The originally harmonious atmosphere turned tense with the drawing of swords and bending of bows the moment Shell's voice faded.
Erina Nakiri stopped her hand, which was packing up items, and looked at Shell in shock, then glanced at Okabe; she clearly hadn't expected the other party to be targeting him.
"Challenge me? To Dim Sum...?"
The steel staff was less than a centimeter from the tip of his nose. If he hadn't felt a lack of malice from Shell, he would have likely been sent flying backward by now.
Okabe calmly lowered his head to wipe his hands, pushed the steel staff down, looked directly into Shell's eyes, and spoke with a light, brisk tone.
"That's right. Seeing your kneading technique, I can sense that you are a master of Dim Sum."
Shell's voice instantly became powerful, a surging fire burning in his eyes, his entire aura climbing to an incredibly astonishing level the moment Okabe finished speaking.
"What is your name?"
Okabe looked at the young man holding the steel staff before him with some curiosity and asked for his name.
A figure also emerged in his mind; looking closely at this guy's appearance, he seemed to bear some resemblance to Xie Lu from The Young Master Chef.
And he also used a steel staff.
Could this guy be his descendant?
"I am Shell. It was wrong of me not to introduce myself earlier. Come to think of it, I haven't asked for your name either. May I ask for your distinguished name?"
Hearing Okabe's inquiry, Shell realized he hadn't asked for his name yet, which was a very impolite display in a duel.
He had been dizzy with anxiety and had actually forgotten such an important matter, so he hurriedly added a self-introduction and asked for the other's name at the same time.
"I am Okabe."
"This is Erina Nakiri, and next to her is her secretary, Hisako Arato. And the lady who entertained you earlier is named Ikaros.
If you want to compete, please move with us. I'll take you to our home, and I'll compete with you there."
Okabe briefly introduced himself and the people around him.
Then he looked up at the empty street and the stall that was mostly packed up, with very few ingredients left, so he made his suggestion to Shell.
Return to Ryozanpaku and conduct the cooking duel in Ryozanpaku's kitchen. The stoves there are tidy, and the ingredients are plentiful—conditions far better than here.
"Okabe? A nice name. And Miss Erina, Miss Hisako, and Miss Ikaros. In that case, let's hurry to your house!"
Shell said with a face full of excitement. He couldn't wait to duel with Okabe, wondering what kind of dish this kid could serve up!
"Then let's set off."
Seeing that packing was mostly done, Okabe looked at the handle at the front of the cart, placed his hands behind his back on it, and pulled it, striding towards Ryozanpaku.
This was also a form of exercise for physical fitness.
Of course, the main subjects of the exercise were Erina Nakiri and Hisako Arato; pushing the cart over time could train the coordinated strength of their upper and lower limbs.
Moreover, this part of the training was subtle; until they pushed the cart back to Ryozanpaku, Erina and Hisako wouldn't realize they had just completed a set of training.
So, it wouldn't produce physiological resistance.
"You guys rest, I'll help you push."
Seeing Okabe run to the front to pull the cart, while Erina Nakiri and Hisako Arato guarded the rear and pushed hard, and Ikaros symbolically steadied the cart body,
Shell didn't hesitate. He placed the steel staff in his hand onto the cart, then stepped forward to tell Erina Nakiri and Hisako Arato to step aside, actively helping out.
"Thank you."
"That's a big help."
At this, Erina Nakiri and Hisako Arato were clearly somewhat surprised, but they didn't refuse.
After letting go, they moved to Okabe's left and right, walking alongside him.
"Have you decided? Are you really going to accept the challenge from this guy of unknown origin?"
Stealing a glance at Shell helping to push the cart from behind, Erina Nakiri took a deep breath, then lowered her voice to ask. Her amber eyes were filled with wariness.
"Actually, I noticed him from the beginning. Seeing him peeking around the street corner, waiting until Lady Erina finished the fried noodles before actively coming over.
At first, I thought he was up to something—after all, holding a steel staff is quite scary—but I was relatively calm because you were there.
Now it seems that challenging you might have been his true objective all along!"
A hint of seriousness appeared on Hisako Arato's face. As she spoke, she sized Shell up out of the corner of her eye; the other party's muscles were bulging, and he pushed the cart effortlessly.
Regardless...
For a guy of unknown origin to suddenly pop up and challenge them while they were setting up a stall, with no foreshadowing whatsoever—anyone would find that strange!
"A guy of unknown origin, huh..."
"I actually think he's a pure chef, and challenging me is just the simple joy of a hunter finding prey.
As for that steel staff in his hand, if I'm not mistaken, it should be the rolling pin he uses to make flour-based cuisine. For powerful Dim Sum masters, the rolling pin is their second life; they won't let it leave their side easily."
Thinking of the steel staff in Shell's hand and his surname, although Okabe didn't like trouble, he wouldn't refuse a challenge from a pure cooking enthusiast.
He also really wanted to see...
What kind of flour-based cuisine this Dim Sum master who traveled to Japan, the descendant of Xie Lu, would actually make!?
"Whatever, bring him to Ryozanpaku.
With the Masters there, even if he has sky-high abilities, he won't be able to do anything!"
Hearing Okabe's words, Erina Nakiri felt somewhat helpless, then sighed softly, deciding to adopt a more conservative method.
"Indeed, let's go back to Ryozanpaku first."
Hisako Arato also nodded in agreement.
Once back at Ryozanpaku, even if the other party truly had ill intentions, with the Masters' intervention, there was no way he could target Okabe.
Thinking of this, the two held onto the sides of the food cart, one on the left and one on the right, exerting force together to speed up.
"We're here. Let's go in."
Twenty minutes later.
The group of five successfully arrived at Ryozanpaku.
"Is this where you live?"
Removing his hands from the food cart and looking at the towering mountain gate before him, Shell's expression clearly stiffened; he evidently hadn't expected Okabe's home to be here.
Although it was on a hill, to own such a large courtyard in the Shibuya district where land was worth its weight in gold, the owner of this house was definitely no ordinary person.
It was no wonder this young man before him didn't look old yet possessed such exquisite Dim Sum skills!
"That's right, please follow me."
Hearing Shell's voice, Okabe nodded slightly, then pushed open the main gate of Ryozanpaku and led him inside, leaving the food cart parked at the entrance for convenient retrieval tomorrow.
"Okabe-kun, you're back."
Hearing the noise from the main gate, Miu Fūrinji, who had finished her chores and was preparing to return to her room to rest, stopped in her tracks, then turned and came forward to greet them.
"This gentleman is..."
Suddenly, she saw Shell standing behind Okabe, and her voice held a hint of confusion.
The person before her wasn't old, had regular features, a healthy wheat-colored complexion, and muscles bulging high all over his body; he was currently sizing up Ryozanpaku with curiosity.
"Shell. A man aspiring to become the world's number one Dim Sum Master. I am traveling the world, currently in Japan, preparing to seek out powerful Dim Sum masters to challenge."
Hearing Miu Fūrinji's curious voice, Shell looked at her and introduced himself generously.
"A Dim Sum master traveling in Japan?"
"That's right. To inherit my ancestor's dying wish, we of the Xie family begin traveling after the age of 15, and we won't return until we have defeated 100 experts in the field of Dim Sum!"
Shell held the iron rod high, and only then did everyone notice the countless stars on the front end of the iron rod.
"These marks are...?"
Erina Nakiri looked at the star marks on Shell's steel staff, a look of incomprehension on her face.
"Could it be the number of opponents he has defeated!?"
A flash of insight struck her mind, and combining it with Shell's words just now, Hisako Arato voiced her guess, then couldn't help but be startled by it.
So many stars—how many powerful Dim Sum experts did he have to defeat to get them!
"Every time I defeat a first-rate Dim Sum master, I carve a mark of defeat on here. This is also passed down in our family for generations."
Hearing their voices, Shell explained.
However, because he hadn't yet reached the Special-Grade level, the ones he had challenged in recent years were all chefs below Special-Grade—that is, the disciples of those Dim Sum Masters!
The day he became a Special-Grade Chef, he would walk the old path again and defeat those Dim Sum Masters as well! Using that to further advance himself.
Of course, the road ahead was not smooth sailing.
Beside the shining stars on the steel staff, there were also a few dim, grey ones.
"Miss Wang, the daughter of the Head Chef at the Shanghai Century Building; Monk Xuan Zhen, the disciple of the Noodle Emperor at Jing'an Temple; Mr. Fujino, the owner of a Japanese Wagashi shop.
Every star here represents a figure as brilliant as the stars themselves!"
Looking at the stars shining under the moonlight, Shell's voice was filled with nostalgia and pride; these were the proofs of his battles with experts.
"He actually defeated so many formidable guys.
He only looks about seventeen or eighteen! Just when did he start traveling and achieving these amazing accomplishments!?"
As Shell's voice faded, the scene fell into a brief silence.
The group looked at the dozens of shining stars on the end of his steel staff, as if seeing those extremely intense cooking duels through them.
What kind of cuisine could a chef like this serve in a competition!?
"Let's battle, kid. I won't misjudge. While you were pulling the noodles, I observed you kneading the dough using a unique technique of alternating hands in a spiral.
Such a kneading technique greatly enhances the dough's elasticity; I confirmed this when I tasted the dish.
If I'm not guessing wrong, the move you used should be the legacy left behind by the Dim Sum King, Luo Gen, who fought my ancestor over a hundred years ago!
Legend has it that he passed away in Japan, and before he died, he adopted a boy and a girl and taught them his life's learning."
Shell stared at Okabe with piercing eyes, recounting a little-known story; this was information only known to families of flour-based cuisine lineages.
Every year, Dim Sum geniuses would travel to Japan, attempting to find the legacy left by Luo Gen and inherit his title of Dim Sum King.
"So, this is a duel of fate!"
The steel staff rose again, pointing straight at Okabe's face.
This was the fundamental reason he absolutely had to challenge Okabe.
Not for anything else, but simply to experience the feeling his ancestor had when facing the Dim Sum King, Luo Gen, a hundred years ago.
Although he was far less powerful than his ancestor, the young man before him was not Dim Sum King Luo Gen either.
As inheritors of both sides' skills.
They would conduct a cooking duel a hundred years later!
"How truly interesting. Then let me be the judge."
A burst of light laughter came from the rear of the courtyard. Akisame Koetsuji emerged from the woods behind them at some point, coming between the two.
"Master Akisame."
Seeing Akisame Koetsuji, Okabe, Erina Nakiri, and the others immediately stepped forward to greet him, their expressions exceptionally respectful.
"I heard your conversation just now.
To travel the world with a steel staff before coming of age, aiming to defeat the disciples of major Dim Sum Masters.
Only the Xie family, the flour-based cuisine lineage from Shanxi, China, has the boldness to let their descendants do such a thing."
Akisame Koetsuji turned his gaze to Shell, looking at his confident appearance, his voice carrying obvious appreciation.
"Who is your father?"
"My father is Xie Jian."
Akisame Koetsuji's sudden question made Shell's expression freeze for a moment, then as if realizing something, he answered with a respectful expression.
"It really is him. You look very much like your father."
Hearing Shell's answer, Akisame Koetsuji revealed an expression that said 'as expected'.
"'One soup, one noodle, savoring the true essence.'
His Dim Sum leaves a very deep impression.
Even though he uses no more than five ingredients, he can present the food's most inherent flavor through ultimate combination.
This skill of turning complexity into simplicity is truly formidable."
"Eh? Can you make top-tier cuisine using no more than five ingredients?"
As soon as Akisame Koetsuji's voice fell, surprised expressions appeared on the faces of Erina Nakiri and the others.
The higher class the cuisine, the more ingredients are required.
This was common knowledge even a three-year-old knew.
Taking the simplest seaweed and egg drop soup as an example, making it requires three ingredients: eggs, seaweed, and dried shrimp—and that's not even counting the seasonings.
"Precisely so."
"True cooking masters can often reveal the truth in extreme simplicity.
Master Xie Jian's Dim Sum skills can stimulate the truest flavor of the wheat through precise control of the dough's gluten, moisture, and fermentation time."
Akisame Koetsuji wore a faint smile on his face, seeming to recall events from the past.
"I didn't expect to meet a bosom friend of my father in a place like this. Listening to them call you Master Akisame... could your Excellency be the Philosophical Dim Sum Master, Akisame Koetsuji?"
Shell looked at the man before him, dressed entirely in plain white kimono, looking quite young.
He vaguely remembered Okabe and Erina Nakiri calling him Master Akisame just now.
In that case, the identity of the person before him was ready to come out.
"That's right, it is I."
Seeing Shell guess his identity straight away, Akisame Koetsuji didn't find it surprising.
The circle of flour-based cuisine was only so big; after becoming a Special-Grade Chef, even if they hadn't met, they knew of each other and had left resounding names in the world.
Moreover, more than a decade ago, Xie Jian had challenged Akisame Koetsuji, and the two had ended in a draw back then.
"Fifteen years ago, Master Xie Jian and I fought for three days at Xiangji Temple without a victor. Now, my disciple and his son are also going to conduct a cooking duel at Ryozanpaku. I must say, it truly is fate."
Looking at the stars on Shell's steel staff, Akisame Koetsuji's voice rang out, carrying a bit of sentimentality.
"So that's it. Three days and three nights without a winner... so the single half-star on my father's steel staff was left by you."
Hearing Akisame Koetsuji's words, Shell seemed to think of something, a shocked expression appearing on his face.
When he had asked his father why there was a spot with only half a star on his steel staff, his father had merely smiled without answering, telling him he would understand in the future.
"It seems there's one more reason why I can't lose this cooking duel today.
I really didn't expect that a young man selling fried noodles at a random stall in Shibuya would be Master Akisame's personal disciple.
This Japan is truly a gathering place for the modern younger generation. This trip was worth it!"
Thinking of today's somewhat fantastical encounter, the gaze Shell cast upon Okabe carried deep emotion.
"I can't pretend I didn't hear that."
"If you have a reason you can't lose, so do I. Since neither of us will yield to the other, let's let pure cooking do the talking!"
Facing Shell's repeated provocations, Okabe naturally couldn't act like a coward. At this moment, his eyes peered at the other party like knives.
"That's the spirit I want. If you were timid, I would actually find it boring."
Seeing Okabe's eyes turn sharp in an instant, the corners of Shell's mouth raised slightly, and the fighting spirit in his heart rose to its peak at this moment.
"Is the theme flour-based cuisine? Are there any restrictions or the like?"
Thinking of the content of this contest, Okabe asked.
"In people's habitual perception, flour-based cuisine usually refers to various types of noodles, but noodles are too common, which makes it a bit uninteresting.
Let's simply make the theme 'Making a flour-based dish that is NOT related to noodles' today."
Shell rubbed his chin and pondered for a moment.
"'Making a flour-based dish that is NOT related to noodles'?"
The three people besides Okabe spoke almost in unison, looking at Shell with surprised expressions. Many dishes floated into their minds, and their hearts filled with anticipation.
"That's right. All along this journey, when everyone talks about flour-based cuisine, they always love to mention noodles. While noodles are certainly an indispensable major category of flour-based cuisine, occasionally I want to step out of my comfort zone and make flour-based dishes other than noodles."
Seeing the surprised expressions of the three, Shell spoke his thoughts.
As a descendant of the Xie family from Shanxi, his craftsmanship in making noodles was superb; in comparison, other things appeared somewhat ordinary.
The only thing he could present before everyone was the Golden Ratio Shao Mai, but that was his ancestor's dish, and under normal circumstances, he wouldn't bring it out in a cooking duel.
"I see. I have no problem with that. Let's go with that theme. Let's go to the Dim Sum Workshop."
Lowering his head to think for a moment, Okabe nodded slightly.
Shell was absolutely right. When discussing flour-based cuisine, everyone would subconsciously think of noodles, thereby ignoring other dishes primarily made of flour.
Over the past few years, the quantity of noodles he made was obviously higher than others. Clearly, there were so many choices, yet he kept choosing noodles.
Biscuits, Shao Mai, meat buns, dumplings, steamed buns, etc., are all very classic flour-based dishes.
Extending further down, one could divide them into countless small branches.
As an existence famous alongside the Red Case (Stove/Meat/Vegetable cooking), the richness of the White Case (Dim Sum/Pastry/Flour cooking) has never been less than the Red Case, it's just that pitifully few people can master it.
"Mm."
Hearing Okabe's words, Shell nodded slightly.
The group of seven walked towards the Dim Sum Workshop.
"You may use the ingredients here as you please. The only requirement is that you cannot waste them."
Turning on the lights of the Dim Sum Workshop and smelling the familiar scent of wheat in the air, Akisame Koetsuji's gaze fell on Shell, who was constantly sizing up the environment, and he couldn't help but remind him. The thing he hated most in his life was people who wasted food.
"Rest assured, Master Akisame. We know the rules of the kitchen. I wonder where the flour vat is?"
Although there were dozens of bags of flour in the back, juniors wouldn't use that much material. Just bringing out the flour vat and having each person scoop a ladle of flour would be about right.
"It's placed in the cool place under the stove."
Shell took out the flour vat according to Akisame Koetsuji's instructions, then used the large ladle inside to scoop up a spoonful of flour and pour it onto the kneading board. He reached out, grabbed a handful, and gently rubbed it.
"What is he doing?"
Such a bewildering action immediately aroused the curiosity of Erina Nakiri and the others. They gathered around Akisame Koetsuji in unison and asked curiously.
"He is feeling the quality of the flour."
Akisame Koetsuji explained faintly.
"Feeling the quality of the flour?"
Hisako Arato nodded slightly, her expression puzzled. Isn't flour just flour?
Could he be judging whether the flour used at Ryozanpaku is aged or new? But this flour was bought within the last three months, so it shouldn't be a big issue.
"Is it Japanese domestic wheat? Not bad."
As the flour fell 'swoosh swoosh' from his fingertips, a relieved look appeared on Shell's face.
Watching Shell's actions and thinking of Akisame Koetsuji's explanation just now, Erina Nakiri clapped her hands together, revealing an expression of sudden realization.
"What? Lady Erina, what did you understand?!"
Now Hisako Arato was even more confused. Because all her energy was focused on medicinal cuisine, her understanding of flour-based cuisine existed only on the surface.
"Protein."
Erina Nakiri slowly spat out the word.
"Because of the growth cycle and climate in Japan, usually only one season of wheat is planted on the same piece of land within a year. This is known in agriculture as single-cropping wheat."
Her finger waved slightly in the air. Seeing that Hisako Arato still had that look of not understanding, Erina Nakiri continued to educate her: "Simply put, for wheat with a long growth cycle, the formation of its starch and protein is more sufficient and complete.
Besides that, its water absorption is stronger. In other words, the flour-based food made from it will have a chewier texture. This is an advantage that double-cropping or even triple-cropping wheat does not possess."
"That's right. It is worth mentioning that wheat in Northern China is usually single-cropping or three crops every two years, so the noodles made from it taste better. This is one of the reasons Northerners like to eat noodles.
Wheat in the South is mostly double-cropping or even triple-cropping. Its internal protein content is low, and the texture of the flour-based food made from it is relatively inferior.
The main source of its deliciousness lies in the toppings. In terms of toppings alone, Southern toppings are richer than Northern ones, but the resilience of Northern noodles crushes the South."
Hearing Erina Nakiri's voice and sensing the curious gazes of the others, Shell spoke of the knowledge he had gained traveling various places over these years.
Although the fundamental reason for the difference in staple foods between North and South lies in productivity and habits formed over long-term living, texture and taste are definitely indispensable parts of the loop as well.
____
New Story: Stardew Valley: What Do You Mean They All Became My Servants
✅ Read up to 40 chapters in advance (all stories)!
✅ Access exclusive posts and updates first!
Let's achieve our community goals:
🎯 100 Powerstones = +1 extra chapter for everybody
🚀 180 MEMBERS = +5 additional chapters on ALL STORIES!
👻 P - Walnutchan