Chapter 193: Too Sour

Sora had originally planned to pick only a small amount of wild fruit to make fruit vinegar.

However, with Lucas constantly showing off and helping her collect them, the amount of wild fruit they had gathered unexpectedly doubled.

Looking at the large pile of bright red fruits, Sora felt that throwing them away would be a terrible waste.

Since she already had so many, she decided to make good use of them.

Some could be turned into jam.

The rest could be used to make a sour soup hot pot.

The thought of jam immediately reminded Sora that she could also make some bread and use the jam as a spread or dipping sauce.

That would certainly taste delicious.

However, there was a problem.

It would be quite a struggle for them to finish such a large jar of jam.

Sora herself was also a typical carb-lover. She could happily eat things like jam and bread for a few meals, but eating them constantly would quickly make her tired of them.

After thinking about it for a moment, Sora turned toward Lucas.

At that moment, Lucas was standing beside a water jar, admiring his own reflection.

He seemed completely satisfied with his appearance.

Sora couldn’t help staring at him for a moment before asking, "Do you have a way to get some milk?"

Lucas immediately turned his attention toward her.

He nodded.

"I can."

His emerald-green eyes brightened slightly.

"There is a herd of cows on the wild slope not far ahead. They produce milk frequently. Do you want to make milk tea?"

As a bird, Lucas didn’t particularly like the milk produced by Beastmen.

Whenever he drank it, he always felt there was a strange fishy smell.

To him, the raw milk tasted terrible.

However, the milk tea Sora had made previously was a completely different story.

After drinking it, Lucas had discovered that the milk was actually acceptable when combined with the other ingredients.

It was sweet and fragrant, and much better than drinking the milk raw.

Sora shook her head.

"Where would I get enough tea leaves to make milk tea?"

There were only two tea trees brought back from Mount Tian Shen.

Sora had long since plucked them bare.

She had turned some of the fresh green leaves into tea before, but the amount she had left was limited.

She couldn’t bear to waste those precious tea leaves on milk tea.

Besides, she wasn’t craving anything sweet today.

What she wanted was something sour.

Very sour.

So this time, she had another idea.

Yogurt.

"Just go get some milk, and you’ll see in a bit," Sora said. "I’m going to make a new delicious treat for you all."

Lucas nodded immediately.

He didn’t ask any more questions.

With a flicker, his figure vanished from the spot.

Sora watched him disappear and shook her head helplessly.

That phoenix was really energetic.

The moment he had something to do, he moved faster than anyone else.

Once Lucas left, Sora began preparing the ingredients she already had.

For dinner, she planned to make a sour soup hot pot.

The sour juice made from sautéing the wild fruits, combined with boiling water, created an especially delicious broth.

She had already made it several times before, and her Beast Husbands loved it.

Therefore, this time Sora planned to make a slightly larger portion.

There weren’t many seasonal wild vegetables left in the surrounding area.

Sora could only pick whatever she happened to find.

As she gathered the vegetables, she couldn’t help thinking about the difference between now and the past.

When resources had been abundant, she had always felt as though the wild vegetables she picked could never run out.

But now, when she looked at the small patch of vegetables growing in front of her, she suddenly realized something.

If they wanted to have a stable supply of vegetables in the future, they couldn’t continue relying entirely on what grew naturally in the forest.

She could start collecting seeds.

Then she could cultivate vegetables herself.

That way, they would have their own vegetable garden, and whenever they wanted vegetables, they wouldn’t need to wander around the forest searching for them.

Thinking of this, Sora carefully collected seeds from several vegetables that had already flowered and produced fruit.

She gathered them carefully and brought them back with her.

By the time she returned with the side dishes for the hot pot, Lucas came back almost immediately afterward.

He had returned right on her heels.

The phoenix handed the milk he had obtained to Sora.

Sora took it from him and searched for a container that was completely free of water and oil.

She didn’t want anything interfering with the fermentation process.

Once she found a suitable jar, she poured the milk inside.

Then she placed some firewood beneath the cooking pot and started heating it.

Lucas stood nearby, watching curiously.

He clearly had no idea what Sora was doing.

Sora didn’t explain.

She simply waited.

Once the milk began bubbling around the edges of the pot, she immediately removed the firewood.

Making yogurt didn’t require heating the milk until it became scalding hot.

In fact, overheating it would make fermentation more difficult.

Sora waited patiently for the milk to cool naturally.

When it reached a lukewarm temperature, she carefully poured it into an insulated jar.

She covered it with a lid and prepared to let it ferment naturally.

Normally, adding a starter culture would make yogurt fermentation much more reliable.

But this was Sora’s first time making it in the Beast World.

She didn’t have any prepared starter culture.

Therefore, she could only rely on natural fermentation.

If it succeeded, she could save some of the finished yogurt as a starter and use it directly the next time she made another batch.

Lucas watched the entire process with increasing confusion.

He had seen Sora boil the milk.

Then he had seen her pour it into another jar.

Now she had covered the jar with animal hide in almost the same way she had sealed the wild fruits earlier.

Lucas couldn’t understand it at all.

He finally asked, "Didn’t you say you were getting milk to drink?"

His eyes remained fixed on the jar.

"Won’t it go bad if you cover it like that?"

From Lucas’s perspective, milk left untouched for too long would eventually become sour or moldy.

That was precisely why he couldn’t understand what Sora was doing.

Why would she deliberately cover something she intended to eat?

After placing the yogurt jar carefully on the ground, Sora looked at him.

"That flavor is exactly what I want."

Lucas blinked.

Sora smiled.

"You’ll know when you eat it tomorrow."

Lucas’s expression immediately fell.

"Huh?"

He looked at the jar again.

"We have to wait until tomorrow?"

He had assumed they would be able to eat the new food immediately.

Instead, he had to wait.

Sora nodded.

"Yes."

Lucas looked disappointed.

Sora couldn’t help reaching out and patting his shoulder.

"Good food is worth the wait."

Lucas reluctantly accepted her explanation.

At least there was something delicious waiting for him tomorrow.

Making the sour soup hot pot was much faster.

By the time Sora had almost finished washing the side dishes, her Beast Husbands began arriving.

The moment they entered the Wild Kitchen, their eyes immediately fell on Lucas.

Lucas had been hovering around Sora since early morning.

The others glanced at him one after another.

Then they rolled their eyes.

This level of attentiveness was truly unbearable to watch.

Wasn’t it just Night Guarding?

Why was Lucas acting as though he were preparing for some grand occasion?

The clothes he was wearing were far too bright.

His emerald-green Feather Skirt practically announced his presence from across the settlement.

It was as if he was afraid everyone would forget that he was staying with Sora tonight.

He was clearly showing off.

Ace looked at Lucas’s emerald-green Feather Skirt and curled his lip.

What’s so good about having only one color?

It wasn’t nearly as attractive as his own multicolored clothes.

In Ace’s opinion, Lucas’s aesthetic sense was truly poor.

Ryan also glanced toward Lucas.

Seeing him dressed so carefully from head to toe, Ryan couldn’t help remembering what had happened the previous night.

When he had been with Sora, he had focused almost entirely on singing.

He had spent his time singing to her and soothing the little cub.

Only now did he realize that he hadn’t paid enough attention to his own appearance.

A faint pang of regret appeared in his heart.

Xavier, on the other hand, looked down on Lucas’s childish behavior.

Why bother with all those flashy things?

A true Beastman didn’t need such external enhancements to display his masculine charm.

As for Damien, he looked Lucas up and down.

The corners of his mouth curled into a faint smile.

This showy peacock had clearly been holding himself back for far too long.

Otherwise, why would he dress so flashily just because it was his turn for Night Guarding?

Damien then slowly scanned the others sitting around the table.

Everyone’s expressions were different.

Some looked bright.

Some looked dark.

Some were clearly irritated.

Some were trying to pretend they didn’t care.

Yet among all of them, Lukan remained completely calm.

He quietly ate the sour soup hot pot.

His expression revealed nothing.

Damien’s eyes lingered on him for a moment.

His composure was quite good.

Was it because Lukan was confident enough?

Or was he simply pretending not to care?

After everyone finished the meal, Lucas began growing restless.

His eyes kept drifting toward Sora.

Again.

And again.

Every few moments, he would glance at her.

The gaze was so obvious that it was difficult for Sora not to notice.

But she deliberately ignored him.

With someone like Lucas, the more attention she gave him, the more excited he became.

It was better not to look at him.

That way, he could entertain himself with his own imagination.

Lucas waited.

Sora still didn’t look at him.

He waited a little longer.

Still nothing.

Finally, Lucas couldn’t endure it anymore.

He threw a wink in her direction.

Sora happened to look over at that exact moment.

The instant she saw his expression, she nearly gagged.

She hadn’t realized before that Lucas was such a show-off.

To be honest, with Lucas’s emerald-green phoenix-like eyes, the wink itself wasn’t actually greasy.

If she hadn’t spent the entire day staring at that ridiculous little cowlick standing proudly on top of his head, she might even have thought the gesture looked rather charming.

But now...

Every time she looked at him, she couldn’t help remembering that little aho-ge.

Sora pursed her lips.

She was just about to say something when a Wolf-eared Beastman from the Tribe hurried over.

"Please, the six Beast Husbands, come to the Plaza. The Chief says he has important matters to discuss with you."

The others nodded after hearing the announcement.

Damien, however, looked somewhat surprised.

"Including me?"

The Wolf-eared Beastman nodded.

Damien’s expression became thoughtful.

He found it rather strange.

Martin had always been wary of him.

Yet today, Martin was actually asking him to participate in Tribe matters.

And just now, he seemed to have heard the words "six Beast Husbands."

Did that mean Martin was finally acknowledging him?

That cunning wolf.

Damien had lived in this Tribe for so long, yet Martin had never clearly taken a stance regarding him.

But now, it seemed that he had finally relented.

A faint smile appeared in Damien’s eyes.

He raised an eyebrow and followed the others toward the Plaza.

Everyone moved quickly.

Everyone except Lucas.

Lucas was extremely reluctant to leave.

This was an opportunity he had worked so hard to obtain.

He had spent the entire day preparing.

He had carefully groomed his feathers.

He had prepared himself from head to toe.

He had even gone out to collect wild fruits and helped Sora prepare food.

Everything had been arranged for tonight.

Surely it wouldn’t be ruined by Martin calling them away now!

Lucas reluctantly followed the others out of the Wild Kitchen.

But he couldn’t stop looking back.

One step.

He looked back at Sora.

Another step.

He looked back again.

His expression became increasingly aggrieved with every glance.

If anyone dared to ruin his Night Guarding tonight, Lucas was absolutely certain he would not let them hear the end of it.