Both turned to thank Rowan. Theo looked straight at her, voice polite, calm, maintaining necessary respect and distance:

  "We'll help Finn prepare dinner. Thank you again for the thorough examination."

  Watching Theo and Liam's silhouettes gradually fade, Rowan playfully swirled water around her fingers, lips occasionally curling in amusement. She was still pondering the strange contrast between the two kids and Theo's mental force 'insulation' ability.

  On the way to find Finn, the two boys began chatting. Theo walked while shaking his head, telling Liam with somewhat teasing but understanding tone:

  "You're stammering again, Liam. Still haven't overcome it? Normally you bargain really fast, how come when introducing yourself you're so clumsy?"

  Liam scratched his head, hair like a crow's nest from fighting and tumbling all day becoming even messier. He answered, voice somewhat annoyed with himself:

  "I don't know either. You know, Theo—whenever I meet many strangers I panic, once familiar then it's fine."

  Theo looked at his friend's silly appearance. He guessed this easy embarrassment was because Oakhaven town was just a small town, making Liam have little contact with strangers, especially beautiful and confident women like Rowan. For this innocent rural hunter kid, such grace and beauty was truly an overwhelming challenge.

  They quickly found Finn busily preparing dinner. Finn had set up a neat small cooking fire, beside it a fairly large beast, quite like wild boar already cleaned, ready for processing. Theo judged it would probably be roasted since Finn was fumbling to create a rack over the campfire.

  Theo spoke up greeting, completely replacing his friend. He knew at this moment Liam would be useless; waiting for him to finish stammering through introductions his stomach would also be hungry flat:

  "Hello, Finn. We're Liam and Theo. Can we help you with dinner? I know how to cook."

  Finn turned around. He was a tall, lean young man (~1m78) with healthy fair skin. Light brown hair neatly trimmed, radiating cleanliness and reliability. Finn wore a carefully tailored light leather armor, allowing flexibility when working and fighting while still ensuring protection. His face carried a warm and calm appearance, with kind brown eyes and pleasant smile—his whole person radiated the reliability and meticulousness of a professional craftsman.

  Finn was also somewhat surprised at this contrast; according to his judgment, the person proactively saying that should be Liam. But his reaction was also very quick. He answered, pointing toward the forest:

  "Alright, still need some firewood. You two go find some more for me."

  Theo looked at the ingredients Finn prepared—he confirmed it would definitely be a roast meat meal. He looked at Finn and asked, tone confident but not at all arrogant:

  "Tonight is roast meat, right? I can help you roast the meat—one person will find it very difficult to manage this Tusker. As for firewood, just Liam alone is enough."

  Finn looked at him in surprise again, eyes somewhat doubtful. Not that he didn't want help—after all, preparing a meal for ten people and one magical beast wasn't easy at all. But he knew clearly: in this Night Hawks team, all were people who only knew eating and fighting. Even the two only girls—picking and washing mushrooms was their maximum ability in cooking. Calling them to help would only smash his kitchen, more tiring than when he worked alone.

  Theo volunteering himself made him somewhat curious about his ability. Finn smiled briefly:

  "Alright then, kid. Well, let me see how your cooking skills are."

  Theo quickly divided tasks. He gave Liam a small bag:

  "You go gather firewood, and conveniently harvest some mushrooms and wild vegetables we usually use. Remember to gather plenty—will need for ten people."

  Thanks to G's data collection and analysis ability, Theo had discovered quite a lot of nutritious wild food overlooked in this abundant forest. He wanted to make a vegetable stew to supplement the roast meat, creating balance in dinner, while also being a subtle debut to gain goodwill from the new team.

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  Theo then took out special seasoning he always prepared on his person: a mixture abbreviated as Fire Salt Pepper. It consisted of salt, Zaravand Fire Leaf Powder, and finely ground dried Bitter Grass Pepper powder.

  He introduced this self-made seasoning to Finn. He curiously tasted a bit, but immediately, a rich salty-spicy fragrance shot straight up his nasal cavity making Finn nearly choke. He coughed dryly, but his eyes blazed brightly:

  "Using this for roasting meat would be excellent!"

  He agreed to let Theo take charge of seasoning tonight's roast meat—an affirmation of his cooking skills.

  Before long, the whole roasted Tusker dish had begun spreading fragrant aroma through the air.

  The sky also began extinguishing its last rays. Dense and silent darkness enveloped the camp.

  Campfire light danced in the pitch-black space, dyeing faces of soldiers golden and casting giant shadows on old oak trunks—creating a cozy, isolated atmosphere, but still concealing the deep mystery of the night forest.

  Just as darkness completely descended, Ryel and Ronan's group also appeared. Ryel could walk now but was still stiff and slow because paralytic essence remained in his body. At this moment, Theo was fumbling with the vegetable stew pot in the final stage.

  Before long, the entire Night Hawks team had gathered by the campfire, flickering firelight illuminating tired but relaxed faces. The afternoon's tension seemed to completely dissolve in the fragrant aroma of roast meat and pleasant vegetable stew.

  Theo had an interesting discovery. Though the entire Night Hawks team looked very united and disciplined, within the group there was still slight division. For instance, though sitting together around the campfire, they still sat in groups: Rowan and Sable, Boris and Torvin, Vesper and Finn. Ryel and Ronan were somewhat uninterested, spoke little, only occasionally exchanging a few words. They still communicated with each other, but he subtly noticed there was a small division lying deep beneath the surface.

  Theo gently ladled vegetable stew, placing bowls on a flat rock used as a table.

  "This dish is vegetable stew, simmered on low heat from Tusker's head and trunk portions with wild mushrooms. The Tusker meat is marinated with my Fire Salt Pepper—hope everyone will enjoy it," Theo introduced, tone moderate and simple, not too information-heavy. He carefully observed each member's reaction.

  Finn tasted the first piece of meat, and his eyes widened in amazement. "Excellent, this flavor... the warm spiciness of Fire Leaf perfectly masks the meat's strong gamey smell. You do kitchen work better than most warriors I've met, Theo."

  Boris bit a large piece of meat, his eyes narrowing in obvious enjoyment. "Finn, this kid cooks better than you now—if there was a large mug of barley beer it'd be perfect!" Torvin only focused on chewing meat, grease smeared all over his face, continuously nodding agreement rudely.

  Ryel and Ronan ate with absolute control. Their faces showed little emotion—they ate quickly, neatly and efficiently like soldiers, completely different from Finn's savoring or Boris/Torvin's crudeness. However, he noticed Ryel particularly favored the vegetable stew over the roast meat.

  Theo gave the team's two only women two bowls of soup.

  Rowan smiled, receiving the bowl from him—a large bowl with trunk meat pieces full of vegetables. She looked at Theo with an understanding sweet smile, like acceptance of the boy's subtle grateful gesture.

  Sable was also somewhat surprised but didn't say much. She received the bowl and nodded. She pulled down her face covering to prepare eating. Theo observed her neck area had some purple swelling and a herbal mint smell lingering. He knew this was perhaps a wound Liam caused in the battle three days ago, but it couldn't still be unhealed after three days with various magical medicines—Theo thought, perhaps the cervical joint or ligaments had problems.

  Vesper enjoyed the meal in a strange and contradictory way. He sometimes tasted soup leisurely and delicately like Finn, experiencing seasoning sensation through the tongue tip; but right after would bite a large piece of meat, chewing sloppily crudely.

  His eyes narrowed, very hard to guess his mind. Theo observed that inconsistency, noticing sometimes he glanced upward to the upper right thoughtfully. He guessed Vesper wasn't just enjoying dinner, but also reminiscing and re-evaluating events that occurred during the day.

  Theo and Liam also got their own dinner portions. He also prepared separately for Al a portion of unseasoned roast meat with fresh vegetables.

  This small Pidgey immediately attracted everyone's attention, especially Rowan's. She looked at Al, green eyes sparkling with deep curiosity anyone could detect. This made Al, though enjoying a delicious meal, have to eat while watching Rowan warily. If not for Theo sitting right beside, it would have immediately flown to a high oak top to continue its meal in absolute safety.

  "Is that your pet, Theo?" Rowan asked, voice containing unconcealed interest.

  Theo answered while stroking the little bird, gently picking back vegetables Al sneakily removed from pickiness: "It's my companion." "Al, don't pick out the vegetables."

  Rowan wasn't distracted at all. Her gaze still ardently fixed on Al as she said:

  "At first I thought it was a hawk magical beast, but after careful observation, I feel it's not. May I probe its mental force?"

  Theo blinked, looking straight at Rowan. He responded with a proposal in nonchalant voice:

  "Sure, but you must teach me that mental force scanning skill."

  Rowan's green eyes no longer focused on Al but shifted straight to Theo. The corner of her mouth lifted slightly in a mischievous smile, full of teasing:

  "Deal. Very clever, young man."

  Before Rowan could begin the skill exchange, Vesper spoke up. His voice wasn't loud, but carried authority and coldness that made the warm atmosphere around the campfire immediately vanish:

  "Having eaten sufficiently, as old custom, all members comment on newcomers." He spoke while leisurely wiping his hands with a gray cloth, an action decisively ending all conversation.