Ace and Shane sat on a smooth stone bench just outside the bustling kitchen, the late afternoon sun casting a gentle glow over the Divine Garden.
Ace exhaled slowly, folding his arms. "So… I take it things have gotten easier for you lately?"
"Oh yes, Master," Shane replied cheerfully, brushing crumbs off his apron.
"I've been getting plenty of rest. And, as Elder Lily suggested, we've started paying the kitchen workers in gold ingots."
Ace nodded thoughtfully. "Not a bad system."
"And," Shane added with a relaxed stretch, "thanks to the gradual decline in population of the crystal humans, feeding everyone has gotten much easier."
Ace paused mid-nod. "Decline in what now?"
