I'm a Druid at a farmhouse.

Chapter 73 Skill Fusion [Heart of the Hearth]

Five simple, old-fashioned booklets slowly opened in front of Song You.

His finger swept across the skill list that appeared in the Druid's Diary without the slightest hesitation.

Only children make choices, adults of course want them all.

The progress bar for becoming a Gourmet Druid is already full at 100%. If you don't use it now, when will you?

"Study 'The Harmony of Five Flavors'."

Song You silently recited in his heart.

[Gourmet Druid Beginner Progress -15%, 85% Remaining]

A strange feeling surged up instantly.

A slight tingling sensation spread across his tongue, as if countless tiny taste buds had been activated in an instant. The previously invisible and odorless moisture in the air now perceived him as having a faint sweetness and a subtle earthy aroma.

He could even taste the calm, bitter, stale aroma emanating from the wood in the room, a scent born of its age.

Is this what "Harmony of Five Flavors" is?

It can not only understand taste, but also deconstruct the essence of all things in the world into the most basic taste elements.

Song You suppressed his surprise and continued.

"Studying 'Analysis of Food Texture'."

[Gourmet Druid Beginner Progress -15%, 70% Remaining]

This time, the change happened in the eyes.

It was as if an invisible filter had been added to his retina.

The wild boar meat hanging in front of him was no longer a simple piece of meat to him. He could clearly see the direction of the muscles and judge where the density was higher and where the structure was looser.

He could even tell from the tiny scratches and sinews on the meat that this wild boar had fought several tough battles.

Song You shook his head, dismissing those thoughts, and moved on to the next one.

"Studying 'The Power of Flipping a Ladle'."

[Gourmet Druid Beginner Progress -15%, 55% Remaining]

A surge of heat rose from his spine and instantly flowed through his arms.

He felt as if his arms, wrists, fingers, and even every muscle fiber were connected by an invisible thread.

He clenched his fist lightly, and could clearly feel the power traveling from his waist and abdomen to his back, then from his shoulders to his arms, and finally gathering at his fingertips.

An unprecedented, precise, and coordinated sense of control arises spontaneously.

"Studying 'The Method of Concentrating Broth'."

[Gourmet Druid Beginner Progress -15%, 40% Remaining]

This time, it's a perfect fusion of smell and taste.

He picked up the glass of cold water on the table and took a sip.

The moment the water entered his mouth, his mind automatically analyzed its mineral content, the source of the faint rusty taste, and the subtle influence of water temperature on these flavors.

He could even predict what the water would taste like if it were heated to 90 degrees Celsius.

Song You put down his water glass, his heart filled with overwhelming shock. Senior Wang Tong's notebooks were practically tailor-made for him.

He turned his attention to the last skill.

"Study 'Identifying Stove Fire'."

[Gourmet Druid Beginner Progress -15%, 25% Remaining]

The moment he finished his studies, something unexpected happened!

In his mind, the two skill icons representing [Stove Fire Control (Beginner)] and [Stove Fire Identification (Beginner)] suddenly shone brightly and then collided violently.

The light faded, the two icons disappeared, and in their place appeared a brand new icon with a small cluster of golden flames burning within it.

[Druid Log: Perfectly compatible skill detected, automatic fusion initiated...]

[Fusion successful! Congratulations, you have gained a new skill: Heart of the Hearth (Beginner)!]

[Heart of the Hearth (Beginner): Your understanding of flame has transcended mere control and identification. You can sense the emotion and essence of flame and establish a preliminary resonance with it. Whether it's the intensity of firewood or the stability of gas, you can perceive its core at the moment of ignition and guide its power, allowing food to be sublimated in perfect heat.]

Song You closed his eyes and pondered deeply.

If the previous "stove fire control" taught him how to drive, then...

So now, the [Heart of the Heart] allows him to establish a direct telepathic connection with the car itself.

He not only knows how to drive it, but also knows what the car is thinking, where its limits are, and whether it is in good condition at the moment.

This is no longer just a technique; it's almost a Dao. It truly deserves to be called a perfect, co-originating skill, with no obstruction between the two skills.

Song You took a deep breath. Before he could recover from this huge surprise, the Druid's Diary turned to another page and a new prompt appeared.

[Five basic culinary skills have been detected.]

[Enable basic skill fusion option: Harmony of All Things.]

【Harmony of All Things: This skill integrates five fundamental skills—"Harmony of Five Flavors," "Analysis of Ingredient Texture," "Wok Tossing Techniques," "Sauce Concentration," and "Heart of the Stove"—into a brand-new, exclusive Druid cooking technique.】

[Required for fusion: Gourmet Druid beginner progress 50%.]

Is another 50% of the progress needed?

The reason this didn't automatically merge is probably because it's not a perfectly compatible skill.

Song You glanced at his progress bar, which was only 25% complete, and decisively gave up on this tempting idea.

You have to eat one bite at a time, and you have to go step by step.

He hasn't had time to get used to these new abilities he just acquired; he needs time to familiarize himself with and master them.

A hasty integration, with an unstable foundation, is not a good thing.

Not to mention that he doesn't have that many progress bars, he also plans to save some progress for when he needs it.

Thinking of this, Song You stood up, full of energy.

Now that we've learned the theory, it's time to move on to the practical application.

He pushed open the door, ready to try his hand at cooking in the kitchen, but was stunned by the scene in the yard.

The afternoon sun was shining brightly as Su Yunxi stood in front of the clothesline in the center of the backyard.

She had rolled up the sleeves of her ridiculous work clothes high, revealing a section of her fair forearm, and was struggling to hang a large quilt on the clothesline.

Song You recognized the pattern of the bed sheet; it was the same one from the guest room where she was staying.

She seemed to think the blanket wasn't clean enough, so after putting it on, she picked up a small bamboo pole from the side and used all her strength to whip the blanket.

"Slap! Slap! Slap!"

The way they were doing it didn't look like they were airing out the blankets; it was more like they had some deep-seated grudge against the blankets.

Song You walked over, somewhat puzzled.

"Xiao Su, what are you doing?"

"Snap!" Su Yunxi was in the middle of a vigorous fight when she was startled by the sudden sound, and the bamboo pole in her hand almost flew out of her hand.

She turned around and saw Song You. A moment of panic flashed across her face, but she quickly regained her composure.

"Senior!" She hid the bamboo pole behind her back and awkwardly brushed the stray hairs from her forehead. "I... I saw that the sun was shining today, so I took the quilt out to air it."

"Call me boss."

"Okay, senior!"

Besides the quilt, Su Yunxi also aired out the duvet cover, sheets, and pillows.

Song You looked at the clean bed sheet that had been changed yesterday and was even more puzzled.

"Isn't the bedding in your room quite clean?"

"Yes...it is quite clean." Su Yunxi's eyes were a little unfocused, and she didn't dare to meet his gaze. "But I have a little habit of mine. I like to sleep on blankets that are warm and smell of sunshine after being sun-dried. I feel more at ease sleeping on them. The sun is nice today, so I put them out to dry."

This reason sounds quite reasonable.

"Oh, I see." Song You nodded and didn't ask any more questions.

Seeing that he seemed to believe her, Su Yunxi secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

She couldn't very well say that she smelled a lingering scent of shampoo that wasn't hers on the pillow, and that's why she felt so upset for several nights, and that's why she took everything out, washed it, and then put it out in the sun to completely remove the scent of that unknown woman.

That would make me look too stingy.

Her eyes darted around, and to hide her unease, she deliberately changed the subject, asking in an unusually enthusiastic tone, "Boss, would you like to take your blankets out to air them too? I'll wash them for you!"

"I don't need that," Song You waved his hand. "I'm not that particular."

He's so focused on his new skills that he has no time to care whether the blankets smell of sunshine.

"Okay, you go ahead and do your work. I'll go to the kitchen to prepare something."

After finishing his sentence, Song You ignored the junior who was still struggling with the blanket and turned to walk straight to the kitchen.

He couldn't wait to see just how high his cooking skills had reached.

Pushing open the kitchen door, a familiar smell of cooking oil and various seasonings wafted out.

But at this moment, these flavors presented him with an unprecedented, clear, and three-dimensional world.

He could distinguish the umami of soy sauce in the air, the sourness of vinegar, the spiciness of chili peppers left on the wall, and even the unique metallic smell of an iron pot.

Song You walked to the stove, reached out, and grasped the large iron pot that had been with him for months.

As I held the handle of the pot, a wonderful feeling welled up inside me.

He could feel the pot's center of gravity, the subtle differences in thickness between each part of the pot, and even the smoky aroma that had settled inside the pot after countless times of cooking over high heat.

The pot seemed to come alive, becoming an extension of his arm.