Chapter 391
The conveyor belt of circular plates kept moving, surrounded by identical plates and players, with a starry sky overhead and a metallic, nail-like "moon" hanging in the air.
Yu Xunge had no idea which number moon it was, but she had already made up her mind to bring back some local specialties when the competition was nearing its end.
The players were on high alert, not rushing to make a move—after all, the dishes hadn’t even been prepared yet, so there was no point in acting hastily.
But when one player produced the first completed dish, the trouble began.
A mechanical hand suddenly reached out from the starry sky and snatched the dish right off that player’s cooking station.
All the chefs: !!!
Players nearby could see clearly that the player on the plate had tried to protect their dish, but their attacks on the mechanical hand had no effect whatsoever.
The mechanical hand’s movement, from its appearance to the act of grabbing the dish, wasn’t particularly fast; it was slow and deliberate, as if it were giving the players ample time to save their dishes.
But it felt more like it was delivering the dish.
The players on the plate had varying strengths, from level 12 to level 9, but despite their magical and physical attacks, they couldn’t even break through the hand’s defenses.
However, it wasn’t all bad news.
After the mechanical hand took the dish, a dazzling silver gem fell from the sky into the plate from which the dish had been snatched.
Experienced players understood the basic rules of the game; even in uncontrollable game modes, there would be some attempt at balance.
Now, this direct method of snatching dishes from the plates was completely controllable, meaning that the mechanical hand was definitely not something the robbed players couldn’t deal with.
Every team was closely monitoring the next appearance of the mechanical hand, and the chefs stopped making main dishes, instead opting to whip up small side dishes to test the hand’s reaction.
Soon, more and more mechanical hands appeared, grabbing dish after dish.
Some hands couldn’t be countered at all, while others could be attacked after grabbing a dish, causing them to release it.
When the second situation occurred, a very clear player silhouette appeared in the air—it was a player who had been turned into a “food ingredient”!
As more situations unfolded, players began to analyze the differences and tricks involved.
Attacking the mechanical hand was futile; only the main ingredient that had been turned into a dish could attack the hand.
Moreover, the players who had been turned into “food ingredients” were all putting in extra effort, clearly benefiting from something that others didn’t know about. Perhaps the “ingredients” had their own gameplay and escape routes.
But not all players were like the Octopus Barrel, turning players into ingredients; at least two-thirds of the players were selecting ingredients from the market.
The remaining one-third were seasoned veterans of the divine games.
Upon realizing that some players had been turned into “food ingredients” by cosmic tourist creatures, they immediately began to mimic this behavior, only finding the technique after several failed attempts.
However, these two styles of play had their pros and cons; the main ingredients were not players’ plates, and regardless of whether the dishes were snatched away, the starry sky wouldn’t drop gems.
Only when the main ingredients were dishes made from market-bought food would the gems fall from the sky when the mechanical hand took them.
This might be compensation or balance, but all players knew that the gems would definitely influence the outcome of the competition.
**Chapter 509: Divine Game: Nonsense Restaurant 24**
This conveyor belt, reminiscent of a rotating sushi bar, also had a switching track function similar to high-speed trains, and it was quite random, leading to the fact that even the neighboring plates weren’t fixed.
When the track switched frequently, players could change neighbors three times in ten minutes.
Fortunately, the Octopus Barrel and the Mai Mang Crab were able to hold their ground, and since it was still the first phase of the competition, everyone was more or less conserving their energy, mostly just chatting.
Yu Xunge focused on cooking, ignoring the chaos around her. The last hour would definitely be a critical point for battle, and she planned to tackle the three most difficult dishes first.
Although the finished products couldn’t be stored in her backpack and had to be placed on the cooking station, she didn’t have to worry about them spoiling, as the Octopus Barrel had an extremely advanced preservation technique.
After completing each dish, she would intentionally leave a small portion, dividing it into four parts—one for herself to taste, and the others for Mai Mang Crab, the Octopus Barrel, and even the little seahorse.
The portions were small, just enough for everyone to regain some stamina and enjoy a taste, adding a buff. She blended in, not drawing attention to herself.
Once the dishes were plated, the mechanical hand naturally appeared first, but it was repelled by the Tingzhou Mirror Goose.
When the Tingzhou Mirror Goose attacked the mechanical hand, its silhouette appeared, and it could even speak.
This was outrageous! Chatting in the battlefield channel was no match for face-to-face insults!
Seizing the moment, it unleashed a torrent of curses, targeting Mai Mang Crab and Yu Xunge, even focusing its ire on their parents.
Yu Xunge couldn’t tell if Mai Mang Crab was angry; she, on the other hand, found it quite enjoyable.
Mai Mang Crab wanted to retort, but it had the little seahorse to contend with.
Yu Xunge noticed that the little seahorse understood quite a bit of the universal language, even the Wind Whale language of the Tingzhou Mirror Goose.
With its sharp tongue, it outputted maximum damage, attacking without defense, and when the Tingzhou Mirror Goose cursed Mai Mang Crab, it even applauded.
—“Your master, Mai Mang Crab, is nothing but dog poop!”
—“Tingzhou Mirror Goose, I appreciate your honesty.”
Mai Mang Crab began to hurl vegetable ingredients at the little seahorse.
After two dishes, the little seahorse had already drawn all the firepower from the Tingzhou Mirror Goose.
Moreover, the little seahorse could continue to cause chaos while trading insults with the Tingzhou Mirror Goose.
It hadn’t stopped for over an hour…
Both its words and actions.
Yu Xunge was indeed stimulated.
She didn’t know how this potential had been triggered, but she felt her hands, holding the knife and spatula, trembling.
For some reason, the little seahorse suddenly went wild, thinking of a new way to cause trouble. It began loudly sharing gossip it had heard in the Kart Racing game with every passing player.
—“Hey, did you know? Ze Lan Feng Tang, yes, that Ze Lan Feng Tang, she stole the daughter-in-law of Zai Jiu Xun Ge!”
Yu Xunge blurted out, “It’s the sister-in-law!!”
The little seahorse flew into the air, pointing at Yu Xunge and screaming, “Oh, it’s the sister-in-law! She stole your sister-in-law!”
It spun in the air, shouting, “Zai Jiu Xun Ge’s sister-in-law even killed her whole family to elope with Ze Lan Feng Tang!”
Mai Mang Crab corrected it, albeit a beat late: “It wasn’t stealing; it was deception. Can you be a bit more rigorous when gossiping?”
Yu Xunge: “…”
Players on the opposite conveyor plate chimed in: “Hey? Didn’t they say they walked into the halls of marriage?”
The little seahorse jumped in, “Yeah, I was there at the scene!”
Yu Xunge’s hands were shaking, unsure if it was from fear or anger, and she glanced around, hoping not to see anyone she knew.
Mai Mang Crab corrected again: “It’s not them; it’s Zai Jiu Xun Ge and her sister-in-law’s sister!”
The little seahorse shouted at the top of its lungs, “What? How many times has Zai Jiu Xun Ge been married?!”
A player from the neighboring plate couldn’t hold back: “Huh? Isn’t the Xiang Xiao very devoted and loyal?”
Another player from the opposite conveyor belt, having moved fifty meters away, responded: “Yeah, how many Xiang Xiao are there in this gossip? It’s too chaotic!”
The little seahorse’s tiny face was filled with sorrow: “Sigh, love is such a thing; who can say for sure?”
Yu Xunge silently endured it all, unwilling to refute that she was actually human.
The already tattered reputation of the Xiang Xiao was once again damaged…
Yu Xunge complained to Mai Mang Crab, “I can’t see how you’re afraid of Ze Lan Feng Tang at all.”
Mai Mang Crab felt wronged: “I’m just trying to correct things!”
At this moment, the soup was simmering, the dishes were reducing, and the desserts were baking. With nothing else to do, Yu Xunge kept catching the vegetables and fruits that the little seahorse knocked over, her eyes glued to the battlefield chat channel.
She shared the latest news she saw: “Look at the chat channel; Feng Tang is telling us to wash our necks clean and wait.”
The little seahorse immediately cast a water magic spell to wash its neck, and it still remembered its mission to cause trouble, flying over Yu Xunge’s pot to wash itself.
Yu Xunge suspected that the little seahorse had a few screws loose.
B8017913: “I have new feelings.”
Yu Xunge: “Huh?”
B8017913: “I’m jealous of its talent.”
Yu Xunge: “...If you feel that way too, I’ll die for you.”
…
Four hours into the competition.
Yu Xunge had already prepared 12 dishes, neatly arranged on the left side of the cooking station, with the Octopus Barrel guarding nearby.
Among these 12 dishes, 5 were ★ delicacies, 4 were ★☆ level, and 3 were ★★ level.
Yu Xunge knew this was her limit; the Chef God domain had indeed awakened her potential and talent. She had identified the problems and even generated countless inspirations.
But the ingredient levels were too high.
With level 85 ingredients, her control wasn’t enough to unleash their power, nor could she manage them well.
In fact, if she had used slightly weaker ingredients, her control would have been stronger, and the scores might have been even higher.
Moreover, a new problem had arisen.
Once each dish was completed and evaded the mechanical hand’s collection, the part of the Tingzhou Mirror Goose used to make that dish would disappear from its body.
Table of Contents
