Three days after the royal letter arrived, Crescent Moon Inn looked more like a workshop than a restaurant.
Sacks of flour, crates of vegetables, jars of glowing spices, and strange ingredients filled every corner.
Luna peeked inside one of the boxes and yelped. "Chef! The mushrooms are glowing again!"
Ethan didn't look up from his cutting board. "Spirit Mushrooms do that when they're happy. Don't startle them."
Luna blinked. "Mushrooms can feel?"
Maris sighed, checking the inventory list. "Everything in this kitchen feels something, apparently."
Bruno carried in another barrel, muscles straining. "New shipment of Moonbroth roots! Smells like sweet onions, but kicks like fire!"
Mina opened the lid, inhaled, and immediately stepped back. "He's not exaggerating."
Ethan chuckled. "Perfect. We'll use them in the base sauce."
---
The inn was officially closed to customers for the next two weeks.
A handwritten sign outside read:
> Training in Progress. No meals served. No exceptions.
Inside, the air was thick with steam, energy, and focus.
Kiro practiced fire control at the smaller stove, trying to balance heat evenly. "Low… medium… oh no, too much!"
A burst of flame nearly singed his eyebrows.
"Let the flame breathe, not choke," Ethan advised without looking up.
Kiro nodded, sweating. "Yes, Chef!"
At another counter, Mina tested flavor infusions. "Rose salt or storm salt?"
"Rose," Ethan said immediately. "Storm will overpower the citrus."
Bruno tested meat grilling times, counting seconds aloud.
Luna managed plating practice — her first ten attempts ended in broken garnishes, but by the eleventh, her dish looked almost magical.
She beamed. "Chef! It actually looks like food this time!"
Ethan smiled. "It is food. You made it."
---
As afternoon sunlight poured through the windows, Maris entered the kitchen carrying a rolled parchment.
"Chef, a delivery from the capital."
Ethan wiped his hands. "From the Royal Council?"
Maris nodded. "Sealed with the same crest."
He unrolled it.
> A gift for your preparation — one of the King's preserved chests from the Palace Kitchens. Open only by the chosen chef of the banquet.
Everyone leaned closer.
Luna's eyes sparkled. "A royal gift! Maybe it's gold! Or… spices from the north? Or a legendary pan!"
Bruno chuckled. "If it's a pan, I'm stealing it."
Kiro pointed outside. "Wait—there's a cart!"
A small royal convoy approached the inn. Four guards carried a rectangular crate — engraved with gold filigree and sealed by a shimmering magic sigil.
The moment it entered the kitchen, the air grew heavier. A faint hum vibrated through the counters.
Ethan rested a hand on the lid. "It's alive."
Mina frowned. "Alive? You mean there's something in it?"
"Something spiritual," he murmured.
The guards bowed and left silently, leaving the crate behind.
---
They waited until evening. The team gathered around the crate as Ethan broke the seal.
The golden magic flared briefly, then dissolved like mist.
Inside lay a simple wooden box, plain and old — its surface cracked with age.
Luna deflated. "That's it? Just a box?"
Ethan lifted it gently. "No… this wood hasn't been cut for centuries."
Maris raised an eyebrow. "You can tell?"
He nodded. "It's Spiritwood. Only grows where the oldest Spirit Kitchens once stood."
As he opened it, a faint golden glow rose from within — not bright, but warm, like sunlight trapped in honey.
Inside was a spoon.
Just a spoon. Wooden, slightly curved, and smooth from use.
Luna blinked. "That's… the royal treasure?"
Kiro whispered, "Maybe it stirs itself?"
Ethan ran his thumb over the wood, feeling a strange warmth pulse back. "This belonged to someone."
A soft chime echoed through the air — and suddenly, faint letters appeared in front of him.
> [Royal Artifact: The Spoon of Hearth]
Bound only to those chosen by the Spirits of Taste.
Function: Unknown.
The entire team froze.
Bruno's mouth dropped open. "Chef… the system reacted to it."
Mina frowned. "And everyone can see it again."
Maris looked around. "So it's true. The Royal Court already knows about his system."
Ethan turned the spoon in his hand. "They must. Otherwise, they wouldn't send this."
Luna whispered, "What if it's a test?"
He smiled faintly. "Then let's pass it."
---
For the next few hours, the kitchen filled with the sound of experimentation.
Ethan tried stirring soups, whisking eggs, even mixing dough with the spoon.
Each time, the glow faintly shifted color — amber for meat, silver for vegetables, pale green for herbs.
Luna gasped. "It's changing color with flavor!"
Ethan tested again. "Not just flavor. Emotion. The spoon reacts to the cook's intent."
Maris leaned on the counter, watching him. "So it reads you like the Spirits do."
"Or it listens," he murmured.
The glow settled back into a calm gold.
Ethan placed the spoon down gently. "This isn't a weapon or a tool. It's guidance."
Bruno scratched his head. "So… it's like a mentor spoon?"
Luna laughed. "A very polite one."
Ethan chuckled. "Maybe both."
---
That night, after everyone went to rest, Ethan stayed behind.
He looked at the spoon lying beside the Infernal Stove. The golden flame and the spoon's light pulsed in the same rhythm — two heartbeats, one slow, one fast.
He whispered, "You've been waiting a long time, haven't you?"
The air shimmered faintly. For just a moment, a vision flickered — a woman standing before an ancient kitchen, holding the same spoon, smiling softly as she stirred a pot.
Then it was gone.
Ethan exhaled. "A relic from another chef… maybe from the first Spirit Cook."
The system's voice hummed gently:
> [New Quest: Awaken the Spoon of Hearth]
Cook three dishes that reflect your team's true bond.
Ethan smiled faintly. "Then tomorrow… we cook together."
He placed the spoon beside the stove, extinguished the flame, and left the kitchen bathed in quiet golden light.
To be continued...