual puddles on top of the tray, the liquid viscous enough to maintain its form without spreading out too far on the tray to mix with each other.

"Mmm... What are you doing now?" I asked out of curiosity.

"It’s really easy to make. We just need to bake them to harden them and you can just eat them directly."

I raised an eyebrow, "That simple? I was expecting some complicated process or something."

She nodded, "Simplicity is the best. There’s other ways to enjoy it of course, but..."

Her voice suddenly trailed off as she poured the last two scoops of the golden liquid on the tray, as though considering whether she should comment on it or not.

"After the world fell... My camp relied on a single Ametila Rock Flower to sustain us... We didn’t really have any other ways to feed ourselves and the best thing we could do was just bake it to preserve what we could harvest from the flower."

Ah... I understand... So this was basically survival food...

I nodded in understanding as she carefully lifted up the tray only to pause and look around.

"Umm... M... Mortal God? Where is your fire oven?"

Ah... She must not have used a modern oven before...

I went over to the oven and pulled it open for her, indicating that she should put it in.

She did not question me and slid the tray inside before I shut the door.

Hmm... I’m not sure what setting I need for this but... Considering the fact that she made these when they were basically in hiding and survival mode... They couldn’t have too big of a fire to bake them so I just set the oven to a low heat and just let it bake for a while.

Liliac watched in silence as the oven hums to life, the light on the glass window turning it a dull orange as the machine heats itself up.

A moment of silence passed between us before she turned to look at me with an odd look on her face.

I could sense that she wanted to ask something so I turned to nod at her, "You can just ask me whatever you want, no need to hold back."

She hesitated for a moment more, as if reconsidering her question and whether she wanted to ask at all.

She then sucked in a breath to face me again before she opened her mouth to ask.

"Could... Could you... Could you sleep with me as well... Divine One?"

I stared at her for a good long minute, only to be jolted out of my stupor by the ’ding’ sound of the oven.

What did she just say?