20 System Upgrade

Once everyone was finished eating lunch, the group set off back into the forest for one last harvest. Caspian quickly led the way to the exact spot Iris had stumbled upon earlier that day. Iris was quite impressed with his sense of direction and upon confirming her suspicions, she kissed Caspian passionately.

Only the sound of an awkward cough from Daniel got them to pull away, which promptly earned him a vicious snarl from Caspian. Caspian might put up with Iris having other mates in the future, but he would never let anyone come between him and Iris. Iris cleared her throat embarrassedly as she explained.

"This plant here is a carrot. These leafy bits here can be firmly gripped and pulled up in order to pull up the root vegetable beneath it. If there is one here, there are likely more nearby."

Caspian quickly pulled up the carrot, taking a quick whiff of it before throwing it to Quentin's group. He then grabbed Iris's hand as he went off in search of more. At first, they just found a few here and there, which Caspian quickly pointed out to the others before heading to the next batch. After a few minutes, they finally came to a clearing full of carrots. Caspian nodded in satisfaction as he looked at the field.

The group quickly spread out and got to work. Iris took her usual spot sitting beside Caspian. Knowing Caspian liked to know about each new find, she quickly began to explain.

"Carrots might be a root vegetable like potatoes, but they also are actual vegetables instead of starches. They can be eaten raw or cooked and only really need their dirt washed off to be ready to eat. The green tops are technically able to be eaten, but aren't really as tasty as the orange main body of the carrots.

Carrots can be roasted in the oven or cut up and put in soups. If the carrots are shredded they can be good raw in salads or cooked in stir frys. Carrots are a little more complicated to store as they have to be covered in sand in a dark cool place or refrigerated. We could try covering them in dirt, but with how cold it is today, it'll probably snow soon. We can just use snow or ice then and keep the carrots in a stone box or something."

Caspian's eyes lit up in surprise at the mention of ice.

"You can use ice to preserve food?"

Iris nodded to confirm that was what she said.

"Yep, a refrigerator or icebox can be created by making a large container with a compartment for holding ice built in. Usually, metal is needed for insulation so that the ice will melt more slowly, though."

Caspian was already used to Iris mentioning such strange words but the others glanced at them with strange looks. Caspian was unsure about the finer details of an icebox or even what metals were, but he couldn't help but grin down at Iris. Seeing his expression, Iris felt inclined to ask.

"Why are you smiling at me like that? It isn't really doable since we don't have anything to insulate such a box and ice is only around in the cold season. It'd be rather dangerous to go out so often to fetch ice from the river too."

Caspian's grin grew even wider as he started to explain.

"We don't have to go to the river for ice. I'm an ice elemental, remember? So I can create ice from the moisture in the air. Ice is no problem for me."

Iris's shocked expression at his words was quite endearing in Caspian's eyes. His eyes softened and he quickly leaned over to kiss his mate. He sighed in contentment as he pulled away. He would truly never grow tired of having Iris by his side.

Iris spent the rest of the outing trying to think over the finer details of the chances of making an ice box. There was no metal, but Caspian could just create new ice every day if necessary. However, building a container with doors or a spigot for draining out the water would be difficult.

While difficult, an upright rectangular stone container with stone shelves was possible. They could even create holes in the side to tie a lid on with a latch to tie the door closed at the side. It would allow the ice and cold air to be less exposed to the warmer air inside the house. They could then have the bottom shelf hold an ice block and just create a stone drip pan to hold any melted ice.

Another option would be to create a normal horizontal container with two compartments. One would hold food while the other would hold ice. The food would be less organized, but they could just use a lid instead of a door. Plus, less cold air would escape. They wouldn't have to worry about water dripping out either, and water could just be directly refrozen into ice as needed.

Yes, Iris decided this second option was much better. It would certainly look more like a deep freezer than a refrigerator, but it would be far more efficient.

Not long after Iris finished designing the stone icebox in her mind, she found that it was time to go home. Holly's mates had gathered a good fifty-pound bag of carrots for her and Iris would have four large bags to bring home.

After running Iris home, Caspian went out with Quentin's group to hunt. He had promised the three single males prey and he would be sure to deliver. As Holly was promised an invite to dinner, Caspian promised to bring her over after he finished hunting.

Iris brought out the boar meat leftover from lunch and started a pot of soup. She cut up the meat into small cubes alongside some carrots and potatoes. She melted some lard over a fire at the stone stove before mixing in some cattail pollen flour to form a roux of sorts. She then poured in some clean water Caspian had fetched earlier in the day for drinking. Then she put her meat and vegetables in to slowly simmer.

This would be the first stew Iris made since transmigrating and she was quite excited. Since a thickened soup wasn't possible without flour, and there simply weren't vegetables until today, it was simply impossible. Just then, Iris was startled by the sound of the system notification going off.

[System 316: Congratulations! Quest complete, load rewards?]

Iris felt relief flood through her. Finally, the quest was complete and she would no longer have to wonder if the system was broken or not. She chose to load the rewards and waited with bated breath to see what reward would be dispensed this time.

[Reward Loading.....]

When nothing happened after quite some time, Iris felt confused. Even when Caspian arrived with tonight's dinner guests and more dinner ingredients in hand, nothing had shown up. Setting aside the stressful circumstances at hand, Iris greeted Holly warmly.

"I've already got some soup done for us, so you won't have to wait to eat. Just take a seat at the table and I'll have Caspian show your mates where the bowls and eating utensils are."

Holly could already smell the food and her mouth salivated as she waited for her mate to return from the kitchen. Caspian took the squirrel meat he had prepared to the kitchen and set it on the counter, looking cross. Caspian loved Iris despite all her oddities, but she was making him look like a bad mate.

Caspian grabbed some wooden bowls and spoons and scooped a portion of soup out for Iris before forcing her to sit at the table with her friend. He would cook some kebabs and potatoes to go alongside Iris's soup. He wasn't in the mood to argue over who would cook.

Holly giggled at Iris's frustrated expression.

"You really can't blame him. It's the males' job to care for the females of a tribe. Unmated males would help a female in need and they'd look down on any mated males who they don't feel are pulling their weight in their relationship. You should really be more dependent on your mate to provide for you."

Iris sighed. She didn't want Caspian to be looked down on, but she loved to cook. It relaxed her and she got to eat a delicious meal when she was finished. Thankfully, Holly didn't push the subject as she began to happily eat the soup Iris prepared.

"This soup is so good. I really hope my mates can quickly become this good at cooking so I can eat like this every day. Still, from what my mates were saying earlier today, it seems like Caspian's cooking doesn't even compare to yours."

Holly looked down at her empty bowl sadly as she said this. It was as if it would be the last meal she'd ever eat and she regretted having already finished it. Iris gave her a soft smile as she gently stroked Holly's head.

"Don't worry, I'm planning on holding a communal dinner every week during the cold season. Caspian told me about how much the tribe struggles with food in the cold season, so we gathered extra food. Everyone is free to bring food to contribute and we will make a big feast for everyone to enjoy. Food goes a lot further this way and, hopefully, no one will starve to death this season."

Holly looked surprised at Iris's words, but quickly got excited about eating more delicious food.

"I'll be sure to have my mates spread the word. I'll definitely be sure to show up every week so long as the food is this tasty."

Holly licked her lips as one of her mates placed another full bowl of soup in front of her. Iris had yet to finish even half of her bowl, yet. Honestly, Iris was already eating far more meals in the beast world than she did in the modern world. Usually, dinner would be the only proper meal she had each day while something quick like yogurt or a granola bar would keep her going the rest of the day. One bowl of soup would certainly be sufficient for Iris to be full.

Caspian soon came out from the kitchen with the rest of the food. There were squirrel kebabs and baked potatoes which he was sure to place one of each beside Iris.

"Eat. You need to eat more."

Iris diverted her eyes. She wasn't quite sure she liked how pushy Caspian got around his tribesmen. Still, she tried to force herself to take a few bites of the food he worked so hard to catch and prepare.

Luckily, kebabs were one of the dishes Caspian was better at. The seasoning levels were okay and the meat was even less burnt than the last time he prepared them. Although, the potatoes were barely cooked through and lacked any seasoning. Iris desperately wished for butter, but she would have to settle for salt.

However, when Iris went to get up, Caspian pushed her back down into her chair. He stood up himself and asked, "What do you need, little mate?"

Iris sighed before replying "Salt". Caspian quickly came back and held his hand out with salt on it. Iris took the salt from him and sprinkled it over her potato. Caspian saw this and brushed his hands together over top of his potato. He needed to remove the salt from his hands and wanted to take his queues regarding seasonings from Iris.

If he could learn to make food to her standards, then perhaps she would stop trying to cook for herself. After all, it could only be his fault for not properly doing a task if his mate felt the need to do so herself, right?

Seeing how Iris's mood was growing more sour by the minute, Holly quickly finished eating and said her goodbyes. Caspian went off to do the washing up while Iris laid down in bed and stared up at the ceiling. Just then, the system notification went off once again.

[System 316: Congratulations! System store now unlocked!]