Theo's house was an old oak wood house, simple yet sturdy. The dark wood beams carried the familiar scent of kitchen smoke and damp earth—the smell Theo had grown up with.

  Entering the door was the Great Hall, where the whole family lived. A rough stone hearth sat in the corner, fire always smoldering, covering the ceiling with a thin soot layer. The large wooden table in the room's center was where everyone ate, repaired work tools and chatted each evening. A rough cloth curtain screened the parents' rest area.

  The attic loft was the four siblings' sleeping space. Theo had a small loft corner he'd built himself—a straw mattress and wooden chest, simple but his own world. Beside it were two bunk beds Theo made for Finn, Ben and Sera, both cramped and warm.

  The house was clean, neat thanks to Theo's habits influencing the whole family. Though simple, this place still carried family warmth more than anywhere else. For Theo, this wasn't just a dwelling—it was roots, what tethered him in a strange world.

  Theo placed his luggage bag neatly in his small loft. He turned down, sitting waiting at the long oak wooden table. Theo wanted to savor his mother's cooking once more, the familiar flavor he knew would soon become distant.

  Shortly after, Elara brought out a pot of thick soup, a folk soup made from cheap game meat, beans and vegetables, hot and fragrant. Sera helped mother bring stacks of bowls and rough bread slices (dark rye bread) to the table.

  Theo took the soup pot for his mother, slowly ladling into bowls, distributing portions for mother and the little ones. Only when Theo was home could the two little boys Finn and Ben maintain surprising silence. They sat properly, eyes not leaving their soup bowls, waiting for Elara to eat first—the result of many times being gently "bullied" by Theo for daring to eat before adults.

  The warm, quiet meal proceeded, only hearing whispers from the hearth fire and spoons lightly touching bowl sides.

  Theo sipped the first spoonful of soup.

  Mother Elara's soup wasn't gourmet delicacies, but it was the embodiment of warmth. The soup's taste was thick and rich, prominently the lingering saltiness of thoroughly stewed cheap game meat, blending with beans' nuttiness and vegetables' clean sweetness. This dish was simply seasoned with salt and a bit of Oakhaven region's characteristic herbs, creating a rustic, permeating flavor—the taste of family.

  Theo carefully bit a piece of rough bread (dark rye bread). The bread was heavy, firm, outer crust tough and hard, inside dense with the characteristic slight sourness of whole grain flour. Unlike those hunting expensive refined white bread, Theo liked this rustic feeling; he knew clearly the nutritional value of each whole grain flour strand far exceeded that filtered flour.

  He used bread to dip into the soup bowl, letting the thick soup soak into the bread grain.

  When chewing, the soup's salty, hot taste blended with the bread's rustic flour taste, spreading an extremely safe and familiar feeling. This was laborer's food—not luxurious—but precisely the flavor Theo needed to engrave before leaving.

  The meal ended, the sound of utensils completely ceased.

  Just minutes later, Elara stood up cleaning bowls and dishes. After one final reassured look at her children, she quickly donned a thick coat and left the house, going straight to the town's wood processing area.

  Elara was also a skilled wood processing craftsman in the region. With her income and his father's (a main lumberjack), these two main income sources could support the large family healthily as currently in small Oakhaven town.

  Theo sat quietly a moment at the heavy oak wooden table, both to digest the recent warm meal and to digest the deep emotions just achieved. This peaceful feeling was what he needed to carry with him.

  After a while, he stood up, calling three siblings to the small yard before the house.

  Then, Theo raised two fingers to his lips and whistled once sharply, echoing.

  From afar, on the parish church's small bell tower, a small bird shadow responded. This church stood prominently on the low earth hill's peak, built from old dark oak beams, stained with weathering, and was the town's tallest structure.

  His small Pidgey, Al, perched there, quickly took flight, swooping swiftly toward its master.

  Al descended, landing lightly yet firmly on Theo's shoulder. The eyes of Finn, Ben, and Sera immediately widened in amazement, their gazes flashing with incomparable admiration and awe.

  For adults or mercenaries, Al might just be a bird of prey or a tool; but for three children still yearning for the world, Al's presence was magic itself—a genuine wonder standing right before them, more real than any story or dream.

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  Theo noticed his siblings' timidity mixed with reverence, and he offered a rare, slight smile.

  "Al, this is Sera, Finn, and Ben. You three, this is Alpha—you can call him Al."

  Al tilted its head, observing the three children, then chirped softly as if greeting three new "fools" he had just met.

  Sera, Finn, and Ben remained open-mouthed. Shortly after, they clamored again, surrounding Theo. All three looked up at Al with eyes full of admiration and pure hero-worship, tinged with a hint of fear.

  Although Al was a small Pidgey, its nearly 0.3m height was still quite large for the children's perspective. Moreover, Al carried a fierce, majestic and confident appearance accumulated from recent hunting times. That very majesty made the children somewhat timid when approaching. Though they kept a safe distance, they knew Al wouldn't harm them—because it stood on their brother's shoulder.

  Theo stood watching the children, eyes containing more calculation than just simple pride. He wanted to formally introduce Al to the family because he already had an idea for the bird's future mission.

  With its superior direction discrimination and tracking abilities, the small Pidgey was fully capable of taking on the role of delivering letters or transferring small amounts of money from Theo to family and vice versa. In a time when traveling from this city to another took many months, having Al meant Theo had information freedom—he joked like that. But undeniably, Al would be an excellent postal employee, a stable communication thread between him and Oakhaven.

  Theo gently patted Al's head.

  That afternoon, Theo decided to personally prepare a truly delicious and special dinner for the whole family.

  First was Meat: he stopped by the market, not choosing the most expensive, but carefully selecting the type with best texture for the dish he was about to make.

  Second was Beer: he stopped by the tavern, conveniently greeting Boris and Torvin drinking messily there.

  Third, Mushrooms and Vegetables: he led three little siblings to the forest edge to gather. With him and Al accompanying, Theo was confident he'd ensure the children's safety, and also an excellent way for all five siblings to have memorable time together preparing dinner for their parents.

  He bought additional Aquian Bulbs (resembling garlic and onions) quite expensive, a characteristic spice from the Aquitaineia region, along with wheat flour and fire pepper.

  Guess what dish?

  The secret dish he prepared was precisely Steak and Mushroom Pie, of course modified to suit his family's taste.

  Theo assigned clear tasks to his siblings:

  — Sera would handle washing and cleaning harvested vegetables and mushrooms. — The two troublemaking little brothers (Finn and Ben) would handle the mashed potatoes (potatoes Theo had boiled, just needed mashing). — He would prepare the concentrated bone broth, meat portion and pie crust.

  This was a very time-consuming dish, but this was also his intention. Theo wanted to relax while preparing food for family with his siblings. The gentle scent from the earring helped him feel comfortable, while the distraction in cooking helped Theo's mind lighten, dispelling strategic calculations. He enjoyed this process, sensing each final rare peaceful moment beside the family hearth.

  Night gradually descended on small Oakhaven town. Normally, this forestry town would sink into the mountains' early silence, but this time was quite bustling. Noisy sounds rang out from inn areas and collection yards, where merchants were hastily completing oak timber and forest specialty purchase transactions before departing. Firelight from forges and torches dimly illuminated damp earth roads.

  However, when night curtain covered Theo's oak wood house, the outside noise seemed left behind the thick door. The house became a warm, separate fortress.

  From the kitchen stove under the Great Hall, the fragrance of baked crust, Oakhaven region herbal aroma and rich stewed meat scent intertwined. Light from the Sealed Oil Lamp and hearth cast warm orange streaks on the dark oak wood floor.

  Above the sloped attic, in Theo's small loft, three siblings Sera, Finn and Ben were huddling together. Al, the Pidgey, was perched majestically on the room's only wooden chest. The three children both quietly discussed the bird and kept distance due to some fear before its majesty. Holding crumbled rough bread pieces in hand, they timidly offered Al to eat.

  Only Theo remained, sitting downstairs beside the hearth, patiently waiting for the Steak and Mushroom Pie to complete, and waiting for his parents to return home.

  Near midnight, the door opened. Mr. Bran and Elara returned home simultaneously, the forest night's chill still lingering on their clothes.

  Thanks to his calculation ability and G's support (time/temperature measurement indices), Theo had completed the pie without error. Clear surprise appeared on Mr. Bran and Elara's faces before the lavish dinner displayed on the oak table.

  The feast included:

  — A strange pie (Steak and Mushroom Pie) intoxicatingly fragrant with meat and grain, golden brown, steaming hot. — A heaping bowl of vegetables Theo made in simple salad style to balance taste. — Six bowls of smooth mashed potatoes, the two little brothers' effort. — And a large beer glass Theo left for Mr. Bran.

  Dinner was much noisier than usual. By family rules, meals were usually very quiet, but today, Finn, Ben and Sera's incessant laughter and joking overwhelmed the silence.

  Mr. Bran and Elara also laughed. They ate the pie while recounting interesting things that happened these days for Theo to hear.

  When biting the first piece of pie, their taste buds seemed awakened: the baked crust crispy, at first melting then yielding to rich, hot stewed meat broth flavor. Each tender meat strip and fresh forest mushroom blended with fire pepper and Aquian Bulb flavor, creating a complex taste, full of nutrition and rare luxury.

  Theo sat silently, eating, listening, observing, sometimes responding to his siblings and parents. His eyes fixed on the noisy scene, trying to engrave each final happy moment.