Chapter 4: Soul Food

In the quiet forest, a bonfire ignited in its midst.

Ember carried Galara on his back and gently placed her beside the bonfire.

Upon closer inspection, Ember realized that Galara's entire body was wrapped in bandages, with no clothing on, not even a cloak, just a piece of tattered cloth.

"Tsk! Quite miserable, it seems this world isn't all that friendly." Ember lifted the bandages on Galara's arm, revealing a mass of scabs underneath.

Ember looked at the wounds on Galara's body, chin resting on his hand, lost in thought.

"Hmm? Should I make something delicious for this child now?"

Ember muttered to himself. He was somewhat unsure, as he hadn't seen a child in a long time.

In the world of Black Souls, needless to say, there were hardly any living people. And in the world of the Magic Rings, it was almost the same, after the Magic Rings were shattered, ninety percent of the people went insane.

"Alright! Let me treat you to some of my divine cooking!" Ember did whatever came to mind.

He eagerly pulled out a few weapons from his body and used them to set up a makeshift stove.

Placing an iron pot that he somehow acquired, adding water, Ember then scratched his head in confusion.

He just realized that he didn't really have any culinary skills.

"Never mind, I'll just throw in whatever is useful!" But none of this fazed Ember, and soon he came up with a dish.

"Blossoming Green Leaves Grass, check! Sweetened Dried Fruits, check! Tears of the Goddess, check, add a little more..." Countless unidentifiable things were stuffed into the small iron pot by Ember.

Soon, a pot of colorful and vibrant soup appeared before him.

Ember tasted it, still unable to discern the flavor, but surely the benefits were substantial.

Watching the Ember-style "Elemental Soup" bubbling before him, he felt like challenging Onion Knight.

Although his friend could make Elemental Soup that even an undead like him could taste, Ember felt his own wasn't too bad.

"Well done! It seems I still have some talent." Ember stirred the boiling soup with a stick, nodding in satisfaction.

With this pot of soup, Galara would be feeling better in no time.

"Hmm... Huh—" While Ember was stirring the soup, Galara, who had been unconscious for a while, let out a few groans.

Then Ember saw Galara suddenly jump up, looking at him alertly.

At this moment, the black aura on Galara's body began to faintly emerge again, indicating that she had once again used the external power within her.

"Relax, relax, don't be so tense, child."

"What's your name? Don't worry, no one will chase after you." Ember tried to ease his expression as much as possible, despite still wearing his helmet.

"Galara." Maybe trusting Ember, or maybe because it was too cold away from the bonfire, Galara eventually returned to her spot by the fire.

"Haha, that's better! Just wait, the soup I'm making for you will be ready soon." Ember added ingredients to the soup while talking to Galara.

Watching Ember bustling around, for some reason, Galara felt a warmth ignite in her heart, and her spirit was filled with vitality and vigor once again.

"Here, this is the Elemental Soup I made specially for you, it took a while, taste it." Ember took the large iron pot off the stove and placed it beside Galara.

"Th... thank you." Galara looked at the colorful Elemental Soup in front of her and managed to say three words with difficulty.

After that, Galaro saw Ember looking at her eagerly. Damn it! Why could she sense his anticipation even from inside a metal helmet!

Galara's eyelids twitched. She couldn't bear Ember's eager gaze and took a spoonful.

Since she had already tasted all sorts of potions in the laboratory, she didn't care much about this strange soup.

"Ugh—" As soon as it touched her lips, Galara regretted her decision. The bandages on her face wrinkled due to her facial distortion.

What did she taste? Earthy, musty, fresh, sweet... various good and bad flavors assaulted Galaro's taste buds one after another.

Galara saw her own figure drifting away. Wait, why could she see herself!

Then she felt a moment of dizziness, and she returned to normal, looking at the Elemental Soup in front of her, Galara patted her chest in relief.

"Gulp... It's delicious." Galara swallowed her saliva with difficulty and uttered a kind lie. Although the taste of the soup was indeed terrible, its benefits were undeniable.

Just one mouthful, and she felt much of her fatigue from these days dissipate, even the wounds under the bandages began to itch—it was a sign of healing.

"Hey! What's wrong, uncle?" Galara's snapped out of her thoughts, only to see Ember drawing circles nearby with a stick.

What Galara didn't know was that her own face had twisted to a non-human extent, her eyes rolling as if she had turned her eyeballs around.

If Ember hadn't saved her in time, she would probably have been lying down for a while longer.

Is my cooking really that bad? Ember fell into deep thought.

But soon he threw away the wooden stick in his hand. He was never one to dwell on trivial matters, and if his cooking was bad, so be it, he didn't need to eat anyway.

"Sorry for startling you just now." Ember poured out the Elemental Soup beside Galara.

Initially, Galara wanted to keep this pot of soup because of its good effects. But upon seeing the withered flowers and feeling the resistance in her heart, she wisely remained silent.

"Sigh, I didn't expect to fail in cooking of all things." Ember sat back down, sighing.

"Here, no more soup, just eat some dry rations." With that, Ember handed Galara some jerky and a red bottle.

Galara didn't pay attention to the jerky, she was drawn to the red vial Ember handed her.

The majestic life force emanating from the Red Dew Holy Grail and the intricate golden patterns on the bottle told Galaro that this was no ordinary item.

"The Dew in the bottle, drink a little at a time, you can't handle too much." Ember reminded Galara as he watched her staring at the Holy Grail.

Galara cautiously took a sip, and then her half-opened eyes widened suddenly, her pupils contracting rapidly.

She felt a strong vitality entering her body from her mouth, and wherever this vitality went, the dark wounds and toxins in her body were swept away!

Feeling the changes in her body, Galara quickly scratched her head, a few strands of green hair falling from her eyes.

She untied the remaining bandages on her body, only to find that the scabs that had covered her body had long since fallen off, replaced by tender white skin, replacing the once hideous scars.

"Wu... Wu..." Tears blurred Galara's vision, what she had lost was finally regained.

This meant that she could finally live under the sunlight without being treated as a monster by others.

After quietly sobbing for a while, Galara wiped away her tears. She looked around and found a pile of clothes next to her that she didn't know where they came from.

She looked into the distance and saw Ember leaning against the trunk of a big tree.

Suddenly, Galara realized something, her little face blushing, she quickly untied the remaining bandages on her body and changed into the clothes Ember had left for her.

"Alright..."

"Just call me Ember." Ember withdrew his gaze from the distant Sky Island and said to Galara.

"Okay, Ember big brother."

Ember's dried lips curled up slightly, just now she called him uncle.

But seeing Galara's current appearance, Ember's eyes lit up. At this moment, Galaro was like a real Little Witch.

With the scars on her face gone, her newly grown hair cascaded down her back, Galara now exuded the youthful vitality of a young girl.

"Heh! Quite pretty." Although Ember had lost his sense of ordinary beauty, he still knew how to say something nice.

Galara blushed again at his words, she picked up the long skirt that was a bit too big for her and curiously asked:

"Ember big brother, is this the attire of your country? It's a style I've never seen before."

Galara also adjusted the crown on her head. She had never seen such clothing before, let alone heard of it.

Ember fell silent for a moment, then said:

"Sort of, but I'm quite far from there now."

"Why don't we talk about the things in this land?" 

(End of this chapter)