Cornflower Witch

Chapter 165 Arrival at the Foot of Misty Mountain
The second adventure begins.

Because they were going to travel a long way, the team rented two horses to carry their luggage.

"Can this horse travel through the world of shadows?" Hiltiya asked with a sense of wonder.

“Ordinary horses won’t do, but these two are packhorses with sexual power, and they can also travel through the black and white world of shadows.” Yann led over two pure black horses.

Seeing their pure black and mysterious fur reminded Hilti of the famous Friesian horses.

'Frisma', a descendant of the ancient forest horse, was once the fixed breed of horse for the 'Black Knight' class. It shone brightly at the end of the Eighth Era and followed the 'Black Rose Knights' in their conquests across several continents.

However, these two horses in front of us probably only inherited part of the Friesian horse bloodline.

【Mixed-blood Friesian Horse】(Tier 1, Castle): A cold-blooded horse with some 'Friesian Horse' blood. It is not as powerful as its ancestors, but it is easy to raise and has a stable temperament.

The black horse had a silver-iron carved headband on its forehead and a shield-shaped curved breastplate below its neck, which was also engraved with special inscriptions. The girl sensed some of the 'castle' aura from these inscriptions.

“I didn’t expect to see Frissma here.” Karl walked over with a hint of curiosity and gently touched the horse’s mane.

“They were probably bred and trained at the ‘Northern Ranch,’ the largest horse ranch in the woodlands, producing all kinds of warhorses and packhorses.” ’Bad Apple’ brought over some of the luggage.

"Renting them isn't cheap. You have to pay a 30 gold coin deposit first, and then a 5 gold coin rental fee. Most small teams simply can't afford them."

The group talked about the various fine horses and warhorses in the woods, which piqued Hilti's interest.

"The most famous one right now is probably the 'Jerez Horse,' also known as the steed of Thor. This horse has pure blue fur with some white mane mixed in on its back. When it runs, it's like lightning, incredibly powerful, and it's at least a third-tier horse," Yann explained.

"Tier 3? I doubt I can beat it." Karl shook his head in dismay.

"Yarn, you should be able to switch to the Knight class later, right?" He suddenly remembered something.

“Yes, it’s possible, but I probably won’t switch.” Yann shook his head.

"There's a reason why knights are considered a noble class. Warhorses, armor, and titles are not things that ordinary people can obtain. Even the lowest-ranking white forest horse is only second-tier; otherwise, it simply cannot bear the combat power of a knight."

"Heavy armor warriors have lower requirements and are better able to adapt to complex adventure environments."

As they talked, they put together their luggage and saddles, then led the two black horses to eat some fine fodder and water before setting off.

They first had to travel nearly 50 miles north before gradually reaching the mist-shrouded mountains. The first half of the journey was exceptionally easy, with virtually no enemies or resources along the way. They simply picked some 'green and red berries' they found by the roadside. These small green and red berries had a sweet and sour taste that both animals and people loved to eat. If they were brought back to the town, the locals would skillfully process them into jam for storage and sale.

"Here you go." Hiltiya, riding on her horse, fed the black horse beneath her a few berries.

The two black horses quickly started eating, snorting as they did so, clearly in a good mood.

Because of her exceptional eyesight, Hilti can spot fruit along the way while riding a horse, making her the only member of the team who can currently ride a horse.

"Only Tia is relatively light. If you, Yann, were to get on, I'm afraid the horse wouldn't be able to move," Bad Apple joked.

“I can be a knight too, but wearing this heavy armor makes riding a horse impossible.” Yann shook his head dismissively. He was a calm and practical person and didn’t care about such jokes.

“But we definitely can’t go into the mountains today. We need to rest at the foot of the mountain for the night and set off again tomorrow.” He could already see the tall mountain range shrouded in mist in the distance.

“A night’s rest is good,” Bad Apple replied, nodding. “Maybe we can even try Tia’s cooking tonight. I heard from Bona that Tia has already mastered half of her skills.”

Three hours later, the group slowly reached the foot of the mountain, found a sheltered and safe spot, tied up their horses, and then camped there.

Yann first moved some stones to make a campfire for the night and started a fire. Carl and Bad Apple were in charge of setting up the tent, while Tia was preparing dinner.

“There’s a small river where we just came from. I’ll go fetch some water,” Yan said to Tia as he picked up the bucket, then left.

Meanwhile, Hiltiya was squatting in front of her luggage, looking through the ingredients she had brought, thinking about what to cook for dinner.

Following Bona's advice, in the early stages of the adventure, it's best to prepare foods that spoil easily and rot easily. She looked around, took out a few green vegetables and tomatoes, then some green peppers, and paired them with a small amount of meat. This would be the main course for tonight.

As for the main course, the black-haired girl thought for a moment and decided to make it more elaborate tonight.

After all, the next few days will be spent in the dangerous mountains, and there may not be enough free time or energy.

Once she had made up her mind, she took out the flour and butter she had brought, crushed and mixed them, then added salt and a small amount of sugar, kneaded and rolled them into a dough sheet, pressed it into an iron baking pan, and began to bake it.

Next, the meat is chopped up, mixed with a small amount of onions, mushrooms, and green peppers, and stir-fried in a small pan beforehand. Various seasonings are added for flavor, then it is poured into a baking pan, topped with egg liquid and cream, and a little cheese is added. Then it is placed near the fire to bake.

Sitting by the fire, Hirutiya intently observed the four baking trays, constantly adjusting their rotation to ensure even heating. Then, she used the 'baking method' to adjust the heat, causing the inside to transform and slowly cook, releasing a fragrant aroma.

The others, who hadn't initially paid much attention, now stood not far from the fire after finishing their own tasks, watching the girl's actions.

"Is Bona not joking? Did Tia really inherit her skill level?" Bad Apple crossed his arms and said with some surprise.

"That's the ability of the 'Golden Steam' aspect, right? Tiya even learned that." Karl sighed at the girl's extravagant behavior, wasting such a card slot.

"Don't say anything yet, I can smell something delicious." Yann closed his eyes and sniffed the aroma of roasting coming from the air.

"I'm hungry," Bad Apple said, rubbing her stomach.

Ten minutes later, Hiltiya set the baked mushroom and meat pie aside, then started cooking vegetable soup, adding greens, tomatoes, some cream, a little salt and sugar, and finally making vegetable cream soup.

After the soup was cooked, she picked up the deeper pot, placed it aside, and announced that dinner was served.

The others had already placed their mushroom and meat pie in front of them, and as soon as they heard that dinner was served, they immediately began to enjoy it.

Break or bite into the top layer of cheese, and the filling inside releases steam and aroma, then mixes with the soft pastry. As it enters your mouth, the hot sensation slowly travels down your throat and into your stomach, leaving you feeling comfortable and satisfied.

Sure enough, food tastes better when eaten outdoors. In this state of exhaustion after an adventure, eating something delicious makes one's happiness level rise sharply, far surpassing the experience of ordering food at a tavern.

【Mushroom and Meat Pie】(Excellent): A savory pie filled with mushrooms, meat chunks, and onions, baked with cheese. Delicious and tasty. (Stamina Recovery +2, Warmth +1, Deliciousness +1)

She had only eaten a third of it herself when Hilti saw the others wolf down their savory pies and then start drinking soup.

"So fast?" She thought for a moment, then raised her hand and asked them to leave her some soup so she wouldn't drink it all.

And so, the first night on the way to the 'Gateway to the Distant Mountains' passed peacefully, filled with the satisfaction of warm and delicious food.

(End of this chapter)