CH-008

“Pa—”

The unleavened bread that had been sitting out for several days had become so hard that it made a sharp “pa” sound when thrown on the floor.

Shu Li really couldn’t swallow this tasteless stuff.

He originally thought about giving it to Elder Jager’s family, but Shu Li found that they didn’t like eating it either. To tell the truth, as the “Host,” unleavened bread wasn’t invented to be delicious in the first place, so it was quite normal for it to be rejected.

Although Shu Li himself wasn’t pampered or a picky eater, he wasn’t someone who would proactively choose to suffer or seek out hardship.

Thus, on Monday morning, he came up with a brilliant idea—making maltose.

Like salt, sugar was an extremely rare existence in the Western fantasy world he inhabited; only nobles had the luxury of eating sugar freely. At that time, they did not yet have the knowledge or the idea of producing cane sugar from sugarcane plantations.

And while Shu Li didn’t want to become an adventurer, his knowledge was quite sufficient.

It must be said that before graduating with a degree in psychology, Shu Li had planned that if he couldn’t find an opportunity to stay at the university and teach, he would teach at a local private school. The competition for math teacher positions was fierce, so he had specially reviewed minor subjects like chemistry and history; at the very least, he could be a teacher for elective courses. Once his basic survival conditions were met, he thought he would continue his advanced studies in psychology in the future.

However, he never imagined that those bits of knowledge wouldn’t be used before his reincarnation, but would find a place to be useful here.

For example, this unleavened bread.

Unleavened bread, as the name implies, is a flatbread made without undergoing fermentation.

In other words, its main component is still starch, and without the fermentation process, the starch structure remains intact.

Therefore, it only needs amylase to undergo a perfect saccharification reaction.

In fact, high school textbooks mention that enzymes have a catalytic effect and provide several examples. Among them, the textbook states that a major carrier of amylase is sprouted grains.

Sprouted grains were very common in the Middle Ages because they were an essential material for people brewing alcohol.

So, after Shu Li confirmed that no one wanted to eat the unleavened bread, he asked Elder Jager’s family for some malt extract used for brewing.

“It’s time to say goodbye to you, unleavened bread.”

Monday prayers ended.

Shu Li quickly slipped into the kitchen and used a chisel to break the five remaining pieces of unleavened bread from the church into small chunks. Afterward, he wrapped them in a white cloth and used a wooden mallet to crush them a second time, pounding them into powder.

However, this task was very taxing on the hands.

By the time he got to the fourth piece of unleavened bread, Shu Li had run out of patience. Thus, he mixed some of the broken chunks directly with the malt extract.

This looked like the best way for the malt extract to dissolve the powder chunks.

If it couldn’t be achieved perfectly, “good enough” would have to do.

Shu Li always had a casual attitude of not making things difficult for himself when it came to such matters.

Next, after putting these mixtures into warm water, Shu Li continued to simmer them over a low flame.

This process would take 1 to 2 hours, and he had to keep an eye on the fire at all times, so Shu Li prepared a book in advance to read while stirring, to prevent the sugar from burning.

When it boiled down to a thick consistency, appearing like the texture of lotus root powder, with a clear, deep brown color, Shu Li quickly prepared two wooden spoons—

He first used one wooden spoon to scoop up a spoonful of thick maltose. The sugar liquid flowed in the air due to gravity, gradually solidifying into shape. He quickly rolled it up until the drooping sugar liquid became extremely thin, then used the other wooden spoon to hook the last bit of sugar silk, and gently tapped the edges of the maltose with the wooden spoon to help it set.

This spoon of instant maltose was ready to eat.

“The taste is okay.”

Shu Li felt at ease.

Elder Jager’s daughter, Cecilia, and the two twin granddaughters—Xiya and Weiya—came to the church at Shu Li’s invitation during a break from farm work in the afternoon.

As soon as they entered, they were attracted by the sweet fragrance permeating the air.

The two children were the first to stop. They sniffed the air, a hint of curiosity involuntarily flashing in their eyes. Then, their attention was drawn to the little rabbit sugar paintings Shu Li had placed on the table. The little rabbits were golden and translucent on the surface, emitting an inviting aroma. Beside the sugar paintings were apples cut into rabbit shapes, the outer layer of the apples also coated in a layer of golden sugar.

Cecilia was puzzled but not quite sure. When she looked toward Shu Li inquiringly, the latter revealed a smile, encouraging her to ask.

So, Cecilia couldn’t help but reach out to touch one of the pieces and asked doubtfully, “Lord Alis, is this made of honey?”

The two children had long been craving the sweetness. They stared at the sugar paintings, desperately wanting to take a lick, but they had been restraining themselves nearby.

Shu Li smiled, having been waiting for this exact sentence, “This is made from maltose.”

“Can malt extract be made into sugar?” Cecilia only remembered that Shu Li had taken the malt extract and thought the priest wanted to brew ale to drink; that ale certainly didn’t have this kind of sweetness. This smelled like the scent of honey.

Shu Li nodded and explained, “I made it using the unleavened bread.”

Xiya and Weiya clearly remembered the taste of unleavened bread and their eyes instantly widened, “Can the Lord of God also turn into sugar? Can I take a lick?”

Shu Li had long anticipated this reaction and immediately handed over the prepared sugar paintings. Like they had obtained a treasure, the two children quickly put the sugar in their mouths. As soon as the sugar entered their mouths, the two children’s eyes lit up, and they looked back and forth between Cecilia and Shu Li.

“So sweet!” they said in unison.

Shu Li smiled along, feeling a sense of satisfaction in his heart.

In fact, the sweetness level certainly couldn’t compare to white cane sugar. It was just that they hadn’t eaten many sweets. Not to mention, this kind of thing was a first-time experience for them; there was definitely a bonus surprise factor added to the flavor.

Cecilia was also infected by the children’s reaction and couldn’t resist asking for a piece of candied apple.

She couldn’t bear to bite it, so she licked it carefully, feeling her heart fill with happiness, “I heard that only high-ranking bishops or nobles would drizzle sugar over fruit to eat. Is it too luxurious for us to eat like this?”

Shu Li laughed immediately, his gaze gentle, “It’s fine as long as you like it. I made about 100 grams or so. If made into simple sugar paintings or candied fruit like this, it can make about 25 pieces. Look, these can also be used to brew sugar water or make other desserts; they can at least be eaten for a week.”

Cecilia looked at Shu Li, a hint of admiration flashing in her eyes: “Lord Alis, you must have eaten many good things, haven’t you?” She couldn’t help but think that his past life must have been very well-off; perhaps he was some pampered noble. She couldn’t help but feel a pang of sympathy and sadness, “…Coming to live here, you must have suffered.”

“You’re wrong to think that,” Shu Li chuckled and corrected Cecilia’s words, his tone firm. “I came here precisely to make your lives better.”

An expression of realization appeared on Cecilia’s face. Thinking of everything Shu Li had done for them, including letting her brother go to Carson City to get salt and buy seeds, a surge of warmth couldn’t help but rise in her heart.

A smile hung on her face, “If everyone knew how amazing Lord Alis is, they would definitely come to become your believers.”

Speaking of this, Shu Li remembered that he had been trying to build a presence in the town for the past few days, but everyone was still unwilling to pay him any mind.

Thoughtfully, he began to calculate Plan A, B, and C, saying: “If I put these sugars in the square, would it attract believers?” He thought that if it were feasible, before the crops grew, he could hold more public masses; anyway, he had a way to consume the unleavened bread.

Cecilia was considering this possibility and hadn’t answered yet when two clear and cute voices overlapped.

“Definitely! Definitely a lot, a lot of people would want to be Lord Alis’s believers!”

Because of these sugars, the two twins had already become loyal fans of Shu Li.

The two little girls happily chewed their candy while raising their two little hands high above their heads, speaking out for the priest’s “glory.” They turned to Shu Li excitedly, their eyes sparkling, “Lord Alis, we can also help you find believers! They probably haven’t left yet! I’ll go find them!!” After saying that, the two children dashed toward the church exit in high spirits, their steps light as if they had remembered an extremely important matter.

Cecilia didn’t know what the twins were thinking either, her heart filled with doubt.

This church wasn’t some remote place. The two children were bright and clever, and having grown up here, they were very familiar with the paths, so Cecilia wasn’t afraid of them getting lost. She was just curious about their sudden excitement.

After waiting for less than five minutes, the rustling sound of footsteps came from the church entrance. Shu Li looked toward the sound and saw that the twins were already standing at the door, like traffic controllers, excitedly beckoning other children.

“Those who want to eat sugar, come over quickly!”

The other children pricked up their ears to listen to their instructions while involuntarily swallowing their saliva, their eyes fixed on the candy in their hands. They didn’t dare to approach Shu Li, who was looking over, but their mouths had already betrayed their thoughts.

“My mom said a man-eating monster lives inside the church.”

“My mom also told me not to go near. If she finds out, she’ll definitely be very mean.”

“What should we do if they find out?”

The twins heard them discussing this and said, “Just don’t tell your mom and dad! Do you want to eat sugar?”

The children said in unison, “Yes—!”

So, they stared at Shu Li with a mix of enthusiastic excitement and trembling fear.

Shu Li: “…”

Shu Li naturally wouldn’t keep them there.

However, before they left, Shu Li still gave them candied apples and let Cecilia send them off to play elsewhere. While he was cleaning up the mess, Shu Li’s church door was knocked.

“Knock, knock—”

Before Shu Li could turn around, a timid voice rang out: “Oh-woo… knock knock! Hello!”

Shu Li turned around. A ten-year-old boy wearing shorts and leading a small white lamb was leaning against the doorframe. His eyes were wide open as if he were measuring something, yet he also seemed somewhat hesitant.

Shu Li understood in his heart and asked gently, “Do you want to eat sugar?”

“Ah…”

Before he could finish speaking, Shu Li approached him and handed him a little rabbit sugar painting.

The shepherd boy was stunned, a flush appearing on his face, his voice so small it was almost inaudible: “No need, thank you.” After saying that, his steps remained motionless; it seemed he still had something to say but didn’t know where to start.

Immediately, Shu Li knelt down, looked up at him, and asked in a humble tone, “Is there something I can help you with?”

The shepherd boy’s head immediately dropped lower, even his neck turning red, like a child who had just stolen a piece of sugar, “I… I’m Alan. I… I heard a God who knows everything lives here. Is he home?”

Shu Li quickly realized that the boy might have heard rumors about him from somewhere, so he responded, “You can talk to me.”

Alan the shepherd boy subconsciously stared at Shu Li’s face, the light in his pupils trembling. He didn’t speak for a long time. Thus, Shu Li was planning to take a roundabout route and let him talk to the statue while he listened from the side. As it turned out, the shepherd boy spoke, his voice soft and shy.

“I didn’t know that big brother looks so good-looking…”

Alan the shepherd boy seemed to feel that his words were too much. He quickly lowered his head, his toes lightly rubbing against the ground, appearing even more bashful.

These unexpected words left Shu Li stunned.

He then gave a light smile: “Thank you.” Just after saying this, his peripheral vision noticed not far away that the novel’s protagonist, Leslie, was like a ghost-like black cat sitting in a tree. At the same time, his gaze was sharp, staring deathly at him, seemingly intending to use his eyes to issue a warning.

“…?”

What is he doing here?

Shu Li silently looked away, feeling that if he looked twice more, he would see Leslie also had a cat’s tail, swishing back and forth unhappily. So, he pretended he didn’t see that child.