Multiverse Gourmet Hunter

Once the crowd finally dispersed, Haruto called over one of the Guangzhou Chefs Association staff members who had been helping maintain order nearby.

The man hurried over, only to stare in disbelief when he saw Haruto already packing up his stall.

"Chef Haruto, you’re closing already? There’s still more than half a day left in the competition!"

"Yeah. I’ve sold all my dumplings, so there’s nothing left to do."

Haruto pointed toward the tall stack of serving plates beside the stall.

"Could you take those over to be counted?"

With that taken care of, Haruto straightened his clothes and leisurely set off to explore the rest of the competition.

His first stop was the Beiyuan Restaurant stall, where he tried their signature vegetable dumplings.

The wrappers had been kneaded with spinach juice, giving them a glossy jade-green color. Inside were fresh choy sum, finely chopped water chestnuts, rehydrated shiitake mushrooms, and a small amount of fried tofu skin for extra fragrance.

The result was light and refreshing, every bite filled with the natural sweetness of vegetables.

Next, Haruto visited the Taotao Restaurant stall and sampled their beef dumplings.

They used the most tender hanging tender from local yellow cattle, hand-chopped into filling and seasoned with a small amount of aged tangerine peel to remove any gaminess and brighten the flavor, along with freshly ground black pepper.

The moment Haruto bit through the wrapper, rich meat juices flooded out. The beef itself was springy and tender, while the faint citrus aroma added another layer of complexity.

By the time he reached the Guangzhou Dumpling House, however, disappointment appeared on his face.

They were still serving the same Crown Dumplings he had tasted before.

The flavor was reliable and traditional, but there was absolutely nothing new about them.

Worse, after the commotion caused by the Dumpling Brothers earlier, hardly anyone was paying attention to the Guangzhou Dumpling House at all.

Over at the Dumpling Brothers’ stall, A Lu noticed that Haruto had actually shut down his booth and was now wandering around tasting everyone else’s food.

He let out a quiet breath of relief and nudged Wu Xiong with his elbow.

"Brother... he’s really done?"

Wu Xiong nodded, unable to keep the smile from creeping onto his face.

He had been watching Haruto’s stall constantly, worried that those Golden Broth Dumplings would steal their spotlight.

After all, the line in front of Haruto’s booth had been every bit as long as theirs.

But now Haruto had closed early.

As far as Wu Xiong was concerned, their most dangerous competitor had effectively withdrawn from the race.

The weight hanging over his heart finally disappeared.

Now the championship should be theirs without question.

...

Elsewhere, after leaving Haruto’s stall, Master Lang Wen visited more than a dozen other booths and sampled all kinds of dumplings.

Yet every one of them seemed to be missing something.

Some were far too conservative, offering nothing remotely original.

Others were so obsessed with clever tricks that they forgot the actual flavor of the dumpling.

Some had wrappers that were too thick.

Others used fillings that were excessively greasy.

It was not until Master Lang Wen reached the Dumpling Brothers and tasted their Flame Dumplings that he finally encountered something that genuinely surprised him again.

Unfortunately, when he tried to ask for a second serving, Wu Xiong chased him away.

The problem was simple.

Master Lang Wen looked so scruffy that while he stood in front of the stall, other customers hesitated to approach.

After being driven off, Master Lang Wen suddenly caught another enticing aroma.

Following it, he arrived at the Yangquan Restaurant stall.

There were hardly any customers in front of it at the moment.

Master Lang Wen did not care in the slightest and walked straight over.

"Sir, would you like to try Yangquan Restaurant’s special pan-fried dumplings? They just came out of the pan, so they’re still piping hot!"

Meili immediately greeted him with a smile and enthusiastically offered him a plate.

Master Lang Wen accepted it gratefully, picked up one of the steaming dumplings, and took a bite.

The crisp exterior gave a delicate crunch between his teeth.

The bottom had been fried to a beautiful golden crispness, while the wrapper above remained soft, pleasantly chewy, and faintly sweet.

The instant his teeth broke through the skin, savory juices burst from the filling.

Tender pork, the natural sweetness of onion, and the mellow aroma of chili oil unfolded in layers across his tongue.

Despite the richness, there was no greasiness at all.

If anything, the longer he chewed, the more fragrant it became.

Master Lang Wen savored the flavor for a moment before looking toward Mao.

"I understand now. The aroma I noticed earlier came from the wrapper."

"You replaced the water with stock when making the dough, didn’t you?"

Mao looked at him in admiration.

"Sir, you’re incredible! That’s right. I wanted the wrapper itself to have flavor, so I used stock instead of water."

Master Lang Wen picked up another dumpling and took another bite.

"The wrapper is soft and springy, with that faint natural sweetness... you used yam, didn’t you?"

Mao nodded.

"Exactly."

After getting confirmation, Master Lang Wen took another bite and continued.

"But the cleverest part is still the filling."

"You added pork back fat soaked in chili oil, right?"

"As the dumplings fry, the fat melts into the meat, making the filling more tender and juicy while gradually spreading the aroma of chili oil throughout the pork."

Master Lang Wen looked at Mao with open approval.

These dumplings were fragrant, crisp, juicy, and layered with flavor.

Both the idea behind them and the execution were excellent.

They were genuinely impressive.

...

Meanwhile, Haruto had made his way over to the Dumpling Brothers’ stall.

The moment Wu Xiong saw him approaching, his attitude became remarkably enthusiastic.

"Chef Haruto! What an honor to have you visit our humble stall!"

He immediately offered Haruto a plate of Flame Dumplings.

"Please, help yourself! Eat as many as you like!"

This time, Wu Xiong’s friendliness was completely genuine.

Haruto had stopped cooking early and was no longer producing any more dumplings.

As far as Wu Xiong was concerned, that meant Haruto had withdrawn from the fight for first place.

That was wonderful news.

With such a dangerous competitor out of the way, their chances of winning the Dumpling Contest had increased significantly.

Naturally, Wu Xiong was more than happy to be polite.

Haruto nodded, accepted the plate without unnecessary formalities, and examined the dumplings.

Their appearance was certainly distinctive.

The upper portion of each wrapper had been roasted directly by flame, giving it an attractive golden-brown finish. Combined with the specially shaped folds, the dumplings genuinely resembled flickering flames.

The lower half, meanwhile, had been pan-fried to a crisp golden crust.

The two completely different cooking methods created a striking contrast in texture even before tasting.

Haruto picked up one Flame Dumpling and bit into it.

The flame-roasted upper wrapper was crisp without becoming hard, carrying a gentle toasted fragrance while remaining pleasantly moist.

The pan-fried lower half was much crunchier, breaking apart with a satisfying crackle.

Inside, the meat filling was plump and juicy.

The savoriness of pork blended with the Dumpling Brothers’ secret spice mixture as the juices burst across his tongue.

The contrasting textures of the two halves came together surprisingly well.

Roasted aroma, fried richness, and savory meat unfolded one after another, producing a genuinely distinctive flavor.

"These Flame Dumplings are pretty good."

Haruto offered a simple assessment.

He neither exaggerated his praise nor tried to belittle them.

After finishing, he set down the plate and moved on toward the Yangquan Restaurant stall.

If he waited much longer, he suspected he would eventually have to stand in a very long line just to taste Mao’s dumplings.

"Mao, Meili. Been a while."

Haruto greeted the two as he approached.

"Haruto-san!"

Mao and Meili both brightened when they saw him.

Then Mao looked puzzled.

"Why are you over here, Haruto-san? What about your own stall?"

"I sold out, so I closed up."

Haruto smiled.

"I came over specifically to taste what you two made."

Hearing that, Meili immediately grabbed a plate and offered it to him enthusiastically.

"Then you have to try these! They’re really good!"

"Thanks."

Haruto accepted the plate, picked up one of the pan-fried dumplings, and put it into his mouth.

The crisp bottom, soft yet resilient wrapper, juicy filling, and layers of aroma blended beautifully across his tongue.

Clear approval appeared on Haruto’s face.

He nodded.

"Yeah, these are excellent."

"The wrapper has exactly the right balance of softness and chew. The bottom is crisp without becoming hard, and you kept the juices in the filling perfectly."

"The savoriness of the stock works naturally with the sweetness from the yam, and the chili oil adds aroma without overpowering anything."

"This is a nearly perfect pan-fried dumpling."

Mao scratched his head and laughed awkwardly at the praise.

"Thanks, Haruto-san. I’ve still got a lot to learn."

Before anyone could say more, an unpleasant voice suddenly cut into the conversation.

"Well, well. If it isn’t the famous Yangquan Restaurant."

Wu Xiong strolled over with his arms folded across his chest.

He briefly glanced at Haruto before turning his attention toward Mao and the others.

"Your stall looks awfully deserted."

"Not even a line. How pitiful."

Meili’s face immediately flushed with anger.

"What did you say?!"

"Am I wrong?"

Wu Xiong sneered.

"Though I suppose it isn’t entirely your fault."

"After all, Master Zhou Yu of Yangquan Restaurant had that unfortunate accident right before the competition, didn’t he?"

The words struck exactly where it hurt.

Mao and Meili both went pale with anger.

Nearby, Master Lang Wen watched Wu Xiong with undisguised disappointment in his eyes.

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