"Onii-chan, what is this?" Thinking this, Miu asked curiously.
"This is a Puffer Whale, a dream whale known as the [Deep Sea Delicacy]. Its originally huge body is compressed by deep-sea pressure to the size of a pufferfish. The delicious essence within is thus concentrated into an ultimate flavor."
"Every part of the Puffer Whale has value for consumption. Its skin, when dried, remains fresh for over a century. Its tongue is condensed from top-grade fat... when heated, it becomes smooth oil that doesn't spoil for a year and can be used repeatedly for frying. Its entrails strengthen yang... eating them gives you the energy for ten days without sleep or rest."
"Also, its dorsal fin and other fins are very precious for making broth and steeping wine. The most important and most delicious part is the meat on its back. It's pink, with a sweet flavor and a very chewy texture, letting you experience the taste of heaven."
Hearing Miu's question, Takeru explained quickly. As he spoke, he could hardly resist the urge to officially taste its deliciousness.
"Onii-chan, is it even more delicious than BB Popcorn and Rainbow Jelly?" Hearing Takeru's words, Miu was greedily swallowing saliva.
Filo's mouth was already watering, dripping from the corner of her lips. If Raphtalia hadn't stopped her, she might have run over and swallowed the whole Puffer Whale.
"It's hard to say specifically. But we'll find out soon. Also, although the Puffer Whale's taste is extremely sweet, it is also a very difficult ingredient to prepare. It contains a 'poison sac' with the most potent poison. The location of the poison sac is different for each Puffer Whale. From the moment you cut open the fish until you can see the poison sac, the dozens to hundreds of steps of knife work and then removing the sac by hand cannot have a single mistake."
"Not to mention cooking, even catching them has already stumped countless people. The Puffer Whale is extremely timid. If you approach or touch it rashly, it might cause its poison sac to erupt, completely losing its value for consumption."
Looking at the expectant crowd, Takeru spoke again. Hearing Takeru's words, everyone calmed down. However, they believed Takeru could definitely dissect it.
Then, Takeru's expression became focused. He took out the Ever-Soul Knife and smoothly dissected the Puffer Whale.
Using a seemingly rough but actually very delicate technique, he intactly removed the poison sac. His speed was so fast and his skill so proficient that the unconscious Puffer Whale hadn't even realized its poison sac had been removed.
After removing the poison sac, Takeru stored it away, planning to use it for an attribute-less slime to devour. Perhaps it could cultivate a slime even stronger than the Venom Slime.
"Alright, now it's your turn." Then, Takeru handed the remaining two Puffer Whales to Ram and Rem for dissection.
Hearing this, they took a deep breath and took out the kitchen knives Takeru had made for them.
After a moment of preparation, using their detection abilities to assist, they quickly located the poison sac. With a swift cut, they perfectly sliced through all the meat without harming the poison sac.
Then, they carefully removed the poison sac. However, during the removal, Ram made a mistake, directly rupturing the sac. Instantly, the poison corroded the entire Puffer Whale.
Seeing the Puffer Whale turn purple, everyone knew Ram had failed in her preparation. Their expressions became very regretful. Ram blamed herself.
"I'm sorry, Takeru-sama. Ram has disappointed you." Thinking this, Ram lowered her head, looking ready to accept punishment.
"If you fail, learn from the experience and don't make the same mistake next time. For a first attempt at Puffer Whale, only making a small mistake is already very good. Now, let's try again."
Gently stroking Ram's head, Takeru signaled her not to be discouraged. Then, he directly used time reversal magic, easily reversing the Puffer Whale's time and restoring it to its un-prepared state.
"This is..." Seeing the poison-filled Puffer Whale restored to its original state, Ram was a bit surprised. The others were also amazed.
Tohru and the others had sensed Takeru cast a spell, but didn't know what it was.
They didn't delve deeper. Takeru had already created too many miracles... one more wouldn't spark much curiosity.
Seeing the Puffer Whale return to normal, Ram adjusted her state again. With the experience from the first time, she now performed very proficiently. In less than ten seconds, she had prepared the Puffer Whale.
As Ram and Rem successfully prepared their Puffer Whales, they slowly emitted a golden light, leaving everyone watching stunned.
"Onii-chan, why didn't the fish you prepared change?" Soon, Miu noticed the difference and asked.
"This is because it doesn't realize its poison sac has been removed. If I keep it alive, it could even live for another year." Hearing this, Takeru explained with a smile.
After explaining, without waiting for everyone's surprise, Takeru lightly tapped it, causing the Puffer Whale to completely die. It also turned golden.
Then, Takeru, Ram, and Rem acted again, thoroughly dissecting the Puffer Whales before them.
Every part was perfectly dissected. Since different parts had different uses and were very valuable, they shouldn't be wasted. Besides, they had the ability not to waste them.
After dissecting, Takeru cut the back meat into sashimi. He collected the rest of the parts and stored them in his item bar, planning to cook them later.
After plating three portions of translucent, thin-sliced Puffer Whale sashimi, he thought for a moment, put one portion away, and directly brought the other two portions to the dining table outside. Everyone looked at the sashimi with expressions of immense anticipation.
"With gratitude to all the ingredients in the world, Itadakimasu." Putting his hands together and speaking softly, Takeru quickly picked up several slices with his chopsticks and began chewing.
"So fresh and sweet! And this special texture, it's really delicious! And the more I chew, the richer the flavor."
Chewing the Puffer Whale, Takeru unconsciously closed his eyes. Especially its unique chewiness, more chewy than gum. And because the more it was chewed, the sweeter it became, he unconsciously wanted to chew it to pieces.
As for Miu and the others, after Takeru moved his chopsticks, they each picked up a slice and put it in their mouths. They instantly succumbed to the ultimate deliciousness. Everyone chewed the Puffer Whale sashimi in unison, not saying a word.
After a few minutes, Takeru swallowed the sashimi. The powerful energy instantly erupted, causing Takeru's muscles to unconsciously bulge. This was visible, tangible strengthening.
The others experienced similar effects. Besides feeling their strength increase, the Puffer Whale's ultimate deliciousness moved them deeply.
"So delicious! Filo loves this!" Filo held her cheeks in her hands, speaking with excitement.
The others also showed expressions of immense enjoyment. Even Raphtalia, Rifana, and the others couldn't help but shed tears because of the deliciousness.
Finally, most of the sashimi ended up in Takeru's stomach. The others ate a small portion.
Although they didn't eat much, the energy contained in the sashimi was enough to make them feel extremely energetic, their fatigue completely vanished.
Then, using this burst of energy, everyone went back to their rooms to meditate...
Soon, it was the next day.
Waking up early, Takeru felt his strength and constitution had increased again. This meant the Puffer Whale's energy had caused his Gourmet Cells to evolve further.
Getting up, he quietly slipped out of bed. After a quick wash, he went outside and saw Ram, Rem, and Tohru busy in the kitchen. Tohru was learning.
"Takeru-sama, good morning!" Seeing Takeru approach, the three greeted him with smiles.
"Good morning, Ram, Rem, and Tohru." Hearing this, Takeru nodded to them with a smile.
"Takeru-sama, are you also cooking today?" Then, Ram asked curiously.
"Yes. The previous dishes are mostly gone." Hearing Ram's words, Takeru nodded gently.
"Takeru-sama, let us help you!" Hearing Takeru's words, Rem volunteered.
After learning Food Honor, she was confident she could help Takeru.
"Okay, then let's do it together." Seeing Rem's eager expression, Takeru didn't refuse.
Then, Takeru quickly took out the ingredients. But the stored ingredients weren't many, so he needed to go hunt them now. So, Takeru took Ram, Rem, and Tohru into the portable space.