Chapter 445: The Culinary Path of Shirou
Because Francis Drake was eating with such blissful abandon, it made everyone watching feel a surge of appetite. People watching on their televisions swallowed their saliva, and in the live stream chat, many viewers commented that they were heading to the kitchen to fix a bowl of instant noodles before returning.
Seeing this, the chefs on stage displayed varying expressions. Beside them, Nakiri Senzaemon sighed quietly; Pablo rolled his eyes, a murderous glint appearing in them; as for Shirou, he watched Master Liu's dish with great interest, marveling repeatedly. His fingers moved involuntarily, seemingly itching to try his hand.
"So, kid, do you want a portion too?" Master Liu looked toward the side and asked the red-masked man who had already completed his cooking.
"Old man, I won't stand on ceremony then. Please, I absolutely must taste it." Shirou, whose sensitive nose had caught the aroma, felt as if a cat's claws were scratching at his heart. Filled with curiosity, he didn't even hesitate to agree.
"Hehehe, then please enjoy. Just don't let the old man discourage you, young man," Master Liu said.
"That won't be necessary," Shirou replied with a carefree laugh, raising his hand to press against his mask.
The camera zoomed in on them, and the online chat exploded with lively chatter.
"Eh? Masked X is going to eat?!" "For real? Is the mask coming off? Is the million-bounty secret about to be revealed?" "What's going on? What's going on? I just clicked away to check a neglected mobile game—what happened?" "The old Chinese God of Cooking invited Masked X to taste his dish, and Masked X happily agreed." "No way..."
Meanwhile, the five judges on the top floor:
"Oh ho? Is something interesting about to happen down there?"
"Is that red mask going to remove his transformation, de-chu? He looks a bit handsome now, like Master Enma's long robe, de-chu!" At this moment, Beni-Enma was acting like a child watching a tokusatsu (special effects) hero show, asking with great curiosity.
Although she was the proprietress of the hot spring inn and mostly knew deities and great yokai, she also possessed the side of an impartial Judge of Hell, appearing quite majestic.
However, she had passed away as a young child; naturally, a part of her psyche remained influenced by the childlike temperament she held in life. She had stumbled into the Pathless Home set up by King Enma, was received into the Underworld after death, and was subsequently adopted by King Enma and his wife.
She trained in the underworld with King Enma and became a civil servant of hell. After spending some time there, she turned into a small red sparrow to observe human society so she could understand humanity anew.
During this period, an accident occurred: Beni-Enma was accidentally injured and was captured by a malicious old woman who wanted to sell her for a high price.
At that moment, a kind old man appeared, took out his life savings, and bought the little sparrow.
What followed was the fairy tale of the Tongue-Cut Sparrow.
It was only after encountering that old man, who influenced her entire life, that Beni-Enma truly grew up.
Now, she was both a Heroic Spirit from hell and the proprietress of a hot spring inn who hosted rare and scarce deities, providing them a place to rest their minds and bodies. At the same time, she remained that simple little sparrow, that simple little girl from back then. Moreover, since she pursued fairness and justice, she was exactly the type to like tokusatsu heroes who upheld justice.
"Enma-chan, even if his outfit is handsome, he's still a dirty human on the inside! Don't be fooled by the pretty exterior. Well, although I can't say I don't understand that rugged mechanical style and the angular features—it is indeed quite handsome," Yu Mei-ren had initially intended to warn her friend, but she seemed to blush and fall into intoxicated reverie as she remembered a certain tall, artificial, heroic man.
Beni-Enma narrowed her eyes and retorted, "I don't think you and I are talking about the same thing, Yu-chin. I'm not talking about love. Since you don't like handsome men like Kyo-chan and only treat him as a 'girl-friend,' is it because your aesthetic sense is broken?"
"If you're going to put it that way, Enma-chan, shouldn't you prefer the old men instead? Look, there are two old men down there," Yu Mei-ren pointed below.
At this point, they were less than two floors away from the top, and although the women's voices were soft, the two old men sensed something!
"Ugh—Hmph!!!" Master Liu's pupils flashed with a sharp light as he raised his muscular, daunting arms, showing off his astonishing biceps and triceps.
"Clothes-Ripping—!!!" Nakiri Senzaemon, unwilling to be outdone, released his signature move, stripping off his kimono jacket to reveal his eight-pack abs.
"The old men who saved me aren't muscle-heads like that, de-chu!" Beni-Enma protested in a high-pitched voice. "Old men who have exploding muscles are just as perverted as that gatekeeper who is so bored he uses sword techniques involving the Second Magic to slash swallows!!!"
Shirou, on the side, couldn't help but retort: "Old men... what kind of farce are you two playing? Never mind, let me just properly taste the world's top-tier culinary flavors."
"Oh! He's eating! Masked X's identity is about to be revealed!" At this moment, people outside held their breath, staring intently at the screen.
However, Shirou's subsequent actions exceeded everyone's expectations.
Iskandar, the King of Conquerors, was stunned for a moment, then clutched his forehead and burst into laughter: "Ahahahaha! This man is truly a masterpiece!"
"Oh ho, to think he would go to such lengths. It seems this man has some unspeakable hardships he can't explain to outsiders," Caesar looked at the red-masked man below, a sense of inexplicable kinship arising in his heart. He felt that perhaps he could understand this man's thoughts.
Just like how he ate himself into a ball so he wouldn't be involved in politics anymore, this Masked X probably had similar troubles.
"Eh eh eh?" Beni-Enma also widened her eyes.
"How could it be that easy for you all to see..." Erina, watching the live broadcast from the lounge, said with annoyance. She had put so much effort into trying to "persuade" Shirou, and even now, she hadn't gotten him to open up.
Shirou slowly pressed a mechanism on his mask. The mask shifted its shape, revealing a small square opening just large enough to pass chopsticks through. He took out his chopsticks, held the bowl, and began to taste Master Liu's Seafood Rice Bowl.
Viewers outside the screen couldn't help but post comments:
"It's pitch black, I can't see anything at all." "Even masked men from the Gundam series like Char or Jex at least showed their chins." "Also, for such a small opening, he's eating really fast! His movements are graceful, but the rice is disappearing layer by layer. How on earth is he doing that?" "Damn it, I want to eat too!"
In Shirou's memories, he often saw that "other self" who had to take care of 20,000 younger sisters waiting to be fed, working so hard every day that he was as busy as the Duke of Zhou—he couldn't even eat a meal in peace. Just as he picked up a piece of meat, before he could even chew it, something would come up, and he would have to put it down.
Fortunately, having had many excellent role models around him, that Shirou had honed life skills that allowed him to complete tasks swiftly and decisively, no matter what.
Of course, the "salted fish" (lazy) version of Shirou was far from that level, but because he saw it often in his memories, over time, he had learned this "king's elegant skill." As long as he used this method, he could finish quickly.
As the white rice topped with the special fish sauce entered his mouth, the moment he chewed it with his teeth, the fragrance of the rice and the aroma of the fish blended together. Shirou felt his taste buds...
In his mind, he suddenly saw a scene of the great ocean. Six hundred years ago, Zheng He, acting under the order of the Yongle Emperor to spread the glory of the Heavenly Empire, rode his treasure ships, leading a fleet of hundreds of vessels on seven voyages to the Western Oceans.
Leading the fleet, Zheng He embarked on world-scale grand voyages decades earlier than the West. They left their marks in Indonesia, brought back large quantities of spices like pepper and medicinal herbs like sappanwood. They reached Western Asia, brought back sumaliqing (cobalt blue pigment) from the Middle East; and on the east coast of Africa, they established diplomatic relations with local kings and chieftains, brought back giraffes, and opened routes connecting the Western Pacific and the Indian Oceans.
"Is this the taste of historical sedimentation? It is truly incredible. I have been taught," Shirou closed his eyes and savored it carefully. Finally, he let out a long breath, folded his hands in a gesture of gratitude, and set down the empty bowl he had wiped clean.
"Alright, since you've eaten, let the old man see your cooking, kid," Master Liu said with a smile.
"Of course!" Shirou agreed.
"Eh? Are we already starting the next one?" Sister Francis Drake only then set down her bowl, rice grains still stuck to her mouth. She looked at Shirou apologetically and said: "Sorry, little brother with the cool mask. Right now, unless it's a super delicious dish, I don't think I'll be able to taste it."
"It's alright! I anticipated this situation from the beginning," Shirou said.
Thump! A large, handled beer mug was placed on the table.
Shirou pulled a cooler out from under the serving cart. From the box filled with ice, he took out a large keg of beer, turned the tap, and golden beer flowed out into the mug. Bubbles rolled through the golden liquid, and an intense aroma of malt immediately wafted out.
A layer of white, snow-like foam formed on top, and as the beer was poured, the liquid line kept rising.
"This is my special 'Maritime Fast Food.' Please enjoy," Shirou pushed the beer and his dish toward the female captain and removed the thermal cover.
The dish Shirou made was fried chicken and potato chips, served with clean lettuce leaves—a simple and satisfying meal. It could maintain a sufficient intake of vitamins, and of course, the biggest selling point was that it was very simple and convenient to produce.
In fact, Shirou only had to write down the recipe; anyone with a little cooking experience could learn it and replicate 70 to 80 percent of the quality. Thus, it was a dish that even the rough sailors sailing the high seas could make.
Hot, crispy fried chicken and chips paired with ice-cold beer—it was a perfect match. Francis Drake, who hadn't had much appetite left, saw the beer and felt that icy, refreshing chill. Her previously closed-off appetite opened up slightly, and she felt hungry again.
Sister Drake grabbed the beer mug, tilted her head back, and downed it in one gulp. Glug, glug, glug—a little golden liquid leaked out, trickling down the woman's neck.
The golden fluid seemed to contain the mysterious power of the God of Wine, awakening the woman's memories. Drake seemed to return to her 16th-century life at sea, when she had just made a name for herself, retired from the navy, and built her own pirate crew with her old subordinates. The brand-new Golden Hind had just been launched. A bounty was placed on her head for two hundred and twenty-two million... wait, no, actually, that was Spain.
She led her subordinates to live a life of absolute freedom on the sea, detached from the constraints of the law. They wantonly plundered the Empire's merchant ships, used their vessels to transport slaves and all kinds of luxury goods, engaging in highly profitable business.
Then, they wantonly enjoyed the spoils of their plunder. By day, they fought with matchlocks and sidearms; at night, they drank all night on their ships or in secret bases. These were the years of her youth.
Although Shirou's cooking wasn't as flamboyant or noble as Nakiri Senzaemon's, nor did it emit light like Master Liu's, he had created his own style. The dish's perfect combination, under the amber light, had a unique, warm atmosphere that made one feel natural and comfortable.
Soon, the entire mug of beer was finished. Sister Drake wiped her mouth, laughed, and praised loudly: "Hahhhhh~! Good beer! That's satisfying~!"
"Tasty! Delicious! Whether it's the glowing food, the sashimi, the seafood rice, or this fried chicken—it's all so good! The things I ate when I was alive were basically shit!" Sister Drake exclaimed, raised her empty mug, and shouted: "Beer! Another one!"
"Hey, hey, don't just drink beer. That's already your fifth mug. Don't tell me you're planning to drink until you pass out?" Shirou frowned, but still poured a new serving of beer for the female captain.
"It's fine, it's fine! Whether it's wine or beer or whatever, it's not going to kill a person! Even if other pirates invaded right now, I could kill them all back! Hic!" Sister Francis let out a happy, drunken burp.
"Don't die on me—although you've already died once... also, can you tell me the judge's result now?" Shirou asked, feeling that if he didn't ask now, he might not have another chance.
"Mm, of course! Just for this beer—it's a perfect match with the fried chicken—it's definitely a pass~! You passed!" Francis held her hand high to announce. If the occasion hadn't been inappropriate, she would have pulled out her gun and fired a few celebratory cannon shots.
"Oh! Thanks for the meal!" Shirou laughed and agreed. It wasn't in vain that he had spent the effort to search for a manufacturer to obtain the beer mash and then processed and blended it himself; he had finally managed to restore the flavor of beer from the 16th-century British coastal area, which perfectly matched the tastes of the pirates.
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