In the lush forest.
Perched in a tree, Gauss carefully cut a piece of bright green moss from a nearby branch with his dagger.
The thick, sponge-like moss was full of tiny, plump, spherical beads.
[Berry Moss]
This was an edible ingredient with a very sweet taste. Simply stewing or grilling it with meat would give the meat a delicious, fruity sweetness.
Unfortunately, it was hard to keep fresh. Once picked, it spoiled quickly, so it had to be eaten as soon as possible during an adventure.
That took care of lunch.
Gauss wasn't greedy and didn't take more than he needed. Taking more than he could eat would be wasteful.
He would leave the rest for the next lucky adventurer.
He untied the rope and slowly climbed down the thick tree trunk.
Once he reached the ground, he coiled the rope and tossed it into his pack.
Ever since he'd shared an exceptionally lavish dinner with Andeni at the Firefly Kitchen, it felt as though a whole new world had opened up to him. The usual three staples he carried on adventures had become increasingly hard to stomach.
Besides, the forest—especially beyond the areas frequented by ordinary herb gatherers and hunters—was full of ingredients that were easy to forage.
He just hadn't known about them before.
Fortunately, he'd bought a copy of the Emerald Forest Surrounding Ingredients Compendium, which had taught him about the precious wild ingredients in the area.
Some of them weren't just good for cooking in the wild; he could also take them back to town and sell them to herbalists for a pretty penny.
That was important to him, since he was short on cash.
Cutting costs alone wouldn't get him anywhere. He had to increase his income and find new ways to earn money.