Reborn in Japan as a Chef God
Chapter 212 - 211: The Strength of the Researcher

Chapter 212: Chapter 211: The Strength of the Researcher

The fourth night.

The exchange meeting for the trainees had just ended, and Xia Yu was walking on the quiet path, still contemplating the "Ascending Dragon Dumplings" recipe.

"Hey—"

A voice suddenly came from a house nearby.

Xia Yu looked over and saw the rooster-crested youth.

After spending a few days together, Xia Yu had learned his name, Shanben Xiaoshu, a 22-year-old prodigy from the mysterious Shi Lin Temple faction in the Neon Food World, apparently the junior disciple of the "Ghost-faced Monk" Aoki Motota.

"Shanben, are you calling me?" Xia Yu stopped and pointed at himself.

"Yes."

"Come here."

From Shanben Xiaoshu’s outfit and appearance, with his rooster crest, he looked like a delinquent. But in reality, his personality was just rather bad, similar to Shigong Xiaoci Lang’s.

However, what Xia Yu found very interesting was that Shanben Xiaoshu was also a master at playing with fire, just like his personality. Shanben Xiaoshu’s cooking resembled an erupting volcano, and the taste was explosive.

Uh. It seemed like other trainees were subconsciously keeping their distance from him. Xia Yu still didn’t know why.

Driven by curiosity, Xia Yu went to the house where Shanben Xiaoshu lived alone.

This was a separate courtyard halfway up Chiyoda Shrine, where other trainees also had their own dwellings. If one looked around from the mountaintop on a clear day, one could see houses nestled among the forests.

Reiko Lina had mentioned a couple of days ago that this area was basically managed by the IGO organization, and only trainees were qualified to build their own houses here. Currently, Xia Yu was staying in a small mansion that once belonged to Reiko Lina, which was near the mountaintop.

"Come, this is the dish I’m preparing for the test. Try it!"

As soon as Xia Yu sat down in a small chair in the courtyard, Shanben Xiaoshu brought out a steaming hot dish.

Raising his eyebrows, Xia Yu became instantly curious.

In a large tray, there was something resembling a pizza, a golden-brown baked crust.

But the crust had no other toppings, except for five or six fish heads standing on it, staring up at the stars in the night sky.

"This is..." Xia Yu felt a sense of familiarity, and thought to himself that this wasn’t good.

"Hey!"

Shanben Xiaoshu fluffed his rooster crest and snapped his fingers, saying, "This is the explosive dish I specially developed for the test—’Norwegian Herring Crispy Cracker’!"

"Ha—?"

Xia Yu was stunned and pointed at those fish heads, "Wait, did you say these are herring?"

Damn it, Xia Yu felt an urge to flee. If it was Norwegian pickled herring, that would be terrible. Herring cans were a world-renowned wonder, with a smell 300 times stronger than natto, which could serve as a biochemical weapon, unleashing an area of effect attack with its gas.

However, Shanben Xiaoshu firmly caught his arm, "No, no, no, it’s herring, but not from a can. I know what you’re scared of, but don’t worry!"

The difference between herring and herring cans was quite clear.

Shanben Xiaoshu cut the golden crust well and placed a piece on a small plate, ready with a knife and fork.

"Please go ahead!"

Xia Yu paid careful attention to the details as Shanben Xiaoshu cut the crust.

It was very crispy and fragrant, and when cut with a knife, it sounded like slicing through stacks of paper, with a slight sizzling noise emanating.

Seeing this, Xia Yu was somewhat relieved. At least the base was not in a semi-cooked state; otherwise, he would have all reasons to suspect that the dish in front of him, called "Norwegian Herring Crispy Cracker," was some kind of culinary disaster.

Using a dining knife, he cut off a small corner and hesitantly took a bite with his fork.

"Boom!"

Volcano!

Xia Yu’s face turned green instantly, feeling the discomfort as if he had bitten into a bunch of wasabi, with the spicy flavor rushing up his nose.

Turning his head, he was about to spit out the food in his mouth, but that nasal attacking flavor suddenly underwent a magical transformation in just a second.

If he had to describe it, the original spiciness seemed to have dissolved, no longer so overpowering.

His nasal passages and even his head buzzed.

A hint of amazement appeared in his eyes, and Xia Yu faintly saw a pair of rough hands forcibly prying open an extreme door!

"You should try it with a bit of herring meat."

Shanben Xiaoshu cautioned.

"Mixing with herring meat?"

Xia Yu’s lips twitched as he swallowed the food, analyzing the constituents of the flavor within the crispy cracker.

There were lots of onions and plenty of pepper seasoning, and when it was taken out of the oven, it must have been smeared with wasabi paste, otherwise there wouldn’t be such a strong nasal pungency.

Wanting to know more, Xia Yu needed to continue tasting.

Hmm?

Outside the house where the light was dim, Xia Yu poked at the fish head with his dining knife and realized it was roasted.

Trying to cut the whole herring from the crispy cracker, immediately a pungent smoky scent struck him. It was clearly not a pleasant smell, yet somehow his saliva was rapidly secreting for reasons unknown.

Riiiip.

Following the direction from Shanben Xiaoshu, Xia Yu tore a piece of the smoked herring meat with a fork and placed it on a already sliced piece of crispy cracker. This time, with mental preparation, he took a large bite!

In an instant, something seemed to be about to rush out of his nose.

A shudder ran from his tailbone up his spine, straight to his brain.

What a rush!

Once the sharp spiciness subsided, a rich smoked fish flavor lingered in his mouth. Xia Yu clenched his knife and fork as if transported to Norway in April, back when Vikings dominated Northern Europe.

On the harbor, Viking ships lined up neatly as Viking warriors loaded provisions for the sea onto their ships.

Snap!

A fierce-looking captain harshly whipped down, and a Viking youth holding a full sack of provisions stumbled and half knelt on the ground; the untied sack fell, instantly spilling many dried herrings and filling the air with the unique salty fragrance of dried marine fish.

Boom.

Suddenly, a large gate opened in the sky above the harbor, creating chaos in the city.

"What’s happening!"

Xia Yu shook his head, returning to the chilly night in the mountains, even feeling a bit cold.

Touching his forehead, he realized he had sweated.

"Incredible!" Xia Yu didn’t know how to describe the ’Norwegian Herring Crispy Cracker’ in front of him.

Onions, pepper, wasabi paste, and other distinctly spicy seasonings mixed together on a plate should taste quite jarring, yet it explosively erupted like a volcano.

And after the explosion was an emptiness that stretched for miles, a freeing sensation where nothing else existed.

Worries gone, sorrows gone. Mind empty, body relaxed.

Addictive.

The dining knife couldn’t stop.

"The ultimate taste of contradiction."

"And creative!"

"But it lacks ’heart of cooking’!"

After a while, Xia Yu finally took a breath.

The power of the researcher was truly terrifying; this was his first taste of Shanben Xiaoshu’s cooking, a dark style of culinary art that unexpectedly gave an addictive pleasure.

"How is it?"

Shanben Xiaoshu patted his shoulder.

"Incredible!" Xia Yu could only give a thumbs up.

"This is the dish I plan to present at the minor exam of the internship." Shanben Xiaoshu seemed quite satisfied with his work, constantly touching and fixing his cock’s comb hairstyle as he spoke.

"And you? Have you prepared for the minor exam?"

He then laughed again.

"Oh, I forgot, you’ve only been here a few days, no need to rush. It’s okay to be at the bottom, just try harder next time. When I first came here to intern a year ago, I was at the bottom too."

Xia Yu shook his head, bid farewell to Shanben Xiaoshu, and returned to his residence.

Prepared?

’Shuangjiang Magical Mapo Tofu’ was the dish he planned to present at the minor exam!