Finn continuously created dish after dish, some were duplicates and some were new. Ranran and Micc helped prepare the ingredients to streamline the process, and he made large batches of lunchboxes and pots of food. He knew they'd serve a lot of people, after all.
[Created! Hearty Matis-stew with Thornroot and Basilume (C)]
[Created! Braised Brindlejaw with Purplestep Glaze and Sunberry Leaf Dust (C)]
[Created! Dawnfire Roll (C)]
Many were improved versions of the old creations. However, there were also some new ones.
One of the new ones was an interesting one.
[Created! Stormwake Gugu Stew (B)]
[Information: Retains a heightened sense of adrenaline, spiking a person's stats for up to 6 hours. Has the ability to delay the effect of pain and debuff, depending on the user's physique. Can only be used once a day.]
It reminded him of another recipe he discovered about a month ago called the Gugu Field Bar, which was—unlike stew—could be carried on-the-go. It also had a very long shelf life.
Basically, it was like a protein bar from Earth, but much more filling. It was definitely food that could easily sustain a person for a day. If they were fighting, two or three would suffice. It was such a practical war sustenance that it also made him big money.
This one, he had sent the formula to Leez, and it was mass produced, sold to various towns. This time, he had placed an order and majority of the items the factories made would head straight to the inn.
Finally, there was the [Stoneblossom Bake (C)]
[Information: Calming effect that could slow down the use of mana, stamina, and other stats. Slows down debuffs. Lasts 6 hours. Effects cannot stack up.]
This was another awesome thing that could sustain a person's fighting force for a long time!
He really, really liked his occupation.
Anyway, Finn only stopped working when his arms were so sore, and he knew that if he persisted, then the food produced next would be subpar.
He called Ranran to help him store the items in the cellar, filling it up with ready-made food.
Interestingly, just before he fell asleep, another ding sounded in his head.
[High Energy Stockpile Detected! Final Cellar Upgrade Triggered!]
[Heaven-Grade Cellar (Final)]
!!!
The area of the cellar increased by two times, which was large, and the areas for [Cold Step] and [Quickcell Hex] increased by three times!
The cold area was practically stopping the time for food. Fortunately, the feature didn't work on living humans with beating hearts. Morbidly, Pang said it would work in storing human corpses but not unconscious ones.
With his buildings upgraded as they could be, Finn knew that in terms of the inn itself, he had already prepared as much as he could.
…
A few days before the estimated time of the Aphelion phase, more and more people started pouring into the inn and settling down, ready for the war.
Everyone of Finn's friends and acquaintances was there, or at least their organizations sent representatives to help out. The world was big, and the Inn could only cover a tiny area, after all, and everyone had their hometowns and home cities to protect as well.
Marcus's team and Victor's team were all there, and they were there fairly early. The Lotus Town adventurer team sent about a hundred warriors, mostly toughened and above.
They had pondered whether to bring their families, since they did believe the inn was the safest, but decided against it when news spread and they found out that a lot of fighters were coming to the inn.
If they brought their families, how would everyone fit in?
Fortunately, the adventurer guild had sturdy evacuation centers which had defensive runes and concealment runes, so the adventurers helping out here could rest assured that their families would be safe.
The evacuation centers were small, after all, and not all adventurers could get slots here for their families. However, for those who would join in the inn war, they would be given priority.
This was understandable, at least other adventurers not heading to the inn could position themselves near their houses during the beast mobs!
Anyway, along with the influx of people were the hundred cartloads of supplies.
Leez and Milo were not there as their strengths wouldn't be as useful in this scale of war, but they did their part in procuring a massive amount of supplies for the Inn.
The trio Ren, Zachary, and Aaron were there as well. Not to mention, Ren's family also sent representatives. This included more than 50 toughened-stage people, as well as a dozen fortified-stage fighters. Ren's family was actually bigger than people thought, but they had to protect their own territory as well.
At this point, due to the space limitations, toughened stage fighters and above were naturally given priority. However, if the awakened were brave and wanted to fight, they would not stop them either. Anyway, the danger zone was already dangerous, and not many awakened and charged-tier people could actually risk everything right now.
Interestingly, even Princess Claire was there, bringing along forces that were even greater than Ren's. "Syl!" she exclaimed as soon as she saw the beautiful elf.
"Claire!"
The two princesses embraced, making for a beautiful image.
Finn was right next to Syl when this happened and was still holding her hand. Claire belatedly noticed this, and she studied Finn up and down, and the redhead definitely felt like he was being scrutinized. Fortunately, it was a look of appreciation in the end.
The blonde princess gave the elf a teasing look. "Oh, so this is the man who captured your heart?"
Syl nodded without pause, making Finn look warmly at her.
Before the two girls could head somewhere for a longer chat, with the human princess asking the elven princess to guide her around, they encountered another acquaintance.
"Princess?!"
It was Ren, who now showed a rare flustered appearance. "What are you doing here?"
The tone of familiarity intrigued everyone. Aaron and Zachary, in particular, were very curious.
The two elbowed each other, eyebrows wiggling in gossip as they asked the other whether they knew Ren knew a princess.
Well, they focused on watching the show. And there really was.
The beautiful blonde princess, who had been so sweet and gentle a moment ago, glared at Ren. "Why? You think you're the only one who could contribute like this?"
Syl's eyebrows rose. She remembered Claire saying that she did not want to get married. But now, she saw that her heart wasn't exactly untouched. She wondered what the situation was.
Ren had no idea about the gossip surrounding him. He just didn't imagine this girl to be in such a dangerous place.
It was as if he didn't reassure his mother over and over that the Inn was the safest place to be during the aphelion phase a day prior.
Lacking his usual eloquence, he responded awkwardly. "But…it's so far—"
"My father allowed for this," she said. "My ability needs more battles to flourish. This is good."
She then turned to Finn, the boss. "I have area of effect healing!" she said, patting herself. "I will be helpful!"
And that was how they added another princess to their battle lineup.