Tribal Sign-In: Immortal At The Start-Chapter 240: Apple Pie

"Why don’t you try it?" Rion questioned while offering the sliced apple to Wilson.

Wilson looked at his grandma, and she asked with a confused expression, "Why aren’t you eating it as is instead of turning it into something else?"

Rion’s lips lifted into a faint smile. He looked at Dora and mumbled, "My partner wishes to have a dessert, not a fruit."

Seeing that they were looking at her, Dora displayed an embarrassed smile and mumbled while tugging on his shirt, "Don’t say it like that."

A chuckle slid out of his lips, and he questioned, "So, care to have a taste?"

Wilson nodded reluctantly and raised his arms towards Rion. "I’ll be the first."

Rion took a step forward, placed the sliced apple in his hand, and mumbled, "Don’t eat all of it."

Wilson scoffed, "I have eaten all kinds of fruits. Trust me, I won’t even bat an eye."

Hearing his proclamation, Rion smirked and asked, "What if you do?"

Wilson frowned. "I won’t."

He lifted his hand and moved it towards Rion’s to take the apple.

Rion moved his hand away from his and asked with an amused expression, "But... what if you do?"

A vein throbbed at Wilson’s head, and he muttered, "If I do end up batting an eye to it, then I’ll paint my face red and circle the whole capital."

A wide grin appeared on Rion’s face. He once again placed his hand before Wilson and said, "That’s the deal."

Wilson snatched the apple from his hand, sliced it with his own knife, and grumbled something under his breath before he pushed the slice down his lips.

The instant it entered his mouth, it melted like butter, and a dreamy look appeared on his face.

Feeling the taste of the apple, Wilson felt like he was swinging in the lake of apple juice while the dim red glow of apple moon brightened the apple world around him.

"Willy?" Grandma called out to him, but Wilson was too deep in his apple lake to answer her.

A few minutes later, he reached the shore of the apple lake and stepped back into the real world.

His eyes slowly returned to their previous softness, and he mumbled with a baffled expression, "What is this...?"

Seeing his reaction, Rion smirked and said, "You should start deciding what route you’d be taking."

Wilson smiled at Rion. "Right..."

He turned his head towards his grandma, offered a slice to her, and said, "Try it."

Grandma nodded, examined the slice for a few moments before she placed it in her mouth, similar to Wilson, she also entered the apple world for a few minutes.

Once she returned to the real world, she looked at the apple with wide eyes and stammered, "W-What kind of apple is that?!"

Both of them turned their heads towards the only person who could answer them — Rion.

Rion pointed at the apple and stated, "An extremely delicious and sweet apple."

The duo of grandma and grandson blinked their eyes, and Grandma burst out laughing.

"An extremely delicious and sweet apple, huh... a fascinating name..." she mumbled with a hand under her chin.

Rion smiled and told them the reason for which he had graced their bakery, "I want you to make a pie using the same apples."

Grandma nodded and muttered with a thoughtful expression, "I believe you are aware of the problem with them?"

"I am," he responded.

"What do you mean?" Dora, who had already tasted the apple last night, asked with a frown etched on her face.

Grandma looked at her and explained, "These apples are too good... a little heat, and they’ll melt into nothing. They’re far too soft for a proper pie."

"You can?!" Rion asked, his eyes gleaming brightly.

She nodded. "Normally, you fill the pastry before baking it. But these apples won’t survive that. I’ll bake the crust first, and cook the apples separately into a sauce. Then I’ll fill it after..."

"That... might work," Rion mumbled with a thoughtful look.

A chiming chuckle escaped her lips, and she said, "Not might, I’ll make sure it does."

"I’d need more apples, though," she added as she raised her apron like a bowl.

Rion smiled brightly, walked closer to the counter, and took out more of the extremely delicious and sweet apples from his inventory.

After taking seven apples from him, Grandma turned her head towards her grandson and called out with furrowed brows, "Willy?"

Wilson, who was deep in his thoughts, came out of his reverie and mumbled, "Y-Yes?"

Grandma shook her head and mumbled, "We won’t be taking any new orders until I finish this lad’s apple pie."

Wilson’s eyes widened in utter shock. "B-But what about the rent?!"

"Hmph! I opened this bakery to have others eat my food, not to make money... I finally feel the drive I had in my youth, and you want to pour water on it?! Huh, you brat!"

"But ma—"

"It’s fine," Rion spoke, looked at Grandma, and stated, "If you can make it, I’ll pay all of your rent."

Wilson’s eyes went wide, and his mouth fell agape.

Grandma blinked a few times before she continued to the kitchen and muttered, "I feel even younger now!"

Rion chuckled and locked his fingers with Dora’s.

She looked at him with a sweet smile, and he mumbled, "Just a few more minutes."

"Please," Wilson spoke while pointing at two chairs that he had just cleaned to perfection.

They took their chairs, and after about half an hour, the aroma of baking pastry and apple sauce filled the bakery.

Just as two hours passed, Grandma walked out of the kitchen with a plate.

The aroma of the apple pie intensified even further.

She walked over to their table, placed the plate on it, and said, "Please, try it."

Rion picked up the fork, cut a tiny portion, blew onto it, and carefully lifted it before Dora’s lips.

Leaning forward, her lips parted, and she ate it.

The crispy pastry fell easily, and the sweet, savory, and spicy flavors of the filling exploded in her mouth.

Her eyes rolled, she leaned back on her chair, and mumbled, "It is sweet... it is good. Very good."