That night, in the early morning hours, after some unscientific emergency repairs by the International Gourmet Organization (IGO) staff, the powerless Harano Hotel had most of its functions restored.
The private kitchen on the top floor was brightly lit.
"I'm going to head back and sleep first. Mo Bai-kun, you should get some rest too." After the favor from the mega-rich Wang Yao, Harano Katsuya's way of addressing Mo Bai now included an honorific.
"Mm," Mo Bai responded, his eyes still fixed on the nearly complete seafood soup in the pot.
"Mo Bai-kun, your tireless spirit is truly impressive," Harano Katsuya said, rubbing his eyes that could barely stay open as he groggily left the kitchen.
He too had been thinking and working non-stop for nearly twelve hours since the afternoon, which had drained all his physical strength, yet Mo Bai still appeared full of vigor.
If Harano Katsuya knew that Mo Bai had a Mental Time Chamber where he could not only practice cooking but also sleep, he would probably burst out crying on the spot.
Not long after Harano Katsuya left, Mo Bai slammed a fist onto the stove in frustration.
The seafood soup was finished, but it still failed to emit even the faintest glimmer of light.
The Intuition skill had provided an almost revolutionary boost to Mo Bai's culinary arts, but it was clear that a Beginner-level Intuition was ultimately not enough to let him reach the heavens in a single step.
The more ingredients there were, the more complex the flavor, and the difficulty of the recipe increased exponentially.
He picked up a saucer and took a small sip. An incomparably delicious freshness of the ocean activated in his mouth.
Unfortunately, this wasn't what Mo Bai wanted.
What he sought was a more domineering flavor, one that could utterly crush other dishes, not merely surpass them.
"Damn it, is it really still a problem with heat control and the actual ingredient ratios?" Mo Bai understood that these fundamentals of cooking were a natural chasm standing before a novice like him, who had only been behind a stove for a month.
Even with Xiao Bai's reminders, there would inevitably be a delay, and the judgments from his Beginner-level Intuition merely wavered within a range of good options.
It wasn't until today that Mo Bai truly understood the difficulty of the path of a chef.
Some things weren't impossible to conceive of, but truly impossible to execute.
Honestly, at this very moment, Mo Bai felt like dismembering Wang Yao and reassembling the parts onto his own body.
"Old Bai, don't get so fixated on this. This level of completion is already enough for you to win," said Xiao Bai, who had been with him the whole time, letting out a yawn.
"But this level of completion can't destroy another chef's confidence, can it?" After that phone call, Mo Bai was no longer aiming for just a victory.
People are always emotional creatures. In the bewildering situation of being in an unfamiliar place after transmigrating, having an elder who spoke fluent Chinese check in on him and take good care of him brought a warmth that struck his soul, a feeling that could not be described with words.
Upon learning that Wang Xiang, who had spent half his life as a fisherman, might never be able to go out to sea again, Mo Bai's killing intent was set—he was going to utterly ruin Yoshino Takashi, from his soul to his body.
"May I have a taste?"
In the quiet private kitchen, a third person's voice sounded.
The gentle, mature voice was serene, yet carried a hint of playfulness.
Mo Bai quickly looked up. Ryougi Shiki, dressed in a gorgeous white embroidered kimono, had appeared by his side at some unknown time. Under the gaze of her beautiful, expressive eyes, the vengeful youth who had been radiating hostility just a moment ago instantly turned into a blushing, shy puppy.
"Please," Mo Bai hurriedly served Ryougi Shiki a bowl of the seafood soup.
"Ah~ so that's it." Tilting the saucer slightly, the soup entered her mouth, and Ryougi Shiki revealed a look of understanding. "The freshness of the ocean?"
"Hey, Mo Bai-kun. Did you know? The essence of glowing cuisine is that it's a perfect dish, but a glowing dish isn't necessarily able to defeat a non-glowing one."
"Huh?" After creating his first glowing dish, the Rainbow Leopard Grouper Sashimi, Mo Bai had subconsciously believed that glowing cuisine was incredibly amazing. He was stunned for a moment.
"Then, Mo Bai-kun, what do you think is the main basis for the judges' scores? The taste, or the feeling?"
"It should be both," Mo Bai said, racking his brain to think about the question.
"...No!" Suddenly, Mo Bai seemed to understand what Ryougi Shiki was trying to say.
"Use the effect of the Culinary Heart to... reduce the flavor of the other dishes?" Mo Bai swallowed and asked in a low voice. He felt a little flustered, sensing that this method was definitely not an orthodox one.
"I'm very glad you used the word 'reduce' and not 'eliminate'" The two pairs of eyes met, and the corners of Ryougi Shiki's mouth curved into a beautiful arc. "Hey, Mo Bai-kun, your use of your Culinary Heart is only the~ most superficial application."
Ryougi Shiki blinked.
"Um... Shiki-san, can I just ask one thing?" Mo Bai's Intuition activated in a strange way, and he faintly felt he was touching upon the truth. "Did Yoshino Takashi offend you?"
"What are you talking about?" Ryougi Shiki maintained her smile. It was beautiful.
But an inexplicable chill shot up from the bottom of Mo Bai's heart. "No, no, I didn't say anything."
After backing down, Mo Bai puffed out his chest with a fierce expression. "Tomorrow, I will definitely cut that beast down! To avenge Uncle Wang!"
Ryougi Shiki nodded. "Then let's begin."
"Your Culinary Heart is named Propriety. Coincidentally, we can use Hua, the nation of etiquette, as an example."
"The Way of Harmonized Flavor that you currently manifest, where everything is integrated into one, is merely a glimpse of the gateway."
"To achieve the domineering flavor you desire, you cannot rely on the Way of Harmonized Flavor."
"Mo Bai-kun, have you ever seen what an ancient emperor looked like when holding morning court or traveling in a procession?"
Question: What can you do in half a night?
Answer: Half a night is enough to do anything.
As the first rays of dawn shone down, the roar of the ocean echoed from within the stockpot.
"I finally succeeded." Mo Bai clenched his fists. The clear, bright broth was simple and unadorned, but that roar said everything.
"Congratulations, Mo Bai-kun." Ryougi Shiki's form slowly faded away.
"Wait, um..." Mo Bai scratched the back of his head, his gaze wandering and his face growing a little hot. "Shiki-san, in the future, if I'm testing a dish, could I invite you to taste it?"
Mo Bai was like an innocent young man asking for someone's phone number for the first time.
"Mm, you may."
As her voice faded, a gentle breeze blew through the kitchen and Ryougi Shiki vanished. Cherry blossom petals scattered from mid-air, and a single cherry branch, still wet with morning dew, appeared on the stove.
"Use this to contact me from now on."
Mo Bai grinned more brightly than a two-hundred-pound husky.
"How do you care for a cherry blossom branch? Put it in a vase?" Mo Bai carefully washed his hands and cradled the branch in his palms.
"Old Bai, take my advice," Xiao Bai couldn't help but speak up, disgusted. "A simp..."
"A simp who simps to the end gets everything!"
"Xiao Bai, you're not using those items anyway. Give me a few drops of that thousand-year or ten-thousand-year spiritual marrow on credit."
"Get lost!"
________________________________________
Get rewarded for helping with our community goals!
🎯 Reward for all: +1 bonus chapter at 50 Powerstones.
🚀 Tier Reward: Help us reach 20 members for +5 chapters on all stories!
👻 Join the crew by searching Ms. Medusa on (P). You know the spot! 😉