Soren turned his gaze back toward where they had come from.
He could still see Brooklyn Town in the distance.
Because the town lay on an open plain, and they were now on slightly higher ground near the forest, it was still visible—though it had already grown small, a sign of how far they had traveled.
After a few minutes of rest, the group finally regained their strength.
"Alright, everyone. We've rested enough. Let's resume our journey."
"Okay."
"Okay, Boss!."
As Soren moved to the front of the handcart, the sensible Masha and Troy followed behind and began pushing it.
The others, who still too young to help, were only allowed to walk beside them so they wouldn't be left behind.
The group once again continued their journey, entering the forest road.
As they cautiously moved deeper into the dense forest, sunlight barely reached the moss-covered ground. Giant trees towered around them, and the road was wide enough to fit five handcarts side by side.
The air smelled of damp earth and pine.
In the half an hour of traveling.
They spotted many kinds of wild animals in the distance—birds perched in the trees, squirrels watching them curiously.
With just slight disturbance the wild animals immediately run away.
Then a sound came from the bushes.
Rustle.
A large rabbit suddenly dashed across the road and stopping in the middle, startling the group.
The three youngest children—Malik, Taren, and Teran—froze for a moment, then happily ran after it, trying to catch it with their bare hands.
Unfortunately, the rabbit was too fast and disappeared into the nearby bushes before they arrive before it, leaving the three looking gloomy.
"The rabbit got away."
"Yeah."
"Don't be sad," Soren said gently. "The rabbit was too fast. You can't catch it with your hands. I'll cook something good for everyone later, alright?"
"Really?!"
"Really?!"
Hearing that I would cook for them, the three immediately lit up with joy.
They could usually only eat once a day, and sometimes they had nothing at all.
They had already eaten in the morning, so the thought of eating again later felt like a blessing.
"Sure! I'll cook for you and the others after we find a place to rest tonight."
"Yay!"
"Thanks, boss!"
I smiled at the pitiful children.
How could they be this happy just from hearing about food?
Children in this world were far too pitiful. They were still so young, yet already fighting for their lives, struggling just to survive.
Many were orphans, wandering through villages, slums, and sometimes even forests, searching for food, shelter, or someone to care for them.
They matured far faster than children on Earth. Life had forced them to grow up quickly—to work, to protect themselves, and to rely on one another.
Some were already mentally mature, and others could even already can take care of themselves.
They were nothing like children back on Earth, who only worried about eating, playing, and sleeping.
Troy and the others merely watched and didn't interfere with my decision. Wasting supplies wasn't ideal, but seeing the children happy and knowing I was thinking of everyone made it worthwhile.
After several more hours of travel, we finally found a place to rest for the night.
Deep within the forest was an open clearing with sparse grass, surrounded by trees.
There were signs of past human activity a campfire site where the ashes had long gone cold. Merchants or travelers must have stopped here before.
That meant the place was likely safe.
We immediately began cleaning the area.
"Alright, everyone. Time to prepare the food."
"I'll help."
"Me too."
"I also want to help."
All the children volunteered eagerly. Seeing how sensible they were only made me like them even more.
"Alright. Everyone can help."
"Yay! I'll gather firewood!"
"Me too!"
Troy spoke up. "I'll go get some water from the river."
They had already discovered long ago that a river was nearby, drawn by the sound of splashing water.
"I'll go with Troy," Masha added.
"Alright," I said. "Aside from Troy and Masha, the other should not go too far from the group. Stay close to avoid getting lost."
"Okay."
"Okay, boss!."
Everyone began working, except for the unconscious young man still lying in the handcart.
I started chopping potatoes with my kitchen knife.
"Are these all wild vegetables?" one of the twins beside me asked, clearly confused.
They stared at the large vegetables I had taken out. To them, they must have looked strange especially the purple eggplant, which probably looked more like a fruit.
It was likely their first time seeing vegetables like these. After all, they were modified crops from Earth.
"Probably I found them buried in the kitchen floor," I said casually. "They seem to be vegetables from a foreign country."
"I see. That's why they look so weird and big."
"Yeah. I thought so too. Just do what I instruct you two. I'll handle the cooking."
The twins nodded and continued working one tending the fire with dried branches, the other cutting vegetables for me using Ren knife.
A few minutes later, Troy and Masha returned with jars of water they at nearby river, which we used for cooking.
Soon, two fires burned in the middle of the clearing, with two pots set over them—one of them my personal cooking pot that I had brought from my apartment.
Later, a delicious smell wafted through our camp as night had already long fallen. All the children were sitting around the campfire, waiting in silence for the food to cook.
I opened the lids of the two pots.
Judging by how the vegetable soup and the grain soup looked, they were already cooked.
The boiled potatoes and roasted sweet potatoes had long been done.
"Everyone, get your bowls! The food is ready. Line up so I can serve you all," I called.
"Finally! I'm so hungry, even just from smelling the aroma."
"Soren, serve me, please!"
I watched the kids line up with their empty wooden bowls and began serving them one by one.