Nuan sat back down by her boiling water. Koda stayed in his wolf form, planting himself right between Nuan and Aerin like a little furry shield.

Aerin sat down on a nearby flat rock, folding his large wings. "What are you doing, friend?"

"Nuan... just call me by my name," Nuan said, looking up from the fire.

"What are you doing today... Nuan?" he asked, his sharp eyes tracking her movements.

Using her two thick wooden sticks as tongs, Nuan carefully fished the cooled stones out of the hot water and tossed them back into the roaring fire to reheat. Then, she took tiny, thinly cubed hare meat and slid them into the bubbling water.

She looked up at Aerin. "Well, it’s soup. By putting these tiny pieces into boiling water, the flavor and nutrients seep into the liquid. Since Kael can’t chew, he can easily swallow the small bits along with the drink."

Aerin’s golden eyes wavered slightly at her words. He hesitated for a moment before asking, "Is Kael of the Silver Grey clan your mate?"

Before Nuan could even open her mouth, Koda barked proudly through the telepathic link, answering for both of them. Yes!

Nuan immediately reached over, grabbed the scruff of his neck, and rubbed his fur aggressively with her thumbs. "Don’t lie!"

She looked back at Aerin, noticing his sudden, uneasy expression. "Kael is, well... uhm..."

Wait, what exactly is Kael to me? Nuan thought, her mind racing. Is he my kidnapper? My helper? Wait, I’m staying in his clan’s territory, so... landlord and renter?

"Is he also a friend?" Aerin asked softly.

"Hm?" Nuan stirred the water with a long stick. "Well, yeah, I guess... a friend. A very stupid friend."

Aerin’s head dropped slightly, a quiet look of disappointment washing over his sharp face as he realized he wasn’t her only friend in this jungle.

Nuan noticed his saddened expression. Aww, he is so cute when he looks like that! Ah, wait, what am I thinking?!

Hey, Blue Buddy!

[ Yes, Host? ]

You always suggest that I collect Kael, Eryx, that gorilla guy, and even Bramor the bear in our very first encounter. But you never say a word when I see Aerin. Why is that?

[ Well... Host, Aerin is an incredibly patient and kind beastman. He believes in traditional courtship and focuses entirely on attracting a mate through slow, steady efforts. ]

Yeah? So?

[ That is so boring, Host... and way too time-consuming! Going through all the courtships these bird beastmen do—building nests, showing off feathers, dancing—it is a complete waste of efficiency. ]

Seriously, Blue Buddy? You just lost my respect with that one! Nuan snapped internally, her eye twitching. You’re acting just like those teenage girls who think the good, sincere guys are uncool nerds while the toxic bad boys are cool! Look at this guy—he’s so sincere and honest! Isn’t he just a perfect mate to collect?

[ Ohh... finally, someone you actually want to collect?! Please, go right ahead and collect Aerin the Sky Tyrant! Eagle Beastman. ]

[ Reward: Ability—Eagle’s Eyes ]

Eh? Ah, no! I mean, I’m still not going to collect mates!

[ Why, Host? He is a good guy, you just said so yourself. He is perfect! ]

Ugh, shut up! Nuan hissed, swiping the system screen away in her mind.

While Nuan was busy arguing with Blue Buddy, Aerin stayed silent on the rock.

He watched her for a moment, his golden eyes carrying a quiet sadness. The feeling of jealousy was strange and unfamiliar, but he knew he had no right to keep her away from another friend.

Slowly, he unfolded his large wings and took to the sky without making a sound.

When Nuan looked back over at the rock Aerin had been sitting on, only to find it completely empty.

"Eh?" Nuan blinked, looking around the riverbank, then up at the clear blue sky, and finally down at the young wolf. "Oi, Koda, where did Aerin go?"

Koda shifted back into his human form and shrugged. "That big sparrow flew away."

"Hn? Did he feel bad?" Nuan murmured, a pang of guilt hitting her. Ahh... maybe I’ll talk to him properly the next time we meet. After all, he really is the first actual friend I made in this world.

She looked down at the freshly boiled soup, but a sudden realization hit her. Her next concern was how to transport this hot liquid back to the camp without spilling a single drop out of her crude wooden bowl.

Oh! Idea!

"Koda, bring me some big stones!" she commanded, walking down to the very edge of the river.

While Koda ran around collecting heavy rocks, Nuan pulled out the bamboo bottle that Eryx had given her.

She uncapped the wooden top, scooped up some river water, shook it vigorously, and poured it back out. She repeated this process three times to make sure it was clean.

By then, Koda had returned with five large stones. Nuan took them and set them in a tight, straight line across the shallow river edge, creating a very narrow, restricted pathway for the river water to flow through.

"Koda, can you carefully lift one of those hot stones from the fire using the sticks?"

Koda nodded, expertly pinching a glowing red stone. "What now, Witch?"

"Dip it into the narrow path right before the first stone I set, but not too deep. Hold it there until I tell you to move it."

Koda did exactly as she said. The second the hot stone met the rushing river water inside the narrow channel, it created a small, trapped stream of boiling hot water for a brief moment.

Nuan quickly submerged the opening of the bamboo bottle, trapping the hot water inside.

"Good, let it go," she said. She shook the bamboo bottle violently and poured the hot water back into the river. "Bring another stone."

She did this a few more times, using the localized boiling water to thoroughly scald and sterilize the inside of the bamboo container, ensuring it was completely free of any leftover snake venom.