Valeria caught up to Elizabeth with quick strides, effortlessly carrying the two hunted rabbits in one hand. She spoke in a clear, carrying voice:
“Let me handle these for you. I’ll skin and gut them, and whatever we don't finish, we’ll smoke over the fire for reserve jerky.”
“There’s no need for all that. Just leave me one pheasant for dinner, and you can take the rest of these animals for your own use,” Elizabeth replied, offering the remaining carcasses to her.
“You’re leaving all this for me?!” Valeria was practically struck speechless, staring dumbfounded at the hefty pile of meat.
“Yes, take it. In return, I’d appreciate it if you could simply bring me some spices for cooking,” Elizabeth said, feeling the gnawing hunger twist her stomach into increasingly tighter knots.
“Spices? Sure, I’ll go get you something right now.” Valeria furrowed her brow slightly, looked down at the plump catch in her hands in disbelief, and then pivoted on her heel, quickly jogging off toward the storage shelters.
“Hey!” Elizabeth called after her, watching the girl's silhouette vanish rapidly between the tents. She dropped her arms in exasperation and let out a heavy sigh: “You didn't even tell me where the kitchen or a fire pit is around here…”
Left with no other options, she simply tucked the dead pheasant under her arm and carried it back toward the dark tent.
The sun had completely dipped below the western horizon, plunging the interior of the leather shelter into deep gloom. Her only choice was to grope blindly in the dark for a sharp knife.
“I’m better off figuring out how to start a fire first,” she muttered under her breath after a few minutes of fruitless searching. As the last remnants of daylight faded and impenetrable darkness settled within the tent, she gave up on rummaging through her host’s belongings.
She lifted the heavy entrance flap and peered outside. Dozens of bright campfires were already blazing across the settlement, illuminating the busy silhouettes moving around them. The cool evening air was thick with the rich, mouth-watering aroma of roasting meat.
Wouldn't it be infinitely easier to just borrow some fire and a stone knife from them instead of fumbling around blindly in an empty tent? Elizabeth smacked her forehead with an open palm, shaking her head as a self-deprecating smile touched her lips:
It seems I need to completely rewire my thinking and adapt to the harsh realities of life in this world as quickly as possible.
Having lived a solitary, highly independent life as an adult on Earth, she rarely asked strangers for help. As a result, her modern, individualistic mindset hadn't yet fully adapted to the communal, interdependent rules of a tribal society.
She walked slowly toward the nearest large campfire and observed a group of weary hunters hard at work. They were deftly wielding sharp stone knives to gut the game, while some simply tossed entire, unplucked birds directly into the glowing embers to roast them quickly.
The raw scene left a striking impression on Elizabeth - it was incredibly wild, brutal, and direct, laying bare the primal nature of the locals.
Do these people seriously only know how to roast meat directly over an open flame?
Elizabeth wondered, scanning the neighboring fire pits. She saw nothing but charred cuts of meat roasting on spits; there wasn't a single pot or vessel in sight for boiling.
Just as she was about to take a closer look, the horned girl emerged from the shadows, carrying a massive, heavy stone pot the size of a large basin with both hands.
“What exactly is that?”
Elizabeth asked, genuinely taken aback by Valeria’s sheer physical strength. Peering inside the heavy vessel, she saw that the whole pheasants and gutted rabbits were already neatly dressed and lying at the bottom.
“This stone pot belongs personally to the old Sharu. He ordered me to bring it directly to you,” Valeria stated solemnly, pressing her lips together in a tight line.
“He sent this for me?” Elizabeth asked in surprise.
“The Sharu explicitly said that since you are his Successor, you will inherit all his ritual items sooner or later anyway, so giving you this pot now amounts to the exact same thing,” Valeria explained, her expression serious and deeply respectful.
“Alright then, I’ll accept it,” Elizabeth had no intention of turning down such a practical gift.
“You should head back into the tent and rest. I’ll cook all this and bring it to you when it’s done,” Valeria offered loudly, turning toward the flames with the heavy pot.
“…”
Elizabeth paused in hesitation for a moment before following right on the horned girl's heels. She sat down comfortably on the packed earth right next to the campfire to observe her culinary process up close.
Valeria expertly nestled the heavy pot onto the glowing stones right in the center of the fire pit. She then sprang to her feet, dashed into the darkness for a moment, and returned with a large clay jug full of water, which she poured unceremoniously into the vessel right up to the brim.
And that was it… Preparations complete.
The girl simply sat cross-legged by the fire like an obedient guard dog, staring blankly at the stone pot as the flames slowly licked its sides, showing absolutely no intention of doing anything else.
“So, what about those spices I asked for?” Elizabeth inquired with a smile, absentmindedly brushing her long blonde hair back over her shoulder.
Having lived alone for years, she was intimately familiar with everyday household chores, including proper cooking. Whipping up a hearty chicken or rabbit stew was second nature to her.
“Here, I brought it,” Valeria replied, lowering her voice. She glanced around cautiously before reaching into a deep pocket and very carefully withdrawing a small wooden tube, about the length of a finger, sealed tightly with a fitted stopper.
“What exactly is that?” Elizabeth asked with genuine curiosity, pointing at the wooden vial.
“Salt,” Valeria whispered, dropping her voice to a secretive, almost reverent murmur.
“Salt?”
A lightbulb instantly went off in Elizabeth's head, starkly highlighting just how drastically the realities of their two worlds differed.
In this primitive, isolated society, pure salt was an invaluable luxury and a vital strategic resource critical for health and survival. It was a far cry from Earth, where you could buy a kilogram bag in any corner store for pennies.
“Take it.” Valeria extended her hand toward Elizabeth with palpable reluctance, her red eyes shooting anxious, lingering glances toward the precious vial.
“Is this portion of salt your only personal ration?” Elizabeth furrowed her brow, easily deducing the truth.
“Our entire Tribe has practically exhausted its salt reserves. Our Totem Warriors absolutely cannot go without it during combat and recovery, or their muscles lose all strength… I’m not participating in bloody skirmishes right now, so I can afford to eat a little less. I’ll be fine,” Valeria’s voice was hushed, laced with hidden sacrifice.
As an inquisitive writer, Elizabeth had researched the fundamental role of salt in human history extensively while gathering material for her novels. She knew perfectly well that without adequate sodium levels, the human body quickly begins to fail. Yet, reading dry facts in an encyclopedia was vastly different from witnessing the desperation of scarcity firsthand.
Initially, she thought the locals simply viewed salt as a mundane seasoning to enhance flavor. Now, she felt extremely uncomfortable at the thought of accepting such a precious, life-sustaining treasure from a young girl.
“Keep it for yourself. Put it back in your pocket. We’ll boil this meat entirely without salt today,” Elizabeth stated firmly, gently pushing the hand holding the wooden tube back toward the girl.
“You really don't want it?” Valeria froze in sheer astonishment. Salt was coveted by everyone in the camp; even the most powerful Totem Warriors treated every single pinch of it with utmost reverence.
“I said I’m not taking it. Put it away,” Elizabeth shook her head decisively before asking pragmatically: “Where do you actually get fresh salt from when you run out?”
“Our main Hunting Party regularly barters for it with other clans,” Valeria explained in a clear voice, her fingers tightening around the wooden tube in palpable relief as she tucked it safely back beneath her skirt.
“Every dozen days or so, the wealthy and powerful Blue Fox Tribe hosts a massive trade market on neutral ground. All the surrounding forest tribes gather there to exchange pelts, herbs, and fangs for salt.”
“And how many days until the next market?”
Elizabeth’s eyes flashed with keen interest at the thought of attending an inter-tribal bazaar. It was the perfect opportunity to scout for familiar plants, minerals, or tools that could jumpstart the clan’s technological development.
“We have to wait a full ten days,” Valeria answered matter-of-factly.
Bloop, bloop.
The water in the stone pot finally reached a rolling boil, frothing with thick white foam as bubbles violently churned around the submerged carcasses.
“Boiling wild game in plain water without any spices, onions, or herbs is going to taste incredibly bland…” Elizabeth muttered under her breath, staring skeptically at the pheasants and rabbits bobbing in the murky water.
Despite her culinary misgivings, her own stomach let out such a loud, demanding growl of protest that she knew full well she had to eat immediately, or she would simply faint from exhaustion right in front of the whole camp.
“Excellent! The water is boiling! The meat should be completely ready to eat now!” Valeria announced eagerly. In one fluid motion, she drew her palm-wide stone knife from her belt, gripping it tightly as she prepared to spear the boiling chunks straight out of the cauldron.
“Stop, wait! Let it simmer on low heat for a while longer!” Elizabeth instantly grabbed her wrist, stopping the blade mid-air.
The water literally just started boiling, and this hothead already wants to pull the meat out and eat it raw?!
She is way too impatient!
“What do you mean it's not ready to eat?” Valeria turned her head toward her, blinking her ruby eyes in utter confusion.