Work Prophet
Chapter 105 - 21: Not Good, It’s Poisonous!

Chapter 105: Chapter 21: Not Good, It’s Poisonous!

When other nobles saw Leo’s astonishment, they also became intrigued by the seemingly ordinary roasted chicken in front of them and began to taste it one after another.

They had no idea until they tried it, and once they did, they couldn’t stop praising it.

Just like Yangzhou fried rice wasn’t originally from Yangzhou, and Lanzhou noodles came from Qinghai Hualong, the people of New Orleans in the distant Foreign Country didn’t even know what the flavor that had become a hit in the East was.

But that did not stop it from firmly establishing a spot in the barbecue market.

This seasoning, made from a mix of various spices, emphasized a strong taste— with one bite, sweetness, spiciness, onions, garlic, cumin, and pepper all clashed on the tip of the tongue.

If it was someone’s first time tasting it, it usually left a profound impression.

Not to mention that in Bratis, where seasonings had always been in short supply, it stood out even more among the crowd.

Even Leo, who had lived in the Royal Capital before, had never tasted such an array of flavors.

In just a short time, he had devoured half of the roasted chicken; then, the servers who had brought out the food earlier came back in, but this time they didn’t bring additional dishes, instead handing out a small dish to each guest.

On the dish was a small slice of something red and glossy.

Having had two previous experiences, this time, without waiting for Leo to try first, someone, unable to restrain their curiosity, dipped their finger in it and put it in their mouth. However, the next moment, their face changed dramatically, and they blurted out, "No good, it’s poisoned!"

The others were also frightened, hurriedly dropping the food from their hands, and one even swept their dish onto the floor.

But after a chaotic moment, the person who had initially cried out that it was poisoned was still bouncing around as if nothing had happened.

He was a bit embarrassed but still cautioned, "Really, you shouldn’t eat this. I just licked it, and my tongue felt burning, and it hasn’t subsided even now. It might be some slow-acting poison, or maybe I just didn’t consume enough to be affected."

The Bratis Continent had no chili peppers, nor any related trade, so naturally, the people living there had never tasted chili peppers.

Although the New Orleans barbecue sauce earlier had some chili powder in it, the amount was small, and most people could still tolerate it.

But with chili sauce, some couldn’t take it.

However, Ireya, who was sitting in the main seat, spoke up to clarify, "This is called Lao Ganma, it’s a seasoning, not meant to be eaten alone. It should be used with meat or bread, but the flavor is indeed quite... um, intense,"

"I can assure you there is no poison in it, and it’s normal for the tongue to feel numb or burning sensation. Everyone can choose to eat it or not," she added.

After speaking, Miss Rabbit even demonstrated by dipping some chicken in the Lao Ganma and putting it in her mouth.

She herself shuddered, almost spitting out the chicken, but she maintained a smile on the surface and finished eating that piece of roasted chicken.

Spicy as it was, it was quite flavorful.

After finishing, Ireya busied herself with eating half a slice of bread to alleviate the taste in her mouth, but after a while, she couldn’t resist and dipped another piece of chicken.

And this time, she smartened up, not soaking the chicken entirely but dipping just one corner first. This way, it wasn’t as blisteringly hot as before and also made it easier to discern the flavors.

All the nobles present, except for Leo and David, though hailing from the major families of the West and being core members at home, none were the primary heirs. Their statuses were extraordinary but not to the extent of being targeted for assassination.

Seeing that the family head of the Arias family took the lead in person, naturally, the poison rumor was effortlessly dispelled, and even Angela did not use this as fodder for gossip.

After all, the Arias family had no vendetta against most families; thus, it made no sense to plot such a heinous act to eliminate all the attendees of the banquet, as it would provoke the wrath of all the western families. Should that happen, not just Ireya, the family head, but the entire family could likely be doomed.

It was logically unfathomable.

After the false alarm, the hall quickly returned to its previous harmonious atmosphere.

Some, emboldened by Ireya, began to dip their meat or bread into Lao Ganma; however, the ensuing reviews were polarized.

Some gradually grew fond of its spicy fragrance, while others could not handle the extreme spiciness.

But after all, it was a matter of preference; those who disliked it simply avoided dipping and could continue enjoying the New Orleans Roasted Chicken, ending up pleasing everyone. Moreover, the appearance of such pungent and fragrant sauce added to the banquet’s topics of conversation.

Many people couldn’t forget this taste even after going back; sadly, for a long time to come, similar flavors couldn’t be found anywhere in the Empire, inadvertently adding to the Arias family’s prestige.

Leo also tried a few bites of the spicy sauce, but he was not particularly taken with the flavor. What caught his attention was something else, Ireya also seemed somewhat puzzled by the spicy sauce on the dish initially.

It was only after a servant whispered to her that she stepped up to proactively explain and demonstrate.

In other words, this dish, like the previous Shrimp Cracker Snow Cake, might not belong to the Arias family but could have come from the hands of the black-suited foreigner, Merlin.

Not just this, but also the extremely popular New Orleans Roasted Chicken, although freshly roasted, likely wasn’t something that Arias family’s chefs could achieve.

These days, having nothing better to do, Leo had looked into Ireya and the Arias family.

He found them to be just an ordinary minor lordship, with a similarly ordinary family, and there was nothing particularly remarkable about them.

The reason they had been in the limelight recently was almost entirely due to that mysteriously appeared foreigner.

This piqued Leo’s interest in Li Yu even more, and he hadn’t expected such a pleasant surprise from his trip to the West.

Meanwhile, Miss Rabbit was maintaining her noble poise on the surface, but inside, she was nearly bursting with laughter.

The arrival of Li Yu had cleared away the frustration she had been harboring.

Although Ireya didn’t understand what a refreshing plot was, it didn’t stop her from indulging in it—seeing her frequent opponent Angela get humiliated while trying to stand her ground, nothing could be more invigorating!

Miss Rabbit felt as if she had consumed a jar of honey, sweet from head to toe, a feeling even more addictive than New Orleans Roasted Chicken paired with Lao Ganma.

In contrast, Angela felt nearly depressed by now, her gloomy face almost dripping water; she never expected to have such a disgraceful day, being overwhelmed by a "country bumpkin rabbit," and just when she had barely managed to mitigate the impact of the Shrimp Cracker and Snow Cake with bluffs, she was struck down by the roasted chicken and spicy sauce.