Geralt opened his pack and handed over some compressed biscuits, dehydrated vegetables, and a folding pot.
"Spare supplies. I usually don't need them."
He wasn't actually asking for money.
Geralt wasn't the sort to demand payment for everything.
To him, money was compensation for his work and recognition of his profession.
"Thank you," Matt said hurriedly.
"I'll find something to eat," said Druin from the Outdoor Rescue Expert Team.
"Won't that be too dangerous?" the medium asked.
"We're no good at fighting monsters, but we know how to survive outdoors," Druin said with a smile.
He turned to Geralt. "Words can't repay what you've done. We'll just do what we can. We won't cause any trouble."
"All right." Geralt nodded.
He kept up his man-of-few-words, tough-guy act.
Five minutes later.
The three outdoor rescue experts returned with wild fruit, mushrooms, and fresh water carried in broad leaves.
They used the water to make soup from the dehydrated vegetables, adding fresh mushrooms.
The steaming pot of vegetable soup brought tears to Daniel's eyes, though he had tasted delicacies from all over the world.
The world's most delicious food wasn't truffles worth their weight in gold or black caviar. Nor was it goose barnacles, hailed as "the devil's delicacy"—
It was hunger.
When you were hungry enough, anything that filled your stomach tasted better than anything else.
Druin used half a fruit shell as a bowl and served Geralt some soup, along with two wild fruits, one red and one green. They gleamed invitingly in the firelight.
Geralt stared at Druin.
He took neither the soup nor the fruit.
"Uh... it's just ordinary soup and wild fruit. If you don't want any, that's fine." Looking a little embarrassed, Druin turned to leave.
"Wait." Geralt pointed at one of the fruits. "Eat it."