Chapter 72: Of Spice and Onion

To finally free themselves from the plain, spiceless food, the western conquistadors decided to risk their lives and venture out to the great unknown, all for glory and… for their palettes.

Now…Finn shall do the same.

One meter from the barrier was all just familiar stuff. After all, he had more than once just reached out and taken some stuff. Three meters out…was still the same. Still the same thornroots, sunberries, and ivara vines.

He did fill up his basket and poured them back into the barrier whenever he could. He yelled for Pang to contribute and bring them into the kitchen, before he resumed his foraging activities.

“Arrange them by kind! You know your plants, right?” he yelled, pouring yet another basketful of items into the barrier. “We’ll make something good!”

Like this, the Panda dragged his four feet to help out, the prospect of good food fueling his movements.

For the first half hour or so, it was fairly peaceful, and he had managed to bring in a few more baskets-worth of items back before heading back out again.

ROAAAR!!

His eyes twitched when he heard monsters on the other side, unconsciously hurrying up his forage. His Halberd was always out and ready to be grabbed, though he was frankly still afraid of possibly fighting outside the barrier.

Even if he was the same level as them, each beast was stronger physically, and there’d definitely be more than one of them around.

He expanded his search by another meter, but at this point, he skipped most of the familiar plants instead. He looked out for unknown ones, hoping to find one that he hadn’t encountered before.

He held his halberd to sweep aside some branches and shrubs, hoping to find new ingredients, while also making sure he was ready to attack and defend as needed.

After about another ten minutes or so, the halberd paused mid-air. This was because he really found something he did not recognize.

It was a small plant with tiny hairs on its leaves. Looking closer, these hairs were a bit wet as if there were dew, except the liquid was slightly murky and reddish.

He immediately used his skill [Ingredient Scan] before touching it.

[Nettleflame]

[Information: A wild herb with hairy leaves that secrete a stimulating dew that, if consumed by humans, lends a sharp, fiery sensation. Known to ease respiratory congestion.]

He gaped, absorbing the description. Without another word, he took a leaf and tasted the so-called dew, and he curled into himself, sobbing.

It burns.

SPICY! It was totally for hot sauce!

A drop was also so spicy that tears continued to flow out of his eyes, and snot drooped out of his nose, for a good three minutes. Fortunately, he had water in his space to drown it, otherwise he’d be crying for longer.

Technically speaking, plants that could give this sensation were poisonous. It was a plant’s defense mechanism against predators. Interestingly, for big humans, this ’poison’ was a source of kick and stimulation instead.

Considering how his eyes were still teary, this ’kick’ was objectively quite strong.

Regardless, this was too good of a plant. He’d love it inside his barrier, so he dug around it to place it in his basket.

Hopefully, uprooting wouldn’t kill it. It seemed fairly rare in the area, and his stomach flipped at the thought of being unable to find more of these.

While looking at the plants, he also found another one he hadn’t noticed before, possibly because it was a low-growing plant that was hidden underneath the bushes.

It was mixed with the various green leaves, but he noticed it eventually because of the long, shiny leaves contrasting with the smaller, possibly serrated leaves of the shrubs.

He also looked at the ground underneath it and saw that there were bulbous parts partially exposed from under the soil. It must be another root crop like the Thornroot, he thought.

Anyway, he immediately used his [Ingredient Scan], hoping to find something good.

[Veilroot]

[Information: A bulbous root vegetable with layered flesh that turns translucent when boiled. Its flavor is sweet and buttery, releasing a “ghostly” aroma when heated. It could lend both richness and a delicate fragrance to a meal, and is often prized for soups and stews. Believed to soothe the stomach and ease fatigue.]

He wasn’t entirely sure what this was, and he had to cook to confirm, but if he were to base it on descriptions alone, then this… was probably the closest plant to ONIONS!

Nettleflame would add heat, brightness, and kick to his dishes, while the veilroot would add a sweet, buttery, aromatic base to his food. These two were extremely great additions, and would elevate his food to another level!

Ah, so excited!

He was so excited that he may or may not have lowered his guard and started to focus on gathering the plants back to the barrier.

He studied it a bit and dug around it, confirming its root wasn’t deep. And so, he decided to dig up the entire bulk of soil around the plant and placed it right into his basket as well.

His amber eyes were particularly bright as he looked at the two new plants, though those same eyes blinked when the familiar ding resounded in his head.

[Activated: Foraging]

[Information: Ability to gather plant or fungi material with minimal damage to the item’s structure or potency. Greatly increases the chance of obtaining viable seeds, cuttings, or spores for cultivation. Uprooted plants will also have a higher likelihood of surviving transplantation.

Type: Passive]

Oh? This meant he could start uprooting more, and maybe place them within the barrier. This was totally a sign to start farming, ye!?

Would he get a [Farming] Skill soon?

Interestingly, the notifications were not over yet.

[Compatible Skills Detected: Strong Stomach and Ingredient Scan – increases effectiveness of both skills. Mana use reduced by 20%]

Nice!

Who’d have thought his first trip out would be so productive?

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