Time passed quickly.
During these days, Gauss and the others first bid farewell to Andri.
Watching her figure disappear at the end of the road, Gauss felt a tinge of melancholy at the thought of not knowing when they would meet again.
On the fourth day, Gauss finally received the departure notice from the dwarf Sorin.
The two parties joined together, and following the planned route, left Forest Crown Town, officially embarking in the direction of the ruins.
Sorin’s three mounts were quite common, standard sturdy northern ponies, with shoulders no more than four feet tall, but with sturdy limbs and wide hooves, especially suitable for carrying loads through forests and rough terrain.
What was special was that Sorin’s horse had several small wine bags hanging by the saddle, lightly knocking together with the horse’s steps, making a dull sound along the way.
This red-skinned dwarf would take a sip of wine every now and then.
He tried to "recommend" it to Gauss, but the pungent smell that hit the roof of his mouth made Gauss politely decline.
Gauss at most drank some very low-alcohol fruit wine, which in strict terms was more like a beverage.
Moreover, even this kind of wine he wouldn’t touch when leaving town for an adventure, to maintain a clear head as much as possible.
The ruins were a distance away from Forest Crown Town, so this temporary team needed to travel along the edge of the Jade Forest for about two or three days, before entering the Jade Forest through its entrance.
As such, the team members weren’t in a particular hurry.
It was around noon.
Beside the wilderness path, a hot wind blew through, pressing down wild grasses and shrubs, as the late spring’s green waves surged.
A shaggy wild boar grunted as it emerged from the bushes.
With tight muscles and short tusks, it was using its snout to vigorously dig through the earth, searching for large plant roots, occasionally raising its head suddenly and casting an alert glance around, wary of any lurking hunters.
After confirming there was no danger, it lowered its head again to continue foraging.
"Whoosh!!!"
Suddenly, the air became scorching hot.
A streak of crimson sliced through the air.
The wild boar only just noticed when, with a "thud," the fiery red arrow pierced straight through its ears, penetrating its skull, the high temperature instantly snuffing out its life.
"Not bad, Gauss." Sorin walked up from afar, full of energy as he approached the wild boar.
He grabbed the boar by the neck, ignoring its prickly bristles, and easily lifted it from the ground.
"It’s about 150 pounds, enough to eat for two days. But why not go for the other larger one, which must be at least 400 pounds?"
"Never mind, this is enough." Gauss shook his head. The larger one would be harder to preserve and might lead to waste if they got sick of it.
"True enough." Sorin nodded, casually hoisting the boar—which wasn’t much smaller than him—onto his shoulder.
Dwarfs are naturally strong, even if they don’t become professionals, and Sorin was a Level 5 Warrior. Though it might seem a bit out of place, this weight was negligible to him.
Even if it were ten times heavier, he could still handle it with ease and poise.
"Let’s go, let’s find a stream to clean the guts and start a fire, I’m getting hungry."
In the sky, Aik spread his wings and quickly located the nearest stream for the team.
They cleared a patch of ground.
Gauss was just about to take on the task of processing the game, yet before he could draw his skinning knife, Sorin had already started.
With swift and precise movements, he skillfully laid the boar on the ground, then took out a knife, expertly bleeding, skinning, and removing the innards and inedible parts, all in one go.
While working, Sorin glanced at Gauss’s knife.
They exchanged a look of mutual recognition, as kindred spirits.
There was typically one designated cook in a team.
While being a cook might sound like a mundane task, it’s far from trivial.
As the saying goes, you need to be well-fed to have the energy for adventuring.
A good cook can create deliciously savory meals, improving the living quality of the adventure team in the wilderness and boosting morale.
People are emotional creatures, inevitably influenced by various factors.
This is why, even though Gauss’s team technically took turns cooking, he often volunteered or helped out because his culinary skills were the best among the three of them.
Sorin the dwarf was evidently the cook in their team and clearly very knowledgeable in the art.
His method of handling the boar was very professional, quickly sorting and placing the meat cuts properly.
He then took out several small leather pouches from his pack, filled with ground spices, and proudly shook them.
"We dwarfs not only forge metal, but also know how to enjoy good food and wine."
Soon, under everyone’s joint effort, they fetched water, set up a pot, started a fire to boil water, and picked wild vegetables and herbs...
The outdoor cooking began quickly.
Even Gauss, who always took pride in his own cooking skills, had to admit that this dwarf warrior had superior culinary talents.
Compared to Sorin, he felt like an amateur stumbling around.
As the aroma wafted through the air.
Gauss swallowed his saliva.
But with the food not ready yet, he had to suppress his appetite for now and continued assisting Sorin.