Multiverse Gourmet Hunter

Once Mao, Lan Feihong, and Xiao Han had finished tasting Haruto’s dish, Lei Hua spoke again.

"Next, we’ll taste Xiao Han’s."

Xiao Han rose from his seat, looking slightly nervous.

Haruto sat back down and turned his attention to the dish the officials placed before him.

The broth in the bowl was brown, but the noodles beneath were almost completely hidden by a generous layer of fluffy golden scrambled eggs.

"My noodles are made by cutting beef along the grain into long strands and using those in place of ordinary noodles. I topped them with scrambled eggs."

Xiao Han looked at Haruto and the others with confidence.

"Try it. I guarantee it tastes great!"

He had considerable faith in his Scrambled Egg Beef Noodles.

Haruto picked up his chopsticks, lifted a bundle of the beef "noodles" together with some of the fluffy egg, and placed it into his mouth.

The first sensation was an astonishing smoothness.

Despite being made from beef cut along the muscle fibers, the strands slid across his tongue almost like genuine noodles, without the slightest coarse or dragging texture one would expect from meat.

The instant his teeth bit down, the juices locked inside the fibers burst free, filling his mouth with the rich savoriness of beef.

The meat had been properly marinated, removing any unpleasant odor and leaving behind nothing but its pure, full-bodied flavor.

Repeated pounding had loosened the muscle fibers enough to give them exactly the right amount of chew without becoming tough. The more Haruto chewed, the more flavor emerged, with fresh juices releasing from the meat in every bite.

The scrambled eggs were the perfect finishing touch.

Cooked until soft and cloudlike, they nearly melted on contact with the tongue. Their rich egg fragrance had soaked up the beef juices, allowing the flavors of meat and egg to blend seamlessly.

The soft tenderness of the eggs contrasted beautifully with the resilient beef strands, creating an exceptionally satisfying combination of textures.

The broth had been slowly simmered from a large quantity of beef bones. It was clear without being weak and savory without becoming cloudy, supporting the natural flavor of the beef while drawing it out to its fullest.

After swallowing, Haruto nodded in approval.

Xiao Han’s dish had captured the flavor of beef exceptionally well.

Once the three tasters had put down their bowls and chopsticks, Lei Hua spoke again.

"Good. Next is Lan Feihong’s dish."

Mao immediately brightened.

"Finally! I get to taste Fei’s cooking!"

Lan Feihong had helped him several times already, so Mao had been looking forward to trying his food.

The officials soon brought Fei’s dish to the table.

The broth was crystal clear, with translucent noodle-like strands resting quietly within it.

There was no steam rising from the bowl.

"Why isn’t it hot?"

Mao stared down at the dish in confusion.

Lan Feihong gave a brief explanation.

"My dish uses no flour. I steam potatoes, mash them, then press the potato mixture into noodle-shaped strands before serving them in a cold broth."

With that, he gestured for Haruto and the others to taste it.

Haruto did not hesitate.

He lifted a bundle with his chopsticks.

The potato noodles were almost translucent and possessed surprising strength, remaining completely intact even when lifted from the bowl.

The first thing Haruto tasted was the refreshing chill of the broth.

Although it contained a generous amount of chili, serving it cold made the heat remarkably smooth and easy to enjoy.

One mouthful seemed to open every pore in his body.

Then came the texture of the noodles themselves.

Mashed potato should have been soft and fluffy.

Yet in noodle form, it had somehow developed a springy resilience comparable to wheat noodles. The moment Haruto bit down, the strands pushed back against his teeth.

As he chewed, the potato’s mellow, creamy fragrance gradually spread through his mouth. The texture was perfectly smooth, without any graininess or raw starchiness.

Even more interesting was the faint sweetness of pumpkin hidden beneath the potato flavor.

It was subtle enough not to stand out or overwhelm anything, yet it filled in the potato’s naturally mild taste, making the noodles rounder and fuller in flavor with a long, gentle finish.

"Clean, refreshing, and incredibly satisfying."

Haruto gave Fei sincere praise.

"Impressive."

The dish looked simple, but it demonstrated an extraordinarily deep understanding of potatoes. Every step had been executed with precision; even the slightest mistake would have ruined either the texture or flavor.

Mao and Xiao Han eagerly began eating as well.

The springy texture immediately made Mao’s eyes widen.

"How did you make potatoes this elastic?"

Lan Feihong did not hide the technique.

"After steaming and mashing the potatoes, I put the mixture through a noodle press and let the strands fall directly into boiling water."

"Once they’re cooked, I immediately transfer them into ice water to tighten them."

"That gives them their elasticity."

"But if they’re exposed to hot broth afterward, they soften and lose that texture. That’s why I paired them with a cold soup."

Mao’s face lit up with understanding.

"So that’s how it works! That’s amazing!"

After all three finished tasting, Lei Hua moved on without delay.

"Good. The final dish is Mao’s."

Meili immediately became nervous and leaned closer to him.

"I’m getting nervous, Mao! Your noodles are definitely okay, right?"

"Don’t worry. I fixed everything."

Mao answered with complete confidence.

He had already solved the texture problem that ruined his first attempt at fish noodles.

This was the dish he had created with everything he had.

Soon, bowls of Mao’s noodles were placed before Haruto, Lan Feihong, and Xiao Han.

A clean, savory aroma immediately rose from them.

Thin, evenly shaped white noodles rested in the broth beside neat rolls of sea bream, with bright green scallions scattered over the surface.

The entire presentation looked simple and refreshing.

"To match the theme of Noodles, Yet Not Noodles, I used fish to make these Fish-That-Aren’t-Noodles."

Mao introduced the dish seriously.

Lan Feihong’s gaze sharpened at the mention of fish noodles.

Using fish to create noodles certainly fit the theme perfectly.

But fish flesh was naturally soft and delicate. Once shaped into noodles, it should have been impossible to give them the resilience and chew of ordinary noodles.

Xiao Han was thinking the same thing.

Haruto, meanwhile, had already picked up his bowl and taken a sip of the broth.

The sea bream stock was light, clear, and wonderfully fresh.

Mao had simmered the head and bones gently with only a small amount of ginger and scallion to remove any unwanted odor, preserving the fish’s natural sweetness almost completely.

The broth was delicate without being weak and fresh without the slightest hint of fishiness.

Every sip carried the clean taste of the sea.

Haruto then lifted a bundle of fish noodles and put them into his mouth.

They were smooth and delicate at first.

Then, as he chewed—

An astonishing elasticity burst between his teeth.

The resilient texture contrasted sharply with the natural tenderness of fish flesh. Those two qualities merged together before being elevated further by the sweetness of the sea bream broth, creating layers far richer than the simple appearance suggested.

The accompanying sea bream rolls were another excellent touch.

They had been cooked perfectly, tender yet springy, with the sweetness of sea bream mingling with the deeper savoriness of fish and the fresh umami of squid.

Seeing Haruto already eating, Lan Feihong and Xiao Han followed suit.

One bite was enough to make both of their expressions change.

"Fish flesh alone could never have this much elasticity."

Lan Feihong looked genuinely surprised.

No matter how fish was processed, it should not have been capable of producing a noodle-like chew this strong.

Then something occurred to him.

He quickly picked up one strand, tore it open, and carefully examined the cross-section.

Sure enough, something had been inserted through the center of the white fish noodle.

Whatever it was, it was clearly responsible for giving the otherwise soft fish paste its remarkable bite.

"What’s inside?"

Fei looked toward Mao.

"Dried squid."

Mao smiled once his secret had been discovered.

"I soaked dried squid in boiling water until it softened, then sliced it into thin strips."

"After that, I inserted one strip into every single fish noodle."

"The fish paste doesn’t have enough chew by itself, so by giving each strand a squid core, the noodles gain the firmness they were missing."

Xiao Han’s pupils contracted in disbelief.

"Every strand?"

He pulled several noodles apart to check.

Sure enough, every single one contained a strip of squid.

For the first time, Xiao Han looked at Mao with open amazement.

The boy’s talent, creativity, and sheer technical ability were far beyond what he had expected.

Haruto’s expression became rather complicated.

Even though he already knew how this dish was made, seeing it in person still left him unsure what to say.

Fish paste was soft and fragile.

Inserting a single thin strip of squid into every individual noodle required an absurd amount of patience and precision.

In fact, the process was even more troublesome than Haruto’s own Fish-Fragrant Shredded Pork Noodles.

"These are dual-flavor noodles made entirely from fish and squid, served with sea bream broth and sea bream rolls."

Mao smiled confidently.

"It’s a seafood noodle dish made completely from aquatic ingredients."

There was no question that it satisfied the theme of Noodles, Yet Not Noodles.

"You chose fresh fish without any muddy or overly briny taste, and the sea bream broth is excellent as well."

Lan Feihong looked at Mao with genuine surprise.

"To complete such a bold dish under these conditions is remarkable."

His opinion of Mao had clearly risen another level.

As expected of Master Pai’s son.

Haruto nodded in complete agreement, then drank the last mouthful of broth from his bowl and let out a satisfied breath.

The final outcome was still unknown.

But simply getting the chance to taste the dishes created by Mao, Lan Feihong, and Xiao Han had already made this examination worthwhile for Haruto.

Lei Hua stepped in front of the remaining four contestants and looked across them.

"All tasting is now complete."

"We will immediately proceed to the scoring stage."

"Each of you will score the dishes of the other three contestants on a scale of ten."

"Write your final scores on the scrolls provided."

As soon as she finished speaking, officials stepped forward and handed Haruto, Mao, Lan Feihong, and Xiao Han blank scrolls along with brushes and ink.

The four accepted them and fell into thought.

Before long, each contestant began writing down their scores.

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