Chapter 34 Chapter 34: This is an Absolutely Perfect Dish!
Chapter 34: This is an Absolutely Perfect Dish!
If Kevin had any advantage in guiding others, it was probably that he never doubted his own beliefs at any moment, and this steadfast emotion could easily infect others.
If you don't even believe in your own ability to succeed, doesn't that mean you've abandoned the only possible reason for success?
"There are always things only he can do, and there are always things only you can do."
Kevin raised his head and looked toward the room where Svarog was staying: "For example, I really can't imagine how to be family with a mechanical lifeform."
This statement carried no ambiguity; it was just that Kevin had long forgotten what 'family' should feel like during the endless passage of time. Getting him to interact with normal humans in such a manner would already be problematic, let alone with a robot?
Clara clearly sensed Kevin's momentary confusion when talking about family and quickly said, "I... I can feel that Mr. Kevin must be a gentle person. Although we don't know each other very well yet, both Clara and Mr. Svarog can be Mr. Kevin's family..."
Such words would sound rather embarrassing coming from an adult, but Clara wouldn't think so because this was her most genuine thought. Family was an extremely important thing in her eyes.
"Let's forget it. The current me can no longer understand that meaning."
Kevin really didn't know how to respond coldly to such a sincere child and could only gently place his hand on Clara's head: "Besides, I won't be staying here for very long."
"Not staying for very long... what does that mean? Is Mr. Kevin returning to the Overworld?" Clara paused slightly; in her mind, the Overworld was already the farthest place.
"No, even farther than you can imagine."
After withdrawing his hand from Clara's smooth white hair, Kevin immediately ended any possibility of delving deeper into this topic: "Alright, go do what you need to do."
He couldn't possibly sit down and discuss with a little girl what the Imaginary Tree is, what the Sea of Quanta is, or what the boundless universe and starry sky are, could he?
"Okay... I understand, Mr. Kevin. I'll go complete my task now! I definitely won't let you think I'm a 'useless'..."
Gurgle—Gurgle gurgle—
"...person..."
Clearly, that sound just now definitely didn't come from Kevin. Since becoming a MANTIS, his body had basically shed the most fundamental human metabolism; even complete fasting wouldn't have much effect.
Meanwhile, Clara hung her head low, seemingly wanting to bury it in the ground like an ostrich... but how could her crimson face possibly be hidden?
Right, from rushing to the mine to climbing the cliff wall to secretly observe, then returning to the Furnace Core to repair Svarog's injuries, Clara hadn't eaten anything for at least half a day.
Children are at an age where they're growing; if they don't eat more, how can they grow tall?
"...Hungry?"
Although many ideas about teaching children flashed through his mind, after pondering for a long time, Kevin could only come up with this one sentence.
Hearing this, Clara nodded her head almost imperceptibly and said softly, "Mm... Food is a very scarce thing in the Underworld. Usually, Mr. Svarog prepares the food. I... I still don't know how to cook..."
In short, there simply isn't that much food for Clara to practice her cooking skills bit by bit. Besides, her head might not even reach the height of the stove top; how can you expect a little girl like her to learn?
"In that case, where's the kitchen? Let me prepare the food."
"Huh?! Mr. Kevin, is that okay?"
Hearing this, Clara immediately raised her head in surprise, temporarily forgetting her earlier shyness.
Mr. Kevin always looks so cold and aloof; he doesn't seem like someone who knows how to cook at all?
"Mm." Kevin nodded his head very briefly.
Although from becoming a MANTIS until now, Kevin probably hadn't tried making any normal food for at least tens of thousands of years, there's no doubt... he definitely knew how to cook back then, and his skills weren't bad either.
On the other hand, Mei's talent in this area was quite concerning. Back then, she would even occasionally forget to prepare food for herself because she was too engrossed in studying. At such times, it inevitably fell to him to step in.
And due to fusing with the genes of the same Honkai Beast, he had long since become like Hua, never forgetting any memory.
Kevin's confidence in his cooking skills persisted until he finally saw the ingredients laid out before him... and then Kevin fell silent.
Inside the tidy cupboard were several vine-like things that looked tough-skinned; a few blue fungi emitting a faint, eerie glow; several strips of meat that seemed to originally belong to some lizard-like creature; and... a crab with rocks growing on its shell?
"......."
Since arriving in this world, everything Kevin had encountered had never exceeded his original world's understanding, so he seemed to have completely forgotten that these were two entirely different worlds.
From the overall layout of the world to the most basic biological species, it's highly unlikely that anything completely identical to his original world would appear.
So... how is he supposed to cook this meal?
Fortunately, this doubt only lasted a moment before Kevin found a solution—he reached out and gently broke off a small piece of each ingredient, then put them in his mouth to taste carefully.
It's hard to describe exactly which Honkai Beast's gene granted this ability, but in short, Kevin could completely analyze the specific components of each food through tasting. Combined with some basic culinary knowledge, he believed making a normal meal shouldn't be a problem at all.
It's just unclear whether Dr. Mobius was intentional or accidental when she originally designed such a seemingly useless special ability?
After testing and understanding the characteristics of all the ingredients, Kevin began trying to cook and combine these ingredients in different ways based on his past skills. Roughly ten minutes later, the first dish quickly took shape.
Finally, looking at the finished product in his hands that resembled a big stew pot, Kevin fell silent for a moment before lightly dipping his finger to taste the first dish he had completed in this world.
"Mm..."
The presentation might not be great, but the flavor combination is absolutely perfect!
There is an accompanying image here; it can be viewed after updating the version.
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