Food Wars: Let him cook

"It tastes awful…"

"There's no seasoning, only a slight umami from the mushrooms. But it's barely edible. Having something light for breakfast isn't too bad, I guess."

Taking a sip of the wild vegetable and mushroom congee in front of her, Anzu Yasuda made a pained face.

Without salt, the wild vegetable and mushroom soup wouldn't be very delicious, but she had no good solution and could only console herself this way.

"To improve the taste of this, the most important thing is seasoning. And in the mountain forest, ingredients with seasoning properties include mountain peppers, wild onions, and honey. These are all very good condiments."

Drinking the completely unsalted wild vegetable and mushroom soup, Anzu Yasuda's brow furrowed. Obtaining these condiments in the mountain forest would require considerable luck.

However, with her current skills, she would probably have to wait a while. Even if she didn't find them, she could exchange goods with others to obtain them.

It's just that…

Wanting to exchange for precious condiments using only wild vegetables and mushrooms was clearly unrealistic. After all, these things were all over the mountains and not difficult to find.

She would need to capture at least one or two wild animals and exchange meat for them. Only then could the trade be considered equal. But the difficulty of that…

"Ahhh, isn't this even harder than the placement exam?!"

Grabbing her hair in helpless rage, Anzu Yasuda couldn't help but complain inwardly.

Then, "glug, glug, glug," she drank all the wild vegetable and mushroom congee in her hand, rinsed the bowl with spring water, put it in the basket on her back, and set off again.

"So sleepy. By the way, why us? Testing these laggards—can't anyone do that?"

On the essential path down the mountain, Erina Nakiri raised a hand to stifle a yawn, looked at Alice's serious expression, and couldn't help but complain.

"This is a task personally assigned by Master. Since he arranged it this way, he definitely has his reasons. We just need to follow."

Hearing the question, Alice Nakiri shrugged. If Dylan hadn't personally instructed her, she wouldn't have come here so early in the morning to wait.

Of course, at the time, Dylan had actually only called her. But she felt too bored on her own, so she lied and said Dylan had called both of them.

Erina Nakiri believed this without a doubt and didn't call to verify. She got up before dawn and came here with Alice Nakiri.

"What kind of dishes can those guys even produce? I don't know what Professor Dylan is thinking, spending so much effort training them."

As she said this, Erina Nakiri's voice carried a hint of resentment.

She had initially looked forward to receiving intensive training from Dylan during the mid-term assessment. But apart from guiding her at the very beginning, he had dedicated the rest of his time to this group of laggards. What a waste of resources!

"For Master, it's actually the same no matter who he trains. We're all pretty much the same in his eyes; he has ways to cultivate anyone."

Having grown up under Dylan's tutelage since childhood, Alice Nakiri knew very well how capable he was.

Without Dylan's cultivation, she would at best be a second-rate chef now, perhaps not even as good as Erina Nakiri, who, after all, possessed the God Tongue.

"Hmph, I'd like to see just how much skill these resource-hogging guys actually have! Whether they're even worthy of Professor Dylan's training!"

Hearing Alice Nakiri's words, Erina Nakiri snorted lightly but, uncharacteristically, didn't retort.

"Luck! There are actually wild onions here!"

Seeing the wild onions growing on the ground, Anzu Yasuda knelt, excitement dawning on her face. She quickly picked them and put them in the basket on her back.

After a morning of searching, she had found many useful ingredients in this area, even discovering rare porcini mushrooms under a tree.

"Speaking of which, last time Kurosaki and his team found matsutake mushrooms in the forest. They said there were quite a lot, and they didn't pick them all at once. They'll probably go back during this assessment."

She recalled a high-grade mushroom dish presented by Kurosaki's team during a special training session some time ago, which had used matsutake.

"Let's set up here for lunch. There are quite a few fish and shrimp in the river. Maybe I can make a breakthrough with seafood dishes, perhaps stir-fry some snails or something. I still lack salt. I hope Professor Dylan's method works…"

Stopping by the stream, Anzu Yasuda briefly scouted the surroundings and finally decided to rest there.

She then took out pine wood from her basket, gathered dry branches from the surroundings, placed wood shavings in the groove of a fireboard, and began to make fire by drilling.

"Steamed rabbit, elk, and more! You really made me search hard for you, but so what? You damn thing still ended up in my hands!"

His arm was scratched and bleeding from chasing the rabbit, but the man's face was full of smiles.

"Good thing I like to carry some chili peppers with me. I'll go gather some oily nuts, extract some vegetable oil, and make a simple spicy stir-fried rabbit. Then I can pass the assessment and go down the mountain!"

Fumbling at his chest, the man's face lit up with a smug expression when he felt the chili peppers inside. This was the key to his success!

"Damn it, it got away again!"

Looking at the pheasant that had flown up into a tree, the man's face showed exasperation.

He had been chasing it all morning. The creature always managed to escape at the most critical moment, giving him no opportunity at all.

"No way, I've already spent the whole morning on this. I have to catch it today, or I won't be able to sleep soundly tonight!"

Picking up a stone from the ground, the man narrowed his eyes and threw it with great precision.

As the stone flew over, the pheasant, as if sensing it, flapped its wings, hopped forward, and flew off into the distance.

"Don't you run!"

Seeing the pheasant about to depart, the man roared angrily, then chased after it with big strides, still clutching a handful of large stones.

"Swish, swish, swish~"

The stones in his hand were thrown continuously. Most missed, but a few hit the pheasant, which slowed it down to some extent.

"You little rascal, making me go through so much trouble! I'm going to stew you tonight!"

After a tug-of-war lasting over twenty minutes, the man gripped the pheasant's flapping wings, his face bearing scratches from the chicken's claws during the chase.

"Not bad at all. I didn't expect to find a nest of snakes here, and a few eggs too. In that case, an Oyakodon should be quite good."

Looking at the incredibly plump snake in front of her, which was preparing for hibernation, a woman with a curvaceous figure showed excitement on her face.

Its reddish-brown body was densely crisscrossed with black transverse stripes.

It should be a local ground snake, non-venomous, with a delicate and firm texture after cooking. Decided! She would serve this to the judges.

She reached out, grabbed the snake's head, and with a swift chop of her kitchen knife, fresh blood spurted out, splashing onto her face, yet her expression didn't change one bit.

After processing it on the spot, the woman wrapped the snake meat in previously washed bamboo leaves, then placed it in the bamboo basket on her back for later use, and continued forward.

Scenes like this were common throughout the forest. There were those who relied on their good skills and chose to act alone. There were also those with average wilderness survival skills who formed temporary collaborations with others.

Because it was the final assessment, everyone was very focused, hoping to put a perfect end to this special training.

Soon, evening arrived.

"A whole day, and not a single person!"

"Laggards are laggards after all, guys who can't make it to the big stage! How dare they fool us like this!"

Looking at the empty forest, Erina Nakiri's expression was not pleasant.

Because no one had come out from beginning to end, she even had to call Hisako Arato at noon to deliver food.

As a food judge, having to bring her own food—what a joke!

"It's indeed a bit disappointing. After such a long time, not even one person dared to try. These guys…"

"...Whatever, I'm leaving when the time comes. Even if the Heavenly King Laozi himself came, it would be useless!"

"I'll call Professor Dylan tonight to explain the situation. I don't want to come tomorrow; waiting another day is purely a waste of time!"

Erina Nakiri complained, very annoyed, then began to pack her things, preparing to leave.

Although Alice Nakiri didn't say such things, the expression on her face was also quite displeased. Just as she was about to move, she looked up and noticed a few dark spots in the distance.

Several figures appeared at the edge of the forest.

"Someone's coming."

Reaching out and grabbing the back of Erina Nakiri's collar, Alice Nakiri pointed to the forest not far away, a surprised look on her face.

The people who arrived all had some injuries, more or less, and looked quite battered. In their hands, they held carefully prepared dishes.

"It seems they're not all useless. There are still some who dare to try."

"Then let me taste the cuisine of those whom Professor Dylan has painstakingly trained!"

Following Alice Nakiri's gaze.

Erina Nakiri saw the same scene. Seeing their injuries, her heart was somewhat touched, but she still spoke haughtily.

During their conversation, the few people who had emerged from the forest had already arrived at the judging table.

"You two are the judges? I never expected it would be you."

The girl among the three recognized Erina Nakiri and Alice.

To be precise, the two of them were too famous in Tōtsuki, especially Erina Nakiri; almost every student knew her name.

The young lady of Tōtsuki Academy, the future head of the Nakiri family, and also the recognized number one in the elementary division.

"Let's start with you. Bring your dish up."

Returning to where she had been sitting, Erina Nakiri ignored the girl's exclamation, put on a mature demeanor, and spoke to the man on the far left.

"This dish of mine is a famous Chinese dish, 'Chicken Stewed with Mushrooms'... adapted into a Pheasant and Mushroom Clay Pot."

"Because of the limited ingredients in the mountains, I made some adjustments to the cooking method of this dish, turning it into my own cuisine."

He placed the bamboo pot, its bottom blackened from the fire, onto the judging table, lifted the bamboo lid, and used a bamboo tube to ladle out the soup and ingredients into bamboo bowls.

Instantly, the rich, savory aroma of chicken wafted through the air, making everyone present narrow their eyes comfortably and secretly swallow.

"Limited ingredients in the mountains? I see. No wonder you all came out so late. Those injuries on your face, they must be from catching the chicken, right?"

Hearing the man's words, Alice Nakiri's face showed a sudden understanding.

No wonder these few came out so late. If they started by gathering ingredients, then emerging at this time was already among the fastest.

"This creature grew up in the mountain forest and is familiar with the surrounding terrain. It was really hard to catch. I also put in quite an effort to capture it."

Facing Alice Nakiri's question, the man answered truthfully, while Erina Nakiri beside him showed a dawning comprehension.

"What 'I see'? Is there a reason they came out so late? What are you two talking about?"

If you don't understand, ask. Curiosity made Erina grab Alice's arm, wanting to get an answer from her.

"Professor Dylan once put us through wilderness survival training. Simply put, it's being stripped of everything and starting from scratch to survive in the forest."

"You need to build your own shelter, gather ingredients in the wild, and survive."

Thinking of that not-so-pleasant experience, Alice Nakiri's mouth twitched slightly, and she couldn't help but raise her hand to cover her eyes.

At that time, Dylan had told her he would treat her to a lollipop, and he tricked her out of her house and into the mountain forest.

She had thought Dylan finally couldn't hold back anymore and wanted to do some "not suitable for children" things to her. She had even taken off her clothes, but Master didn't.

A note and a hand-drawn map were left behind.

The note briefly explained the situation to her, and the map showed her the distribution of resources in the forest, as well as the locations of some supply caches.

Although it was very surreal, after half an hour of helpless rage, Alice Nakiri still accepted it.

Even though it was a solo wilderness survival, she knew Dylan was watching nearby, and she had undergone similar training before, so she wasn't very afraid and just went for it.

The final assessment was to cook three dishes using natural ingredients from the forest—two main dishes and one soup, all of which had to be related.

The situation of these people before her was quite similar to hers back then.

Because she had experienced that dark time, Alice Nakiri could understand why these guys had only come out now.

"Finding ingredients in the wild and cooking dishes…"

Alice Nakiri's words made Erina Nakiri's expression turn peculiar, and her heart was greatly shaken.

If this was true, then the dish before her was indeed hard-earned.

However…

Even though she knew their conditions were difficult, she wouldn't lower her standards because of it.

Professor Dylan had her here probably for this very reason.

Lifting the bowl in front of her, Erina Nakiri took a sip of the chicken soup, closed her eyes, and carefully savored its taste.

"The chicken and mushrooms were stir-fried in chicken fat, perfectly showcasing the deliciousness of the pheasant. The umami of the mushrooms... besides that, there's also a slight saltiness, the sweetness of honey, and a faint spiciness…"

"But since this is in the mountain forest, I'm very curious, how did you obtain saltiness? And it's a saltiness I've never tasted before."

Erina Nakiri was genuinely curious. Logically speaking, it should be difficult to obtain salt in the mountain forest, yet she could clearly sense the saltiness, and it wasn't an ordinary saltiness. At least, her God Tongue couldn't identify it; it was a new taste she had never experienced before!

"I obtained it by burning pine wood in a fire and collecting the resulting wood ash. I put the wood ash into a bamboo tube, then added an appropriate amount of water, stirred it evenly, and let it settle."

"This way, the alkaline ash suspended in the water gradually settles to the bottom of the container. After pouring off the upper layer of water, what remains is an alkaline wood ash solution containing salt."

"Through further evaporation, concentration, and drying, pure pine wood ash lye can be obtained, and this is the source of the saltiness in this dish."

Hearing Erina Nakiri's confusion, a slight curve appeared on the man's lips, and he began to explain, a hint of excitement on his face.

He could finally show off in front of these geniuses. Seeing their ignorant and bewildered eyes was surprisingly satisfying!

"In the deep mountains and old forests, people can use the pine wood ash lye extraction method to obtain salt. This is a method Professor Dylan learned on one of his travels and taught to us on the fourteenth day of class."

Beside him, a slender girl suddenly spoke, telling Erina Nakiri the truth. This method, which ordinary people would never think of, came from Dylan.

At the time, someone had merely asked out of curiosity, and Dylan had answered. Now, it came in handy.

Looking at the expressions of the judges, the effect seemed to be quite good.

"I see. Professor Dylan is truly knowledgeable, to be able to solve even this kind of problem—obtaining salt from thoroughly burned pine wood."

Hearing the slender girl's words, Erina Nakiri had a sudden realization. If it was Dylan, then anything seemed normal.

It wasn't the student before her who was amazing, but Professor Dylan who taught him!

"It must be a gain from his travels this year. Because when I was undergoing special training, Master didn't tell me about these things."

Alice Nakiri muttered softly to the side, then also picked up her bowl of chicken soup and began to taste it, an expression of enjoyment on her face.

"Pheasant meat is much higher in calcium, phosphorus, and iron than ordinary domestic chicken, and it's rich in protein and amino acids. It's not only an excellent food for therapy but also tastes more delicious than ordinary domestic chicken."

"Its meat is firmer than domestic chicken, and its flavor is rich, with a unique aromatic quality. This unique flavor allows the pheasant to display its deliciousness without too many seasonings when cooked, effectively compensating for the lack of condiments."

Taking a bite of the pheasant meat and savoring it in her mouth, Alice Nakiri's face showed a satisfied expression. This was a delicacy unique to the mountain forest!

"Not only is the chicken meat delicious, but these hazel mushrooms found in the mountains are also a top-tier delicacy, having grown by absorbing the essence of heaven, earth, sun, and moon."

"Its flesh is thick, its taste is fresh and delicious, smooth and refreshing, with a long-lasting aftertaste. One bite, and it's as if you've entered another grotto-heaven of umami!"

Closing her eyes and feeling the deliciousness within, Erina Nakiri felt herself surrounded by umami. Only with a soft moan did she return to her senses from the shock.

"An excellent dish! Under limited conditions, you made good use of the existing resources to create this incomparably delicious meal!"

Erina Nakiri opened her eyes and couldn't help but praise him, her admiration for Dylan growing even stronger.

These laggards on the verge of expulsion, after his cultivation, could become top contenders in the elementary division. It was truly incredible!

_____

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