An Elf

Aric started out laying the planks for the floor. He took the time to polish them before using them; he didn't want splinters to be an issue in the finished house, so he carefully polished it all.

He laid them out in a clean pattern similar to modern-day houses on Earth. He nailed the planks into the foundation and then used the glue in the little gaps to make sure that it was secure.

After securing everything and finishing the floor, the house was starting to take shape quickly. He tried walking around to check for any errors or issues, but he had done a good job—there was not a single issue with the floor.

He went on to the walls. The walls were more complicated as he needed to saw in windows and doors. He did his best to follow the instructions to the letter and get the best results possible.

As he was sawing away, there was a tug on one of his fishing lines. He immediately dropped the saw and ran to the stream. He grabbed the pole, and luckily for him, a fish was stuck there—he could see it through the clear water.

Without hesitation, he pulled the fish out. It flung into the air and landed on the ground. It struggled and flopped into the air, almost falling back into the water, but Aric stopped it before it could.

The fish struggled more and more until finally, it could no longer move, and it died. Aric picked the fish up and looked at it.

He was no fish expert, but he had done some shopping himself, and he had bought freshwater fishes, and this looked like a trout. It was around twelve inches long, which meant it was edible.

The only difference was the gold line that stretched along both sides. He wasn't sure if this was really edible, but he was willing to give it a try.

Just as he was observing the fish, there was another pull on his pole. He ran to the second pole and quickly pulled it out. This time the fish put up a good fight, but it was easily overpowered by Aric.

The fish made it to land and started flopping. Luckily, this one didn't try to jump back into the water and simply flopped around before dying from suffocation.

Aric walked to the fish and picked it up by the tail. He took a look at it—it was a similar fish to the first one, with the gold line, but it was eighteen inches long. That was a big catch.

Aric hadn't eaten that day, so he decided to stop work and get started on these fishes. With his ample gold, he would be able to actually make something good.

"System, trout recipes, cheap ones."

The system showed him a full list of recipes, different preparation styles, and different prices.

He decided to go with one that only cost 300 gold to prepare. The recipe itself cost 200 gold [Pan-Fried Trout].

He got everything that was needed for the cooking, set them aside, and then made a fire to get going.

To make the Pan-Fried Trout, he needed a few things:

[Ingredients:]

Whole trout (cleaned)

Butter or oil

Salt

Black pepper

Garlic powder

Lemon

Fresh herbs (optional, like parsley or thyme)

He had already bought everything that the system asked for, aside from the trout, and that came up to 300 gold.

Out of curiosity, he decided to check the prices of trout from the system.

[10-inch Trout: 500 gold]

Aric nearly coughed out the nonexistent tea in his mouth when he read the price. That was too outrageous, even for the system.

The only reason why the ingredients had even cost up to 300 gold was because he bought ingredients enough to cook two fishes and not just one.

He closed the system interface and walked to the stream, fetching some water into a bowl. He used the water to wash the fishes clean, and then he got into the process.

He placed the pan over the fire and placed a stick of butter into it, allowing the butter to melt fully. He made sure the fire was not too hot, as the recipe suggested.

He seasoned the trout with salt, pepper, and garlic powder inside the bowl, making sure that the whole fish was covered. He was cooking the smaller one first.

He placed the fish in the pan, and it started frying. The sweet smell of the frying fish filled the air in just a minute. He waited until the first side was golden brown, and then he flipped it to the other side, allowing that side to sizzle for a few minutes as well.

When the fish was golden brown, he cut a lemon in half and squeezed the contents onto the fish. Then he took the herbs he got, finger-cut them, and threw them into the pan, allowing it to sit for another minute.

When it was ready, he couldn't fight the temptation to dig in. He used his fingers and started taking the fish apart inside the pan, eating it despite the fact that it was hot.

In less than five minutes, all that remained was the bones. Aric leaned back, using his hands to keep himself from falling. The smile on his face showed that he loved what he had just eaten.

He looked over to the side, looking at the second fish. He stretched his hand to the bowl, but as he was about to touch it, an arrow whistled through the air and stuck into the ground just next to where his hand was.

Aric jumped back in shock, but then his eyes landed on the arrow. He looked at the slick design, the white and gold feathered end. His memory of an elf arrow flashed, and this one was similar.

"An elf arrow? Here?" he asked in shock. He got up and looked in the direction the arrow came from, and then he saw her in a tree—white hair and eyes, very pale skin with a hint of green, long elf ears, and very beautiful.