"Lady Mana, these are the dishes for tonight's tasting."
A green-haired girl with an earring, around twenty years old, pushed open the heavy doors and walked in, her gaze falling upon Mana Nakiri, who was seated at the head of the dining table.
At this moment, the table was laden with dishes of every color and variety.
The lavish spread was a sight that would take any gourmand's breath away.
Glazed cups held amber-colored Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, a jade plate cradled Hibiscus Steamed Snow Crab, and a gilded food box displayed twenty-four different pastries in neat rows, from honeycomb taro puffs to pipa-shaped bird's nest tarts, each as exquisite as a work of art.
At the very center lay a roasted whole lamb covered in a glistening, golden-brown crispy skin, surrounded by an assortment of stir-fries, stews, and soups. Each dish was top-tier in its color and presentation, the kind that would be madly sought after by countless people in the outside world.
Now, with so many dishes gathered together, they merged into an indescribable aroma.
"They're all mediocre dishes. Not a single one piques my interest."
Although the aroma emanating from the food was incredibly enticing, Mana Nakiri's face showed little interest. She stood up from her chair, casually picked up a pair of chopsticks from the table, and began to walk around it.
The hand holding the chopsticks was pale and slender, like a precision instrument. The tips of the chopsticks first paused over the Buddha Jumps Over the Wall. She merely dipped them into the broth, brought a drop to her mouth, and touched it with her tongue. As the flavor spread, she immediately frowned.
"The stock was barely passable, but the ham selected was from the wrong part." Her voice was cold. "Aged Jinhua ham requires the upper portion, but the chef who made this used the trotter, which muddled the umami of the resulting soup."
"The snow crab was oversteamed by eleven seconds. The meat in the third segment of the crab leg has already toughened. A dish like this is simply inedible. The timing control is completely off!"
As for the twenty-four pastries in the gilded box, she didn't spare them a single glance.
If nothing else, their aroma was not up to standard.
The green-haired girl followed behind her, listening to her critiques one after another, fine beads of sweat forming on her forehead.
She knew all too well how terrifying this lady's tongue was. The Underground Cooking Society had gone to great lengths, with their leader even making a personal appearance, just to recruit her.
Yet now, in the entire Underground Cooking Society, apart from the Five Tiger Stars and a dozen or so Qilin Chefs, there was no one left who could present a dish that she would finish completely.
If it were just a matter of being a picky eater, they had their methods. The key was that her reasoning was sound every single time, making people feel grateful to her even as they were being disdained.
Thanks to her help, everyone's culinary skills had improved by leaps and bounds over the past month. Many had even broken through bottlenecks they had been stuck at for years.
This was the God's Tongue in its complete form.
A presence worthy of their leader's personal recruitment efforts.
If she hadn't been tormented by the God's Tongue for years, to the point of contemplating suicide, their leader could not have possibly recruited her so easily with just a single dish.
Meanwhile, as Mana Nakiri approached the roasted whole lamb, her steps paused for a moment as she looked at its tempting golden hue. She picked up a nearby knife and pierced into it.
The lamb skin was roasted to extreme crispness, letting out a faint "crack" the instant the knife tip touched it. In an unprecedented move, she cut off a small piece, including both skin and meat, and placed it in her mouth.
"A little interesting." She closed her eyes, then continued, "Ningxia Tan sheep was chosen, fed with desert onions and Yanchi licorice for a full forty-nine days. The skin is crispy because it was brushed with wild honey and maltose syrup, glazed three times, and air-dried twice."
She suddenly opened her eyes and turned to look at the green-haired girl behind her. "But the heat was still too rushed. The applewood smoke flavor didn't fully penetrate. The amount of firewood should have been reduced in the last ten minutes to let it cook through with the residual heat."
After speaking, she actually cut another small piece.
This was the first time tonight she had taken a second bite of the same dish.
"Tell the person who made this dish."
She put down her chopsticks, her voice carrying a hint of appreciation. "He managed to bring out ninety-five percent of the lamb's inherent flavor. Among this crowd of mediocrities, that's quite rare. I hope he continues his efforts."
The green-haired girl hurriedly nodded and made a note. She knew this was likely the highest praise Mana Nakiri would give today. She wondered who had made this roasted whole lamb.
To receive this woman's approval, and with several consecutive compliments at that, it was almost certain that the Underground Cooking Society would have a new Qilin Chef before long!
Mana walked to the next dish and saw a plate of Cabbage in Consommé. The clear soup was as limpid as autumn water, the heart of the cabbage like carved jade. She went forward and scooped up a spoonful of the soup, touching it lightly with the tip of her tongue.
"Clatter."
She threw the spoon back into the bowl, splashing the soup.
"Garbage." She looked at the green-haired girl with an expression of extreme disgust, her voice dripping with contempt. "Purely reliant on MSG for its umami, and you dare serve it to me?"
For the next dozen dishes, she mostly just sniffed them and shook her head. On the rare occasion she took a bite, her critiques were as sharp as a knife, causing the green-haired girl to break out in a cold sweat.
"Terrible knife work," "unbalanced seasoning," "no heat control whatsoever."
Dishes that would be fought over in the outside world received such evaluations from Mana Nakiri's mouth. If anyone else were to witness this, their jaws would surely drop.
"There is no need to continue tasting the rest of these mediocre dishes."
"Hurry up and bring today's main course!"
"Yes, please wait a moment."
Hearing Mana Nakiri's words and understanding that she had reached her limit for the day, the green-haired girl bowed respectfully and then left the dining room, where Mana now sat alone.
A few minutes later.
The green-haired girl walked in carrying a plate of stir-fried greens that was still steaming. She frantically sniffed the aroma in the air, her face filled with fervor.
Heaven knows how much determination it took for her not to sneak a bite or two on the way.
"Is this... stir-fried greens?"
Looking at the dish in the green-haired girl's hands, Mana Nakiri's expression turned ugly. She then said, "I've only been here for a month, and the Underground Cooking Society is already being this perfunctory?!"
"Our Leader personally stir-fried this. He said it would satisfy you. Please, have a taste."
The green-haired girl smiled cautiously. This woman was their leader's honored guest and they had been instructed to treat her with the utmost care.
Plus, Mana Nakiri's talent was indeed of great help to them. Otherwise, given their personalities, they would never serve someone so humbly.
"Your Leader? In that case, it's worth a try."
Hearing the green-haired girl's words, most of Mana Nakiri's anger dissipated, replaced by a sense of anticipation. She then picked up the chopsticks beside her.
"A sixteen-second flash-fry over intense heat has maintained the vegetable hearts at a perfectly translucent state. The umami and sweetness of the oyster sauce and the richness of the high-stock are layered distinctly under the guidance of the garlic granules."
"Salty, sweet, umami, crisp, tender, and hot.
Six sensations achieve a perfect balance and unity in my mouth. It's just a simple plate of stir-fried greens, so why is my tongue trembling uncontrollably?"
"Ah!~"
A faint blush appeared on her face, and an invisible force erupted from her body, bursting outwards and shredding the clothes of the green-haired girl and the others waiting outside the dining room.
She herself was also flushed, her fingers gripping the tabletop as her body trembled uncontrollably.
Fortunately, the dish's power was still slightly lacking. Or perhaps, it should be said her God's Tongue had evolved again; this level was not yet enough to make her own clothes burst.
"A fine dish. I hope tomorrow's can maintain the same standard."
Mana Nakiri contentedly wiped the corner of her mouth. This was the real reason she had agreed to the Underground Cooking Society's leader's offer to stay.
Rather than wait to die in a hospital bed, she would rather go to the Underground Cooking Society. At least here, she could eat the delicious food she desired, allowing her moments of happiness.
"I'm going back to rest. As for the rest of these, you can deal with them yourselves."
She glanced at the green-haired girl, whose clothes had been blown off leaving only a bustier and underwear. Her voice was calm and without a ripple, and then she turned and left through a small door to the side.
That door led directly to her room.
·
·
"What's the situation? Have you found any information on the person in the video?"
In a spacious and bright room, a tall man was looking through some documents in his hand. He then casually asked the woman in a suit standing next to him.
"We have. The guy's name is Okabe, five years old. He stir-fried shredded potatoes on the streets of Tokyo for two years and is currently adopted by the Nakiri family.
But for some reason, he hasn't changed his surname. I suspect he's connected to the events of eight years ago..."
The woman's expression was humble. Upon being asked, she began to pour out all the information she knew, interspersing it with some of her own speculation.
"Surnamed Fang, five years old, adopted by the Nakiris... That couple disappeared for a year and then reappeared. We thought they were on a secret mission, but thinking about it now, it's highly likely they ran off to Tokyo to have a child."
He glanced at the video playing on the tablet beside him, where Okabe was challenging Azami Nakiri, saying that if he lost the match, he would quit the culinary world forever and never cook again.
Such arrogance and confidence, a demeanor that looked down on the entire world—he was cut from the exact same cloth as Hakuji.
"What was the result of this duel?"
"We don't know. The Nakiri family's security is very tight. We are currently searching for Azami Nakiri."
"Have them all come back. There's not much point in looking for that guy; he's just an insignificant son-in-law who married into the family.
To think he would restrict his own daughter's growth based on his standards. She has a rare God's Tongue, yet it didn't receive more effective training. He's wasted several years for nothing.
Besides, after something like that happened, this guy will most likely be abandoned by the Nakiri family. The old man of the Nakiri family is extremely decisive in these matters."
As if remembering something, a trace of apprehension flashed across the man's face. He then added, "Tell me, a five-year-old child's worldview hasn't fully formed yet, has it? They only know who is good to them and who is bad to them."
"Normally, yes."
"Then what do you say to this? We raise him, make him stand on our side to deal with his parents... to attack the heart is the cruelest form of killing. Isn't that a brilliant idea?"
"That's a bit sinister, Leader."
"Just tell me if it's a good idea or not."
"It is."
"Bring him here. Create some small accidents to make him have a falling out with the Nakiri family. Then, we will make our entrance, as saviors, to rescue him."
"Yes, I will make the arrangements."
_____
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