Chapter 232: Eating Rice

When the bamboo-tube rice was almost finished cooking, several of the Beast Husbands arrived one after another.

Nick Wilde and Drake carried the freshly milled rice toward the back of the Wild Kitchen. As the refreshing fragrance of bamboo drifted through the air, their attention involuntarily shifted toward the stove.

Nick Wilde swallowed hard, his eyes filled with anticipation.

He had heard for a long time that Sora’s cooking was exceptionally delicious.

He wondered if he would finally be lucky enough to taste her cooking today.

When Drake returned to the dragon tribe, the tribe members had repeatedly told him that their new Leader was incredibly skilled at cooking. The fish she had prepared earlier that afternoon had apparently been so delicious that some of them had even chewed and swallowed the bones.

At first, Drake had assumed they were exaggerating.

But now that he could smell the fragrant bamboo and rice, he couldn’t help wondering if perhaps they had been telling the truth.

Ace casually removed the Animal-Skin Pouch filled with rice from his back and placed it nearby. Then he looked toward Sora.

"Kaelira, what delicious food are you making today?"

Sora smiled as she turned the bamboo tubes over the fire.

"It’s bamboo-tube rice. You’ll know what it tastes like once you eat it."

Lucas sniffed the air deeply and nodded.

"It must be delicious. It smells incredible."

The others glanced toward the stove without saying anything and began finding places around the round table.

Drake and Nick Wilde followed behind.

After putting the rice down, Drake smiled politely at Sora.

"Leader, the rice is here."

Nick Wilde immediately added, "Kaelira, mine is here too."

Sora looked up at the two of them and nodded.

"Thank you for your hard work. Go sit down. The bamboo-tube rice will be ready soon."

Drake’s expression remained calm when he heard this. He didn’t refuse and simply followed her instructions.

Nick Wilde, however, looked delighted.

As expected, sometimes you really do have to be thick-skinned.

Hadn’t he successfully earned himself a meal today?

The two walked toward the round table Sora had indicated.

However, the moment they reached it, both of them stopped.

There were only seven chairs around the table.

Except for the chair in the middle, every other seat was already occupied by Sora’s Beast Husbands.

There was nowhere for either of them to sit.

For a moment, the atmosphere became strangely awkward.

Xavier looked at the two men standing there, and the corners of his lips curled into a faint, amused smile.

Wanting to sit down and eat at their table wasn’t going to be that easy.

Ace and Lucas also watched the scene with obvious interest.

They had no intention of helping.

Lukan remained completely still.

If these two couldn’t even solve such a small problem themselves, then perhaps they weren’t worthy of pursuing Kaelira.

Ryan had always been indifferent toward such matters, so his expression remained calm and detached.

As for Damien, he was naturally just as interested in watching the spectacle as Ace and the others. His eyebrows rose slightly as he observed the two newcomers.

Drake glanced to the side.

Without saying a word, he raised his hand.

A powerful whirlwind swept through the nearby trees.

With a loud crack, a suitable tree was cut down.

Drake flicked his wrist.

The wood was quickly shaped.

A moment later, a simple wooden chair appeared in his hand.

He placed it in an empty spot beside the table and sat down naturally.

Nick Wilde wasn’t about to lose.

His gaze landed on a large boulder nearby.

He walked over, raised his palm, and activated his Blazing Fire Palm.

Boom!

The boulder instantly shattered into numerous pieces.

Nick Wilde kicked one of the larger pieces toward himself, then used his fingers to smooth its surface.

In no time, he had created a rough stone chair.

He found an empty place and sat down.

The competition was completely silent.

Yet somehow, everyone understood what had just happened.

Only when Sora finally carried the bamboo-tube rice over to the table did she notice the unusual seating arrangement.

She looked at the two newly made chairs and blinked.

"Oh..."

She suddenly realized what had happened.

"I’m sorry. I didn’t realize there weren’t enough chairs."

She had invited Drake and Nick Wilde to eat because they had helped her process the rice.

She hadn’t expected them to arrive and discover that there were no seats left.

Nick Wilde immediately smiled.

"It’s fine. This stone chair is actually quite comfortable."

Drake also shook his head.

"It is I who have troubled the Leader."

His polite response made Sora feel even more guilty.

As soon as she placed the bamboo-tube rice on the table, she quickly began distributing it.

"You must be hungry. This is bamboo-tube rice. There are wooden sticks beside the plates. You can use those to eat."

Beastmen weren’t accustomed to using chopsticks, so Sora deliberately explained how to use them.

After speaking, she turned around to get the remaining food.

Seeing that Drake and Nick Wilde had received their bamboo-tube rice first, Lucas immediately curled his lips.

"It’s only been a short while, and she’s already playing favorites."

Ace glanced at him.

"They’re guests. It’s only natural to let them eat first."

Lucas snorted but didn’t argue.

Before long, Sora brought the remaining bamboo-tube rice to the table.

Although she had told the two guests to start eating first, neither Drake nor Nick Wilde actually began.

They waited until Sora sat down before everyone finally started eating together.

Nick Wilde took his first bite.

His expression changed immediately.

For a moment, he felt as though everything he had eaten before this had been meaningless.

How could something be this delicious?

The rice was soft and fragrant, with a subtle bamboo aroma running through it.

But the sausage...

That was the real treasure.

It was savory, fragrant, and chewy.

Nick Wilde’s eyes brightened.

Drake’s eyebrows twitched slightly.

Even someone as composed as him couldn’t hide his surprise.

The flavor of this rice was completely different from anything he had tasted before.

It was fragrant, soft, and slightly sticky, with an excellent texture.

Lucas immediately exclaimed in delight.

"It looks so small, but I never expected it to taste even better than Bamboo Rice!"

Sora took a bite herself and sighed happily.

She had finally eaten rice again.

It really hadn’t been easy.

The flavor was incredibly satisfying.

It was even better than the premium rice she had eaten back in the Apocalypse.

Even eating it plain was delicious.

Sora couldn’t help thinking about all the dishes she could make now that rice was finally available.

If only I had soy sauce.

With soy sauce, the flavor would be even better.

And now that she finally had rice, she could also start planning clay-pot rice.

Since she would be heading to the Red Land in a few days, she could make several clay pots while she was there.

After everyone finished eating, Sora turned toward Drake.

"I have some tribal matters I want to discuss with you. I’ll go to the Tribe with you in a little while."

Drake immediately understood what she meant.

Sora clearly wanted to discuss the results of his investigation.

He nodded.

"Yes."

However, the moment Ace heard this, his mood soured.

Sora had specifically called Drake over and was now planning to go to the Tribe with him.

It almost sounded as though they intended to discuss something privately.

Ace frowned.

"What is it that can’t be discussed here? Why does it have to be talked about at the Tribe?"

Lucas suddenly remembered something.

He looked up.

"Is it about the Flower Rats? How is the search going? If you can’t find them, I can help."

Sora’s heart skipped a beat.

Flower Rats!

She had deliberately told Drake that she wanted to go to the Tribe because she didn’t want the others to know that she was secretly investigating the Black Bear Foster Mother.

The Flower Rats had merely been an excuse.

And she hadn’t had time to coordinate that excuse with Drake beforehand.

For one terrifying second, Sora wondered what he would say.

Fortunately, Drake remained completely calm.

"Yes. They’ve been found."

Sora’s heart nearly stopped.

Drake continued naturally.

"However, they are located within our former tribal territory, so it isn’t convenient for outsiders to know about the exact location."

Sora immediately breathed a silent sigh of relief.

Thank goodness.

Drake was quick-witted.

The former territories of different Tribes were often considered sensitive matters. Therefore, refusing to reveal their location was completely believable.

Lucas frowned but didn’t pursue the subject.

"It’s only a few Flower Rats. Is there really a need to be so mysterious about them? You’re acting like you’ve discovered some priceless treasure."

Drake ignored him.

Sora simply followed Drake toward the exit.

The two soon left the Wild Kitchen together.

Ace watched them disappear and muttered,

"Look at that. Now that she’s become their Leader, she’s already different."

The others didn’t react much.

Sora had only recently become the Leader of the dragon Tribe.

Naturally, there would be tribal matters she needed to handle.

None of them could reasonably object to that.

At the Dragon Tribe — Priest’s Council Chamber,Sora sat on a bamboo chair inside the Council Chamber.

She looked directly at Drake.

"Well?"

Her expression became serious.

"Did you find the person?"

Drake’s expression also changed slightly.

Before he could answer, the scene shifted elsewhere.

Not far away, Damien was lying lazily among a patch of flowers.

A slender piece of foxtail grass rested between his lips.

His usually relaxed eyes were fixed on the little black bear who had been absent for several days.

The little Black Bear had finally returned.

Damien’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"You’ve finally come to see me after hiding for so many days."

He slowly sat up.

"Does that mean you’ve found the person?"

The little Black Bear remained silent.

Damien studied the creature for a moment.

There was a strange heaviness in the air.

Sora had been secretly investigating the Black Bear Foster Mother for some time.

Now, after all this searching, they might finally have a lead.

And if the person they were looking for truly existed...

Then the mystery surrounding the Black Bear Tribe could finally begin to unravel.