Plant Tamer Chapter 103: Public Cooking

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: GaeaTiamat

 

Xie Sen saw the comments, and subconsciously looked at the time. It was only 3 pm. In order to eat a piece of boiled fish, if they started waiting now for tomorrow morning at 10 am, they would stay out overnight.

What kind of foodie spirit was this?

He once again felt that the Brandt Star people were too poor. In terms of food, they were simply too miserable. He grasped Maine’s shoulder. “You guys haven’t eaten anything good since you were kids, have you?”

Maine, “I’m used to it.”

Xie Sen thought about how they drank the nutrient solution without changing their faces and thought, They are really used to it, I wouldn’t be so calm when I drank something that bad!

The two of them made preparations for the next day, then went to see the contract beasts together. The flying eagle beast was still unable to fly, but it walked quickly, and it often lay in the accommodation area and chatted with the fae.

The beasts were recovering well, perhaps because of the many companions around. Their manic moments had been greatly reduced, but they still remained very wary of people.

Except for Xie Sen, they were only comfortable around Gu Luo, Bai Jiao, and Father Bai, who had examined them many times in the company of Xie Sen, along Maine and Long Teng, who were often present. However, they still got agitated when they met strangers.

When Xie Sen and Long Teng entered, Father Bai and Bai Jiao were there. After they greeted them, Father Bai glanced outside and said, “Let’s go out and talk.”

Xie Sen immediately understood what he meant. What he wanted to say wasn’t for the fae to hear. This also meant that no contract beast could hear. With the speed at which contract beasts chatted to spread the news, when one knew, soon all would know.

The four of them went to the house, and sat down on the sofa. Father Bai said, “I used to believe that contract beasts were of low intelligence until after I came to you to treat the fae. Then I realized that I had greatly underestimated their intelligence.”

Xie Sen smiled, “After all, the Brandt Star people, at their earliest, were also in beast form.”

“You’re right,” Father Bai said, “In fact. I’ve studied human history, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the contract beasts you’re feeding could actually transform into human adults.”

Holy shit!

Xie Sen was shocked. He hadn’t really considered that. It was like how he knew that modern humans evolved from apes and monkeys, but when he saw the smart apes, he didn’t think they would suddenly become human. He asked, “Is it really possible?”

Father Bai said carefully, “It’s very likely, but it has a lot to do with the physiological and psychological environment. They recognize the beast form and are used to it, so if they know themselves as contract beasts, they won’t.”

Xie Sen thought to himself, Does this mean that it is possible to become a human if you have the idea of becoming a human?

Father Bai didn’t elaborate on the subject, but turned to business. “It’s because I know that their intelligence is very high, that I deliberately excluded them from my next words.”

Xie Sen collected the rest of his thoughts, and was a bit worried, “Is it about the treatment?”

Father Bai nodded. “Yes, the lab’s contract beasts are recovering well. I discussed it with several experts. President Mu also participated in the meeting. We agreed that this is the best time to treat them. If it’s any later, the fusion of the organs that were forced into them will be too deep and surgery will be difficult. They are in just the right place to benefit from surgery,” he said, then sighed. “But the surgery will be very traumatic. It will take many people and a long time. In addition, to make sure the surgery goes smoothly, they must be under general anesthesia.”

Xie Sen understood. “You’re afraid that their mood will become agitated when they hear about the general anesthesia.”

“Yes,” said Father Bai. “This is a predictable reaction, so we can only avoid talking about it around them. It’s just that after the surgery is over, they’ll definitely realize what happened. That’s also when the pain from the wounds is the strongest, so they’ll probably go crazy.” Father Bai looked serious. “If they can’t be controlled, they will be in worse shape than when they were just brought back.”

Xie Sen asked, “Is there anything I can do?”

Father Bai, “Of course. I’m telling you, because I need your help. Your affinity for them is the best calming agent and has no side effects. I want you to stay with them until the surgery is over and the anesthesia wears off. What will happen after that can’t be determined, but we’ll arrange for someone to keep you safe.”

Xie Sen didn’t hesitate. “I promise. This kind of surgery, it’s only one by one, right?”

Father Bai, “Yes. In two days, we are going to start by operating on the giant bear beast. The anesthesia effect will probably end in the afternoon.”

Xie Sen looked at the calendar. “The 28th. You tell me the address, and I will go there that afternoon.”

“Okay.” Father Bai smiled. “Then I’ll go make the arrangements.”

Bai Jiao looked at a message. “Father, I’ll be back later.”

Father Bai nodded. “Good. You young people need to chat and play more together. Don’t always study medicinal herbs.”

Bai Jiao answered. After Father Bai left, Bai Jiao said, “A’Teng said he is going to come over.”

The next moment, the huge head of the flying dragon beast rested on the door, “A’Sen, we came to see you!”

Xie Sen greeted it with a smile, and Long Teng laughed as he stepped from the dragon’s back to the dragon’s head and leapt into the living room. The flying dragon beast turned its head and flew to the accommodation area as it went to play with its buddies.

Long Teng ran up to Xie Sen, his eyes shining brightly, and sat down. He started to pat Xie Sen’s shoulder, but Maine stopped him before he could do so. Long Teng was stunned, and quickly reacted, “Haha! I almost forgot that Sen is pregnant. I’ll just pat gently, not hard.”

Maine withdrew his hand, and Long Teng put his arm around Xie Sen’s shoulders. “A’Sen, I saw the live announcement that you’re making boiled fish at the mall tomorrow, right?”

Xie Sen nodded, and Long Teng looked greedy. “Let me get in line, okay? Okay?”

Xie Sen laughed. “You can only eat one piece even if you jump the queue. If you want to eat, let’s have dinner together, I’ll make it here first as practice.”

“Really?” Long Teng leapt up. “That’s great! I’d love to eat it!”

Bai Jiao was curious. “Cooking boiled fish in a shopping mall?”

Without waiting for Xie Sen to say anything, Long Teng quickly went over Xie Sen’s announcement. “I saw a lot of viewers’ comments. They’re all saying they’re going to hit the floor and sleep! Hahahaha! How lucky! If I didn’t know Sen, I’d be hitting the floor too!”

Xie Sen, “… Are you serious about hitting the floor? Not joking?”

Long Teng said, “Of course not. If you don’t stay on the floor, you won’t be able to get to the front of the line and you won’t be able to eat!”

Xie Sen felt a little helpless. “I should have sent out an announcement in the morning, or limited the time of entry.”

Bai Jiao laughed, “It’s useless to limit the entrance time. People who want to go will definitely be waiting around the mall.”

Xie Sen spread his hands. “It seems that we can only send out the announcement later in the future.”

The four of them sat on the sofa and chatted. At dinner time, Xie Sen personally made boiled fish, and the four of them ate dinner together. After the meal, everyone looked like they were going to have a heat stroke. Their faces and lips were red as they sat on the sofa and drank cold boiled water.

Long Teng fanned his mouth. “Hiss…That’s good!”

Xie Sen gulped apple juice. The dinner was very nice, but there was no wine. When friends ate together, it was lively, and in addition to food, wine was essential. The atmosphere would be more animated.

It’s a pity that the energy demand was so high now. Although there was a lot of energy left, he didn’t dare to use it casually, otherwise he would really like to exchange the plants needed for wine and make some.

The next morning, Xie Sen finished his breakfast and went to see the contract beasts. He touched the paws of the beasts one by one to appease them, then sat down on the recliner to brush the news.

The news “Star City Mall is overflowing” was floating at the top. It was reporting the real-time situation at Star City Mall, with several photos that included aerial photos of heads with different hair colors. The report of the situation was followed by an explanation of the reason for the situation, a direct copy of his live announcement, and finally a reminder to the public to be safe.

Xie Sen went back to the home page, and found that someone had opened a post to report the situation in the queue area in real time. He chose to just look at the owner for a quick look. At just after 5 am, Maine’s reserved area was already full, and the queue area was off limits to people.

The last photo was posted half a minute ago. The queue area was full, and there were people grouped near the mall building on both sides. The windows that were normally rarely opened, were all open, and people were standing in every window.

This was too much! Xie Sen was shocked. He was cooking a dish, not holding a concert!

When he looked at the enormous crowd, he was inexplicably a little nervous. He rubbed Little Spot who was lying next to him, and the nervousness dissipated a little. Xie Sen stayed in the accommodation area until 9:30, then headed to the Star City Mall with Maine. The two took the VIP lane, landed in the VIP parking lot, and went from the ground floor directly to the booth prep area.

There were three tall males in the prep area, one of whom was filleting fish. Several fresh fish sat in a large bucket next to him, and there was a fillet on the table. The other two were carrying mobile kitchen equipment outside. When they saw Maine, they stopped in their tracks. “Mr. Maine.”

Maine inspected the equipment. “Move it out.”

The male filleting the fish greeted him, “The second one will be ready soon.”

Xie Sen said, “There is no hurry, two portions at a time are enough. It will affect the taste.”

The staff quickly set up the equipment. Xie Sen heard the excited shouting outside, and inexplicably wanted to laugh. He had the illusion that he was at a concert, but he was obviously just cooking a dish!

“Knock knock…” They heard the sound of two people tapping the mike, and soon the staff came in and said, “Mr. Xie, Mr. Maine, it’s ready.”

Maine looked at the wall monitor that showed the scene outside, as he carefully checked the security situation around the stage. He saw no problems, then held Xie Sen’s hands. “Don’t be afraid, we’ll go out together.”

Xie Sen took a deep breath and smiled. “I’m not afraid.” 

Maine let go of his hands, picked up the fish fillets and the two walked out together.

As soon as Xie Sen appeared in front of the audience, they immediately shouted in excitement. Xie Sen stumbled, then continued to walk with a calm expression. Maine followed him closely. When he reached the middle of the stage, Xie Sen looked down. His eyes were full of people. The windows of the tall building, on both sides, were also packed with people. They were on a much higher platform, which increased the pressure Xie Sen was feeling.

Maine picked up the wireless microphone on the table, and bent down to put it on his ear. The two were extremely close at this point, and Maine blocked half of his body. He sighed in relief, and his heart abruptly relaxed.

“Okay, this button is the switch.” Maine took his wrist, and let his hand touch the on/off button on the headset.

Xie Sen mumbled, and Maine looked down. His eyes fell on his lips, but after a short pause, he kissed him lightly on the forehead. “I’m here. Don’t be afraid.” After he finished, he retreated to the side and left the field to Xie Sen.

Without Maine as a shield, the crowd once again appeared in full view of Xie Sen. He wasn’t nervous or scared, but he blushed a little when he thought about what he had just done. He touched the switch in his ear. “Hi, everyone. I’m Xie Sen.” He smiled. “I wasn’t expecting so many people today. I’m a little taken aback.”

He didn’t want to say too much, but for the sake of energy and to maximize the effect of the event he was doing today, it would be better to say something than not to say anything. He tried to be sincere. “When I watched the replay of the chili launch, I saw the pop-ups, and a lot of people wanted to try the chili. I was very surprised when I had it for the first time, so I wanted more people to try it. Of course, there were so many people in the audience, that very few people actually got to eat it. I had thought about raffling it off in advance, and then trying it indoors. But the charm of food is not only the taste, but also the smell. The venue was finally set here, so that the audience can smell the chili even if they haven’t eaten it. I hope to let more people have a new experience. I will continue to hold such events in the future when I have the opportunity.”

Xie Sen smiled as the audience roared their approval. He checked the utensils and ingredients, and started cooking. It didn’t take long for the aroma of chili peppers to waft from the stage. Almost all of the audience at the front were smelling this spicy scent for the first time. A few of them coughed from the strength, while most of them gulped.

They couldn’t help but think, This fragrance was really strange. How could a smell cause saliva to be uncontrollably secreted?

Xie Sen wasn’t hungry and didn’t want to eat, but when he smelled the spicy smell, his reaction was the same as the audience.

As the aroma intensified, the audience stretched their necks and leaned forward as if they could eat it. The video wall in front of the stage showed the scene in the pot. The white tender fish fillet half-hidden under the fiery red broth, looked extra delicious.

“Oh my, this smells too good!”

“It’s too tantalizing. I’m craving it!”

“Smelling this scent, my unpalatable jerky has become delicious.” A young man had his eyes straight ahead, and a palm-sized piece of jerky in his hand, that he gnawed and chewed.

“Young man, give me some. I’m too eager to eat.” An older man behind him patted his shoulder.

The spectators nearby were also busy saying, “Give me some too! How silly, I should have known to prepare some food. I wasn’t hungry, but smelling this has made me hungry.”

“It’s worth it. Even if you don’t get to the front row, it’s worth it to experience the smell!”

“Yes, I never smelled such a good smell! The anchor is really a good person!”

Xie Sen looked at the continuously increasing energy, and the corners of his mouth curved more and more. The food was really good.

The boiled fish was soon ready, and Maine came forward to help. He signaled the staff to allow the audience onto the stage. The first audience member, a young boy, took the fish fillet Maine handed him and ate it. His face became tinged with red, while his hand fanned his mouth and he breathed in. “That’s good!” He said expectantly. “Can I have another piece?”

Maine refused flatly, “No.”

The boy was disappointed. The staff reminded him to leave the stage from the other side, but he was reluctant to get off the stage. Before he got off the stage, he said to Xie Sen, “Anchor, now the live time is too short. Increase the live time, ah!”

The mall security was good. The audience lined up in order, and the whole sampling process was very smooth.

After the first pot was finished, the viewer at the front of the line almost had tears in his eyes. “Just one more. How can I be so unlucky!”

The people behind him felt the same way. “Ohhhhh, I want to eat it so bad!”

Xie Sen was standing to the side as he waited for the staff to clean up the table. He was very close to the first row of the audience, and heard their words. He couldn’t help but laugh. Wasn’t this a little too exaggerated? He smiled in that direction. “There’s still one more pot. Just wait a little bit, guys.”

“Really?!” The audience member at the front of the line jumped up on the spot, raised his arms and flapped them from side to side in excitement. “Aaaaaah! It’s great! God Xie, I love you! You’re too good!”

Maine reached out to hold Xie Sen’s waist, and gave him a cold stare.

The viewer’s body stiffened after he landed, then he raised his hands to shake them crazily in front of his body. “Don’t get me wrong, I have absolutely no ill intentions towards the anchor!”

Booming laughter came from all around. Xie Sen, slightly embarrassed, patted the back of Maine’s hand and whispered, “You’re too serious. They’re just expressing their emotions.”

Maine looked down at him. “Just trying to lock you up, so I’m the only one who sees it.”

Some juvenile images suddenly flashed in Xie Sen’s mind, and he poked his face. “Don’t think.” He tilted his head towards the stage. “Be less jealous. Many people are also shouting your name out there. You’re dressed so handsomely!”

Maine was wearing all black today, with the same color work boots. He was cool and handsome, and with that face of his, it would definitely cause people to have the impulse to scream.

“I didn’t hear that.” Maine scanned his outfit. “This just makes it easier to fight.”

Xie Sen, “…I’m here to cook the dishes.”

“I’m worried about someone making a scene,” Maine said.

At that moment, the staff said it was ready, so Maine let go of Xie Sen. Xie Sen walked to the middle of the stage, and the fish fillets were put on the table by the staff. Xie Sen checked the ingredients, and started preparing the boiled fish again.

Halfway through the second pot tasting, an aerial camera suddenly flew towards Xie Sen with great speed.

When no one reacted, the sunflower on Xie Sen’s left shoulder instantly became bigger, and an arm-sized seed hit it head-on. The movement of the seed traced a black line in the air, and in the blink of an eye, a huge crashing sound came.

Immediately afterwards there was another ‘bang,’ as the aerial camera exploded in a flash of golden sparks, then broke into pieces of debris that fell out of mid-air.

Xie Sen’s heart jolted. The explosion wasn’t very big, but if it had hit him, he would’ve at least been seriously injured. However, even though it didn’t hit him, he was worried about the audience below. The debris was very hot, and if it fell on people it would certainly burn them.

He reacted in an instant. He summoned a great cabbage, ordered it to expand to its maximum size, and then opened it out flat. The huge cabbage unfolded its leaves like a flower in full bloom, and formed a spreading circle.

The residue fell onto the leaves, and scalded the originally innermost, but now uppermost, layer of leaves. Then it fell to the next layer, but with each scalded layer of leaves, the temperature of the debris dropped considerably, and by the third layer, it was caught by the leaves.

It all happened extremely fast. The audience only saw the runaway aerial camera, spotted the large sunflower, heard the impact and explosion, and then everything went dark in front of their eyes. A white heart shaped thing with a green edge blocked everything overhead. In the blink of an eye, the thing was gone, and everything was calm with no trace at all. Even the blown aerial camera was gone. It was like there had just been a collective eye blink.

By the time Xie Sen recalled the cabbage, he was already being held protectively by Maine.

Maine asked nervously, “Is everything okay?”

Xie Sen nodded his head, and rubbed the already small sunflower petals. “It’s okay. Aoi is fast.”

Aoi twisted its branch, very proud of itself.

Maine breathed a sigh of relief, and contacted the head of the mall. His voice was cold, “The attacker is in the building on the right. The fifth floor by the side window. Have someone go get him!” He ended the communication and pushed Xie Sen towards the back. “Go back first.”

Xie Sen scanned the murmuring audience, and looked at the buildings on both sides, “I think it should be okay. If there is an accomplice, just now would be the best opportunity to attack. Let’s finish these tastings and leave.”

Maine, “You stand against the wall. I’ll do it.”

Xie Sen, Against the wall, is that a penalty? He and Maine were very close to each other, and he could feel that Maine’s body was tense, already in alert mode, and ready to go into battle. When he saw Maine’s nervousness, he didn’t say anything and stood behind Maine away from the audience, then smiled at the audience. “Now continue.”

Maine visibly picked up the pace. He didn’t give the audience a chance to speak, and signaled for the staff to ask people to leave once they finished their fish.

Soon, the second pot was also finished. Xie Sen thanked everyone, declared the event over, took off his headset and left with Maine. The two of them went straight to the office of the director of the mall. 

In addition to the director of the mall, there were two security officers and a tall, fat man lying on the floor. The person in charge kicked the fat man, “The aerial camera is his.”

Maine walked forward and stepped on the fat man’s calf. The sound of bone cracking could be heard the moment he stepped on it. The next moment, the fat man craned his neck and howled. His voice was particularly harsh, and just listening to the sound, you knew he was in pain.

The director said, “I’ve questioned him. It’s the people who ran away from the contract beast dealer gang, the same ones who were raided by the military before.”

Maine stared coldly at the fat man, who was gasping for air as if he was going to collapse in the next second. He asked in a harsh voice, “Where are your accomplices?”

The fat man shook his head in shock. “No, no.”

The director said, “I’ve seen the surveillance. He came alone, and didn’t contact anyone in the middle. There should be no accomplice, but there is a definite need for a police investigation. I’ve informed the police.”

Maine looked at him expressionlessly. “Wasn’t this the booth with the strictest security?”

The director, “I’m sorry. This is our negligence. The mall has many scanners, so dangerous goods can’t be brought in. The explosives inside the aerial camera were homemade by him. He got the materials inside in stages, and avoided the scanning check.”

Xie Sen secretly thought, No wonder it wasn’t very powerful. Fortunately!

The director looked at Xie Sen. “Thank you. If you hadn’t done that, a lot of people would have been injured. There were too many people, and injuries would have caused chaos and unthinkable consequences.”

Xie Sen shook his head, “You’re welcome. It’s my audience after all.”

The director said, “In order to make up for our negligence, this time the venue will be considered as rented to you for free.”

After the conversation, the director had his bodyguard take them to the parking lot. On the shuttle, Xie Sen received a communication from Bai Jiao and Long Teng. He smiled, “We’re all fine. We’ll be back home soon.”

After he ended the communication, Xie Sen checked his energy level. Over 9,500. A total increase of over 1,000 today!

When he returned home, Bai Jiao and Long Teng were both at the door. As soon as Long Teng saw him, he asked curiously, “A’Sen, what was that flower?

Bai Jiao was staring at the screen when he heard Long Teng’s question. He looked at Xie Sen, and hesitantly said, “Was that a cabbage?”

Xie Sen went over to Bai Jiao’s screen, which was showing a video of the aerial camera going out of control and disappearing. He looked at the length. One minute, which was six times slower.

Bai Jiao said, “The original video isn’t clear in detail.”

Xie Sen couldn’t help but be surprised. “The video came out so quickly?”

Long Teng said, “Of course. There’s the video that A’Jiao watched and the one where Aoi got bigger. The Starnet is going crazy. They are all talking about what’s going on. It’s so cool!”