I Transmigrated Into A Fantasy World To Farm And Build Houses!-Chapter 128: The Little Snake Awakens

Max carefully built a fire, the crackling of dry wood sounding pleasant in the quiet space.

He took clean snow, put it in the rustic earthenware pot, and melted it into fresh water for later use.

When finished, he used a stone axe, striving to split the ancient tree trunk, which was several arm-spans wide, into small logs, then arranged them neatly on a flat rock slab right next to the hut.

The last piece of Winged Tiger meat had already filled their stomachs on the way, but the leather bag still contained a clatter of claws from various magic beasts hunted along the road.

Eric decided to stew all these claws first.

The recent arduous journey had exhausted the two adult beastmen. They ate like a fleet every day. Fortunately, this land, even in winter, did not lack passing magic beasts.

Although danger lurked, at least the group didn’t have to worry about starving. Everyone tacitly understood that this remaining pile of claws was a reserve, and it was most reasonable to cook it now.

Chef Eric, after setting the pot of stewing claws over a low fire, hurried over to the pile of seafood that Michael had brought back from his first trip to the sea to pick out the edible things.

Besides the clams and snails they had enjoyed that morning, there were also a few strangely shaped sea creatures that Eric couldn’t recognize no matter how long he looked. He had to rely on his meager experience, choosing only the familiar-looking types.

But one thing made him burst with joy: among the pile of seafood was a giant shrimp several meters long, its blue-black body still twitching, full of life.

Michael must have paid attention to his casual remark during their last meal, while they were slurping down the winged tiger stew.

Besides that, on the nearby submerged rocks, there were still countless fat, plump oysters, more than they could eat.

Thinking of its "special" use, Eric didn’t dare to let the other two eat any more. He decided to set them aside to cook a jar of pure oyster sauce.

He had seen how to make oyster sauce online before.

He recalled the time when technology and self-sufficiency trends flourished; everyone was excited to learn how to make their own seasonings, and oyster sauce was one of the "hottest" items.

He also remembered those three long years that everyone knew which three years they were, and Eric silently thanked that period.

If not for it, he probably would never have known how to make rice paper, pull noodles, or prepare all-sorts-of-dishes from flour...

Heaven only knew how much rice flour he had wasted at home, but on the other hand, those were probably the healthiest eating days of his life.

He put the oyster shells into the pot to boil first, pouring in the broth used to wash the oyster meat as well.

After boiling for a while to extract all the sweetness, Eric scooped out the oyster shells and discarded them, then added the washed oyster meat to the pot, continuing to simmer over low heat. When the fresh sweetness of the oysters had completely blended into the water, he scooped the oyster meat out again.

This method of making oyster sauce was a bit controversial. Some said the oyster meat must be boiled until it disintegrated into the water, while others said just extracting the essence was enough.

Eric followed the recipe of a famous Chinese chef online; he believed this was the authentic way.

As he worked, he muttered to himself, so this top-grade sauce was, to put it bluntly, just... oyster bathwater.

He placed the iron skillet on the stove, waited for it to get very hot, then added white sugar to make a caramel.

When the sugar turned an amber color, he poured in the strained oyster essence. The sauce bubbled up, immediately turning a glossy, reddish-brown color that looked extremely appealing.

After simmering for a while longer to thicken it, Eric carefully poured the finished product into a clean bamboo tube.

The group hadn’t brought any flour; otherwise, just mixing in a little flour-and-water slurry to thicken it would have made this jar of oyster sauce thick, no different from the store-bought kind.

Eric contentedly put the bamboo tube away. In the future, no matter what dish he cooked, just adding a small spoonful of oyster sauce would make the flavor much richer.

It was truly an all-purpose seasoning, and most importantly, it had no impurities. The oysters here were one hundred percent natural, with no worry of pollution.

The large fish had also been cleaned. Eric, holding the sharp knife, sliced some thin fillets to prepare a spicy fish stew; the rest of the fish’s body was used for braising.

This fish was too long for the iron skillet. Michael, having finished his task, squatted down beside him, lending a hand to chop it into several pieces.

Under Eric’s command, the clumsy Snow Wolf placed each piece of fish into the sizzling hot oil in the skillet.

"When frying fish, sprinkling a little salt into the skillet will prevent the skin from sticking." Eric instructed while keeping an eye on the fire.

His strength was no match for flipping this heavy piece of fish, so he had to stand by and watch the fire. When the fish skin turned golden and crispy, he quickly tapped Michael’s arm, signaling for him to flip the fish.

When both sides of the fish were golden, Eric drizzled some white wine along the edge of the skillet to remove the fishy smell.

Next, he added a large spoonful of homemade onion-garlic powder and soy sauce to the pot.

As soon as the rich aroma rose, he added water, covered the lid, and stewed the fish to let it absorb the seasoning.

In the earthenware pot next to it, Eric stir-fried the sauce base he had pre-mixed from soy sauce, dried chili, and oyster sauce until fragrant. He added water and brought it to a boil, then gently dropped in the thinly sliced fish fillets to cook.

He even creatively added clam meat and snail meat. Lacking bean sprouts, he substituted with shredded seaweed for a sweet broth.

Eric couldn’t bear to throw away the oyster meat left over from making the oyster sauce. He thought for a moment and decided to stir-fry a large plate of it with chopped chili and dried onion.

The spiciness of the chili soaked into every fiber of the sweet, tender oyster meat. Eric tasted a piece, nodding in approval. It was absolutely delicious.

"The crab Eric made was also delicious, let me go catch some more!"

Michael was so tempted by the aroma that his two forepaws kept scraping against each other, unable to sit still.

The aroma seemed to have magic, rushing straight into his nose, making the wait for the meal torture.

The quick-witted guy found himself a task to do to distract himself.

In truth, this much food was already more than enough for the group. The giant fish alone was enough to stuff the two adult beastmen.

Eric was just eating along; with his appetite, a few oysters were already a lot. But on second thought, he didn’t stop him.

Opportunities to easily get such abundant food were rare. He might as well let Michael make the most of his enthusiasm.

Eric added a handful of firewood to the stove, his gaze unconsciously drifting to Max, who was resting in front of the fire.

In the flickering, unsteady firelight, Max’s face looked even more steadfast and tranquil.

He thought to himself, as expected of the one chosen to be the next tribe leader, his personality was indeed much calmer than other Snow Wolves.

After a while, Michael returned excitedly with a large pile of rock crabs.

Eric told him to use grass ropes to tie the crab claws tightly and then place them on the steaming rack in the braised fish skillet.

This was both convenient and eliminated the need to use a rock to weigh down the pot lid.

It just so happened that the fish was braising in the skillet. By the time the steamed crabs were cooked, the fish would have perfectly absorbed the flavors.

After thinking for a moment, he mercilessly broke the largest crab and added it to the spicy fish soup.

During the day, he was still a bit afraid of these giant crabs, but after eating one, he now dared to break them with his bare hands. The progress of a foodie was indeed astonishing.

The process of preparing seafood was somewhat brutal, but with delicacies right in front of him, Eric didn’t want to act virtuous. Smelling the rich, fresh aroma wafting from the two pots, his stomach began to rumble.

Suddenly, Max, who had been resting with his eyes closed, snapped them open, his sharp pupils shifting towards their hut.

Eric also looked over doubtfully, only to see a small, red-and-black-bodied snake slithering out, heading straight for them...

His brain hadn’t even processed the information yet; his body had already acted on instinct.

As fast as a squirrel, he scampered onto Max’s back, burying his entire body in the thick, warm fur, leaving only his eyes exposed, warily observing the small snake’s movements.

"So fragrant, my tummy is so hungry..."

A clear, childish voice rang out, sweet and weak, sounding like a little girl’s.

Eric’s fear instantly dissipated by more than half. He curiously poked his head out from Max’s fur, staring at the small snake.

The other party paid no attention to the three of them, its eyes glued to the pot of braised fish, looking as if it just wanted to dive straight in and feast.

"That’s very hot, you... you should stand a little further from the fire."

Eric, worried she would be burned by the fire, instinctively spoke up to remind her.

Beastmen were indeed thick-skinned, but he knew nothing about the Snake Tribe. Moreover, judging by the voice, this beast cub was even younger than Leo.

Only then did the small snake look towards the three of them. Its snake pupils contracted slightly for a moment. It flicked its long, thin tongue, its small red-and-black head tilting quizzically.

"Are you beastmen too? Did you save me? I remember I was catching fire rats in the forest, then I accidentally got lost. After that, it snowed heavily, and I was so cold I fell asleep..."

After hearing this, all three of them felt gloomy, their faces full of black lines. It turned out she really was a naughty kid who had run into the forest to play and met with misfortune.

Michael raised a large hand to cover his face, groaning: 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

"Heavens, this beast cub is even less reliable than our Eric."