Chapter 127 The Harvest Month is Over: Jam, Wine, Dried Fruit...
After transferring the latest batch of harvested berries to the underground warehouse, Shu Xin redrew the time array, wiped the sweat from her forehead, and leaned against the storage cabinet to rest for a while.
Rows of storage cabinets were piled high with plump, fresh berries. Under the soft glow of magic, golden cherries, bright red ruby berries, creamy white moonberries, blue-black blueberries, deep red raspberries, and purplish-black blackberries were all neatly arranged and overflowing, a truly pleasing sight. The rich fruity aroma in the air was sweet and intoxicating.
Shu Xin had recovered by then. She let out a soft breath and got up to walk outside.
This kind of time magic circle, which can significantly slow down the flow of time, consumes a great deal of magic power. Not only is the magic power consumed when drawing the circle, but the magic power consumed after it starts running is also enormous. Fortunately, it is currently the harvest month, and the concentration of magic power in the air of the Land of Sin is astonishingly high, which is why the time magic circle can maintain its normal operation.
This wasn't entirely a bad thing. After all, once all the time arrays were activated simultaneously, the Sinful Land, where the winds had been getting stronger since the beginning of the Harvest Month, no longer experienced strong winds. Especially in the later part of the Harvest Month, the concentration of magic power in the air began to slowly decrease. At this time, coupled with the large amount of magic power consumed by the time arrays, even the recovery speed of the outer continent's magical beasts was affected to some extent, which could be considered as indirectly reducing the pressure on the Sinful Land's defenses.
It's unlikely that the magic array can be maintained for so long after the harvest month, and Shu Xin has already made contingency plans for this.
She originally planned to use the large quantity of berries produced to make jam, fruit wine, and dried fruit all at the same time. However, after communicating with Meimeilin, Shuxin realized that making jam was not very practical. To make jam with a long shelf life, a sufficient amount of powdered sugar would be needed, and the Land of Sin currently did not have enough powdered sugar to make jam.
If you don't add powdered sugar when cooking, the jam will have a very short shelf life. At the daily temperature in this land of sin, it will spoil in a day at most. Even if you can store it at a low temperature, it can only be extended for two or three days at most. Shu Xin had no choice but to give up on this idea.
However, Shu Xin realized that this was a good way to consume the berries. Before the time array expired, she could cook as many berries as possible into jam and distribute it to the flower fairies and demons to eat with acorn bread. With the current population of flower fairies and demons, they could consume a portion of the berries.
Shu Xin specially renovated an empty magic workshop, arranged for flower fairies to make jam, and at the same time she added two large pots to the underground city's planting area, instructing Xi to arrange for demons to cook jam, freshly picked and cooked every day to ensure deliciousness and freshness.
As for drying berries into dried fruit, it wasn't as simple as Shu Xin had imagined. She originally thought that she could simply lay the berries flat in the sun to dry and make dried fruit. However, the dried fruit making method she obtained from the Tree of Life seemed quite complicated, with different types of berries even having different production processes.
Berries like the Ruby Fruit and White Moon Fruit could be dried using the drying method Shu Xin had envisioned, but it wasn't simply about spreading them out to dry in the sun. Instead, they needed to be dried in a cool, well-ventilated, and dry place for about seven days. Shu Xin requisitioned the patrol team's training ground, setting up a large area with levitation magic to evenly spread the berries in mid-air for air drying. She also had to go over every day to use teleportation magic to turn them over.
For fruits like golden cherries, the processing steps provided by the Tree of Life are more complicated. First, they need to be cleaned. After cleaning, the stems need to be removed, the pits removed, and the fruit cut into pieces. Then, a small amount of powdered sugar and a large amount of magic powder are added and mixed evenly. The fruit is marinated until the surface is slightly damp. Then, it is put into a pot, water is added, and it is brought to a boil over high heat. Then, it is simmered over medium heat until the firm flesh softens. Then, it can be taken out and suspended in the sun to dry for two to three hours. It is then turned over and dried again. Finally, it is moved to a cool, ventilated and dry place to air dry for about fifteen days. During this period, it should be turned over in time. Only when it is completely dry is the dried golden cherry fruit considered to be made.
Although the process is complicated, the final product, dried golden cherries, has a shelf life of twenty months at room temperature in the Land of Sin, and three years in the low-temperature environment of the underground warehouse. If frozen, the shelf life can be as long as five to ten years. Ruby dried cherries and White Moon dried cherries can be stored for three months at room temperature and eight months at low temperature. Compared to these, dried golden cherries have a much longer shelf life.
Shu Xin immediately decided that when replanting crops after the harvest month, in addition to planting more oak trees, she should also plant more golden cherry fruits. These dried fruits with an extremely long shelf life are very suitable for sale as commodities. In addition to being sold as specialty agricultural products, these dried fruits are also very suitable as portable food.
Moreover, the golden cherry is also called lantern fruit, and it is the brightest of all the fruits collectively known as lantern fruit. When the golden cherry orchards ripen during the harvest season, they are so bright at night that they look like a large golden LED light strip. If they can still glow after being processed into dried fruit, they are not only a portable food, but also a portable light source!
Shu Xin took great care in making the dried golden cherries. Taking advantage of the high concentration of magic during the harvest month, she boldly built a drying ground with a large shed and even transformed a bread workshop into a dried fruit workshop. The initial processing could be simplified using magic arrays in the workshop, and the drying would be carried out in the site and shed, which would also make it easier to check the drying progress and transfer and store the finished dried fruit.
As for the processing of blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries, it's not as simple as ruby berries or white moon berries, nor as complicated as golden cherry berries. It simply requires more magic power. First, you need to use freezing magic to completely freeze the fruit in a very short time. Then, you need to use refining magic to extract the frozen water from the berries as impurities. Finally, you need to use heating magic—the Tree of Life specifically noted "not fireball"—to briefly heat up the berries. After cooling, the dried fruit is successfully made.
After watching the entire process, Shu Xin thought to herself, "Isn't this just a magical version of freeze-drying?!" Considering that freeze-dried berries can be considered dried fruit, it's definitely true.
Since magic can be used to process these three types of berries into dried fruit, the magic workshop should be fully utilized. Shu Xin then transformed another bread workshop into a freeze-drying workshop, specifically for making freeze-dried berries.
Fruit wine is much simpler and easier to make than dried fruit. The recipes provided by the Tree of Life can all be used to make wine in the brewery. However, Shu Xin did not make any further modifications to the existing brewery. One reason was that the harvest month was about to end, and the other was that she also needed to take a break...
After the harvest season, Shu Xin thought she would arrange for the flower fairies to build a new winery to brew fruit wine.
Considering that the shelf life of freeze-dried berries is similar to that of golden cherries, Shuxin thinks it's also a good idea to plant these berry trees. As for ruby berries and white moon berries, the Land of Sin will no longer plant them on a large scale. If the flower fairies like them, they can plant a couple in front of their own houses.
The Sinful Land now has quite a few functional buildings. Originally, there were five bread workshops and three brewing workshops. Now there is one dried fruit workshop, one freeze-drying workshop, three bread workshops, and three brewing workshops. These eight workshops are all the size of the Flower Fairy, and the remaining buildings are all the size of the Flower Elf.
Thinking that the functions of each magic workshop were slightly different, Shu Xin decided to name the workshops more specifically. She flew out of the Flower Castle and carefully took stock of the various white houses below.
There are currently five workshops specializing in crafting magic wands, which will be called Wand Workshops from now on. Although they can be further divided into support wand workshops and offensive wand workshops, once the flower fairies have regained their river fairy forms, they will definitely be using custom-made magic wands. So, it doesn't seem necessary to make such a detailed distinction now, so let's just call them Wand Workshops.
Besides the five wand workshops, there are fifteen medical rooms, six empty magic workshops, and a jam workshop. Looking at the empty, pointed-roofed white houses, Shu Xin felt that there was no need to build a large brewing workshop after the harvest month. She could just renovate these empty workshops to brew fruit wine. The acorn wine would be sold, and the fruit wine would be kept for themselves.
Before we knew it, the thirtieth day of the harvest month had arrived.
On the last day, the attacks were still relentlessly launched by seemingly endless armored monsters. However, unlike before, this time armored monsters attacked from all four directions.
As soon as she flew out of the Flower Castle, Shu Xin saw gray mist rising from all directions, especially in the southeast, where the snow-white high wall formed by the defensive barrier was showing signs of becoming ethereal!
That's the area that Xi is responsible for guarding.
Shu Xin immediately called out loudly, "Daisy—"
It was noon, but the sky had darkened. The flower fairies flying around in the fields continued their work without looking up. Only the flower fairy guarding the flock of gray birds skillfully waved her magic wand, conjuring several orbs of light in the air to prevent the timid birds from being too frightened to eat because of the sudden darkness.
An enormous black cat slowly descended from the sky.
Shu Xin was stunned to find that she was now smaller than one of Daisy's eyes. Just a few days ago, Daisy wasn't this big! If using "covering the sky and blotting out the sun" to describe the size of the magical cat before was just an exaggeration, now using "covering the sky and blotting out the sun" was stating the fact!
It's obvious that Daisy has sneaked out again to devour magical beasts from the outer continent. How many has she eaten? Binge eating is not advisable!
Shu Xin reached out and touched the magical cat's wet, cool nose, a little worried: "In your current state, can you still absorb that mist?"
Daisy meowed sweetly, seemingly unaffected. However, because the magical cat was now too large, the meow, which should have been gentle and sweet, sounded like thunder, deafeningly loud.
Shu Xin couldn't help but rub her ears, which were a little sore from the shock. Daisy seemed to have noticed this as well. She flicked her tail, and a dark magical glow suddenly spread around her. However, when the magical glow dissipated, what appeared in the same spot was still the super invincible giant cat that blotted out the sky.
...It seems Daisy's attempt to shrink her size has failed. Shuxin spoke up to change the subject: "It's good that you're alright. Let's go, Daisy, let's head southeast and help Xi."
The magic cat fell silent, silently reaching out its tail to scoop up the flower fairy and place her on its back, then flew off to the southeast.
Trapped deep within the magical cat's jet-black fur, Shu Xin felt utterly blinded—just how many otherworldly monsters had Daisy devoured?!
Holding the staff, Shu Xin flew upwards, finally able to see the outside world. As the magical cat passed through the somewhat illusory white city walls, Shu Xin first saw the familiar fire behemoth, and only then did she see the huge armored monster in front of the fire behemoth.
Sure enough, that fiery behemoth was Xi! This guy even lied to her about being her friend!
The behemoth engulfed in raging black flames had the shape of a cat, but compared to the flying magical cat, it looked quite strange with its spiraling horns and thick hooves. Even though both were incredibly huge, the magical cat looked soft and cute, while the fire behemoth was ferocious and menacing.
Despite its ferocity, it still looks incredibly powerful and cool, especially the way Xi tears apart the armored monster, leaving a huge, dark hole in its mouth – it couldn't be cooler!
The magical cat had already pounced into the gray mist and begun to devour everything in its path. Once she was sure the demons were still holding their own, Shu Xin turned her attention to the giant armored monster that had suddenly appeared.
After a careful examination, Shu Xin's expression turned somewhat grim. The original armored monster, shrouded in gray mist, could only be discerned as a fully armed suit of armor. However, the gigantic armored monster, magnified countless times, revealed some easily overlooked details—
The weapon extending directly from the gauntlet can be considered a kind of bizarre transformation, and the magical runes appearing on the armor can be roughly understood as enchantments and enhancements to the armor itself. But such a large puppet rune engraved on the heart of the breastplate cannot be presented in a distorted form, can it?!
No wonder there are endless numbers of armored monsters, and no wonder their appearance has a strange time limit. It turns out that the prototypes of these armored monsters are magical puppets!
As long as there are enough magical materials, you can make as many magical puppets as you want, and the number is endless. As for the time limit, it is because the magical puppets need energy to maintain their activities, so they must retreat in time before the energy is exhausted.
Most importantly, the river elves are skilled in natural magic and mental magic, but magic puppets are essentially alchemical creations and have a high degree of immunity to natural magic. In addition, magic puppets have no soul, so mental magic is difficult to take effect. No wonder the river elves are on the verge of extinction!
Thankfully, that's all in the past now. Shu Xin quietly looked at the scene before her.
The fiery behemoth tore the enormous armored monster to pieces in no time, the magical cats darted left and right, swallowing the overwhelming gray mist, and the demons punched and kicked the armored monster into the mist. The flower fairies who arrived also waved their magic wands and launched a final counterattack.
When the gray fog completely dissipated, brilliant sunlight shone down from the high dome, and everything in sight was bright.
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Author's Note: Here's a 4,000-word summary! Happy Mid-Autumn Festival everyone!
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