It took the remainder of the day for Melina to truly realize what kind of delicate situation Sunglow was in right now. She had never really thought about it before, because management was not something she was familiar with.

After taking over the bakery, she had learned some of the troubles that came with running a business. Like buying the supplies, making sure you were profitable, setting the pastry price accordingly, etc. Although she still had more leeway than most because she was essentially a monopoly in Sunglow.

It didn't have any other bakeries, so she could pretty much set the price at how high she wanted, especially thanks to all the magical pastries she made. So there was never any need to pitch pennies or worry about advertising or anything like that.

But that wasn't the case for Sunglow itself, not to mention that the scale was massive. Looking at everything Alistair had been trying to manage made Melina's head hurt.

The first big problem was the budget. Sunglow was a small town, so there were only so many taxes that could be collected. As such, it had fewer funds to work with, although the Duke had provided Alistair with a big sum to help him get things moving.

However, that money had to be used sparingly. It was necessary to build new housing, fix old houses or broken roads and infrastructure, and pay all the workforce currently in Sunglow. People in the Town Hall needed wages, the guards needed wages, the new workers needed wages, etc.

It also had to be decided whether it was more cost-efficient to demolish something or build it anew. Decisions needed to be made on where to build the new smithy, carpenter's shop, and an inn for more high-end visitors. New adventurers also had to be hired to provide proper protection for people travelling from Sunflow to Pertia.

The list of things to be done could go on for ages, and Melina had no clue how Alistair had been managing everything so far without going insane. There were just so many things that required immediate attention. This was further aggravated by the fact that summer was over. They would have to slowly prepare for the winter ahead.

Winters apparently could get quite harsh in Sunglow. Not quite as bad as in Fenrora, but it wasn't uncommon for the harbor and the sea near shore to freeze over. When that happened, ships couldn't leave or enter the port anymore, which was a huge blow to the town.

Alistair was already searching for ways to keep the port going in case of strong frost. The best solution was to hire fire mages to melt enough ice so ships could get through. But mages were expensive. Melina's offer to help together with Sienna was instantly rejected.

They required people dedicated to this task, but Melina couldn't do that. She had a bakery to run, and Sienna was her crucial helper. They couldn't spend days melting the ice in the harbor.

"What about Leon?" Melina suggested.

"Leon?" Alistair raised an eyebrow. "Last I remember, he could barely singe the fur off the monster's back."

"He's come a long way from that. In fact, he's been progressing very well during his magic lessons, and while fire isn't his strongest element, he can still use it quite well," Melina said.

"You really think he'd be able to melt ice in case of frost?" Alistair still appeared doubtful.

"Not on his own, but I believe he could contribute significantly to the problem should it arise," Melina said. "And as a Sunglower, I imagine he would be more than willing to accept the task without asking a fortune in return."

Alistair nodded. "Yes, even a single mage would instantly make the financial load easier on us. I'll keep this in mind."

This was just one of the many potential problems, and most of them were far more pressing than some faraway chance of ice. Melina had to do more math that afternoon to calculate the costs of a particular course of action than she had ever before in her whole life. Potion making seemed easy compared to these.

Once Melina and Alistair got home, she had a throbbing headache.

"Sorry, love! I shouldn't have involved you in this…" Alistair said guiltily, looking at tired Melina.

"No! You totally should have," she protested, pulling him down to sit next to her on the couch. Mango jumped up and joined them gleefully, while Sienna, tired from being cooped up inside most of the day, flew out of the window and went for a little flight.

"I can't believe you've been dealing with all of that alone," Melina said, rubbing at her temples.

"I wasn't alone. Mark and the scribes have been helping me," he pointed out.

"Yes, but there's just so much to do there…"

"It was worse before. We have managed to get the most pressing issues out of the way. Like approving the plan for the new inn and fixing the port," Alistair said.

"That only makes me feel worse that I didn't help out earlier," Melina muttered. "You should have asked."

"But you were so busy yourself."

"I believe the cakes can wait a little. These issues are much more pressing than some desserts."

Alistair wrapped his hand around Melina and pulled her close. "That's not true. To get all this done, people need fuel, and not just plain old bread. They need to feel happy while they work. Motivated. You know, I believe that without your pastries, my scribes would have long since quit. But the fact that they can get your sweets as much as their heart desires makes the job so much more enjoyable for them."

"You think so?" She asked uncertainly.

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"I know so! This whole town is being fueled by Erina's delicious meals and your pastries. So don't sell the importance of your job short."

Melina nodded. If people felt motivated by her pastries, then she would be sure to meet their expectations.

The next few weeks passed by in what felt like the blink of an eye. In the morning, Melina worked hard in the bakery together with Roxie, Ygdril, and Adrien. The girl was making strides in her learning process and could recreate many of the magical pastries on her own.

The cakes were too complex for her to make them in bulk, but if given time, she could recreate those too. Melina felt proud of how far the girl had come. Not to mention that Roxie's pastries, while not as potent as Melina's when it came to magical effects, still could recreate those effects that were given naturally by the Monster Realm ingredients.

This meant that it was time for Melina to officially promote Roxie.

"Roxie, you've been working diligently and learning my recipes every day. I believe it is fair that I promote you to a full-time baker in Sunglow Bakery," Melina announced one morning before work.

Adrien applauded enthusiastically, as did Ygdril, while the girl blushed furiously.

"I… Is it really okay for me to be a baker?" She asked nervously. "I'm nowhere near as good as you, Melina."

"What are you talking about? Everyone loves your pastries. Not to mention that thanks to you, I can fully dedicate myself to the special orders. You can manage to make all the eclairs, cream puffs, and tarts all on your own."

"Not true. Sienna and Mango help me a lot!" The girl shot back.

Melina chuckled, as did everyone else.

"Nonetheless, you deserve it. This bakery is now officially your home, and you can proudly shout to the world that you work here as a baker, not just an apprentice."

"I knew you'd do it," Adrien said, not a shadow of doubt in his expression.

Roxie only seemed to flush more at his praise. The two were rather close, being around the same age, but it appeared that their friendship was growing closer by the day.

"I'm amazed at the rate human children are able to learn. I feel like I'm no closer to mastering those macarons than the day I arrived," Ygdril huffed.

"No, you're almost there," Melina said soothingly. "You just need to be more careful while folding the batter."

This reminded her that as soon as Ygdril would master them, the drow would return to the Monster Realm. For that purpose, Melina was preparing the next stage in her bakery expansion plan.

She couldn't exactly make it bigger or suddenly move into a bigger building. There simply wasn't one available in Sunglow, so it would have to be built from the ground up. They needed more money to do something like that.

However, there was something Melina could do to spread magical pastries throughout Alemahria. She would start accepting apprentices, but temporary ones. She would allow them to remain in the bakery, work here for a certain amount of time, and learn Melina's recipes. Then they would be able to spread those recipes further.

There was already a strong candidate in her mind. The chef of the Sinclair family. The Duchess and Charlotte both expressed that they would like to eat magical pastries more often, so this would be a way of doing that. Her skills have also improved vastly, so she felt that she was ready to take on more pupils.

[Name: Melina Dufour]

[Level: 18]

[Class: Archpatissier]

[Familiar: Sienna — Hearthfire Wyvern Level 30; Mango — Ice Kitsune Level 14 (unique)]

[Intelligence: 38]

[Agility: 12]

[Strength: 10]

[Skill: 45]

[Charm: 15]

[Active Skills: 11]

[<Refined Edge – Rank B>, <Rhythmic Kneading – Rank A>, <Mask of Deceit – Rank B>, <Gilded Tongue – Rank C>, <Haste Bake – Rank A>, <Arcane Infusion – Rank B>, <Familiar Sense – Rank D>, <Ingredient Appraisal – Rank B>, <Preservation Glaze – Rank B>, <Arcane Panacea – Rank B>, <Dish Assessment – Rank B]

[Passive Skills: 6]

[<Archmage's Shadow – Rank S>, <Chef's Intuition – Rank A>, <Food Manufacturing – Rank A>, <Teacher of Arcane Baking – Rank C>, <Speed Cooking – Rank C>; <Pastry Spell Layering – Rank D>]

Lots of the baking skills she had from the start had reached Rank A after she obtained her [Archpatissier] class. <Teacher of Arcane Baking> had reached Rank C, which was the reason she felt the time was right for new apprentices.

What surprised her the most was that <Pastry Spell Layering> was ranking up so rapidly. She wasn't even using the skill deliberately, but the fact that she was always trying to combine the healing effects on her healing waffles meant the skill was often put to good use.

It had helped her to create an all-encompassing ailment healing waffle, which Arianne sang her praises for. The Guildmaster joked that a single gold coin was an incredibly low price for all the effort Melina was putting in.

But the fact that adventurers and guards of Sunglow always had healing supplies available put Melina's mind at more ease than anything else. It felt like things were slowly going into their right places.

However, there was still that nagging at the back of her mind, which didn't allow Melina to fully relax. Amaris Heiliger.

Fools. Cowards. All of them.

Amaris couldn't believe that all of these people whom she used to respect were acting like this. She went through all the trouble of going into the Monster Realm, being captured, and then escaping, only for these snivelling fools to whine that they needed more time. They were merely afraid to move against Duke Sinclair.

But being afraid wasn't an option here. With each day that passed, fewer and fewer people believed the Church's teachings. The accursed Archmage had declared her engagement to Alistair Sinclair, thus securing her one of the most powerful families as an ally.

Worse of all, she was spreading the taint from the Monster Realm all through Alemahria. The nobles were aware of her disgusting pastries, and they, as nobles, always did with new things, were in awe. They thought it was fun that the cakes were floating and granting them special effects which normally could only be achieved through careful craftsmanship.

Yet these old farts were more than happy to just sit on their asses and do nothing while this taint spread. They were so close to achieving their goal. All they had to do was muster their forces, retrieve the Sacred Treasures, and then split the realms apart.

Amaris already knew how. She even had a good idea of where to get the person necessary to do the deed. A mage more powerful even than treacherous Melina. Travelling all the way to Su Xien will be time-consuming, and convincing them might be tricky, but with her memories from the other timeline, Amaris should be able to do it.

But she couldn't do anything while these old coots were just clucking at each other like hens and not doing anything. It was clear that the current Archbishop had sat in his seat for far too long. He has grown old and senile. He can't see the System God's vision anymore.

It was alright. Amaris would fix this. She would even grant him the mercy of letting him into the System God's paradise once this was over because she was nothing if not merciful.

There were plenty of others who agreed with her vision and saw that they had to act quickly. Even now, the Royal Guard was sniffing at their gates, demanding an investigation to capture her.

Let them sniff. By the time they are done, Amaris would have already taken her rightful place as the Archbishop.