Chapter Ninety-One: The Culinary Journey (Part Two)

"Viewer 'Kai Sister My Love' just gifted the streamer three Chaos Meteorites! Their message: 'Streamer, are you trying to kill me with laughter?'
Viewer 'Tidehunter Is the Tidal Envoy' sent five Chaos Meteorites! Their message: 'I've heard your outrageous banter when you have the upper hand so many times, but this time you got blown up before you could finish! Serves you right!'
'Even though I know the streamer’s plight is tragic, I just can't help but laugh!'
'I’m practically drooling—why is it so hot in my arms? Streamer, that twist was way too abrupt!'
'Streamer, you forgot Teacher Ling’s advice!'
'Crab: Don’t mess with me. If you push me too far, I’ll blow myself up! Super fierce!'
'Weren’t these crabs supposed to be docile? So docile they’ll self-destruct?'
'Has anyone noticed how absurdly tough Kai Sister’s body is now?'
'Right! That explosion just now was almost as strong as a level-five spell, and she was so close yet came out unscathed!'
'Not exactly unscathed, though. There’s blood on Kai Sister’s thigh—it’s just hard to see because she’s in the lake!'
'Even so, that’s already impressive for a superficial wound, isn’t it?'
'A true walking alchemical automaton! Streamer, you’re amazing!'
…
Katherine floated on the lake’s surface, playing dead. Nearby, Ling Mo’s voice came through, barely hiding his amusement: "You couldn’t even wait for me to finish before jumping in. Now you know how dangerous it is, don’t you?"
Katherine lifted her face from the water, protesting, "Master, were you just tricking me? How could a magical beast that self-destructs at the drop of a hat be considered docile?"
"You already hurt it once," Ling Mo explained breezily. "That turtle-crab knew you meant it harm. When the poison spray from its pincers failed, of course it had to self-destruct. But don’t be fooled by the explosion’s force—only its shell blew up. Its internal organs are almost untouched and the shell will regenerate. After blasting you, it could escape easily. Naturally it chose to blow up."
How embarrassing… Katherine gazed off into the distance. "So I got outsmarted by a shell-shedding trick?"
"More like a ‘crab sheds its shell’ trick…" Ling Mo corrected her. "You’ve wasted enough time already. Hurry and go grab another one."
"What if it blows me up again? Last time I got off easy only because of that cloak from Nelbe. Otherwise, my leg would be a bloody mess by now."

"You’ll be fine. Go to a more distant creek where the crabs haven’t seen you attack their kin. Just don’t do anything extra—pick one up and swim back. Nothing will happen."
"I’ll trust you one more time…" Katherine muttered, then dived back in. This time, she curbed all her reckless impulses. She slipped into the water, dove down, grabbed a crab, and resurfaced in one smooth motion. The crab, even as she tossed it ashore, made no attempt to resist—still happily chewing its food. Even as Katherine crept behind it and drove a knife into its brain, it only stiffened, glanced back at her with its beady black eyes, and went quietly to its death.
"Is this really a level-four magical beast?" Even after killing the half-meter-tall turtle-crab, Katherine was incredulous. "They don’t resist at all—how are they not extinct already?"
"That’s not for us to worry about," Ling Mo replied. "Leave that to the beast scholars. Your job is to hand over the crab and get your flame magic ready." Ling Mo, hardened by years in the jungle, was unmoved by death. He took the crab from her, ran his fingers along the end of its massive pincers, and deftly extracted a flat, dark green poison sac.
He discarded both poison sacs, then tapped the crab’s underbelly with his fingers. The dead crab spewed out mud and bits of food. Next, seemingly out of nowhere, Ling Mo produced a large pouch of seasoning, which he rubbed evenly over the crab’s body. His hands blurred, producing a volley of slaps, and the seasoning seemed to magically seep into the crab’s flesh!
Amazing! Coach—no, Master—I want to learn that trick!
So Master hasn’t always been eating raw food all these years! Properly marinated meat might actually taste pretty good. Katherine pondered, resolving to master this technique for a happier future. Ling Mo tossed the giant crab to her and instructed,
"Here, it’s ready. Roast it with your flame for twenty minutes and it’ll be done."
"How long?!" Katherine thought she misheard.
"Twenty minutes. That’s standard for roasting crustaceans," Ling Mo replied matter-of-factly. "Ideally, you’d wrap it in foil, but we can’t buy any that won’t burn through under your flame. So, you’ll have to carefully wrap the crab in flame without letting the fire touch the shell directly—create an oven-like environment, but even better. Can you do that?"
"Clearly not!" Katherine almost jumped up. "I have the control of a high-level mage, so that’s fine, but even if I convert all my energy into flame, I could only keep burning for ten minutes at most. Twenty minutes would dry me out completely! Do I have to do this every time I barbecue? That’s hardly practical!"
"Normally, with your flame, five or six minutes would suffice. But these are magical beasts from the Antuen region—their fire resistance is off the charts, so it takes more effort." Ling Mo shrugged. "Do your best. If it doesn’t work out, we’ll just eat it half-cooked."
Katherine fell silent, then got to work. She propped up the turtle-crab, summoned two flames in her palms, and gently ‘licked’ the crab’s body, enveloping it in warmth as she began to roast it.
At once, her confidence returned: although the flames drew energy continuously from within, some was always returned, so the drain wasn’t as bad as she feared. More astonishingly, energy was being drawn from the roasting crab as well, refining itself and streaming into her body!
This flame can absorb energy from enemies in battle!
Once again, Katherine realized how fearsome Antuen’s magic truly was. She focused intently on grilling, her energy trickling away little by little. After fifteen minutes, even with double recovery, she was nearly exhausted.
She gritted her teeth, feeling increasingly faint. Just as her breath grew ragged and her vision went black, Ling Mo’s voice finally sounded like music from heaven: "Well done—it’s ready to eat."
Katherine immediately withdrew the flames, ignoring the heat, and broke off the largest pincer. With a twist at the joint, she revealed snowy-white crab meat tinged with pink. The unique, fresh aroma of crab wafted up, whetting her hunger beyond all restraint. Ravenous and drained, Katherine took a huge bite!
The tender crab meat nearly brought her to tears. All the hardship was instantly worth it: the meat was delicate yet chewy, reminiscent of scallop but with even richer layers of flavor. Every bite offered new sensations. Most importantly, it was hot! It was cooked!
She had to emphasize it again: it was hot, cooked food!

The roasted meat slid down her throat and settled in her stomach with a pleasant warmth. The crab meat brimmed with energy, and after a few bites, a soothing sensation spread from her belly throughout her body, wrapping her in lazy contentment.
To hold wine and a crab claw—such is one of life’s true joys. Squinting in bliss, Katherine finished the massive pincer. Even without wine, she felt a little drunk on happiness. Turning, she saw Ling Mo deftly opening the turtle-crab's shell. Instantly, a fist-sized mound of golden crab roe was revealed!
Katherine had eaten crab before, but never seen such a large, perfect cluster of roe. The translucent gold quivered ever so slightly, sending a sweet, lingering aroma through the air—enough to awaken the deepest hunger. Katherine realized she wasn’t quite satisfied after all, and instinctively moved closer.
"You’re in luck," Ling Mo said. "You caught a gravid female crab, full of eggs. See how the roe holds together, round and unbroken? It’ll be bursting with flavor. Male crab paste is tasty in its own way, but nothing matches the roe of a female. Pity we don’t have Saiyan Monkey’s monkey wine here, or the taste would be even better!"
Listening to Ling Mo’s explanation, Katherine couldn’t wait any longer. With no utensils at hand, she pulled out the dagger Ling Mo had given her to use as a knife and fork. Just as she was about to slice off a piece of the creamy roe, Ling Mo impatiently slapped her hand away.
She looked at him, puzzled, only to see him shaking his head. "What a waste—such a waste! Crab roe, you see, is the fusion of the female’s digestive glands and egg cells. Top-tier roe like this is like the finest caviar of the Franthian Empire: the joy lies in each plump grain bursting on your tongue, that springy texture and explosion of flavor. If you use a knife, all the softness and aroma go to the blade. What’s left for you to enjoy?"
Katherine took his advice, put away the dagger, leaned close to the roe, and gently sucked.
The sensation was indescribable!
She realized then that the jelly-like roe was actually made of countless tiny ‘bubbles.’ With one gentle suck, they filled her mouth, bursting one after another on her lips, tongue, and palate. Every spot bloomed with flavor, each a unique experience, stimulating every taste bud to the extreme. The taste was so good she trembled all over, feeling as if mastering martial arts just for this was worth a lifetime.
A look of bliss came unbidden to her face as she savored the roe, completely lost in its deliciousness. Only when her energy overflowed did she finally, reluctantly, stop and belch contentedly. Only then did she notice, to her shock, that she had devoured the entire massive cluster of roe, leaving nothing for her master!
She glanced sheepishly at Ling Mo, pondering how to apologize without getting scolded, when Ling Mo asked nonchalantly, a hint of sly satisfaction in his voice, "Was it good? Are you full?"
"Stuffed! It was incredible! Better than anything I’ve ever tasted—by several times! If martial arts meals were always this good, I’d die in the monster-infested jungle with no regrets!" Katherine blurted out, seizing the chance to apologize. But Ling Mo spoke first, calm but with a trace of glee:
"As long as you’re full, I’ll start on the best part of the crab. You just sit back and watch."
…
(Thanks to ‘Yuan Neng Shen’ and ‘I Am an Accessory’ for their generous double rewards! Side characters are in the works—the author won’t let you down.)