28. A feast

Gopuran skewered the thick cuts of steak onto sharpened sticks and settled cross legged beside the firepit. She began turning them slowly over the flames.

Meanwhile, Gopuro’s gaze remained glued to the sizzling steak. His eyes were wide, his mouth slightly open, and a thin trail of drool had already begun slipping from the corner of his lips.

Even Gopuran, disciplined as she tried to be, could not fully resist the temptation. Her stomach growled audibly, loud enough to make her ears twitch, and she had to swallow hard to keep from snatching a bite while it was still half raw.

Still, she held firm.

She was determined to do this properly.

As the steak cooked, the most mouthwatering aroma filled the chamber, rich and savory, layered with the smell of charred fat and seared meat. The fire crackled merrily, and every few seconds a droplet of melting fat dripped into the flames with a sharp hiss, sending up tiny bursts of fragrant smoke that made the air shimmer.

But after only two minutes, all restraint crumbled.

The two goblins could wait no longer.

Gopuro moved first, and Gopuran followed right after. Each grabbed a stick, lifted the steak to their mouths, and bit down with completely unrestrained enthusiasm.

Their teeth sank deep into the tender flesh, tearing away large chunks as they chewed.

Instantly, their faces melted into expressions of pure bliss.

Their eyes squeezed shut. Both of them clutched their cheeks with their hands as muffled, ecstatic groans escaped their throats.

(Damn, is it really that good?)

I watched, half amused and half incredulous.

(It is probably still rare in the middle. I can still see red.)

(And there is no seasoning at all.)

(A proper steak needs salt, pepper, maybe a little herb rub.)

Yet seeing their sheer joy made my non-existent mouth water. As a castle, I couldn’t eat. I couldn’t even taste. The unfairness of it all stung.

Feeling generous, and perhaps a little jealous, I decided to reward their hard work even further.

I materialized several plump raw chickens, a generous pile of fresh crusty bread, and a bucket of cool milk. The System would not allow me to buy milk without something to contain it, so I had ended up purchasing a wooden bucket from the furniture shop first.

The moment they saw the extra food, the goblins’ eyes lit up like lanterns.

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They grilled the chicken only halfway before tearing into it, toasted the bread over the fire, and gulped down the milk until their bellies swelled. Contented sighs soon escaped both of them.

It was, without exaggeration, an amazing feast.

*****

Moments later…

With the goblins finally resting, sprawled contentedly near the dying fire, I turned my attention to some rough calculations about the day’s productivity.

I had started with 91 Castle Points.

I spent 40 points purchasing Powerstones as quest rewards for the pair, plus another hefty 15 on food and water throughout the day. They were only about the size of large humans, yet they ate like starving horses. That brought the total expenditure to a whopping 55 points.

Ouch.