I'm just an internet cafe owner

The dishes were finished, and both Liu Maoxing's and Nakiri Erina's dishes were covered with lids.

"It's a pity no outsiders came to try the food. Can we try it on each other?"

Erina Nakiri nodded in agreement with Liu Maoxing's suggestion: "Okay!"

The two opened the lid simultaneously, and Liu Maoxing's golden fried rice seemed to have been magically transformed, shimmering with golden light the moment it was opened. Seeing the golden dish, Erina Nakiri covered her mouth, speechless.

"This is..."

As the golden light faded, she looked at the golden rice and took out a spoon.

Liu Maoxing, who was standing to the side, opened the lid and picked up a thick omelet with his chopsticks.

"This taste... eggs, milk, wait? This is!!!"

Liu Maoxing felt as if he were standing on a grassland, with a gentle breeze blowing by. The delicious food, combined with its sweet and tender texture, allowed him to experience the extraordinary nature of simple dishes from the future.

"I lost."

Before Liu Maoxing could even speak, Erina Nakiri immediately admitted defeat.

Liu Maoxing's dishes only contain eggs and the most basic seasonings; everything else relies entirely on technique and control of heat. What made Nakiri Erina even more astonished upon tasting the food was that it seemed to possess a kind of emotion.

This feeling of happiness was something she had never experienced before in all the dishes she had eaten. The chef in front of her, who looked to be about the same age as her, had surpassed her in every way.

No! Your cooking is excellent.

"You don't need to comfort me."

Liu Maoxing picked up another thick omelet and said, "Your technique is impeccable, and I've never tasted a better dish than this. May I ask what this dish is called?"

Thick omelet.

"Neon cuisine? I'd only ever heard of it, but trying it myself this time, it certainly has a unique flavor."

Liu Maoxing remembered hearing the name of this dish before, but unfortunately he never had the chance to try it himself. Now that he has tasted this flavor, he feels very good.

"really?"

"Of course."

Erina Nakiri could sense that this wasn't comforting, but... after tasting Liu Maoxing's cooking, she didn't believe she deserved to win.

"You won this competition. May I ask how you made this glowing dish?"

"Glowing food?"

Liu Maoxing pondered, "Actually, I'm also puzzled. If you can reach your level, you should be able to glow."

In Liu Maoxing's world, as long as a dish is perfected, it will shine, no matter what kind of dish it is. He couldn't explain the principle behind it, but he remembered his mother saying, "As long as you cook with passion, when the dish reaches its peak, it will shine."

Thinking of all this, Liu Maoxing repeated exactly what his mother had said.

Erina Nakiri's expression changed after hearing this: "So, you mean that dishes that don't glow haven't reached their full potential? What I made... wasn't a good dish?"

This idea completely shattered my understanding of cooking.

She wanted to object, but after taking another bite of Liu Maoxing's fried rice, she fell silent.

We lost, we lost completely. This dish can be summed up in just two words: delicious! The rice grains, like gold, were plump and full of flavor, perfectly combined with the taste of rice, eggs, and seasonings.

The simpler the dish, the more it reveals the chef's skill; she couldn't replicate this level of cooking.

Chapter 361 Erina Nakiri's Ambition

"How did you do that? It tastes so good..."

Erina Nakiri took another bite of the fried rice. She really liked the taste. She could tell that this was the limit of the dish. Maybe after eating this dish, she wouldn't be able to eat anything else.

Thinking of this, she picked up a thick omelet she had made herself, put it in her mouth and tasted it very good, but she always felt that something important was missing.

"Damn it, why is this happening?"

Undeterred, she made it again, following the exact same steps, and tasting exactly the same. The thick omelet she used to think was alright, this time it tasted absolutely awful.

"You find ordinary food unpalatable after eating something delicious, right?"

"Do you know what happened?"

Liu Maoxing nodded: "I have a diary that records a similar case to yours, but I'm not entirely sure. Can I take a look at your tongue?"

"Hey?"

"Please don't misunderstand, I was just checking to see if it was what I thought, I didn't have any other intentions."

Just as Liu Maoxing uttered those words, his and Erina Nakiri's consciousnesses simultaneously returned to the real world.

"Hey?"

Liu Maoxing looked around in surprise, then turned around and saw Liu Yuan waving at him.

"Ahem, sir, I understand your behavior, but..."

After speaking, he gestured towards Erina Nakiri, who was in a very bad state, as if she had collapsed. But in reality, after eating Liu Maoxing's food, her mind felt better and her body felt better as well.

"Excuse me, boss, do you have any private rooms available?"

"Treat her illness? Her tongue problem?"

"Yes"

Liu Maoxing pondered, "I've read some records about this before. It mentioned a very rare condition: from birth, someone can only eat delicious food. If the food doesn't taste as good as before, they find it extremely unpalatable. This tongue can detect even the slightest flaws in the food, but the price is..."

Erina Nakiri chimed in, "He can't eat any ordinary food."

"Ah! I see. It's just a passive skill. If that's the problem, there's a way to solve it."

"Is there a way?"

Erina Nakiri's eyes widened, and Liu Maoxing asked curiously, "What kind of treatment method is used?"

"It's very simple. You play a game, start from the beginning and complete it. After you complete it, you will be rewarded with an ability related to cooking. After she completes the game, just make her change her skill from passive to active."

"This works too?" Erina Nakiri's voice was filled with shock. If it were that simple, all these years she'd spent...

Liu Yuan interrupted Erina Nakiri and continued, "Of course, just to be on the safe side, I recommend you have him take a look, but the treatment process is quite lengthy, isn't it?"

Liu Maoxing nodded and said, "It will take at least three months, and it may take up to half a year."

"So, why not let her play the game first? After the game, you two can arrange a time to check on each other in each other's worlds and leave a treatment plan. That way, you'll have a solution if you encounter similar situations in the future."

"Ok!"

Erina Nakiri was very tempted by the suggestion; her palate seemed to be blessed, but she actually didn't like it. Any delicious food tasted flawed and unpleasant to her.

"Perfect timing, this game can also hone your cooking skills. And while you're at it, Little Chef, you can also show off your specialties."

Erina Nakiri looked at Liu Maoxing incredulously: "You haven't used your full strength yet?"

"Every time I cook, I give it my all."

"Then why..."

Liu Maoxing shook his head: "I don't know what the master meant by my special skill..."

Liu Yuan said with a smile, "Of course, it means that one person can make enough food for dozens or even hundreds of people, without any discounts."

"what?"

Erina Nakiri was completely shocked this time. Liu Maoxing could actually cook for dozens of people at the same time?

Seeing her surprised expression, Liu Yuan nodded and said, "Don't underestimate the value of a master chef. In his time, master chefs weren't unattainable; ordinary people could also enjoy their cuisine. If a master chef simply did a shoddy job cooking for ordinary people, their title would be revoked. On the other hand, some Japanese restaurants have many rules, but they forget that food isn't a luxury for a select few, but rather food that most people can enjoy and that satisfies their appetites."

"I…"

Erina Nakiri lowered her head. If this were in her own world, she would have been indignant. But here, all her pride and glory felt utterly worthless.

Whether it's the seemingly ordinary but incredibly delicious food provided by Liu Yuan, or the simple fried rice made by Liu Maoxing, even with the ingredients and steps, it's impossible to replicate it...

Liu Yuan continued, "Moreover, this isn't the only game in our store that allows you to hone your cooking skills; all the games in our store offer opportunities for you to showcase your culinary talents."

"Hey hey hey?"

Erina Nakiri looked surprised, and Kisaragi on the other side was also stunned.

Tongxi explained from the side, "The boss said that the game's real mode is an absolute simulation of reality, which means that all the creatures in the game can taste the food. Maybe the boss will be in a good mood and let you pass the game."

"?"

Liu Yuan sighed: "I've said it so many times, our restaurant's real mode is a true simulation of reality. If you have the skill to pass the cooking level... it's not impossible. It's just that compared to using food... it's much simpler to use your fists."

"???"

Liu Yuan looked at the puzzled Kisara and reminded him, "It seems you don't pay much attention to the forum. There are videos on the forum of people drilling through golden trees with a wood drill and killing golden beasts directly."

"... "

Mu was even more shocked; just as Liu Yuan said, she really hadn't noticed.

Liu Maoxing then invited, "In that case, how about we try this method first?"

Erina Nakiri agreed.

Then she witnessed the terrifying side of the game, which was a game where two people worked together to prepare dishes according to a set recipe to satisfy the guests' needs.

Although the dishes ordered by the guests are always very simple, the portions are always large.

As a game played in cooperation between the two, while Erina Nakiri was making one dish, Liu Maoxing had already finished making four dishes, and even the ingredients for the fifth, sixth, and seventh dishes were ready.

"Hmm? What's wrong?"

"Your speed... is insane..."

"This? If we don't hurry, the customers will go hungry. Actually, this isn't a large number. In the past, we used to have more than two hundred customers in a single afternoon. Although there are other people helping, Mom personally handles more than half of the dishes."

Whether it was what he saw as a child, his competition with the Dumpling Brothers, or the dishes he made for his guests after the Grand Chef Competition, Liu Maoxing always faced hundreds or thousands of guests. It was tiring, but seeing everyone's smiles afterward made him really happy.

As for the speed in the game, he actually felt quite relaxed. Because he remembered that this was a two-player co-op game, he had deliberately slowed down the pace a little.

However, Liu Maoxing also felt it was quite amazing. He could clearly feel that his real body was not moving in reality, but his actions in the world of consciousness were exactly the same. In fact, several times when he deliberately sparred, the food he ate was exactly the same as in reality.

In his opinion, this might be the legendary power of immortals?

Chapter 362 Erina Nakiri: "My dishes can glow now!" (Bonus Chapter)

Correction

Normally, Overcooked is a two-player cooperative game. But after Liu Maoxing arrived, it became a purely solo skill-showing game.