Gourmet Hunter - Chapter 336 (Patreon)

Chapter 336: I Have No Money

Perhaps it was because the guests present were well-versed in the rules, the explanation by the mustachioed man was not very detailed. However, the main rules were clear.

If one could remove the poison sac from the sea urchin pufferfish, the rewards would be substantial. Conversely, if one failed, they would be forced to purchase the failed sea urchin pufferfish. This was the primary rule of "the skillful gain."

From the perspective of profits and risks, it was clearly a worthwhile venture. After all, these were ten sea urchin pufferfish. Successfully removing the poison sacs would result in a large sum of money, while failure would only require a payment of one to two million Jenny.

This rule emphasized the value of skill rather than the product itself.

A perfectly de-poisoned sea urchin pufferfish and a failed one were worlds apart in price.

Participants without sufficient skills were essentially gambling on profits, and the fish market’s "the skillful gain" rule was a gamble as well. If someone could successfully remove the poison sacs, even giving up half the profits would far exceed the value of ten failed products.

However, the little girl took the lead, turning the careful decision-making into child's play.

The mustachioed man looked at the girl who stepped onto the stage, his face showing displeasure. He said in a deep voice, "Menchi, this is not a place for your antics."

Clearly, he recognized the girl by name.

"The skillful gain rule has no age limit," Menchi retorted, her big eyes unyielding.

"But the price of failure is not something you can afford," the mustachioed man replied.

If the removal of the poison sac failed, one would have to purchase the sea urchin pufferfish for around 1.5 million Jenny. Of course, those familiar with the black market could resell it there to recover some costs.

However, a girl of her age likely didn’t have the skill to remove the poison sac, nor had she ever dealt with the black market, meaning the risk she bore was extreme.

"I won’t fail," Menchi said defiantly.

Where did her confidence come from?

The mustachioed man was troubled. Although he knew Menchi’s talent was extraordinary, especially in handling ingredients, this was a sea urchin pufferfish, not just any seafood.

Menchi might have theoretical knowledge, but practical execution was another matter.

"One and a half million," the mustachioed man said, quoting the number.

Menchi felt a moment of hesitation but quickly steadied herself, meeting the mustachioed man’s gaze with determination.

Seeing that Menchi was resolute, the mustachioed man stopped trying to dissuade her. Most of the items in the "the skillful gain" auction ended in failure, especially precious ones like the sea urchin pufferfish.

He shifted his gaze to the audience, asking, "Are there any other guests willing to try?"

Soon, a man in a chef’s uniform stepped forward from the crowd, as if he had just come from a restaurant kitchen. Shortly after, another man, around thirty, carrying a kitchen knife and looking unremarkable, also stepped forward.

In total, there were three participants willing to try: Menchi, the chef, and the man with the kitchen knife.

Both the guests and the fish market organizers hoped that one of the participants could successfully remove the poison sac from the sea urchin pufferfish.

The sea urchin pufferfish was graded between C and B as an ingredient, and a perfect removal of the poison sac would grant it a B grade.

Luo watched the three on stage and decided not to join the commotion. He had already eaten sea urchin pufferfish and didn’t have a strong need for it. However…

"Is this the same Menchi?"

Luo’s gaze focused on the girl.

In the original Hunter Exam, she appeared as an examiner, hailed as the youngest one-star gourmet hunter.

And the man with the kitchen knife looked familiar, though Luo couldn’t recall where he had seen him before.

On the auction stage, the mustachioed man had the staff bring three stone worktables filled with tools.

"Fail once, and you lose your qualification," he reminded, then asked, "Who will go first?"

"Of course, me!" Menchi stepped forward.

She was the first to sign up, and the other two had no objections.

Under everyone’s watchful eyes, Menchi approached the U-shaped stone worktable, but she found her height didn’t match the table. She asked the staff for a small stool.

The audience burst into laughter at this sight.

Luo sighed. At such a young age, daring to try was impressive. However, the nature of the task was extraordinary, and age would inevitably become a point of ridicule.

If this girl was indeed the Menchi from the original story, Luo believed she had a chance of success. But most people in the venue likely didn’t share this belief.

"Thud!"

The sound of a kitchen knife hitting the cutting board rang out. Menchi brandished her knife, angrily shouting, "What are you laughing at? Believe it or not, I’ll cut you all down with one swing!"

"…" Luo was speechless. It was likely that this was indeed Menchi.

Seeing Menchi’s fierce demeanor and her calling herself "old lady" at such a young age, the venue fell silent for a moment, then erupted in even louder laughter. Menchi nearly jumped off the stage in anger, but the mustachioed man stepped in to calm the crowd.

From that moment, most people’s mindset shifted to watching for entertainment, regretting that the sea urchin pufferfish would likely be the first failure.

Clearly, they did not believe Menchi could succeed. Spending 1.5 million Jenny for a chance was seen as buying a lesson.

The staff prepared a stool for Menchi and placed the spiny sea urchin pufferfish on the worktable.

Once everything was ready, Menchi chose a handy kitchen knife, stood on the stool, and examined the dangerous sea urchin pufferfish closely. Her eyes sparkled with excitement.

"This is the sea urchin pufferfish."

Menchi thought, the theory of removing the poison sac circling in her mind.

"First, remove the spines."

She muttered to herself, fully concentrating, her young face serious and stern.

The knife flashed, and many couldn’t see clearly before four-foot-long spines fell off. Menchi swung her arms, performing a dazzling array of moves, swiftly removing the spines from the sea urchin pufferfish.

Quickly, the sea urchin pufferfish became a bald meatball, its previous dangerous aura vanished.

Menchi’s knife skills changed everyone’s view. Even the other two participants on stage were full of admiration.

The once noisy venue fell silent, all eyes on the small girl.

Maybe… she could succeed?

Luo looked at the spines Menchi had cut off, sighing inwardly. Removing the spines certainly made things easier, but it also increased the difficulty of removing the poison sac. Overall, the first step of removing the spines increased the chances of failure.

Removing the poison sac was like defusing a bomb. One wrong move would result in total failure.

Menchi ignored the surrounding gazes, fully immersed in removing the poison sac. She started the first step of dissection, cutting the skin with horizontal and vertical strokes, each move pleasing to the eye.

As Menchi demonstrated her extraordinary knife skills, more people began to believe she might succeed.

However, just as many began to hold hope, a faint puff sound was heard. Menchi stopped, looking awkwardly at the mustachioed man.

She had failed.

"I regret to inform you, you owe 1.5 million Jenny for this sea urchin pufferfish," the mustachioed man sighed inwardly, feeling a bit regretful.

Menchi put down the knife, saying decisively, "I have no money."

The mustachioed man raised an eyebrow, saying, "That’s your problem. Find a way to solve it."

"It can only be that way."

Menchi nodded, then seriously said, "My solution… is to run!"

Before her words were finished, she dashed to the left side of the stage, moving swiftly and agilely.

This unexpected move stunned most people, including the mustachioed man, who thought, "You can run, but you can’t hide."

Luo sighed, Menchi continually surprised him, but he also saw her extraordinary skills and speed.

At this moment, the man with the kitchen knife on stage moved, swiftly catching Menchi.

"Those who evade responsibility are trash. Do you think you are?" the man asked Menchi calmly.

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