Chapter 257: Precision

Chapter 257: 257: Precision

Lord Ash kept poking at it until he finally felt it becoming soft.

"It’s ready!" he exclaimed happily as he instantly got to his feet. "Now, what’s the next stage?"

The Rabbit Chef then proceeded to teach them how to mash the sweet potatoes. He explained why it was necessary and how they would be able to do it properly.

After he finished explaining, Lord Vale took the wooden spoon and confidently walked up to the pot.

"Don’t worry, I got this." He smiled as he leaned closer, pushed the spoon into the pot, and began trying to mash the potatoes.

Everyone sat there watching him work.

Vale pushed the spoon down, trying to mash everything up, but it seemed harder than he had expected. It was almost as though the potatoes were stuck together. The more he tried, the hotter and more uncomfortable he became because he was leaning so close to the fire.

Soon, he gave up and moved backward.

"Well, that was hot..."

Lord Ash smiled as he got up and took the spoon from him. "Let me try..."

He did the same, struggling to mash the potatoes. He managed to crush some of them, but overall, it was still incredibly difficult.

"Are these rocks or what?" Lord Ash questioned as he pulled back and stared into the pot. "Why are they so hard to mash...?"

The Rabbit Chef sighed as he ran a hand over his forehead. He had already given them instructions on how to work through it, but he guessed they had forgotten.

Zark scoffed as he got to his feet and took the spoon. "I’m stronger. Let me handle it."

"...."

They watched as he took the spoon and got to work. He started off slow and steady, calmly trying to stir and mash the potatoes.

But it was still difficult.

So Zark decided to put a little more strength and energy into it.

That ended terribly.

Several pieces of mashed potato splashed upward and landed directly on Zark’s face.

"...."

Silence filled the atmosphere as everyone stood there staring at him.

Ally, who had previously been laughing at everything that happened, also stopped. She stared at Zark, seemingly contemplating whether she should continue laughing, but eventually decided to remain calm.

"I said no force..." the Rabbit Chef said, blinking as Zark stood there with potato mash covering his face.

Lord Ash smiled as he leaned closer, ran a finger through Zark’s face, and wiped off some of the potato mash. He then licked it from his finger.

"Well, look on the bright side. It’s delicious."

Nyx soon got to his feet and took the spoon. Everyone curiously watched as he proceeded to mash the potatoes together.

To their surprise, he did it so smoothly that they began wondering if he was actually doing it correctly. He didn’t seem to use any extreme force or strength. Instead, his movements were moderate, steady, and composed.

They turned to stare at the Rabbit Chef, wondering what he would say.

"Perfect!" the Rabbit Chef exclaimed with a happy smile, clapping his hands. "He did it so well! And he listened attentively to what I said."

"...."

They were even more speechless as they stared at Nyx again.

"Is he really bad at cooking at this point...?" Lord Ash asked again.

Lord Vale was quiet for a while. He blinked before adding, "I think at this point, he’s lying to us."

Nyx smiled. "I wouldn’t bother. I guess I just learn faster."

"...."

The other mates all folded their arms while watching Nyx mash the potatoes in perfect condition. They sighed together in sync, shaking their heads.

"Cooking is hard," Lord Ash said.

Lord Vale slowly nodded in agreement.

---

After they were done with that phase, the Rabbit Chef explained the ingredients and the amount that needed to be added.

"We’re going to make sure not to put too much or too little," the Rabbit Chef explained. "So let’s pay attention to that, okay?"

Lord Vale nodded. "I’m certain of precision, so I’ll be able to handle this," he said confidently.

Lord Ash shook his head. "That statement is always the beginning of downfall."

"....."

The ingredients were brought out, and Lord Vale picked up the salt before confidently stepping forward.

"I’ll handle it."

"Are you sure I shouldn’t do this last part?" the Rabbit Chef asked, clearly worried that they would ruin everything.

"Don’t worry. We’ve already come this far, so let’s handle it," Lord Ash said.

"Yes. Besides, we want to do this ourselves. We promised her we would," Lord Vale added as he leaned closer to the pot and began measuring how much salt to put in.

The Rabbit Chef sighed as he nodded. He could only pray that this last phase would go smoothly.

"This should do..."

Vale raised the salt and poured his desired amount into the pot, watching it flow in.

"Isn’t that too much?" Nyx asked.

"No, it’s not. I’ve seen people use it, and this is the amount they add," Vale proudly explained.

Immediately, the Rabbit Chef stepped forward.

"Stop now."

Lord Vale turned to him. "Why? I don’t think it’s enough yet..."

"Stop!" The Rabbit Chef was already dying from the stress as he snapped.

Lord Vale pulled the salt back and stared into the potatoes.

"See? I think it’s appropriate now..." he said as he proudly picked up the spoon and stirred it.

When he was done, he said, "I’ll taste it to show you how good it turned out..."

Lord Vale took the spoon and scooped up a tiny portion. Then he gave it a taste, savoring the flavor in his mouth while closing his eyes to get a proper feel for it.

"...."

Silence.

Everyone stared at him curiously, waiting to hear the feedback on the decision he had just made. They watched closely as he chewed for a while, trying to assess the taste.

Almost immediately, his expression fell.

He made a funny face, scrunching up his features as he opened his eyes wide.

"What the hell is that taste...?"