The emperor of the seas laid down in the hammock and grabbed the refreshing drink that was on the table. Meanwhile, he watched from the shore the waves caressing the sand of the crystalline beach.

It was a relaxing ritual that he performed once a month, and it was the product of the combined efforts of many magical races. That drink, in addition to being delicious, contained the nutrients that mystical beings like him needed to maintain and increase their power.

In the distant past, bloody wars over resources had devastated the world. All mystical beings had wanted to hoard the treasures necessary to improve their strength, or simply to not lose it. Sometimes with stratagems, sometimes hiding them, and many times simply confronting each other.

The devastation caused by these endless fights between powerful beings had caused a greater scarcity of resources, and even fiercer competition. That was how it had been until the conclave that had changed Jorgaldur.

An agreement had been reached to share, cultivate and prepare the necessary nutrients for all races. Cooperating each to the best of their abilities, they hadn't only avoided the destruction of resources, but had multiplied and improved them.

The selection, cultivation, fertilization, search, breeding, protection, enhancement or preparation of the different materials, of whatever type, had been distributed equally taking into account the characteristics of each race.

It's true that each and every race kept some resources for themselves, but that was taken for granted. What really mattered was that they had achieved a system that benefited everyone. It managed to generate enough nutrients, and to keep ingredients away from extinction.

Of course, this collaboration was carefully regulated by extensive agreements that all races had signed, and had to strictly comply with. If they didn't, they would face the combined retaliation of all the others. That was something that no one could afford, no matter how powerful they were.

The emperor absorbed the liquid through the straw, expecting to once again enjoy the delicious experience. The taste was undoubtedly extraordinary, as was the restorative effect on his body. Furthermore, it had been cooled to the perfect temperature.

The liquid reached his mouth, but instead of the mild sweetness he expected, he was met with a strong sour and spicy taste. Furthermore, at the time of mixing with his saliva, it gave off a disgusting smell. He couldn't help but spit it out.

"What the fuck is this!? Damn it! Put me with the dryads! They're going to have to give me an explanation!" he shouted furiously.

The dryads were responsible for the final touches, the final preparations. If something was wrong, they should have caught it sooner.

The furious phoenix established the connection. Her nutritional lava compote was so disgusting that had made her want to vomit after the first sip.

"Hello, what do the phoenixes need from the dryads?~" a honeyed voice asked.

"What do I need!? What happened to the mystical foods!? What've you done!?" she shouted furiously.

"To the mystical foods? Nothing that I know. We checked them carefully, and they were perfect. They perfectly met all the requirements~," the voice responded, without worry. It was just as sweet as ever, even melodious.

"How're they perfect!? Are you kidding me!?" the phoenix continued shouting, out of her mind.

"I don't understand. Tell me, hasn't the required amount arrived?~" the dryad asked. She appeared surprised, but calm. The soft tone was still the same, as if that hadn't anything to do with her.

"Amount? No, the amount is fine... That's not the problem!" the phoenix became more irritated after realizing that they were diverting attention from what was important.

"No? That's strange... So, what's the problem? I'm sure the nutritional balance is perfect~", the dryad pondered with her honeyed voice.

"The flavor is the problem! It's awful! And the smell! It's nauseating! It's unacceptable!!" the phoenix shouted again, red with anger. Well, maybe red was her natural color.

"The flavor? The smell? How strange... Wait, let me check... No... There's nothing here... Hmm... Not here either... Not here... I think you're wrong. There's nothing in the regulations about flavor and smell~," the dryad responded, sweetly innocent.

That made the phoenix even more angry. That dryad was completely ignoring her complaints.

"Do you say that there's nothing in the regulations!? This's a cooperation between everyone! We're supposed to act with others in mind! Doing the best for everyone! How can you use as an excuse that there's nothing in the regulations!?" she practically exploded.

"The letter is the letter~" the dryad assured.

Due to her fury, the phoenix didn't realize that there was something more in the dryad's honeyed voice when she said those words. Maybe resentment, maybe mockery. The mystical bird was too angered to notice.

"Are you making fun of me!? Haven't you heard me!? We can't limit ourselves to the letter!" she demanded.

"If you're so sure of it, shouldn't you lead by example?"

This time, she did notice the accusatory tone in the dryad's sweet voice. In fact, she was beginning to think that her honeyed tone was mocking her. It irritated her even more.

"How dare you?!! Who do you think you are?!!" the fire bird asked, threatening.

"Me? Only the dryad in charge of the final mix~" she responded sweetly, no longer hiding the mockery in her voice.

"Give me your name if you aren't a coward!!" the phoenix threatened.

At that moment of fury, she didn't realize that, if this went further, if she acted personally against a dryad, it could cause a serious conflict.

However, the dryad's response left her in such a state of shock that the connection eventually broke. Suddenly, she understood everything. The worst thing was that her own arguments contradicted what she had expressed a few days ago.

"Melia~"

"Have you seen what she has done? Now all the dragons blame me. Blarghh... It's disgusting," the black dragon complained.

"I already warned you! To all of you! You could have achieved the same thing in another way, without preventing them from meeting. Even the old lady of the ice dragons recommended it. She told you that he would accept if you asked him. But no, neither you nor your cronies listened to us," his wife, the celestial dragon, lectured him.

She rarely went against him, but on that occasion, she was unusually irritated. Not only did she have to suffer a disgusting meal, but it was because her husband and other representatives had ignored her. She envied the ice dragons. For some reason, they had received unusually delicious food.

They weren't the only ones. Other mystical beings, such as leprechauns or unicorns, received delicacies made with more care than usual, truly exquisite. They were the ones who had voted in favor of the dryads. Others, those who had abstained, had the usual. As for those who had voted against, they were suffering the consequences.

The worst thing was that they couldn't complain. The architect of everything was Melia, the dryad harmed by their decision. That time, they had argued that the only important thing was the letter of the agreement. Now, she was doing exactly the same thing, strictly adhering to the letter. They didn't even know if she would limit to that. Some crops seemed to be less energetic than usual.

"What can I do?" the dragon asked, depressed. He wasn't used to seeing his wife angry.

"Wait, and pray that nothing happens to that Eldi. Then, try to negotiate with her, and start by asking for forgiveness. I'm going to go for a walk," the sky dragon responded, still irritated. She was hoping that her ice dragon friend would invite her.