Gourmet Hunter - Chapter 110 (Patreon)

Chapter 110: Swelling Crowds

In the craft of bead knitting, the object of creation is not beads but ropes. Utilizing ropes of blue, white, and red, pearls are knitted into the knots of the ropes, a skill every woman in Mafando must learn. This task is more intricate and demanding than knitting fishing nets.

The elderly lady didn't elaborate on the connection between giving pearls and knitting them. She began teaching the unknowing Sanbica how to knit pearls without further ado.

Like Sanbica, Luo hadn't grasped this underlying meaning either. When he found a black pearl, he immediately thought of Sanbica's eyes. To this day, Luo had not seen Sanbica's face beneath her mask, unclear whether she was traditionally beautiful or not, but her black eyes were beautiful, just like this pearl.

Seeing Luo return to the well, Buhara continued prying open clams, and Luo kept digging for pearls. "That black pearl might sell for tens of millions of Jeeni," Luo said in a voice so low only Buhara could hear.

"Oh."

Buhara replied nonchalantly, focused on prying clams, his mind on his hunger and eager to eat the clam meat. "That's worth tens of millions of Jeeni," Luo reminded him, looking at Buhara.

"Really valuable," Buhara responded indifferently, then went on to pry another drift clam without further discussion. Luo rolled his eyes, realizing that Buhara's obesity wasn't without reason—his eyes probably saw only food, and he valued promises highly.

They had agreed verbally that all pearls found within the clams belonged to him, but such an agreement was not strongly binding. Ordinary people, upon finding a valuable black pearl, would likely claim it as their own. Such a reaction would be normal regarding ownership issues.

However, from Luo giving the black pearl to Sanbica to now deliberately pointing out its potential value, and Buhara showing no reaction from beginning to end as if the black pearl had nothing to do with him, it was evident that Buhara was a person worth deepening ties with.

Luo's mouth curved into a slight smile, then suddenly he asked, "Buhara, want to try other ways to eat drift clams?"

Buhara's eyes lit up, "Is it tastier than chilled clam meat?"

"Probably…" Luo chuckled. Chilled clam meat, thinly sliced and laid on crushed ice, served with a sauce, was the simplest way to eat it. After killing the drift clams, Luo could use the ability of God's Hand to slice all the clam meat thinly in a very short time, so processing dozens of drift clams was not a hassle.

However, Buhara's eating method was more brutish; he didn't taste it piece by piece but grabbed a handful and stuffed it into his mouth, chewing it like potato chips. In essence, Luo felt that slicing the clam meat into thin pieces was unnecessary for Buhara, yet he liked it that way, claiming the texture was very pleasing.

"I want to eat!" Buhara nodded eagerly, saliva almost dripping at the thought. Buhara was a natural foodie, and with him around, the testing trip was bound to be interesting. Luo thought silently, then continued searching for pearls.

Perhaps it was his lucky day; in the last drift clam he dug up, he found a quail egg-sized purple pearl with a captivating luster, very beautiful. "Finally got one." Luo was delighted, putting away the purple pearl, then began processing the drift clams, slicing them according to different recipes, varying the thickness.

Chilled, marinated, stir-fried, steamed, pressed sushi...different recipes required different thicknesses of slices. For a chef to handle so much clam meat with different specifications would be a painstaking task, but for Luo, it was trivial.

"That's amazing." Buhara, seeing Luo slice the clam meat with a flick of his hands, couldn't help but praise, admiration filling his chubby face. After Luo had sliced all the clam meat, he asked Buhara to help bring it to the kitchen, then started cooking.

Buhara, aspiring to be a Gourmet Hunter, was allowed by Luo to assist in the kitchen, closely observing how Luo cooked so much clam meat. This experience was eye-opening for him.

His novice culinary skills were no match for Luo's adept frying and seasoning techniques, leaving him in awe. This reaction was not unusual for Buhara; partly because Luo was younger and partly because his own cooking skills were mediocre. His initial motive to become a Gourmet Hunter was to enjoy delicious food.

If slicing clam meat earned Luo Buhara's respect, his cooking skills now inspired his admiration. Soon, Luo prepared a full clam feast using various methods, including stir-frying, marinating, steaming, and even making sushi.

Luo told Buhara to refrain from sneaking tastes and to call the elderly lady and Sanbica for dinner. When they saw the feast on the table, both were dumbfounded. "Not bad, kid," the elderly lady said, amazed by the aroma.

Sanbica stared at the appetizing and fragrant dishes, filled with surprise. This was her first encounter with Luo's cooking skills, and she realized that his intention to join a culinary competition was not a joke. "See, with these cooking skills, I surely won't starve, so don't force me to learn net knitting," Luo joked with the elderly lady, who shot him a glare before sitting down.

"Can I eat now?" Buhara could hardly stay seated.

"Go ahead," Luo said, as everyone sat down. Buhara, as if a seal was broken, began devouring the feast. "Delicious, so delicious!" In a blink, he had cleared a fifth of the dishes, causing Luo and the others to smile wryly.

The meal was made with great care by Luo in gratitude for Buhara's pearls, and naturally, it tasted excellent, leaving everyone satisfied. After the feast, Luo had Buhara wash the dishes, a task he readily accepted.

Having tasted the feast, Buhara decided to stick with Luo to continue enjoying such meals. Luo, unaware of Buhara's thoughts but pleased with his obedience in doing the dishes, was glad since he disliked cleaning up after cooking.

Later, the elderly lady took Sanbica to learn pearl knitting. Luo, out of curiosity, watched Sanbica's progress with the rope knots, finding them quite beautiful. He learned that these knots were for holding pearls, the art of pearl knitting.

"Sanbica, make sure to learn well, and then help me knit one," Luo said, taking out the beautiful purple pearl. "Hmm," Sanbica nodded.

Pearl knitting is a complex craft that demands meticulous handwork and is difficult to master. Initially, Sanbica was resistant, thinking it a waste of time, but after the elderly lady's instruction, she reluctantly continued.

"Kid, who are you giving that purple pearl to?" the elderly lady suddenly asked. "A friend," Luo replied calmly. "Of the opposite sex?" she inquired. Luo nodded, "Of course." He wouldn't be giving a pearl to a male friend.

The elderly lady looked at him with a peculiar expression. In their tradition, men giving pearls and women knitting them signified a commitment, but if the knitted pearl was to be given away, it bore a different meaning. She thought it best not to inform Luo and Sanbica about the customs of pearl knitting.

A few days later, the day to board the ship arrived. Luo and Buhara reached the port by ten o'clock, with the elderly lady and Sanbica coming to see them off. The trip could last a month or as short as two weeks, with Sanbica staying with the elderly lady until Luo's return.

Boarding time was at eleven, and by then, the port was bustling with candidates coming for the test. Luo estimated there were no fewer than a thousand people, yet only three hundred spots were available for boarding, and the qualifications for boarding were still unknown.

"Luo, Buhara, it's first come, first served," the elderly lady reminded them suddenly.

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