"Party! Party! Party!"
Countless Ether crystals of varying sizes dissipated under Andrew's regretful gaze. Although Andrew had already gathered quite a few, this basic, iron-like material was something you could never have too much of.
The refinery, having just survived a disaster, was still a mess. Much of the equipment and buildings were damaged from Ether corrosion and the presence of Ethereals.
The cleanup, repair, and reconstruction work piled up like a mountain, but that was all a problem for tomorrow.
Right now, the most important thing to do was just as Burnice had shouted—throw a party!!!
Before the cleanup and rebuilding, this was to celebrate their own survival after the disaster, and also to honor the memory of those who were lost.
The people of the Outer Ring didn't mourn; instead, they chose to carry the spirits of the fallen with them and live on with even greater vigor.
With Burnice running around rallying support, she quickly convinced everyone from Blazewood to return to town and set up the party venue.
Burnice had somehow found a picture of a bonfire party and was now clamoring to create one exactly like it.
As it turned out, in the barren Outer Ring, forget piles of firewood—there was hardly any wood to be found at all.
After wrestling with the dilemma for a long time, Burnice finally gave up on her plan to secretly drag the furniture out of Caesar and Piper's rooms and chop it up for the bonfire.
It absolutely wasn't because Piper had threatened her with a signal flare, but because she had thought of an even better idea.
"Caesar, Caesar! Let's build a giant bonfire out of flamethrowers! One so big its flames will light up the whole night sky!"
After being dragged away by Piper and Burnice, Caesar had been subjected to a high-intensity interrogation born of their curiosity, leaving her completely exhausted.
But upon hearing Burnice's idea, Caesar's weary face instantly lit up, her eyes sparkling.
"Yeah, yeah! I think that'll work! Those flames will absolutely rock this party!"
You had to admit, the get-it-done attitude of these goofballs was always top-notch. She and Burnice clearly divided the labor and sprang into action.
Burnice snuck off to the workshop to pick out parts. Soon after, flashes of light from electric welding began to emanate from the workshop where she was holed up.
To bring her brilliant idea to life, Burnice didn't hold back. The parts she pulled from the warehouse were all spare flamethrower barrels she normally used for her own '[Shake]' and '[Stir]'.
Judging by the Ether materials she was putting into the connected mixing device—meant to combine with the fuel upon ignition—the resulting flames were bound to be incredibly brilliant and intense.
Meanwhile, Caesar went to find fuel for her bonfire.
If there was one thing the Outer Ring had, it was more than enough oil and gasoline.
After all, this was an oil drilling area. A network of pipes allowed the extracted crude oil to be sent directly to the town.
After opening a valve on the main pipeline, Caesar somehow found some extension hoses and hooked them directly to a fuel pump.
The two of them worked with fiery enthusiasm. Meanwhile, Andrew, the man of the hour, wasn't staying idle either.
Although the grateful folks of Blazewood didn't intend for the Silver Squad or Andrew to lift a finger, telling them to just rest until the party started in the evening.
At the party site, not only had they cordoned off an exclusive area to prevent any disturbances, but they were also constantly being supplied with all sorts of drinks and snacks.
After all, Andrew hadn't just saved them or their families; he had saved Blazewood's very livelihood.
The refinery's continued existence meant those with citizen IDs wouldn't have to leave their children behind to find work in the city, and those without citizen status wouldn't have to risk their lives prospecting in the Hollows again just to feed their families.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he had saved them twice over.
Even though the others from Blazewood were taking excellent care of them, Andrew wasn't the type to sit still.
He caught Piper just as she was about to head into the city to buy supplies for the party and handed her a list of ingredients, making her look at him in surprise.
"Andrew, didn't we tell you to just take it easy?"
Andrew quickly waved his hand and said in a low voice:
"You guys are making such a big deal out of this, it's actually making me a little uncomfortable. Since it's a party, I'd like to chip in. Besides, this is a good chance for all of you to taste my cooking."
For Andrew, hunting to save people was a perfectly normal thing to do. Sitting here while person after person came up to thank him was already making him feel restless.
Especially the ones whose lives he'd saved with the Nulberries; their enthusiasm was almost overwhelming.
To be fair, the people of Blazewood were decent and didn't pester him, which made it fairly easy for Andrew to handle.
But the sheer volume was just too much.
Especially later on, when old men started dragging their daughters over to try and set him up. Feeling the stares from everyone around him, Andrew was truly on pins and needles.
So, Andrew decided to use cooking as an escape. Whatever it took to get a moment of peace.
As it happened, Andrew was feeling a bit nostalgic for the Meowscular Chef's stew set meal.
He couldn't find the Meowscular Chef here, of course, but Andrew still had the skills to make the stew.
While Piper went into the city to buy ingredients, Andrew hopped on his motorcycle and rode to the Silver Squad base to pick up a pot big enough for the stew.
After looking through his options, he grabbed the two largest-diameter clay pots, as well as the rich, fruity red wine needed for the stew.
The chef had told him that the only reason they didn't add it was because they didn't have any at the Seliana outpost, and had unreservedly shared the recipe, including the red wine, with Andrew.
Taking this 'soul of the stew' as the Meowscular Chef called it, Andrew rode back to Blazewood.
Because the list of ingredients was so large, Piper had to enlist the help of several Bangboos and was busy for quite a while, but she still managed to return to Blazewood with remarkable speed.
In fact, she got back less than half an hour after Andrew.
An old pro driver of the Outer Ring, her reputation was well-deserved.
With delivery skills like that, she could probably succeed at anything she tried.
After greeting Piper, Andrew lifted the large bag of ingredients he'd requested from the back of the truck. He took them to the kitchen he'd borrowed from Caesar and inspected them; not a single item from the list was missing.
Among them, the most important ingredient for the stew—large chunks of beef brisket carved from the bone, butchered just this morning—was an incredibly vibrant red.
He gently pressed a finger into it. The dry surface of the meat had a sheen of fat rendered from the marbling, and it gave off a fresh aroma.
Andrew nodded in satisfaction. The shop Piper had bought from was reliable; the quality of the ingredients was excellent.
As he continued to press the meat, the Dragon element energy within Andrew's body slowly infused into it. In response, the already fresh beef brisket became even fresher, as if it had just been carved from the cow moments ago.
He then cut the brisket along the grain into large, portion-sized chunks.
Next, he quickly washed the carrots, onions, and celery and laid them on the cutting board. A flash of his knife, and all three vegetables were perfectly chopped.
_____
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