A cluster of fruit hidden underneath was immediately revealed.
The fruits were about the size of cherries, a light green color, with small raised bumps on the skin.
Hayoon's eyes suddenly sharpened. She reached out and picked one, examining it closely.
The shape and color looked very similar to Sichuan pepper.
It was just much larger.
One fruit might be enough to season an entire pot of food.
She brought it closer to her nose and sniffed carefully.
There was a numbing, peppery scent.
If this really was Sichuan pepper, images of boiled fish, spicy boiled meat slices, and pepper chicken flashed through her mind.
Her mouth watered and her heart began to pound.
Her eyes seemed to burn with two small flames as she looked down at Immo. "Is this Spelon Berry poisonous?"
Immo replied, "It depends on how much you eat. A few pieces are fine and can even treat diarrhea, stomach pain, and vomiting. But if you eat too much, it will make you very uncomfortable."
It matched perfectly, even the medicinal effects.
Hayoon's eyes brightened even more.
"Then I will try it."
She wiped the fruit in her hand and took a bite.
Mm.
So the flavor had been wrapped tightly inside the thick skin.
It really is Sichuan pepper!
And even though the fruits were so large, it did not affect the flavor at all.
Her tongue had gone completely numb.
Hayoon held the oversized Sichuan pepper in her hands, her eyes slightly red, overwhelmed with excitement.
Who would have thought that while picking mushrooms, she would stumble upon such an important plant?
She even wanted to shout, "Beast God bless!"
Sulyeon saw that she had been silent for a long time and walked over worriedly.
"Are you okay? I told you this thing tastes bad. You insisted on eating it, and now it made you cry from how bad it is. Hurry up and throw it away."
Hayoon was so numbed that her speech was a little unclear, but she seriously corrected her.
"Bad? No, no. This is a rare delicacy in the world."
Sulyeon froze. "Huh?"
Immo also looked over with surprise.
Thinking of the previous Tangroot, Immo asked, "So if you use it differently, this thing becomes tasty?"
Hayoon gave her an approving look, thinking that as expected of the vice chief who managed the sub-beastmen of the tribe, she was quick-minded.
"More precisely, it can make other foods taste better. But it also depends on personal preference. Some people just cannot get used to it no matter what."
After speaking, Hayoon glanced into the distance.
There were many Spelon Berry trees across the mountaintop, and as the wind blew the branches, her heart felt like it was swaying with them.
Sichuan pepper was already good, but fully mature pepper would taste even better.
Next time she would come back to harvest again, enough to last a long, long time.
"I am going to pick some Spelon Berries to take back. What about you two?" Hayoon asked.
Immo hesitated.
Sulyeon asked, "So this Spelon Berry won't be numbing after it is cooked?"
Hayoon, while picking fruits into her basket, replied, "It will still be numbing."
Sulyeon immediately showed resistance.
"Then I don't want it. I don't want my meat to taste numbing. That would be so uncomfortable."
Immo felt that since they were already here, she might as well take some.
"I will pick a little to bring back. Even if we do not use it for cooking, it can treat stomach pain if someone needs it."
Sulyeon said, "Alright."
Hayoon was picking alongside Immo when the other sub-beastmen gradually arrived at the mountaintop.
"Why are you picking Spelon Berries? You cannot eat those."
Someone asked curiously.
Sulyeon answered on her behalf.
"Hayoon says it can be used as seasoning."
"Huh? I cannot imagine what that would taste like."
"Me neither. Will it become sweet?"
Sulyeon said, "Hayoon said it is still numbing. Are you going to pick some?"
"No thanks. I still have some Spelon Berries from last year sitting in my storage."
Some were resistant, while others were not.
For example, the elegant sub-beastman Yeonhwa stepped forward and said, "I will take some to try."
"I will take a bit too. If it tastes bad, I will just throw it away."
After everyone gathered and rested, Hayoon had already picked half a basket of Spelon Berries. She even used her claws to dig up two small saplings, roots and soil intact, and placed them into her basket.
He carried the two heavy baskets on his back and walked back to the tribe with everyone.
After distributing the gathered supplies in the tribe, everyone waved goodbye to each other.
Hayoon called out to Immo and Sulyeon. "Thank you for teaching me how to identify mushrooms today. Tonight, call Leeho and come over to my place to eat together. I will use Spelon Berry and starch to make a few special dishes for you."
Today, both the sub-beastmen and beastmen had set out early.
Not only them, Minho and the others had also returned from hunting.
Regarding the invitation, Hayoon had already asked Minho at the altar square earlier.
Minho had only replied with four words. "Do as you wish."
Hayoon was overjoyed. "Thank you. You do not need to worry about ingredients. I picked a lot of mushrooms today. I can trade half of them for meat and eggs."
Although Haeun handled gathering firewood and fetching water, and cooking did not require Minho's help either, Hayoon was staying in his home, so she still needed to show basic respect as a guest.
Minho and the others had gone hunting as a group, and the prey needed to be distributed together. Someone called him over to take charge.
Monho looked at Hayoon and asked, "What kind of beast meat do you want?"
During this time, the meat allocated to him by the tribe had always been brought back by Minho. So Hayoon replied, "Half should be lean meat only, and the other half should be fatty meat. We are also running low on beast oil and need some to render."