Chapter 511: Taste Testing
Three days later, the messenger returned to Snow Bird Harbor.
Walking along the somewhat familiar streets, the messenger clearly sensed something unusual about the crowd.
Midway, he encountered other members of the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps. After exchanging information, he learned that Tripleblade and a group of mercenaries were not at the docks, but at Snow Bird Square.
The messenger had been dispatched by Tripleblade, and Tripleblade was precisely the person he needed to report to.
Without hesitation, the messenger hurried straight to Snow Bird Square.
The closer he got to the square, the denser the crowd became. Upon reaching the square, he found the area teeming with people, shoulder-to-shoulder in some spots.
The messenger initially assumed Snow Bird Harbor was hosting some kind of festival celebration.
But upon arrival, he saw a massive banner announcing it was actually a tasting banquet hosted by Ci Hai Shen.
Ci Hai Shen was a gold level magic chef, renowned throughout the culinary world. He had been invited to showcase his extraordinary skills at the capital's national banquet.
This time, he had chosen Snow Bird Harbor as his landing point in the Ice Sculpture Kingdom. Hosting the tasting banquet at Snow Bird Square served as both a warm-up for the national banquet and a test of the kingdom's citizens' palates.
The messenger encountered Tripleblade.
Tripleblade had been awaiting replies from Zi Di and Zong Ge: “You're finally back.”
After inquiring about the situation and learning no issues had arisen with Zi Di and Zong Ge, Tripleblade breathed a sigh of relief.
Taking the secret letter, he told the messenger, "You've traveled far. Go enjoy some magic cuisine. Try a variety, such tasting opportunities are rare. Earn some money for our mercenary corps while you're at it."
Tripleblade took the letter to a secluded corner to examine its contents.
The messenger headed toward the square, blending into the crowd until he reached its center.
He saw that the once-empty square now held three rows of long tables.
Each row was surrounded by a canopy.
The wooden tables were laden with magic dishes. It was a riot of colors, with each dish releasing an enticing aroma.
The three rows displayed bronze level, iron level, and silver level transcendent dishes respectively.
Several announcers stood atop makeshift wooden towers, maintaining order while loudly promoting the event.
Through their announcements, the messenger grasped the tasting event's fundamental rules.
Rule 1: Mortals were strictly forbidden from participating in the tasting.
The reason was simple.
These transcendent dishes were not meant for mortal consumption. To ordinary people, they were more terrifying than poison.
Rule 2: Transcendents had to queue for tasting according to their respective levels. Disturbances were forbidden; violators would be detained by the city guard.
A large contingent of city guards flanked the event, clearly indicating that such a significant gathering had been prearranged with Snow Bird Harbor authorities.
Moreover, even the mage tower of Snow Bird Harbor was operating at full capacity, focusing most of its attention here and conducting real-time surveillance. Even if troublemakers went undetected during the event, subsequent investigations into the magic footage recorded by the mage tower would inevitably reveal the perpetrators, enabling their apprehension.
Rule 3: If a transcendent met the standards set by Lord Ci Hai Shen during their tasting, they would earn additional rewards Naturally, basic tastings would also yield basic rewards.
Rule 4: Transcendent individuals were advised to act within their limits. Should physical discomfort arise, the Snow Bird Sect had organized a team of clergy to administer divine healing on the spot. However, the fee for such assistance must be paid by the recipient afterward.
The messenger listened and observed, finding it quite intriguing. He decisively followed the flow of people, slowly making his way toward the long tables.
There, organizers had divided the crowd into several lines.
Each line stretched quite long.
The messenger joined one and didn't wait long before entering the long pavilion.
The tables before him were laden with dishes of iron level.
He picked up a small plate holding three slices of sashimi.
Made from what seemed like tuna, the orange-red slices were cut thick and covered with a layer of white frost.
Seeing the label on the long table, the messenger realized the dish was called Spring Buds.
“Why would a simple sashimi dish be named that?”
“Is this the style of the Magic MasterChef?”
“I'll have to give it a proper taste.”
The messenger pinched a fish slice between his fingers, craned his neck, opened his mouth wide, stuck out his tongue, and slid the fish slice inside with his hand.
He immediately closed his mouth and began chewing steadily.
Just then, the orderly shouted at him, “Eat while you walk!”
The messenger started pacing forward again.
After just two steps, he shuddered violently, his entire body shaking with cold.
An intense chill surged from the depths of his being, racing straight to the crown of his head.
This icy sensation was refreshing, not the kind of bone-chilling cold that inflicts slight suffering before delivering an unprecedented culinary experience.
“But I can't taste anything...”
The thought barely formed in the messenger's mind when the food's true flavor exploded on his tongue.
Fresh!
So incredibly fresh!
A powerful burst of savory goodness assaulted his taste buds, making his eyes widen in an instant, his mind momentarily blank.
If the initial chill resembled winter snow, then this freshness felt like grass sprouting beneath the ice, pushing through the snow.
It was precisely the piercing cold that made the subsequent flavor all the more vivid.
In that instant, the messenger was utterly captivated by Ci Hai Shen's culinary artistry.
“Truly worthy of the title Magic MasterChef!”
“This is the taste of spring.”
“I feel spring has arrived, everything is sprouting...”
Those tasting the dish around him murmured in awe and praise.
One man devoured three small plates in succession. When he opened his mouth, he gasped in horror, actual sprouts had grown on his tongue!
Tiny, elongated flesh buds danced across his tongue, reaching out into the surrounding space, craving more delicacies.
The messenger's heart skipped a beat at this sight.
The transcendent individual with tongue sprouts was immediately pulled from the queue and sent to the clergy's line for treatment.
Though transcendent cuisine was tempting, it must never be overindulged.
Ci Hai Shen stood in a building on the plaza's periphery, quietly observing the scene at its center.
His vantage point was high, with expansive floor-to-ceiling windows offering a sweeping view.
“That's the third person with a growth on their tongue.”
“Did I add too much of the activating agent to the ingredients?”
"No, it must be the result of me using a gold level cooking tool. It seems that after applying the activating agent, I can use the Preservation Knife."
The misfortune of the man with tongue growths made the messenger cautious.
He ate only one Spring Buds dish, then carefully selected two other dishes.
The three dishes offered him a unique culinary experience, leaving a deep impression.
He wanted to try other dishes, there were at least ten varieties lined the long table. But the messenger couldn't indulge.
The magic dishes had infused him with abundant energy, surging and spreading through his body. He needed to cultivate immediately to digest this foreign energy, rather than indulge his appetite.
Thus, when Tripleblade returned to the square, he just caught sight of the messenger withdrawing.
“How much did you earn?” Tripleblade asked.
“30”
The messenger replied, “I ate three dishes and got paid 30 silver coins.”
Tripleblade waved his hand. "Go digest it quickly. You can come back for more. Remember, the more you eat, the more you earn."
“If you can meet some of the tasting requirements...”
At this point, Tripleblade sighed and changed his mind. “Never mind, I won't put you through that.”
The messenger departed, and Tripleblade sighed again.
Watching the bustling crowd before him, the weight on his shoulders lifted by at least half.
Having read the secret letter, Tripleblade knew Zong Ge, Zi Di, and the others had devised a countermeasure.
With solutions and hope emerging for the current crisis, the pressure on Tripleblade's side naturally eased.
He had already dispatched messengers to relay key details of the secret letter to Bu Quan.
“Hopefully, Bu Quan can leverage the Alchemy Guild's strength to aid the mercenary group.”
“Additionally, all alchemy workshops must bolster their defenses... No, more accurately, they must prepare contingency measures to resume production swiftly after any destruction.”
Tripleblade understood that the branch's defenses were far too weak. If the enemy sent a gold level powerhouse to launch a surprise attack and sabotage, there would be no way to stop them.
He had considered seeking aid directly from the Snow Bird Harbor City Lord, but the cost would be too great.
For now, they would have to wait for support from the Li Jian Clan and the Alchemy Guild.
Tripleblade knew his own capabilities were limited, but he was doing everything in his power to contribute as much as possible.
“Oh, and the big guy.”
Over these past three days, Tripleblade had adjusted his mindset.
Mainly because the big guy was starving daily, his eyes dark and glazed over, constantly moaning “hungry, hungry, hungry” in a pitiful state.
After examining his condition, Tripleblade had increased his food rations.
He had considered that perhaps he could provide the big guy with as much food as possible.
Despite the big guy's occasional bouts of madness, if he reached gold level, he would undoubtedly bring tremendous assistance to the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps.
What the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps needed most right now was high-level combat power!
Typically, a transcendent's strength builds up gradually through accumulation, not through sudden mutation. But the big guy's bloodline was simply too exceptional. His growth was rapid, progressing visibly day by day.
“Maybe we really could push for a breakthrough?”
“In fact, even if he only reached silver level, his monstrous physical prowess could still hold his own against gold level opponents. Though replicating the commander's feat, defeating gold level opponents as a silver level, might be unrealistic for the big guy, he should be capable of holding his own against them head-on.”
Tripleblade regained his composure. Faced with the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps' current predicament, he would explore every possible solution.
His attitude toward the big guy had shifted.
Between them, there had always been a bond of comradeship.
Earlier, Tripleblade's outburst stemmed entirely from the big guy's devastating blow, a shock he couldn't process immediately.
“Should we really go through with this?”
“Can we truly rely on the big guy?”
Compared to the young commander and Zong Ge, the big guy was undeniably unreliable.
Yet his bloodline demanded respect!