In the quiet forest, a bonfire blazed.
Yu Jin carried Garura on his back and gently placed her beside the bonfire.
Upon closer inspection, Yu Jin realized that Garurawas completely covered in bandages, with no clothing on her upper or lower body; even her cloak was just a piece of tattered burlap.
"Tsk! That's a bit tragic. It seems this world isn't so friendly after all." Yu Jin peeled off the bandage on Garura's arm, revealing a dense layer of scabs underneath.
Yu Jin looked at Garura's wounds, resting his chin on his hand, lost in thought.
"Hmm? At this point, shouldn't I get something delicious for this child?"
Yu Jin muttered to himself. He was a bit unsure, as it had been a long time since he had seen a child.
The world of Dark Souls, needless to say, had hardly any living people. The world of the elden ring was much the same; after the elden ring shattered, ninety percent of the people in The Lands Between went mad.
"Alright! Let you taste my divine culinary skills!" Yu Jinacted on his impulse.
He enthusiastically pulled a few weapons from his body and used them to set up a makeshift stove.
He placed an iron pot, which he had somehow acquired, on top, added water, and then Yu Jin started to get a headache.
He had just thought about it, and it seemed he had no cooking skills whatsoever.
"Never mind, I'll just add everything useful!" But these difficulties didn't deter Yu Jin, and he quickly thought of a good dish.
"Blooming Greenleaf, add! Sweet Brewed Dried Fruit, add! Goddess's Tears, add, just a little…" Countless items were crammed into the small iron pot by Yu Jin.
Soon, a colorful thick soup appeared before him.
Yu Jin tasted it, but still couldn't discern any flavor, though he was sure the benefits were immense.
Looking at his bubbling "Estus Soup," Yu Jin felt he could rival the Onion Knight.
Although his old friend could make Estus Soup that even an Undead like himself could taste, Yu Jin felt his own was not bad either.
"Hmm! Very good, it seems I still have some Talents." Yu Jin stirred the boiling thick soup with a branch, nodding in satisfaction.
With his pot of thick soup, Garura's recovery would be a matter of minutes.
"Hmm…, oh—" Just as Yu Jin was stirring the soup, Garura, who had been unconscious for a long time, let out a few groans.
Then Yu Jin saw Garura spring up abruptly, staring at him with a wary expression.
At this moment, the dark aura around Garura began to faintly reappear, suggesting that she was once again using the foreign power within her body.
"Relax, relax, don't be so nervous, child."
"What's your name? Don't worry, no one will chase you anymore."
Yu Jin tried to soften his expression as much as possible, even though he was still wearing his helmet.
"Garura." Perhaps she trusted Yu Jin, or perhaps it was too cold away from the bonfire, but Garura eventually sat back down by the bonfire.
"Hahaha, that's more like it! Wait a moment, the soup I'm making for you will be ready soon." Yu Jin said to Garura while adding ingredients to the soup.
Watching Yu Jin's busy figure, for some reason, Garurafelt a warm fire ignite within her heart, and her spirit was once again filled with vitality and life.
"Here, this is my special Estus Soup for you. It took me a long time, try it." Yu Jin took the large iron pot off the stove and placed it beside Garura.
"Tha… thank you." Garura looked at the colorful Estus Soup before her and uttered three difficult words.
After speaking, Garura saw Yu Jin looking at her with an expectant expression. Damn it! How could she see anticipation through an iron helmet?!
Garura's eyelids twitched. Unable to bear Yu Jin's eager gaze, she scooped a spoonful.
Anyway, she had already eaten those potions from the lab, so she didn't care about this strange soup.
"Ugh—" The moment it entered her mouth, Garuraregretted her decision. The bandages on her face creased due to her distorted expression.
What did she taste? Earthy, stale, fresh, sweet… various flavors, both good and bad, distinctly assaulted Garura's taste buds.
Garura saw her own figure drifting away, wait? Why could she see herself!
Then she felt a moment of disorientation, after which she returned to normal. Looking at the Estus Soup before her, Garura patted her chest in fear.
"Gulp… it's delicious." Garura swallowed with difficulty, uttering a white lie. Although the soup's taste was indeed somewhat terrifying, the benefits it gave her were substantial.
Just one mouthful, and she felt much of her fatigue from these past days dissipate. Even the wounds beneath her bandages began to itch—a sign of healing.
"Hey! Uncle, what's wrong?" Garura snapped back to reality, only to see Yu Jin drawing circles with a stick nearby.
What Garura didn't know was that her face had just been distorted to an inhuman degree, her eyes rolling as if her eyeballs had spun.
If Yu Jin hadn't rescued her in time, she would probably have been laid up for a while longer.
Was his cooking really that bad? Yu Jin fell into deep thought.
But he quickly threw away the wooden stick in his hand; he was never one to dwell on things. If his cooking wasn't good, then so be it; he didn't need to eat anyway.
"Sorry, I startled you just now." Yu Jin poured out the Estus Soup beside Garura.
Garura had originally wanted to keep the soup, as its effects were indeed good. But after seeing the withered flowers and sensing the resistance within her heart, she wisely remained silent.
"Alas—, truly one has limits. I didn't expect to stumble in cooking." Yu Jin sat back down, sighing with emotion.
"Here, there's no soup, so just eat some dry rations." Saying this, Yu Jin handed Garura a few pieces of dried meat and a red flask of holy water.
Garura didn't pay attention to the dried meat; she was captivated by the Red Tears flask of holy water Yu Jinoffered her.
The immense life energy within the Red Tears flask of holy water and the ornate, intricate golden patterns on the flask itself all told Garura that this was no ordinary item.
"The tears in the flask, drink a little at a time; you won't be able to handle too much." Yu Jin, seeing Garura staring blankly at the flask of holy water, reminded her.
Garura carefully took a sip, and then her previously half-closed eyes suddenly snapped open, her pupils rapidly contracting.
She felt a rich life force enter her body from her mouth. Wherever this life force went, the hidden injuries and residual toxins within her body were completely swept away!
Garura felt the changes in her body. She quickly scratched her head vigorously, and a few strands of dark hair fell before her eyes.
She then peeled off her bandages, finding that her previously widespread scabs had already fallen off, and tender white skin had replaced the gruesome scars.
"Rrr…,rr…" Tears blurred Garura's vision. What she had once lost, now finally returned.
This meant she could finally live in the sunlight, no longer viewed as a monster by others.
After quietly sobbing for a while, Garura wiped away her tears. She looked around and found a pile of clothes had appeared beside her.
She then looked into the distance and saw Yu Jinleaning against the trunk of a large tree.
Garura suddenly realized something. Her small face flushed, and she quickly untied the remaining bandages on her body, changing into the clothes Yu Jin had left.
"Alright,…"
"Just call me Yu Jin." Yu Jin withdrew his gaze from Celestia in the distance and said to Garura.
"Mm, Brother Yu Jin."
Yu Jin's dry lips twitched; she had just called him uncle.
However, Yu Jin's eyes lit up when he saw Garura's current appearance. Garura was now wearing a full set of the Maiden's attire.
In Yu Jin's eyes, Garura at this moment was a spitting image of a young Maiden.
With the scars on her face gone and new hair cascading down her back like a waterfall, Garurafinally possessed the youthful vitality of a Damselette.
"Heh! She's quite pretty." Although Yu Jin had long lost his concept of ordinary beauty and ugliness, who wouldn't say something nice?
Garura's small face flushed again upon hearing this. She lifted the long skirt, which was a bit too large for her, and asked curiously:
"Brother Yu Jin, are these clothes from your country? I've never seen this style before."
Garura then adjusted the circlet on her head. She had never even heard of clothes of this style, let alone seen them.
Yu Jin was silent for a moment, then said:
"Sort of, but I'm quite far from there now."
"How about we talk about this land instead?"