A small glass bottle, no more than a finger's length, contained more than half a bottle of something blue-green. The contents were flake-like, and with Lu Ou's eyesight, he could even see tiny specks of glittering powder clinging to the surface.
"What's that?" someone asked.
"No idea. Can't see it clearly."
"Yeah, I can't tell what it is either."
The examinees were all curious about the glass bottle Menchi held between her fingers, but none of them could make out exactly what it was.
"It's the scales of a rare animal," Lu Ou said.
Even without knowing the original plot, Lu Ou could tell from his vision alone that the edges of each scale emitted a faint, dim sheen.
"They really are scales—and they don't look ordinary," Gon said as he leaned in to take a closer look. The more he examined them, the more certain he became that neither he nor Lu Ou had been mistaken.
"Mm, candidates 405 and 406 really know their stuff," Menchi said with a smile, acknowledging their guess.
"What kind of scales are they?" Tony suddenly asked.
"That is…" Buhara seemed to have already figured it out.
"These aren't ordinary scales," Menchi said as she walked over to the cooking station Lu Ou had used earlier.
She opened the lid and carefully poured a small amount of the blue-green scales onto the cutting board.
"First, chop these into a very fine mince."
As she spoke, Menchi picked up a knife and began chopping the scales. The blade flickered rapidly, swinging several times in an instant, leaving streaks of white light in the air.
Just from that knife speed alone, Lu Ou knew her culinary skill was unquestionably top-tier.
When Menchi felt the scales were chopped finely enough, she casually scooped two bowls of rice from the steaming pot.
"Then sprinkle it over the rice, and you've got a supreme dish."
With a few quick movements, she evenly scattered the powdered scales over the two bowls.
The white rice contrasted sharply with the blue-green flakes. Lu Ou caught a whiff of a slightly fishy smell.
"Ugh, it smells pretty fishy," Gon sniffed as well. But his eyes sparkled as he stared at the bowl, clearly eager to try it.
"Here, give it a taste," Menchi said, handing one bowl to Lu Ou. Then she picked up the other and walked straight over to Todo.
"Come on, you try it too. Go ahead."
"Who would eat scales?! You're actually telling people to eat scale rice?" Todo felt deeply insulted. His fists clenched as he glared at the bowl, clearly unwilling to touch such a bizarre dish.
"The flavor is a bit astringent, with a fresh, grassy note. It's very distinctive," Lu Ou said after taking a bite from the bowl Menchi had given him. "It's not something you'd normally get the chance to eat."
His sudden comment cut off Todo's impending outburst, shifting everyone's attention to the taste of the dish instead.
"Is it really good? If it's bad, spit it out! What if it's poisonous?" Leorio said anxiously. He couldn't understand how anyone could eat something that smelled so fishy—it completely killed his appetite.
"Relax. I trust that Ou knows what he's doing," Killua said calmly. After all, the food had been handed directly to them by an examiner. Surely they wouldn't poison the examinees. Based on everything he'd seen so far, Killua had confidence in Lu Ou's judgment.
"There shouldn't be any problem," Kurapika added.
"In my view, there are three fundamental principles for a Gourmet Hunter," Lu Ou said.
"First, respect all ingredients.
Second, protect ingredients that are on the brink of extinction.
Third, never stop pursuing perfection."
"I may not be a Hunter yet, let alone a Gourmet Hunter," Lu Ou continued, "but I've always acted according to these principles."
"Thank you for your concern, Leorio," he said. "But based on the third principle, if discovering a new ingredient is possible—even if it means getting poisoned—it would still be worth it."
Menchi and Buhara exchanged looks, their eyes gleaming strangely.
"Respect all ingredients. Protect endangered ones. Never stop pursuing perfection…"
From the shadows, Sattotz—his expressionless, mouthless face—was visibly shaken.
"A natural-born Gourmet Hunter," Sattotz thought. "I never expected it. This kid is the most outstanding among them."
As a Hunter himself, Sattotz could easily tell that Gon and Killua were exceptional. But these three Gourmet Hunter principles were enough to shock even him—despite not being a Gourmet Hunter.
It was no surprise that Menchi and Buhara, as true Gourmet Hunters, were nearly burning Lu Ou with the intensity of their gazes.
"Those three principles… are they your own?" Menchi asked impatiently.
Lu Ou nodded. "They're my personal Gourmet Hunter principles—and this is the first time I've ever spoken them aloud."
Menchi fell silent. She grabbed Buhara and pulled him aside, whispering something to him.
"Do you want to try it?" Lu Ou asked the others. "This ingredient must be extremely difficult to obtain."
Good food, he believed, should be shared. After all, these were horn scales from one of the last remaining Horned Bears—an opportunity not to be missed.
"No thanks," Leorio waved his hand, clearly uninterested.
Kurapika and Killua, however, were tempted. They moved closer to Lu Ou, intending to take a taste.
Gon, meanwhile, had his eye on the bowl Tony had rejected. Good food should be eaten in larger portions.
With a quick flip, Gon hopped onto the counter where the bowl sat and casually picked it up.
"Then I'll try this one. Don't mind if I do."
As he spoke, he scooped up a spoonful and popped it into his mouth.
"It's awful, right? Spit it out!" Leorio pressed, still unwilling to give up.
Killua and Kurapika had already tasted it. It wasn't particularly good, but it wasn't bad either. Still, in Leorio's mind, something that looked that strange and smelled that fishy couldn't possibly be good. He needed someone on his side.
"Mm…" Gon shook his head.
"So it's not bad?" Leorio asked hopefully.
Gon shook his head again.
"Then what is it? Is it good or bad? Just say it already!" Leorio snapped.
"All right, Leorio, let Gon finish," Lu Ou said calmly.
"Yeah," Gon said, nodding. "It's my first time tasting something like this. It's… kind of unbelievable. You can't really say it's good or bad—it's just very new."