Gourmet of Another World

Panda Novel

“What’s this?” Er Ha sniffed. He was a little baffled by Bu Fang’s words. ‘Cola chicken wings? Never heard of it before…’ he thought to himself. ‘Is this the latest dish Bu Fang young man has come up with?’

As he sniffed the strange sweet aroma in the air, he felt all his pores open up. He had never felt anything like that before. It was a feeling similar to the moment when he first sniffed the spicy strip, and the aroma seemed to brand him in the depths of his soul.

Not only he, but Nethery, Lord Dog, and the crown prince were dumbstruck as well.

“It smells… delicious!” The crown prince took a deep breath. As someone of his status, he had tasted countless dishes, including those that were specially prepared for the Divine Emperor by the Heaven Divine Chef in the imperial kitchens. However, even the dishes cooked by that Heaven Divine Chef did not smell as tasty as this one. It was an enchanting fragrance that went deep into one’s soul.

Gulp.

The crown prince’s throat moved as he swallowed.

Both Nethery and Lord Dog were already beaming. They were always excited about Bu Fang’s new dish.

“The dish is called Supreme Cola Chicken Wings…” With the plate in his hand, Bu Fang belched. His face was flushed as if he was drunk.

Rumble!

A sudden clap of thunder rang out. Purple lightning turned into thunder dragons and fell from the sky. There were so many of them that it seemed the void was about to be torn apart. It was extremely terrifying. Horrible rumbling filled the air and shook the world.

In the restaurant, Bu Fang looked calm while holding the dish. Suddenly, a clanging sound rang out as Whitey, its mechanical eyes flickering and the flags behind its back waving, rushed out through the door and charged toward the descending lightning. In the blink of an eye, it collided with the many thunder dragons.

A deafening boom burst out as a blinding white light that illuminated the night swept across, dazzling all eyes. However, none of that was the focus of the few people in the restaurant. Their eyes were fixed on the plate in Bu Fang’s hand, where light flashed.

The crown prince stopped what he was doing, walked unconsciously to the table, and stood beside Er Ha. At other times, he treated Er Ha—who he thought was an idiot—with contempt, but for some reason, he was willing to stand next to him now. Perhaps this was the charm of delicious food. It was no big deal to stand next to an idiot to be able to taste delicious food.

“Be patient…” Bu Fang said lightly when he glanced at the people around him and saw the eager look on their faces. He placed the plate on the table, and the light that emitted from it immediately attracted all eyes.

At last, the crowd was able to see the dish. What was placed on the plate were… chicken wings. They were golden-brown, coated with a layer of sticky, brown sauce, which flowed slowly and emitted hot steam and a delicious aroma.

“What is this dish called again?” Er Ha asked as he sniffed.

“Cola chicken wings,” Bu Fang said. After that, he took a swallow of cola from the bottle in his hand. The liquid bubbled as it poured into his mouth and rushed along his throat into his stomach. A refreshing sensation filled him, while a hot stream seemed to rise from his stomach, and then…

Burp~

Bu Fang belched loudly. The people around him were stunned, wondering what had happened to him and why he did not take care of his image.

Er Ha squinted at the crystal bottle in Bu Fang’s hand. ‘That thing looks like… some kind of drink. Is it fine wine? But I know all Bu Fang young man’s wine, and I don’t remember he has this wine…’

“Cola chicken wings? This is a… strange name. Does it mean chicken wings that bring joy?[1]¹” The corner of the crown prince’s mouth curled upward slightly, and he looked somewhat curious.

Bu Fang glanced at the crown prince and rolled his eyes. “Here are nine chicken wings. You know the rules,” he said.

Er Ha, Nethery, and Lord Dog nodded. They knew the rules.

“Wait… Bu Fang young man, how could we not have wine when tasting delicious food? Let us try your new wine,” Er Ha said, squinting at Bu Fang with a smile on his face.

‘Wine?’ That gave Bu Fang pause. When he found that Er Ha was looking at the bottle in his hand, he twitched the corners of his mouth. ‘Oh, so he meant the cola? Well…’ He shook his hand, and the box containing bottles of iced cola immediately emerged before him. “Help yourself,” he said.

Er Ha grinned from ear to ear. Impatiently, he reached out a hand and grabbed a bottle of cola. Bu Fang took one as well and removed the cap with the opener to show Er Ha how it was done. He gave it to Lord Dog, then opened another one for Nethery. Er Ha learned the technique quickly and opened his bottle.

Pop!

A hissing sound rang out and startled Er Ha.

Nethery looked curiously at the cola in her hand, glanced at Bu Fang, then drank a mouthful from it. As her cheeks bulged, her eyes went wide in an instant.

The liquid in her mouth made her pores shrink, and when the icy liquid rushed through her throat into her stomach, she felt as refreshed as if she was walking in the icy cold rain. The next instant, however, she felt hot all over. It was as though a puff of gas was rising from her stomach and rushing into her head.

“This is so cool!” Nethery cried out in surprise. Then, the gas in her stomach rose. She parted her red lips and belched.

Lord Dog held his bottle of cola with both front paws and was drinking happily. Whenever he took a swallow, he belched, then he drank another mouthful and belched again. It was like a fun game to him.

“Dammit! What kind of wine is this? It’s so amazing!” Er Ha exclaimed as soon as he drank a mouthful of cola and felt his scalp go numb.

“Wine? No… This is no wine. It is called cola. Some people like to call it soda,” Bu Fang said. He was already holding a pair of chopsticks, and while the others were drinking, he picked up a cola chicken wing.

As the wing left the plate, the sticky sauce stretched into strings. Bu Fang was not in a hurry to bite into it. Instead, he licked the sauce on the wing with his tongue. It was the crystallization of cola after it was boiled, which tasted sweet and delicious.

Bu Fang’s tongue nimbly licked over the wing. After he finished off all the sauce, the golden-brown wing was revealed. Its skin was tender, and as he bit through it, he could feel it bounce a little under his teeth. Then he came to the meat, which was tender, aromatic, and steaming, and the bones still had a faint pinkish tinge to them.

As he ate, he could not help but narrow his eyes. He could taste the cola in the meat, and it was exactly the same as in his memory.

Gulp, gulp…

Er Ha took a long swallow of his cola, then breathed out a long sigh. He felt extremely refreshed. ‘So this is Bu Fang young man’s new wine? It’s so strong, much stronger than all those wines in the past!’ He opened his eyes, turned to look at Bu Fang, and saw the latter was happily eating the chicken wing.

“That is called cola, not wine.” Bu Fang felt he needed to correct the guy’s perception of cola.

“Cola? The same cola in the cola chicken wings?” Er Ha seemed to connect them.

At this moment, the crown prince recovered himself from the shock brought by the cola. He covered his mouth with one hand as if embarrassed that he had just belched. “So… In addition to chicken wings, this cola is also one of the main ingredients?” he asked. He was more and more interested in this cola chicken wing.

“Yes,” Bu Fang nodded. His chopsticks were already reaching for the second wing.

Lord Dog and Nethery had gathered around the table. The cola had surprised them—its refreshing taste made their whole bodies sway uncontrollably. Then, each of them picked up a cola chicken wing.

The crown prince looked at the wing dripping with sticky sauce, and when its rich aroma drifted across the tip of his nose, he could not help but swallow. ‘It smells really good… and it looks delicious as well. Just by looking at the sauce already made my mouth water…’

“This is…” The crown prince wanted to share his opinion of this delicious dish, but he found that no one was paying him any attention as they were all enjoying their food. He smiled embarrassingly, then opened his mouth and took a bite of the chicken wing.

As he chewed, the tender chicken meat and its fragrance, which filled every gap in his mouth, made him feel as though his soul had been sublimated at this moment, turning into a noble… chicken who strolled among flowers.

Burp!

The combination of cola and cola chicken wings was… amazingly cool and refreshing!

The crown prince almost giggled like a fool. He took another bite of the wing and smiled happily like a boy with his favorite toy in hand.

Er Ha glanced at the crown prince in disgust. ‘Has this kid become an idiot after eating just a chicken wing?’

There were nine chicken wings in all. Er Ha ate very fast. He knew if he did not eat fast enough, he would not get the next wing. Nethery and Lord Dog did not say a word but focused on eating. Soon, they finished their wings and went for the second piece.

When the crown prince finished his wing, he was struck dumb because he found that the plate was already empty…

Bu Fang spat out the chicken bone in his mouth, slouched back in his chair, and exhaled with satisfaction. ‘Although I’ve lost the God of Cooking Sets, the quality of my dishes hasn’t deteriorated that much. Perhaps I was relying too much on them and forgot the joy and purpose of cooking…’ He mused.

In the past, he had relied on the convenience of the God of Cooking Sets to cook, and it made him lose himself a little bit. Now that he had lost them, he actually found the most basic joy in cooking again. That was good.

Of course, he still needed to fix the God of Cooking Sets. They were not only tools but also a belief—they were his companions on his path to becoming a God of Cooking.

The crown prince had finished his wing, and he spat the bones on the table. There was still some sauce on the corner of his mouth, so he stuck out his tongue and licked it. After that, he grabbed his bottle of cola and downed the remaining soda in one gulp. Finally, he belched with satisfaction.

Burp!

At this moment, Whitey had returned. Its mechanical eyes flashed as tiny purple electric arcs danced around its body.

The crown prince looked at Whitey with a gentle smile. After he had eaten and drunk, everything seemed to become very pleasing in his eyes. Suddenly, his face froze, and then he turned to look at Bu Fang in disbelief. He felt that… a fierce aura was boiling in him!

It was like a seed buried deep in the soil was breaking through the bondage of the earth with an unyielding will… Something was growing in him! A vast amount of life force surged in him, making his hair stand on end! And, that was not the end!

“This… This is… This feeling!” The crown prince took a deep breath. His eyes burst with shafts of bright light while life force wheeled over his head, elevating his spirit. But what shocked him the most was the strange feeling that was waking up all the cells in his body!

His Power of Law became extremely active. The Law of Space and the Law of Destruction were as restless as two naughty puppies… They were trying to break through the bondage!

Even then, an immense amount of energy and a mighty aura surged in him. The crown prince opened his mouth and roared. Eyes shining blindingly, a beam of light thrust out of his brow and shot straight into the sky!

Rumbling filled the sky as a Wheel of Law emerged. At this moment, the whole capital of the divine dynasty was shaken. Even the Divine Emperor in the palace was surprised.

“Yi’er… is about to break through?!”

Nethery and Lord Dog stared at the crown prince in surprise, while Er Ha’s jaw dropped. There was still a half-bitten cola chicken wing in his mouth.

“This Xiao Di has only eaten a chicken wing… yet he’s becoming a God now?!”

[1] Cola in Chinese is 可乐, where 可 (ke) means can/may/be able to and 乐 (le) means happy/joy.