FVN Chapter 92 First Offense
Chapter 92 First Offense
Almost at the same time, James and Fenwick placed a piece of steak into their uncontrollably salivating mouths.
Instantly, their eyes went wide as the steak almost melted as it touched their tongues, without them having to even chew.
"Ahh~!"
"Delicious!"
*Scrrrrtch*
Suddenly, their teeth scraped against a few hard objects, sending a shiver down their spines.
"Hmm, what is that?"
"Is that a piece of rock?"
They frowned with displeasure as their dazed, yet happy expressions soured.
The sensation of their teeth scraping against jagged rocks was not pleasant.
James and Fenwick gazed at each other with puzzled, frowning expressions before gently pulling the unexpected objects out of their mouths, revealing small, ruby-red, crystalline jewels that shone brightly under the dim light of the moon.
"What... are these?" James asked Lucian as he took in deep whiffs of the mouthwatering red wine aroma from the jewels.
Lucian, who had been watching them with a knowing smile, answered, "Those red jewels are crystalized pan sauce."
Their confusion did not lessen even after hearing Lucian's explanation.
"Crystalized pan sauce?" James repeated as he held one of the red jewels near his eye in wonder.
"Yes," Lucian nodded. "Each of those red jewels is pan sauce created upon contacting the hot steak. It's a technique that requires precise control of heat and the right ingredients. If done right, the pan sauce will harden, creating beautiful encrusted jewels on the steak, which enhances the flavor profile of the entire dish."
"They should be eaten together with the steak... but..." Lucian suddenly frowned as he meaningfully glanced at them.
James blushed in embarrassment, both because of Lucian's gaze and after recalling a previous conversation. He coughed to remove the awkward atmosphere. "Ahh! So these are the red crystals the waitress talked about before."
'To think I forgot even though I've already witnessed this dish.' Fenwick thought to himself while frightened by the dish. It had a weird power of dazing the mind.
After nervously gulping, they released the red jewels from their hands, letting them sprinkle on the slices of steak.
However, to their astonishment, as the red jewels came within touching distance of the steak, they melted, coating the brown steak in a delicious crimson glaze.
Even more surprisingly, the red jewels on the seven pieces they had yet to touch also began to melt.
What was once a beautiful steak encrusted with shimmering red jewels now looked as though it was dyed in blood.
After messing with Li Yong, Lucian walked over to Lily, who had been quiet the entire time.
[Lily, after you collect the bill from the chubby young man, meet me in the kitchen.] Lucian gently said to her after noticing her tense, trembling body.
Then he continued as he passed beside her body to the kitchen, [You can always talk to me if something is bothering you.]
Lily nodded. [Okay, Big Brother Lucian.] She then moved to Li Yong, who after calming down, went back to licking his plate. However, compared to his previous ravenous behavior, he was licking the plate more carefully.
It was unknown whether his behavior was due to fright or now that his stomach and mind had been sated, he wanted to enjoy the residue on the plate.
"Ahh~" After a few more licks, he released a satisfied sigh and looked up at the waitress.
"That was the most delicious poached egg I have ever tried. Please tell Chef Lucian that he has my gratitude for bringing his restaurant to the Moon Grove Forest." He said as he handed her five Low-Grade Mana Stones.
"I will." Lily collected the Low-Grade Mana stones, and using her Mana, threw the dirty plate into her Spatial Ring.
'There's no way Lily would touch something so disgusting.'
And then she continued, "Remember to come back tomorrow to eat Big Brother Lucian's food again."
"I'll definitely be back tomorrow." There was no way he would not return after tasting a piece of Heaven.
'Maybe after two more Siren's Melody Poached Eggs, I'll advance to the Bone Tempering Realm. Hahaha, coming here was definitely the right decision. I can't wait to see the look on that annoying monk's face."
As he stood up, he could not help but frown when he saw Fenwick and James hesitating to eat the Sous Vide Filet Mignon. If it was him, he would have finished the dish ages ago.
But he kept his comments to himself.
After leaving the restaurant, Li Yong swiftly arrived in front of the monk with a shameless, smug expression on his face.
He placed his hand on his shoulder and shook it a few times, "Brother monk, thank you for giving me that one final push to enter the restaurant. Otherwise, it would have been a regret of a lifetime."
He sighed as he released his Mid Tendon Tempering Realm aura before leaving.
However, Anselm's smile did not change. He was unfazed by his words.
"Benefactors, it is time for this poor monk to retire to bed." He said to the others before leaving as well. There was no point in staying if he could feast on Chef Lucian's.
Meanwhile, in the restaurant, after their initial hesitations due to Lucian's words, James and Fenwick finally shoved a piece of steak into their mouths.
Almost immediately, their faces twisted in disgust. The once mouthwatering aroma was now overshadowed by a vile bitterness that spread across their tongues.
"Ugh," Fenwick exclaimed as he spat the steak onto his plate. James followed right after, also unable to stomach such a horrid taste.
"Why is it so bitter?" James gasped with his tongue out like a dog.
Lucian, who had been observing them from the kitchen, sighed and then explained, "As I said, the dish was ruined! The bitterness you both tasted was a result of the crystalized pan sauce being burnt and caramelizing on the steak."