A Bite of Douluo Continent

[Mission triggered!]

[Limited-time task: Sample local cuisine]

Please go to Shrek City Food Street within six hours and taste at least five kinds of local Douluo Continent delicacies, and do not waste any.

Task Description: As a culinary master, it is extremely important to constantly absorb new culinary techniques. Please make unremitting efforts and learn throughout your life.

Mission Reward: 1 x Two-Star Selectable Recipe Fragment

Ok?

Qi Han looked at himself lounging on the recliner like Ge You and fell into deep thought.

When did I trigger the quest?

Would a mature system trigger tasks on its own?

Is it a time-limited task?

Looking at the six-hour time limit, Qi Han seemed to be deep in thought.

It seems there are other types of quests besides the main quest.

Looking at the task at a glance, it's quite easy to understand.

The food street is right next door, just a few minutes' walk away. Unlike my own little shop, that kind of commercial street never closes from morning till night, so you can still find food there now.

The key is to eat at least five kinds, and not to waste any.

This wasn't a big problem for Qi Han; he just needed to choose five small portions of snacks.

Moreover, Qi Han, who had just received fifteen gold soul coins, didn't need to worry about not being able to pay.

It can be said that this task was no challenge for Qi Han.

but...

Qi Han looked at the mission rewards, somewhat puzzled.

"System, what is a two-star selectable recipe fragment?"

[Selectable recipe fragments; collect a specified number to exchange for any two-star recipe.]

Ok?

Qi Han's eyes lit up instantly.

The star rating doesn't matter; the important thing is that you can choose it yourself.

This is much better than random.

How many fragments do you want?

[Two-star selectable recipe fragments; four fragments can be exchanged for one recipe.]

Qi Han understood what the system meant: "Different star levels require different numbers of fragments?"

One-star selectable recipe fragment can be exchanged for one recipe; four two-star selectable recipe fragments can be exchanged for one recipe; three-star, four-star, and five-star recipe fragments require nine, sixteen, and twenty-five fragments respectively.

Gee tut.

Qi Han couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement. At five stars, it would take twenty-five fragments to exchange for one item. That was just too difficult to collect!

but...

One star and one fragment can be exchanged for one item?

Qi Han's heart stirred.

The problems with small shops now are quite obvious.

It has little reputation and too few dishes.

Therefore, the most urgent task is to increase the variety of dishes.

If two-star fragments can be exchanged for one-star fragments, the shop can immediately increase the number of dishes available.

At least the fried rice won't be all alone.

Oh, it wasn't a person to begin with.

The moment this thought crossed my mind, the system's voice appeared at just the right time.

[Different star-level selectable recipe fragments cannot be exchanged for each other. Please do not harbor unrealistic expectations.]

Qi Han: ...Damn it!

Well, anyway, two-star selectable recipe fragments are still good stuff. If you save up three more, you can exchange them for a two-star dish.

Qi Han vaguely remembered that most of the meat dishes seemed to be two-star dishes?

For Qi Han, who loves meat, the anticipation was instantly high.

After closing the door, Qi Han took the money and went out.

Speaking of which, when he was traveling to Shrek City, he was very frugal and would just buy whatever was available for meals. He had never actually tried the food from Douluo Continent before.

Although it was past lunchtime, Shrek City's food street was still bustling with people. The aroma of various foods mingled together, causing Qi Han, who had already digested the two servings of fried rice he had eaten that morning, to burst into tears.

After observing for a while, Qi Han quickly found a stall with a long queue in front of it, which was doing much better business than the other stalls.

If you get closer, you'll find that the food at this stall smells incredibly delicious.

Furthermore, judging from the portions held by customers who bought food from this stall, it appears to be a snack rather than a main dish.

Very good, it perfectly meets Qi Han's requirements, let's try it first!

Chapter Seven: Local Delicacies

Although the queue in front of the stall was long, it moved forward quickly, which shows that this snack does not take much time to make.

As he approached the stall, Qi Han finally saw its sign: Grilled Trout Balls.

Grilled trout balls?

This was clearly a delicacy that Qi Han had never heard of before. Just as Qi Han was wondering about it, the system's introduction appeared at the right time.

[Grilled Trout Balls are a specialty of Blue Wave City in the Star Luo Empire of Douluo Continent. Blue Wave City is a coastal city, and the nearby waters contain a unique seafood called blue trout. Blue trout are large, with adults reaching over three meters in length. Their flesh is tough and inedible, but their roe is extremely delicious. Grilled trout balls are made primarily with blue trout roe, seasoned, and grilled, making them a famous local specialty.]

Lambo City...

Qi Han became more interested in this fish, whose flesh was inedible but whose roe was delicious. As the group moved forward, it was soon his turn.

The stall owner was a kind-looking woman who smiled at Qi Han and then began making the food.

Qi Han carefully observed the woman's movements. He noticed that the kitchen utensils she was using were somewhat similar to the iron plate used for takoyaki in his previous life, but they were much larger, at least half the size of a fist.

The woman used a large spoon to scoop a spoonful of thick, white liquid from the bucket and poured it into each of the hemispherical depressions in the kitchen utensils.

The white liquid was probably a mixture of flour and water, with some ingredients like chopped green onions mixed in. It quickly solidified in the kitchen utensil, forming a bowl shape.

The woman then carefully scooped out the blue trout eggs one by one, placed them in a bowl, and covered them with a layer of white slurry.

The trout roe is reddish-brown, translucent, and spherical, about the size of a longan. It is the perfect size for the woman's specially made kitchen utensils.

As the syrup that had been applied again showed signs of solidifying, the woman took out a bamboo skewer and quickly flipped the grilled trout over.

Qi Han blinked, feeling that this technique was very similar to the takoyaki from his previous life.

It seems that even in another world, cooking skills have something in common.

The yakitori rolled over with a soft sound, and a strong aroma began to waft out. Qi Han, who was the first to be affected, sniffed and tears welled up in his eyes.

"Boom"

A crisp sound came from the grilled trout ball, and the entire ball instantly turned a deeper reddish-brown.

Did the blue trout eggs explode from the heat?

Seemingly receiving the signal to explode, from the first soft pop, the "pop pop pop" sounds rose and fell, and the grilled trout balls on the iron plate turned reddish-brown.

That sound was incredibly relaxing.

As the fish roe bursts inside the grilled trout balls, a unique seafood aroma instantly fills the air, giving the trout balls their soul.

At the same time, the woman had a cardboard box in her hand. She deftly took out a grilled trout ball, put it into the box, sprinkled some ingredients that Qi Han didn't recognize, and then handed it to Qi Han.

Yakitori Maru costs two Gintama coins each, but Qi Han conservatively only bought one so he could eat the rest.

Qi Han looked at the grilled trout ball, about half the size of his fist, in his hand, and a smile that belonged only to a freeloader appeared on his lips.

He took a small bite, and as if breaking a seal, the savory aroma of the grilled trout balls instantly burst forth from the opening, the rich fragrance heading straight for Qi Han's mouth and nose.

Qi Han subconsciously took another bite, this time going even deeper, and he also tasted the blue trout roe hidden inside the grilled trout balls.

The trout roe had transformed into a jam-like form, similar to the pastry snacks of my previous life, and its umami flavor was even stronger than that of caviar in my previous life.

I wonder if we'll be able to use these blue trout roe to make dishes in the future...

With its crispy outer shell and flavorful glaze, Qi Han understood why this snack was so popular.

Very good, let's move on to the next one.

...

For a person who eats a lot, time always flies. A few hours passed in the blink of an eye. Qi Han, with a full belly, returned to his small shop with a regretful expression.

The reason for the disappointment is not that the food was bad, but that there were too many delicious foods.

As expected of Shrek City's snack street, which boasts an all-encompassing selection of delicacies from all over the Douluo Continent, Qi Han had already tried seven or eight kinds of delicious snacks after walking less than a tenth of the way. He couldn't eat anymore and had to give up, planning to continue next time.

The grilled trout balls were just an appetizer; every snack that followed was incredibly delicious. Perhaps it was because this world, with its extraordinary powers, had an abundance of delicious ingredients, and unlike his previous life, it was free of various additives. Qi Han felt that the food on Douluo Continent far surpassed what he had eaten in his previous life.

After receiving the mission reward, Qi Han opened the shop door and prepared to start the evening's business.

With 85 Gold Soul Coins remaining to complete the second main quest, Qi Han sat in his chair, staring at the passersby, feeling that each one looked like a Gold Soul Coin.

Two girls passed by the small shop and stopped when they saw it, which made Qi Han, who had been staring at the entrance, feel a little excited.

After whispering to each other for a while, the two stepped into the shop.

The two girls were not very old, around fourteen or fifteen years old, but probably because they were Soul Masters, they already had quite a slender figure. What was most eye-catching was the clothes they were wearing.

Everyone in Shrek City knows what the green school uniform represents.

That's Shrek Academy's school uniform.