Gourmet of Another World

When a stink reached the extreme, it might actually become a fragrance. Those who said this clearly had not smelled the Stargazy Pie’s stench before.

The nobles of District A suffered an unprecedented physical and mental impact. They felt that the account of delicacies in fairy tales was a lie. In the stories, food always smelled nice, but why, in the real world, did the dish cooked by this chef stink so badly?

They admired Master Zhen Yong’s courage. It shocked them to see him putting that disgusting thing into his mouth. He truly was the chief alchemist of the pill-making workshop, the top expert of the Alchemy Universe.

In fact, only Master Zhen Yong himself knew the pain he was suffering right now. The closer the spoon got to his mouth, his heart raced faster as if it was about to jump out of his chest. The feeling was extremely uncomfortable.

He was beginning to question his decision to take up the challenge, and he also regretted that he had provoked Bu Fang just now. ‘I shouldn’t be so impulsive…’

To him, the stench of a blown-up cauldron was nothing, so he thought he could face all kinds of stench in the universe with ease. However, as soon as the Stargazy Pie appeared, he realized that he was too naive. The universe was vast, and there were many things he did not know and could not imagine.

In the distance, the nobles swallowed, clenched their fists, and watched with wide eyes as Master Zhen Yong was about to shove the food into his mouth.

The liquid of the canned herring was not black. But after it was heated and processed, its color became somewhat bizarre. It should be thick, transparent. It was still thick now, but no longer transparent. The pie came with its own foul smell, and when coupled with the canned herring, the smell became even more terrifying.

Master Zhen Yong’s beard was shivering. Upon looking at that, those who watched from a distance could not stand it anymore. They covered their mouths and turned their eyes to somewhere else.

Meanwhile, explosions could be heard echoing in the pill-making workshop. The stench had caused those cauldrons to blow up. In fact, the stench had enveloped half of District A. It was simply a nightmarish scene.

A rivulet of sweat trickled down from Master Zhen Yong’s forehead, beaded at his chin, fell on his neck, and rolled down his chest. He shoved the food on the spoon into his mouth. At this moment, he felt a foul stench erupt in his mouth and went through him. Irritated by it, tears began to well up in his eyes.

The stench filled his nose and masked his sense of smell, making it hard for him to breathe. He tried to taste the food, but as soon as he moved his tongue, the stench turned his stomach. He could not taste anything.

“I…” Master Zhen Yong’s eyes grew wider and wider as he fought back his tears. He did not want to let the tears flow out. How could he submit to the stench when he had acted so tough just now? How could he be defeated by a dish?

He began to chew. There was also a strong flavor in the sticky liquid. In fact, the dish tasted very good. It did not smell nice, yes, but its impact on the taste buds was not as severe as the sense of smell. However, his mind went blank at the moment, filled only with the sense of despair brought by the stench.

The surrounding nobles were amazed when they saw Master Zhen Yong eat that thing.

“He truly is a master! It’s amazing that he can withstand that dark cuisine!”

“I agree with you. Just the smell alone had already made the other participants withdraw from the challenge, yet Master Zhen Yong actually ate it… He f*cking ate it!”

Bu Fang was also slightly taken aback. He did not expect that the alchemist would eat the Stargazy Pie.

Master Zhen Yong exhaled. He had just taken a bite of the pie, but he was already soaked through with sweat. The taste was actually very good, worlds apart from its stench. However, not all people could get past this kind of stench. He swore he would never take a second bite. The smell was like hellish torture.

“Keep going… Since you can swallow the first bite, you will be able to take the second. It only takes a few more bites to finish your portion. Also, eat that fish head. Look at its bright eyes. It’s looking forward to being eaten by you…”

At some point, Bu Fang came up to Master Zhen Yong’s side and encouraged him. The rule of the challenge was not to take a bite, but to finish his portion of Stargazy Pie. He had taken just a small bite, but it was a milestone improvement!

“What?! There’s still so much?!” Master Zhen Yong’s eyes grew wide. He glanced at Bu Fang, his beard shivering. He could not control the grief and despair he felt inside whenever he saw the thick juice in the pie and the glaring eyes of the herring, and smelled the stench that seemed to be getting fouler and fouler.

He turned his eyes to it now, the little piece of Stargazy Pie on the porcelain plate. Then, he vomited. It would be better if he had not taken the first bite.

Now that he had eaten it and smelled the stench again, a severe reaction hit him as if he was riding a roller coaster with a full stomach. He felt as though he was floating in clouds as the contents of his stomach came pouring out of his mouth.

Bu Fang was disappointed as he watched Master Zhen Yong fall face down toward the table.

“Of the ten participants, none passed the challenge… Alas, although you have failed, you will always be warriors…” Bu Fang said.

His voice was not loud, but it darkened the faces of the surrounding nobles. The ten participants, many of whom were Saints of the Great Path, were all defeated by the dark cuisine. This was a shame. They did not expect that no one could complete the chef’s challenge.

But then they were not too surprised either. How could someone eat a dish with such an overpowered stench? The challenge was unfair from the start. The chef must have expected this ending!

Viscount Ash, weeping in the distance, saw that Master Zhen Yong was defeated. She instantly felt relieved. When even the master alchemist who had gotten used to the stench of blown-up cauldrons was defeated, her weeping was not so much of a shame.

However, she was still not convinced. “You must be deliberately making things difficult for us,” she said, turning to Bu Fang. “The stench, the dark cuisine… No one is able to complete the challenge at all!”

Many nobles nodded in agreement. They, too, felt that Bu Fang’s challenge was unfair. The reward of a wisp of Chaotic Energy was generous, but when nobody could complete the challenge, it was meaningless.

Bu Fang glanced at Viscount Ash. “No one is able to complete the challenge? Didn’t Master Zhen Yong eat it? He is a true man,” he said.

“But your rule is for us to finish the whole portion of the pie!” Viscount Ash still would not give up. “No one can complete your challenge! No one can withstand that stench!”

Bu Fang looked at her with a straight face. “Just because you can’t complete it doesn’t mean no one else can…” he said. After that, he walked up to the Stargazy Pie, spun the Dragon Bone Kitchen Knife, and cut out a slice. The foul smell rushed out immediately. In fact, the portion of the pie looked almost like a slice of cheesecake.

All the nobles fell silent. Even Viscount Ash was stunned—she stopped yelling and was staring at Bu Fang. ‘Could this chef really want to…’

“You think no one can complete the challenge?” Bu Fang said indifferently. “If truth be told, this challenge is considered simple in the world of dark cuisines. It’s not even the most terrifying dish.”

When he had finished saying that, he shoved the whole slice of Stargazy Pie into his mouth, chewed it, swallowed. Then, he pinched the fish head with his fingers and pulled it out. All that remained of the fish was bone, and he threw it on the table.

The fish was tender, the pie crispy, and the liquid of the canned herring was smooth. In fact, if the stench of the dish was not taken into account, it was actually a pretty good delicacy. The herring was fat and juicy, and those who knew how to appreciate it would enjoy its flavor.

However, even Bu Fang furrowed his brows as soon as he swallowed the pie. The Stargazy Pie was truly the king in the world of dark cuisines on Earth.

Viscount Ash stared in bewilderment. The surrounding nobles looked terrified. Xiao Ai covered her mouth with one hand, Nethery chuckled, and the noblewoman was dumbstruck. The latter’s red lips parted slightly, giving her a cute look.

The pinkie of Marquis Lang Gu was twitching, a sign that he was utterly shocked. ‘Dammit… He really swallowed it in one gulp! He scares the sh*t out of me!’

Master Zhen Yong, who had fainted at the table, woke up. The moment he opened his eyes, he saw Bu Fang swallow the slice of Stargazy Pie, pinch the fish head, and pull out the fishbone.

He felt as though a meteorite had struck him in the chest. The sight made him recall that he had also swallowed the pie, and his stomach churned again. The next moment, his eyes rolled, and he fainted once more.

‘Please don’t wake me up… This world is too terrifying.’ That was Master Zhen Yong’s last thought before he lost his consciousness.

“You… You…” Viscount Ash stared blankly at Bu Fang, her mind trembling. She truly felt a sense of despair and terror now. ‘Doesn’t it stink?!”

Bu Fang exhaled deeply. As someone who wanted to become the God of Cooking that stood at the top of the food chain in the fantasy world, eating dark cuisine was nothing. It was merely a small hill in the vast world of cooking, and once he crossed it, it no longer bothered him.

He burped and patted his chest. The stench that came out of his mouth made him frown. He thought it was almost comparable to the legendary biological weapon.

“Who said no one can pass this challenge?” Bu Fang said indifferently.

Viscount Ash blushed with shame—she had nothing else to say. ‘You’ve won… You’ve f*cking won!’ she thought to herself. ‘Fine! I give up the Chaotic Energy!’

“Actually, the taste of this dish is quite nice,” Bu Fang said, looking at the viscount. “Do you want to give it a try again?”

Viscount Ash hurriedly shook her head. She did not want to smell that disgusting stench again.

“Well, in that case, today’s challenge is over. Unfortunately, no one wins the Chaotic Energy.”

Bu Fang put away the Stargazy Pie, and the stench disappeared immediately. Panting for breath, many people felt that they were reborn.

“But do not worry, ladies and gentlemen. For the next few days, I’ll set up a stall in front of the restaurant, and the challenge will continue. Those who completed the challenge will have a chance to win a wisp of Chaotic Energy.”

That gave many nobles pause, and then they focused their eyes.

“He’ll continue to host the challenge?”

“Look at his cocksure face… Does he really have Chaotic Energy?”

Many nobles beamed with hope, and Viscount Ash’s eyes lit up.

“Is tomorrow’s challenge still the Stargazy Pie?” she asked. She was caught off guard by the stench today. However, after going back to calm herself, perhaps she would be able to withstand the stench tomorrow.

The Stargazy Pie could not stop her from getting the Chaotic Energy! She would give it another try even if the dish was called the Despairing Pie!

“No… Tomorrow’s challenge will not be the Stargazy Pie.” Bu Fang gave her a strange look. “It will be another dark cuisine.”

What?!

The nobles in the distance, Viscount Ash, and Master Zhen Yong who just woke up were all stunned.

“Can you reveal the name of tomorrow’s dark cuisine?” Viscount Ash asked hesitantly.

Many nobles were staring curiously at Bu Fang, and so were the noblewoman, Nethery, and Xiao Ai.

Bu Fang would come up with a new dark cuisine tomorrow? Where did he find so many strange dark cuisines?

Bu Fang did not expect that they would want to know the name of the next dark cuisine. He squeezed his lips together, gave the crowd a deep look, and exhaled.

“Well… Since you all want to know, I’ll reveal the name of the dish.”

Everyone was curious. According to Bu Fang, the Stargazy Pie was not the top dark cuisine. If that was the case, what could be darker than this dish, which could knock out Saints of the Great Path with its stench?

For a moment, everyone held their breath and waited for Bu Fang to announce the name. Many people suddenly find that they were somewhat interested in the so-called food.

Bu Fang clasped his hands behind his back and thought for a while. Then, he raised his head. With a deep look in his eyes, he said, “The next dish is also the king in the world of dark cuisine. It is called… the Eighteen Curry Hell.”