Chapter 494: New Ingredients (5)

Upon hearing the comment, all eyes turned to Erina.

Blushing in embarrassment, Erina snapped angrily, "Hisako, what nonsense are you talking about?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, Erina-sama." Hisako, clearly realizing her question might have been inappropriate, hesitated before explaining, "It's just that I noticed you didn't seem well this morning. You were rubbing your stomach and sneezing from time to time, so I thought..."

"I just caught a cold!" Erina quickly interrupted, her face flushed with embarrassment.

The memory of the previous evening made her a little angry. Sui had dragged her into the bathroom for a long bath, and by the time they finished, the water had gone cold. While he was completely fine the next day, she had unfortunately caught a cold because of it. Just thinking about it made her irritated.

"Oh, is that all?" Hisako sighed in relief, though still looking slightly flustered. "I was worried you might have, uh, accidentally gotten pregnant."

"Pregnant?!" Erina exclaimed, startled. She reflexively placed her hand on her stomach and muttered quietly, "That... couldn't be, right?"

Suddenly, Hisako leaned in closer and whispered, "Erina-sama, do you and Sui use any... protective measures?"

Erina looked at her blankly. "Protective measures? What are you talking about?"

Hisako's eyes widened in shock. "Wait, Erina-sama... don't tell me you don't know?"

"Know what?" Erina asked, genuinely confused.

Hisako was left speechless, her mind racing with disbelief. Overhearing their conversation, Alice suddenly felt guilty and quietly hid behind her mother, not wanting to be dragged into the awkward situation.

"But the cabbages are growing wonderfully this time!" Leonora commented, trying to change the subject. She looked at her daughter curiously before turning to smile at the others. "We'll have these for lunch today. I'll show you a bit of my cooking."

"Really? We get to taste Lady Leonora's cooking?" Megumi, Ryoko, and the others who had come to help with the harvest perked up, excited at the opportunity to try the head of the Totsuki International Department's cooking.

"Yeah, Auntie's cooking is pretty amazing," Sui said with a smile.

Megumi turned to him, surprised. "Sui, you've eaten her cooking before?"

Sui chuckled. "Yep, pretty often." Every time he visited Alice's house, Leonora was always enthusiastic about preparing dishes for him, practically treating him like family.

At that moment, Sui heard the system's notification in his mind.

"The host has completed the first achievement mission and received a vegetable fantasy ingredient gift pack. Would you like to open it?"

Sui excused himself and headed into the kitchen. "Open it," he said.

"The host opened the gift pack and received two top-level ingredients: Tongdellion and Potato Pork Cutlet."

"Wow, two new ingredients!" Sui exclaimed happily as the items materialized before him.

The Tongdellion was about 20 centimeters tall, with vibrant emerald-green leaves topped by a small meat flower. Despite being called a dandelion, it looked more like a daisy. 

The Potato Pork Cutlet, on the other hand, resembled ordinary potatoes, only larger and darker in color, with several pieces clustered together beneath the root.

Curious, Sui checked the descriptions for both ingredients.

Tongdellion 

Grade: Top-level 

Description: The petals of the dandelion taste and have the texture of beef tongue—completely free of any unpleasant smell, uniquely fragrant, tender, and incredibly delicious. 

Origin: Toriko.

Potato Pork Cutlet 

Grade: Top-level 

Description: Naturally grown pork cutlet attached like potatoes. Although similar in texture to regular pork chops, they boast a superior taste. Crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, it feels like a perfectly fried pork chop. 

Origin: Toriko.

——

"These ingredients will be easy to grow. Looks like I'll have two more fantasy ingredients to cultivate," Sui thought to himself, feeling quite pleased.

He began to prepare the Tongdellion by cutting off its flowers, discarding the inedible leaves, and setting aside the petals for use.

Just then, Leonora entered the kitchen, holding an almond cabbage that was the size of two or three heads. Its enormous size obstructed her view, and her boots, covered in mud, slipped on the smooth porcelain floor. With a soft yelp, she lost her balance.

Sui quickly rushed over, catching her just in time as the cabbage fell to the ground.

"Auntie, are you okay?" he asked, noticing her pleasant fragrance as he held her.

Leonora blushed slightly, a little embarrassed. "I'm fine," she muttered, straightening herself.

At that moment, Alice entered the kitchen. "Mom, what's going on? What are you two doing?" she asked, looking confused.

Sui quickly explained, "Auntie slipped and almost fell."

"Yes, thanks to Sui, I didn't fall." Leonora nodded, still looking slightly flustered.

Alice eyed the two of them suspiciously but said nothing.

"Alright, time to get lunch ready! Can't believe I almost forgot," Leonora said, brushing her cheek in a girlish manner.

Sui and Leonora exchanged a glance, both feeling a bit awkward. Then, without another word, they got to work preparing lunch together.

After a short while, Sui had prepared several dishes using the Tongdellion and Potato Pork Cutlet. Not only was he eager for everyone to try them, but he was also curious to test the properties of these two unique ingredients.