Once they were done collecting all the dried furs from the tree branches, Trix let out a loud growl to let the tiger beastmen know they were done. It took a few moments for him to arrive with his basket filled to the brim.
Serena spotted an assortment of plants in his woven basket, but was unable to make out what was what. She wasn't too upset by her lack of knowledge knowing this was a good chance to expand her plant knowledge.
And perhaps get some recipes for them. Serena mused to herself. Since they're all for eating.
Since learning about how she could get coins for making potions with plants, Serena had been wondering if it extended to cooking too. It would be great if she could gain something from the system for learning to cook.
Of course, even if she didn't gain anything from the system, cooking was still an important skill she needed to gain. She couldn't rely on others to cook for her forever and doubted she'd been able to eat everything raw.
Perhaps with some plants, but some things might taste better cooked than raw. So, her next task was somehow convincing this beastman to show her the ropes. Which hopefully he would.
Otherwise, she was going to have to look for someone else or worse case scenario see if the system had any cookbooks for her. Though understanding exactly what to do might be difficult for her.
Always better to learn directly from someone else as I can see exactly how one must do it. Serena thought to herself as the tiger beastman set his basket in front of them.
"Do you have everything?" The tiger beastman asked, glancing at their baskets.
They all nodded their heads before Trix glanced over at the tiger's basket and asked, "What did you get?"
"Mostly just orange roots and brown roots which are great for stews and soups." The tiger beastman stated, picking up an example of each.
The orange root was a long, curvy orange root with a long green stalk and a few leaves on the stalks. Meanwhile, the brown root was a funny oval shape with small brown spots on it.
Serena made a note of what they looked like, planning to read more about them in her book. She also took note of his words about stews and soups. She wasn't quite sure what those were, but she'd figure it out soon enough.
The tiger beastman packed them away before pulling out a small leaf pouch. "And I found these. The bush was quite small, so there isn't a lot, but I know females love them."
As he spoke, he opened the wrapped leaf packet to show a bunch of red round balls inside of it. There were about two or three dozen round balls in the leaf for Serena's estimates.
Upon seeing them, Rebecca recognized them immediately and excitedly exclaimed, "You found red berries?! I thought it was too late for them."
"That's true." The tiger beastman nodded his head in agreement. "Normally you'd find them a few blue moons earlier. And they go quickly because the birds love them too. It was a nice surprise to find them still on the bush. You three can split them among yourselves."
He handed the pouch to Trix while Serena mused over his words. She was a little surprised to learn that plants grew at certain times. But then, it would explain why food was hard to find in the cold season.
The book hadn't really said much about when things grew, but she supposed it was meant to be more advanced knowledge. Guess she was going to find out growth times somehow.
Especially if all plants had them. That way she could properly stock up on her medicinal herbs without having to worry about not finding any during seasons the plants didn't grow in.
Another thing to consider. Serena sighed. I really am going to need that pen and paper…
"Do you wanna try one before we leave?" Trix suddenly asked, holding out the pouch to Serena.
"Sure." Serena nodded her head as she took a berry. "Thank you."
"Of course." Trix smiled, handing one to Rebecca. "We can eat the rest later… Just have to make sure we don't have too many. They can make your stomach sore if you have a lot."
Serena made a mental note of her words before she asked, "How many will make your stomach sore?"
It was important she got the answer now in case her field guide didn't cover the red berry or didn't have that exact information under the berry. She could avoid any future problems that way.
"I'd say between ten and fifteen berries." Trix mused as she packed away the pouch in her small basket. "It normally depends on the female. Some have a higher tolerance to the berry than others."
"I see…" Serena murmured, processing all this new information.
She glanced at the small berry she was holding between her index finger and thumb. It was slightly squishy in her fingers, so Serena was careful not to push too hard.
After gazing at it for a few seconds, Serena finally brought it up to her mouth and popped it inside. She bit into it and it was crushed easily with a sweet juice filling her mouth. The flesh was a bit chewy, but otherwise good.
Serena could see why this was a favorite among beastwoman and now understood how one could eat enough to get a stomach ache. They were actually quite dangerous even for those with self control.
Perhaps I should avoid these for now… Serena mused to herself. I don't want Kiro to accidentally find them and get a stomach ache from them. That'll be a nightmare to deal with.
She'd let the other two have the berries for now.
Eventually, the group made their way back to the campsite. It was a pleasant walk back and when they got back, the camp was almost done. Serena quickly set her basket down and headed to the raging bonfire to find Kiro.