Gourmet Hunter - Chapter 338 (Patreon)

Chapter 338: Tell Me Your Name

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Menchi was determined.

"Believe it or not, I'll try the poison myself. That should be fine, right?"

With hands on her hips, Menchi's posture and demeanor exuded confidence.

That single sentence, combined with her stance, truly stunned everyone.

In the audience, Luo silently smiled wryly, knowing that the method he taught Menchi wasn't about removing the toxin, but rather neutralizing it using a method unknown to most, making it edible.

The difference between neutralizing and removing is that the former alters the original taste and flavor, while the latter does not.

Sea urchin pork is a rather special ingredient. Even if the toxin is neutralized, the taste and flavor, though changed, wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing.

The guests began to discuss Menchi's claim, with many frequently glancing at Luo.

Earlier, Luo had whispered something to Menchi, which many had clearly seen. Now, with Menchi suddenly claiming she could remove the sea urchin pork's toxin, it was definitely related to Luo.

The two staff members stopped and looked at the man with the mustache, waiting for his command.

The man with the mustache signaled with his eyes for the two staff members to step back. He then looked at Menchi and said in a deep voice, "Your previous failure only cost some money. If you fail this time, you might lose your life."

As he spoke, his gaze quickly found Luo's position in the crowd.

Menchi felt a bit uncertain, but it seemed she had no other choice. Originally, she had planned to make a big fortune during the "Skill Showdown" to leave the town and travel the world, seeing and tasting foods she had never encountered before.

She had prepared for a long time, focusing on sea urchin pork because it was highly profitable and could yield a significant sum at once. Who would've thought she'd fail at the last moment?

If given another chance or two, she was confident she could succeed, but the organizers were unlikely to give her more opportunities.

If she couldn't make money, she would just leave and travel on a shoestring budget. But she happened to run into a meddlesome man, otherwise, she would have left already.

Now, she couldn't run away. She could only trust that handsome guy.

"Hmph, I won't die until I become the world's greatest gourmet hunter." Menchi straightened up, then added, "Besides, I have no money."

Her fearless attitude left the man with the mustache speechless. He called for the staff to draft a liability waiver and then said to Menchi, "Alright, I'll give you this chance."

What was supposed to be a grand "Fish Market" event had turned into an exciting gamble due to Menchi's interference. The guests were not impatient but rather eagerly anticipating the outcome.

"Uh, can I start now?"

A weak voice came from the quiet stage.

Following the voice, they saw a man in a chef's uniform standing at the workbench with a sad expression.

It was his turn to try removing the poison sac, but he seemed to be forgotten in the corner because of Menchi's interruption, feeling like a neglected child.

The man with the mustache gave him an apologetic look. Just when the chef thought he could start, he heard the man with the mustache say, "Please wait a bit longer."

The chef silently put down his knife, his sadness having nowhere to go.

Soon, the temporary contract was brought to the stage.

The man with the mustache handed the contract to Menchi.

It was a liability waiver without age restrictions. Once Menchi signed it, she could start removing the toxin and had to taste the result herself. Whether she lived or died would have nothing to do with the organizers.

Of course, the organizers wouldn't just watch. They would have medical staff ready and prepared an antidote for the sea urchin pork toxin, but the antidote couldn't completely eliminate the toxin, leaving some aftereffects.

Menchi glanced at the contract, found the content straightforward, and signed her name without hesitation.

She had nothing to worry about, being all alone. But if she could get through this, it would be the best outcome.

"I need starfish grass and at least five live suction cup worms," Menchi requested after signing the contract.

"Alright."

A trace of surprise flashed in the eyes of the man with the mustache, wondering if these were the key to removing the toxin.

He immediately instructed the staff to prepare the items, but it would take some time, so he had the chef start removing the poison sac.

The previous commotion paused as the second participant began the "Skill Showdown."

Removing the poison sac from sea urchin pork required high skills, and not every chef had the opportunity to handle it. The fact that this chef spent 1.5 million to participate showed his questing spirit.

The chef raised his knife and, like Menchi, first cut off the spines, not knowing that this initial step was a mistake, making it more difficult.

After a while, he dejectedly put down the knife and announced his failure.

The guests felt disappointed. They were here to get deep-sea delicacies, no matter the price, aiming for perfect ingredients.

The chef sighed, took out a bank card, and transferred 1.5 million to the organizers. He didn't leave the stage or take his failed product but stayed to see two outcomes.

One, whether Zizhu could succeed. Two, whether Menchi could succeed.

After the first two participants tried, it was Zizhu's turn. He wasn't affected by the previous drama and calmly approached the workbench, taking out his knife and starting to remove the poison sac.

Swish, swish, swish!

With swift knife movements, the spines fell, showing better knife skills than Menchi.

He carefully dissected the sea urchin pork step by step. After a while, he breathed a sigh of relief and took out the successfully removed poison sac.

The audience burst into applause, and the man with the mustache looked pleased.

Seeing the man's success, Menchi cursed silently: "Fail, fail!"

After succeeding with the first one, Zizhu moved on to the second, which also succeeded, raising the guests' excitement. This meant there would be two perfect sea urchin pork for auction today.

But soon, Zizhu failed with the third one, like a bucket of cold water poured over everyone's enthusiasm.

"You can keep trying," the man with the mustache said respectfully, allowing Zizhu to continue.

"No, the next one will fail too." Zizhu declined and turned to look at Luo.

Noticing Zizhu's gaze, Luo remained calm, as he was just here for the fun.

The man with the mustache was stunned. Despite Zizhu's inconsistency, there might still be a chance for a few more perfect sea urchin pork. But since Zizhu said no, he couldn't force him.

Time passed, and after about fifteen minutes, the items Menchi requested finally arrived.

Seeing everything ready, Menchi took a deep breath and suddenly looked at Luo, shouting with all her might, "Hey, tell me your name so I can find you if I die."

The whole place fell silent. Luo was stunned.

"My name is Luo, but I hope you won't turn into a ghost to find me," he replied helplessly.

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