The locals of Orcus Town enjoyed the feast Michael prepared for them the entire day.
One of the kids walked up to Michael and thanked him for his gifts with a gift of her own.
She brought out all sorts of trinkets she kept to herself all these times, picked up from the rubble and the ruins of the previous tenants of Orcus Town.
"It's all that I have," she said. "I hope it's enough to pay for all the food you gave us, mister!"
Michael felt touched and accepted the presents. He was given rusted jewelry, dirtied but colorful buttons from clothes, wooden charms of the goddess, combs, and other such bits and pieces that used to hold significant value during the time of the Golden Road.
He appreciated them even though they had no actual value.
"Thank you," he said to her.
Seeing this, the other kids began taking out their belongings and giving Michael the 'payment' for the food and water that he gave them.
Of course, he accepted them. It would be insensitive and selfish of him if he didn't. After all, these trinkets showed their sincerity in thanking him.
One such kid gave Michael a strange almond-shaped seed that they found in the forest.
"It's quite bitter," the kid said. "We snack on it sometimes, but we can't eat too much because our tummy would hurt."
Michael looked at the bean in his hands and felt as if it was familiar to him. It also had a combination of fruity and nutty scent, which made him think that he had seen this kind of seed before in his previous life.
ChatJK3, do you recognize this seed?
[The molecular composition of this seed has a lot of similarities to the fruit borne by the Theobroma cacao tree, also known as the cacao beans.] ChatJK3 explained.
In other words, Michael was holding chocolate in his hands!
The tasty snack that had captivated billions of people back in his previous life was now in his hands.
In its purest form, no one knew how valuable this 'seed' was. Just like what the kid said, anyone who tried to eat cacao beans raw would only taste something completely bitter, but Michael knew he could turn it into the sweetest thing in this world!
"Where did you find this?" he asked the kids.
"It's in the forest," they said. "But most of the trees are crushed or fallen into the crevices on the ground."
Michael thanked them and immediately used a [Flight] spell to head directly over to the forest, surprising the kids and eliciting gasps of amazement.
It only took him a few minutes to finally see a bird's eye view of the entire forestry surrounding Orcus Town. And up above, he could see all the large cracks and fissures brought on by the earthquake, with large parts of the entire forest floor subducting under another part and creating a crevice.
Most of the trees were uprooted from their very, with some falling deep into the depths of the cracks.
ChatJK3, can you locate more beans like this?
[Understood. Memorizing elemental mana composition of the cacao-like bean in this world…]
[Complete! I have found a signature that matches that of the cacao bean in your hands. Transmitting the location in your brain…]
Michael's eyes glinted as he suddenly saw a few bright spots on the forest floor. And upon closer inspection, it was indeed the same bean he held in his hands.
Most of what he saw were on the crevices on the ground, which must have been crushed as they fell into the cracks. But, there were still a few left untouched by the earthquake disaster.
He raised his hand, focusing his mind on the few good cacao beans that were still in great condition. He made sure to exclude those that were already expired or damaged from the natural hazards of the forest floor.
He focused on the unique Earth mana signature of the cacao beans and pulled them closer to himself, lifting them from the ground and gathering them in front of him.
The white cacao beans floated patiently in a bunch, waiting for Michael to relay his next instructions.
Please give me the instructions on how to process cacao beans into chocolate, ChatJK3.
His brain felt a familiar sensation as the information washed over his mind, giving him the intuitive knowledge to turn this 'bitter' cacao bean into another business opportunity that had the potential to spread all over the world!
It was completely unfortunate that the trees for the cacao trees were completely devastated due to the earthquakes, or else it could have been a good start for his would-be chocolate business.
If he were to plant a seedling right now, it would take years for it to fully grow into maturation, even if Anne and the other Farmers used their specific skills and talents to hasten its growth.
He already decided to send back some seeds to Reborn Nation for them to immediately start a cacao farm. But for now, it looked like he wouldn't be able to get chocolate in the lineup of Reborn products.
I guess the consolation prize is that I have enough to make chocolate for everyone…
To turn these cacao beans into chocolate, Michael needed to ferment them into a container for a few days. But since every life form in this world consisted of some kind of Light mana, Michael could easily bolster bacteria growth and make the fermentation process speed up by mere minutes.
Now that it had turned brownish from its original white color, it was time for him to roast them.
With a simple [Ember spell], he was able to bring out the cacao's natural chocolatey flavor and create cacao nibs.
After grinding them into a thick paste, Michael refined the liquid and tempered it before he could finally turn it into its famous blocky rectangular form.
Of course, Michael had to briefly return to the Nation of Reborn to get some sugar and other ingredients to add to the chocolate and make it taste a little bit sweeter.
Without further ado, Michael took a bite and tasted its rich and sweet flavor, melting in his mouth in just a few seconds.
"Success!"