The Chairman of the Hunter Association, Netero, the old monster from the Zoldyck family Maha, and the veteran Gourt Hunter, Linne.
In front of these three people, whether in terms of seniority, experience, or strength, Law was like a babbling infant… there was no comparison.
In a sense, it is a rare honor to be received by these three old monsters.
After all, the number of tis these three gathered together was few, and even when they did, there were never outsiders present.
However, this ti was an exception. Among the three seats, there was an extra set of utensils and dishes.
As Law opened the door and walked in, the three elders restrained their Aura. After Beans completed the task of bringing Law here, he consciously left the room and headed toward Machi in the hallway.
From the mont she couldn't take another step, Machi had lost the qualification to enter the room.
Having been by Netero's side for so many years, Beans knew what to do.
Inside the room, Netero looked at Law and said, "Co, sit down."
Law removed his shoes, stepped onto the platform, and sat down at the empty spot around the low table. He then looked at the simple al set for four and fell silent.
This is a square low table, just enough for four people to sit on. The food on the table was simple: six pieces of pickled radish and twenty-one bean sprouts that could be counted at a glance.
Law couldn't figure out the tricks of these exquisite yet seemingly humble dishes for the ti being. However, when he sniffed the llow aroma emanating from the small dish of condint from a close distance, he was nearly captivated by it.
The condint had a dark, almost black color with a noticeable reddish-brown hue, and within it, tiny white specks of light flickered.
'What were those fine, dust-like white lights?'
Law wondered silently.
Moreover, the food is covered with a layer of warm Aura like water, which has a similar effect of keeping them warm or fresh. The source of this Aura is... Linne.
After Law took his seat, Netero began introducing Maha and Linne's identities.
Only then did Law shift his attention from the condint. Upon learning Maha's identity, his heart tightened.
Maha kept his eyes narrowed and remained silent. Linne's eyes were open, but they were unfocused and it was not clear where her gaze was looking at.
After Netero finished introducing the three to each other, he said seriously: "Law, you're in for a treat today. These are delicacies Linne spent two years preparing."
"No offense, but it took you two years to produce such a small thing…?" Law first glanced at Netero, then at Linne, who showed no reaction.
Since the person concerned didn't explain, Netero naturally didn't say anything more. He simply picked up his chopsticks and said, "You'll understand once you taste it. The only thing that could make Maha co all this way is Linne's cooking."
Maha slowly picked up his chopsticks. Just as Netero had said, he rarely left ho unless it was for a challenging commission.
For him to make a special trip without a commission, it was clear that these seemingly humble dishes held enough attraction to him.
Nowadays, who else besides these old fellows could taste Linne's cooking?
Moreover, this was the result of two years of hard work by one of the most experienced Gourt Hunters, and it was definitely sothing that couldn't be bought with wealth.
Regarding Netero's sowhat exaggerated claims, Law temporarily retained his trust.
Seeing that everyone was getting ready to eat, Linne silently removed the Aura covering the food.
Maha and Netero directly picked up a piece of snow-white dried radish with a hint of dark yellow, put it into their mouths and chewed it carefully. Their eyes lit up, but they restrained the urge to devour the rice, only putting a small mouthful into their mouths.
The amount of rice in the four bowls was just enough, with no extra. To properly pair it with the two delicate side dishes, one couldn't eat the rice too quickly.
Linne didn't start eating imdiately. She clasped her hands together, her chopsticks held horizontally between her fingers, and her lips moved slightly as she silently murmured sothing.
When Law saw Maha and Netero start eating, Law also picked up a piece of radish and tossed it into his mouth.
The mont his tongue and teeth touched the radish, Law's expression changed instantly.
"How can such a small piece of radish have such a rich flavor?"
Before even swallowing the small radish, Law quickly took a small bite of rice.
"Delicious!"
Law chewed the rice and radish in his mouth until they were thoroughly mashed before finally swallowing.
'And the bean sprouts…!'
The unusual taste surprised Law so much that he didn't even look at the information given by the White Smoke Font. Instead, he fixed his sights on the small dish of bean sprouts.
The bean sprouts were the sa size as usual, but their appearance is crystal clear, like white jade. Upon closer inspection, Law could see faint traces of snow on the tiny bean strips, barely visible to the naked eye.
Law picked up a bean sprout and ate it. It was cool and crisp, with a refreshing sweetness reminiscent of mountain spring water.
Although the texture and taste are very special, compared to the dried radish, that contains all kinds of flavors, it seed too light.
Tap.
Suddenly, a soft sound ca from the table.
Law looked in the direction of the sound and saw Linne tapping the table with her finger.
When she saw Law looking over, Linne pointed at the small dish of condint with her chopsticks and said calmly, "Dip."
This was the first word Linne had spoken since Law entered the room.
Understanding imdiately, Law picked up another bean sprout, dipped it into the condint, and then put it in his mouth. As his taste buds registered the flavor, Law directly froze.
"The taste of seafood? And it's very complex, like the taste of many kinds of seafood blended together."
"This condint…"
After dipping the bean sprout in the condints, Law tasted a rich umami flavor, which is also the kind unique to deep-sea creatures, and it was full of vitality.
Whether it is the radish or the condint, both contained a variety of flavors, which imdiately reminded Law of Buddha Jumps Over the Wall.
However, upon careful review, they are obviously different from Buddha Jumps Over the Wall.
The flavors of the radish and condint are layered yet intricately connected, like a precisely constructed machine whose parts didn't conflict with each other but instead blend perfectly together.
Law had no ti to pay attention to the prompt from the White Smoke Font, nor did he have ti to care about Linne's gaze towards him. His chopstick movents gradually beca faster, but his chewing speed beca slower and slower.
It was agonizing…
The amount of radish and bean sprouts was already small, and the condint was even scarcer. As he ate, seeing the portions dwindle, he felt reluctant to continue.
'It really is worthy of being the work of a veteran Gourt Hunter. Sothing that looked so humble had such a rich and complex flavor.'
Law left three pieces of radish, ten bean sprouts, half the condint, half a bowl of rice, and so clear soup before putting down his chopsticks.
It was the first ti he had eaten sothing so delicious, and he wanted to finish everything. However, he thought of Machi, who ca with him, so he suppressed the impulse coming from his appetite and put down his chopsticks.
The portion he left was for Machi.
Linne was the last to start eating but finished faster than anyone else at the table. By the ti Law put down his chopsticks, she had already finished all the food in front of her.
After seeing Law put down his chopsticks, Linne's reaction was calm.
This al had taken her two years to prepare, involving over a hundred ingredients. To put it grandly, the only people in the world who could taste this al were the few at this table.
Yet, Law stopped eating halfway through. On the surface, this was a great disrespect to her.
If Linne were still in her younger, more impulsive days, she would have flipped the table without asking why Law stopped eating. She would beat him up first before talking.
However, she was old now and her state of mind is like a plant, so how could she get angry over such a thing?
Linne didn't know how much longer she had to live, maybe another ten or even twenty years.
Unlike Maha and Netero, she has no children or descendants. But there were still things she needed to pass on, though she hadn't yet found a suitable candidate.
In truth, at her age, she would rather sit in silence for ten years than go out into the world. Naturally, she had little contact with the vibrant younger generation.
The reason she had co today was partly to share this al with Netero and the others, and partly because Netero had persuaded her.
Netero had recomnded Law to her, a young man who might be suitable for the inheritance.
If the inheritance relationship was successfully established, then she would require Law to stay by her side for at least five years.
Of course, it wasn't easy to win Linne's approval.
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