I, Yuhaka, am hungry!

Kal'tsit sighed, looking troubled, and pinched her brow, saying:

"Could it be that Yuuyu ate that Originium creature?"

However, Kal'tsit thought to herself that she must have lost her mind to come up with such an idea, and then shook her head and said:

"Hopefully we can find that Originium creature."

Then came the matter of Red. After Red came back from taking a bath last time, she told Kal'tsit that she and Yuhaka had become good friends. When she heard Red's words, Kal'tsit initially thought she had misheard, but after asking Red to confirm, Kal'tsit realized that she had not misheard.

However, Kal'tsit was a little surprised that Red and Yuhaka could become good friends. What kind of situation could make two little girls with similar (psychological) ages become good friends?

Out of curiosity, Kal'tsit asked Red about it and learned that Ehaka and Red had been touching each other's tails.

"???"

Upon hearing this, Kal'tsit wore a strange expression. Kal'tsit knew very well what Red's hobbies were, but she also knew very well that Eyhaka was neither a Lupo nor had a fluffy tail. How the two of them got together was something that puzzled Kal'tsit greatly.

Kal'tsit then inquired about the specifics and learned that Ehaka could transform his large tail covered in spiky scales into a fluffy tail, which made Kal'tsit very curious about Ehaka's transformation ability.

It's a pity that Ehaka isn't an operator from Rhodes Island, otherwise I could have Ehaka come to the lab to give that little guy a full-body checkup or something.

Kal'tsit then added a note to her observation report on Ehaka: "[Ehaka may possess a similar ability to alter his physical characteristics, for unknown reasons.]" Kal'tsit also believed that the horns on Ehaka's head might have appeared because of this ability, but she didn't quite understand why they appeared. However, at the same time, Kal'tsit also suspected that the crystals inside Ehaka's body might also be a transformation of Ehaka.

This speculation will likely have to wait for other reports.

Chapter 283 [Mapo Tofu (Part 1)]

In Yuhaka's hospital room, after the on-duty doctor, Gavial, informed Yuhaka that he could be discharged, Yuhaka stretched and ran out of the room.

Upon arriving at her Meru Cat Restaurant on Rhodes Island, Eureka immediately began her work. For the Rhodes Island operators, hearing that Eureka's restaurant was open was like a husky hearing its food bowl drop – they all flocked to the Meru Cat Restaurant. During Eureka's hospitalization, many Rhodes Island operators exclaimed, "I'll die without Eureka's cooking!" Just like the person below:

"Aaaaah... I'm going to die without Yu-Yu-chan's cooking..."

Huang lay sprawled on the table in the Meru Cat Restaurant with a flat expression on his face. His long tail also seemed to have lost its strength and lay motionless behind Huang's butt. Sitting next to him were a middle-aged man with a thick beard and wearing black sunglasses, and a Sarkaz wearing a hat with two sharp horns sticking out of his head, who were sweating profusely as they watched Huang. These two people were Ace and Scout.

"Hmm? Speaking of which, it seems like Yoyo-chan has added quite a few new dishes to her menu."

Huang, sitting at the dining table, looked at the blackboard on the wall of the Merlin Cat Restaurant and said that he had never seen the names of the dishes before. Ace and Scout, sitting next to him, nodded as they looked at the names of the dishes on the blackboard. Indeed, they hadn't seen those dish names a few days ago, but today several new dishes had appeared on the blackboard, making them wonder if Yuhaka had learned those dishes before.

However, they didn't care that much about it, since they were there to eat, not to investigate Yuhaka or anything.

Afterwards, Huang and the others ordered a serving of crab roe fried rice for each of them. Although they had eaten crab roe before, this was the first time they had seen a dish made with crab roe fried rice. It felt a bit extravagant... After all, seafood is a relatively expensive commodity in most mobile cities. Apart from cities that are close to water or large mobile cities, only these cities have enough space to raise aquatic products.

Fortunately, the price of the Yuhaka package wasn't too expensive, which made it acceptable to Huang and the others.

"Yoyo-chan~"

Hearing Huang's words, Yuhaka poked her little head out from the kitchen doorway, looking at Huang as if to say something. Huang pointed to the crab roe fried rice on the blackboard and said:

"Could you please make three servings of crab roe fried rice, Yoyo-chan?"

“OwO~”

After giving an OK sign, Yuhaka retreated to his kitchen to start cooking. Since Frostleaf and Ironhide had gone on a mission, Yuhaka didn't have anyone to help him.

After Yuhaka finished cooking the other dishes, it was Huang's turn to make crab roe fried rice.

After taking the jar containing crab roe out of his dimensional portal, Yuhaka took out a bunch of crab roe. Because the dimensional portal has the function of pausing time for things inside, there was no need to worry about the crab roe spoiling and it remained as fresh as if it had just been taken out.

Yuhaka took out the prepared scallions and ginger, chopped them into scallion flowers and ginger shreds, and set them aside. At the same time, Yuhaka put vegetable oil in the pot and heated it up, then put the crab roe in, along with scallion flowers, ginger shreds, white wine and a little white sugar to remove the fishy smell and stir-fry. Then Yuhaka also put in some chopped sausage.

Once the crab roe was cooked until it smelled delicious, Yuhaka added the cold rice to the pot and mixed it with the cooked crab roe and sausage. Then, Yuhaka placed the finished crab roe fried rice on a plate and then took the tray and three servings of crab roe fried rice to Huang, ACE, and Scout.

"Oh my gosh~ I've finally waited for Yu-Yu-chan's cooking!"

Huang, who was originally lying on the table, immediately perked up when he saw Yuhaka bring out the crab roe fried rice. Scout, who was standing next to him, was also a little surprised to see the crab roe fried rice made by Yuhaka and said:

"It's a bit of a surprise. I originally thought there might be less crab roe, but I didn't expect there to be so much."

ACE, standing to the side, put away his sunglasses, looked at the full plate of rice in front of him, and smiled, saying:

"Hmm, and it smells really good, it really whets the appetite."

As Yuhaka prepared to return to the kitchen to cook after serving the dishes, a voice suddenly called out to him.

"That little guy over there!"

When Yuhaka heard someone call her name, she turned around and looked at the person who had called her. The person was a girl with long silver hair and purple eyes. Then, the silver-haired, purple-eyed girl looked at Yuhaka with a smile, pointed to the Mapo Tofu that Yuhaka had written on the blackboard, and said:

"Please give me a serving of Mapo Tofu, please."

Upon hearing the silver-haired, purple-eyed girl's words, Yuhaka nodded to indicate that she understood and went to prepare. However, the silver-haired, purple-eyed girl then called out to Yuhaka again and said to her:

"Remember, the flavor has to be strong enough!"

"Hmm? Is that good enough?"

Then, looking puzzled, Yuhaka suddenly realized something and gave the silver-haired, purple-eyed girl a thumbs-up to indicate that he understood. After that, Yuhaka wagged his big tail and went into the kitchen to prepare Mapo Tofu.

The silver-haired, purple-eyed girl, sitting in a chair and resting her chin on her hand, looked at Yuhaka as he entered the kitchen and said:

"Hmm...that child...is quite interesting...but why did that child come to Rhodes Island? Hmm, I'm very curious..."

And at the Yuhaka kitchen...

Yuhaka cut the prepared tofu into small squares and set them aside. Then he took out the herbivorous dragon meat with some fat on it, chopped it into minced meat, and set it aside.

Yuhaka took out some pickled ginger, pickled peppers, and garlic sprouts from the dimensional cave, chopped them up, and set them aside.

After preparing the ingredients, Yuhaka began preparing the chopped chili peppers for Mapo Tofu.

After heating the oil in the pan to 5% heat, Yuhaka put the dried bullet chilies and Sichuan peppercorns into the pan and stir-fried them over low heat for about ten seconds. Once the dried chilies turned light brown, they were ready to be taken out of the pan. Then, Yuhaka poured the stir-fried dried chilies onto a cutting board, crushed them with a knife, chopped them into chili powder, and put them in a bowl for later use.

Meanwhile, the silver-haired, purple-eyed girl outside the kitchen sniffed her nose and then gave a knowing look, saying:

"Hmm~ Looks like I'm in for a treat today."

Chapter 284 [Mapo Tofu (Part 2)]

After Yuhaka prepared the chopped chili peppers for Mapo Tofu, he placed a few Yongchuan fermented black beans in a bowl for later use.

Then Yuhaka added an appropriate amount of water to a large pot, sprinkled in a spoonful of salt, and then put the chopped tofu into the pot. He then blanched it over medium-low heat for one minute to remove the beany smell of the tofu.

Just before the pot boils, Yuhaka removes the tofu and drains it. Meanwhile, Yuhaka reheats the pot, adds some oil to coat the pot, then pours out the hot oil. Next, Yuhaka adds some rapeseed oil to the pot and heats it. After the rapeseed oil is hot, he adds a small piece of lard and melts it. After the lard melts, he adds the chopped herbivorous dragon meat to the pot and then turns on medium-low heat to stir-fry the herbivorous dragon meat until the moisture evaporates and it becomes fragrant.

After sautéing the minced herbivorous dragon meat until fragrant, Yuhaka took out a bottle of fermented soybean paste from the dimensional portal and added some to the pot. Then, Yuhaka poured the chopped pickled peppers, pickled ginger, and Yongchuan fermented black beans that were placed to the side into the pot. He then turned on medium-low heat and sautéed the ingredients and fermented soybean paste until fragrant. After sautéing until the ingredients turned reddish-brown, Yuhaka added the chopped chili peppers that had been prepared to the side.

A strong, pungent aroma immediately wafted from the pot. Several Rhodes Island operators eating outside coughed a few times upon smelling it, while the silver-haired, purple-eyed girl closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and let out a blissful sigh.

However, this didn't have much of an impact on Yohaka, who was making Mapo Tofu at the time.

After mixing the diced chili peppers, minced hog meat, and other ingredients in his pot, Yuhaka added an appropriate amount of water and brought the broth to a boil over high heat.

After the broth in the pot boiled, Yuhaka added a little salt, a pinch of MSG, a pinch of sugar to enhance the flavor, and a gram of dark soy sauce to adjust the color. After stirring well, she poured the prepared tofu into the pot and then simmered it over low heat for about 5 minutes to allow the tofu to absorb the flavors.

Once the tofu has absorbed the flavors, Yuhaka begins to thicken the sauce three times, adding an appropriate amount of cornstarch slurry to make the sauce a thin slurry. The first cornstarch slurry needs to be diluted a little. The purpose of this thickening step is to make the tofu smooth and tender.

The second thickening requires removing the pot from the heat and then adding a slightly thicker cornstarch slurry than the first time. This time, the purpose is to reduce the sauce.

For the third thickening, remove the pot from the heat again and add a thicker cornstarch slurry than the second time. The purpose of this step is to thicken the sauce so that the tofu in the pot will release water after it is removed from the heat and cooled down. The purpose of thickening the sauce three times is to prevent the tofu from releasing water after it is taken out of the pot, which would affect the taste and appearance.

Finally, Yuhaka added a little oil to the pot and stirred it a few times. Then, Yuhaka took out a large bowl and poured the Mapo Tofu from the pot into the bowl. Next, Yuhaka added an appropriate amount of chopped chili peppers and garlic sprouts to the bowl. After that, Yuhaka placed the bowl of Mapo Tofu on a tray and took it out.

..........................................

Outside the kitchen of the Melu Cat Restaurant, many Rhodes Island operators were very curious about the spicy smell coming from Yuhaka's kitchen. They wondered what kind of dishes Yuhaka was cooking that produced such a pungent smell.

After Yuhaka came out of the kitchen, they saw her carrying a large bowl. As Yuhaka passed by Huang, Huang craned her neck to look at the Mapo Tofu in Yuhaka's hand and then took a deep breath as if she were courting death...

"Cough cough cough cough cough cough cough————!!"

Suddenly, Huang covered his nose and coughed violently as if he had smelled some poisonous gas. Scout and AOE, who were standing next to him, quickly patted Huang on the back and brought over the first glass of water.

After taking the water Scout handed him, Huang looked at the bowl of bright red food that Yuhaka was holding, as if he had seen something unbelievable, and said:

"I have this feeling like I'm seeing hell..."

"Mapo tofu, please use OwO~"

Amidst the curious and horrified gazes of the crowd, Yuhaka placed a large bowl of Mapo Tofu, glistening with a crimson sheen, and a spoon in front of the silver-haired, purple-eyed girl on a tray, telling her to enjoy it at her leisure. Then, Yuhaka returned to the kitchen to continue her work.

The silver-haired, purple-eyed girl took a deep sniff, much like someone getting close to a Mapo Tofu shop. Huang, who was sitting to the side, gasped when she saw the silver-haired, purple-eyed girl's actions.

How terrifying! When she smelled that smell, she felt as if her throat was on fire. The silver-haired, purple-eyed girl, on the other hand, seemed completely unaffected after smelling it, picked up a spoon, scooped up a spoonful, blew on it, and then put it in her mouth.

"Hmm~"

The silver-haired, purple-eyed girl placed the Mapo Tofu made by Yuhaka into the air and tasted a flavor that was numbing, spicy, and fragrant.

It is numbing but not bitter, spicy but not dry, and you can't smell the gypsum used to make tofu, the rusty smell of the water used to soak tofu, or the original unpleasant smell of the various seasonings. All that's left is the aroma that whets the appetite.

The minced meat inside turned a vibrant red due to its fusion with the broth, and each piece melted in her mouth, offering a chewy texture that she had never tasted before. The tofu inside was also flavorful and retained its delicate texture, melting in her mouth with every bite. This made the silver-haired, purple-eyed girl thoroughly enjoy the taste.

Huang, who was watching the silver-haired, purple-eyed girl eat, looked on with horror and said to the two people beside him:

"Who is that operator? That dish doesn't look like it's for human consumption!"

Sitting next to Huang, ACE looked at the silver-haired, purple-eyed girl and said:

"That person... doesn't seem to be one of our Rhodes Island operators, does he?"

Upon hearing ACE's words, Huang's expression clearly froze, while Scout, standing to the side, put down his spoon and looked at the silver-haired, purple-eyed man, saying:

"That person... I think his name was [Nian]?"

Huang, standing to the side, looked puzzled and said:

"Nian? Is that a name?"

Scout shook his head and said:

"It's probably a code name. But I did hear some things about her. Although she came as a visitor, Dr. Kal'tsit didn't send her away. She just said, 'Let her do as she pleases,' and then she didn't care anymore."

Upon hearing Scout's words, Huang nodded in understanding, which made her a little curious about where the operator named "Nian" came from.

Chapter 285 [Youyou's Strolling Around (Part 1)]

In Rhodes Island's Nagkure, Texas and Exusiai tidied up their equipment and then said to Croissant, Sora, and Ehka:

"Alright, you guys can go back now. Leave the delivery to me and Exusiai."

Exusiai, who was next to Texas, also made a hand gesture to Ehaka and the others, saying:

"That's right! You've got a rare day off, so you should definitely explore Rhodes Island!"

Then Exusiai winked at Croissant and Sora and said:

"Well then, I'm counting on you guys to take care of Youyou-chan~"