The Curse of Being Disconnected from the Grid (2)
1400 Words
I can't believe it!
Right when I'm in the middle of chilling, this happens!
Getting robbed of convenience, in a time of peace!
This is one of the things that makes my blood boil!
I can rough it whenever I'm in a quest; but in times outside of questing, this is inexcusable!
I can also see the frustration on Luningning's face as she says...
“This is still RAW! And how am I gonna make the lamb sauce?!”
Fortunately, she doesn't have a potty mouth, unlike one certain celebrity chef.
Even her parents are displeased, even as they are still training.
With their training outfits drenched in sweat, they are acting more feral than ever, almost as if it's their own way of expressing the feeling of having no cool air to calm down the metaphorical flames.
This is the feeling of having a blackout.
Of being disconnected from the kingdom-wide sparkgrid network, which was designed to be efficient in delivering magic-based power to consumers everywhere in the kingdom.
The nightmare, the curse of being disconnected from the grid, has just started.
Five minutes later...
I, as well as Luningning's entire family, inspect the meter that is an essential part of the sparkgrid conduit.
The nixie tubes that display the numbers, i.e. the amount of energy being consumed, no longer work.
I have a screwdriver with me, so I have the opportunity to check the meter's internals.
As soon as I open the meter's enclosure, I can smell smoke from something that burned.
And I can see some frayed wires that were clearly turned ash gray from the burns.
In short, the sparkgrid meter exploded by itself.
After I put the meter back together, I ask Luningning's parents:
“Have you called this town's representative of the Royal Department of Energy yet?”
The father replies...
“No, not yet, Mr. Deschantes. But we will shortly.”
“Good.”
“So while we're away to consult him, you have to take care of our daughter in the meantime. Even though she may be a seasoned warrior, she can be vulnerable at times.”
Luningning cuts in.
“Father, I can handle things by myself, you know!”
“Whatever. Just... be safe, OK?”
Her mother then adds.
“Whatever you do, my precious daughter, don't ever give in to this man's wiles. We don't know him fully yet.”
“Even though we were together before in a quest, and I can vouch that he's a reliable leader and never did he put a move on me?”
“There's more to a man beyond his initial attitude, you know.”
“I... I know. Mother knows best and all.”
“Alright, then. Take care. Bye.”
As her parents leave to consult the representative...
We both head to the living room, trying to let ourselves blow off the steam of frustration and disappointment at this turn of events.
I ask her...
“Hey, what will you do with whatever you're cooking?”
“I guess... I'll have to grill it the old-fashioned way.”
“You have some charcoal?”
“That's the problem. I don't have any.”
“Well, I'm gonna give you some. Just wait a sec; I'll go outside.”
“Sure.”
I proceed outside.
The Amistoso family residence has an open front lawn, with freshly-cut grass to boot.
This is the perfect place to make some charcoal.
From my magical satchel, I bring out some scrap sacks that were once used to store flour, pieces of scrap wood that cannot be used in repair or handicraft projects, and a magnifying glass.
I lay out the sacks onto the grass, and then place the pieces of scrap wood onto the sacks.
I then bring out a magic scroll which contains the Amplaki spell.
Amplaki is a support spell that intensifies the effect of any other support spell, or even the effect of an ordinary object's use.
I use the Amplaki scroll on the magnifying glass...
...and then go to town on turning the pieces of wood into charcoal by using the amplified effects of the sun's rays onto the magnifying glass.
It just takes thirty seconds for each piece to turn into charcoal, and thus I don't have to keep Luningning waiting too long for her cooking to resume.
Five minutes later, I now have the charcoal she needs to complete her cooking.
Since they're still hot to the touch, I transport the finished charcoal pieces while they are still laying on the sacks.
“That's amazing, Walter!”
Luningning reacts.
“Oh, so you saw me making charcoal from where you're sitting?”
“Uh-huh. I think you're using some rare magic to make these.”
“Nope. Just a little practical ingenuity using the combined powers of science and magic.”
“That makes sense. Now, I'm gonna finish cooking with these! Thanks a bunch!”
With the freshly-made charcoal, she proceeds to the kitchen.
She takes out a grill made out of dried clay.
I estimate that grill to be around fifty years old, as I've read in an old cookbook back in the Grand Library that these grills were commonplace before the advent of the ones made of aluminum.
Twenty minutes later...
Her dish is ready to be served.
She comes back from the kitchen, now carrying a huge plate of steak skewers.
These skewers look tasty from the get-go.
And I can smell a hint of an earthly aroma, too; most likely from the clay grill.
“OK, Walter. Dig right in!”
We start munching on the steak skewers, which are composed of mixed types of meat. Pork, beef, chicken, lamb, and even fish – with vegetables in between.
And the lamb sauce she struggled to make earlier? It's here, too – already in a dipping bowl.
As I expect, the steak skewers are delicious.
We talk about several topics as still munch on the skewers.
“Oh yeah. Before I got here, I first went to Taghayakht Arborvale. I know it's currently being converted into a garden, but I don't know why your fellow townspeople are doing it.”
“Oh, that? Let me tell you a story.
“Our current mayor, Squanto Bentecaurus, is spearheading an initiative where Walibalt should be known as more than just a town of blade-smiths and blade-wielders. He wants us, his constituents, to also embrace the gentle, artistic side. As part of this initiative, he hired a group of gardeners and horticulturists to convert the Arborvale into a garden where we can all take a break from blacksmithing and sparring, while also respecting and preserving the natural flora and fauna endemic to that place.
“In short, he wants a place where we can all comfortably shoot the breeze.”
“Has he ever thought of including things such as herb gardens?”
“Currently, there are no such plans; but now that you've mentioned it, I can submit a proposal to the mayor about this.
“In fact, I'm craving for strawberries in my family's everyday desserts, but they're kinda pricey and there's only one town here in this kingdom that produces them, and that's relatively far away from here. That is why... as soon as I've heard news of the garden proposal in the first place, I want to have an easily-accessible mini-farm where I can grow the stuff for my family to enjoy!”
“Strawberry fields, whatever.
“And... by the way... about what happened at the clockwork beanstalk...”
Yes, I have to bring up that topic before it escapes my mind sooner or later, even if I have to divert in a rough way.
And even though that will earn me a slap in the face.
“Yeah, it's my own fault for not preparing my breastplate beforehand. At least you're not that lascivious about it, so I'm letting you off the hook.”
“T-Thank goodness. I was worried that I would be ashamed seeing a random woman's breasts before my girlfriend's.”
“At least you're being faithful to your girlfriend, I give you that. As for me, I'm concentrating on my adventuring, so I don't have much of a love life. And when I mean 'don't have much', I mean zero. Zilch. Zipall.”
“I see.”
- Writer
