Yuseong had once seen the statistics on meat consumption worldwide before the Great Cataclysm.
Of course, beef, chicken, and pork took up the largest share of the pie.
Surprisingly, even the consumption of meats like turkey was not insignificant.
Looking closer, duck, lamb, and goat—various types of meat were eaten.
But among them, reptiles were almost nonexistent.
Crocodile, for instance—it’s not as if it tastes bad, so why?
He wondered about this and came to think that there must be several complex reasons.
Their fearsome appearance could be one, and perhaps they’re not easy to farm.
But the biggest reason was likely that crocodiles are carnivorous animals.
Carnivores can’t be raised on feed or hay, so their production costs are high and their commercial value drops.
“I’ve always wanted to try crocodile meat at least once.”
But what’s surprising is that crocodile meat consumption isn’t as small as one might think.
In the United States, the most advanced and powerful nation in the world, as many as ten thousand crocodiles are slaughtered for meat every year.
Even setting aside demand for skins, that’s not a negligible amount.
So why has crocodile farming continued?
Yuseong came up with a hypothesis.
“It must be because it has an exceptional taste.”
Despite being difficult to raise and not that profitable, crocodile meat hasn’t disappeared.
Perhaps it’s because of the unique appeal that only crocodile meat can offer.
And then, the meat of Jauros, which could be called the king of crocodiles, must surely be something extraordinary.
Yuseong poked at the meat on the skewer on his plate.
A satisfying bounce.
It definitely felt similar to chicken, but the texture was more dense.
Even though it has blue blood, the meat itself doesn’t have a blue tint.
The red color of meat isn’t from hemoglobin, but from myoglobin.
Still, the meat of Jauros was a pale pink, much like chicken.
“Kuh! So juicy…!”
“So this is the taste of crocodile meat. Damn! If I had known, during the Day of Cataclysm, I would’ve gathered crocodile meat instead of anything else.”
Next to him, Jang Dojin and Lee Woo Do were equally moved.
Yuseong decided to stop analyzing and just eat for now.
He felt as if drool would start running from his mouth at any moment.
He put a piece of the tail meat, cut to a perfect bite-size, into his mouth.
Puuuk.
There was no way a sound could actually be heard, but it felt as if he heard one.
Maybe it was thanks to the collagen in the tail meat, but the moment he bit into it, a rich burst of meaty flavor filled his mouth.
Amazingly, the savory aroma and umami were similar to beef.
Since it was from the most-used part of the body, the texture was resilient.
Just like how the most delicious part of chicken is the leg, the part that does the most work.
It was clear that the most delicious part of Jauros was its tail.
Chewing konjac, Chief Choi shed a tear.
“Ugh! I should’ve just put on meat!”
Because, as a hipster, he had unwittingly skewered only strange ingredients.
Ignoring his lament, Yuseong closed his eyes and savored the taste.
Seol Kyung, Seol Kyung was on the meat.
And the sweet, slightly salty, and stimulating tare sauce.
“……This is killer.”
It felt like it combined the tenderness of a chicken leg with the aroma of beef all at once.
Lee Woo Do, who was eating a Songi mushroom next to him, was impressed.
“The mushroom is delicious too. Did you brush it with sesame oil? It’s so savory.”
“Here, the konjac is great as well. Would you like to try some, Chairman?”
“No, I’m good.”
Lee Woo Do firmly refused Chief Choi’s offer.
“Next time, try grilling green onions. That’s what goes best with skewers.”
“As expected, you know your stuff, Yuseong.”
Yuseong skipped the other vegetables and put on a green onion first.
The white part near the root of green onions is especially soft and sweet.
Of course, the spicy part is the green section, but the real charm comes out when it’s grilled.
“It’s not burnt, is it, oppa?”
Shin Jia, holding the same green onion skewer as Yuseong.
She said it worriedly.
Because the green onion had turned black, as if it might have burned.
“Try it. It’s delicious.”
When Yuseong said this with complete confidence, Shin Jia hesitated, but still put the green onion into her mouth.
And her eyes opened wide.
Yuseong grinned as he put the green onion into his own mouth as well.
Earlier, even when he bit into the meat, the juices had burst out.
But when you bite into a well-grilled green onion, the flood of sweet juice can’t even be compared.
The combination of crocodile fat and the sweet tare sauce on the green onion was outstanding.
If you chewed it gently and looked at the texture, it was almost like well-boiled cabbage.
But the refreshing aroma was far superior to cabbage.
“It’s delicious!”
Shin Jia exclaimed in awe.
Grilled green onion has a soft, sweet flavor.
A satisfied smile spread across Lee Woo Do’s face, who had prepared the ingredient.
“By the way, Yuseong.”
“Yes?”
“It really makes you crave it.”
“It definitely does.”
Grilled skewers are meant as drinking food.
It’s a taste that makes you crave a cold glass of beer.
Now, that’s something hard to come by even if you try.
“Good thing I prepared for this, haha.”
And this was Lee Woo Do’s house.
Naturally, there was beer as well.
He chilled the glasses with ice, poured the beer in, and watched the bubbles rise.
Seeing the foamy carbonation, he already felt refreshed.
“You wouldn’t believe how much it cost to keep this beer’s carbonation intact.”
“Thank you very much.”
As Lee Woo Do laughed, Yuseong smiled as well.
Such luxury items from the past could now only be procured through Lee Woo Do.
“Well then, someone should make a toast!”
“A… a toast?”
At Lee Woo Do’s declaration, everyone started glancing around.
No one, including Yuseong, was familiar with making a proper toast.
But perhaps thanks to his long experience in society—
Chief Choi stepped up to the mound.
“I’ll deliver a splendid toast.”
“Oh, as expected of Chief Choi. Go ahead.”
“I’ll make it perfect in Chairman Lee Woo Do’s honor. Everyone, when I say Lee! Woo! Do! we’ll toast. ‘Lee! You came at last! Woo! The white knight of us all! Do! Never stopping in your challenge. We love you’—that’s what it means.”
Chief Choi didn’t notice Lee Woo Do’s expression stiffening.
“When I raise my glass, please all shout Lee Woo Do! with me…”
“What the he…!”
As Lee Woo Do was about to curse, Chief Choi quickly shut his mouth.
He seemed quick on the uptake, but sometimes he really overdid it—that was Chief Choi’s style.
“Fine, I’ll just do it myself.”
Lee Woo Do cleared his throat, then spoke more gently.
“To the safety of our young ones, Yuseong and Dojin.”
He glanced at Yuseong with grandfatherly affection.
He also sent a warm look to Shin Jia.
“And to Jia’s successful admission to Se Yeon University and the Blooming of her Gift.”
Suddenly mentioned, Shin Jia smiled shyly.
“Cheers.”
He raised his glass, and the four beer mugs clinked with a clear ring.
Ching—
Yuseong took a swig of beer.
The chill sliding down his mouth, followed by the fizzing carbonation.
After the tingling sensation going down his throat, he found himself wanting another sweet and salty skewer.
Beer as a side dish should always be as cold as possible.
The mildness of domestic beer, in a situation like this, felt as clear as crystal.
After draining his beer in one go, Chief Choi turned to Shin Jia with a question.
“By the way, Jia, may I ask what kind of Gift you Bloomed?”
She had recently Awakened her Gift.
They say Blooming a Gift doesn’t happen at will, but she’d eaten Yuseong’s magic-infused cooking more than once.
Maybe it was only natural.
“Um.”
Shin Jia glanced at Yuseong, as if uncertain.
Details of one’s Gift were usually considered taboo to reveal.
She wondered if it would be all right to say.
Yuseong nodded slightly.
Everyone here was trustworthy.
“It’s called ‘Pomona.'”
“Po… mona?”
Chief Choi tilted his head at the unfamiliar name.
But Lee Woo Do recognized it.
“Pomona, the Garden Fairy and Fruit Goddess. A fitting Gift.”
But despite his knowledge, the specific effect of the Gift was still unclear.
“Hmm… It’s easier to show than tell.”
Shin Jia looked around.
Though this house had an enormous greenhouse, there weren’t many trees bearing fruit.
But there was one tall tree with apricots hanging from it.
Thanks to the cold beer, Yuseong felt good.
So, instead of boosting his own ability for pleasure, he made it so Shin Jia could comfortably demonstrate hers.
“Go ahead, do it however you like.”
The moment he said that, from her back—no, precisely just in front of her back—wings sprouted with a poof.
She had activated Icarus’s Blessing after a long while.
“Wow, it’s been ages since I flew!”
Shin Jia grinned and looked excited.
Though she’d only tried it a few times, being able to fly was always a thrilling experience.
“Just wait a moment.”
She clumsily flapped her wings and lifted off the ground.
Shin Jia flew towards the apricot tree.
“That’s the apricot tree, right? I brought it from Jeju Island. The moment I transplanted it, it bore fruit, but then I couldn’t eat it anymore.”
Lee Woo Do laughed bitterly.
This place was filled with wild plants and trees that bore fruit.
But the moment they were transplanted, they were struck by some heavenly curse and couldn’t be eaten.
To that unlucky apricot tree, Shin Jia approached.
“My Gift lets me handle fruit-bearing plants.”
Shin Jia had once, while tending a plant, accidentally cut off a branch bearing fruit.
The regret made her pound the ground in dismay, but from that loss she gained Pomona.
The moment her hand touched the apricot tree, suddenly, shoots began to grow rapidly.
They seemed almost alive, twining and curling around Shin Jia, as if protecting her.
Lee Woo Do was impressed.
“Ooh! That’s a marvelous Gift!”
As the leader of Blue Expedition, his knowledge of Gifts was not lacking.
Shin Jia’s Gift was extremely useful.
Though it would be hard to use on the 10th to 12th sea layers, where plants are rare, many other layers were covered in the strange vegetation of the Abyss.
Especially, the more coveted the layer, the richer the plant resources.
In the jungle layers, she could truly roam as a Garden Fairy, just as her Gift’s name suggested.
Chief Choi observed Shin Jia’s Gift with keen eyes.
“This… maybe we should hurry and scout her.”
It was no mere compliment.
As an Operator, Shin Jia’s ability was highly promising.
With a prestigious university background and this level of ability, even Cheonghwa would covet her.
“Let her be. Let her go to school for now.”
Yuseong, drinking his beer, spoke up.
With the ability Yuseong had given her, Shin Jia now soared among the trees, enjoying herself.
She was a good-hearted girl.
She deserved to enjoy a normal life, something Yuseong had never had.
To attend university comfortably, to live happily—he thought she deserved that much.
“Sure, but once you graduate, you should come work for our company.”
Lee Woo Do added with a smile.
“That would be nice.”
Yuseong took another sip of beer and began grilling more skewers.
Then, as if nothing was out of the ordinary, he asked Lee Woo Do,
“So, what do you think? This should be enough to convince them, right?”
“Of course! More than enough.”
Lee Woo Do nodded.
“Even those old men of the Council won’t be able to resist this meat.”
The Council.
A secretive group made up of the top figures in our nation’s business world.
It’s an assembly of conglomerate heads who can even shift the direction of national industry.
Yuseong, boldly, was aiming to join that Council.
“I really want to attend this year’s International Auction.”
The domestic market may be dead, but the overseas food ingredient market is still alive.
Especially the special International Auction, which is held only once every few years—not just anyone can attend.
To participate, you need an invitation, and currently, the only realistic way is to become a member of the Council.
“I didn’t expect to meet the conditions so quickly.”
There are three conditions to join the Council.
A certain level of deposit—which he got some help with from Lee Woo Do.
Being an ‘entrepreneur’—he’d met this by becoming the representative of Lunch Box.
Lastly, recommendations from at least five existing Council members.
Only that last condition remained.
“There’s no point trying to persuade the members one by one. This time, it’d be better to convince them all at once.”
This time, the banquet at the conference would be handled by Chairman Lee Woo Do.
It was Lee Woo Do’s turn to host the members for a meal, and Yuseong planned to cook for them himself.
“The Council is weak against talents related to cooking and cuisine. If you can blow those old men’s minds with food, you can definitely join.”
Yuseong planned to impress them with his cooking, and promise to donate monster ingredients bit by bit in the future.
If he did that, the consensus would surely shift in favor of accepting him as a member.
“But, you have to be sure about the cooking. Their tastes are not ordinary.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll stake the name of Lunch Box and do it right.”
“Ha ha, that’s reassuring.”
At Yuseong’s confidence, Lee Woo Do burst out laughing.
“Alright then, what kind of dish are you planning? If possible, a Western dish would be good, I think. Hmm…”
For a group of seasoned business tycoons, it would have to be high-class cuisine.
“We could go bold with an American barbecue. Or maybe a Spanish ‘Rabo de Toro’—or perhaps the French ‘Pot-au-feu.'”
“Ha ha, I already decided.”
Yuseong declared confidently.
“Oh? What is it?”
The moment he asked the question.
A chill ran down Lee Woo Do’s spine, though he didn’t know why.
And his uneasy premonition was, as always, right on target.
Yuseong’s next words were what he dreaded.
“Tail Soup. Crocodile Tail Soup, made with crocodile tail.”
Lee Woo Do’s face turned pale.
“S-seriously, serving soup at the Council…?”