Morin clapped his hands, excitement in his voice.
"Since food is the most important thing here, if I can get food, then I won't have to dig through the trash heaps for things to trade for supplies, right?"
"Hm?"
Hearing this, Machi looked Morin up and down before nodding.
"If you can find food, then you really won't need to go out. If there's extra, you can even trade it at the exchange point for other daily necessities."
"After all, in Meteor City, there's no trade good more reliable than food."
She didn't understand why Morin would say that.
When she had brought him home yesterday, she had thoroughly checked his entire body. There had been no hidden food at all.
If there had been, she would have found it and hidden it away long ago.
"Then that's great!!"
Morin grinned and flipped both hands over.
"Look at this!!"
In an instant, as if by magic, a square piece of cloth with blue, green, and yellow patterns intertwined across its surface appeared in Morin's hands. It looked like a tablecloth.
"Hm?"
Machi's gaze sharpened, and ripples finally appeared in her calm eyes.
"Where did you get that thing?"
Her tone carried obvious confusion and a hint of wariness.
When she had searched Morin yesterday, she definitely hadn't found such a long tablecloth on him.
When she had gotten up first this morning, she had even specifically observed him. Morin's pockets had been cleaner than his face.
But now...?
a
Gourmet Tablecloth
"Did it appear out of thin air?"
Anything unknown, anything beyond her understanding, made her wary. This was essential for surviving in Meteor City. Without vigilance and caution, no one could live long here. This was not a place for little lambs, innocent rabbits, or naïve fools.
"Don't worry about where it came from."
Morin smiled. "What do you think of this tablecloth? Does it look nice?"
"It does look pretty good."
Machi examined it from top to bottom and nodded in agreement.
Purely in terms of appearance, it was indeed the most beautiful piece of fabric she had ever seen since birth.
"If you take it to the exchange point, you could trade it for quite a lot of black rice."
□ n
"Black rice? The stuff you're eating?"
Morin glanced at the dark slop in Machi's bowl and shook his head with a smile.
"This tablecloth isn't meant to be wasted in such a crude way by directly trading it for things. That would be killing the goose that lays the golden eggs. It's called the Gourmet Tablecloth!"
Machi silently looked at Morin, her eyes seemingly saying, Isn't that just a name? What difference does it make?
"Watch carefully."
Morin spread the Gourmet Tablecloth across the old table in front of Machi.
"Now, it's time to witness a miracle!!"
Feeling his Nen power and aura reserves surge within him, Morin's lips curled slightly.
Item: Gourmet Tablecloth (also known as the Gourmet Napkin, Gourmet Tablecloth, Feast Tablecloth, Wrapping Napkin, Foodie Tablecloth, Food Tablecloth, Automatic Tablecloth, Gourmet Tablecloth, Gourmet Tablecloth, Gourmet Tablecloth, and so on) 0 Effect: Produces all kinds of food out of thin air. As long as the name of the food you want is spoken, the tablecloth will create it. The food created is real, completely free, and can be provided without limit. Note: A magical item that almost everyone dreams of possessing. If one day you suddenly don't want to cook but want to eat something delicious, or if you see some especially wonderful food but don't know how to make it and can't buy it, this Gourmet Tablecloth can perfectly satisfy your current needs.
The Gourmet Tablecloth was also an item that nearly everyone knew about. It was extremely iconic.
As long as you wanted to eat something, you could take out the tablecloth and have it appear immediately.
If this item had existed in Morin's previous world, no one would ever have needed to cook again. The people's happiness index would have risen exponentially.
As long as it was on a menu somewhere in the world, it could produce it for you.
He just wondered whether it would suffer from acclimatization issues after arriving in the world of Hunter x Hunter.
But presumably, it could still produce food from Earth, right?
"Give me sweet-and-sour spare ribs, crispy braised duck, mapo tofu, steamed fish, ham and winter melon soup, plus a bucket of white rice!"
Morin snapped his fingers.
Then, his Nen power and aura reserves began to drop. At the same time, plates slowly appeared atop the Gourmet Tablecloth before Machi's gradually shrinking pupils.
"This is..."
Machi completely lost her composure.
What was happening before her eyes had utterly exceeded her imagination.
"Now do you know why it's called the Gourmet Tablecloth?"
Seeing Machi stare blankly at the steaming dishes on the Gourmet Tablecloth, Morin couldn't help but grin.
"It's because it can produce all kinds of food!!"
Morin walked straight to the table and casually dragged the broken wooden bed over to sit on.
He picked up the spoon, bowl, and chopsticks included with the tablecloth, then scooped a heaping bowlful from the large bucket of white rice.
"Hiss?"
Morin took a deep breath of the dishes before him, which were perfect in color, aroma, and taste—so beautiful that even in his previous life, he had never seen food like this.
"It smells so good!!!"
This was the classic four dishes and one soup that had been passed down since the time of Ming Dynasty founder Zhu Yuanzhang.
Though it certainly wasn't the same as it had been in the beginning, and the menu had changed over time.
Even so, these
U!
dishes had now become one of the standards for official receptions across the country.
Morin said no more. He picked up his chopsticks and directly grabbed a rib.
"So good?!"
He immediately gave a thumbs-up.
"These are definitely the best ribs I've ever eaten!"
The sweet and sour flavors were perfectly balanced. It wasn't greasy or cloying, and the texture was incredibly rich and delicate. Fragrant, mellow, and delicious!!
Machi looked at the dark slop in her hands, then at Morin, who was scooping up a spoonful of mapo tofu and savoring it happily.
She suddenly felt that the dark slop in her hands didn't smell appetizing at all.
No, it had never smelled appetizing in the first place!!
"Is it really that good?"
Looking slightly awkward, she sat down opposite Morin.
Whoosh!
Morin answered by handing a bowl and chopsticks to her.
"Why don't you try it yourself?"
Morin said indistinctly through a mouthful of rice.
"I prepared a portion for you too."
He didn't have any spare time to talk.
o o o
Machi fell silent again, but her body was honest as she accepted the bowl and chopsticks from Morin.
"Then I'll give it a try."
She tried her best to keep her tone normal.
Conjuration Type? A Broken Cup!!
Machi did not immediately take any food. Instead, she scooped herself a bowl of ham and winter melon soup.
"Mm!"
The moment the winter melon entered her mouth, her eyes trembled again.
The savory fragrance of the ham and the refreshing sweetness of the winter melon blended together, making the soup exceptionally delicious.
Machi felt as though the winter melon were dancing on the tip of her tongue, while every cell in her body cheered with joy.
This was the first time since her birth that she had eaten such delicious food.
Before she knew it, her arms uncontrollably kept bringing the soup and food before her into her mouth.
"I can't lose to you either."
Noticing Machi's increasingly rapid eating speed, Morin sped up as well.
Very quickly, the four dishes, one soup, and the large bucket of white rice on the Gourmet Tablecloth were swept clean by the two of them.
There really wasn't even a drop of oil left behind.
The plates that had held the dishes were polished bright, licked cleaner than Morin's face.
"Burp?"
After letting out a small, satisfied burp, Morin felt nothing but comfort throughout his entire body.
"This is the first time I've ever eaten dishes with such authentic flavor," Morin said emotionally. "I'm still not satisfied. How about some dessert after the meal?" He looked at the tomboy who had been fighting him for food just moments ago, only to turn back into a little ice-cold girl.
"What would you like?"
"Anything is fine."
Machi wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and calmly replied again.
"Then I'll decide."
Morin snapped his fingers again. "Two cups of apple custard soufflé, and a cup of spring water with fresh leaves in it."
As his Nen power and aura reserves decreased, three drinks appeared on the Gourmet Tablecloth once more.
No girl could resist the combination of fruit and cake-like desserts, could she?
"What is this cup of mountain spring water for?"
As Machi took small spoonfuls of the custard soufflé and felt joy dance across her tongue, she asked curiously.
"You'll find out in a moment."
Morin smiled as he ate his dessert.
Before you continue