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Shataan Terrorbird.

Its naturally ferocious temperament meant it got an incredible amount of exercise.

You knew what that meant, right?

Firm, chewy meat!

Even its fat cooked up rich without being greasy, thanks to all that exercise!

It was a top-quality filling for meat-stuffed flatbreads!

And the upper wing was the finest part of the Shataan Terrorbird.

Not only was it meaty, but the portion was huge.

Every bite was springy and delicious—not just some of it, but all of it!

Wasn't that way more satisfying than eating chicken wings?

None of that stinginess you got from tiny chicken wings.

Shirou sounded weird enough as it was.

Especially since it lived as a parasite in primates' ear canals, nasal cavities, and other openings.

Few people could stomach that.

But those who could...

They were in for a treat, okay!

Jiang Yao knew that for a fact.

A long, long time ago.

So long ago that Tayzzyronth hadn't even been born.

And the walls Qlipoth built were still regularly smashed through by that reckless biker punk Akivili.

Jiang Yao had eaten Shirou's ancestors.

How should he put it~

Delicious!

Loved it!

Keep it coming!

However, Shirou had later gone almost extinct.

Why had it gone almost extinct?

Well, Jiang Yao certainly hadn't eaten it into extinction.

He hadn't expected to find rare Shirou to eat on the Luofu.

Jiang Yao almost felt like putting on a display of tearful gratitude.

What could he say?

All he could say was that this trip to the Luofu had absolutely been worth it!

Jiang Yao had a habit.

He liked saving his favorite foods for last.

So he decided to try the fruitwood-grilled Shataan Terrorbird upper wing first.

It might have been just an upper wing.

But it was actually bigger than an ordinary fish.

It weighed at least a dozen jin.

Normally, it could easily feed two or three people.

Since it had just finished grilling.

Hot oil still sizzled on the crispy bird skin.

Anyone who saw it would have worked up an appetite.

Jiang Yao was naturally no exception.

He went straight in with his hands.

He wasn't afraid of the heat.

Not in the slightest.

He poked the upper wing and could feel that the juices inside were just right.

Clearly, Yan Cui knew her way around this dish.

Jiang Yao picked it right up.

And bit into the crispy skin.

Instantly, rich juices carrying an even richer aroma rushed down Jiang Yao's throat.

Then.

Jiang Yao bit off a slice of meat.

He savored it carefully, chewing at a rate of 114514 times per minute.

Of course, no onlooker could possibly see that lightning-fast speed.

Not bad.

Not bad.

Jiang Yao nodded as he ate.

It really was pretty good.

But pretty good was the most he could say for it.

Generally speaking, Yan Cui's grilling skills could be considered first-rate.

But her understanding of the ingredients fell short.

Of course, she might simply have been unfamiliar with Shataan Terrorbird and rarely cooked it.

That was why this grilled upper wing was a delicacy to other people.

But to Jiang Yao, it was only pretty good.

There was no helping it; her method of removing the gamey smell was clearly wrong.

Although she had cleverly used seasonings to marinate it, she had overlooked their potency, allowing their flavor to overpower everything else.

It was like chicken soup, duck soup, or softshell turtle soup...

With those delicious dishes, you could taste what the ingredients were.

If you relied entirely on seasonings to mask an ingredient's unpleasant smell and flavor it.

Then how was that any different from eating seasonings?

Even the creative use of fruitwood for grilling couldn't help.

This was probably a matter of choosing the lesser of two evils.

Still, he had to admit that Chef Yan Cui's grilling skills really did compensate for some of the shortcomings in her ingredient preparation.

The good outweighed the bad.

Jiang Yao was still fairly satisfied.

He finished the fruitwood-grilled Shataan Terrorbird upper wing in a few bites.

Then Jiang Yao turned his attention to the Shirou stir-fried with sugar balls.

In theory, since Shirou had nearly gone extinct.

There weren't many people who knew how to cook it.

Unfortunately, though, Shirou had been eaten to the brink of extinction...

So its cooking methods had still been passed down.

But even so.

Shirou's appearance meant that few people nowadays were willing to try it.

It looked like octopus-shaped slime.

With big, sharply defined black-and-white eyeballs on top.

It was just...

Not everyone could accept a monster like that.

Their brain might label it disgusting at first sight.

If they tasted it with that preconception, naturally, nothing about it would seem right.

Of course, none of that was a big deal to Jiang Yao.

Whatever kind of meat it was. (Don't get too outrageous and bring up those two forbidden words.)

As long as the flavor was enjoyable.

Who cared whether it was fatty or lean?

Just wolf it down like a champ!

Let's go!

Down the hatch!

Once again, Jiang Yao polished off the Shirou stir-fried with sugar balls in no time.

It barely met his expectations.

The same verdict applied.

Yan Cui's skills were good.

But good was all they were.

There was basically no attention to detail in how she prepared the ingredients.

She cooked purely from experience.

That wasn't right.

By now, Phantylia had fallen silent.

She realized she couldn't understand Jiang Yao at all.

Fine, eat if you want.

Fine, eat quickly if you want.

But what the hell was with that look of enjoyment while shaking your head?

If you can't fight it, enjoy it?

What the hell... Phantylia had genuinely never seen a weirdo like Jiang Yao.

Next, Yan Cui served some more ordinary dishes.

Cartilage, crispy fried pork, fresh lamb soup, and so on...

Anyway, she made everything she could.

Jiang Yao accepted it all, and everything went into his stomach.

Yan Cui was panting with exhaustion, but when she went out to look.

Well, Jiang Yao was still staring at her expectantly.

"Sir... we've run out of all the ingredients Delicious Supreme prepared for these two days."

Yan Cui felt a little dazed.

Since opening her restaurant.

This was the first time she had sold every last bit of the ingredients she'd prepared.

In the past, no matter how many customers came, there had always been a little left over.

And these were two whole days' worth of ingredients!!!

"Huh? That's it?"

Jiang Yao was a little disappointed.

It looked like he had eaten a lot.

In fact, he really had.

Granted, business around Aurum Alley wasn't doing so well.

And with it being so late at night, there were even fewer customers.

But precisely because it was late at night, Yan Cui had to prepare ingredients for the following day.

So there had been an enormous amount.

"All right, boss. The bill, please."

Jiang Yao was disappointed, but not very.

He'd eaten everything at Delicious Supreme, but weren't there other places?

"Coming right up! Your total is XXXXXXX. With a discount and the small change knocked off, that'll be XXXXXXX."

Yan Cui beamed happily.

With today's sale, she could close up for the next two days~

She could use that time to get her hands on some more alien monsters!

"Okay."

Jiang Yao didn't care about money.

Nor did it interest him.

He simply transferred the payment.

"Hey, hey, sir, you sent too much!"

Yan Cui suddenly noticed that Jiang Yao had paid far too much and hurried to point it out.

"I know."

"Boss Yan Cui, do you sell Shataan Terrorbird and Shirou as ingredients?"

"And Soaring Sturgeon, that fish that leaps once every fifty years—the most important ingredient in Five Lords of Anhe."

"Sorry for the trouble, but please keep an eye out for those for me."

"Money isn't an issue. This is a deposit. I'd like to buy some to take with me."

Jiang Yao thoroughly enjoyed his meal.

He hadn't forgotten his real business, either.

Did you really think he'd come here just to eat?

Well, to tell the truth...

He really had come here to eat~

Hehe~

Of course, he wasn't just eating for eating's sake.

If he came across suitable ingredients,

Jiang Yao would buy them, too.

"Sure thing, sir. Leave your contact details, and I'll help you find them."

Yan Cui patted her chest and promised.

She wasn't stupid.

A big spender like Jiang Yao could bring in several days' worth of her usual earnings with a single order—or even three years' worth!

Why wouldn't she do it?

Besides, she had to go get some ingredients herself anyway.

It was just something she could do along the way.

After they exchanged contact details,

Jiang Yao stood up.

Phantylia rose with him and smiled. "Sir, you've had your fill, haven't you? How about we head back together now?"

Phantylia had been ready to give up on taking action tonight.

But Jiang Yao had eaten faster than she'd expected.

They still had plenty of time to head back!

"Head back?"

"Why would I head back?"

Jiang Yao tilted his head. "Miss Tingyun, we're only just getting started. I've only eaten at one place! I've got to eat my way through this whole alley, don't I?"

"If you have something to do, Miss Tingyun, go on back. Don't worry about me."

The smile on Phantylia's face gradually stiffened.

She stared at Jiang Yao in astonishment.

Seriously, you can still eat?

The hope that had stirred in Phantylia's heart died again.

I might as well give up on tonight's operation after all.

And I've made up my mind.

Sooner or later, I'll turn you into a Voidranger!

Hmph, since you love eating so much...

I, Phantylia, will make sure you can see the food but never get a bite!

Hmph, that's right. I won't just kill you—I'll break your spirit, too!