Eric picked up another piece of plump oyster meat and put it in his mouth to savor. The pure, fresh sweetness of the sea spread through every fiber of the meat, both tender and juicy, truly making it unforgettable after just one bite. He ate several in a row, only stopping when his belly was full.
Satiated, he rubbed his round belly, then turned towards the seashore, where two giant Snow Wolves were chasing each other playfully, kicking up white waves, and called out loudly:
"Hey! There’s delicious food here! Do you guys want any!"
Originally, Max had just been quietly following Eric. But as soon as he reached the shore, Michael took the opportunity for "revenge," splashing him with a whole bodyful of freezing seawater.
And so, an earth-shattering battle broke out right at the water’s edge.
Michael was almost kicked straight into the deep sea by Max, but fortunately, he was quick on his feet.
Hearing Eric’s call, Max’s pursuit faltered for a moment. Waiting for just that, Michael immediately seized the opportunity to escape.
"Coming, coming!" Michael grinned radiantly, feeling incredibly smug.
He had gotten Max’s boots and clothes completely soaked, what a glorious victory!
Even though he was beaten until he ached, Michael still considered his revenge a success.
Eric’s stomach was full now, and his gossipy nature resurfaced.
He glanced at the two of them, feeling regretful. It was all because this oyster was too delicious; it had captured all his attention, causing him to miss this "relationship-building" scene between the two.
Under the brilliant golden afternoon sun, in the azure seawater, two tall, handsome beastmen chasing each other playfully, splashing water on one another... just imagining it created a scene overflowing with affection.
As expected, a glutton will miss the good drama, especially the main couple’s good drama. Eric regretted it endlessly.
But why did Max’s face look so grim? Could it be because he had disturbed their private world?
Eric was full of suspicion but didn’t dare to speak up, quietly getting an oyster for each of them, its shell already pried open.
Michael chuckled as he received it: "This thing is edible? It looks no different from a rock."
"Then don’t eat it."
Max’s expression was still dark as he reached out to take the oyster from Eric. Hearing Michael’s words, he immediately snatched the oyster from Michael’s hand.
Michael was quick-witted and fast, hurriedly stuffing the oyster meat into his mouth and taking a large bite.
His action startled Eric, who was afraid he might choke; fortunately, the Snow Wolf people’s teeth were inherently strong.
Seeing that Michael had already bitten off half, a flash of disdain appeared in Max’s eyes. He glanced at Michael before starting to eat the oyster in his own hand.
"Good heavens! This is both tender and juicy!" Michael’s eyes widened in amazement, unable to believe his sense of taste.
After tasting it, Max also subtly took another bite. His eyes lit up, and he had to admit:
"It is indeed delicious, the flavor is very unique."
Eric was already full, so he smiled, rested his chin on his hand, and watched them eat with amusement.
"I always thought things from the water were horribly fishy. I don’t know why, but in Eric’s hands, everything becomes different.
Even this thing that looks like a rock can be made this delicious, truly impressive!"
Michael clicked his tongue in praise while opening another one himself, slurping down the sweet juice before neatly finishing the slippery, tender, and plump oyster meat in just a few bites.
Eric left the cooked oysters for the two of them and ran to a nearby reef.
He picked oysters as if picking mushrooms after a rain; each one was as big as a washbasin. It was truly a bountiful harvest.
Finishing the food in his hand in just two or three bites, Max stood up and took the oysters from Eric’s hands.
His eyes clearly showed his doubt; it was hard to imagine how Eric had discovered that this rock-like thing could actually be eaten...
Seafood only needed to be steamed for a few minutes before it could be eaten, so Eric wasn’t worried at all about not keeping up with their eating speed. This was probably the easiest and most leisurely meal he had ever prepared.
But speaking of oysters, aside from their delicious taste, he remembered they had another, much more famous use...
Eric suddenly stiffened. Ahem, his body was still that of a child; he probably wouldn’t be affected.
He just didn’t know what would happen to the other two...
Oh crap, he’d accidentally caused trouble. Eric’s gaze shifted away slightly. After steaming another pot, he quietly stood up and walked towards the beach.
The cold wind, carrying the salty scent of the sea, blew against his face. The tide would rise in the evening, and after it receded, the shore would be left with countless gifts from the ocean.
Eric had never gone to catch seafood at low tide. He had only heard it was best to go to the beach early in the morning, as the harvest would be most plentiful then.
But this coastline had not been visited by people for a long time. The sand was covered in many dry seashells, and of course, countless other types of marine creatures.
Various types of snails, clams, and some crabs he didn’t know the names of, were brandishing their large pincers, swaggering around.
The marine life in this world was unusually large. These clams, snails, and crabs were all as big as the shrimp soldiers and crab generals from the dragon palace he used to watch in cartoons; every single one was "colossal."
Any crab he came across was several times larger than the king crabs of his world.
Eric almost drooled rivers. Unfortunately, he didn’t dare to catch the crabs; those massive pincers looked very formidable.
But he could walk around them to pick up other clams and snails. He chose the ones that felt heavy when picked up and tossed aside the empty shells.
The colorful shells were almost as large as the oysters they had just eaten, and the snails were not small either. Eric picked up a few and ran back to Max for help.
"Max, I want to eat that crab!" He pointed at the crab swaggering on the sand, showing no fear of people, and said to Max.
Even Eric himself didn’t realize how natural and somewhat wheedling his tone was at that moment.
A flash of doting amusement appeared in Max’s eyes. He put down the oyster in his hand and strode over to catch the crab for him.
"Be careful of its pincers, that’ll hurt if it clamps down!" Eric saw him reaching out his bare hand to grab it and hurriedly shouted a reminder.
But he had underestimated the toughness of a Snow Wolf person.
Max turned his head to look at him doubtfully, while the crab’s massive pincer was clamped firmly onto his arm.
Max didn’t even flinch. He even felt it was convenient, as it freed up his other hand to catch a few more.
The crab: "..."
It was unknown if it was cursing, but if it was, it was probably cursing very crudely.
Eric couldn’t help but burst out laughing.
He was still limited by his human way of thinking. He was now a thick-skinned, fleshy Snow Wolf person; even a super-large crab was nothing to be afraid of.
In the iron wok that was boiling seawater, they could still steam some seafood on top. Eric planned to use the pottery pot to make spicy stir-fried seafood. These clams were very large; stir-frying them directly might not let the seasoning soak in.
Eric pried them open one by one. For the snails, he used a small branch to poke the meat out, then discarded the inedible internal organs. Michael, after finishing the last oyster in his hand, happily took over these small tasks.
Finding a wooden plank, washing it clean to use as a cutting board, Eric cut the clam and snail meat into palm-sized pieces. The texture was very tender when cutting, so it would surely be delicious when stir-fried. He asked Max to chop the brandishing, posturing crab into small pieces.
That huge crab pincer looked like it had a lot of meat.
The pottery pot was heated, and he added the solidified animal fat.
Once the fat melted, he added the dried chilies and the garlic-onion powder from their luggage, stir-frying until fragrant, before adding the various seafood meats and crab pieces for a quick stir-fry.
The pungent, spicy fragrance spread across the beach, blending with the unique freshness of the seafood, creating an aroma that made one gulp down their saliva.
Seafood ingredients couldn’t be stir-fried for too long.
Eric quickly poured everything out into a wooden basin. In the glistening, bright red sauce, the snow-white pieces of clam and snail meat, along with the bright red crab pieces, looked incredibly appetizing.
Michael couldn’t hold back any longer and directly reached in with his hand to eat.
Smack!
Max, expressionless, landed a loud slap on his hand.
Eric quickly took the opportunity to hand chopsticks to the two of them.
"Hurry and try it, this meat is very tender!"
Michael eagerly grabbed a large piece of clam meat and stuffed it into his mouth.
The spicy, flavorful, and chewy-yet-crisp meat was so delicious he almost bit his own tongue.