A cheer rang out, signaling the return of the hunting party.
Eric's hands moved nimbly as he flipped the golden-brown bean pulp cake in the greasy pan, his eyes still glancing out towards the square.
Soon enough, several tall, sturdy figures appeared, carrying slabs of freshly killed demonic beast meat on their shoulders. Luci and Thomas led the way, followed by the young men of the tribe.
Little Flower trotted around Grass's feet, her small tail wagging furiously.
Smelling the fragrant aroma, Flower immediately abandoned Grass and ran to nuzzle against Eric's leg, begging for food. Seeing this, Leo grew jealous, squeezed in between them, and nudged the little girl away.
"Now, now." Eric chuckled, patting Leo's head before pinching off a piece of the hot cake and feeding it to Flower.
Kevin and Sam had also just arrived, placing two large baskets in front of him. One basket was filled to the brim with wild chicken eggs, while the other was a jumble of strange plants and grasses, still caked in mud.
Lately, he had been receiving gifts like this every day. Fortunately, he had managed to identify quite a few edible things. The only exception was mushrooms, which the entire tribe now swore off for good.
After Kevin had eagerly imitated him by picking a basketful, only for half of them to turn out to be poisonous, no one dared to pick mushrooms on their own anymore.
Just as the last batch of cakes was cooked, Eric quickly called everyone over to enjoy them, while he poured the grease into a jar and prepared to deal with the eggs.
Too many eggs had accumulated, and he didn't know how to incubate them. They would spoil if left for too long. Frying them up was the safest bet. Half were fried, and the other half were beaten into a golden mixture and then scrambled.
Next to the fire pit, Max and Michael had already set up a large wooden plank. The group gathered around and began their meal.
Sounds of praise and admiration rose endlessly. The crispy, fragrant bean pulp cakes made everyone nod in approval, determined to plant more beans.
The fried eggs were golden brown and tender on the inside; the scrambled eggs were savory and vibrant in color. Each of Eric's dishes seemed to shatter their perception of cuisine.
"Heavens! Wild chicken eggs can be made like this? This is ten thousand times better than drinking them raw!" Kevin exclaimed as he picked up a large mouthful of scrambled eggs.
"The beans too, who would have thought they could be eaten this way!" Sam remarked with admiration.
As Grass ate, she glanced at Eric. It turned out he wasn't always completely focused on Max; he knew how to make many interesting things.
Eric only ate a few bites to fill his stomach before sitting down next to the basket of plants. He searched through it carefully, seeing if there was anything new to be harvested today. He pulled out a white fruit, tasted it, and found it incredibly bitter. He tossed it aside.
He dug out a handful of long-stemmed plants, tasted them, and found them soft with no strange flavor; they could be used as wild vegetables. After searching for a long time and feeling a little disappointed, a vibrant green plant with a brilliant red stem and root was revealed at the bottom of the basket.
Eric's heart skipped a beat.
He couldn't believe his eyes, his hands trembling as he picked it up.
This… wasn't this a beetroot?
Oh my god!
He was overjoyed to the point of madness and quickly took a bite. That's right, there was no mistake, this was it! The leaves and stem could be used as a vegetable, and the root could be used to make sugar. A perfect ingredient!
Just the other day he was complaining about not having sugar to make rice vinegar, and today he found beetroots. The heavens were truly helping him!
Michael saw him clutching the red root like a treasure and leaned in curiously. "That weird thing grows all over the valley where we train. Is it really edible?"
Eric nodded eagerly, his eyes sparkling. "Of course, it's edible! Not only is it delicious, but this red root can be used to make sugar, as sweet as thorn beast honey!"
"As sweet as thorn beast honey?"
The Snow Wolf warriors all stared in amazement. A useless-looking root like this could produce something so precious?
Though half-doubting, Michael still nodded. "Then this afternoon during training, we'll pick them all and bring them back for you."
"Wonderful!" Eric cheered. "Michael, remember to leave some so they can go to seed. Next year, we'll grow them ourselves! Oh, and… can I go with you guys?"
He had to see its growing environment with his own eyes to know how to plant it next year.
Thomas laughed heartily and clapped him on the shoulder. "Of course you can! Just stand far away and watch, so we don't accidentally hurt you."
Eric sighed inwardly. He clearly just wanted to see the beetroots, but from the way Uncle Thomas was acting, he had probably misunderstood and thought Eric wanted to go see someone else.
It was hopeless. The original owner's lovesick image was truly ingrained in the minds of everyone in this tribe. It was so bad that when Sam initially wanted to come to his house for a free meal, he had to bring Max along as a bargaining chip.
He was so embarrassed he didn't dare to look at anyone's expression.
Whatever, let them think what they want! Once he made sugar and turned it into milk candies and fruit candies, they'd see who would be drooling then.
"Brother, I want to go too!" Leo pleaded, scratching at his leg with his claws.
Eric happily scooped the little one up. "Alright, we'll go together!"
Flower was about to speak up as well, but a glare from Grass as sharp as a knife instantly extinguished the thought. The little girl could only retreat meekly into Jessica's arms.
Eric pretended not to see. He wasn't foolish enough to provoke Grass. Besides, Flower was a little devil; if he wasn't paying attention and she got hurt, Grass would skin him alive.
The warriors' training ground was located in a very remote place. Their destructive power was too terrifying to be near the tribe.
Eric and Leo rode on the back of Michael's wolf.
The speed of the Snow Wolf people was astonishingly fast. The wind slapped against their faces, making the fur and hair of both of them stand on end. Originally, Thomas and Michael had intended to push him onto Max's back, but Eric had frantically waved his hands in refusal.
Give me a break, you guys! Save me from this overwhelming enthusiasm!
He sighed helplessly in the cold wind.
Michael, he's your future partner. Why are you so actively playing matchmaker for someone else? Since transmigrating here, his sighing skills had truly reached a new level.
The giant snow wolf crossed the grasslands, passed through the dense forest, and traversed several mountain ranges before stopping in a vast valley.
Looking at the scene of devastation before him—scattered rubble, broken and fallen trees, a valley so silent there wasn't even the chirp of a bird—Eric was left speechless.
Could it be that the Snow Wolf people were really just a pack of giant huskies disguised as wolves?
Michael led him to the place with the beetroots. A whole patch of the hillside was covered in a brilliant, vibrant red and green, swaying in the wind.
In the modern world, white sugar beets were mainly used to produce sugar; this red variety was often used for coloring. If he could make lipstick from this, he could probably make a fortune.
But that was a matter for the future. Making sugar was the most important thing right now!
He excitedly threw himself into digging, breaking off the stems and leaves and piling the roots into a small mountain. The beetroots here were several sizes larger than the ones in his world. After digging with all his might through two-thirds of the area, the tips of his and Leo's claws were stained bright red.
Looking at the fruits of his labor, Eric couldn't help but smile.
Now that he had sugar, milk candies, cakes, and fruit jams… they would no longer be a distant dream. But first, he had to figure out how to turn this pile of beets into sugar.
It seemed like a project that would be anything but simple.