Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Menchi decided to go all out.
Whether they believed her or not, she would personally test the poison… wouldn't that be enough?
Menchi stood with her hands on her hips, her demeanor and attitude making her stance clear.
That one sentence, paired with her bold posture, truly silenced everyone.
Below the stage, Law shrank into the crowd and could only smile bitterly in silence. The method he taught Menchi wasn't about removing the poison, but to neutralize it using a method unknown to the world, turning them into an edible state.
The difference between neutralizing and removing was that the former would alter the original texture and flavor, while the latter would not.
Spiny Sea Pork is a special ingredient. Even after neutralizing its poison, though the texture and taste would change, it wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
The audience buzzed with discussion because of Menchi's claim, and many of them looked at Law again and again.
A lot of people had clearly seen Law lean in and whisper into Menchi's ear earlier. Now that Menchi suddenly claimed she could remove the Spiny Sea Pork's poison, they knew it had to be related to him.
The two staff members paused and looked back at the mustached man, waiting for his orders.
The mustached man signaled with his eyes for them to step back, then he turned to Menchi and said sternly, "Your earlier failure only cost you some money. If you fail this time, you might lose your life."
As he spoke, he glanced at the audience and quickly found where Law was.
Menchi was actually a little nervous, but she seemed to have no choice. She had originally planned to earn a large sum of money in the 'the one with highest skill wins' segment so she could leave the city and travel the world, seeing and tasting all kinds of new cuisines firsthand.
She had prepared for quite a while and specialized in Spiny Sea Pork because the rewards from it was extremely high and she could make a large sum of money in one go.
However, who would have thought that she would fail just when she was on the verge of success.
If she had been given one or two more chances, she was confident she could succeed, but the organizers would definitely not give her another chance.
It would be fine if she couldn't make any money. At most, she could just run off and travel on a shoestring budget. But she happened to meet a meddlesome man, and she couldn't even escape now.
'At this point, running wasn't an option. I could only trust that handsome guy.'
"Hmph, I'm not going to die before I become the world's greatest Gourmet Hunter." Menchi straightened her expression and added, "Anyway, I don't have any money."
Her nothing-left-to-lose attitude left the mustached man speechless. He called over a staff member and had them draft a temporary liability waiver. Then, he looked at Menchi and said, "Fine, you'll get your chance."
What was supposed to be a grand auction had turned into an unconventional bet because of Menchi's disruption. But instead of being impatient, the audience was eagerly anticipating the outcome.
After all, if Menchi succeeded, it would completely change the market dynamics surrounding the Spiny Sea Pork.
"Uh… can I start now?"
A timid voice was heard from the quiet stage.
Everyone turned to see the man in chef's uniform standing by the workstation, looking utterly dejected.
It was supposed to be his turn to attempt removing the poison sac, but because of Menchi's incident, he had been forgotten in the corner, like a sad, neglected child.
The mustached man gave him an apologetic look. Just as the chef thought he could finally begin, his hopes were dashed as the mustached man said, "Please wait a little longer."
The chef silently put down his knife, feeling sad.
Soon, the temporary liability waiver was brought on stage.
The mustached man handed the contract to Menchi.
It was an age-unrestricted liability waiver. As long as Menchi signs it, she can start to remove the poison and would have to personally taste the results. As for whether she lived or died, it would have nothing to do with the organizers.
Of course, the organizers wouldn't just stand by and watch. They already arranged for medical staff on standby and prepare the antidote for the Spiny Sea Pork's poison. However, that antidote couldn't completely eliminate the poison, and there would always be some lingering side effects.
Menchi took the contract and skimmed through it. The terms were straightforward, so she signed her name without hesitation.
She was alone in this world, with nothing to worry about. But if she could get through this ordeal, that would be the best outcome.
"I need Starfish Grass and Sucker Bugs. Oh, and I need at least five Sucker Bugs, and they have to be alive." After signing the contract, Menchi made her request.
"Okay."
A hint of surprise flashed across the mustached man's eyes, 'Is that the key to removing the poison?'
He immediately ordered the staff to prepare the items, but it would take some time, so in the meantime, he had the chef begin his attempt at removing the poison sac.
The previous farce came to a temporary halt, and the second participant came on board to start the 'the one with highest skill wins' segment.
It takes great skills to remove the poison sac of a Spiny Sea Pork, and not every chef has the opportunity to come into contact with a Spiny Sea Pork.
The fact that this chef was willing to pay 1.5 million jenny just to participate showed his dedication to honing his craft.
The chef raised his knife and, just like Menchi, he started by cutting off the spines. However, he didn't realize that the first step was wrong and only increased the difficulty.
After a while, he set down his knife in frustration and admitted defeat.
The audience below couldn't help but feel disappointed. They had come here for deep-sea delicacies, and no matter how high the price was, what they wanted was perfect ingredients.
The chef sighed dejectedly as he handed over his card to transfer 1.5 million Jenny to the organizers. Afterwards, he did not leave the stage, nor did he take away his failed product. Instead, he stayed on the stage, waiting for two outcomes.
One is whether Zizhu can succeed, and the other is whether Menqi would succeed.
The first two participants had already taken their turns, so it was Zizhu's turn now.
He was not affected by the earlier farce at all. He calmly came to the worktable, picked up the kitchen knife he carried with him, and immediately began removing the poison sac.
Swish, swish, swish!
The knife flashed, and the spines fell cleanly. His knife skills were even more refined than Menchi's.
Soon, he began the dissection, being careful and meticulous with every step. After a while, he breathed a sigh of relief and took out the poison sac that he had successfully removed.
Seeing this scene, the venue suddenly erupted in enthusiastic applause, and even the mustached man's face lit up with joy.
When Menchi saw the man succeed, she immediately cursed in her heart: 'Fail! Fail!'
After the first success, Zizhu moved on to the second Spiny Sea Pork, and succeeded again, further exciting the crowd. This meant there would be two perfect Spiny Sea Pork available for the auction today.
But the good times didn't last.
When Zizhu worked on the third one, he failed, which was like a bucket of cold water poured on the heads of everyone in the venue.
"You may continue your attempt." The mustached man said respectfully, urging Zizhu to continue.
"No. The next one will also fail." Zizhu refused outright, then turned his gaze toward Law in the audience.
Noticing Zizhu's gaze, Law remained completely calm, as he was just here to join the fun.
The mustached man was taken aback. Even if Zizhu's performance was inconsistent, there was still a chance he could produce two or three more perfect specimens.
But since Zizhu had made his stance clear, he couldn't force the issue.
Time passed, and after about fifteen minutes of waiting, the items Menchi had requested finally arrived.
Seeing everything ready, Menchi took a deep breath, and suddenly looked at Law in the audience, shouting with all her might, "Brother, tell me your name! That way, if I die, I'll know who to haunt!"
The entire venue fell silent and Law was dumbfounded.
"… My name is Law. But I'd really prefer if you didn't come back as a ghost to find me."
He answered helplessly.