She knew better than anyone what condition she had been in all these years.
Unlike Netero and Zigg, back then, she had eaten the least Nitro Rice. Zigg had eaten more than her, and Netero had eaten the most.
Zigg was Mahā's son. Because he cared about his father, he deliberately saved a small portion of Nitro Rice for Mahā, and that was why Mahā had lived for so long.
Linne could clearly sense the state of her body worsening day by day.
To put it bluntly, her remaining life now had to be counted by the second. Were it not for the intense longing and obsession she still held toward the Dark Continent, and were it not for the fact that she had spent all these years as a Gourmet Hunter, knowing how to use proper medicinal cuisine to regulate her body, she would have crossed over long ago.
Her only intense wish now was that, in the remaining years of her life, she could once again personally see, personally cook, and personally taste ingredients from the Dark Continent.
Even if it was only once!
"May I take a closer look?" Linne's hoarse voice sounded, carrying a faint tremor in its tone.
Roy nodded, picked up one of the earthy-yellow fish, and handed it to Izuk, who walked over. The latter gently placed the earthy-yellow fish in front of Linne.
Linne closed her eyes and stroked the body of the earthy-yellow fish, as though carefully sensing something with her heart.
A long while later, she finally opened her eyes and asked, "Have you processed this kind of fish before?"
As expected of a professional Gourmet Hunter.
Roy nodded and said, "This fish was originally black and white. I call it a Black-and-White Fish. However, both the black and white parts contained deadly poison. After I used a special method to remove the toxins, it became like this. Don't be fooled by how dull and ugly it looks. Its taste is actually extremely delicious."
"Oh?" Linne looked over again when she heard that. "You cooked it? And tasted it?"
"Yes."
Roy directly took another earthy-yellow fish out of the refrigerator. In front of Linne, he ignited a flame in his left hand and placed the earthy-yellow fish over it to roast.
Linne and Izuk watched Roy cook the fish just like that. The former's gaze was calm and undisturbed like an ancient well, while the latter's expression carried a faint hint of surprise.
Time passed like this.
Very soon, the earthy-yellow fish being roasted in Roy's hand instantly turned silver-gray. At the same time, the flame in Roy's hand dispersed at just the right moment.
Even a veteran Gourmet Hunter like Linne was stunned by this sudden change in color and style, let alone Izuk beside her, whose eyes looked as though they were about to pop out.
"This is…"
A roasted-fish aroma quickly spread out. The moment Linne smelled it, all the pores on her body seemed to relax and open.
She was now completely certain.
For this kind of change to occur, and for this kind of scent to appear, this fish was definitely an ingredient from the Dark Continent.
There was absolutely no mistake!
Linne's heart was stirred with excitement, while Izuk's mind beside her was practically freezing up.
This phenomenon could not be explained at all by the knowledge and methods Linne had taught him in the past.
Were Linne's methods and knowledge wrong?
No. They were completely correct.
Before this, Izuk had used what Linne taught him to process countless ingredients and cook countless delicacies.
But today, when he encountered this earthy-yellow fish, all of that knowledge had become completely useless.
While Izuk could hardly believe it, he also vaguely understood why Linne was showing such a reaction today.
These fish were absolutely extraordinary.
Linne was one of the world's top Gourmet Hunters, so naturally, her home had all kinds of tableware.
After Roy roasted the earthy-yellow fish until it became silver-gray and stopped moving, although Izuk's mind was still somewhat dazed, he still had sharp enough judgment to take out tableware and a plate, place the earthy-yellow fish on it, and carefully hand both Linne and Roy a pair of chopsticks.
"Please," Roy said, raising his hand slightly toward Linne.
The latter held her chopsticks and stared at the silver-gray fish on the plate as though she were on a pilgrimage. It looked so elegant and noble.
Linne took a deep breath of that refreshing fragrance, then used her trembling hand to pick up a small piece of fish meat and gently place it into her mouth.
Then Linne closed her eyes. She chewed lightly, then gently swallowed.
There was no exaggerated expression.
Linne's expression did not change, but tears faintly appeared in the corners of her eyes.
Finally, those tears gradually gathered, then turned into two thin streams of silver light that flowed down Linne's cheeks.
"I've finally tasted it again. The taste of darkness. As expected, it is still so extraordinarily delicious."
Linne spoke softly, and her chopsticks fell once again, picking up another piece of fish.
Seeing this old woman immersed in memories of days long past, Roy did not disturb her. He asked Izuk for a cup, poured a cup of Seven Treasures Glazed Wine, then had Izuk bring it to Linne.
"This is?!"
Looking at the incomparably beautiful seven-colored liquid in the cup, smelling that extremely rich wine fragrance, and feeling the aura inside his body faintly increase, Izuk's mind was shaken.
He had never seen such a mysterious ingredient before.
It was far too different from any ingredient he had ever seen.
With such effects, it could no longer simply be called an ingredient. It would not be an exaggeration to describe it as a treasure.
Seven-colored wine. A fish that changed form in an instant.
Izuk looked at Roy in shock.
Just what kind of background did this man have, to be able to take out things like these?
Linne took the cup that was handed to her. First, she sniffed the aroma of the wine, then took a small sip and praised it.
"So this is the second ingredient? The taste is truly quite good."
Then Linne smacked her lips lightly, as though she had discovered something. After that, she took another small sip.
"It changed to another flavor? What a miraculous wine. Seven colors, so there should be seven corresponding flavors, yes?"
"Yes. That is why I call it Seven Treasures Glazed Wine."
"Seven Treasures Glazed Wine? It is indeed a very fitting name."
After praising it, Linne no longer said anything more.
She took a sip of the precious wine, then picked up a bite of fish.
Time slowly flowed by like this. Roy and Izuk did not disturb this old woman's time of thoroughly enjoying the delicacies.
Finally, after the last piece of fish meat was eaten and the last sip of wine was drunk, Linne let out a long breath, as though savoring the aftertaste from just now.
A long while later, she opened her eyes again, looked at Roy, and said, "Thank you, young man. These two delicacies have successfully allowed this old woman to live a while longer."
Both Seven Treasures Glazed Wine and Black-Mouthed Fish were greatly beneficial to the body. For an aged body like Linne's, their effects were even greater.
"You are too kind," Roy said, bowing slightly.
"I am not being too kind. This old woman still understands the condition of her own body," Linne said softly. "So I owe you a favor."
Linne's favor.
The favor of one of the world's top Gourmet Hunters!
(End of Chapter)
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