New ERA Saga

Chapter 11 – Making Breakfast

Nouel awoke from his slumber, breathing heavily, cold sweat trickling down his forehead. Dreams of his deceased friend always disturbed him, although Nouel wasn’t a sentimental person and didn’t prioritize emotions, it still affected him.

Getting up from his bed, Nouel sat in the living room of his apartment. He stared out the open window, letting the cool morning breeze caress his face. The day was bright, thanks to the protective dome over the city, filtering the dangerous sunlight while maintaining its benefits.

Suddenly, Nouel recalled one of his last conversations with Dvliericht, his late friend. They sat on Dvliericht’s backyard terrace, enjoying a cup of tea brewed by Dvliericht’s mother.

“You know, I want to become a doctor,” Dvliericht said enthusiastically.

Nouel, with a bored expression, replied, “I’ve known that for a while, you talk about it too often.”

Nouel’s response made Dvliericht smile.

“Out of all aspirations, why a doctor?” Nouel asked, appearing surprised.

Dvliericht gazed at the shining dome in the sky, reflecting sunlight.

“I want to help those who can’t afford medical expenses. I want to make this world a better place.”

“Sounds noble,” Nouel retorted sarcastically. “But you know, noble people aren’t liked by scoundrels. Noble people usually don’t live long.”

Dvliericht burst into laughter at Nouel’s cynical words.

“I’ve never heard your ambitions. Tell me, what do you want to achieve?” Dvliericht seemed somewhat curious.

Without hesitation, Nouel answered, “Have a decent job, someone to love, get married, start a family, raise children, then die.” Nouel responded with a blunt tone. Initially, Nouel had simple desires—to be an ordinary person and live a normal, monotonous life.

“Very realistic,” Dvliericht smiled, showing no mocking tone. “Why do you have such normal and simple aspirations?”

“I don’t want to aim too high. Besides, what can a poor person achieve? Especially in this world, do you think anything good can be achieved? And I don’t want to be noble and good like you,” he explained at length.

“You’re truly an annoying Nouel.”

Nouel replied with a sardonic smile. “And you, Dvliericht, pretending to be so good and compassionate. I’m still wondering why I can be friends with someone as boring as you. I should be bothering and intimidating you every day. It would be much better if I used you as a punching bag every day.”

“Creepy,” Dvliericht pretended to shudder, making Nouel punch his shoulder.

"Dvliericht then spoke again after that banter, remembering Nouel's skill, which could be considered quite genius — a man capable of understanding and grasping everything easily and quickly. 'Well, aren't you a genius in technology? Why don't you become an engineer and make this city better?'"

Nouel wore a sour expression, then scratched his head again. "It's troublesome, and I've already said that I'm not a noble person. Why should I make this city better? This city hasn't done anything for me. I don't owe anything to this city or the world."

“You’re just pessimistic, you doubt you can achieve it.”

In response, Nouel was displeased. “I’ll hit you if you belittle me. Who says I’m pessimistic? I can do anything if I want to.”

“Oh, prove it,” Dvliericht challenged, clearly provoking.

“What do you want me to do? Beat up a cop over there? Then burn his car?” Nouel’s challenge had nothing to do with their conversation.

“Don’t be sarcastic like that,” Dvliericht replied with a smile, then expressed seriously, “Listen, I will achieve my dream of becoming a doctor, and you must achieve your goal of becoming a great engineer. The first to reach their goal will be the winner. This is a challenge. We’ll compete to make this world better with our skills.”

“And you’ll lose, I can become an engineer in a year. Learning machines is as easy as a baby learning to suckle from its mother.” With arrogance, Nouel declared, overly confident in his abilities.

“Let’s see who’s better and can win this challenge.”

“What’s the prize for the winner?” Nouel asked, indirectly accepting the challenge.

“Anything, and if you lose, the loser must give anything the winner asks for.”

“Sounds interesting. I accept your challenge. Just wait, I will change this damn city my way. Get ready to be a foolish doctor whose life won’t last long,” Nouel said enthusiastically, appearing optimistic about winning it all.

“Good spirit,” praised Dvliericht, nodding confidently.

They laughed and continued their conversation about the possibilities in their future. Nouel remembered they even made plans to build hospitals and high-tech buildings together.

Nouel fell silent for a moment, reminiscing about the past with his friend. He smiled bitterly because that conversation was just youthful banter, and in reality, Nouel couldn’t fulfill their plans together.

This was the kind of ambition imagined by children entering adolescence—something rarely achieved when one becomes an adult and enters the harsh world where survival is the first challenge. There’s no time to fulfill childhood dreams and hopes.

Now, in the kitchen, the room’s appearance was comfortable. The food storage cabinet in Nouel’s apartment was large, made of sturdy metal and looked quite luxurious. Inside, various expensive foods were stored—organic fresh vegetables, choice beef, raw sea fish, fresh fruits of the highest quality, and other foods that were hard to come by for the middle and lower class.

A container held fresh, bright pink salmon. On the other side were green broccoli and shiny fresh carrots. There were also sizable pieces of meat, looking luxurious and fresh. Additionally, various fruits such as apples, pears, and grapes looked very fresh and delicious.

Nouel chose to use his advanced tools to make breakfast. He opened the large refrigerator with a strong and unbreakable glass door. Inside were various foods and drinks neatly arranged on several shelves.

Nouel took some fresh chicken eggs, slices of whole wheat bread, and a piece of salmon. He also grabbed fresh vegetables like carrots, tomatoes, and peppers stored in a special container to keep them clean.

Then, he put all these ingredients into the automated cooking device on the kitchen table. It was Nouel’s creation, equipped with various sensors and advanced technology to cook food perfectly.

After giving his command, Nouel watched the machine work on its own. The sophisticated tools and robots he created seemed to move and rotate quickly to process the necessary ingredients.

Shortly after, the machine finished making two servings of food, both sizable and incredibly delicious. Nouel was surprised by the result, as he had only ordered one portion.

“Uh, why two?” Nouel murmured, looking at the two servings in front of him. Unconsciously, thinking about Dvliericht, he had asked his food-making machine to produce two servings.

Nouel took a deep breath, then rubbed his face. He felt very strange because he had done something unusual for him.

Suddenly, Nouel felt a presence, causing him to shift his gaze towards the unexpected guest with alertness.