The Last Gentleman
Chapter 487: 485: William’s Craftsmanship

William dared to take on Timi’s request as a chef because he was naturally skilled at cooking.

In life, the three-year-old William, more precisely Yi Chen,

was exemplary at the orphanage and exempt from certain punitive classes, so he was assigned to assist in the kitchen.

Due to his talent, he quickly mastered various cooking skills and began helping to prepare quality meals for teachers from the age of five.

Although he had not touched cooking since leaving the orphanage, the related cooking skills were always etched in his mind, stored conspicuously on a bookshelf in the Memory Palace.

Moreover,

since Catherine and Zock had mentioned in their discussion that "working in the kitchen" could aid personal improvement, William wanted to give it a try.

Ten minutes in,

William had matched the rules with the kitchen structure to ensure a flawless production process.

The chef cautioned, "Before we start, it’s necessary that I clarify.

The dishes prepared in the kitchen must have ’personal characteristics’, meaning you need to use part of yourself as an ingredient. As for how to process and how to mix and cook with other ingredients, that’s for you to figure out.

The final dish will also need a corresponding name, allowing tasters to get a preconceived understanding and expectancy from its name.

If you are ready, let’s begin now.

For fairness, Zock and Catherine will also participate in tasting the dishes, so you need to make three identical servings.

Your time will be increased by 30%."

Saying this, Chef Timi set an hourglass filled with bone powder on the table and turned to leave.

He was not at all interested in the production process, or perhaps he wanted to retain a sense of mystery and deduct the handling of ingredients and cooking method through tasting later.

Catherine and Zock also followed to leave, heading to the dining area to wait.

When only William was left in the kitchen,

he did not begin his dish immediately but sat quietly on a chair thinking.

"A dish with personal characteristics, although Mr. Zock has already made a brain-based dish.

I need to create something unique that expresses both my entire illness and my life experiences while still being delicious.

Let me think."

Inheriting Yi Chen’s memories, William recalled the first delicious meal he had after escaping the orphanage, having discreetly ordered a bowl of noodles on the street to conceal his identity.

In the Memory Palace, integrating personal information even drew a detailed anatomical perspective of himself,

using a black pen to mark various organs on the human body, with arrows leading to a bowl-shaped container next to it, a complex and bold idea gradually formed in his mind.

With the design completed, William officially began to cook.

He first visited the vegetable garden to carefully select some vegetables and fruits, then went to the ingredient processing area to procure meat materials from himself.

Bone cutting knives, meat grinders, and even containers that clearly looked like torture devices were placed in front of him.

Whew~ He took a deep breath.

William was set to completely let go at a cerebral level, attempting to create a dish that expressed himself perfectly, and it didn’t matter if he failed, he could always work at the circus to earn money.

Before using the equipment, William called out to an old friend inside him.

"Yellow Skin, I need help."

...

In the dining area.

Catherine, who had ADHD, simply could not sit still, pulling out various toys from the Hundred Treasure Box, but only playing with each once.

Meanwhile, Chef Timi discussed topics related to human and beast nature, and the essence of life with beast tamer Zock.

"So boring~ three hours and we can’t do anything! Also, William just arrived here, he hasn’t even completed the path. Without finishing the self-examination in the path, he surely can’t make a specialty dish that meets the requirements.

Chef Timi, according to your strict rules for the kitchen, such a newcomer shouldn’t even be allowed to use kitchen equipment, right?"

"His first cognition of fear reached the ’Curtain of Hair’ in depth.

Moreover, Zock has a good eye for people, and since this person will be a key member in the future, it’s okay for him to familiarize with the kitchen in advance."

Catherine was somewhat surprised, "What? William’s first peek at fear reached the ’Curtain of Hair’?"

Zock replied, "It seems the ’Curtain of Hair’ is not his limit for enduring fear. If I hadn’t stopped him, he would have lifted the curtain and seen what lies behind."

"William’s tolerance for fear is that high? There can’t be many in the circus who could touch the ’Curtain of Hair’ the first time they peered into primal fear, at least I couldn’t at that time."

Gradually, the three of them engaged in a discussion about William, time passing quickly amidst their conversation.

Ding-dong!

William, wearing a chef’s apron, also served the meals punctually,

bringing over dishes on round ceramic plates, steaming hot as if they had just been removed from the heat, perfectly timed.

Although the aroma was strong, the food’s appearance and presentation made the head chef frown.

This was a bowl of Yi Chen’s world’s street food— "Rice Noodle Roll."

For the circus folks present, it was an entirely unfamiliar dish.

The rice noodle rolls before them were not white but pink with black spots, giving them an even stranger look, and what fillings were wrapped inside remained a mystery.

Additionally, two grapes were placed at the edge of the plate, which seemed mismatched with the rice noodle rolls to the naked eye.

Considering William was still a novice, head chef Timi had already lowered his expectations, finding the dish barely acceptable and willing to taste it.

"What’s the name of the dish?"

"This... I hope Chef Timi could taste it first before I disclose the name. I want to retain the mystery of the filling, as it would bring more surprises during the eating process."

"Hmm, okay! Then, let me give it a try."

"Please, go ahead and taste."

Chef Timi removed his mask, and the coiled-up long tongue was left hanging over the table. -c

The tiny structures on the surface of the tongue intermingled, turning the tip into a knife shape, and cut off a portion of the rice noodle roll.

The moment it was cut, a stream of the star river burst out with the steam, swirling around the dining area.

The filling surprisingly overflowed with starlight color and was also covered with brain-like patterns.

Chef Timi’s expression remained unchanged as he used his tasteless tongue tip to scoop up the food, and just as his teeth were about to clamp down, William quickly stepped to the side.

Splat!

A kind of intense and stimulating flavor exploded in his mouth,

delicious, sharp, spicy, and even felt like something fiercely collided inside the mouth, so much so the chef couldn’t fully close his mouth.

Whoosh!

An unbelievable amount of juice splattered out, covering the opposite floor.

Hmm! The chef, realizing his lapse, immediately grabbed a napkin to block his mouth.

Shortly after, Catherine and Zock showed similar reactions, but they weren’t angry; instead, their eyes widened, and it was faintly visible that a magical starry flow darted through their pupils.

"Delicious!"

"Wow! What’s this texture, why did it burst like that!"

After swallowing completely, Chef Timi also sensed something off about the filling, "Did you intentionally achieve this bursting effect, or was it an accident?"

"I did it intentionally, to fully enhance the dining experience."

"The name of the dish."

"’Epileptic Bursting Spicy Rice Noodle Roll’."

"The chili pepper you used doesn’t seem to come from the kitchen here; I don’t have such intense chili peppers... briefly introduce your dish."

"Sure! As you saw.

The ’Rice Skin’ is a double-layer structure; the outer layer is lamb umbilical cord, the freshest structure to ensure texture. The inner layer utilizes an edible skin layer filtered between a Gentleman’s Skin, primarily acting as a barrier.

Although unsightly in color, this combination allows the rice skin to be both tender and resilient, confining the restless, always ready to burst filling.

The filling, I made from three different materials.

First is the Madness Brain Tissue, maintaining nerve transmission effects to maximally stimulate the taste buds.

Then, by crushing bones with iron chains and mixing with chili, a composite stimulative spicy powder was created, significantly enhancing the stimulation to prepare for the subsequent bursting effect.

Lastly, it consists of a mix of flesh containing star essence and water-rich vegetables, formed through high-density compression.

Under the influence of the two spices, the filling is in a perpetual activated state that could burst at any moment, and once the teeth break through the rice skin, the bursting effect is realized."

"Hmm! Great creativity, though the pairing is a bit off. Why place grapes on the side?"

"No, this is also a type of meat.

I used peeled grape skins wrapped around something else, not only to cut the greasiness but also to quickly clear the residual spiciness in the mouth, allowing for a fresh state for the next round of eating."

The chef tried putting a grape in his mouth.

Pop! A burst of icy cold lake water sprayed inside the mouth, soothing the taste buds and drowning the spiciness.

"Good!"