236: Unexpected
Back at the inn, I settled in front of the fireplace with the dungeon guide in hand, and Colin was not kidding when he said it had additional notes.
The book was laid out through floors, with the early ones having a lot of information, and as soon as it started hitting floor six and seven onwards, that information got less and less, with it just describing the environment. But floor eight discussed unverified rumours, and floor nine and onwards were not mentioned at all.
It now made more sense of Milo’s comment on the grass on floor ten.
Continuing to read, I found the silver roots, and it explained a decent amount of information about them. They were indeed found on rich ore veins and were usually used as an indicator of where to find ore. It was often not collected, even in Colin’s notes; it was marked as a waste item not worth collecting.
But the guide itself went into more detail, mentioning that when used in alchemy it would give the potion a citrusy and floral taste before the numbing effect took over.
Deciding there would be no harm in doing a quick test here, I pulled out a single root. Cutting a small piece off, I used purify on it to remove the toxins. I didn’t know if it was eaten raw or cooked, but I felt it was likely best to cook a small bit first, just so I could see the buff potential, and perhaps know if it’s dangerous despite it being uncommon.
Attaching it to the end of a metal spike, I put it near the fire to let it roast for a short time. This obviously wouldn’t be the best way to cook it, but it’ll do for now.
“Doing tests?” Milo asked.
Nodding, “Yeah.”
Milo carried on. “Make sure you’re safe. You’re holding both wagons, remember,” Milo said very seriously.
“I am. I’ve purified it. It’s uncommon, and I’m just cooking a small piece now so I can see the buffs it would give, so I know if it’s excessive or not,” I listed all the things I was thinking.
Milo nodded. “And the book, what did it say?”
I repeated what it said exactly, ensuring I didn’t skip anything, just to be sure I didn’t misquote it.
“Alright, so sounds like if you get this wrong you’ll personally just be drooling and can’t speak for a few hours,” Milo chuckled.
Part of me also wondered if the numbing effect would be linked to the toxin, or a particular toxin, and when prepared for alchemy it just removed the dangerous ones.
I didn’t have time to worry about it, however, as Crisplet let off a burst of sparks, clearly watching the root while I was distracted with conversation.
“Thanks, Crisplet,” I whispered, pushing across happiness and gratitude.
What I held in front of me didn’t look appetising. It was partially charred from the fire, but even the parts that were not charred just had a grey, fibrous appearance.
I infused it and saw the buffs were fairly modest.
[Uncommon] Roast Silver Root.
+1 Wisdom.
+1 Perception.
Minor Ore Find.
“The stat part of the buff is nothing special, but it has a minor ability too. Looks to be a passive one, minor ore find,” I said to Milo, who was watching.
“That’s a fairly common skill among quarry workers and miners. It’s only minor, so you wouldn’t find anything rare with it, but there might be a way eventually that you could boost that up and make it very useful,” Milo said thoughtfully.
Figuring there was only one thing left to do, I tentatively took a bite of the root.
I expected my mouth to go numb instantly, but that didn’t happen at all. It wasn’t pleasant to eat, as it seemed almost stringy in texture, but for the soft flesh around that, I was surprised at the flavour. It was fairly intense, with a strong citrus taste, along with what could best be described as an almost sweet plant taste.
I chewed for nearly a minute and had absolutely no luck with the fibres. In the end I spat them out, but there was absolutely no numbing in my mouth. Looking at the rest of the uncooked root, I cut off just a tiny slice and ate it raw without purify or cooking.
At the very least, I should be fine due to the immunity I had, but this would also provide another towards my quest.
Chewing it, it had a much weaker citrus taste raw, with the plant taste being very strong, and it having an almost nutty quality. I also laughed at the notifications.
Poison attempt failed: Poison immunity.
Paralysis attempt failed: Poison immunity.
Letting out a laugh as I chewed, “Well, I’m safe from it, but raw seems like it wouldn’t be ideal. I got a poison and paralysis immunity notification. Tastes nice though, just too chewy.”
I knew of ways I could get around this. Several recipes I had read explained how you should pass an item through a sieve to remove the fibres and be left with a puree. This would be no different.
The next item I found in the guide was the rock berries, found on level three. It stated they were not worth much but made for a good snack while you’re on the move, and the guide and the notes encouraged you to pick up and store them for later floors if found.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
Though it shared very little in terms of taste. That said, with the guide and notes saying they were safe to eat, this one I just took one out and took a bite.
First impression was that you’re likely supposed to peel the skin, as it was very tough, but there was an explosion of juice in my mouth and it tasted delicious. It was sweet, almost honey-like in flavour, and strangely enough, it had an almost custard-like texture.
I felt like this one would be perfect in some dessert recipes, though I doubt it would be good for much cooking. Just to check though, I took the semi-eaten rock berry and, putting it on the same spike that held the root, placed it near the fire.
It didn’t take long before it appeared as though the inside was boiling and liquid was spitting out. I suspected that if it didn’t have the bite taken out to release pressure, we’d have had an exploded fruit, so I was right. This would not be usable cooked.
Removing it, it smelt sweeter, almost nutty now, and after allowing it to cool for a moment, I took another bite after infusing it.
[Uncommon] Baked Rock Berry
+2 Luck
The buff was incredibly simple. However, it was very curious as well. Then the name too, saying it was baked. I would have counted this as roasting myself.
But the luck was valuable. I wonder if I could use it in candy?
I never made it to the slug before Wyatt entered the room, followed closely by Luis helping to bring up bowls of food for everyone.
“I have dinner for you. Take it easy tonight,” Wyatt said happily.
It only took a couple of seconds for Lily to show up, and seemingly realising the food wasn’t what she expected, she flopped down by the fireplace.
“Where is Hari?” I asked.
“He’s taking the chance to train,” Wyatt laughed.
Jen let out a snort. “What do you mean by taking the chance to train? He’s spent all winter training.”
“Yeah, but here he has other adventurers,” Wyatt said with a laugh.
Milo looked offended. “What are we?”
“Not the same. Now eat!” Wyatt said loudly.
With Lily letting out a huff, clearly trying to show she wasn’t happy about no infused food, I took out one of my cheaper slabs of bacon along with a random sausage roll, and placed it on a grill made by Crisplet over the flame.
She immediately stopped pretending to be asleep and sat up, staring at it sizzling away.
“It’s easy to forget she’s so incredibly dangerous,” Wyatt commented, earning him a side-eye.
Luis laughed. “It’s true. Even after all these months, the pressure still gets to me from time to time. Everyone downstairs thinks the pressure they are feeling is due to the event they can see in the capital.”
“No word on it yet?” Milo asked.
Luis shook his head. “No, but messengers would have already arrived if the capital were under attack. They’d reach here in less than a day.”
“That’s good news then,” Liane commented.
A thought struck me while I was sitting there eating the stew that Wyatt had given us, and I don’t know why I didn’t think of it earlier.
Pulling out the jar, “Wyatt, are you familiar with these at all?”
His eyes lit up at the sight of it. “You got a whole jar? I love those things!”
“You do? Um, how do you prepare it?” I asked hopefully.
“Well, personally, I like them straight from the jar. It takes a little getting used to the texture, as it’s a little slimy, but once you’re fine with it, the flavours are incredible. It has a rich earthiness that I’ve just never found anywhere else, and the perfect balance of salt and umami.” Wyatt seemed to really enjoy this.
I, however, was not so sure about slimy slugs. “Let’s say I want to cook it for my skill.”
Wyatt nodded. “You’ll lose a lot of the earthiness, but you’ll also lose the sliminess. My personal favourite is to cook it in an oven with some crispy bacon pieces, onion, garlic grass, and there is a sauce you can get at most markets which is made from fermented beans, grain and salt. It really makes the flavours come alive.”
While he was explaining it, I was writing it all down. I hadn’t seen the sauce before, but I would be sure to look for it.
“The sauce, can I add it after cooking?” I asked hopefully.
Wyatt looked unsure. “Look, ideally not, but if it’s going to affect your skills, then it will be fine. The flavour just won’t be as potent.”
Liane, who seemingly had been growing more interested, “What’s it taste like?”
Wyatt seemed to think honestly. “Cooked, have you had razor clam shells, or a rock oyster? It tastes like that, only more earthy instead of fishy. Think of it as an earth oyster.”
Liane nodded.
We were all interrupted by the sound of the door opening and Coral’s voice yelling from below.
“Hey! Excuse me, that’s private! You can’t go in there!”
Everyone jumped into action. Luis had his hood on and his sword out, while the others all had weapons immediately pulled. Even Wyatt was now holding a hatchet of sorts from nowhere.
What was strange was that the only one who wasn’t reacting was Lily.
I didn’t have enough time to ponder it when an almost translucent Sylverith stood at the top of the stairs, looking annoyed, and directly at Lily.
“Sorry to interrupt, dears. I need to steal my daughter for a while,” she said sternly.
Everyone had relaxed, except for Wyatt, who was standing at the front and clearly hadn’t noticed us, and Coral, who was storming up the stairs.
“Wyatt,” I said loudly, getting his attention.
He noticed everyone putting weapons away and looked confused.
“Meet Sylverith, the dragon and protector from the dark forest,” I said simply.
Sylverith, however, did not look like she was in the mood to have a conversation with anyone, just staring at Lily who kept looking at the bacon and sausage before peeking back at Sylverith.
Reaching down, I infused them both quickly, knowing I really didn’t need to cook them properly for her, and while she ate, I took the opportunity to ask.
I tried my best to be positive, as I didn’t really know how to handle an angry dragon.
“Uh, Sylvy, you seem to be in a rush, but you wouldn’t happen to know what happened at the capital, do you?” I asked.
Her face softened at my use of Sylvy, and her voice came directly to my mind.
“That stupid sea lizard ate us both, so I’d say Alira did her rebirth in the capital, and now I need to take this lazy cat and find that old warrior, as I’m too weak to sense if that stupid sea lizard is still on the way, or if we convinced it to turn around,” she said.
Her tone was soft, even motherly, but I could hear the bitter anger behind every “stupid lizard.”
Nodding, I noticed Lily had finished eating. “Best of luck, Sylvy.”
There was the slightest smile from her as a final comment came. “Avoid any offerings near the coast.”
With that, she and Lily both left.
All eyes turned to me, as Coral was now standing at the top of the stairs.
“What did she say?” Luis, Milo, and Jen all asked at the same time.
While Wyatt mouthed the word, “Sylvy.”
Coral didn’t say anything, just stormed back down the stairs.
Falling into the chair behind me, I repeated what she said, and there was a look of concern on everyone’s face.
“It ate Sylverith and Alira? Both?” Luis repeated.
“I knew the leviathan was large, but that would be truly gigantic,” Milo said, shaking his head.
I didn’t know what else to say as silence fell over the group.