Chapter 130: Pain & hope
Deep within the shadows of a damp and eerie cave, a dark and muscular woman lay sprawled on the cold, rocky ground. Her chest heaved with each laboured breath, the intensity of her breathing matching the pain etched across her face. She couldn't speak, couldn't find the words to articulate the torment that wracked her body.
"Grrrrr! Urghhhhh!" A low, guttural growl escaped her lips as she felt the very essence of her being contort from within. Her bones seemed to twist and turn, a sensation as if her insides were being inverted. Madness clawed at the edges of her consciousness, threatening to pull her into the abyss.
From the last bit of consciousness she had, she knew it was all the result of her losing to that huge muscular man, but she didn't know the proper directions to go back and take her revenge.
As the excess amount of stress and anger consumed her, a pack of wolves slinked into the cave feeling the smell of blood. The air hung heavy with the scent of feral hunger as the predators closed in on the vulnerable figure. The woman's eyes glinted with feral defiance, a primal instinct taking hold. With a sudden burst of unhinged savagery, she turned the tables, tearing into the wolves with a brutality that matched their own.
It was a sight that would send chills down anyone's spine, as she looked like a real wild animal while doing so.
Blood and fur sprayed in the chaotic dance of violence as the woman feasted on her would-be assailants. She had become a creature of the wild, a force of nature unleashed upon the unsuspecting pack.
Yet, in the midst of the cruel spectacle, a flicker of humanity remained. In the depths of her distorted mind, the image of her sister materialized. A moment of clarity, a fleeting connection to the past amidst the madness. The woman's eyes, for a brief heartbeat, reflected a glimmer of recognition and sorrow.
"Ahhhh~Ani..." She wanted to say something from the bottom of her heart, but her rush adrenaline didn't allow her to do that.
Before sanity could fully reclaim its grasp, she surged to her feet, a creature of rage and turmoil. The cave's shadows clung to her, whispering promises of violence and retribution. With a primal roar, she burst forth into the night, leaving the gruesome scene behind.
Driven by a storm of emotions, she sought release in the wild expanse beyond the cave, and the direction she was walking in was none other than Garnt's village. However, this time, she looked like she was ready to die, as her eyes had completely lost any semblance of humanity that remained inside her.
Meanwhile, in Garnt's village, he was quite pleased that nothing significant had occurred during the time they built all the ranged weapons to defend the village. He also received news that Baktou had been experimenting with new ideas on his own, and Garnt couldn't help but feel proud of the entire situation.
The entire community under his leadership had become remarkably innovative, and Garnt couldn't ask for anything more, as it was all he had wished for.
As proof of that innovativeness, he had been sitting in front of a table and there were a group of girls looking at him rather excited.
"Patriarch! We are glad you're here to judge our food, so don't hold back. If you don't like anything, just say it," one of the girls muttered with a slight blush on her face. It was not an everyday occurrence for them to feed their young and handsome leader.
Some of the other girls in the audience were rather jealous, including Kara, who was biting her own clothes due to her envy. However, Garnt's wives were happy that others were giving him attention.
"Damn it, why are they looking at this whole situation like this? Don't they feel jealous? Is this the famous Garnt effect?" Kara had to question and wonder whether she would also become like that, when she managed to seduce Garnt.
Rona, Ayra and Unami were standing side by side, and Gundo was sitting next to Garnt with the same set of plates in front of her.
"We will give our opinions, but-" Gundo paused for a minute, as she looked at the amazing food in front of her. "No matter how we respond, don't give up, Just keep improving,"
Everyone in this new cooking group smiled at their kind leadership, and waited for them to taste the food.
The first dish looked like a soup, but it was rather thick, and Garnt couldn't help but gulp as a result of the smell.
"Explain the dish!" One of the girls tapped on another girl's back and she came forward with a smile and started to explain what she decided to present.
"This...this..this is-" But suddenly her voice started to crack because of how nervous she was and Garnt just looked at her with a smile.
"Relax! I know it's nerve-wracking when you present something you created to judge, but don't worry. I will give my thoughts on it and how to improve it, just talk like you normally do, after all, we are a big family and we have nothing to be nervous about,"
She looked at Garnt as if he were her biggest crush. But then breaking her absentmindedness, she started to speak properly.
"This is a soup that I want to name curry. Normally we would drink soup so we can warm our bodies, but most of the time it is not filling enough, so I thought about making a thick soup that will fill our bellies,"
She kept telling what her dish was about, while Garnt took the wooden spoon and took a mouthful, enjoying the flavours of the dish. Ever since he established the seaside village, the supply of salt had been rather consistent, so he knew that even without many complex flavours, it would still taste great. However, Garnt was blown away by the dish that this girl presented to him.
"Tasty! And also a more complex flavour. This is great, but I don't think this alone will be enough to fill us. I think something like rice we eat will go along with this." Garnt muttered, and Gundo also nodded her head, agreeing with his sentiment. However, Eva had something to add to the context.
[Garnt, don't call this thick soup because this is not a soup. Curry is more like a gravy. If you were in my timeline and called curry as soup, Indians and Japanese people would declare war on you. Also, I'm surprised by how accurate her naming sense is. I guess history repeats itself no matter what time it is.]
'What are Indians and Japanese?' Garnt asked since he didn't have that knowledge, but Eva promised him that she would explain things later and their attention went back to the dishes on the table.
There were different kinds of dishes, both innovative and not-so-innovative, and some of them received high praise from Garnt. However, nothing caught his interest more than the chocolate bar that tasted sweet. Not specifically because it was his favourite food, but because he was amazed that someone managed to create a food from his system.
Garnt couldn't hide his enthusiasm as he pointed at the chocolate bar on the table.
"What's this delightful creation?" he asked, his eyes widening with curiosity.
Another middle-aged woman, still beaming with pride from her previous culinary success, responded, "Oh, that's chelate! I call it a sweet delight. It's made from a combination of fruit, sugar, and some secret ingredients I discovered. I thought a little sweetness would be a nice treat for everyone."
Garnt picked up the chocolate bar, examining it with fascination. He knew unlike curry she had deviated from the real name of the food but that was his least care now."Incredible! A sweet delight indeed. This is a game-changer."
Eva chimed in with her futuristic wisdom,
[You know, back in my timeline, chocolate was considered a luxury. People would go to great lengths for a taste of it. It's amazing to see it created so effortlessly here. Also don't worry about the timeline. We had already destroyed the lives of many people by forcefully bringing these million years of innovations into this age, so just move forward. Don't look back.]
Gundo, always practical, added, "It's not just a treat; it could be a valuable trade item. People from other villages might want a taste of this sweet delight. It could be sold as a luxury item for sure, because I feel like this is something not so ordinary."
Garnt broke off a piece of the chocolate bar and savoured it. "This is fantastic! Sweet, rich, and it melts in your mouth. We need to share this with everyone in the villages."
As they continued enjoying the various dishes, Garnt couldn't help but feel a sense of accomplishment and pride in the thriving village he had built. The simple pleasures of good food and camaraderie filled the air, making it a moment worth savouring.
Amidst the laughter and chatter, Eva whispered to Garnt because she didn't want to ruin the name of chocolate, "You might want to consider calling it something other than 'chelate.' Maybe something catchier, like 'Chocolate'?"
Garnt chuckled, "Chocolate it is then. Let's see how far this taste sensation can travel."
And so, the Garnt's village continued to flourish, not just as a place to live but as a hub of innovation and delicious discoveries. The aroma of curry, now properly named, wafted through the air, blending with the sweet fragrance of chocolate.