The chefs participating in the Big Eater Festival were actually divided into seven groups for the competition.
Oh, adding the Hunter group now made it eight. The Grimalkynes of the Glavenus Tribe formed one group, while the Grimalkynes from the outsider tribes formed their own respective teams.
Each group had members specifically responsible for butchering the monster corpses and selecting the best cuts of meat, others responsible for cooking, and some responsible for racking their brains to come up with creative culinary recipes... The cats were certainly full of creativity.
Each group presented their food in turn, and Asterion would score these dishes in batches. The chef team with the highest final score would become the champion of this Big Eater Festival and win the prize.
The ones suffering the most were the temporarily joined Hunter group. Entering halfway through, they had to scavenge for suitable cooking parts on dragon corpses that had already been largely butchered. They also had to do their own cooking—Caly refused to change out of his commemorative carapace no matter what, so the Grimalkynes refused to provide them with any other assistance.
Through Dot's translation, the Hunters learned that this carapace belonged to that strange wyvern on the mountain—it was an old acquaintance of theirs.
They were surprised, naturally, but the Commander and his team had no intention of going up to say hello beforehand. Instead, they acted as if they were truly guests attending the festival, gearing up to win the championship before meeting Asterion.
Jokes aside, winning the championship was no laughing matter.
For the Hunters, this might just be an amusing incident in their lives, a memorable experience whether they succeeded or not. But for those outsider Grimalkyne tribes, this was a major event concerning their survival and future development.
As long as they could win the championship, they could petition the Glavenus Boss to take them under his protection.
"Hurry up, meow! Put some more effort into it, meow! I've already asked the patriarch of the Glavenus Tribe, meow. As long as we're generous with the seasoning, we can win the Glavenus Boss's favor, meow!!"
"Choose more fatty meat, meow! Roasted meat must be done with fatty cuts, meow! Eating fatty meat is happiness, meow!!"
"Do your best! As long as we win the championship, we can live a good life like the Glavenus Tribe, meow!!"
The patriarchs of every tribe were shouting roughly the same things. It was simple and unadorned, with no profound philosophy, yet it was very appealing to the Grimalkynes.
Following the shouts of their patriarchs, the busy Grimalkynes of each tribe responded ceaselessly.
"Oh!! We want to live a good life too, meow!!"
It was a scene full of vigor and vitality.
"It really is lively," the Commander remarked. Although he couldn't understand the language of the Lynians, he could feel that vigor filled with hope for life. He withdrew his gaze and said:
"Since others are working so hard, we can't fall behind!"
"Oh!!"
Including The Huntsman, several Hunters and Dot raised their hands in response.
"Then we'll add heavy ingredients too!" Caly said excitedly. "It's just that our seasoning might not be enough, and this competition requires serving many portions of food. It feels a bit difficult."
"You're right, Caly," the Commander nodded. "I've thought about this problem too. Since our reserve of seasonings can't compare to these Lynians, we might as well make something with a lighter flavor."
"Huh? Light flavor, meow?" Dot hesitated. "We'll lose miserably, won't we, meow?"
"That's right. Didn't that Grimalkyne say earlier that during the first Big Eater Festival last year, the Glavenus Tribe had four groups of chefs? Three groups cooked according to Grimalkyne tastes, and only one group seasoned heavily according to a monster's dietary needs. That group eventually won the championship and successfully gained the Glavenus's protection for their tribe," Vitter objected.
"Hmm, you all make very good points," the Commander said with a solemn face, arms crossed. "But Vitter, you said it yourself—that was last year. Now, turn around and look behind you. What kind of food are those Grimalkynes making?"
"Roast meat? Stewed meat? Stir-fried meat?" Caly listed them out.
"I mean their cooking style," the Commander continued.
"Are they all using heavy seasoning, meow? To the point where you can't even see the meat, meow?" Dot seemed to grasp something.
"I understand," The Huntsman suddenly said. "You want to use reverse logic, right?"
"Oh, as expected of my old friend, you understand me," the Commander laughed heartily. "I love eating meat, but if you make me eat meat constantly, and only one flavor of meat at that, I'll get tired of it and want to eat some greens—so I guess the Glavenus Boss is probably like me, right? Occasionally, he might want a change of taste."
This was a case of putting oneself in another's shoes—specifically, the shoes of a Rajang, a subspecies of the Fanged Beast class.
"That makes sense, meow!" Dot clapped his paws in surprise. "The Big Eater Festival... Hmm, this festival name is really weird, meow. Anyway, the Big Eater Festival has already been going on for two days. This implies that the Glavenus has been eating this super-invincible heavy-flavored food for two days, meow. If we are the only ones to present him with a uniquely flavored food, meow, he will definitely be impressed, meow!!"
"We can only make this kind of food anyway," The Huntsman remarked. "After all, unlike these local Lynians, we don't have that much seasoning to squander."
"Hahaha, exactly so," the Commander laughed a few times. "Since none of you have any objections, let's take action! Dot! Give the orders!"
"Understood, meow!" Dot said with a serious cat face. "Betting on my reputation as Granny Cat's disciple, meow! We must seize victory, meow!!"
"Oh!!!"
After a standard Monster Hunter-style cheer, the professional chef began issuing orders.
"We can use the Grimalkynes' kitchenware, meow; they are very generous. But for the meat, meow... Commander, go find two chunks of meat with a fat-to-lean ratio of about three to one, meow!"
"Leave it to me!"
"Caly, meow, you are in charge of grinding these seasonings into powder, meow. The seasonings of the New World are very different from ours, meow. I have to cook some dishes first to test their flavors, meow. Time is a bit tight, meow..."
"Right, I'll start immediately."
"Huntsman and Vitter, meow, there aren't the kitchen tools I need here, meow. We have to figure out a way to make substitutes, meow."
"No problem, but what kind of meal are you preparing?" The Huntsman asked curiously.
"I'll make two styles, meow!" Dot said confidently. "One using the seasonings we brought from the Old World, meow, and the other using local New World seasonings, meow! Anyway, let's try it first, meow!"
The Hunters were in action!
Asterion—was waiting for food.
Compared to the chef battle last year, which had quite a Food Wars! style to it, this year's Big Eater Festival suited his appetite better.
For no other reason than he got to eat for three days; the taste was good, and the quantity was large. Asterion really ate to his heart's content.
The power that could be unleashed after so many Grimalkynes gathered together far exceeded that of the Glavenus Tribe alone. Asterion already knew what those outsider Grimalkynes were planning—could there be such a good thing?
More cats working for him was naturally better; it would also lower the workload for the Glavenus Tribe's Grimalkynes.
Regardless of who the final winner was, Asterion prepared to announce that these Grimalkynes would be allowed to merge into the Glavenus Tribe and receive his protection... or let them discuss how to solve this problem themselves. As the master of the Grimalkynes, Asterion only needed to express his intent to offer sanctuary.
Time flew by. Dot kept testing the local seasonings of the New World, familiarizing himself with their characteristics. As the huge coal mountain in the center of the venue ceased to emit towering flames and the temperature gradually dropped, turning into an ashen white state, the Big Eater Festival gradually came to an end.
"Bring up your final creations quickly, meow! Be careful not to trip, meow!!"
The Old Shaman stood on high, shouting continuously. Under his command, the eight groups of chefs placed their most satisfactory creations in front of Asterion for him to taste one by one.
Unlike last year, Asterion didn't critique each one individually this time; he would only give a score after finishing eating.
The things the Grimalkynes served up were quite easy to distinguish. They were either roasted meat with seasoning so thick you couldn't see the meat, or just paste—the ultimate destination of heavy seasoning is paste.
In this stark contrast, the things the Hunters served up were simply a breath of fresh air. The meat actually looked like meat, and the stew was actually white.
The Hunters' maverick behavior had long been noticed by the Grimalkynes. Earlier, while cooking, some kind-hearted Grimalkynes had even run over to teach them the Glavenus Tribe's experience from last year, but unfortunately, the Hunters had their own understanding.
Even now, the Grimalkynes who had all come to the small hill to watch the excitement were pointing at the Hunters, thinking they were bound to lose.
Asterion didn't care about the cats' discussions, and the Hunters' thoughts weren't hard to guess.
"Roar!!"
"The Glavenus Boss says, meow, he is very disappointed, meow!" The Old Shaman once again conveyed Asterion's will. "Your flavors are all the same, just a simple accumulation of seasonings, meow! Absolutely no uniqueness, meow! So, there is no champion for this Big Eater Festival, meow!!"
"What?! Why is it like this, meow!!"
"Impossible, meow! This was clearly last year's secret to victory, meow!!"
"Uniqueness, meow?! We actually needed uniqueness, meow?!!"
"Why didn't meow think of this level, meow! If I had known earlier—aaaaah, meow!!"
"..."
When the Old Shaman's voice fell, the Grimalkynes immediately began to wail. They didn't complain about the Hunters finding a different path or anything; after all, the Glavenus Boss had already said there was no champion this time, so it didn't matter if the Hunters did something different.
"And you guys too, meow!" Ignoring the Grimalkynes' wails, the Old Shaman leaned on his cane and looked at the Hunter group on the other side. "The Glavenus Boss said, meow! The taste of the food you made was indeed novel, but it was too bland, meow! Only slightly better than eating raw meat, meow!!"
"Ahaha, that's a bit awkward. The trick failed, hahaha." Although he said it was awkward, the Commander showed no sign of embarrassment at all. Instead, he scratched his head and laughed heartily.
"How is it a trick? At most, it counts as a failed attempt at being clever, right?" The Huntsman remarked. "It seems he only likes heavy-flavored food, even with seasonings from the Old World."
"Roar!!"
Paying no mind to the Hunters' discussion, Asterion roared once again.
"The Glavenus Boss also said, meow! Although there is no champion for this Big Eater Festival, you have all worked hard for so long, meow. The Grimalkynes who want to stay here can stay forever, meow."
He didn't hand out blade scales as rewards again—those were the supreme prizes Asterion had prepared for the Grimalkynes—but he still gave the Grimalkynes what they wanted most. With his protection, whether they became the champion of the Big Eater Festival or not became irrelevant.
For Asterion, who had eaten happily for three days, the Big Eater Festival was over. But for the Grimalkynes, the festival worth celebrating had just begun.
Just like the Glavenus Tribe last year, the outsider Grimalkyne tribes cheered immediately upon learning that Asterion was willing to protect them. They, too, could now live the safe life of having full bellies just like the Glavenus Tribe.
Being simple-hearted Lynians, the Grimalkynes of the Glavenus Tribe were not afraid that their status with the Glavenus Boss would be shaken by the addition of so many of their kind. Instead, they warmly welcomed their arrival.
"It really is lively," the Commander couldn't help but sigh with emotion as he watched the Grimalkynes dancing and celebrating around the coal mountain. "I didn't expect the Lynians of the New World to develop such a unique mode of coexistence with a monster."
"The scholars back home would definitely be stunned if they heard about this, meow?" Infected by the celebratory atmosphere, Dot's muscular face softened quite a bit.
"I still think this is all because of the Glavenus Boss—he is too smart," Caly shook his head and said. "Other monsters can't compare to him at all. Only the Glavenus Boss could do something like this; other monsters would only want to kill the Lynians when they see them."
"You're right, Caly." Patting Caly on the shoulder, the Commander spoke seriously, "Precisely because of this, we must carefully consider our relationship with the Glavenus Boss."
Having said that, the Commander walked from the edge of the small hill toward Asterion, who was lying in the center. However, he didn't get far before he was stopped by the Grimalkynes of the Glavenus Guard.
"Don't be nervous, don't be nervous. I have no intention of harming the Glavenus Boss. Uh, nor do I have the ability to harm him," the Commander raised his hands to signal, then looked up and shouted: "Glavenus Boss! I know you can understand us! Can we talk?!"
"...Roar." (You may.)
Asterion opened his eyes and let out a roar. The Old Shaman then waved away the Glavenus Boss's Guard and translated his words.
"Thank you." The Commander interpreted Asterion's response as friendly. He breathed a sigh of relief and asked, "Are you really a Glavenus? I mean—uh, how should I put this? I thought that name was what we Hunters called you."
"Roar!"
"The Glavenus Boss says he heard it from you guys, meow," the Old Shaman said, stroking his whiskers.
"From us?" The Commander was stunned for a moment.
He carefully recalled every decision made after the Research Commission landed in the New World. Mining and investigating in the Wildspire Waste... Hmm, in the very beginning, didn't some Hunters report that they always encountered a strange Glavenus?
It wouldn't attack even if they pushed mine carts right past its face; it would either ignore them or watch them curiously—which meant, the Glavenus Boss gained self-awareness through the Hunters' speech and learned that a dragon like him was called a Glavenus?
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