nownovels Chapter 136 Picnics and Home
Chapter 136 Picnics and Home
Chapter 136 Picnics and Home
"It's amazing you still have an appetite, dwarf." The swordswoman looked at the charred, mangled flesh on the ground. "Don't laugh at me for being pedantic; we've been trapped in these ruins for a whole day and night without food or water." The dwarf rubbed his stomach a little sheepishly. "You know what, this kobold, though burnt, smells like roasted meat—"
The swordswoman looked at the dwarf with a complicated expression. Geb walked over and patted Dulin on the shoulder: "I like the way you think, Dulin. What's the essential difference between dog-headed human flesh, dog meat, and pork? Don't let hypocritical morality bind your stomach."
"Don't take this opportunity to instill weird ideas, okay?! There's a huge difference between humanoids and beasts!" the swordswoman protested from the side.
"Tch, humans—but we really shouldn't have touched that kobold's rotten flesh. Who knows what the magic in that crystal has turned it into?"
Geb said, glancing intentionally or unintentionally at the puzzle room where the disc had been placed earlier; the corpse of the weasel-turned-beast was still there—
"Don't even think about it, goblin." Thorton seemed to see through his thoughts and gave him a cold look.
"What are you pretending for—haven't you eaten people enough?"
"Give me something normal to eat!! No one is allowed to eat people! Not even humanoids!" The swordswoman couldn't hold back any longer and shouted loudly.
Seeing how difficult these people were to manage, Gebu sighed: "Too many different races, the team is hard to lead. A bunch of goblins would be much easier to handle."
There was nothing he could do; there was no food or water in the ruins, and even if there were, Gebu wouldn't dare touch it. He had no choice but to take out the dry rations he carried with him and place them in front of him.
Before setting off, he hadn't anticipated spending the night outdoors and only brought some very basic camping food:
Grind (a type of unusually hard, unleavened biscuit that needs to be soaked in water to soften before eating), dried rabbit meat, hard cheese.
These items were bought at the hotel on short notice; they're dry rations for long-term storage. They're not even enough to make a proper dish.
"The conditions are tough, let's just make do"—no way!
After several fierce battles, the men in the team were exhausted and covered in wounds. In this desperate situation, if they only had dry rations to eat, their morale would definitely plummet.
At this critical juncture, the goblin wizard displayed a rare leadership quality: "With Goblin leading the team, we will never skimp on food for our teammates!"
"Dulin, you're not hurt. Go set up the pot for me—there's no firewood here, so we'll have to use magic."
.
While the dwarves were setting up their pots, Gebu didn't let the swordswoman sit idle.
He instructed the woman with the knife to break the crunchy biscuits into small pieces about the size of a thumb and put them in a bowl for later use. Meanwhile, he shredded the rabbit jerky into thin strips, peeled off the hard crust of the cheese to reveal the soft, milky-white center, and cut it into small cubes with a dagger.
Dulin set up the pot, and Geb shooed him aside, poured water from his water bag into the pot, and used magic to bring it to a boil.
First, put in the rabbit meat. This meat has been air-dried until it has lost all its moisture, and the flavor is concentrated in the fibers. After shredding it, roll it in the water and slowly soften it. A faint red color appears in the hot water.
The aroma wafted out. Gebu then poured in the biscuits, turned off the heat, stirred them to ensure each biscuit was in contact with the hot broth, and then placed a wooden plate over the pot to cover it, allowing the biscuits to absorb the rabbit broth and slowly expand.
At this time, Gebu took out the remaining deer vine from his bag. Even if it wasn't made into a potion, this herb still had the effect of accelerating recovery.
What's this called? Food therapy!
He used a knife to peel off the outer skin of the deer vine, revealing the juicy, white flesh that resembled a yam. He cut it into small, chess-piece-shaped pieces, sprinkled them with a little salt, and marinated them on the side to make a cold dish.
After finishing this, Gebu used a cloth to hold up the plate. The biscuits had completely absorbed the rabbit broth and were spread out in a thick layer on the pot. Gebu sprinkled some salt and white pepper on top, then added cheese, letting the small white pieces melt on the biscuits.
Several people watched Gebu's actions with some disbelief. In less than half an hour, Gebu had prepared a hot meal.
[Wild Game and Cheese Dumpling Soup] and [Deer Vine Cold Dish]
"It's a bit simple—I've done my best," Gebu said to everyone. "Ready to eat—"
'
"Are you sure you're a wizard and not a cook?" the woman with the sword said. "Those lousy cookies would make even a dog's teeth tremble, yet you managed to make them look like this. I've truly broadened my horizons."
"You woman, how come your compliments are even more awful than your insults?" Gebu complained.
Dulin's eyes were glued to the pot. Seeing how hungry he was, Gebu cheerfully called out, "Dinner's ready!"
Awooooo!
To be honest, although this dumpling soup was invented by Gebu on a whim, it tastes pretty good, especially the cheese, which is the finishing touch. It's rich in flavor and has a strong milky aroma.
The goblin wolfed down his food, then looked up and saw that the half-deer man wasn't eating, but was sitting to one side, staring at the rock wall.
Gebu glanced at him, picked up a bowl, filled it halfway with food, and walked up to him.
The half-deer turned half its face and looked at Gebu indifferently.
"I don't need the goblins' charity."
"Don't overthink it, Thornton. It's not that I pity you for not having food—we're short-handed right now, and I need everyone to be in peak combat condition," Geb said expressionlessly.
Thorton looked at the food in the goblin's hand. After thinking for a few seconds, he took it and sniffed it.
"Don't worry, it's not poisonous."
The half-deer man brought the bowl to his lips, took a sip, then another, and swallowed it whole without even chewing.
Although Gebu didn't have a good impression of this guy, he needed the half-deer man on his side now—the weasel was dead, the half-deer man had lost all his companions, and he was now all alone and needed his help.
Yes, the two parties in a collaboration don't need to be friends, as long as they share a common goal. This is a new lesson Gebu has learned.
"I've heard that you Angsar people come from a very far place—why have you come here? Is it for gold?" Gebu asked tentatively, seeing that the half-deer people's resistance was less intense. "It seems you prefer living in the forest, in harmony with nature, to towns. Forgive my bluntness, but what use do you have for gold?"
"----snort."
"What does this mean? You didn't tell me, fine, but you're still snorting at me?" Gebu thought to himself.
"I once asked the same question to someone. This is how he answered me:" Thorton's beastly eyes gazed into the endless abyss, his pupils reflecting a deep black.
"Money is man's greatest invention: it gives the desires of living beings a quantifiable value, so that you know whether what you are pursuing is worth your time, effort, and even soul."
"Then what are you pursuing, Thorton?" Geb asked. The goblin didn't fully understand what the deer-man was saying; he didn't even know if the man himself knew what he was talking about.
"What I'm pursuing? Gebu, what I'm pursuing is worth everything I give." The half-deer finished the food in his bowl, then turned his head, stared at Gebu with his beastly eyes, and slowly but firmly uttered a single word.
"home."