Chapter 153: Delicious Meat Soup
(Previous chapter title was incorrect, should be Chapter 151)
“Whoa whoa whoa, that’s enough! Too much!”
Seeing Punk throw the large water ball toward him, Kangkai momentarily panicked. His Battle Aura couldn’t handle so many things simultaneously, so he had to first put down the iron pot, then gather the water ball and salt pile, separating some of the prepared water, finally wrapping the excess water ball around Bahanger.
“Alright, now it’s time to showcase real culinary skills.”
Kangkai shook the iron pot filled with water, then placed the prepared rabbit inside.
“Next is cutting into pieces.”
The oversized rabbit couldn’t fully fit into the pot, so Kangkai used his Battle Aura to cut the rabbit – meat and bones together – into three-centimeter cubes.
After handling the main ingredient – the rabbit – Kangkai bent down to pluck over a dozen curly tender grasses from the field, muttering to himself:
“Though this wild grass can be found everywhere, it’s actually an excellent seasoning. We often use it for stews back in my hometown.”
When he stood up again, he held a small bundle of emerald-green, crystal-clear grass leaves in his hand. The pure white roots were completely free of soil, and the curved form of the grass appeared particularly elegant under the setting sun’s glow.
Kangkai chopped the grass leaves together with the roots and put them into the pot.
“Alright, now heating the fire is your responsibility. Remember to control the temperature – this is just an ordinary iron pot, don’t melt it!”
“Don’t worry, I’m an alchemy-skilled mage.”
Punk shot Kangkai a sidelong glance, then released a wisp of flame from his hand. The bright firelight crawled under the iron pot as if alive. Kangkai also condensed some Battle Aura to serve as a lid. Soon, a pot of grass-stewed rabbit was nearly complete.
Kangkai couldn’t wait to remove the lid. He leaned in and took a deep breath, continuously praising:
“Mmm, what a wonderful aroma. I can’t wait to taste it.”
Punk also looked curiously at the stew. The rabbit meat cooked by the high-temperature flame had turned into a tender pinkish-red that seemed ready to melt at a touch. Some emerald-green grass leaves floated in the broth, while a mixed fragrance of grass and meat wafted through the small campsite.
It had to be said, the meat stew Kangkai made was truly mouthwatering.
Even unconscious people could be awakened by this aroma – and that was no exaggeration!
Ahem, by Moradin, this smells wonderful, not inferior to Fafako the cook’s noodle soup back in our Heavy Hammer Tribe…
Wait, something’s wrong, what’s happening? Where is this Bahanger?”
At some point, attracted by the stew’s aroma, Bahanger – who had half his body wrapped in the water ball with only his head exposed to air – had actually awakened from his coma.
Despite being unable to move due to his burnt muscles and nerves, Bahanger’s first concern was actually the delicious meat stew.
“Who would have thought this guy was a hidden foodie.”
Punk looked disdainfully at Bahanger, whose eyes were shining with golden light. The dwarf looked like he hadn’t eaten for two or three days.
“How strange. Why is Bahanger recovering so quickly? Could it be because of that healing potion in Kangkai’s hand?”Punk was genuinely surprised to see Bahanger wake up. While it was inevitable for a dwarf with such a robust physique to regain consciousness eventually, the speed of his recovery was astonishing. Extensive magical burns like his couldn’t possibly be healed with just one or two potions of healing.
Kangkai, on the other hand, was genuinely delighted to see Bahanger awake. He quickly set down the soup pot, pulled out what appeared to be an ordinary healing potion from his ring, and strode over to Bahanger.
“Haha, I knew a dwarf like you wouldn’t die so easily! But you really have a knack for timing—waking up just as the stew is ready.”
Unlike Kangkai’s enthusiasm, Punk remained seated by the fire, unmoving. He watched the potion in Kangkai’s hand with a thoughtful gaze.
“So, the potion in Kangkai’s hand isn’t ordinary after all?”
Punk coldly glanced at Kangkai’s spatial necklace. In his mind, the ranger’s threat level had risen another notch. A ranger who could both deal damage and heal was truly terrifying.
But now wasn’t the time for a fight. Once Golem Number One was repaired, or with a bit more preparation, dealing with Kangkai would be manageable. It wasn’t worth taking risks during his current weakened state—after all, the ranger wasn’t about to vanish into thin air.
With that thought, Punk decided to focus on enjoying the stew before him. As a half-Ancient Elf, he generally preferred fruit-based foods, but this meat stew, infused with the fragrance of grass, held a unique charm.
Taking advantage of Bahanger’s delayed seating—the big eater hadn’t yet joined them—Punk used his magic to secure a generous portion of the stew.
“Hmm, the flavor is excellent.”
Punk savored the delicious stew carefully. The meat, finely sliced by battle aura, was tender yet firm, rich but not greasy. The aroma of fresh grass swirled between his lips and teeth, blending seamlessly with the flavors enhanced by his alchemical techniques. Kangkai’s stew seemed to have distilled the very essence of the prairie’s fragrance into the broth.
Soon, all three of them were gathered around the fire summoned by Punk. Well, except for Bahanger, who was trapped inside a water orb and unable to move—he remained standing. Though, in front of Punk and Kangkai, both tall, his standing height matched theirs only when they were seated.
Bahanger was currently tilting his head back to drink the soup. The moment he got his bowl, the impatient dwarf had gulped down all the meat, bones and all. In less than three seconds, he’d hurriedly drained the remaining broth.
After finishing, Bahanger tossed the bowl aside and sighed deeply with emotion.
“So delicious! It reminds me of home… home… home… Wait, where’s my hammer?”
“Only remembering it now? How could the Forge God Moradin have a follower like you?”
Both Punk and Kangkai stared speechlessly at Bahanger as he frantically searched for his hammer.
In the end, it was Punk who broke the news to him—the unfortunate truth.
“Your hammer was shattered by Tisha Xia’er. If you hurry back now, you might still find some fragments…””Damn it all! That blasted Tisha Xia’er, that was my ancestral hammer! I just went and lost it like that. If I don’t gain anything from this, how am I supposed to explain things to my old man in the God Realm? Although grandfather did say the battlefield is the best final resting place for weapons… but what am I supposed to use for blacksmithing from now on? I don’t even have any materials!”
The dwarf was hysterically complaining while constantly glancing at Punk’s Storage Magic Item carried by Kangkai. His expression might as well have been wearing a sign that said “Share the spoils with me.”
The situation became extremely awkward…
It’s important to know that Tisha Xia’er wasn’t a mage, so she wouldn’t be endlessly conducting experiments. Therefore, she wouldn’t have any alchemical materials on her. The mere few hundred Gold Coins she had weren’t even worth Kangkai’s attention.
After more than ten seconds of prolonged silence, it was Kangkai who reluctantly spoke up.
“Well, Mr. Bahanger, you should probably accept your loss. Aside from some potent poisons and antidotes, there were no spoils to speak of from Tisha Xia’er. So you’d be better off forging a new hammer.”
Kangkai seemed unwilling to tell Bahanger about the Legendary Equipment. On one hand, the dwarf had no memory from when he was berserk, and on the other hand, he didn’t trust the rather selfish dwarf.
Punk didn’t speak up to contradict Kangkai either. He would prefer fewer people knowing about the Legendary Equipment.
Thus, the greatest spoil – the Legendary Equipment – was tacitly kept secret by Kangkai and Punk, who watched with helpless expressions as Bahanger’s facial muscles twitched stiffly.
Only Kangkai scraped together half a bowl of leftover soup from the pot and offered it to the rigid dwarf.
“How about it… would you like some more soup…”
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(End of Chapter)