A New World of Cooking
[x] Knife
"This knife was named Bloodless by its creator, as its sharpness is such that clean cuts will leave no trace of blood. Forged from an alloy of abyssal iron, illusory Crystals and a third substance that is unidentified, the form of this knife is malleable. It can transform into different bladed objects including other knives, swords, lances or Polearms. A useful tool both on and off the battlefield. Its density and weight are very high. In order to counteract this, a gravitic array has been inlaid. It is currently at its lowest setting. This is one of the most prized pieces in the Ancient Devourer's collection."
She stared in wonder as a rectangular box appeared on the table in front of her. Composed of black lacquered wood with gold and pearl inlays, it depicted a lonely cherry blossom tree perched on a cliffside; its petals falling gently drifting through the air. Lifting up the lid revealed a dark metal chef's knife with a blade length of 20 centimeters. A distinctive red pattern was engraved across its surface, likely forming the gravitic array the system mentioned. Tracing her finger along the surface of the handle, she wondered what it was made from. It had the texture of ivory or perhaps bone.
Lifting the blade up reverently, she noted how heavy it felt in her hands. Still, it was perfectly balanced though she worried she might tire quickly using it.
"Please place a drop of blood on the blade," she found it ironic that Bloodless needed blood, but nonetheless did as the system prompted. She didn't even put pressure on the blade before her thumb was nicked and her blood flowed. Bloodless reacted immediately and began to vibrate, the frequency somehow resonating within her. A tenuous connection was forged between the two of them and the blade made a keening noise as it "awakened".
"Bloodless is now spiritually bonded to you. You can alter its shape and adjust its gravitic array now. Further options may be unlocked in the future," she wasn't sure how to issue a command to the knife but she imagined it changing into a naginata. It took a while and she felt really silly but eventually her thoughts projected correctly and it began to morph. The metal elongated and the bone shifted until it formed into a three meter long halberd. It wasn't quite what she imagined but it would probably work.
She spun it in her hand and held it flat upon her palm, testing its balance and heft. It felt surprisingly flimsy, like it would drift out of her hand in a moments notice. Realizing that it's gravitic array could be adjusted, she imagined it growing heavier by about ten pounds. The halberd glowed for a moment before growing a bit heavier. It would take some getting used to this feature and a lot of practice to get the weight shifting nearly instinctive but it could definitely give her a decisive edge in battle.
Acquired: Bloodless - Currently has chef's knife and polearm configurations available.
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After taking a quick shower, she took Bloodless with her downstairs to explore the kitchen. She would be spending a lot of time here so she wanted to familiarize herself with it as quickly as possible.
It was very large for a single person operation but she definitely liked having the space. A big, four paned window was set into the back wall, which let plenty of natural light in while glowing stones lining the ceiling kept the interior brightly lit. Next to the door leading out into the dining room was a long sushi bar that was at just the right height for her hands. Below it were a series of cabinets formed from smoothed wood, of which the middle three were iceboxes filled with shelves. She would be able to store her cuts of fish here. The other cabinets were filled with supplies and utensils of various sorts including chopsticks, bamboo sushi mats, shark skin paddles for grating wasabi and a variety of ingredients including pots of soy sauce, fresh Japanese horseradish, nori sheets, and mirin. Anything she would need or expect to make good sushi was already present. The nori in particular was of great quality. Jet black in color, completely uniform, it burst with rich savoriness. Once it was toasted it would be comparable to the best ariake nori she used in her former restaurant.
A sink sat in the corner with a copper colored faucets and handles allowing her to easily wash her hands and knives. Below it was a turnstile cabinet filled with pots and pans of various sizes. She wasn't quite sure how the water was draining out though?
"The faucet pulls water in from the peaks of the Desolate Mountains deep in the southern most continent. Its refreshing purity is unmatched. The drain will transport the water out to the sea," well that explained it. She had a sink that was capable of spatial manipulation. She shook her head. It wasn't the first time the system came up with something ridiculous and she doubted it would be the last.
Next to the sink against the left wall from the dining room was a series of six stoves lined side by side. Each one was equipped with a metal grate and a blood red crystal embedded into the center of the stone that formed the stove.
"The stone is from the fragmented core of a dead world while the metal is a substance that can tolerate extreme levels of heat. It is called Primordium. The red crystals are from the heart of a ten million year old Star Dragon. Channel energy into the array and it will activate the crystal."
"Why is every piece of equipment so ridiculous?" she asked in frustration. "Are the pots some kind of ridiculous magical tech as well?"
The system did not respond for a moment before its monotone voice activated again. "The best chef can only be unveiled assuming a completely even playing field. This is but a tiny sliver of Ancient Devourer's wealth and power. Upon death or failure, all of this will be reclaimed so you need not worry."
"Wait, are there others like me?"
"Host is presently unqualified to know the answer to this question. Please ask again when you have improved your chef rank," she frowned but there was little she could do.
Next to the stoves was a large rectangular stone box built into the ground. On top were two circular areas fitted with large pots that formed an ancient Japanese setup called a kamado. The lower portion was an oven, again equipped with an output array to adjust for heat. The residual heat would heat up the pots and cook their contents while things could be cooked in the oven as well.
The far wall around the windows was covered in cabinets filled with plates, pots, bowls and eating utensils alongside a second much larger sink and a nearly wardrobe sized ice box. It was honestly just a straight up refrigerator but bits and pieces of it were disguised with materials that would be more widely available in this world. Hilariously enough there was even a dishwasher that made absolutely no pretenses about being anything other than a modern appliance except for its front being made from wood. Of course it had all sorts of special properties too.
In the center was a spacious kitchen island with an empty square in the center with a fire pit. A series of long metal hooks dangled from the ceiling to hang meats and the like while a thick metal grate was placed about a foot above the flames. The sides were lined with the same metal as the grates on the stove so despite looking like a crazy fire hazard, it was a safe contraption.
One side was entirely devoted to preparing her mise en place and other food prep. The center of this section was just a plank of wood that had hinges on the left side, allowing for it to be lifted up to provide better access to the fire pit. Somehow she felt no heat even when standing in front of this hollow section which made no sense but she had more or less given up on understanding the intricacies of the matter. The other side of the island was composed of a steamer, fryer and robata style grill respectively. Towels and cooking utensils like tongs, spatulas, ladles and spoons hung from two of the sides.
It was frankly a ridiculous kitchen, one that was probably better than even the most high end ones in her prior life.
"Host, please go downstairs into the larder," she stood in a daze for a moment as she realized she was likely to witness even more insanity downstairs. Shaking herself out of her stupor she made her way into the larder only to be surprised by its mundanity. A huge metal table composed of multiple sections that could be adjusted for height sat smack dab in the middle of the larder while the section under the stairs had a number of empty wooden casks. The floor was slightly sloped and lead to a large drain while a hose was attached to the wall right by the staircase.
Other than that there was only a series of doors attached to the walls.
"What are these doors?"
"These doors access the different biomes where system provided ingredients will be raised and maintained. If you capture and find new ingredients, they can also be raised and cultivated for you. The process will of course be accelerated though you will have to pay a cost in mana crystals for whatever you take out," she tapped her foot as she thought about the implications of that.
"Can I sell the ingredients?"
"Dear host, you are not a farmer," she wasn't sure how a monotone voice could sound so derisive. "You cannot sell system provided ingredients, though nothing stops you from selling anything you find yourself."
She sighed, it made sense in a way. If the emphasis was on her being a chef, selling produce and meat was not quite the right path. But wait did it not say she should trade for ingredients?
"Ingredient trading is only for services, completed goods or for anything else you personally acquire. You are forbidden from trading provided ingredients."
"Fine, I understand."
[X] Luxurious Seafood Bundle
Grants:
Demon Bull Tuna 5th rank
Phoenix Tail Shrimp 3rd rank
Sunglow Sea Urchin 4th rank
Imperial Pearl Rice 3rd rank
Recipes:
Salt and Pepper Shrimp (Chinese).
Tuna Poke (American)
Sea Urchin Risotto (Japanese/Italian Fusion)
Onigiri Set (Japanese) takeout possible - A set of three rice balls with tuna, shrimp tempura and sea urchin inside.
She massaged her temples as the flood of information from the provided recipes entered her mind. The aching pain took a good few minutes to subside, though she was amazed at the amount of data packed in.
"The first door on the left provides mundane produce and materials. The second will lead to some tanks containing the seafood ingredients you have been provided. They are transported there the moment you open the door. The door closest to the right will provide produce," nodding she opened the rightmost door and filled a small sack with the Imperial Pearl rice. Each grain was a perfect oval shape and glistened with the luster of the finest of pearls. Even compared to the best of Japanese rice, this was quite a few levels higher in appearance alone.
"Imperial Pearl Rice is the primary tribute paid by the state of Han to the Emperor of the Cloud Crane Empire. Spanning almost half a continent, it is a powerful monolith and this rice reflects the Emperor's status. It is a third ranked spiritual plant."
"Third ranked?" she inquired.
"Plants cultivate spiritual energy to grow in power and strength. At high enough ranks they are even able to gain sentience and manipulate world phenomenon to defend themselves. A third ranked spiritual plant while not excessively powerful can nurture beasts and men of the third circle. It is therefore rare and quite highly prized."
It seemed nothing in this world was normal, though in a place of magic it was not unreasonable. Heading over to the sea biome door, she found two medium sized tanks and one utterly massive one. The Phoenix tail shrimps were scooped up easily. Each was about 30 centimeters long with brilliant crimson tails that splayed out like the feathers if a Phoenix. They were lively and the dozen she took jumped and twitched, nearly escaping from the bag she placed them in.
The sea urchins were far easier to deal with. Pitch black in color, they were about the size of a volleyball and covered in spikes. They were a bit dangerous to handle, but she picked out two and put them into a thick leather bag that wouldn't get punctured.
Last she turned to the Demon Bull Tuna. It was truly a monstrous fish at over two meters long with a pair of thick, black, curved horns adorning its head. A bit more elongated than the blue fins of her world it was nonetheless a nice fat fish.
"How am I supposed to take it out of the tank? It must be what? Two hundred kilos?"
"This specimen of Demon Bull Tuna is 226.87 kilos and is on the smaller end of available specimens."
"That doesn't help me at all! I can't lift 226 kilos worth of fish!" she shouted angrily.
"Then it seems you will not be able to utilize this fish yet. Perhaps if you gain a circle or two…" she huffed in irritation and eyed the tuna longingly. Considering the quality of ingredients she had seen so far, it would probably taste amazing. She thought for a moment before she came up with a brilliant idea.
"System can I kill the tuna in the tank or do I need to take it out first?"
"There is nothing that prevents you from killing the tuna within the tank," her eyes flashed when she heard the system's reply and drew Bloodless. The tuna was trapped with little room to move within its tank so it could only stare on as its impending doom approached. She stabbed it next to its fins on each side before moving to the tail and cut nearly all the way through. Stepping back to its head, she stroked it gently and whispered a short blessing before positioning her knife and thrusting forward with all her speed and strength. It took her three tries before Bloodless cut straight through its skull and pierced its hindbrain, instantly killing the fish. It would take a while longer for the blood to drain out, but she would then be free to butcher it into smaller pieces and remove it from the tank.
[Butchering the Demon Bull Tuna: Technical Skills + Ikejime Technique + Bloodless = 150 Required: 150/200/250/300 Poor/Average/Good/Excellent. Success! Poor quality result]
Technical Skills Increased by 10 for successfully butchering something many ranks above your level.
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It honestly took her hours to carve up the Demon Bull Tuna and her results were poor. In fact she considered it an embarrassing result for a sushiya of her skill level. For one she truly lacked the strength to do it correctly. Bluefin Tuna skin was tough, but this beast was at a whole other level. If it weren't for the peerless edge of her knife, this would be a flat out impossible task for her to handle with her present strength. Every cut required her to apply a great amount of pressure plus her body weight. She increased the gravitic force on the knife too but she could not increase it too heavily since it would just become unwieldy. Rather than the sharp elegant lines she was used to, the tuna flesh had jagged edges and frayed skin. Still even with the shoddy job she did the meat was an absolute beauty.
Beyond the horns, she could see why it was called a Demon Bull Tuna. Every inch of its flesh was beautifully marbled like the best cattle. Even its back and sides, which should be the leanest portions, looked like the finest of otoro. Its sinew was very tough and hard to remove, nearly twice as thick as what she was used to for bluefin. She saved them up to grill though as it would have an almost beef like texture and flavor. The musculature of the tuna was very compact as well, which would have made it a very fast fish. Its charges must be monstrously quick and deadly.
Taking some of the Imperial Pearl Rice, she washed the rice twice before placing it in the kamado pot. Filling up the pot with water, she made sure there was enough to submerge the rice and then some. Her not so scientific methodology was to make sure the water level reached up to the top of her fingernail when she touched the rice. She then activated the array pattern which began to heat up the rice.
"Rice will be complete in fifteen minutes," that was a lot faster than it usually took and left her skeptical, but she decided to trust the system and see how it worked out.
Cubing up a portion of the akami, she placed it into a bowl with some shoyu, finely cut scallions, a bit of sweet onion, sesame oil, and sesame seeds. Then she let it sit in one of the refrigerators for about two hours so the flavors could meld together. It was a simple enough recipe and she wasn't sure she needed the systems input to make it. There were areas where it definitely filled in her muscle memory such as the measurement of the shoyu and sesame oil, but otherwise it was very straightforward. She considered some other options and sauces as well to mix it up, but she left that for another day. She was starving and the tuna poke was looking decidedly delicious.
Lifting up the lid of the kamado, a fragrant, but mellow scent filled the entire kitchen. Much to her surprise she found that it was perfectly cooked and the timing of the system was very exact. As the smell filled her nose, she was reminded of a lifetime of meals spent with friends and patrons.
Using a rice paddle, she mixed up the rice in the pot until it was loose and fluffy. Each grain stood out nicely, somehow soft but managing to maintain its distinctive shape. She scooped out a bowl, forming a nice round shape before she sat down to eat it with her poke.
It was a phenomenal combination. The tuna's fat melted slightly as came in contact with the hot rice, its rich oils coating portions of the rice. The shoyu added the needed saltiness while the onions gave it a bit of sweetness. Her appetite increased to another level and she wolfed down the rest of her portion. When she finished, her eyes sparkled as she considered the unlimited possibilities of this new world. Just this tuna alone was amazing and there were even greater ingredients out there! She wanted to hunt some down right away.
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Allocate your time over the next month, you have 4 time slots to allocate. You can allocate all four time slots to the same thing. Please vote in plan format to make it easier on everyone.
[ ] Create new recipes - The system has provided recipes but it is not the be all and end all of food (there is a random chance component here to mimic the effects of inspiration).
[ ] Open up the restaurant - Though the system refuses to allow you to name your restaurant, you can open its doors and sell food. Prices will automatically be set. You presently will receive 10% of all proceeds from food sales. Accumulating mana crystals will allow you to increase your circles of power.
[ ] Enter the dungeon - Though you have no circles of power, with bloodless in hand and the skills from your past life you are not a pushover either. Begin your journey through the dungeon.
[ ] Sample the local cuisine - The local cuisine is completely unknown to you. It could be worthwhile to see what other food is available in the city. It could provide inspiration for new dishes (requires money)
[ ] Hunt outside the city for monsters and new ingredients - Go outside the city and explore the surrounding regions to fight monsters and find new ingredients.
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I cut this chapter off before I could even get to the other recipes because it was getting stupendously long. Please vote in plan formats. I need to work on a few things including assigning your name and skills and stuff, but I wanted to get this out this evening. I am traveling for the next two weeks starting tomorrow so I will likely only be able to update a little if at all. But will be working on a variety of background stuff including fleshing out techniques, recipes, and more ingredients. Thank you all for joining me in this little adventure!
