Chapter 102: Culinary Test
Nightmoon Tavern
In the kitchen.
Kendrick stood by the stove, quietly watching the young man in white who was skillfully wielding a kitchen knife.
Such quick hands.
Kendrick couldn’t help but marvel.
As a qualified chef, knife skills are the fundamental base that one cannot escape from.
Thus, Kendrick’s first test for all the chefs applying for jobs typically revolves around their knife skills.
For a well-rounded warrior, this of course is no challenge at all.
Alicia concentrated, skillfully swinging her knife. Even without using Battle Qi, her speed was so fast that Kendrick could barely catch a glimpse of her movements.
She picked up the tofu from the cutting board and gently placed it in the water, where the clear liquid seeped into the tofu along the knife cuts, transforming it into a delicate flower.
“Chrysanthemum tofu, huh,” Kendrick smiled slightly, nodding repeatedly, “Not bad. It’s impressive for someone your age to have such knife skills.”
“Boss, you’re too kind.”
Alicia smiled and asked, “So, have I passed the first round?”
“Of course,” Kendrick nodded.
“Then what’s the next test?” Alicia inquired.
“Ah, let me think…”
Kendrick pondered for a moment, then said, “Never mind, let’s not complicate things. Just cook a signature dish of yours.”
Alicia was slightly taken aback,
A signature dish?
Yes. Kendrick said gently, “But just to clarify, our main customers are local adventurers, not some noble folks. So, the dish you prepare should ideally be quick to serve and taste good.”
“Oh, I understand.” Alicia nodded lightly, thought for a moment, then took two eggs from the basket, smiling slightly, “Then I’ll make fried rice.”
Outside the kitchen of Nightmoon Tavern, three figures were eagerly gathered outside the door, focusing through a crack to watch everything inside.
“Ah~ So cool, he’s just too cool.” Lilith said, starry-eyed, “I’ve never seen such a handsome guy in my life.”
“Handsome guy, handsome guy, that’s all you notice,” Luna retorted, “No matter how handsome he is, what does it have to do with you? Other than swooning here, what can you do?”
“Who says it has nothing to do with me? As long as Kendrick gives the nod and he joins Nightmoon Tavern, we’ll be colleagues then. From that moment on, I’ll have tons of time to spend with him,” Lilith said, “Sisters, bless me. If I could marry someone that handsome, I could be happy for a lifetime.”
“I feel like you’re just being delusional,” Luna said mercilessly.
“Indeed, Lilith, I also feel like you’re delusional,” Stella chimed in.
“Huh? Why can’t you all just look at me positively?”
Lilith pouted, then turned to Elrose beside her, “By the way, Elrose, what do you think of that handsome guy? Do you think I have a chance?”
“Ah, me?” Elrose was taken aback, then sighed softly, “Hey, Lilith, don’t think too much. Thirty years on the east bank, thirty years on the west bank; don’t underestimate a girl just because she’s poor.”
“Um… no, Elrose, can you say something sensible?”
“Hey, can’t you understand that?” Luna said with a laugh, “What she means is that you’re too inexperienced now, you don’t match up.”
“Ah? Is there really that big of a gap?” Lilith still seemed doubtful.
“It’s not just a regular gap either,” Luna said bluntly, “With his looks, I bet there would be rich ladies lining up to take care of him, an entire Karashok could be filled with them. You should just give up.”
“This…” Lilith bit her lip, then with a hopeful look in her eyes, said, “It’s okay, Elrose is right. Thirty years on the east bank, thirty years on the west bank; don’t underestimate a girl just because she’s poor. The future is promising.”
Upon hearing this, Luna shot a glare at Elrose, “Damn it, what a toxic encouragement.”
“Ahem, Lilith isn’t wrong. As long as you have dreams, anything is possible. No one can say for sure,” Elrose said slowly, “One day, Lilith might suddenly become the queen on the throne, looking down on all living things, while this kind of pretty boy could be kissing her toes, swearing his loyalty.”
Swearing loyalty.
The image Elrose painted slowly surfaced in Lilith’s mind.
Lilith’s heart raced as she excitedly said, “Whoa, that scene would be so beautiful.”
“Right?” Elrose patted Lilith’s shoulder, then poured more encouraging words into her.
“Lilith, you have to believe that there’s nothing difficult in the world, as long as you’re willing to climb.”
“As long as you have dreams, a little duckling can become a beautiful swan, a toad can eat swan meat, and even a slave can rule the world.”
“When you stand at the pinnacle of the world, wearing your combat black stockings and eighteen-centimeter high heels, don’t say it’s just some handsome guy. By then, you’ll have a harem of three thousand male pets, each year with three hundred sixty-five unique days for ten years.”
“Swish!”
Tears of emotion instantly filled Lilith’s eyes as she slowly grabbed Elrose’s hands, “Hearing your words is worth more than ten years of learning. I suddenly find my life has a new direction. Elrose, you’re my life mentor.”
“Haha, is that so?” Elrose chuckled.
Outside the door, just as the four girls were laughing and chatting, Alicia’s fried rice was finally done.
She carefully brought the plate to Kendrick and softly said, “This is the fried rice I made. Please enjoy it, boss.”
A delightful aroma wafted through the air, and Kendrick recognized at a glance that this bowl of fried rice was extraordinary.
It was perfectly combined with golden eggs, emitting an incredible fragrance; without a doubt, this was a bowl of high-quality fried rice.
“Fried rice, huh…”
Kendrick smiled slightly, noting that it was the first time someone had made fried rice during an interview.
To be honest, while his request was for something delicious and quick to make, fried rice, to put it bluntly, was a bit too simple.
Kendrick couldn’t help but ask curiously, “What made you think of making fried rice? Is it really your best dish?”
Alicia gently shook her head and smiled, “This is definitely not my best dish, but it’s the one that represents me the most.”
“Oh, the dish that represents you?”
Kendrick smiled slightly, then picked up a spoon, took a scoop of the fried rice, and slowly put it in his mouth.
In that moment, he seemed to be transported back forty years, to the snowy days when monsters roamed, to those times of hardship.
In that quiet cave, he was all alone, crying while devouring the golden fried rice left behind by someone.
That was a flavor he had pursued his entire life, a flavor he had never forgotten.
Tears instantly blurred his vision.
Kendrick slowly looked up, gazing at the person before him.
The handsome figure and that golden silhouette instantly merged as one.
