Shokugeki No Douluo Dalu (Patreon)

Chapter 73: Starting with Sculpting a Ball?

Although Qi Han had the ambition to become a strong warrior, it seemed that the system had no intention of paying attention to him. The kitchen knife Martial Spirit appeared in Qi Han's hand, a white light flew in from an unknown place and merged into the kitchen knife, disappearing in the next moment. Qi Han immediately felt that his martial Spirit had undergone some changes.

With a thought, the kitchen knife's form visibly changed, rapidly shrinking while the blade became narrower and longer, transforming into a sculpting knife.

This transformation followed Qi Han's will completely, and he could easily revert it back to its original kitchen knife form whenever he wanted.

With the sculpting knife in hand, Qi Han picked up a branch from the Longevity Tree with his left hand, examined it left and right, but for a long time, he didn't know where to start.

"System, since I'm practicing sculpture, what should I carve for practice?" Qi Han furrowed his brows and pondered for a moment before his eyes lit up. "How about carving an egg?"

【The host is practicing sculpture, not painting. Start with sculpting a sphere.】

Sphere This thing doesn't seem much different from an egg.

【There's a big difference! Each egg has a unique shape; there are no two identical eggs in the world. But all spheres are exactly the same.】

Indeed, Qi Han understood the system's meaning after a moment of contemplation.

Then let's start with a sphere.

Qi Han initially thought that sculpting a sphere would be an extremely simple task, but when he actually started, he realized that he had greatly underestimated the difficulty of this task.

Carving a smooth-looking sphere wasn't difficult; he just needed to use the sculpting knife to remove all the sharp corners. However, the system's requirements for Qi Han didn't stop at such simplicity. It demanded a geometrically perfect sphere.

The spheres Qi Han sculpted were far from standard; they either had some depressions or protrusions, and they couldn't be considered as standard at all.

What was even more frustrating was that, unlike cooking training, the system didn't interrupt Qi Han during the sculpting process. It only pointed out the mistakes after the carving was complete and required him to start over.

One hour passed in the outside world, but Qi Han had spent two and a half days in the training space, and he still couldn't sculpt a standard sphere according to the system's requirements.

According to the description in "Ghost Sculptor" and the system's instructions, Qi Han could only be considered officially initiated into sculpture if he could carve a standard sphere. Otherwise, he wouldn't even qualify as a beginner.

Stepping out of the training space, Qi Han sighed helplessly and looked up at the price list on the wall. It wasn't until he saw the newly added Kung Pao Chicken price that his frustration was somewhat alleviated.

No matter when, seeing a new price on the menu was a delightful occurrence.

It meant that there was a new dish to attract customers.

His gaze shifted to outside the small shop, and Qi Han's eyes slightly narrowed. Although he already knew that tonight, Ying Shuang would be replacing Fu Ya in helping at the shop, seeing Ying Shuang dressed in a maid outfit, standing outside the shop waiting, still came as a bit of a surprise to Qi Han.

Surprisingly, it suited her quite well.

Ying Shuang had always appeared before others in tough clothing, with a fiery personality. However, now that she was wearing a maid outfit, she seemed to have lost some of her fiery demeanor and gained a bit of a refined and elegant charm. This change was rather unexpected for Qi Han.

Walking to the entrance of the small shop, Qi Han smiled at Ying Shuang, who was staring at him with wide eyes. "Come on in."

Ying Shuang entered the small shop, her eyes sparkling as she observed the empty interior.

She had been to the small shop more than a dozen times before, but this was her first time entering as a waitress, and she was feeling a bit of novelty at the moment.

At noon, Ying Shuang had already come to the small shop for a meal and witnessed the astonishing sight of the Carp Leaping Over the Dragon Gate. Unfortunately, the price of 1,000 Gold Coins was beyond her wallet's acceptance, so she could only watch from afar.

Even so, Ying Shuang never thought of having Qi Han treat her to the Fish Belly Stuffed with Lamb. She was easygoing, not foolish. Although Qi Han had invited Fu Ya to taste the dish to try it out, and Fu Ya had worked hard in the small shop for so long, it was only fair for her.

So, Ying Shuang had already made up her mind. Besides ordering a small portion of Egg Fried Rice, she would also have a serving of Tomato Beef Stew.

Hmm, it's been a few days since I had Tomato Beef Stew; I'm starting to miss it.

Unexpectedly, before Ying Shuang could speak, Qi Han spoke first, "There's a new dish in the small shop tonight. How about trying it for your staff meal tonight?"

(Huh? A new dish?, it should be the Fish Belly Stuffed with Lamb, right?)

Ying Shuang shook her head vigorously. "Boss, Fish Belly Stuffed with Lamb is too expensive, I don't need it."

"Oh?" Qi Han was momentarily puzzled and then chuckled. "No, take a look at the menu."

Following the direction of Qi Han's pointing finger, Ying Shuang glanced at the price list on the wall.

The first thing that caught her eye was the distinctively colored Fish Belly Stuffed with Lamb. However, she quickly noticed another new dish listed below it.

Kung Pao Chicken - 18 Gold Coins per serving.

So, the boss was talking about this new dish. Ying Shuang couldn't help but feel her cheeks flush.

But she was equally curious about this new dish. She had long envied Fu Ya for being the first to taste new dishes, and she didn't expect her turn to come so soon.

Wait, the boss introduced a new dish at lunchtime, and there's already another new dish in the afternoon?

The speed was incredible, and Ying Shuang couldn't help but be amazed.

"Then I'll have a serving of Kung Pao Chicken and a small portion of Egg Fried Rice."

As for the Tomato Beef Stew, she would have to wait until tomorrow's lunch.

"Sure," Qi Han replied, then turned and entered the kitchen to prepare the meal.

Ying Shuang rested her chin on her hands and curiously watched the bustling figure in the kitchen.

Soon, Qi Han placed two plates of food in front of Ying Shuang, and the aroma of the dishes quickly brought her back to reality.

She glanced at the small portion of Egg Fried Rice, then quickly shifted her attention to the Kung Pao Chicken beside it.

The freshly cooked Kung Pao Chicken looked incredibly enticing. The surface of the chicken pieces had a light amber-colored sauce, and the reddish-brown outer layer of the peanuts had just started to crack, revealing the pale yellow peanut kernels within. The contrast of the light and dark green colors of the cucumber skin and flesh broke the overall tone's darkness, adding a touch of brightness to the dish.

Curiously leaning closer to the dish, Ying Shuang's cute little nose twitched slightly. The rich aroma of peanuts mixed with the fragrance of the chicken meat rushed into her nostrils, with a subtle sweetness hidden within, emanating from the threads of cucumber. The overall scent was full and not greasy.

Hmm, it looks delicious!

Uncontrollable tears welled up in the corners of Ying Shuang's mouth.