Chapter 160 Emily's Tribe
"Willow, what's for lunch today?" Mila asked.
Her blue eyes sparkled with anticipation. She had been craving something other than fish for the past three days. While she loved fish, a change in taste would be delightful.
"I'm trying out a new recipe from Henry," Willow replied softly.
"New recipe? Does that mean a different kind of oatmeal?" Mila asked, her curiosity piqued.
"No," Willow shook her head.
"Is it a new type of Roasted Vegetable Salad? With poached eggs?" Ellie's hands rested on the table, her eyes gleaming with curiosity.
Willow playfully tapped Ellie's head and said, "Just a simple dish, nothing new."
"Is it a new flavor of Hamburger?" Emily's eyes sparkled with excitement.
"We're not having Hamburger for lunch," Willow sighed. She knew each orc in the Lord's Manor had their favorite dishes.
For example, Ellie loved Roasted Vegetable Salad, but she always added peculiar ingredients to it. Mila, on the other hand, adored oatmeal, finding even a plain bowl delightful.
Emily, on the other hand, had a passion for Hamburger. She ate a variety of them for breakfast and had even mastered the art of making them, often spending her free time in the kitchen experimenting with new flavors.
Once, Emily even used lollipops as a filling for a Hamburger. Ellie, intrigued, gave it a try, and... Well, let's just say it didn't end well.
Willow knew that Ellie didn't eat lollipops for the rest of the day. She had also heard that Emily went to a Hamburger joint to seek advice on new flavors. Did Emily forget that she was the one who taught them all about Hamburger flavors?
Willow glanced at Tess, her gaze lingering on Tess's large chests for a moment before she turned away, feeling a pang of jealousy.
Why did Tess have such a well-endowed chest? Wait, why was she thinking about that? Shouldn't she be thinking about what kind of food Tess would like?
"What's wrong?" Tess noticed Willow's strange look.
"It's nothing," Willow shook her head.
"Alright, let's eat. I'm curious about what we'll have for lunch," Henry said, resting his chin on his hand.
"Henry, don't you know?" Ellie asked in surprise. "Didn't you teach Willow?"
"There were too many things Henry gave me, so I had to try them one by one," Willow replied.
Ellie's eyes flickered with curiosity. She was eager to see Willow's recipes. Anything that could make Willow cook so many delicious dishes must be extraordinary.
Willow clapped her hands, and the maids waiting outside came in, each carrying a wooden tray, which they placed gently on the table.
Ellie shouted, "So, it's pizza!"
Henry exclaimed, "Willow, you even made this. It seems like you would be the best chef in Eldoria."
"Don't joke, Henry. I still have a long way to go," Willow said, feeling a bit embarrassed.
Henry just smiled. Willow could indeed be considered the best chef in this era.
"Great! It's a huge pizza!"
Ellie's mouth watered as she looked at one of the pizzas, topped with tomatoes and eggs.
"Let's eat! It won't be good when it gets cold," Henry said, taking a big bite of the pizza.
He was surprised. The taste and texture of the pizza exceeded his expectations. It was even better than what Earth's pizzerias made.
"Good! So much meat." Tess held a whole pizza and took a bite. Every bite she took was full of meat, and the rich flavor made her close her eyes in satisfaction.
"Delicious!" Emily used both hands to stuff the pizza into her mouth, as if someone was going to take it from her.
"Hey! Mila, that's my tomato and egg pizza," Ellie said, frustrated.
"I know it's yours." Mila held Ellie's head with one hand and stuffed the pizza into her mouth with the other. "That's why I want it."
"Damn!"
Ellie pushed Mila's hand away and looked at Henry with a pout. "Henry, Mila took my food again."
Henry smiled and put the half-eaten pizza into Ellie's mouth, saying softly, "Then you can have mine."
Ellie nodded dumbly, her hands covering the pizza in her mouth, cautiously scanning the other girls present.
Mila glanced at Ellie and ate the pizza leisurely. She had already kissed Henry and had no interest in it anymore.
Lunch was spent eating pizza, and now everyone was sitting in their chairs, patting their bellies, completely full.
"Emily, can you tell us about your past?" Henry suddenly spoke up.
He was also curious about the Bunny Girl's story. If the experiences of every orcs present were written, it could probably become a sad drama of a new era.
"Sure!" Emily sat up straight, her light red eyes slightly dazed, as she began to narrate.
The extreme blizzard destroyed many countries and homes, including Emily's family. They had to leave the orcs kingdom. After three years of hardship, they finally settled in the Azure Peak Range with a small group of their kin and some orcs who joined them along the way. Emily's parents became the leaders of the tribe.
The first year in the Azure Peak Range was relatively okay. They survived on wild fruits and hunting small animals. But when winter came, the heavy snow blocked the mountains, some beasts had hibernated, while many others had left the mountains to search for food.
Emily's tribe faced its first crisis that was a shortage of food. That winter, a third of the orcs in the tribe starved to death...
In last year's winter, Emily's parents had died at the hands of slave traders. The tribe had lost its leaders that others faced the choice of either disbanding or becoming wandering orcs, with the unlucky ones being captured as slaves or starving to death.
The lucky ones would find new tribes and join them, but very few tribes would accept wandering orcs.
Another option was to choose a new leader for the tribe and lead them through the difficult times.
Emily was the daughter of the former tribal leader, so she was supposed to be the new leader. Her parents wanted Emily to lead the orcs of the tribe to the unknown south.
But Emily didn't want to go south. She found a place that she considered the 'South' of the western lands.
