Becoming a Gadget Master Starting with Hunter x Hunter

Morin clapped his hands, a hint of excitement in his voice.

"Since food is the most important thing here, if I got my hands on some, I wouldn't have to dig through the trash for stuff to trade, right?"

"Huh?"

Machi looked him up and down at that, then nodded. "If you can find food, then yeah, you wouldn't need to go out. And if you had extra, you could trade it for other daily necessities at the exchange point."

"After all, in Meteor City, nothing holds its value better than food."

She didn't quite understand why Morin would say something like that.

She'd checked him over thoroughly when she brought him home yesterday—there was no hidden food on him.

If there had been, she would've already dug it out and stashed it away.

"That's great!"

Morin grinned, then flipped his hands over.

"Check this out!"

Suddenly, like magic, a square piece of cloth—patterned with blue, green, and yellow—appeared in his hands, looking something like a tablecloth.

"Huh?"

Machi's gaze sharpened, her usually calm eyes rippling with surprise.

"Where did you pull that from?"

Her tone carried clear doubt and a hint of wariness.

When she'd checked Morin's body yesterday, she hadn't found a tablecloth that long at all.

And when she'd gotten up first this morning, she'd taken a good look—Morin really had nothing to his name.

But now...?

006 Gourmet Tablecloth

"Did it just appear out of thin air?"

Anything unknown, or beyond her understanding, put her on guard. That was a must for surviving in Meteor City—without vigilance and caution, you wouldn't last long. This place was no home for lambs, bunnies, or naive fools.

"Don't worry about where it came from for now."

Morin smiled. "What do you think of this tablecloth? Pretty nice?"

"It is nice."

Machi looked it over and nodded in agreement.

Just based on looks alone, it was the prettiest fabric she'd seen since she was born.

"You could trade it for a good amount of black rice at the exchange point."

"Black rice? Is that what you eat?"

Morin glanced at the dark, mushy food in Machi's bowl and shook his head with a chuckle.

"This tablecloth isn't meant for something as wasteful and crude as trading it away. That would be like killing the goose that lays the golden eggs. It's called the Gourmet Tablecloth!"

Machi stared at him quietly, as if her eyes were saying, "It's just a name—what difference does it make?"

"Watch closely, okay?"

Morin spread the Gourmet Tablecloth over the old table in front of Machi.

"Now, it's time to witness a miracle!"

Feeling the surge of nen and aura within him, the corner of Morin's mouth lifted slightly.

Item: Gourmet Tablecloth (also known as the Host's Napkin, Gourmet Napkin, Host's Tablecloth, Wrap Napkin, Chef's Tablecloth, Food Tablecloth, Auto Tablecloth, Gourmet Table Cover, Gourmet Tablecloth, Food Tablecloth, etc.)

Effect: Instantly produces various foods. Just say the name of the food you want, and the tablecloth will conjure it. The food is real, completely free, and provided infinitely.

Note: A magical item almost everyone dreams of. If one day you suddenly don't feel like cooking but want something delicious, or you see a fantastic dish you can't make or buy and it's driving you crazy, this Gourmet Tablecloth can perfectly solve your current needs.

The Gourmet Tablecloth—a well-known, iconic item.

Whatever you want to eat, just pull out the tablecloth and it'll appear instantly.

If Morin had had this item back in his old world, he'd never have to cook again, and national happiness levels would skyrocket exponentially, right?

Any dish that existed in the world, it could produce.

He just wasn't sure if it would suffer from culture shock in the Hunter x Hunter world.

But he figured it could still conjure up food from Earth, right?

"Give me some sweet and sour spare ribs, soy-braised crispy duck, mapo tofu, steamed fish, ham and winter melon soup, and a bucket of white rice!"

Morin snapped his fingers.

Then his own Nen power and aura began to decline. At the same time, on the Gourmet Tablecloth, as Machi's pupils slowly contracted, plates gradually materialized.

"This is..."

Machi was completely shaken.

The scene unfolding before her eyes utterly surpassed her imagination.

"Now do you see why it's called the Gourmet Tablecloth?"

Seeing Machi staring blankly at the steaming dishes on the Gourmet Tablecloth, Morin couldn't help but grin:

"Because it can conjure up all kinds of food!!"

Morin walked straight to the table, casually dragged over the broken wooden plank bed, and sat down.

He picked up the spoon, bowl, and chopsticks that came with the tablecloth, and scooped out a full bowl from that huge bucket of white rice.

"Ahh?"

Morin took a deep breath of the dishes before him—perfect in color, aroma, and taste, more beautiful than anything he'd even seen in his past life.

"So fragrant!!!"

This was the four-dish-one-soup tradition passed down since the time of Ming Dynasty founder Zhu Yuanzhang.

Though it had certainly changed from the original, the menu having evolved.

But nowadays, these

U!

dishes had also become one of the standards for official receptions everywhere.

Morin said nothing more. He picked up his chopsticks and directly grabbed a rib.

"Delicious?!"

He gave a thumbs up.

"This is absolutely the best rib I've ever eaten!"

Perfectly balanced sweet and sour, neither greasy nor heavy, the texture incredibly rich and delicate, fragrant and mellow!!

Machi looked at the blackened lump in her own hand, then at Morin, who was scooping a spoonful of mapo tofu into his mouth with pure enjoyment.

Suddenly, the blackened lump in her hand didn't seem appetizing at all.

No, it had never been appetizing in the first place!!

"Is it really that good?"

Somewhat awkwardly, she sat down across from Morin.

Clatter!

Her answer was the bowl and chopsticks Morin pushed in front of her.

"Why don't you try it yourself?"

Morin mumbled, his mouth full of rice.

"I prepared a portion for you, you know?"

He didn't have time to talk.

o o o

Machi fell silent again, but her body was honest enough to take the bowl and chopsticks from Morin.

"Then I'll have a taste."

She tried to keep her voice normal.

007 Conjuration? Shattered Cup!!

Machi didn't immediately reach for the dishes or rice. Instead, she ladled herself a bowl of ham and winter melon soup.

"Ah!"

When the winter melon entered her mouth, her eyes trembled again.

The savory saltiness of the ham and the refreshing sweetness of the winter melon absorbed each other, complementing one another, making the broth incredibly delicious.

Machi felt as if the winter melon was dancing on her tongue, every cell in her body cheering and rejoicing.

This was the first time since birth she had ever eaten such delicious food.

Involuntarily, her arm couldn't stop itself from sending the soup and dishes before her into her mouth.

"I can't let you beat me."

Sensing Machi's increasingly rapid eating pace, Morin sped up as well.

Soon, before long, the four dishes and one soup on the Gourmet Tablecloth, plus that huge bucket of white rice, were wiped clean by the two of them, devoured like a whirlwind.

It was true—not even a trace of oil or sauce remained.

The plates that had held the dishes were gleaming bright, licked cleaner than Morin's own face.

"Burp?"

Letting out a slight burp, Morin felt a wave of pure satisfaction wash over his entire body.

"This is the first time I've eaten food with such authentic flavor," Morin remarked. "Still a bit unsatisfied, though. How about some dessert?" He looked at the girl who had just been wiping her mouth—the fierce food-fighter now transformed back into an icy little loli.

"What do you want?"

"Anything's fine."

Machi wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and returned to her calm demeanor.

"Then I'll decide for myself."

Morin snapped his fingers again. "Two cups of apple eggnog soufflé, and one cup of spring water with fresh leaves."

As his Nen power and energy reserves shrank, three drinks materialized once more on the Gourmet Tablecloth.

What girl could resist the combination of fruit and cake in a dessert?

"What's the spring water for?"

Machi asked curiously, taking small spoonfuls of the soufflé and savoring the dance of flavors on her tongue.

"You'll find out soon enough."

Morin smiled as he ate his dessert.