Infinite Cosmic Cafeteria Chapter 89: Flame-Hearted Earth Dragon Stuffed Orange

Translator: Stellar Novels Editor: Stellar Novels

Pa! Ma Lu clapped his hands.

“Now, you can open your eyes and look forward.”

The hardware store owner, however, didn’t open his eyes right away. He sniffed the air twice and said, “Earth Dragon meat?”

“Hey, has anyone ever told you that having such a keen nose can make you miss out on a lot of life’s surprises?”

Yan Wu ignored Ma Lu and slowly opened his eyes.

On the plate before him were three oranges.

Seeing this, Yan Wu grew interested. He picked up his chopsticks, lifted the top orange peel, and gently pulled it away, revealing the meatball inside.

“Speaking of Earth Dragons, I remember that the ones from a desert plane have the most delicious meat, but they also have a strong earthy flavor. Most chefs drown the meat in heavy spices to mask it, but that ruins the natural taste of the Earth Dragon.”

“Have you traveled to a lot of places before?” Ma Lu asked curiously.

“Yeah, back when I was young, full of energy, and bored out of my mind, I had my own planar airship and wandered through the multiverse,” Yan Wu reminisced, a nostalgic look flashing in his eyes. “I once swore to explore the entire multiverse, taste every delicacy, see every beautiful sight, and 【beep】 every beautiful woman with a fluffy tail. But then I reached Earth and stopped.” (Translator's Note: The author put the beep thing lol)

“Why? Did you fall in love with someone here? Who was it? What’s her name? Is she still around?” Ma Lu’s gossip instincts flared up.

“No, my airship broke down,” the werewolf said. “And this place is so damn remote, completely disconnected from the Grand Alliance network, and repair calls wouldn’t go through. I’ve been stuck here for over a thousand years.

“To survive, I had to teach myself repairs, even though I knew nothing about mechanics. But back then, the material sciences here hadn’t developed yet. They couldn’t even produce quality steel, and I spent a long time tinkering in vain.”

“That’s rough.”

“Still, this experience accidentally sparked my love for hardware. Looking back, it’s surprising—I mean, hardware of all things... In my youth, I never imagined I’d end up on this path. Life’s twists are truly unpredictable.”

Yan Wu sighed. “Later, I met others and found a way to reconnect with the outside world. But by then, I was completely hooked on hardware. After staying in this plane for so long, middle age crept up on me, and I lost the wild spirit of my youth.

“I realized that the wandering life wasn’t for me anymore, so I settled down here to continue my hardware studies. In short, my story illustrates one point.” The hardware store owner spoke solemnly.

“That people should stay true to what they love?”

“No, it’s that you shouldn’t visit places without a signal. If I hadn’t wandered blindly in my youth and gotten stuck here, I might still be enjoying delicious food, beautiful sights, and beep-ing with fluffy-tailed beauties in front of aluminum-framed floor-to-ceiling windows.”

“Uh, my condolences.”

“I’m just saying, it’s not like I’m complaining about my current life.” The werewolf said as he picked up a meatball and popped it into his mouth, chewing thoughtfully.

In the next moment, his movements paused, and his eyes widened. “This is—!”

“Do you feel it?” Ma Lu said. “This isn’t your ordinary Earth Dragon meatball.”

"Indeed, the pounded tens of thousands of times Earth Dragon Meat, is just the outer layer. Besides the minced meat, there are also large chunks of meat inside, which make it exceptionally satisfying to eat."

Yan Wu closed his eyes again, speaking quickly. “And there’s no wine or other strong spices to mask the Earth Dragon’s gaminess. No, aside from a bit of salt, no seasonings were used at all. Bold choice.

“But strangely, the gaminess is completely gone, replaced by a faint, refreshing aftertaste. The secret must be in these oranges used to serve the meatballs, right?”

"Yes, Old Wang hollowed out the oranges, leaving only the peel, to use the citrus aroma to dispel the gaminess."

“I see. I remember that during the Song Dynasty, the imperial chefs also used similar cooking techniques. I understand everything up to this point, but why does this meatball carry a hint of flame? Did you put something else under the Earth Dragon meat coating?” Yan Wu looked puzzled.

“The second stomach of the Lava Giant Lizard—that’s where it stores lava. Ma Lu brought it back earlier, and it hadn’t been used yet; it was kept in the fridge,” Old Wang explained.

“It’s this crucial ingredient that fulfills all the cooking requirements of the Flame-Hearted Earth Dragon Stuffed Orange.”

“Flame-Hearted Earth Dragon Stuffed Orange, huh?” Yan Wu savored the flavor lingering on his tongue before swallowing it all in one gulp. He grinned, “Delicious!”

His chopsticks never stopped; as he spoke, he picked up another meatball from the second orange and popped it into his mouth.

A gleam of joy flashed in Ma Lu’s eyes.

Yan Wu’s reaction was just as Ma Lu had anticipated. He and Old Wang originally planned to pick a ★★★☆ recipe and then rely on Old Wang’s level-up bonus, which gave a 25% chance of a star upgrade, to create a ★★★★ dish.

However, when Ma Lu returned this time, he unexpectedly found that the ingredients for the already ★★★★ rated Flame-Hearted Earth Dragon Stuffed Orange were all available.

So Ma Lu decisively chose this dish to fulfill Yan Wu’s task.

Moreover, Old Wang got lucky, triggering the star upgrade on just the second attempt.

This meant that the actual taste rating of the dish in front of Yan Wu was as high as ★★★★☆.

It was the pinnacle of the Universe’s Best Snack Stall so far—the absolute peak!

“This is amazing!” Yan Wu finished all the meatballs from the three oranges and finally set down his chopsticks, still relishing the taste, showering the dish with praise.

“It’s been so long since I’ve tasted something this delicious!”

“As long as you’re satisfied,” Ma Lu said. “It seems we’ve passed your test. Can we have those three higher-dimensional artifacts now?”

But the hardware store owner shook his head, “No.”

“Huh? You just said it was delicious; are you planning to go back on your word?” Ma Lu frowned.

“No,” the werewolf smirked slyly, “The dish you made was indeed delicious, and I enjoyed it thoroughly. But do you remember the terms of our agreement?”

“To make a dish that would satisfy you?”

“No, what I said was to create a dish that would move me.”

“You’re just playing word games with us, aren’t you?”

Ma Lu’s expression turned a bit hostile.

“That’s just not fair, Yan Wu. You never intended to give us those three higher-dimensional artifacts, did you? You could’ve just said so instead of stringing us along.”

Yan Wu looked genuinely innocent. “That’s not the case. You can ask anyone—be it that pigeon or the nearby residents—they’ll tell you that Yan Wu always does business with integrity and never cheats.”

“Then what will it take to move you?”

“I don’t know.”

“Huh?”

“I’m just a hardware store owner. You’re the cosmic chefs. Figuring out how to create a dish that moves a diner is your job, isn’t it?” Yan Wu shrugged.

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