Ming Dynasty and New Rome and Infinite Magic Machine

Chapter 1708 Chef
Han Xingzhi kept staring at the plate in front of him. Even though the bean paste was made by a mummy, he still didn't put down his spoon.

He seems genuinely hungry.

"How about I add another dish for you?" Shang Luo said, carrying another plate when she came out.

"This dish is still under development."

"What is this again?" Han Xingzhi was already feeling hopeless, because he saw another plate of mushy mush.

That plate wasn't as good as the one in front of me. At least this bean paste looked like it was made of beans.

The dish that Shangluo had just brought over was black with green streaks and green with black streaks, resembling a clump of unidentified colloids tangled together, a sticky mess piled up like a corner of a bizarre, primitive Cambrian ocean. This dish left one unsure where to look.

"So, big brother, at least tell me what this is. I don't care that it's made from a mummy. But you should at least tell me where this stuff that's going into my mouth came from."

"This is quite interesting. Black is an eggplant, you should know that."

"What is this green thing that looks like a loofah or gourd?"

"This is a vegetable native to the New World, carefully cultivated by Mayan priests. In the barren soil of the rainforest and in the sandy wastelands at high altitudes, this beautiful green vegetable blossoms and bears fruit everywhere. Its suitability for growing in sandy soil has made it the most popular vegetable crop in Egypt—you can call it zucchini."

"." Han Xingzhi scooped up a spoonful; it was a paste.

It has a different texture than bean paste. If bean paste is like mud pulled out of a flowerpot, then this vegetable paste is like a cabbage worm pulled out of a flowerpot, dismembered and dying with its eyes wide open.

I suddenly felt a little sorry for him.

"Well, you can't blame me for that. How was I supposed to know there were only these two kinds of vegetables here?"

The combination of high-temperature tolerance, drought resistance, and sandy soil conditions means that there aren't many vegetables that can grow in Egypt. Zucchini and eggplant are the most common vegetables eaten by Egyptians.

It's not that there aren't other options; there are tomatoes, for example. But the zucchini and eggplant are already mushy, and stewing them into a paste would be a complete disaster. But that's not the limit—if you add tomatoes too, and stew all the black, red, and green ingredients into a paste, the result would look like a car crash.

"Should I take it away?"

"Don't take it away!!!" Han Xingzhi covered the plate with his hand. He was so hungry that he was possessive of his food. "It's mine! This zucchini and eggplant stew is mine! This bean paste is mine too!"

"Okay, okay, it's yours. Why don't you try it?"

"Can I eat now?"

Shangluo nodded: "Eat."

When he came to his senses, Shangluo had already served him the third dish.

Like a whirlwind, he devoured the half-bucket of zucchini and eggplant stew made by the mummy, along with half a pot of bean paste.

"No way, are you really that hungry?"

"Something's not right. This kid isn't so easy to raise."

Over time, Shangluo and Han Xingzhi had become quite familiar with each other—this kid was actually quite picky about food. His mouth was always busy, constantly looking for something delicious. After all, he used to enjoy a high standard of living, not only being able to eat time-tested home-style dishes in big cities, but also frequently dining on top-tier banquet dishes.

He also frequently dined at the Jinling Hotel with Shangluo—which, in a way, means he's quite well-traveled and knowledgeable. Furthermore, Shangluo had taken him out to eat at the hotel a few times when he was in Rome.

Logically speaking, even if he were extremely hungry, his appetite shouldn't be this good. [Did you add more?]

"What was added?"

What else could you have added? You probably added something to it.

"You mean [Golden Hunger]? How could that be! This kid is like a hungry ghost, what good is hunger? He'll just waste my spices."

Shang Luo did indeed carry the bottle of golden Hunger with him, but he only had a small one, which he kept as a condiment. After all, when you're out and about, you can't guarantee that your meals won't have to be made do—in times like these, adding a spoonful of magic can spice up your palate.

But Han Xingzhi clearly didn't need the seasoning of "hunger" to adjust himself; he was already hungry enough.

Is his hunger really that pure? I remember last time it wasn't so pure.

"It's so delicious! I've never eaten anything so good before!"

"Huh?" Shang Luo was taken aback. "Is it really delicious?"

"Mmm! It's really delicious! Big brother, haven't you tried some?"

He really hadn't tried it. The research had only just begun, and seeing a mummy cooking still made him feel a little uneasy. If Han Xingzhi hadn't come, he wouldn't have ate anything. But since Han Xingzhi was here, he hadn't eaten a single bite.

"Is it really that delicious?"

"Mmm! Big brother, you'd be missing out if you didn't try it! You should go and have some!"

Shangluo, still somewhat skeptical, went to the kitchen and served himself a bowl as well.

"Ah, this." He sat back down, took a bite, and was shocked.

[This is amazing! The flavor is just right! This is delicious! Pure, unadulterated deliciousness!]

Yes, this dish also contains magic. But not magic induced by hunger, but pure deliciousness.

In terms of seasonings, "deliciousness" is more elusive than "hunger." Hunger has a universal standard: you're simply hungry. But deliciousness has no standard; no one can definitively say what the most delicious thing in the world is.

But Shangluo tasted it in this zucchini and eggplant stew. This was the ultimate deliciousness! Although the presentation was appalling, even that couldn't stop the deliciousness from bursting forth; the magic was simply too pure!
“This is the magic of the mummies,” the priest explained. “Actually, I knew it would be like this from the very beginning of the cooking—awakened mummies possess powerful magic. They can unleash terrifying magic without even realizing it. If you ask them to cook, they will make it delicious, that’s all.”

This is why grinding mummies into powder gives them such great power—because they were already very strong.

"They're that powerful?"

“Hmm.” The priest nodded. “It’s a pity that most mummies are unaware of their power—because they are incomplete. However, if they were to become as complete as I am, magic would leave them. It is this state of being neither alive nor dead, neither increasing nor decreasing, neither defiled nor pure, that gives them such powerful control over magic.”

Magic cannot be explained by reason, and a perfectly rational person cannot cast spells. Mummies are completely devoid of reason, because they don't have brains at all; their brains have long been washed away.

"Wow," Shang Luo nodded. "So they're this powerful?"

“Their power isn’t just in cooking,” the priest said in a deep voice. “This powerful force can turn into destructive power at any time, but they themselves are unaware of it.”

(End of this chapter)