"Cassava roots have a high starch content, similar to potatoes and corn." Robin explained. "After processing it to remove the poison inside, what remains is an edible starch, similar to flour. Tapioca is the processed form of that starch into edible beads used in cooking, baking, and deserts."
"Huh." Briar looked at the seven-part leaf fan with interest.
"Even so, processing it is labor intensive, so it's best to find something that is hardy, easy to grow, and easy to eat with minimal processing." Robin shrugged.
"You say that, but it isn't hard to commission an artificer to create something that will help get the job done. They excel in creating labor-saving devices, if only for themselves." Briar pointed out.
Robin looked around. "You say that, but I have only been here for barely even 3 months. And for those months, the majority of my time has been spent on the road.
How am I to know what this world has, and what it doesn't? It's best to be self sufficient. That way, even without such devices, they will know how to feed themselves."
"What you say does have some truth to it."
Briar nodded, after pondering over what Robin had said.
"I can see you care, not only for fulfilling the mission, but also fulfilling your sense of morality."
"If I can't live according to the standards of my conscience, then I wouldn't be living any sort of good life, no matter what others say." Robin's eyes dazed over for a moment, recalling her unscrupulous relatives.
"I would be worse than the beasts of the forest, were I to do so."
The two spoke in a low voice between themselves, but the surrounding batkins guarding the area most assuredly heard them.
"Ah, but you are being unfair to the beasts. Do you have so poor an opinion of the children of the forest?" Briar pretended to scold Robin.
"I may have misspoke." Robin chuckled. "I would be worse than monsters, instead of beasts."
Briar patted Robin's shoulder. "Much better." She said, satisfied.
Robin turned her eyes back towards the cliff face, pondering over something. After a moment of consideration, she started walking back towards to cavern entrance.
"What? Are you giving up? Are you going to report the Cassava plant after all?" Briar asked.
"That's not it." Robin denied. "I wanted to check the area near the tree line. If Cassava plants can grow here, them perhaps we might be able to find….Ah, found it." Robin zeroed in on a climbing vine wrapped about a tree.
"Found what?" Briar tilted her head.
"Sweet Potatoes." Robin said, overturning the loamy soil at the base of the plant. A large bulbous reddish brown root was unearthed.
"Sweet potatoes? These are sweet?" Briar asked, interested.
"Yup. And, just like potatoes, these can be eaten as a staple food. They just need to be roasted in the fire until they soften to be ready to eat. But they can also be processed in a variety of ways into soups, pies, breads, starch noodles, and candy.The young leaves can be eaten, too." Robin looked about.
"They're fairly easy to plant, as they propagate through vine clippings. And if you process them well right after they're unearthed, they can last up to fifteen months without rotting. And in this climate….it wouldn't be a stretch to say this can be planted year round."
Briar's eyes lit up. She wasn't a farmer, but it did indeed sound easy to do. "So you found a good food?" She asked to confirm.
Robin nodded. "A very good food. However, even though it can be considered a main staple, care should be taken not to consume it everyday. Aside from turning your skin yellow, It can be difficult for elderly or young children to digest this food well, especially if eaten every day. I suggest mixing it with other grains or foods. Or having it only three to four times a week. Otherwise, you can get sick if you eat it too much."
"Got it. Too much of anything is a bad thing." Briar agreed. "So how much does this one feed?" She looked at the tuber in Robin's hands.
Robin weighed it in her hand.
"This one is fairly large, so probably two adults, or three small children. It's fairly filling, you see." She decided to dig a few more sweet potatoes. Knowing her party, they would also want to have a taste of this strange new food.
Briar looked about. Many of such vines could be seen wrapped about the trees in the surrounding area. An abundant crop had so suddenly been discovered. It seemed a bit unreal.
"You…did you already guess this would be here?" Briar suddenly realized. She looked at Robin with a chiding expression. 'You kept me guessing this entire time, worried about you for nothing.' Her face seemed to say.
"I had my suspicions, yes. The climate here is indeed suitable for such plants." Robin nodded, chuckling. "But it remained to be seen whether there was anything there." Robin scratched at her cheek, sheepishly. "Um…I'm sorry for making you worry?"
Briar closed one eye. "Hmmm…Already forgiven. But thank you for the explanation." She said cheekily.
Robin almost laughed, but managed to keep it down to a smile and a shake of her head. Briar's reactions were somewhat refreshing compared to that which she usually encountered. They weren't much, but they always had a way of lifting her mood.
Out of the corner of her eye, Robin noticed a nearby small tree. The trunk appeared smooth, but the coloring was as if it were some sort of layered series of large paint blobs. She drew closer to it, and took a look at the leaves on its nearby branch. The leaf was a normal leaf shape, but instead of one main vein running down the center, there were three main veins, two of which curved around the center one.
"Oho? It seems we might be lucky today." Robin smiled. She took out a knife, and began cutting into the bark to remove the outer layer of a splaying branch.
"Robin, we aren't here to collect medicine." Briar raised an eyebrow.
Robin continued peeling the bark away. "This is a Ceylon cinnamon tree- otherwise known as 'true cinnamon'. To you, it may only be medicine. But to me, it's a beloved spice. This pairs very well with sweet potatoes, as well as many other foods."
Briar blinked. "Wait, that's cinnamon?"
"Have you never had cinnamon before?" Robin finished peeling away a sizeable enough section of the outer bark.
"I've had it yes, but it was always in the appearance of rolled up twigs, or powder. I never realized it was from a tree." Briar sniffed. "Yup. That's cinnamon, all right."
"Well then…" Robin used the knife to peel away the inner bark within the section she had made. "It seems that the batkins are very lucky. While it isn't a food source, if they peeled this and dried it properly, then they would have a valuable resource for trade. If they used this as bait, then merchants might come here more often. Cinnamon is a popular spice, after all. And more merchants also means there would be more food."
"Indeed…" Briar agreed. "You aren't going to take any more?"
"This bit is already more than I will need. Taking any more would be excessive. While it doesn't hurt the tree much, I feel bad to expose much more of the inner wood." Robin used an invocation to start drying out the cinnamon. It was about enough for two sticks, after drying out.
"Are you going to look for more foods or do you think you are finished?" Briar asked.
"For now, yes." Robin nodded. "Most edible fruits are probably already in their diet. Let's head back."
The two headed back towards the cave entrance with a few sweet potatoes and two sticks of -now dried- cinnamon.
Briar led the way back through the caves to the room where the rest of the crew were resting.
"Oh? That was quick. Did you give up?" A whisper from above their heads clued Robin in on where Ella had disappeared to.
Robing shook her head. "I wanted to see if the food I found was a new crop, or if you already use it as a food source." She whispered.
There was a pause before Ella came down from the ceiling. "Bring it here." Ella said.