The heavy wooden pot lid was lifted.
A wave of scalding, rich aroma hit his face.
Through the swirling white mist, Gauss gazed at the pot filled with thick, enticing amber-gold soup, with large chunks of tender, well-textured white frog meat floating above, golden potatoes, and orange-red carrot pieces sprinkled in between.
In the rising steam, this pot of stew exuded a warm, mellow, and unique rich fragrance.
"Whew—" Gauss picked up a wooden spoon, swallowed a mouthful of saliva. "It looks really good."
He scooped a spoonful, with both soup and meat, pouring it into a wooden bowl.
Gauss looked across at Aaliyah.
"Wanna give it a try?"
Aaliyah’s gaze was fixed on the stew soup in the cast iron pot.
To be honest, even though it was made from demon materials, it looked and smelled good.
"Then I’ll give it a try first." Gauss keenly caught the hesitation on Aaliyah’s face and understood her apprehension towards unfamiliar ingredients.
So, somewhat impatiently, he prepared to take the lead and try the taste himself.
He brought the wooden bowl close to his lips, carefully blowing on the scalding steam at the edge of the bowl.
Under Aaliyah’s watchful eyes, Gauss gently took a sip.
Then he closed his eyes, savoring its taste.
"How is it?" Aaliyah saw that Gauss hadn’t spoken for a long time and, worried that a hidden toxin in the soup had taken effect, hurriedly asked.
"It’s... quite amazing!"
Gauss exhaled a satisfied breath.
Then he opened his eyes, his face showing a surprised expression.
"Really?" Aaliyah scratched her head.
"Yeah."
But Gauss couldn’t be bothered to respond to her anymore.
With his other hand, he grabbed the spoon, beginning to shove frog meat into his mouth.
The well-developed leg meat of the Rust Frog, built up by long-term, high-intensity jumping, didn’t turn into a soft mush after being stewed. Instead, it showcased extremely tender and smooth qualities.
With a bite, the plump meat chunk spread with varying textures in the mouth, transforming into strands of tender fibers soaked in the essence of the amber-golden broth.
The aromas of various ingredients blended together.
Every taste bud on the tip of the tongue seemed to be dancing with joy.
Once the food was swallowed, it quickly turned into a warm stream, nurturing the whole body.
Just a few sips, and Gauss felt a warm, comforting sensation all over, with the heat slowly spreading from his stomach to all limbs.
It’s truly delicious!
And!
The energy density is so high!
Gauss felt the talent of his Energy Storage Glands working at full speed to convert food into heat, a sensation of fullness he hadn’t experienced with any previous meal.
The edible meat of this demon seemed more suitable for his current body than ordinary meat.
So this is the high-calorie food he had been searching for?
While chewing with large mouthfuls, Gauss pondered in his mind.
Meanwhile, opposite him, Aaliyah, seeing his engrossed eating manner, also found her appetite somewhat stimulated.
Why not... give it a try?
She imitated Gauss’s approach, picking up her empty bowl, cautiously scooping a spoonful of amber-gold soup, selecting a few pieces of the most appealing frog meat.
Then, summoning her courage, she put a spoonful of soup-mixed meat into her mouth.
She closed her eyes, chewing carefully.
For a long while...
She slowly opened her eyes, looked down at the remaining food in her bowl, a complex expression appearing on her face.
It’s not bad, indeed?
The frog meat’s texture was tender and smooth, and the soup’s flavor was rich and hearty, far exceeding expectations.
However... after swallowing the frog meat, the inside of her mouth retained a peculiar, faintly electric tingly sensation.
But aside from this slight anomaly, it wasn’t hard to eat, and after becoming accustomed to its flavor, one might find it had a unique aroma compared to regular meats.
As a result, despite having only eaten until about seventy to eighty percent full at lunch, Aaliyah unknowingly added another bowl.
Even Ulfen got a large portion, eating ravenously.
"Burp!"
Aaliyah let out a satisfied burp.
"Burp!" Aaliyah put down her empty bowl, unable to hold back from burping, feeling puzzled.
"Strange... I only had two small bowls, yet I feel so full?"
But Gauss was still eating.
Fortunately, he had a good appetite, plus Ulfen helped.
This big pot of stew was eventually finished, with no food wasted.
Gauss lay on the ground, relishing a sensation of being stuffed he hadn’t felt in a long time.
The two and a wolf rested for a while in their makeshift camp.
It was only after the feeling of fullness in his stomach subsided a little that Gauss stood up energetically.
His gaze swept over the frog corpses around, his eyes sparkling.
He didn’t intend to waste these high-calorie emergency foods.
They could be made into storage-resistant jerky.
However, time was tight at the moment, so he could only perform preliminary processing first. Later, when they returned to town, they could find someone for subsequent curing and drying.
Gauss quickly explained his plan to Aaliyah.
Aaliyah also nodded.
She knew Gauss ate a lot, and she personally experienced the high energy density of the stew just now.
Indeed, for Gauss, it was an extremely useful replenishment.
The two quickly sprang into action, beginning to process the surrounding frog corpses.
They preserved the leg muscle fibers, filling up an entire large bag, then took them to a nearby pond for washing, kneading them with saltwater.
In the end, Gauss unleashed Wind Dance and Magic Tricks to remove the moisture and odor, packing and sealing them for preservation.
"But, doesn’t this frog meat seem to have a slight toxin?" Aaliyah worked her cheeks, exhaling a long breath.
Just after eating, that tingly, faintly electric sensation had lingered in her mouth for nearly an hour before gradually fading, which was indeed suspicious, though, fortunately, there was no discomfort afterward.