Chapter 1164 - 1163: Rich Aroma
The side of the bird legs and wings closer to the fire pit had already turned slightly golden, and the rich aroma wafted forth from there.
Ji Nuan swallowed hard. "I never imagined Firebird meat would smell this good when roasted."
Seeing her eager expression, a trace of amusement flashed through Xiu Yan’s eyes. "I’ll take a look."
He walked over to the fire pit, picked up several skewers of roasting meat planted around it, and turned the side that hadn’t yet browned toward the flames.
This time, the two beasts didn’t leave but crouched nearby, keeping watch.
Sure enough, in just a little while, the previously pale yellow areas had quickly turned golden brown, releasing waves of rich, mouth-watering fragrance.
It seemed that roasting Firebird meat required a period of preheating before it could cook more easily, and as for the flavor—it was downright incredible.
Xiu Yan handed a skewer with a sizzling, oil-dripping Firebird leg to Ji Nuan. "Try it. Careful, it’s hot."
Ji Nuan chuckled gleefully as she accepted the skewer from the orc’s hand, blowing on it several times before bringing it to her mouth and tearing off a small piece of meat with her teeth.
The roasted meat in her mouth carried a crispy texture and a smoky flavor. However, beneath the layer of crispy bird skin was sweet, tender meat devoid of any gaminess. It hadn’t turned tough despite the long cooking time—in fact, it was even more tender than Giggle Beast meat.
She held her skewer out to Xiu Yan’s mouth. The orc didn’t hold back, opening his mouth to bite directly at the spot Ji Nuan had previously torn meat from.
Xiu Yan’s bite completely enveloped the marks of Ji Nuan’s previous teeth marks.
The two beasts took turns, biting back and forth, until they had cleaned off the entire Firebird leg.
Drawn by the aroma, Harry and the other beasts didn’t get to eat much good food, but somehow they felt like they had consumed plenty of bizarre things, and it left them uncomfortably full.
Suddenly, a gust of wind blew through, carrying a hint of chill, reminding Ji Nuan—who was gnawing on a bird wing—of something terribly important.
She turned to the orc beside her. "Brother Xiu Yan, how long have we been gone?"
Xiu Yan froze for a moment, then his expression grew serious. Thinking back, it had been nearly a month since their departure, which meant...
"The cold season!" The pair exclaimed in unison.
Of course! The heat of the desert had made them forget all about the cold season. Now, they had no choice but to reconsider their travel plans.
"Should we call Harry and the others over to discuss this?" Ji Nuan was deeply frustrated with herself.
If she hadn’t suddenly remembered just now, by the time they continued their journey, they might truly be meeting the Beast God together.
Xiu Yan nodded. "After dinner, we’ll talk about it together. I suspect they’ve also forgotten about the cold season."
Indeed, this was the kind of challenge forest-dwelling orcs faced upon venturing into the desert.
As expected, dinner consisted of roasted Firebird meat, courtesy of the Tribe’s preparations.
Of course, as usual, the meat was served raw.
Ji Nuan’s delivery of Desert Wolf jerky had caused a massive stir throughout the Tribe. Desert Wolves were vicious creatures, and no one living in the desert was unfamiliar with their ferocity.
They lived in packs and were ruthless, with some larger Desert Wolf packs even attacking orc tribes during the cold season.
The larger tribes occupied the best locations in the oasis, boasting strong members and powerful evolving orcs to protect them.
Unfortunately, it was the smaller tribes that bore the brunt of misfortune. Without support from nearby tribes, some entire tribes had even been wiped out.