"You must be kidding, Master Siderius." Eli said.
"I am not, Eli. I am many things but a liar is not one of them. Water?" Siderius opened a canteen and passed it to the stranger.
"May the Outsider be with you, Master Siderius." Eli took the canteen with two hands.
Siderius’ old world had a similar phrase. ’May God be with you’, which basically meant a religious thank you. The people here had evolved a similar saying but only replacing the deity.
The two phrases were eerily similar. Siderius couldn’t help but think it was more than a coincidence. But he did not voice his suspicion.
"Try soaking the bread with water first. The water will soften the bread, making it easier to eat." Siderius said.
"I see. I see." Eli kept nodding and answered. "I have something for you too, Master Siderius. If you would like to try some exotic delicacy."
Eli took out a thin piece of paper with an off-white color. It was much thinner than a page of parchment and its surface glistened gently.
"The silkpaper of Wamsylvania. It is produced by weaving the edible thin webs of the White Coal with the tasty milk of the starplant. With the hands of an experienced baker, they can be made into these delicate sweet paper.
It provides not much energy but it is a nice treat for your tongue."
Siderius took the silkpaper from Eli. "Much obliged."
The peculiar treat was a circular paper sheet that felt smooth to touch. It gave off a faint smell of milk.
"It is very unique. You said this milk was taken from the starplant, right? Is this some kind of goat?"
"No. No." Eli waved his hands while chuckling. "People always think starplant is some type of animal. You must have smelled milk from it, yes?
But it isn’t milk. It’s a unique nectar of the starplant, a type of plant found only in Wamsylvania."
Eli shook his head. "Wamsylvania. With a W. People there pronounced the W like a V."
"This treat must be very precious. I haven’t even heard of Wamsylvania." Siderius examined the thin white paper.
"Not at all, Master Siderius. It is rare, that is true. Because Wamsylvania is very far from here. But these silkpapers is in no way precious. It cost me the equivalent of a few dozen bronze coins to buy."
"I see." Siderius tore the silkpaper in two and gave half to Eli. "A good treat is one you share with your friend. Let’s eat it together."
"It will be rude for me to refuse this kind gesture." Eli nodded.
Eli was hungry and he began to eat right away. The water softened the hard bread quickly and made it easy to ingest. The flour flavor of it flooded Eli’s mouth.
"This is good bread." Eli nodded back and forth while eating, voicing his approval toward the food.
Then he consumed the silkpaper. Siderius stayed silent and watched him carefully.
The road had taught him many things. One of those was that you never eat anything a stranger gave you. One wrong move and your life would be gone in a blink of an eye.
Eli’s presence was also a questionable scenario. It was definitely not a coincidence that a devout follower of an Outsider came to meet him right after he ’liberated’ his monastery from a witch.
Siderius waited for a few minutes after Eli consumed the paper. He wanted to make sure that it wouldn’t have some type of slow-acting poison in it.
"Aren’t you going to try the treat, Master Siderius?"
"I will, Eli. But suddenly, I have a real thirst for a bit of alcohol."
Siderius still had quite a bottle of Arvenox, The Fire Antibiotics Tonic that was essential for any journey to fight diseases and minor curses. Other than that, if you consumed it with no illness in your body, it would only be a fever-inducing ale.
Siderius took out the Arvenox bottle and drank a little bit from it. The fire from the tonic travelled around his body, warming him up in this windy rain.
"Want to try some? It can warm you up real good. But take a small amount only." Siderius turned toward Eli.
"I never refuse a good shot of liquor." Eli laughed then received the bottle from Siderius.
"Don’t drink too much. It is very hot."
Eli didn’t trust Siderius’ words. He was a seasoned traveler. He traveled from the far lands of the Endless Forest to the Eastern Mountain Range and desert. He had never seen an alcohol that made him scream too hot.
But he was wrong that day. When the Arvenox touched his tongue, a burning sensation flooded his entire body.
"This is good liquor, Master Siderius." Eli let out a small hiccup. "My body is really fired up!"
Siderius smiled gently. He didn’t just give Eli the Arvenox bottle for no reason.
The stranger did eat his own food but there was also a possibility that he had drunk the antidote beforehand. Then, once he devoured whatever poison that might be in the silkpaper, Eli would still be fine.
Arvenox Tonic could be used in the same way. Siderius took a little bit to make sure Arvenox’s power was within him. If the silkpaper was poisoned, the antibiotics of the fire element would surely burn away all the harmful and evil effects.
Additionally, the fire of the tonic was strong, even if Eli did indeed consume an antidote, the tonic would also purify its effect resulting in Eli poisoning himself.
Siderius still hadn’t tried the silkpaper. This time, Eli had noticed Siderius’ strange behavior.
"Is everything alright, Master Siderius?"
"Oh. I was just watching your reaction while consuming the ale, Eli."
"Haha! No worry, Master Siderius. Your ale is one of a kind. I’ve never tasted anything so hot before. It’s almost like swallowing a torch."
Eli did not hesitate to take another sip at the Arvenox bottle and continued feeding on the food. This content belongs to novel~fire~net
He didn’t have any reaction at all. This gave Siderius the confidence to consume the silkpaper.
It wasn’t as sweet as Siderius anticipated. Instead, it had a fatty core with a mild taste of milk. The paper dissolved on your tongue like butter and flooded the mouth with liquid.
"It is a very peculiar food."
"I know right? It may not be the tastiest thing in the world. But it is pretty unique."
Siderius bobbed his head back and forth in agreement. There weren’t many things that could make him relish life. But food was definitely one of those small delights that could keep your mind at ease on the road.
"My apologies, Master Siderius. But I have to inquire further. You did say you aren’t a follower of the Outsider. But I do feel his touch on you. What did you actually do to receive this blessing?"
"It isn’t that long of a story actually." And Siderius began to tell Eli about the short but eventful night at the monastery.