Apocalypse Forecast

Dongxia cuisine, Roman cuisine, Yingzhou cuisine, American cuisine, Russian Federation cuisine, from snacks to full-course meals, from desserts to alcoholic dishes... Guo ShouQue was continuously devouring everything, constantly pursuing deeper limits.

Up to this day, he had never once given up.

And now, to be called an outdated relic?

Isn’t that a bit much?

Doesn’t it somewhat trivialize the art of cooking?

—Indeed, it also greatly disregards all those Chef Demons whom he had devoured!

”Watch carefully, Mr. Kujikane, this is the outdated cuisine you failed to appreciate. But even outdated cuisine can have its day to shine anew.”

He lifted his hand and took the spoon beside him, stirring the boiling motor oil in the pot. ”As long as the Chef Demon exists, as long as the thirst for excellence is unquenched, this precious significance will endure.

What you have lost to is not me, but the heritage accumulated over thousands of years.”

Johnny folded his arms, intending to retort, but his gaze was drawn to the blurry reflection in the pot of motor oil.

With the stirring of the ladle, the boiling motor oil incredibly calmed down, reflecting something inconceivable, but then, the image was shattered again.

Because the clear motor oil circled back, forming tiny vortices, rippling in this pot of motor oil.

Under the sprinkle of various seasonings, it seemed to form a clear broth. Casually using the leftover chicken meat and carcass that Johnny had used, and throwing them into the pot of motor oil, a fiery aroma rose.

Unlike before, even the terrifying aggressiveness of the motor oil had disappeared without a trace, replaced by a faint, gentle sweetness.

It was like the elusive Heavenly Kingdom, glowing dimly, pure and holy.

Within the profound light, something seemed to be rapidly germinating, simmering, compelling him to draw closer for a careful look.

The closer he got, the more he could sense the warm, rich aroma, the intense fragrance extracted from the chicken by the motor oil.

Unable to help it, he drooled profusely.

Under Johnny’s gaze, the whirl of oil and water gradually settled, and the fleeting sight finally reappeared, clearer than ever.

Eventually, from the reflection in the oil, he glimpsed the contour hidden within the light.

That blurry Reflection.

Was it... himself?

In the audience, Huai Shi had already reacted, raising her hand to cover Zhenxi’s eyes.

This was no longer a Domain describable by mere Plain Boiled Cabbage... And the scene that followed was not something Zhenxi could bear to witness either.

”Please appreciate it! This dish embodies the essence of Disaster from both Dongxia and Rome—a new subspecies of the fusion Hell Cuisine, Plain Boiled Cabbage!”

In the crisp sound of the spoon striking the edge of the pot, Guo ShouQue proclaimed his creation in fluent Latin:

”—Boiling water divine judgment caldaria!”

At that instant, an immaculate light, as if from the Heavenly Kingdom, surged skyward from the pot of motor oil, surpassing Original Sin and punishment, bringing a light of Mercy and liberation.

Generous hymns rose from the illusion, as if they could redeem all sinners.

At that moment, Johnny Kujikane finally entered Paradise!

Seduced by the illusion from Hell, the man plunged with a SPLASH into the boiling pot of motor oil, sinking to the bottom without any struggle.

Long before that, his Soul had already been captured by the great cauldron of the Abyss.

This was the final ’cabbage’ missing from the refreshing broth.

Turning an opponent into an ingredient—the signature move of the Yiya Kitchen Devil!

At that instant, the intoxicating aroma finally burst forth, enveloping everyone’s nostrils with its rich scent, weaving visions of Heavenly Kingdom before their eyes!

Sweet yet sinful, it coiled around the darkest corners of each person’s Soul, whispering those blasphemous or holy words into their ears.

Indeed, it was the fusion cuisine that Guo ShouQue had spoken of.

Through the form of Plain Boiled Cabbage, after gathering the elements of water and fire, it formed the most Original Heretic judgment, purifying everything in boiling water.

Ultimately, it all returned to purity.

The essence precipitated from five thousand years of Dongxia’s cuisine and the Disaster of medieval Roman Witch trials merged to create a divine punishment-like dish.

—For lives sustained by this pot will also perish because of it.

This is the true meaning of the Lost Paradise.

”Well, young man, how does the dish taste?”

Guo ShouQue looked down, his gaze sweeping jestingly over the pot of motor oil before him as he asked.

”Exquisite!”

A muffled yet admiring exclamation emerged from the pot of motor oil.

Within the seething oil, a thumb slowly rose up.

Although his body endured relentless pain and torment, his Soul was calm and serene, as if it were about to slumber eternally within the beautiful Heavenly Kingdom.

Even as a part of the dish, Kujikane could not deny the Abyss essence within this Disaster, an essence he absolutely could not match.

And the vast chasm between them...

Even if he had the strength to struggle a bit longer, there was no more fighting will left. As soon as the old man had stood before the pot of motor oil, his defeat was sealed—a resounding fall!

”Learn to respect history, Mr. Kujikane. Even an old ghost like me keeps up with the times...”

Guo ShouQue lifted his hand to scoop a spoonful of boiling oil from the pot, bringing it to his mouth to savor carefully, swallowing the scalding temperature that could burn one’s throat, tasting every minute Transformation of flavor.

In the end, he couldn’t help but shake his head in regret.

”Pity, it’s still... a bit underdone, alas.”

Shaking his head with such lamentation, the old man casually dropped the spoon and turned to leave.

His stooped figure gradually vanished into the darkness.

The entire arena was dead silent.

Apart from Kujikane, who was still blowing bubbles in the pot of motor oil, no one made a sound.

「Imperial Chef Demon Contest, second round.」

「—Chef Demon of Dongxia, Guo ShouQue, wins!」

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Today’s trivial knowledge:

As everyone knows, deep-frying consumes a lot of oil, especially Tempura.

Following the end of World War II, the starving people of Okinawa were desperate for Tempura, which was naturally impossible—where would so much cooking oil come from?

Thus, someone smacked their forehead with a bright idea: Why not just fry with motor oil...

Food fried in motor oil obviously wouldn’t taste good, and because petroleum contains many harmful substances, it could even be life-threatening. But for the sake of amusement amidst hardship, people still ate it.

Moreover, they were almost starving to death; who cared for consequences at that point?

It is said that the flavor varied depending on the brand of motor oil used, and the best brand recognized by many was the one that served as a prototype in the text—Mobil.

Therefore, its official name was Mobil Tempura.

Back then, everyone ate it gleefully at various festivals, in all senses...

And once you started frying, the thick black smoke billowed, and neighbors far and wide would look up and say, ”Wow, such a big plume of smoke, must be Erzhu’s family frying Tempura again!” Then groups would head over to snag a bite... It’s hard to imagine the scene.

According to many blogs in Japan: this is actually edible, evidenced by the fact that every elderly person in Okinawa has tried it (I figure, those who died couldn’t become old, right?)

What’s even more bizarre is that, after eating, since the motor oil couldn’t be digested by the body, apart from the usual ’cycle of the five grains,’ it would also seep out through the skin. They say that where someone who had eaten sat to rest, the Stone would be marked with two greasy imprints.

This dark cuisine is akin to a miraculous butt photocopier...

In times of such hardship, survival was not easy; one either starved or ate things that could kill. Let’s cherish the hard-earned good life we have now.