Kemal picked up enough dried branches and started a fire. He took out a small pot from his back and filled it with the water from a bottle, waiting for it to boil.
Suin was interested in what he was doing, so she sat beside him.
"What are you doing, Father?"
"I told you to call me Kemal, I'm not appointed yet."
"What are you doing, soon-to-be-Father Kemal?" The girl kept pressing on, fixing her eyes on the bubbling water.
Kemal signed.
"Didn't you complain the food was like stones? If you put stale bread into the water, it will soften."
"Wait… Are you planning on boiling it in plain water?!"
Unbelievable…
Eating hard bread was difficult enough, but he was planning to make it into… bread porridge?!
Disgusting!
"So, do you have a better idea?" He asked but the girl wouldn't let go of already crumbled bread. He acknowledged that his food wasn't the tastiest, but a human has to eat and softening it with hot water would make it easier to swallow.
Suin was thinking hard. Should she reveal her most important survival skill? Can she trust him enough? But he will really feed her a bread congee if she does nothing!
In the end, she took out a small pouch.
"Sit down, I will make something edible for you… Just promise me to never boil bread in plain water again."
She had several containers with salt, herbs, and spices in her hands. She spent 1 gold coin in the last city to acquire this small amount, food in this world was just so ridiculously expensive. She also got a small jar of something that tasted like ketchup. Suin wanted to cook something for Luan but didn't get a chance. In the end, this ridiculous clergy will be the one to profit from it.
With a small amount of jerky, she could make a tasty meaty broth. Then paired with stale bread and tomato puree, she could cook something similar to pappa al pomodoro.
For real Italian bread soup, many more tomatoes were needed, but the poor living conditions right now called for some improvisation.
Soon, a tasty aroma enveloped them.
Suin was focused on cooking, but she could hear Kemal's stomach grow. To not put him in an awkward position, she pretended to be deaf.
"Here! It's all done!" She handed him a bow with watery red soup. Kemal took it from her, still not believing his eyes.
"Did you really make it?"
"No, when you were looking away, a fox brought me a new pot."
Of course, she made it! Wasn't he watching her all this time?
Kemal still thought about it, not daring to start eating first. Suin shrugged, then sat down back-facing him and took a sip of hot soup.
Hmmm, tasty!
The seasoning was a little weak and the meat flavour wasn't very deep as the soup wasn't cooked for long, but it was still the tastiest meal she had in this world so far. No wonder, that small jar of tomato puree alone was 30 silver! Something so expensive has to make any dish better.
She couldn't wait for the spring to come. She will then go and forage for young herbs and edible plants. And when summer arrives and the harvest is abundant, she will use her knowledge of preserving fruits and vegetables, so the food resource will last a whole winter.
No more paying for overpriced food! No one can rob her again!
Soon, a slurping could be heard. Kemal stopped acting shy and finally ate the soup. He finished in no time.
"This… Are you a magician, perhaps? I never had anything so tasty in my life!"
Suin chuckled listening to his exaggeration. They say hunger is the best cook, and it has been proven 100 times!
"Then, pay me."
Kemal stopped eating immediately and started looking through his pocket nervously.
"Hahaha, but I don't need money. How about… a story, perhaps?"
"A story? What kind of story would you like to hear, miss?"
"Well, anything you could tell me about the west would do…"
"A west, huh…" Kemal put down his bowl a thought for a bit. "Do you know the official version of the myth of three dragons and how the Forest was created?"
"Doesn't everyone know?" She asked. Even someone like her, who arrived in this world a few weeks back was aware of the most important mythology.
"Then, do you think that myth is a truth?"
Suin frowned her eyebrows. She always thought that the old story was missing something, but even Luan said, it didn't matter. Whatever happened between dragons and humans, it was thousands of years ago. It has nothing to do with them.
"You probably think it doesn't matter, whether the myth is just a fairy tale or historically accurate event, it happened so long ago. But I think it is still related to us, because of how we perceive the west today. If we accept the Great Forest as a Goddess's punishment, then living there must be hell. But what if it was not a punishment? Wouldn't living conditions improve then?"
"Father Kemal, you sound like you doubt the church's words…"
But the soon-to-be-priest only chuckled as he heard her remarks. He did way worse things than going against the official teaching. He was a real headache to the whole clergy.
"I did travel here and there, sometimes people ask me for blessing, but sometimes I dress up as a beggar and roam around the slums. While reports say that despair comes from a lack of resources, such as food or job opportunities, I see despair mainly in people's hearts. They already give up on this life, so no matter how much gold we pour into them, their life will not improve."
She thought about his words, but his real meaning was still hidden from her. In the end, it felt like he was only blabbering about something. As her head was filled with question marks, Kemal patted her on the shoulder.
"Well, I believe you will form your own opinion about the west soon."
They soon returned to the rest of the travelling group. No one had noted her disappearance, but they flocked to the priest asking him to lead their evening prayers right away.
"Isn't this blasphemy? He said he is not a priest yet," Suin wondered.
She found a place close to the fire and prepared to go to sleep, while others kneeled listening to the priest's comforting words. The ground was cold and hard making it impossible to get a good rest, but a few tents were reserved for the rich merchants or wounded only.