The [Dawn Whisper Four-Fruit Tart] was based on the classic French apple tart.
However, the fact that Momo Akanegakubo managed to find a suitable recipe in such a short time was a testament to her wisdom and inspiration when it came to desserts.
After tasting all the variations of the four-fruit tart with Akanegakubo, Rindou Kobayashi licked her fangs with lingering satisfaction.
"Peach, your recipe is solid, but it still needs a little tweaking!"
"But my promise stands—I'll have someone deliver some of the ingredients to you soon. From now on, though, you're one of us. Got it?"
"Hmph~"
Having personally experienced the allure of the dream ingredients, Momo Akanegakubo had no objections.
"As long as you keep supplying me with these dream ingredients, Peach will listen to you and work. But—Peach wants more! That Dragon Milk Cheese, and other fruits too!"
"No problem!" Rindou agreed without hesitation.
She pulled out a small notebook from her pocket and jotted something down.
"Right now, aside from the ingredients you requested, I can also give you thirty liters of fresh Herbivore Dragon milk, five pounds of Teyvat sugar, and five pounds of Fontaine coffee beans!"
"But in exchange, you'll need to provide ten new completed recipes by the end of the month. And they have to be polished enough. Deal?"
Rindou had directly upped Bai Mo's original request of six recipes to ten—showing just how "considerate" she could be.
"Eh? Just recipes? You don't need Peach to help you deal with anyone?"
"Nope!" Rindou grinned arrogantly. "In fact, I'd love it if they came looking for trouble. That would make things way more fun!"
"Those guys are in for a rough time, huh? Peach will pray for them… for three whole seconds!"
After bidding farewell to Akanegakubo, Rindou noted down the ingredients she needed in her little notebook and moved on to her next target.
Even now, Rindou couldn't shake the feeling that Bai Mo was playing some grand game.
After tasting the intense flavors of the dream ingredients, she was certain she could never go back to ordinary ones.
Compared to the thrill of cooking with dream ingredients, regular ingredients felt dull—both in taste and challenge.
Once someone experienced dream ingredients, their brain would obsessively recall the flavors, almost like an addiction.
It wasn't that other food became tasteless, but the craving always lingered.
If not for the multiple certifications from Totsuki and various authoritative institutions, Rindou might have suspected these ingredients contained illegal substances.
But the reality was the opposite—these ingredients were not only free of harmful additives but also packed with beneficial elements.
Long-term consumption could strengthen the body and even slow aging.
Who could resist such delicacies?
Neither chefs like them nor the wealthy customers who could afford these dishes would easily give them up!
After leaving Akanegakubo's research lab, Rindou calculated her next move and headed to Bai Mo's ingredient warehouse.
She lugged a large bag of supplies to the third seat—Fumio Daimido, the "Ramen Master" revered by ramen chefs across Japan as the "Young Boss."
Naturally, Daimido's skills were formidable.
This time, Rindou had prepared a different set of ingredients for him:
Herbivore Dragon bones for broth.Ludroth meat for richer flavor.Herbivore Dragon eggs.Pukei-Pukei bird meat.Fiery Jueyun Chilies and Teyvat flour.
At first, Daimido intended to refuse.
But when he learned that all he had to do was submit ten related recipes within a month, he didn't hesitate further.
He wasn't the type to hoard knowledge—he had freely shared ramen techniques with countless chefs across Japan.
Handing over recipes was nothing to him.
After accepting the ingredients, Daimido couldn't help but smile at the unfamiliar bounty before him.
"Though I'm not sure what Mr. Bai Mo's intentions are, if it's within my ability, I'm happy to help."
Rindou grinned widely at his words.
"Good, remember what you said!"
"But honestly, that guy doesn't have any grand schemes right now. If you really want to repay him, just develop more delicious dishes with these ingredients!"
"After all, he's a bit of a glutton~"
"I understand," Daimido replied earnestly. "Next time he visits, I'll serve him my best dish."
"Make sure to save a portion for me too!" Rindou added. "I did all the legwork, after all!"
"Of course."
After jotting down Daimido's name, Rindou moved on to Soe Nakiri (expert in sushi and seafood) and Nene Kinokuni (master of soba noodles).
As for the remaining Elite Ten members—Terunori Kuga and Etsuya Eizan—she didn't bother visiting.
One was a spice-obsessed specialist who could be easily satisfied with some Jueyun Chilies.
The other had shifted focus to business, which Rindou found utterly uninteresting.
Isshiki Satoshi belonged to Polar Star Dormitory, and Erina Nakiri was the heiress of the Nakiri family—neither required her attention.
That left just one person.
"Sei, don't make the wrong choice. I've saved something special for you."
Instead of seeking out Soma Yukihira, Rindou called him and arranged to meet at Bai Mo's culinary building.
When Soma arrived, she led him straight to a refrigerated chamber.
At the center lay a massive, headless creature.
Soma gulped.
"R-Rindou… what the hell is this?!"
"A Geovishap," Rindou answered, equally awed. "A powerful creature that slumbers deep underground."
Soma's innate ability to "communicate" with ingredients immediately kicked in.
"I can sense it… its fear and dread. Why was it afraid? Was it hurt during capture?"
"But I also feel the immense power within its body—an ancient, heavy presence. This ingredient… is incredible!"
Of course it was afraid.
When Rindou first saw the Geovishap, she had been stunned by the three fist-shaped dents on its skull.
The marks perfectly matched Bai Mo's knuckles.
This mighty beast had been beaten to death—with bare fists.
Though part of her refused to believe it, Rindou had quietly taken an axe and decapitated the Geovishap to avoid raising suspicions.
As for the head… maybe she could try making garlic-infused brain stew?
She wondered how it would taste.
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T/N:
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