Sour Grapes and Life in the Wild

The three of them stayed at Eisen's house for a few more days.

On the one hand, it was to organize the maps and information needed for the trip to the Northern Plateau; on the other hand, it was to prepare warm clothing, food, and other travel supplies.

After all, according to a certain elf's description, it's so cold there that water can freeze instantly, although it's unclear whether that's an exaggeration.

Before setting off, they even tried Frieren's "True Magic that turns sweet grapes into sour grapes."

"Ugh, it's so sour."

Fern picked up a grape that had been enchanted, put it in his mouth, and tasted it. He felt so sour that his teeth felt like they were going to fall out.

The more sour the grapes, the better they taste.

Seeing Fern's sour expression, Eisen couldn't help but smile.

He then reached for the grapes on the table and generously poured the entire bunch into his mouth. After chewing a few times, he nodded in satisfaction.

"It still tastes familiar."

Lorenzo also took one and tasted it; it was indeed very sour.

These grapes are probably only suitable for people with an extreme "sourness" craving; they'd probably taste pretty good if juiced or used to make wine.

"I even went out of my way to find this True Magic; Eisen just loves eating these sour grapes."

Frieren also took one and put it in her mouth. After chewing a few times, her expression remained calm. She was probably already used to it; the sour taste had no effect on her at all.

"I remember we searched many places before finally finding it in a village in the north. The people in that village all love sour grapes, which is why this True Magic has been passed down through generations."

Eisen reminisced as he ate.

"Alright, you should get going now."

After they finished eating Eisen helped them pack their luggage and gave them a reminder.

How heartless! They're already urging the guests to leave. According to proper hospitality, shouldn't they have tried to persuade them to stay a few more days?

However, Frieren didn't seem to care much about it. After taking the box from Eisen, she said goodbye to him.

"In that case, goodbye then. We'll come back to see you."

"Lord Eisen, thank you for taking care of me these past few days."

Fern also bowed respectfully.

"Remember to teach that brat a lesson for me."

"Definitely, definitely."

The three then packed their bags, left the cabin, and embarked on their journey to the Brete Region.

After leaving Eisen's place, the three of them traveled along the road leading to the Brete Region for several days, spending almost every night sleeping in the forest.

The forest coverage in this world is truly high; it feels like you're either traversing a forest or on your way to traverse one.

Therefore, they spend a lot of time living in the wild. Although as True Magic, they are not in a situation where they have to "survive," they will still feel uncomfortable without relatively complete public services.

Let's rest here for the night.

As evening approached, Fern stopped by a stream.

The surrounding area is flat, with abundant water resources, and no signs of large monster activity have been found, making it a suitable place for camping.

After determining the location, the three began to divide the work: Fern was in charge of setting up the camp, Lorenzo was in charge of finding firewood.

As for Frieren...

"I'll be in charge of supervising you as you set up your tents."

She sat down on a flat rock and said matter-of-factly.

Is this work really necessary?

Lorenzo couldn't help but say.

"Of course I have. I'll remind you if you make a mistake, after all, I have a thousand years of experience in wilderness survival."

But after she finished speaking, she took out a magic book from her luggage and began to read it.

She was so engrossed in her own world that she probably wouldn't even notice when they pitched the tent in the tree.

"Lord Frieren."

Fern walked over expressionlessly and snatched the grimoire from her hand.

"Please go and collect some edible wild vegetables."

The supervisor's position was thus abolished, and Frieren reluctantly took her basket and went into the forest.

Lorenzo's task of gathering firewood was actually quite easy. After all, there were so many trees in the forest; he could just cut down any one to use as firewood, right?

He came to a large tree that was as thick as two people could hug, and looked up to estimate its height.

The tree trunk was straight and the branches and leaves were lush, which should be enough for them to burn for several days. If they put the rest into their storage bags, they wouldn't even have to worry about firewood for the rest of their journey.

Absolutely perfect.

"Lord Lorenzo, what are you doing?"

Just then, Fern's voice suddenly came from behind.

"Looking for firewood? Don't you think this tree looks a lot like firewood?"

Lorenzo said it as if it were a matter of course, seemingly seeing everything as a nail when he was holding a hammer.

"Living trees contain a lot of moisture, so using them directly to start a fire will produce a lot of smoke and they are not easy to burn."

Fern earnestly explained to Lorenzo.

"That doesn't matter, as long as the fire is big enough."

That makes perfect sense. For a moment, Fern was speechless. After all, Lord Lorenzo's abilities were such that she wouldn't be surprised if he set fire to the nearby stream, let alone burn down a tree.

"Alright, Lord Lorenzo, please be careful."

Finally, she could only say helplessly, and then went back to the stream to continue setting up her tent.

A moment later, a loud bang echoed through the forest, startling a large number of birds that were perched nearby, which rushed out of the treetops and into the sky. A cloud of dust then slowly rose up from the forest floor.

Just then, Frieren returned carrying a basket.

"What happened? Was there a fight?"

She glanced in the direction the sound came from.

"No, Lord Lorenzo is just looking for firewood."

Fern replied expressionlessly.

"Could gathering firewood cause such a commotion?"

Frieren walked up to Fern and handed her the basket she was carrying.

Never mind him, come and see the wild vegetables I picked.

Fern took the basket, which was indeed filled with various wild vegetables: parsley, wild onions, bitter greens, and several kinds of roots that only grow deep in the forest. Although the quality varied, it was more than enough to make soup.

It seems that Lady Frieren's more than a thousand years of travel experience is quite reliable.

Only...

Why are there several brightly colored, unidentified mushrooms covered with white spots on top?

"These are ingredients for making 'Divine Cuisine'."

Frieren said earnestly to Fern.

What is "Divine Cuisine"?

For some reason, hearing this name gave Fern a bad feeling.

"I heard that during my previous travels."

Frieren recalled.

An adventurer once said, "My friend ascended to godhood after eating mushrooms."

They must be dead.