Chapter 338

Kagura glanced at Haruto, then lowered her head and fell into thought.

The advantages and drawbacks of Gourmet Cells had both been laid out clearly. Choosing whether to awaken them was something worth considering carefully.

Kanna, meanwhile, sat quietly beside her and simply waited for Kagura to decide.

As far as Kanna was concerned, she had already made up her mind.

About a minute later, Kagura raised her head and looked at Haruto.

"As long as we keep traveling with you, we won’t have to worry about running out of food, right?"

A smile appeared on her face.

"So I’m eating it."

The time she had spent traveling with Haruto had been the happiest period of Kagura’s entire life.

Naraku no longer controlled her. She no longer had to carry out orders she hated or live according to someone else’s wishes.

She could taste extraordinary food and see beautiful sights from entirely different worlds.

As long as she and Kanna continued traveling with Haruto, awakening Gourmet Cells did not seem like much of a problem at all.

With him around, there would never be a shortage of delicious food.

"Me too."

Kanna looked at Haruto and spoke with complete seriousness.

Seeing the two of them, Haruto could not help smiling.

"All right."

He stood and walked back toward the preparation counter.

"Then today, we’ll properly find out what this Red Nitro tastes like."

Haruto had originally intended to eventually send Kagura and Kanna to a peaceful world where they could live without danger.

But after traveling together for some time, he had come to appreciate just how useful both of them were when capturing ingredients.

Kagura’s wind allowed her to survey a huge area, making her exceptionally helpful when searching for rare ingredients.

Kanna, on the other hand, possessed powerful control abilities and could even extract souls.

Once Haruto eventually learned culinary techniques capable of processing souls themselves, Kanna’s abilities could become unimaginably valuable.

Because of that, Haruto had gradually begun leaning toward keeping both of them with him.

Even so, he had left the final choice to Kagura and Kanna.

Now that they had chosen to stay, he naturally had no reason to refuse.

Haruto picked up Myriad Worlds from the counter.

His expression immediately became focused until it seemed as though nothing existed except the ingredients before him and the knife in his hand.

Now it was time to cook.

Haruto activated Myriad Worlds and created one of his duplicates.

No words were necessary. Haruto and his duplicate immediately divided the work between them and got started.

Haruto picked up a cut of Red Nitro meat and pressed it lightly between his fingers.

The flesh was dense and extremely elastic, giving off a distinctly wild aroma.

He placed it on the cutting board.

Myriad Worlds came down without the slightest resistance, quickly slicing the meat into uniform steaks roughly two centimeters thick.

Clear juices slowly welled from the freshly cut surfaces.

Haruto took out a grinder and finely crushed several plump crystals of Tri-Color Salt.

The red, yellow, and blue crystals gleamed like gemstones as they broke apart, releasing a layered savory fragrance.

Next came Sesame Black Pepper, which filled the air with a powerful, spicy aroma as it was freshly ground.

Finally, Haruto scooped out a spoonful of Crystal Honey from the Crystal Bee hive.

The honey resembled liquid crystal—thick, transparent, and carrying a faint floral fragrance.

He spread all three seasonings evenly across the steaks, then began massaging the meat with both hands.

Pressing, kneading, patting—his strength gradually increased before easing off again.

Under Haruto’s hands, the seasonings slowly worked their way between the muscle fibers and blended with the natural juices.

At the same time, the Red Nitro meat, originally extremely tight and firm, gradually relaxed and softened beneath his technique.

By then, Kagura had heated a frying pan until faint wisps of smoke rose from the surface and the bottom had taken on an even dark-red glow.

Haruto dropped in a stalk of Butter Grass.

The moment it touched the heat, it began melting, releasing an intensely rich fragrance.

As soon as the aroma peaked, Haruto used a pair of tongs to lift one of the prepared Red Nitro steaks and laid it flat in the pan.

Sssss—!

The moment the meat touched the scorching surface, a deeply satisfying hiss filled the kitchen.

Golden fat bubbled violently around the steak as a dark-brown crust rapidly formed across its surface.

Haruto watched without blinking.

Proteins and sugars reacted under the intense heat, generating a flood of aromatic compounds as the browned exterior gradually crisped and released an irresistible roasted fragrance.

The instant the timing was right, Haruto caught the handle of the pan and gave it a light flick.

The steak flipped cleanly.

Once both sides had developed a perfect deep-brown crust, Haruto stood the steak upright with his tongs and seared each edge in turn.

Before long, all six surfaces were evenly browned and crisp, sealing the juices firmly inside.

The finished steak gleamed with a rich sheen and released an aroma that made the mouth water.

Haruto immediately transferred it onto a preheated white porcelain plate, then took a fresh Broadleaf Lotus leaf and wrapped the steak tightly inside.

He left it to rest.

During that time, the muscle fibers contracted by the intense heat would gradually relax. The juices forced toward the center during cooking would redistribute throughout the steak, ensuring that every bite remained tender and succulent.

The clean fragrance of the lotus leaf would also slowly seep into the meat, balancing its richness.

While Haruto seared the steaks, his duplicate continued working just as methodically.

It picked up a heavy iron hammer and shattered several Red Nitro bones, exposing the creamy-white marrow within.

The broken leg bones were placed into a clay pot.

Then the duplicate picked up a Waterfall Tree Fruit.

Holding it over the pot, it lightly sliced through the skin.

Clear juice immediately poured out like a waterfall, flooding the clay pot and completely submerging the bones.

The lid went on.

The stock was brought to a boil over high heat, then reduced to a gentle simmer so the marrow could slowly cook into the fruit juice.

As the temperature rose, the marrow gradually melted and blended into the liquid, forming a rich stock.

After asking Kagura to keep an eye on the heat, the duplicate turned to preparing the side dishes.

First came Water Radishes gathered from the Vegetable Jungle.

Each one was only about the size of a ping-pong ball, with smooth skin and a vivid red color.

The duplicate washed them, cut them evenly in half, and placed them into ice water seasoned with a small amount of Tri-Color Salt.

The cold shock would make the radishes even crisper while drawing out some of their sharpness, leaving behind a cleaner sweetness.

Next came Finger Carrots.

These carrots were only about as thick as a finger, with a bright orange-red color and naturally sweet flavor.

The duplicate cut them into even sections and blanched them in boiling water for one minute.

The instant the time was up, they were removed and plunged into ice water.

This preserved their vivid color while keeping them crisp and juicy.

After that came arugula.

It was fried in hot oil for only three seconds, just enough to give the leaves a lightly crisp texture, then immediately removed and drained.

Last were green peas harvested from an Evil Bean Tree.

The peas were plump, bright green, and intensely fragrant.

The duplicate boiled them until tender, shocked them in ice water, then added a small amount of Stalactite Cream from a limestone cave along with a pinch of Tri-Color Salt before blending everything into a fine, smooth purée.

The Stalactite Cream carried a faint mineral aroma that paired perfectly with the peas’ natural sweetness, giving the purée a silkier texture and greater depth.

Meanwhile, while the steaks were resting, Haruto began preparing the sauce.

He added a small amount of minced Crystal Garlic to the deeply browned drippings left in the steak pan and gently sautéed it over low heat until the garlic turned golden and released a mellow fragrance.

Then he picked up a bottle of red wine from the Wine Spring and poured it into the pan.

Whoom!

The wine struck the scorching surface and immediately ignited in pale blue flames.

The alcohol burned away rapidly, leaving behind only concentrated fruitiness and the wine’s deep, mellow character.

Haruto brought it to a hard boil and reduced the liquid until only about a third remained, leaving behind a thick, dark-purple reduction.

He then added the stock his duplicate had prepared from the Red Nitro bones.

The stock was milky white, rich, and slightly viscous, packed with the essence drawn from the bones.

Haruto lowered the heat and simmered the sauce gently, stirring constantly to keep the bottom from scorching.

As moisture evaporated, the sauce gradually thickened and darkened.

Eventually, when Haruto lifted a spoonful, the sauce coated the back in an even, thin layer instead of immediately dripping away.

Perfect.

He turned off the heat.

A stalk of Butter Grass went into the pan, and Haruto stirred rapidly using the residual warmth.

The Butter Grass melted almost immediately, transforming the slightly coarse reduction into a glossy, silky sauce.

He adjusted the seasoning with a little Tri-Color Salt and freshly ground Sesame Black Pepper.

But he still was not finished.

Haruto set the sauce aside and brought over several heads of Crystal Garlic.

With Myriad Worlds, he sliced them into perfectly uniform sheets as thin as cicada wings, each one translucent beneath the light.

A small amount of White Olive Oil went into another pan and was gently heated.

Haruto lowered the garlic slices into the oil and fried them slowly.

As the temperature rose, the garlic changed from transparent to pale yellow, then finally to a clear golden color.

Just before the edges could turn dark brown, Haruto immediately removed the slices and placed them on absorbent paper to drain away the excess oil.

Perfectly fried, the garlic chips gave off a rich, irresistible aroma.

Haruto added them to the finished sauce and stirred everything together.

In an instant, a layered fragrance combining roasted meat, wine, and garlic bloomed through the kitchen, immediately sharpening everyone’s appetite.

At last, every stage of the cooking was complete.

All that remained was to plate the dish.