The luxuriousness of this castle still startled Erina Nakiri.
She was also a young lady from a wealthy family, frequenting various high-end places, but she had never seen a castle as grand and magnificent as this. Whether it was the exquisite decoration of the architecture or the strict elegance of the maids, everything reflected a sense of profound nobility.
Just what kind of place is this?
Erina Nakiri followed Jeanne closely, saying nothing, as if only this could give her a sense of security.
"We're here."
Shen He stopped in front of a six-meter-tall black double door.
Before Erina Nakiri could guess what was inside, the two maids standing at the door had already bowed and slowly opened the door.
Immediately, a more lively place than outside appeared before them.
Here is——a giant kitchen.
In the room, which resembled a grand hall, waitresses wearing black and white aprons were moving about, transporting and handling various ingredients. She even saw a giant bison that was over two meters tall, and a wild boar with huge tusks. The waitresses were peeling and cutting the meat from different parts in an orderly manner, following the grain of the meat.
"You came at just the right time." Shen He walked in and patted a wild boar. "We just hunted some mutated creatures in a world that has been desolate for a thousand years."
These prey were all hunted in the world of Nier: Automata.
Not only did the plants in that world mutate and grow to be very large, but so did the animals, each one of them being huge.
So, after Shen He encountered them, he hunted some wild game and brought it back in his backpack.
"These are the otherworldly ingredients you mentioned?" Erina Nakiri suppressed her excitement.
Even she could roughly tell the quality of these meats. Without a doubt, these were ingredients that did not exist on Earth.
"Not just that." Shen He shook his head. "Pioneering ingredients from unknown worlds isn't easy. Nobody knows what's edible, what's not, what tastes good, or how to prepare it to taste good. I don't have that much patience, so I just whipped up something quick. What I really want to show you is this."
He gestured towards the center of the kitchen counter—the Legendary Kitchenware!
"Someone actually uses kitchenware this old?" Erina Nakiri followed his gesture,
and frowned.
She didn't understand what Shen He meant by showing her these utensils, but from their style, they looked like something from hundreds of years ago, and they weren't particularly attractive.
"Try it, and you'll understand." Shen He picked up a cleaver and offered it to her, handle-first.
Erina Nakiri didn't know what Shen He was up to; the smile on his face always gave her a strange feeling.
But when she looked at the cleaver… suddenly, a jolt of electricity seemed to run through her heart.
Her hand instinctively reached out.
What, what exactly is this…
The instant she gripped the knife handle, a tremor shot through her body. It felt as though she had already sliced with this knife a thousand times, as if generations of predecessors were guiding her hand.
This kitchenware! This kitchenware!
Erina Nakiri, as a chef, couldn't describe how she felt at that moment. She walked over and gripped the black pot with her other hand, then brushed her hand over the spatula. Each piece of kitchenware seemed to possess a soul. Even in the short time she'd held them, she could clearly feel she had gained new insights into her culinary skills.
This is a divine artifact! A treasure! Something every chef dreams of!
"Do you feel it?" Shen He smiled. "This set of kitchenware is called the 'Legendary Kitchenware.' It's a treasure from a world where culinary skills were paramount. Although that world is gone, we've preserved this set."
"I want this…" Erina Nakiri said with difficulty, unable to hide her desire.
"That won't do." Shen He shook a finger. "These are mine. However, you can exchange your food for the right to use these kitchen tools. If your food is up to par, then I'll reluctantly allow you to use them once every three days – no, once a week. This is an honor countless chefs dream of."
He almost returned Erina Nakiri's words to her verbatim.
"You!"
Erina Nakiri gritted her teeth and glared at Shen He. Suddenly, she crossed her arms, her beautiful long hair seeming to move without wind, and her eyes blazed with fighting spirit.
"In that case, let's settle this the way chefs do: a Shokugeki! Let's bet on our respective needs!"
"Shokugeki?" Shen He was completely stunned.
He had only wanted to tease the young lady. Why had it turned into a Shokugeki?
"There are traces of recent use on these kitchen tools; one of you must be a chef." Erina Nakiri raised her voice slightly. "If you don't dare to challenge, then a Shokugeki with limited conditions is also acceptable."
The so-called restricted Shokugeki is a very special type of Shokugeki.
When there's too great a disparity in the strength of the two parties, conditions are imposed on one side, such as ingredients, time, or theme. This is usually used for teaching purposes.
In order to obtain the Legendary Kitchenware, Erina Nakiri was prepared to give it her all.
"So that's how it is..." Shen He murmured softly, looking at the obviously nervous young lady. Suddenly, he smiled. "I'm just an amateur cook. Since we're going to have a Shokugeki, it really wouldn't be right to not impose any restrictions. How about this? I'll decide the judges. If one of the three judges thinks that what I make is more delicious than yours, then I win. What do you think?"
"Fine." Erina Nakiri agreed without much hesitation. "But you need to give me a convincing reason."
The judge was on the other side, so naturally, she had to guard against biased calls.
If it was a matter of her true skill, she didn't believe that the food she made would lose to the person in front of her.
"If you win, you can use the Legendary Kitchenware however you like. If I win, I want the right to taste your, no, your delicious food at any time. And I mean anytime." Shen He emphasized the word "anytime".
"No problem, are we ready to start?" Erina Nakiri was already a little impatient.
As for the other party's request, it didn't matter what it was, as long as she wouldn't lose.
"May I present the judges." Shen He snapped his fingers.
Shiki Ryougi and Violet came to his side, as summoned.
At the same time, the surrounding environment changed in an instant. In front of the place where the Legendary Kitchenware was placed, two identical kitchen platforms suddenly appeared. The maids put the prepared ingredients into them, and then stood quietly to the side. The three judges, including Jeanne, sat on the equally sudden judge's seats.
They already knew what had happened.
"A cooking contest..." Shiki Ryougi seemed somewhat interested. "The other party is a professional chef. It'll be difficult for Shen He to win, right?"
"Indeed." Jeanne covered her mouth and smiled. "But, I'm looking forward to it."
"Master will definitely win."
Violet interjected; perhaps she was the only one here who had faith in Shen He.
Shiki Ryougi looked at Violet thoughtfully.
Meanwhile, the Shokugeki had officially begun.
Erina Nakiri first quickly inspected the ingredients. Although they weren't top-tier, they were decent. Furthermore, the tools were complete, there were no theme restrictions, and the opponent wouldn't be using those Legendary Kitchenware. Was he not taking this Shokugeki seriously?
She couldn't help but turn to look at Shen He.
She found him beating eggs, carefully separating the yolks. His expression and actions were completely focused, very serious.
Forget it, I'll take it seriously, as a sign of respect for those Legendary Kitchenware.
Erina Nakiri steeled herself, glanced at the ingredients, and decided on what she would make.
Both sides became completely focused, and time flew by.
Compared to a real Shokugeki, this place lacked professional commentary and the peanut gallery to gasp in amazement, but in the quiet environment, Erina Nakiri felt she was even performing better than usual. When the caviar, resembling black gold, was carefully placed on the plate, she couldn't help but turn to look at Shen He's creation.
It was...a cream cake?
That's right, not a high-end cake, nor a Western aristocratic dish, but a simple strawberry cream cake, a commoner's dish that any roadside cake shop could make.
"You!" Erina Nakiri's whole body trembled, from anger. "Are you insulting the Shokugeki?"
In the world of Shokugeki no Soma, the Shokugeki was undoubtedly sacred, a place where chefs from both sides bet their culinary skills in a sacred duel.
And it shouldn't be treated with such an indifferent attitude!
"Of course—not." Shen He looked at her, his expression serious. "I've already brought out my full strength, and made food of the highest standard."
"..."
Erina Nakiri looked at his expression, bit her lip, unsure of how to feel.
"Forget it." She finally put her hands on her hips. "In any case, I'll win. Let's get this over with quickly, I still want to try new dishes with the Legendary Kitchenware."
After the other side loses, she'll agree to let them taste her practice creations. Hmph, this is only because they can provide new ingredients.
A maid had already brought the two dishes to the three judges.
One was a simple strawberry cream cake, the other was a caviar as exquisite and expensive as black gold, making it seem like there was no suspense to the competition.
Jeanne reached out with a spoon, first scooping up a spoonful of the cake Shen He had made, and her eyes immediately brightened.
"Oh, oh, it's still the familiar taste, and there's been a big improvement, Master."
"Thank you." Shen He smiled bashfully.
After all, it was impossible not to improve after using the Legendary Kitchenware for so long.
Jeanne then picked up a prepared shell spoon, carefully scooped a spoonful of caviar, and put it in her mouth. She gently spread it on her tongue, slowly crushing the caviar grains with her tongue.
"Mmm—"
She couldn't help but let out a moving moan.
At the moment the caviar entered her mouth, a slight pressure on her tongue gave the initial sensation of a gentle sea breeze, but it was just this fleeting moment that made her feel extraordinarily relaxed and comfortable. Then, a free and unrestrained aura dispersed between her lips and teeth, and the intriguing taste of the ocean burst forth, making her feel as if she were on a small boat freely surging in the waves, giving her a profound taste that was hard to describe.
Just the taste alone could bring her a wholehearted enjoyment!
Shen He's eyes widened. He realized that a button on Jeanne's black dress had suddenly popped open, revealing a mysterious glimpse of lavender lace.
-----------------------
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