Man, talk about surreal. Ever since me and Kaz’s last [Quest], I had become some sort of a VIP in the [Tested Wilds], which allowed me to enter areas in the forest that I never knew existed until now. I know that this is a great way to hide from the public in some situations, but the sight of a large white tiger sitting down with his tail wagging still makes me a bit uncomfortable. Then again, he did offer me this space to work on my [Cooking] skill for a while. Besides, with Kazuki being AWOL for the time being, I feel that fighting monsters without him will be a bit of a bummer today. So, I decided to go ahead and start cooking up some new recipes I had in mind for a while now.

Now that I have the [Advanced Cooking Kit] on hand, I’m now able to make some recipes that I am very familiar with within the real world. The reason why is because the tools in the kit included a grill, a bowl, and a serving spoon. With these tools, I can replicate those recipes without any translation problems. Plus, I also have some bird meat that I got from fighting those bird monsters, the [Bronze Beak Eagles] during our last venture into the forest. Hopefully, it may serve as a substitute for the chicken meat that I was familiar with back home.

With that said, I start things out by mixing up several herbs, spices, and a few fruits that Bai Hu gladly let me borrow to create a sauce to marinate the meat.

[Spicy Fruit Herb BBQ Sauce]

[A homemade barbecue sauce made with fresh fruits of the [Tested Wilds] and a few spices picked from the plains of [Initio].

Effect: Improves grilled meat-based meals

Quality: 7]

After that, I start cutting the meat into several pieces, as I’ve done with the [Rabbit Meat] before. The pieces turned into [Sliced Lower Beak Eagle Meats] and after that, I prep the grill with several charcoals I had bought from the general store and start the fire with a flint and tinder.

Of course, after soaking the meat into the sauce, I have to wait until it's fully marinated. Thankfully, since I’m in a game, the wait time for marinating is just ten minutes, which gives me enough time to make another dish to go along with the barbecue. Seeing as I still have some leftover fruit with me, I cut them down into several bite-sized pieces and used some citrus-like fruits to make a juice to mix with the pieces. Once the marinated meat pieces are done, I place them on the grill and started cooking, flipping them from side to side.

After that, I place the grilled eagle meat on two clean plates and the fruit salad in two bowls and placed all of them on a tree trunk table.

[Spiced Sliced Grilled Beak Eagle]

[A delicious grilled meat from exposed flesh of the [Bronze Beak Eagle] mixed with crushed [Spicy Seed] and marinated with the [Spicy Fruit Herb BBQ Sauce] along with several [Saletum Herb] and [Magus Herb] garnishes. Perfect for outdoor camping!

Effect: Temporarily increases maximum [HP] and [MP] by 5%.

Quality: 8]

A grilled meal with near-perfect quality. As appetizing as that [Gourmet Spiced Rabbit Herb Steak]. Heck, I can see from Bai Hu's eyes that he agreed with me. I know he’s just an NPC for the game, but I have to admit, he acted a bit cute as he smiles and sniffs at the grilled eagle right in front of him. And that says a lot for the large white tiger guardian of this forest.

[I always used my abilities to create food before, but I have never seen anyone use fire to create this kind of cooked meat soaked in a strange sauce you made with your own hands,] Bai Hu commented. [How in the world did you come up with this, young Wind?]

My eyes widen when Bai Hu asked me that question. He might be an NPC, but even here, I don't want to tell him that "I learned how to grill back in the real world" or something.

"I... uh... um... it... just popped into my head one day when I wanted to do something different with my meals. To be honest, that cooking method has some kinks to it and this was my first time trying it, so I didn't know how it will taste like. But still, I think it looks alright for my first try." Considering that it has a near-perfect quality of 8, it's saying something.

[I see. I wonder how it will pair up with the fruits of the [Tested Wilds] that I gave you.]

With that, Bai Hu bit down on one of the grilled eagles and started chewing it down. Once he’s done though, I noticed that his eyes widen as he stops chewing. His expression made me a bit worried. As I said, this is my first try and I don't know if the ingredients I chose would blend very well with the dish. But before I can ask him about it, after a few seconds, he starts munching down on the rest of his meal like a hungry dog. I tried to ask him about it, but he suddenly raises his head and roars in a gleeful tone.

[This is completely delicious! I've hunted and cooked several animals before, but I never enjoyed this kind of cooked eagle before! I still can't believe this is your first time cooking this kind of meal.]

I can't believe what I was seeing and hearing right now. A large ferocious tiger is enjoying a barbecue meal that I made for the first time. Not to mention complimenting me on how delicious my grilled eagle was. Is my cooking really that good?

I’m a bit curious as I tried out the grilled eagle for myself. Once I chewed a piece of it into my mouth, a spicy and sour taste start to overwhelm my taste buds immediately, allowing me to taste the citrus juice inside the meat and bite down it's chewy cooked flesh. What's even more shocking is that it tasted like a real roasted chicken. Man, I don't know how the developers were able to replicate the taste of certain foods from back in the real world, but they did a great job of using virtual reality to do so.

"Y-Yeah, I can't believe I just made this in one go. But I'm glad that everything went well," I said as my mouth curls into a small smile. "I guess I know what I'll be making for Kazu once he returns from his personal matters."

[I concur. I hope he will come back very soon. I really miss him.]

And of course, he had to admit it very bluntly. Just how much does he like my brother? Anyways, I quickly clear my throat and frowned as I turned my attention towards Bai Hu.

"Anyways... I've been thinking about the events that happened here a few days ago. I know how precious your home really is because of your past relationship with Kazu's race and the treasures they left here. But I feel like that reason alone isn't enough to warrant the point that someone would resort to releasing a flora-destroying plague. Is there some major importance with the [Tested Wilds] itself?"

As soon as I asked this, Bai Hu closes his eyes as he sat down on the ground and purrs in a low tone.

[As you said, this forest is more than just a secret treasury in the memory of our [Insignis] allies. It's because this forest is one of the of .]

I raise my eyebrows when I heard those unfamiliar terms.

"... ? Is it also related to the [Insignis] race, too?"

[Somewhat. Have you ever wondered about the concept of itself?]

"U-Um... Yeah. They are special energy that let us use magic, right?"

[That is true. But to every flora and land to all , it serves as our life force. It creates the waters of the ocean, brings the plants and trees to life through the enriched soils of the forest, and most importantly, it keeps the planet and every living being alive in this world. But in order for the mana to flow through the air, water, and ground, the are established as places to replenish, absorb, and most importantly, store any reserved [Mana] the world will need. If one falls, the mana flow will be disturbed and there is no telling how it will affect both the living beings and the lands around . That's why it is imperative that are stationed in these landmarks to ensure its safety against any intruders or any ill-willed beings.]

This is a lot of game world-building info dumped right in front of me, but I can see why those culprits tried to destroy the [Tested Wilds] in the first place.

"Okay, I understand what you're trying to say. But do you have any idea why they would even try to destroy the forest in the first place?”

Bai Hu sighed as he shakes his head.

[I don’t know. But all I know is this. If the forest is destroyed, all of the reserved mana will be released and it will spread rapidly out throughout the whole world unless someone is willing to absorb most of it through themselves or some kind of a device as sort of a vessel. And if that happens, chances are there will be consequences in the world itself.]

Consequences, huh? There is no need to guess what will happen to this virtual world if the plague re-emerged.

“I see. This is just a theory of mine, but I’m guessing that whoever’s responsible for the plague wanted to steal the reserved mana for their nefarious purposes. I don’t know their exact motive behind it, but it should make sense,” I explained. “Besides, who’d even want to release all of that mana and cause the world’s instability for nothing?”

[That might be the case. Unfortunately, I am still bound by my duty. I’m afraid I would ask you for your assistance.]

I raise my right eyebrow, knowing he might give me another quest without any warning.

“What kind of assistance?”

[Well, I can tell you more, but it would require your brother’s presence if we want to investigate the truth behind the plague. It would be beneficial to have an [Insignis’s] assistance.]

I would argue about him and his attachment with Kazu, but what choice do I have? Bai Hu is related to his race and right now, most of my theories are just theories. I can’t get anywhere until I get concrete proof.

I just sigh at this and said, “You’re right. We’ll discuss more once Kazu returns.”

Just as I pick up the now empty plates, Bai Hu then spoke up, [There’s one more thing you should know. Underneath the forest and other is a special mine that produces special mana stones.]

“Special... stones?”

[I can’t say any more until both you and Kazu are ready. But if what you have suggested is true, chances are that the mines will be in danger. Please keep that in mind if you plan to continue investigating.]

I’m a little confused why Bai Hu mentioned this. I guess the mana stones must’ve been the ones Kazu bought for making his staff. But I decided that I should take his word for now and heed his warnings.

“I understand. Thank you for the warnings.”

[You’re welcome. And when you come back, I hope you can make another one of your famous “grilled eagles” and “fruit salad” food.]

I just let out a dry chuckle as he said this. He seriously had taken a liking to my cooking.

“Uh, yeah. I’ll try. I’ll see you soon.”

With that, I packed up my [Advanced Cooking Kit] and left the forest while waving goodbye to Bai Hu. After this, I headed back to inn and logged out for the night.