Perhaps assuming that all the guests present were sufficiently familiar with the rules, the mustached man's explanation wasn't overly detailed. However, the key rules were still made clear.
If one could successfully remove the poison sac of the Spiny Sea Pork, the profits would undoubtedly be substantial.
On the contrary, if they fail, they will be forced to purchase the Spiny Sea Pork with its poison sac destroyed. This is the main rule that the one with the higher skill wins.
Judging by the risk-reward ratio, it was clearly a favorable deal. After all, this involved ten Spiny Sea Pork. If they successfully remove the poison sacs, they can make a lot of money at once, but if they fail, they only need to pay one or two million Jenny.
This rule emphasized the value of skill rather than the commodity itself.
After all, the price of a Spiny Sea Pork with the poison sac perfectly removed and that of a Spiny Sea Pork with the poison sac intact are worlds apart.
If the participants do not have sufficiently sophisticated techniques, this was essentially a gamble for profit. Similarly, the fish market's adoption of the 'the one with the highest skill wins', which is also a gamble for profit.
It's because if someone can successfully remove the poison bag, even if they give up half of the profit, it would still far exceed the value of ten failed attempts.
However, the little girl's sudden declaration turned what should have been a cautious decision into something almost childish.
The mustached man frowned at the girl who had stepped forward, an unhappy look appeared on his face, and he said in a deep voice, "Menchi, this is not a place for you to fool around."
The fact that he knew her name meant he recognized her.
"The rule of 'the one with the highest skill wins' doesn't restrict participants by age." Menchi retorted, staring back at him with wide, unyielding eyes.
"But the price of a failed product isn't something you can afford." The mustached man countered.
Once the removal of the poison bag fails, the Spiny Sea Pork will have to be purchased at a price of about 1.5 million Jenny.
Of course, those familiar with the black market could resell that Spiny Sea Pork there to recoup some losses.
However, a girl no older than ten? Not only would she likely lack the skill to remove the poison sac, she probably hadn't even encountered the black market before. The risk for her was absolute.
"I won't fail." Menchi raised her stubborn little face and declared.
'Where does this confidence come from?'
The mustached man felt a headache coming on. He knew Menchi was exceptionally talented, especially in her handling of ingredients, but this was a Spiny Sea Pork, not some ordinary seafood.
Maybe Menchi has mastered the theoretical knowledge, but practice was an entirely different matter.
"1.5 million." The mustached man stated flatly, emphasizing the number.
Menchi's confidence wavered for a split second, but she quickly steadied herself and met his gaze firmly.
Seeing that Menchi was dead set on this, the mustached man gave up on dissuading her. Every time the 'highest skill wins' product was offered, most of them ended in failure, especially the rare ones like the Spiny Sea Pork, which was the best among them.
He shifted his gaze to the audience and continued, "Are there any other guests willing to try?"
After a while, a man in a chef's uniform walked out of the crowd. This person looked like he had just walked out of a restaurant kitchen. After a while, a man who was nearly 30 years old, carrying a kitchen knife and with an ordinary appearance, also walked out.
There were three people willing to try, one was Menchi, one was the man in chef's uniform, and one was the man with a kitchen knife.
Whether it is the guests in the venue or the organizers of the fish market, they all hope that one of them would succeed in extracting the poison sac.
The Spiny Sea Pork's ingredient rating fell between C and B-Grade, but if the poison sac was perfectly removed, it would qualify as a B-Grade ingredient.
Law looked at the three people on the stage, thought about it, and decided not to join in the fun. He had already eaten the Spiny Sea Pork before, so his desire for it wasn't particularly strong. However...
'Menchi… Is she the same person?'
Law's eyes were focused on the little girl.
In the Hunter Exam in the original work, she had appeared as an examiner and was hailed as the youngest Single-Star Gourmet Hunter in history.
'And that man carrying a kitchen knife…' He felt like he'd seen him somewhere before, but he just couldn't place him.
On the auction stage, the mustached man had the staff bring up three stone worktables, each equipped with a full set of tools.
"If you fail once, you will be disqualified." The mustached man reminded them, and then asked, "So, who's going first?"
"Me, of course!"
Menchi stepped forward without hesitation.
She had been the first to volunteer, so the other two had no objections.
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Menchi approached the U-shaped stone worktable, only to realize she was too short to reach it properly. So she immediately asked the staff to fetch her a small stool.
Seeing this scene, the audience in the venue burst into laughter.
Law rubbed his forehead, 'At her age, her willingness to attempt something like this was already remarkable. But given the nature of the challenge, her age inevitably became a point of mockery. This was inevitable.'
If this little girl really is the Menchi from the original work, then Law thinks she might actually have a chance… but most people in the audience probably don't think so.
Bang!
The sound of a kitchen knife slamming into a cutting board cut through the noise. Then, Menchi brandished the kitchen knife and angrily said, "What are you laughing at? Believe it or not, I will chop you into pieces!"
"..." Law was speechless when he saw this, 'Well, she's most likely that Menchi.'
Seeing the little girl acting so fierce, the whole audience was stunned for a moment, and then they burst into even louder laughter.
Menchi was so angry that she almost rushed off the stage. In the end, it was the mustached man who stepped forward to suppress the laughter in the venue.
From that moment on, most people's attitudes shifted to pure amusement, though some inwardly lamented that the first Spiny Sea Pork was about to become a failed attempt.
Clearly, no one believed Menchi could succeed. At best, she was spending 1.5 million Jenny for a chance to try, or to learn a lesson.
The staff brought Menchi a small stool and carefully transported the Spiny Sea Pork onto her worktable.
Once everything was ready, Menchi picked up a knife that suited her grip, stood on the stool, and examined the dangerous-looking puffer up close.
Her eyes sparkled with excitement.
'So this is the Spiny Sea Pork.'
Menchi thought excitedly, and the theory about removing the poison sac was swirling in her head.
"First, remove the spines."
Menchi muttered to herself, already entering a state of complete concentration. Her small face was etched with intense focus and solemnity.
The knife flashed suddenly, and many people couldn't see it clearly, but they saw the four-inch-long spines fell away with crisp precision. Then, the little girl's arms blurred into motion, her movements dazzlingly fast as she efficiently stripped the spikes from the Spiny Sea Pork.
Soon, the Spiny Sea Pork turned into a bare ball of flesh, and the previous dangerous appearance disappeared.
Menchi's knife skills instantly changed everyone's perception of her. Even the other two participants on stage stared at her in awe.
The previously murmuring crowd fell utterly silent, and everyone's eyes were focused on the petite little girl.
'Maybe… she can actually do it?'
Law looked at the spikes that were cut off by Menchi and sighed in his heart, 'Cutting off the spikes can indeed provide great convenience, but it also increases the difficulty of removing the poison bag. Generally speaking, the first step of cutting off the spikes actually increases the chance of failure.'
Extracting the poison sac was like defusing a bomb, this comparison wasn't an exaggeration. After all, all it took was one wrong move to lose everything.
Menchi ignored the gazes from all around her, and her mind was completely focused on how to remove the poison bag. She picked up the knife and began the first step of the dissection, slicing through the outer layer, making precise horizontal and vertical cuts. Every movement was fluid, almost artistic.
As Menchi displayed her extraordinary knife skills, more and more people started to believe Menchi might actually succeed.
However, just as many people began to have hope, accompanied by a slight popping sound, Menchi stopped what she was doing. Then, she raised her head and looked at the mustache man awkwardly.
She had failed.
"I'm sorry, but you have to pay 1.5 million Jenny to buy this Spiny Sea Pork." The mustached man sighed in his heart, feeling a little regretful.
Menchi put down the kitchen knife and said simply, "I don't have any money."
The mustached man's eyebrow twitched and he said, "That's your problem. Figure it out yourself."
"Guess I'll have to, then."
Menchi nodded solemnly and declared seriously: "The solution I came up with is… Run!"
Before anyone could react, she ran toward the left side of the stage. Her movements were agile and her speed was not slow.
The unexpected stunt shocked most of the audience, including the mustached man. He thought to himself, 'You can run now, but you can't escape!'
Looking at this scene, Law sighed softly, as she really kept refreshing his impression of her. But it also made him realize just how extraordinary Menchi's foundation was, whether it was her knife skills or the speed she was showing now.
Just at this moment, the man on the stage, who was carrying a kitchen knife, moved. In an instant, he intercepted Menchi, gripping her firmly.
"Those who run from responsibility are trash! Do you think you're trash?" The man looked at Menchi and said in a flat tone.