Chapter 47

The first day of the food festival passed quickly.

Except for Abel, the others, like Senoir, were already full.

On the second day, Abel started by checking for any orders.

"Order Description: Yukihira Soma is preparing for a very important Shokugeki and needs some inspiration."

"Order Content: Any dish that can provide him with inspiration."

"Base Reward for the Order: Honey mustard-dipped bear meat and 100 trading points."

"Time Remaining for the Order: 11 hours, 59 minutes, 59 seconds"

Isn't this a coincidence?

Abel had planned to sample every dish at the food festival today, so this would be a perfect opportunity to complete the order.

Therefore, he quickly prepared to act alone, leaving Baby-5 and Buffalo in Senoir's care.

Understanding Abel's mature mindset, Senoir simply gave a brief instruction before allowing him to move freely.

Abel arrived at the food festival and followed yesterday's plan—using his money to bypass the lines, refusing to waste time queuing.

Furthermore, he bought double servings, consuming one himself and then scanning the other to add it to the system's order content, although he did not rush to submit the order.

After all, with ample time, more was always better.

Indeed, who could predict what might trigger inspiration?

However, as he wandered around, he noticed something odd.

Amidst the bustling food festival, there was a stall with virtually no customers—an unusual sight that piqued his curiosity.

Upon closer inspection, he understood why almost no one was visiting.

The stall offered an array of eccentric and abstract dishes, which most people would find hard to stomach.

"Hey there, handsome~ Would you like to try some scorpions?"

"Don't worry, they're absolutely fresh! And they're free~"

Freshness was the last thing he needed in this situation!

The stall owner was a wealthy and generous woman. Her provocative attire and alluring looks would typically attract massive crowds if she sold conventional dishes.

However, the various insects, grim purple frog soup, and some unknown green slimy substances displayed on her stall were too off-putting.

Passersby merely glanced from a safe distance, enjoying the sight but refusing to approach.

Frankly, even Abel felt a hint of discomfort.

"What are these things? Are you sure they're edible?"

"Of course, they're edible. Here, let me enlighten you."

"This is a Purple Rain Scorpion, the venom in its tail can knock down an elephant in a minute!"

"This one is a Killer Bee. Despite its small size, the poison from a single sting can be lethal within thirty seconds."

"And this is the Necro Worm. If it bites you, your entire body will decompose into a skeleton in no time."

"And there's more..."

The woman seemed to have been cooped up for too long. Finally encountering a 'customer', she enthusiastically began her 'sales pitch', although her methods were more likely to deter than attract.

Where in the world was this a food festival? It seemed more like a killer had strayed into the wrong neighborhood.

No wonder no one dared to approach this stall. One bite of these dishes could cost them their lives.

After she had enthusiastically introduced what she considered 'gourmet' dishes, she finally noticed Abel's peculiar gaze.

She awkwardly chuckled, "Ha, ha. Don't be scared, I promise I'm here for the food festival, not to harm anyone. Trust me!"

Her feeble explanation only made things worse.

Abel hypothesized that she must have used some sort of connection to get a stall here.

He felt a twinge of sympathy for her. "All these things are poisonous, who would dare to eat them?"

"Don't worry, I've properly treated these ingredients, they're absolutely not poisonous! And just in case, I have antidotes ready to revive anyone!"

She clenched her fists, a hopeful look in her eyes as she looked at Abel.

"Even having antidotes at the ready doesn't sound reassuring! As I thought, your earlier assurances hold no weight!"

Abel couldn't help but internally comment before saying out loud, "I'll pass on... those dishes."

The light in her eyes instantly dimmed, her disappointment palpable.

"However, if you can extract and sell me some of the poison from each of these creatures, I can purchase your... cuisine to let my 'friend' try. He might actually enjoy them."

Poor Souma, I'm sorry!

Hope you have antidotes on hand, too. We wouldn't want to delay the food war any further.

Amen.

"Sorry, but those things are not for sale."

"That's a pity."

"However, if you're willing to taste all the food here, I can give you a serving of each."

Abel was caught between laughter and tears. "Is that really necessary?"

The woman nodded earnestly. "I can't know for sure whether you'd genuinely take these back for your friend or just dump them in a trash bin around the corner. I'd be quite hurt if it were the latter."

Left with no choice and after some hesitation, Abel picked up a skewer of somewhat charred scorpions.

Upon close inspection, the scorpion's tail had indeed been removed, probably as a part of some prior preparation.

And it smelled rather delicious, surprisingly.

It's often said that once you get past the head, these things taste like chicken and are very crunchy.

Overcoming his initial reluctance, Abel popped it into his mouth and bit down.

"Huh?!"

While it didn't taste like chicken, it certainly tasted like some kind of meat—delicious, crunchy, and flaky!

What was initially a plan to swallow it whole turned into careful chewing.

It was baffling, this strange food seemed to become more flavorful the more he chewed!

Undeterred, Abel grabbed another skewer of grilled killer bees.

A gentle bite and the mouthful exploded with juiciness, incredibly sweet and fresh.

Even the ghastly purple frog soup had a unique flavor to it, emitting a floral fragrance that was unlike anything he had imagined.

The contrast between the appearance and taste was so stark it could make one question reality.

"How can this be?"

At this point, Abel had begun to question life. How could something so unsightly taste so good?

Even the food cells within him were stirring with life, abnormally active.

This was enough proof that the 'insects' culinary degree was above any other cuisine he had tasted in the past few days!

Excellent, he had grown stronger yet.

"Tastes good, doesn't it~"

Abel earnestly nodded, "A worldly delicacy! It's hard to imagine that something which looks so unappetizing could taste so incredible."

Hearing Abel's praises, the woman's eyes curved in a joyful smile.

After two days, she finally encountered someone who appreciated her work, a reason to be happy.