His mouth was full of bitterness.
But Netero treasured it like a priceless gem.
Hearing about something is not as good as seeing it, and seeing it is not as good as experiencing it personally.
Only by tasting the flavor could he get closest to understanding Linne's feelings.
The guilt he had carried all along vanished at this moment.
Thus, the bitterness on the tip of his tongue suddenly transformed into sweetness.
'You have no more regrets, but what about me?'
Netero lowered his head slightly and silently finished the soup in his bowl.
Stone-shell clams grow on land, yet possess a freshness and sweetness that even the depths of the ocean can hardly match.
They were simply sprinkled with special sea salt on the clam meat and then quickly seared over a gentle flame… a simple method, but the taste was anything but simple.
Controlling the temperature for Fire-Patterned Eggs was extremely difficult. Approaching it with the attitude of taming a wild horse often only led to failure.
Therefore, Linne did the opposite, adopting the method for preparing Onsen Tamago.
Cracking open the eggshell, the egg white was still liquid, while the yolk was solidified, making the taste particularly rich. However, it needed to be drizzled with a special sauce to make the flavor even better.
The bamboo in the grove was fresh, green, and upright, but it wasn't a vegetable… it was actually made from a piece of meat, green on top and white below.
The green part was the bamboo body, highly elastic, and the white part was the bamboo leaves, soft and crispy. Both were deliberately cooked and then cooled, positioning them as cold dishes.
But when you bit through the bamboo body, you discovered the warmth hidden inside, flowing out along with the sauce.
All the flavor was in this sauce, while all the exquisite texture came from the combination of green and white.
This dish, poured from all of Linne's experience, was swept clean by everyone in less than ten minutes.
Just as Linne had said, this dish had no name, and one only needed to remember its form.
Once you tasted it, you probably would never forget it for the rest of your life, and you would also feel regret because the portion was small, unable to let family and friends have a taste.
Law felt even more regretful because, even though it came from Linne's hands, this delicacy did not increase his numerical values.
After the plates were cleared away, they still remained immersed in the lingering aftertaste.
After a long time, the fragrant richness of the Monkey Wine pulled everyone back.
Perhaps because it had been too long since they last gathered, Netero and Maha planned to stay at Linne's place for two more days before leaving.
With more people around, Law and Machi kept a much lower profile, not daring to be lovey-dovey anymore.
Two days passed in the blink of an eye.
Netero, Maha, and Zeno left satisfied, taking several gourds of Monkey Wine with them.
Seeing that the Hunter Exam was approaching, Law also planned to leave.
Linne and Shachmono came to the courtyard gate to see Law and Machi off as they walked into the forest.
Only after their figures disappeared did Linne slowly raise her head to look at the sky and say, "Living a few more years might not be so bad."
Shachmono glanced at Linne's calm profile, then also looked up at the sky and softly agreed.
…
January 7th, Zaban City.
A flock of white seagulls soared on the sea breeze above the city.
Saherta City was a prosperous coastal city and the location for the first phase of the 287th Hunter Exam.
Law, alone, rode a bicycle slowly through the streets.
After leaving Linne's place, Law began his preparations for the test.
Machi went to find Uvogin and Nobunaga, so they separated.
Law wasn't wearing his flesh mask, but he wore a loose robe and had his head and face mostly wrapped in white cloth, somewhat reminiscent of Sanbica's style, yet also distinctly dressed like a desert traveler.
"2-5-10, Tsubashi Street. This should be the place."
Law stopped in front of an ordinary restaurant, stored his bicycle in Kuro's space, and then walked inside.
"Welcome," The chef cooking behind the counter immediately looked at Law as he entered and asked politely, "What would you like to eat, customer?"
"Steak combo," Law replied.
The chef raised his head slightly and asked seriously, "How would you like it cooked?"
"Grilled under a low flame," Law said with a smile.
Once the code phrase was matched, a young waitress immediately came forward and said, "This way, please, customer."
After saying this, she led Law into a private room, then left without saying another word.
Standing alone in the private room, Law took the bicycle out of Kuro's space, thinking to himself that if he encountered Hisoka down below and then killed Hisoka in front of so many examinees, he wondered if he would be disqualified.
But even if he might be disqualified, he still had to kill Hisoka.
Law had already learned from Machi that Hisoka had joined the Troupe early, a change caused by his own influence.
Moreover, the reason Hisoka joined the Troupe seemed to be aimed at him as well. Therefore, if they met, he would inevitably have to use lethal force.
The room was actually an elevator. It suddenly shook and began descending.
…
One hundred floors below the restaurant, underground, was a massive tunnel. The walls were paved with long bricks, and several metal pipes were attached to the top of the walls, extending into the darkness beyond sight.
At this moment, the examinees capable of finding the location of the first phase had basically all gathered here.
Since this was the starting point, and the first phase hadn't officially been announced as started yet, they hadn't ventured deep inside but stood clustered not far from the entrance, making the crowd seem particularly packed.
Tonpa sat on a two-meter-high metal pipe, silently observing this year's examinees. The satchel he brought to every exam in previous years was not with him this time.
Because this year, he was no longer the Rookie Crusher, but an examinee aiming for the Hunter License, so naturally, he didn't need the satchel filled with laxative-laced drinks.
"The most dangerous person here is..."
Tonpa's gaze swept slowly over the examinees, finally settling on a strange-looking man with a peculiar appearance.
The man was tall and slender, with a thin, sharp, long face. Dozens of round-headed pins were stuck into his face and body.
His stiff expression gave off a strange feeling, and he constantly made a click-clack sound, which was annoying.
Aside from this examinee, the rest were basically not much of a concern. However, there were two very young children who didn't know Nen but gave him a subtle feeling.
Thinking of this, Tonpa looked towards a certain spot in the crowd.
Four people were standing there: Gon, Killua, Kurapika, and Leorio.
Tonpa pinched his chin and shook his head slightly, thinking that even though he had quit his old business, he still couldn't suppress the habit and involuntarily observed the examinees.
'The Hunter License, I'm definitely getting it.'
Tonpa thought with absolute confidence, but didn't show it on his face or through his body language.
"Hey, Tonpa, haven't seen you for a few exams. We thought you'd died somewhere." A slightly teasing male voice suddenly came from below.
Tonpa looked down and saw three men with very similar appearances, clearly brothers.
"It's you guys."
Tonpa's eyelids drooped, his reaction flat.
These three men, with different builds but all having dark marks under their eyes, were the brothers Amori, Imori, and Umori… also veterans who had participated in multiple exams.
"So, where's your secret weapon?" The eldest brother, Amori, asked curiously. The so-called secret weapon was Tonpa's signature laxative drinks.
Tonpa couldn't be bothered to explain and made up something: "Take a good feel of the atmosphere here. Given the quality of this year's examinees, do you think that secret weapon would be useful?"
The three brothers looked at each other, feeling that something was different about Tonpa, but couldn't quite put their finger on it.
Not far away, a small, fat man with an oily slicked-back hairstyle, wearing a suit and holding a notebook, immediately looked over towards Tonpa.
"Rookie Crusher Tonpa?" The chubby man snorted coldly.
Click-clack.
Just then, the elevator door at the entrance opened.
The time for the test to start was getting closer and closer, and the examinees were basically all assembled. Hearing the sound now, they instinctively looked towards the elevator entrance.
Thinking that the examiner for the first phase was probably about to appear, they saw a man with a wrapped headscarf riding a bicycle leisurely out of the elevator room.
"He's finally here."
"Is this the examiner for this year?"
Seeing the man come out on a bicycle, a few examinees stated with certainty.
Meeting everyone's gaze and hearing the talk mixed with the word 'examiner', Law felt puzzled.
'Could it be that they mistook me for the examiner?'
Thinking this, he looked down at the bicycle he had prepared in advance.
'This man is the examiner? So strong!'
Tonpa looked at the man with the wrapped headscarf, his eyes showing astonishment.
'The feeling he gives me is stronger than that weird pin guy, maybe even on par with Law, uh... on par with Law?'
Thinking this, Tonpa observed the man more carefully, his face gradually darkening.
'Dammit!!!!'