Chapter 14: When Regret is the Secret Spice*

The **Flavor Tribunal of Culinary Valhalla** reeked of cinnamon and existential dread. Leon kicked open the courtroom doors, hauling a cauldron of **Regret Curry** that bubbled with violet smoke. Behind him, Ignisia—forced into a lawyer's wig—growled, "This is the dumbest quest yet."

**System Alert**:

*"Ding! Mandatory Family Drama Quest:

1. Prove your mom's innocence via cooking battle.

2. Hit 50M live-stream views, or your birth certificate becomes a **[Stir-Fry Recipe]**.

Reward: [Royal Family Immunity]. Penalty: Dad's love letters get autotuned into death metal."*

The tribunal's twelve **Flavor Elders** loomed, their culinary relics glowing:

- **Sweet Faction**: Wielding caramel warhammers.

- **Salty Faction**: Clutching soy sauce chalices.

- **Spicy Faction**: Literally bathing in magma.

At the plaintiff's stand, **Chef Prince**—Leon's alleged father—sobbed into a diamond-encrusted apron: "She stole my heart and stuffed it with ghost peppers! I demand **Eternal Tastebud Damnation**!"

Leon slammed the curry pot onto the defense stand. "Old man, taste this first."

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**Round 1: Emotional Devastation**

- **Chef Prince** served **Diamond-Tear Mousse**—each bite forced eaters to relive their worst regrets.

- **Leon's Regret Curry**, seasoned with pepper from his mom's diary, made the audience wail:

"Why did I friendzone Becky in high school?!"

"I should've invested in Bitcoin!!!"

**Live Chat Explosion**:

**[ReaperFan42]**: "This curry stabs deeper than my scythe! Sending 999 hell-coins!"

**[StockBrokerDude]**: "Recipe NOW. I'll make Elon Musk cry during shareholder meetings!"

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**Plot Twist**:

The curry smoke morphed into a hologram of Leon's mom, rolling her eyes at the Chef Prince:

"We broke up because you put **SUGAR IN TOFU PUDDING**! That's a crime!"

The courtroom erupted. The Sweet Elder's caramel hammer melted into goo.

**System Interruption**:

*"Ding! Detected S-tier family drama. Activating [Soap Opera Buff]: All combatants gain +300% attack power, -80% IQ."*

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**Chaos Unleashed**:

- **Chef Prince** summoned a **Sugar Tsunami**, countered by Leon's **Salted Fish Shield**.

- Ignisia's dragon breath ignited the Spicy Elder's magma pool, triggering a **Hell Hotpot Eruption**.

- The head judge secretly ate Leon's curry, sobbing so hard his wig flew off: "This flavor… smells like my middle-school crush's shampoo!"

Suddenly, Mom's hologram tossed Leon a **Breakup Spatula**: "Catch! This is your dad's 'love letter'—written in ketchup on a napkin!"

The spatula glowed, cracking the tribunal floor open to reveal the **Forbidden Recipe Library**—a vault of outlawed culinary heresies.

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**VIP Bombshell**:

A skeletal figure emerged from the shadows, clutching **Armageddon Mapo Tofu Recipe**. "Finally… the heir of **Rebellious Flavors** arrives."