Cataphracts, surviving in a world full of mods

Tersolius seemed even more interested.

"Yes."

The girl nodded and said seriously:

"Protecting your teeth is important, adults. Because of rough food and bad habits, many people's teeth are already unusable by the time they are 30 or 40 years old... Damaged teeth can cause great pain and also increase the risk of disease."

"This is a method my teacher taught me. Chewing this can keep your teeth and mouth clean, so you won't get sick or damaged as easily."

The man nodded:

"Doctor, your teacher must be a very knowledgeable person. If I have the chance, I would really like to meet him..."

"Then you may be disappointed for now."

The girl chuckled lightly.

“My teacher left the village when I was 14 years old. No one knows where he went. He always collected medicinal herbs and gathered knowledge in various places. He stayed behind to investigate the distribution of medicinal herbs around our village.”

As the girl spoke, her mood became somewhat downcast, and Tersolius spoke up at the opportune moment:

"Then give me some of this oral hygiene product too, maybe it will taste really good."

"I advise you not to get your hopes up..."

The girl deftly wrapped two more orange-yellow ore pieces in leaves, then handed one to Tersolius and the other to the mountain girl who was looking around the warehouse.

Although Colin instinctively caught the object, the strange herb still made her hesitant. The mountain girl with short, dark blond hair deliberately slowed her movements and secretly glanced at Tersolius…

But when he saw the man casually toss the small packet of herbs into his mouth and begin to chew it carefully without showing any discomfort, he felt relieved.

But as soon as she put the herb packet in her mouth and chewed it a couple of times, a heavy, bitter taste suddenly burst forth, with the astringent texture unique to minerals, almost like peeling off the bark of a poplar tree and putting it directly into her mouth to gnaw on.

The strange smell made her brows furrow, and she instinctively tried to spit it out... but a large hand grabbed her face.

"Don't spit it out, chew it properly. You eat meat all day long and don't even know how to take care of your teeth. Be careful that you don't ruin all your teeth before you turn 30. At that time, you won't be able to eat meat or even vegetables, and you'll only be able to survive on porridge."

Thesolius remained expressionless, as if the contents of his mouth were not bitter herbs but sweet sugar.

Colin tried to struggle, but the large hand was as firm as an iron clamp, so he could only resign himself to chewing. But the more he chewed, the more bitter the taste became, as if every drop of juice had been squeezed out of the grass.

When the long ordeal finally ended, she rushed out impatiently, spat out the green bits of food in her mouth, and then took the water that Tarina handed her, drinking several large gulps to dilute the bitter taste in her mouth.

Tesorus took the cup, drank a sip, rinsed his mouth, spat it out, and then licked his teeth, finding them indeed smoother.

"Perhaps I should issue a forceful order so that everyone in my army has time to do this... no, do it at the garrison, it's too much of a luxury to do it on the march."

"I don't think this is very useful, except for subjecting people to torture every day..."

Colin immediately voiced her objection, an indescribable bitterness causing her face to scrunch up, thinking about having to experience this every day from now on...

"What do children know?..."

Tersolius flicked his hand and tapped the mountain girl on the head, making her frown and cover her forehead.

"This is all incredible knowledge and valuable information. You may feel uncomfortable now, but you'll understand the benefits it can bring you later... It's decided, it'll start with you. From now on, you have to come here to see the doctor every day. If you miss even one day, I'll deduct your salary!"

"No! Perhaps we can discuss this further and not make a decision so quickly!..."

Ignoring the mountain girl's protest, Tesolis turned his head back again:

"Are the guys who were injured yesterday still alive? I saw they were covered in blood."

"No problem, sir. They are all very strong and can withstand it. As long as their wounds do not worsen in the next two days, they will definitely recover."

The three men began to walk into the warehouse, where the ground was covered with planks of wood, each covered with a white cloth—something prepared for the wounded soldiers.

The surrounding ground was swept clean, and all the cobwebs and dust on the warehouse walls and roof were thoroughly cleaned to ensure that these things would not get on the wound.

Perhaps these simple-minded mountain people and slaves don't realize it, but the treatment they are now enjoying surpasses that of some nobles...

Given their status, the treatments they could receive were often limited to bloodletting and cauterizing wounds with hot irons... This kind of treatment was definitely not a pleasant thing; on the contrary, it would make life worse than death.

Only Talina, the little doctor from a remote village, possessed unexpectedly superb medical skills, enabling her to save their lives in this way, without the pain of branding irons and knives.

With a little clever magic, these guys can sit up and eat heartily on the second day after they're injured, enjoying the extra food for the wounded that can only be enjoyed here.

In any other army, wounded soldiers would receive less food because they are no longer of any use and should not be given any more rations.

Upon seeing Tersolius suddenly enter, the mountain people, who had already endured much scolding from the cavalry, immediately addressed him as "General" and rose to salute. They also did not forget to greet their leader, while the slaves immediately addressed him as "Master" and respectfully prostrated themselves on the ground...

Thesolius made the slaves lying on the ground stand up to prevent their wounds from getting dusty... This behavior had become an instinct for them, and no amount of emphasis could change it.

After making sure they had enough food in their bowls, the three of them walked to the backyard, where several large pots were boiling water. Clean hot water was essential for cleaning wounds and bandages.

However, fuel in the city is very limited, so the hot water is only heated once a day, and everything that needs to be cleaned must be cleaned in that one session.

Large quantities of herbs are being washed and dried, while some with special properties are left to dry in the sun without being washed.

Several merchants were haggling with the women nearby. They still had some medicinal herbs in their hands, but seeing the current situation, they wanted to raise the price to sell them again.

………………

When they saw that Tersolius had actually appeared in the backyard, they immediately stopped insisting, abandoned their greedy ideas, took the money, and fled as if they were escaping...

Tersolius shook his head, already used to what he was seeing.

And now, it's the fifth day the city has been besieged...

Chapter 61 Rest

Kneading flour repeatedly with water requires a certain skill to keep your hands clean.

Once the dough has been kneaded into a smooth dough, cover it with an earthenware bowl and let it rise. While it is rising, use a knife to chop the beef and mutton into fine minced meat, then mix in wild onions, sand ginger, and other seasonings, along with some salt and oil.

At this point, the minced meat already smells delicious and looks very appetizing, but it's still only a semi-finished product.

Once the dough has risen, roll it out into a thin sheet, wrap the meat filling inside, sprinkle a thick layer of crispy sesame seeds on top, and place it on a preheated pan.

The flames under the pot had been removed, leaving mostly charcoal to slowly roast the meat patties. The even and constant heat quickly gave the meat patties a wonderful aroma.

The oil brushed on the pan sizzled as the food was fried, providing an additional auditory enjoyment on top of the visual and olfactory experience.

The unique aroma of wild onions, released by frying, becomes even more wonderful when mixed with oil. The hot charcoal is not wasted either; several iron boxes are placed inside to bake, and white bread can be taken out from them in a while.

After roughly estimating the time, Tersolius lifted the lid of the pot, flipped the meat pie over, and then, under the expectant gazes of the others, put the lid back on and continued to wait.

On the earthenware pot next to it, hot soup was bubbling, with finely chopped celery and carrots moving around in the hot water. Salted dried meat also joined them, giving the soup a unique flavor.

Colin stretched her head out as far as she could, almost greedily inhaling the aroma emanating from the iron pot. She had never smelled anything so delicious before, and she couldn't even imagine what it would taste like!

But without Thesolius's permission, she wouldn't dare to act recklessly even if she had two extra lives, so she could only wait anxiously, clutching her bowl.

The hot soup beside them emitted a continuous aroma, and the iron cans placed in the embers smelled of toasted bread.

In front of this small iron pot, three people each sat on a log as a stool, solving their lunch problem.

………………

The wait was always long, and when Tersolius announced that dinner could be served, the mountain girl almost let out a cheer.

The crispy, caramelized meat patties were taken out and placed on the cutting board. The crackling sound of the knife slicing through the crispy crust was enough to steal one's soul.

At least the mountain girl seemed completely bewitched...

The toast was golden brown when it was poured out of the tin box, and when the hot soup was poured into the bowl, you could see the bits of meat swimming around like little fish.

Once these things were finally in my hands, I couldn't wait to take a bite.

The sliced ​​meat patty released a burst of aroma from its crispy sesame crust, followed by an even richer aroma of meat and heated onions that filled the mouth.

The warm bread, with its intoxicating aroma, seemed to satisfy even without eating much.

The freshly boiled hot soup is so delicious that a single sip can make you break out in a light sweat and warm your whole body; its savory flavor is incredibly appetizing.

The two girls ate very quickly, and in the blink of an eye, their portion of the small meat pie was completely gone. Colin even licked his fingers reluctantly, though of course he couldn't taste anything; he was just feeling sorry for the remaining flavor.

"Are you some kind of incarnation of Sparka?! How can you cook like this?! This is not something an ordinary person could possibly taste!"

Spakka is the god of cooking and hunting in the legends of the mountain people... which is enough to show how surprised Colin was. The meal she just had almost made her swallow her tongue.

Compared to Teresolus, the best thing she had ever eaten was the flatbread baked in the ashes by her neighbor's aunt, along with freshly collected honey.

While that was indeed delicious, it couldn't compare to what was in front of me.

I had long heard that the people of the plains had countless good things, such as warm cotton clothes, sharp arrows and weapons, and useful iron pots, all of which were sent from the plains.

Are all plains people as exaggerated as this guy? ...

The man in front of me is only 21 years old, yet he can already lead that fearsome cavalry to gallop across the battlefield with unparalleled skill. His martial arts are so superb that I can't even keep up with his movements... He can even cook such delicious food. What can't he do?!

Colin's eyes now held a hint of awe.

"The taste is just average, considering there are only two pots here..."

Versailles's words even caused a change in Talina's gaze; Tersolius almost seemed to be shining brightly before their eyes—a kind of composure unique to geniuses.

………………

The cleaned ceramic bowls were placed in a cabinet, which was Talina's residence in the city.

Tersolius held this precious doctor in high regard, even sending a small squad of cavalry to guard the hospital in shifts to prevent confused individuals, drunken madmen, and wicked individuals with ulterior motives from damaging the place.

After eating and drinking her fill, Colin left immediately. She knew how wild her men were. Even though the cavalry had trained them to be more disciplined, they would definitely cause her a lot of trouble if she didn't pay attention to them for a long time.

Of course, this amusement might not necessarily be someone else's amusement; it could even be her own amusement...

As the person in charge of the city, Tersolius naturally had his own things to do, but this place was also of paramount importance, and he couldn't afford to be careless.

Good medical care can also effectively boost soldiers' morale.

When soldiers know they will receive the best medical treatment after being wounded, they will have no more worries and will be less afraid of facing the enemy.

This is something the Holsian soldiers on the other side will never get... He also gathered a considerable amount of information by questioning the captured Holsian soldiers and officials.

Doctors as skilled as Talina seem to be quite rare in this world. As far as he knows, there doesn't seem to be another doctor like her in the entire Kingdom of Hols, or at least there's no news of one...

This made him even more interested in Talina's mysterious teacher. Tersolius's intuition told him that she was definitely an extraordinary scholar, and that she even possessed things that were beyond the reach of this era.

Of course, these are things that can be done later. Right now, we need to think of a way to deal with the Holsteins who are about to launch a full-scale offensive...

Chapter 62 Siege (1)

As soon as the rooster crowed for the first time, Kochkin opened his eyes, rubbed the yellow scabs on the corners of his eyes, and yawned loudly.