My Beastly Fertility System Chapter 42: Proof in the Pot

As the crowd turned, Hazel chose to stay quiet. She didn't say a single word to defend Claire.

Elodie looked at Claire with worry, but Claire gave her a calm glance. That was enough to settle her.

"When did I ever bring something back that couldn't be eaten?" Claire said.

She knew exactly what Fiona and Hazel were trying to do. It wasn't a secret to anyone.

She might not care about this rotten clan. She had even thought about leaving. But she would never leave in disgrace.

Fiona's eyes lit up.

"You're saying it's edible? Then eat it in front of us! Talking means nothing if you don't prove it!"

In her mind, she was already imagining Claire scratching in pain, just like she had. She even pictured herself burning Claire's skin with a torch.

Claire looked at her coldly and seemed to see right through her thoughts. She let out a cold laugh.

"If you hadn't stirred up trouble, I would've told everyone about this new food. By now, we'd have gathered plenty of it."

"New food? Is this a joke? You? Discover something new?" Fiona said, her eyelids twitching as she kept talking big.

The beastfolk around them grew excited at the mention of new food. Everyone looked forward for it.

Everyone in the clan knew food would be tight this winter. They were all afraid of starving. If something could be eaten, they wanted to bring back as much as possible.

But finding new food took courage. Not everyone dared to try.

To prove something was safe, someone had to test it first—with their own life.

Had Claire really done that?

Elodie didn't doubt her at all. She was overjoyed.

"Claire, it really is edible? That's amazing! We'll have more food now! More beastling can make it through winter. Our clan finally has hope!"

Hazel also wanted more food. But she didn't want the credit to go to Claire.

If she had found it, the clan would respect her more. They would listen to her. Maybe even follow her without question.

She frowned at Claire.

Fiona shook her head hard.

"No way! That's impossible!"

Claire tapped Zane lightly and whispered something in his ear.

Zane rushed back to their cave. He came back with a sack of Silkroot and their wooden pot.

Soon, a fire was lit.

The cleaned Silkroot bubbled in the pot.

"What's that on the fire? It looks like wood. What kind of cooking is that?"

The onlookers pointed and argued.

Most of them had never seen anything like it. They were used to roasted meat or just raw meat. Cooking food like this was new to them.

Fiona stared at the boiling Silkroot. The memory of yesterday's pain made her uneasy.

"Claire, what are you doing? Why aren't you eating yet? Didn't you say it's edible?"

A faint sense of fear crept into her heart.

Claire sat down on a nearby rock, calm and unbothered.

"Why are you in such a hurry? You'll see soon enough."

Raw Silkroot could cause allergies in some beastfolk. The reactions could be mild or severe.

But once cooked, it tasted better and lost its harmful effects.

Simple knowledge like this took years for the clan to discover. At times, many individuals had to risk their lives to gain this knowledge.

As everyone watched, the Silkroot slowly finished cooking. A sweet smell spread through the air.

"That smells so good! Maybe Claire's telling the truth?"

"If it really is edible, that's a huge contribution!"

Amid the chatter, Zane peeled the cooked Silkroot. He blew on it to cool it down, then handed it to Claire.

Claire didn't eat right away. Instead, she gave a piece to Elodie and another to Hazel.

She smiled and said, "You can try it now."

Both of them hesitated. But Elodie quickly took a small bite.

Everyone stared at her without blinking.

Claire smiled, pleased by her trust. Then she lowered her head and took a bite.

It was sweet and filling.

Seeing this, Hazel finally relaxed. She took a careful bite.

Then her eyes went wide.

It was delicious.

She almost swallowed her tongue.

After just one small piece, she already felt partly full.

This was far better than any fruit they had.

Her eyes darted as countless thoughts raced through her mind.

Fiona had been watching closely. At first, she didn't care when only Claire and Elodie ate. But when her own mother finished the whole piece, fear hit her.

"How is that possible? Claire is so stupid. How could she discover new food? I don't believe it!"