The car kept going until it dropped Jason off in front of the clinic on Sausage Street.
Hannibal had come out as soon as the car neared.
Standing on the steps in front of the door, he couldn't help but smile at the sight of Jason getting out of the car.
"Jason, welcome back."
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
After saying this and turning his head to thank the driver, the two walked shoulder to shoulder back into the dining room of the house.
The scent in the dining room was rich.
The pouch he had obtained earlier had already been opened, its meat sliced thin by Hannibal and arranged on a plate. A copper pot with burning charcoal sat at the center of the table, surrounded by sesame paste, chopped green onions, cilantro, garlic chives, and chili peppers sprayed with oil, especially the latter. The scalding fat and chilies collided to unleash a distinct fragrance that made Jason's eyes light up.
"According to the description you gave me before, I've tried to recreate it."
"It's already quite good."
He had only casually mentioned some culinary practices from his hometown during a chat with Hannibal and hadn't expected Hannibal to reproduce them so quickly, and specifically for 'food' at that.
The piece of meat, with its mix of fat and lean, was truly the best for hotpot.
Jason sat down at the table and took a deep breath.
The aroma of 'food' hit him full in the face.
But Jason didn't start eating right away as he used to.
His reason was still intact.
He methodically picked up the green onions, cilantro, and chili oil, adding them in proportion to the sesame paste, all the while asking, "Where are Giselle and Griffin?"
"I invited Miss Giselle, but she seems to dislike me quite a bit."
"She has gone back to the police station with Griffin and Edward," Hannibal said with a smile.
It seemed the rejection hadn't affected his good mood.
Or rather, he was quite satisfied with such an outcome.
An outsider intruding into his home would make him very uncomfortable.
Jason was not an outsider.
He was a fellow kindred spirit.
Hannibal couldn't wish for more than to have him around every day.
The police station, eh?
If Edward was prepared, then that was secure enough.
Jason thought as he opened the suitcase.
The scent that emerged grew even stronger.
Jason took out a tendon and a thumb-sized white crystal.
He passed the tendon to Hannibal for processing.
The crystal, however, he held in his hand.
This crystal was what old Tedi called 'the eye,' unknown from what 'food' it came, but it was fragrant. The question was... how do you cook a crystal?
Jason pondered, quite straightforwardly placing it in an empty bowl and ladling hot soup over it, rolling it several times before picking it up with chopsticks and putting it in his mouth.
He had never expected to find the secret technique corresponding to this crystal.
If the Prus Family hadn't found it over so many years, how could he expect to find it so soon?
Instead of letting it sit idly by and go to waste,
It was far better to eat it directly, letting it become satiety and enhancing his strength.
With a crisp sound, Jason cracked open a fissure in the crystal.
Immediately, juices from inside sprayed out.
The savory juice, with a rich flavor reminiscent of beef broth, made Jason narrow his eyes with pleasure.
[You have consumed 'Zikxu's Eye'!]
[Physical strength, energy (injuries) recover to the greatest extent!]
The increase in satiety was expected, but the increase in attributes was a surprise.
Could 'food' from the instance actually increase attributes?
Why had I never noticed this before?
It's not that I hadn't noticed before.
"But perseverance is victory!"
Jason's eyes were resolute as he continued to practice.
All the bones in his body broke.
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