Chapter 565 – Five-Star Chef

Chapter 565 – Five-Star Chef

This dish required rather troublesome preparation of its ingredients.

In particular, the step of sewing the dismembered emperor sand scorpion back into its original position was tricky—sewing too tightly or too loosely would affect the texture.

If Mo Lan’s Sewing Magic hadn’t also reached Peak level, she might not have been able to handle it so deftly.

In other words, this dish not only required a high level of Culinary Magic, but also demanded that both Sewing Magic and butchering magic be at a certain standard.

However, no matter how troublesome preparing the emperor sand scorpion was, Mo Lan still felt it was less troublesome than dealing with the chatty Krotack.

He was like a curious child, wanting to ask about absolutely everything.

After she finished answering his questions, he could still ramble on endlessly about all sorts of random things.

Mo Lan even suspected that conversing with Krotack during the cooking process was part of the chef rank assessment.

Although her Culinary Magic level was already high enough to let her multitask with ease—

The cooking utensils could handle their tasks while she split her attention to chat with someone, no problem at all.

But Krotack was simply too talkative!

The cooking utensils could rest for a moment after finishing their respective steps, but Mo Lan had been splitting her attention to deal with Krotack nonstop ever since she’d redeemed the Material Card.

The moment Mo Lan finished speaking, Krotack would open his mouth again.

Mo Lan was either answering him or listening to him talk.

From their very first meeting, there hadn’t been a single awkward silence lasting more than three seconds.

Krotack always had something to say.

Rationally, Mo Lan knew he was an ancient dragon over three thousand years old, and even among the talent-rich Dragon race, he was a brilliantly gifted and renowned figure.

When she first started talking to him, she’d even subconsciously used honorifics.

She’d been careful not to reveal her identity as a Sorceress.

But after talking with him this much, the only word that came to mind when she saw him was “chatterbox.”

Mo Lan had never met anyone who could talk this much.

It wasn’t until the giant scorpion was squeezed out by the yellow sand, all the salt crystal minerals had been peeled away, and the specially made oversized silver platter carrying the giant scorpion floated onto the dining table—when the aroma of scorpion meat wafted out—that Krotack’s attention finally shifted to the food. He stopped his endless chatter and instead took a deep breath, as if intoxicated by the sudden burst of fragrance.

A small silver knife pried open the seam of the stitching on the scorpion’s body, and the seemingly intact shell plates of the emperor sand scorpion crumbled apart piece by piece, revealing the glistening, golden-brown scorpion meat within, its surface shimmering with a faint sheen of oil.

“You may begin tasting,” Mo Lan said.

The utensils landed on the table, and Krotack snapped to attention. For once, he didn’t respond with words. Instead, he picked up his utensils, peeled open the shell, and cut himself a generous chunk of meat.

Krotack displayed no dining etiquette whatsoever, but his earnest manner and expression as he savored each bite were, to any cook, the most elegant sight imaginable.

After just one bite, Krotack exclaimed, “I can’t believe the emperor sand scorpion can achieve this kind of texture—it’s incredible! Flavor: five stars! Cooking speed: five stars! Culinary creativity: five stars…”

He rattled off several five-star ratings in a row, then tossed her a five-star chef badge before burying his head in the food.

Vasida had great confidence in Mo Lan’s cooking abilities, but after she took a bite of the scorpion meat, she furrowed her brow slightly.

To her, the texture of the scorpion meat was excellent, but the flavor was just a touch too salty.

If the saltiness could be dialed back just a little, it would have been perfect for her palate.

Then she looked at Krotack devouring the food with obvious relish, and it dawned on her.

“So Krotack likes salty food!” Mo Lan asked curiously, “What did you cook for your chef rank assessment back then?”

“The pinnacle of my culinary arts—candied pulled-sugar round potatoes. Based on Earth’s candied pulled-sugar sweet potatoes,” Vasida said quietly. “The sugar pulling didn’t even come out right, I couldn’t control the heat properly, and I only barely scraped by with a one-star chef qualification because I made a huge batch all at once and because I was a Witch. I really almost didn’t pass.”

“It’s not just Krotack who likes salty food—most brass Dragons probably prefer things a little on the salty side,” Mo Lan said. “Candied pulled-sugar round potatoes would probably be more suited to silver Dragon tastes.”

“What? I’ve been on Delicacy Island for so many years, and I never knew Dragons had such obvious flavor preferences!” Vasida exclaimed in surprise.

She usually cooked for her dragon customers based entirely on her own taste.

“Being able to adjust a dish’s flavor to match the diner’s preferences—that’s what makes a top-tier chef… Mmph! I love this dish so much!”

Before Krotack could even finish his sentence, he stuffed another piece of meat into his mouth.

Mo Lan suddenly realized that being a foodie was his true nature—in the face of delicious food, even his chatterbox personality had to yield.

When Dragons shapeshifted into human form, it didn’t change their fundamental nature—their appetites didn’t shrink along with their bodies.

Of the entire emperor giant scorpion, Vasida had eaten only a small piece of meat. Krotack devoured the rest.

“Miss Moira, here are all the currently unclaimed houses and vacant plots on Delicacy Island. Where would you like to live?”

“Feel free to tell me any ideas you have. I guarantee I’ll have the servants build you a perfectly comfortable residence. Don’t worry about the budget—there’s no upper limit on the settlement allowance for a five-star chef. As long as you say the word, as long as I have it, I’ll make it happen for you!”

Krotack couldn’t wait to get Mo Lan to settle down on Delicacy Island so he could regularly order delicious food from her.

Krotack made no effort to hide his intention to keep her there, but Mo Lan simply selected a plot in the western district near Vasida’s residence.

“I’ll just stay here. No need to build anything extra—I’m used to living in my own {mobile dwelling}. I just need to take it out and I can move right in.”

“Then do you need any other magical resources? I can convert the settlement allowance directly into whatever magical resources you need,” Krotack offered.

“No need. Delicacy Island won’t be the final stop on my journey,” Mo Lan said bluntly. “If you like the desert salt-baked giant scorpion, I can write down the recipe for you. With so many excellent chefs at your disposal, there should be quite a few who could prepare this dish well.”

Mo Lan had no desire for Krotack to come ordering dishes from her every day. His level was far too high—her Psychic Magic would have great difficulty reading his inherited memories without him noticing.

Her ideal diners would be dragons who hadn’t yet surpassed Peak level and hadn’t been to the Well of the Sky.

Krotack’s smile froze.

She’d only just arrived and was already thinking about leaving?

The thought that this excellent chef might not stay on Delicacy Island forever made him feel a surge of irritation.

But when he thought of those terrifying Sorceresses—especially that Fireworks Witch who had blasted a hole clean through his belly—he managed to suppress the impulse to keep this Witch here by force.

She’s a Witch!

She’s a Witch!

She’s a Witch!

Anita, that terrifying Sorceress, had told him that if he ever dared restrict a Witch’s personal freedom again, she would blast his tongue off next time.

Compared to a five-star chef, his tongue for tasting fine food was more important.

“Alright then!” Krotack said with regret. “If you change your mind later, you must let me know. The benefits I’ve promised will remain valid whenever you decide to claim them!”