Ingredients X Test

Outside the warehouse.

Clang, clang, clang!

A short burst of gongs and drums rang out.

"Next is the second half of the test. I won't be as lenient as he was. On the contrary, I've always been strict when judging food!"

Menchi fixed the examinees with a sharp gaze. Her languid expression turned serious, and an inscrutable smile curled at the corners of her mouth.

"The dish for the second half is... sushi!"

Just as expected...

Among the crowd, Baishi rubbed his chin, a flicker of understanding in his eyes.

Though the world had become real, Buhara's earlier cooking challenge hadn't changed much, so there had naturally been a very good chance that Menchi's challenge would be sushi.

Now that his guess was confirmed, Baishi's expression barely changed. Though he specialized in home cooking, he had made sushi a few times by following videos online.

It could be simple or difficult.

The key lay in the combination of ingredients and the particular methods of preparation.

Hmm~~

With only a rough impression of how to make it, Baishi reached out his right hand to conjure the wheel, but the people beside him, whispering in confusion about the challenge, made him hold back.

There's plenty of time. No rush...

He couldn't remember it clearly, but once he had Extensive Knowledge and Strong Memory, he could use it to put everything together.

At that moment.

Rustle, rustle, rustle~

The examinees who had heard the challenge began asking those around them about it. Dozens of voices buzzed like flies, setting people's nerves on edge.

"Sushi? Sounds like 'meet your death.' Are you sure that's a dish?"

"Who knows? I've never even heard of it..."

"Going by what it sounds like, does it have something to do with an ingredient?"

"You mean... hunting, like in the first half?"

"I don't think it's that simple..."

"..."

"Baishi..."

Gon and the others, who didn't know much about it either, immediately turned to the "information broker" with questioning looks.

In response,

Baishi's expression remained unchanged as he gave a slight nod.

"We'll talk about it later..."

Hearing that, the group seemed reassured and stopped making wild guesses.

Not far away.

Hehehe~ Can't figure it out, can you?

Menchi pricked up her ears and listened in on the examinees' confused discussions. With her back to the crowd, she looked increasingly delighted. Then she gestured for everyone to follow her into the warehouse, which had remained dark all this time.

Outside the door.

Baishi, who had deliberately stayed at the back, casually made his way over to the gong stand. He hefted the hanging brass-colored gong, which was about the size of a washbasin.

A trace of surprise appeared on his face.

He seemed to have been far off in his earlier estimate of its weight. The gong looked only medium-sized, but judging by its weight, it was around several dozen kilograms.

Was it made from some special copper alloy?

Lost in thought, Baishi kept walking and followed the others into the warehouse.

"???"

Up in a tree, Satotz noticed this and was rather puzzled.

"Is there something special about that gong?"

Click!

As soon as they entered the warehouse, soft white lights suddenly came on one after another in the dark, dim space.

Baishi looked around.

The entire warehouse resembled a massive kitchen that had been set up on short notice, with rows of wooden workstations arranged so neatly that it was almost obsessive.

The appropriate utensils, seasonings, and supplementary ingredients were arranged uniformly on each workstation. On either side stood wooden tubs giving off wisps of steam and the fragrance of rice.

"These are the cooking stations prepared especially for you..."

By the time they reached the back of the warehouse, Buhara had already placed a single armchair on a raised platform. Seeing this, Menchi turned and sat down like a queen, looking down at the examinees and their varied expressions with a soft chuckle.

"Strict as I may be, I've made sure all the necessary utensils and supplementary ingredients are ready for you!"

"You can all see those tubs of steamed rice, right? Here's your biggest clue about sushi: rice is the one thing you absolutely can't make sushi without, and I'll only accept hand-pressed sushi!"

"The time limit ends when I'm full. Until then, you can make as many pieces of sushi as you like!"

"The second half of the test... begins now!"

As her words fell,

The sixty-six examinees began choosing their own cooking stations.

"What do we do next?"

Killua picked up a kitchen knife and ran a fingertip casually along its edge before turning to Baishi with a puzzled look.

"Is there anything you need us to do?"

"Have you heard of it?"

"No." Killua shrugged and picked up a kitchen knife from the workstation, testing its sharpness. "Judging by the utensils, looks like we need to use other ingredients?"

Pfft, pfft, pfft~~

Baishi glanced at a bald man nearby who was desperately trying to stifle a snicker. He signaled the four of them with his eyes, then jerked his thumb toward the warehouse exit, indicating that they should talk outside.

Though puzzled, the others followed Baishi's lead and walked out of the warehouse one after another, looking perfectly at ease.

The examinees watching them discreetly immediately grew suspicious. They speculated that Baishi and his group's actions might have something to do with the cooking challenge, and the more decisive among them promptly followed.

Clatter, clatter, clatter!

Before long, the growing number of examinees leaving the warehouse prompted even more of the hesitant ones to follow. This, in turn, greatly alarmed the ninja Hanzo, who was still snickering to himself, convinced he was the only one who knew about sushi. Thinking someone had leaked the information about the dish, he hurried outside.

The remaining examinees, who were extremely suspicious of Hanzo, saw this and quickly followed him too.

Before long, only Menchi and Buhara were left in the warehouse once more.

"Hehehe... Do you think they can catch a suitable main ingredient for sushi?"

"They should be able to, shouldn't they?" Sitting on the floor, Buhara breathed in the rich aroma of rice and smiled good-naturedly. "I think both number 108 and number 294 know something about sushi. Menchi... looks like you're really going to miscalculate this time."

Hmph!

"So what if they know..."

Menchi curled her lip. "To make sushi taste good, the preparation of the ingredients, the way it's pressed by hand, and the presentation on the plate all have to meet extremely high standards!"

"If someone really can make a dish that satisfies me just by sneaking a look and learning from someone else, what's wrong with passing them..."

As if you really think that!

Buhara, who knew Menchi's temper well, rolled his eyes and closed them without another word. His part of the test was over anyway, and whatever the result, the committee wouldn't hold him responsible.

In the forest.

Rustle, rustle, rustle!

Figures emerged from the dense woods one after another, heading deeper into the forest on its far right side.

"Are you sure there's a river in this direction?"

Leorio glanced at the large group of figures trying to hide as they followed behind them. "What can I say? They're examinees who've made it this far. Even without knowing the answer, they can still follow so closely..."

"I do remember reading something..." Walking beside Baishi, Kurapika said thoughtfully, "Fresh fish added to a ball of rice mixed with vinegar and seasonings..."

"Is that right, Baishi?"

"In theory, yes."

Baishi nodded and said without looking back, "The river is roughly four or five kilometers away. I saw it while I was hunting earlier..."

"Kurapika's right. The only problem is the details of preparing it: how to mix the right seasonings into the rice, how to prepare the fish for the right texture, the exact requirements for the shape of the sushi..."

"Why is it so complicated?"

Leorio scratched his head, looking a little restless. Then his eyes darted about, and he sidled up to Baishi with a shameless, furtive grin. "Um... after we catch the fish and go back, could you teach us exactly how to make sushi? Just so we can learn from you, hehehe..."

"You..."

Baishi rolled his eyes and was about to fire back.

Ding!

[Temporary Weighting Task triggered!]