Xingyan: "..."
You're not wrong. I really can't get an upset stomach—but that doesn't mean I want to eat charred meat!
As a thrifty dragon who licked up the dirt stained with dragon blood after fighting other dragons, Xingyan would never encourage anyone to waste food.
So he pretended not to notice the look Shanshan, a Grimalkyne, was giving him.
It was lively.
The Grimalkynes were acting as if it were a festival. They were even singing as they worked... Some kind of beastfolk tune. Xingyan couldn't understand the words, but the joyful feeling came through in the rhythm and melody.
Xingyan loved this lively atmosphere. He found it especially amusing to see the big cats bickering with one another.
The Bird Bro was also happily looking around. At Xingyan's signal, he wasn't frightened by the sheer number of Grimalkynes. On the contrary, he was alarmingly outgoing. Before long, he'd joined them, carrying an Aptonoth egg and looking around.
His blunt beak pecked at this and that, nearly breaking one of the Grimalkynes' clay pots. The Grimalkynes shrieked and pushed his beak away, turning him in the opposite direction.
Kulu-Ya-Ku really lived up to its name. That mischievous nature explained everything, and the Bird Bro was having the time of his life. Even when a few Grimalkynes formed a wall of bodies and forcibly pushed him away from the makeshift stove, he didn't seem to mind. Instead, he cracked open the egg in his arms and started slurping it up.
He wandered around slurping as he went, looking like he was enjoying the show.
Perhaps they thought one Carapace Dragon wouldn't provide enough meat for Xingyan, or perhaps they felt that one kind of meat wouldn't give them enough room to show off their cooking skills. Either way, the Grimalkynes brought over plenty of extra food: smoked jerky and dried fish they'd prepared earlier, as well as some small animals they'd hunted, such as Detour Rabbits and Scale Bats.
Interestingly, in Xingyan's memories, Scale Bats weren't mammals like ordinary bats. They were genuine Flying Dragon Species. Yes, the bats commonly seen hanging upside down from the ceilings of underground caves all had Flying Dragon Species blood. They'd simply adapted to cave life and evolved into creatures that resembled bats.
Even among small dragons, they were on the small side. They traveled in flocks at dusk and hunted insects and other small flying creatures.
But they were still dragons.
They were just a little embarrassing to the dragon name, having ended up on the Grimalkynes' menu.
The Grimalkynes worked quickly. To show off their cooking skills and win Xingyan's approval, they didn't prepare the Carapace Dragon as a single dish. Instead, after carving it up, they divided it roughly into three portions.
The first portion went into a stew. The Grimalkynes brought over a huge clay pot, tossed in the Carapace Dragon meat, then added plenty of colorful leaves. Some were dried, while others were still fresh and green. Finally, they poured in a lot of powders Xingyan couldn't identify.
It smelled pretty good, though. Even while he was lying in a corner of the cave, Xingyan caught the savory aroma of the stew. It was the sort of dish he could never make himself, since all he knew how to do was pan-fry Sword Tail meat.
The second portion of Carapace Dragon meat was cut into evenly sized chunks. Xingyan was more familiar with this one: grilled meat, and even skewered!
The moment the seasoning powder was sprinkled over the skewers, Xingyan nearly burst into tears. He could smell chili peppers!!
It hadn't been easy.
Everything should have chili peppers! Everyone should eat chili peppers! Food without chili peppers was practically impossible to swallow!
He slurped back the drool that was about to spill out, resisting the urge to rush over and devour it right away. Then Xingyan turned his gaze to the final portion of meat.
This meat had been chopped very fine. By Grimalkyne standards, it was still cut into fairly thick strips, but to Xingyan, it was practically minced meat.
It had been piled neatly on an irregular but mostly flat stone slab. The Grimalkynes propped up the slab with rocks, then lit a fire underneath it.
Xingyan knew this method too. It was just teppanyaki—well, stone-slab grilling, as it should be called now. In essence, it was stir-frying: an alternative to using an iron pan when you didn't have one, but still the same cooking method.
The Grimalkynes must have brought out everything they had, because Xingyan could clearly see a lot of leafy greens laid out on the stone slab—rare sights in the Great Sand Sea. He had no idea where the little guys had found them... or if they'd grown them themselves.
In any case, one of the Grimalkyne chefs was already standing beside the stone slab, busily stir-frying mushrooms and meat strips.
Don't ask. It just smelled amazing!
Three ways to eat one dragon—that was what Xingyan had named today's feast.
That was exactly right. The Grimalkynes really knew what they were doing!
If Xingyan had cooked for himself, he would've made nothing but pan-fried Sword Tail. And now he didn't even have any Sword Tail.
"Ta-da! It's ready, meow!!!"
They didn't have a bowl big enough for Xingyan, so six Grimalkynes put on thick gloves made from the hide of some unknown animal, then lifted the stone slab together and carried it right up to him.
"Roar!"
He roared excitedly. If circumstances had allowed, Xingyan would've been rubbing his hands together in anticipation.
Honestly, even before taking a single bite, Xingyan would've sworn that this was the best meal he'd had since coming to this world.
It wasn't the innards of some other animal, nor warm meat still dripping with blood. It was a delicious meal that had been carefully prepared and cooked!
A truly delicious meal!!
It was enough to make a dragon cry.
"And we're ready too, meow! Our food's done too, meow!!"
Seeing their companions on the other side already serving their food, the Grimalkynes in the grilling area immediately shouted out, unwilling to be outdone.
Each Grimalkyne came running over with a huge bundle of sizzling, dripping meat skewers. They piled them all on top of the stone slab, nearly burying the stir-fried food.
"What do you think you're doing, meow! This is our dish, meow!"
"Idiot, meow! Do you want Dragon Slayer Boss to eat food that's been left on the ground, meow?! This is basic manners, meow!"
"That's not the reason at all, is it, meow?! You're covering up our dish with your grilled meat, you sneaky cheaters, meow!!"
"We're not, meow! Don't make things up, meow!!"
The Grimalkynes' competitive spirit had kicked in!!
Xingyan cheerfully watched the two groups of Grimalkyne chefs arguing below. He'd noticed a while ago that the three teams, each cooking a different kind of dish, had somehow started competing with one another.
Well, it was like, Since we've already got everything set up, we might as well have a contest, meow. Something along those lines.
The mood had just taken over.
Especially now that two of the dishes had already been served. When Xingyan glanced over, he could see the Grimalkynes making stew looking close to tears with anxiety, as if the food would be eaten before they could bring it over.
Ah, they really were crying.
Xingyan had somewhat underestimated how intimidating he was now.
"W-we'll be ready soon, meow! Dragon Slayer Boss!!"
One of the stew chefs was mumbling and sobbing.
"Roar!"
"Dragon Slayer Boss says there's no need to rush, meow." The Elder, the only Grimalkyne who could understand Xingyan, stepped forward, leaning on his cane. "There's plenty of time. He'll try the other two dishes first."
The Elder's reassurance calmed the stew chefs somewhat.
"Just you wait, meow! We won't lose, meow!!"
"As if, meow! You'll admit defeat before my glorious grilled meat, meow!!"
Both sides were talking big. Xingyan's expression turned a little strange... He couldn't help wondering if the Grimalkynes had forgotten why they were here in the first place.
But who cared? Eating came first.
He couldn't wait any longer. Amid a chorus of frightened Grimalkyne shrieks, Xingyan suddenly lowered his head and took a bite of the stir-fried meat.
A gaping maw!
The stir-fry, piled up like a small mountain, instantly became a Mount Fuji, caving in at the center.
"Oh yeah! Dragon Slayer Boss tried our stir-fry first, meow!!"
The stone-slab stir-fry team immediately celebrated. They jumped up and down, acting as if they'd already won.
Ignoring the Grimalkynes, Xingyan closed his eyes and chewed his meal with a seriousness and focus he'd never shown before, savoring every last hint of flavor.
Delicious.
Delicious!!
Delicious!!!
The mushrooms' distinctive savoriness mingled with the rich aroma of fat released by the meat at high heat. The lightly charred texture didn't detract from the flavor; if anything, it made the mushrooms chewier. And the chili gave the meat a flavor that lingered in his memory.
"Roar, roar, roaaaar."
When Xingyan's rising and falling roars ended, the Elder cleared his throat twice and announced loudly under the expectant gazes of the Grimalkynes:
"Dragon Slayer Boss gives it seven points, meow!"
The Grimalkyne tribe had simple arithmetic, so they could use it to give scores too.
"How could this be, meow?" The stir-fry team looked as if the sky had fallen. Their eyes widened in shock. "This is a dish we put our hearts into, meow! Everyone who's ever tried it said it was good, meow!!"
"Haha, I told you you're an idiot, meow!" Shanshan's childhood friend put both paws on her hips and said smugly, "You said it yourself—it's good for everyone else, meow. Did you think Dragon Slayer Boss was just like us, meow?! Dragon Slayer Boss is that~ big, meow! I knew you'd lose as soon as I saw you adding seasonings the way you usually do, meow!!"
"W-what?! So that's why, meow?!"
"Roar!" Xingyan bellowed again.
As if struck by lightning, the Grimalkyne leading the stir-fry team went stiff all over. Clinging to his last shred of hope, he slowly turned his head toward the Elder.
But the Elder met his gaze and nodded firmly, filling him with despair.
"You didn't use enough seasoning, meow! Dragon Slayer Boss says it lacks flavor, meow!!"
KABOOM!!
A thunderbolt of despair struck the Grimalkynes on the stir-fry team.
"Heh heh, please try our delicious grilled meat, meow! Dragon Slayer Boss!" Shanshan's childhood friend smugly wiped her nose and said to Xingyan, "The bigger the chunks of meat, the better. The more chili, the better. And the salt has to be as salty as possible, meow! It'll absolutely suit Dragon Slayer Boss's taste, meow!!"
"B-but won't that be bad for Dragon Slayer Boss's health, meow..." One of the stir-fry team, lying on the ground, struggled to reach out. "There's too much seasoning powder, meow. You can hardly tell it's meat anymore, meow."
"You idiot, meow! Don't judge Dragon Slayer Boss by our own bodies, meow!" his childhood friend shouted.
"Damn it, Congcong, you're so sneaky, meow..."
Those were the defeated team's final words.
The stir-fry team wasn't wrong. The meat the grilling team served up no longer looked like meat. While grilling, they'd first scored the chunks, then cooked them with a layer of oil and a layer of seasoning, then another layer of oil and another layer of seasoning...
In the end, they'd become huge skewers that looked like red bricks.
With Congcong—Shanshan's childhood friend—watching nervously, Xingyan bit off a piece of meat, skewer and all. Don't let her confident look fool you: everything she'd said was only her own guess, and hadn't been tested.
Chew, chew, chew.
"Roar!!!"
"Dragon Slayer Boss gives it nine points!"
The Elder stepped forward right after Xingyan's roar and announced the score proudly. He was delighted that one of the tribe's young members had such a keen eye and clever mind. The nine points meant that Congcong had guessed correctly!
You had to pile on the seasoning for Dragon Slayer Boss, meow!!
"Meow yeah!!!"
The grilling team's chefs jumped up and cheered. The Grimalkynes who hadn't been part of the cooking and had been watching from the sidelines cheered as well.
Well, the only ones who couldn't be happy just then were the stir-fry chefs who'd just been defeated.
But Xingyan couldn't worry about that. Although he'd only given the stone-slab stir-fry team seven points, that was just to be fair. In reality, after a life of eating raw meat and blood, everything the Grimalkynes had served him was delicious.
His job was simply to pick out the tastiest dishes from among all that delicious food.
It was a little extravagant.
Honestly, Xingyan was glad he'd held back and not given the stir-fry a higher score. Its flavor was light, but compared to the raw food he'd eaten until now, it was still delicious.
Otherwise, scoring would've been a real problem... He couldn't just give everything a perfect ten, could he?
Xingyan was a dragon with standards, after all. He couldn't make it seem like he'd never tasted anything good before.
Whatever the Grimalkynes thought of those two cooking methods, after giving them their scores, Xingyan went right back to eating with gusto.
Honestly, if he hadn't been worried that damaging their cookware would keep the Grimalkynes from cooking, Xingyan would've wanted to eat the stone slab they'd used for the stir-fry too.
After all, that stone had really soaked up the flavor.
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