860 Completely DefenselessEveryone in the restaurant was waiting to see the new dish, but the reactions of the customers sitting at that table came as quite a surprise.
What kind of putrid odor could make a fatso spring back two meters out of his chair and force a giant dragon to conjure up a wall of ice?
Even the customers on the neighboring tables were reflexively leaning away, trying to get further away from that table in case they were also afflicted by the abhorrent odor.
Mamy Restaurant’s new dishes always drew resoundingly positive reactions, but on this occasion, everyone looked as if they wanted to flee for their lives.
Is it that bad? Mag thought to himself as he looked at the slightly chaotic restaurant. He’d already gotten Amy and Yabemiya to try the dish this morning, but it appeared that he’d still underestimated the impact the aroma of the dish was going to have.
He was even beginning to regret not opening the curtains during breakfast. Otherwise, he could get Amy to eat the dish behind the floor-to-ceiling window, and there would’ve been no need for him to advertise the dish; Amy’s reaction alone would’ve had customers scrambling to order stinky tofu like moths to a flame.
“I’m willing to bet that no one can eat this stinky tofu! This smells way too horrible! It’s like…” Harrison stared at the stinky tofu on the table with a hint of fear in his eyes, and he was at a loss for an apt analogy. In the end, he announced, “There’s no way anyone can eat this! If anyone does, I’ll run a lap around the Aden Square in the nude!”
Thus, everyone was even more convinced that this dish was truly as abhorrent as Mag had warned it would be. After all, this was a testimonial from a direct witness, so it had a very high level of credibility.
Those who had decided against ordering stinky tofu all smiled as they commended themselves for their wise decision, while the customers on the far left were wondering whether they should refrain from ordering the dish or cancel the orders for stinky tofu they’d already made.
At this moment, a customer exclaimed, “Wait, why can’t we smell anything? Come to think of it, it seems like the aromas of the dishes on this table can’t be smelled as soon as we leave this area!”
All of the other customers also began looking around upon hearing this. Many of them had already sensed that the restaurant seemed to be different today somehow, but they couldn’t put a finger on just what was different about it. Now that the stinky tofu had been brought out, everyone discovered that its odor had been limited to just that table alone, while no one else in the restaurant was able to smell anything.
It was as if the aromas had been cut off by invisible walls that were undetectable even to powerful magic casters. This discovery filled everyone with a sense of amazement.
Of course, they were much more relieved than they were amazed. If the aromas had been isolated, then no one would have to worry about their appetite being ruined. Boss Mag really was a thoughtful restaurant owner who was always looking out for his customers.
“What if she doesn’t eat the dish? Does that mean Boss Mag’s new dish will be a flop?” a customer asked in a quiet voice.
Everyone’s attention was drawn back to the stinky tofu before Elizabeth again. The black stinky tofu had been embellished with a pinch of green coriander and placed on a decorated long dish in an orderly manner. The rich brown sauce that had been drizzled over the dish also served to make it appear even more alluring.
If it weren’t for the putrid aroma emanating from the dish, it would be quite enticing to everyone.
However, after smelling the aroma in person, Harrison was willing to make a bet with such high stakes, proclaiming he would streak around the Aden Square if someone were to eat the dish. As such, most of the customers had already decided that they wouldn’t be ordering this dish.
Boss Mag was a genius who had created one incredible dish after another. His unique cooking methods and brilliant ingredient combinations culminated in delicious, revolutionary dishes, but even geniuses could make mistakes, so this was quite understandable.
“I’m already beginning to look forward to the next new dish,” a customer said with a smile before scooping a spoonful of fried rice into his mouth.
Many customers were still looking at Elizabeth, wanting to see just how she was going to react.
Ever since Mamy Restaurant had been opened, no one had ever been dissatisfied with the taste of the dishes that had been served. However, having conjured up that wall of ice, it didn’t appear Elizabeth was going to eat the stinky tofu no matter what.
But it’s really good! It’s super delicious… Yabemiya thought to herself in an urgent manner. The stinky tofu was so good, yet it was being completely misunderstood.
She had found it to be unbearable as well prior to tasting it, but after sampling the dish, she’d fallen hopelessly in love with its flavor. However, these customers were going to turn their backs on this dish based on the smell alone; all of Mag’s effort in inventing this new dish was going to go to waste!
Elizabeth furrowed her brows as she sat behind her wall of ice. For an instant, she’d almost reverted back to her dragon form—such was the shock inflicted on her by the abhorrent aroma of this dish. She had never smelled something so terrible in her life, and she’d been caught completely off guard.
Frost Dragons were the most mysophobic among all dragons. The Frost Island was covered in ice all year round, so there were no visible impurities nor any strange and putrid odors on the island. All of the food they ate also bore no strange aromas whatsoever.
As such, this stinky tofu dish had completely exceeded her tolerance range. If it weren’t for the fact that Yabemiya were standing right beside her, she would’ve stormed out of the restaurant already.
“This stinky tofu—” Elizabeth began in a slightly dark voice.
“It’s not actually stinky; it’s just an extremely rich fragrant aroma, and it only stinks because the aroma is overly rich. If you carefully delve into the aroma, you’ll find that it contains no impurities whatsoever, and that it’s extremely alluring,” Yabemiya cut her off in an urgent manner as she looked at Elizabeth with sincerity and a hint of hope in her eyes.
There were many regular customers in the restaurant, but in that moment, Yabemiya chose to place her trust in Elizabeth, the cold and aloof Frost Dragon who would always come to the restaurant alone and ask her some strange questions from time to time.
Elizabeth was already preparing to reject this dish, but at the at the sight of Yabemiya’s earnest and beseeching gaze, she hesitated momentarily before appraising the stinky tofu before her again.
Behind the wall of ice, the aroma had been hampered significantly, and it wasn’t as overwhelming as it had been when the lid on the dish had first been lifted. Setting aside her first impression of the dish, she discovered that there really were traces of a more fragrant aroma that lay beyond the foul odor.
As she began to focus on that unique fragrance, it slowly became richer and richer, and as opposed to being unpleasant, it became rather alluring instead. Elizabeth’s furrowed brows gradually smoothed out.
“Ding!”
The wall of ice was shattered and vanished. Thus, the aroma that had been restricted wafted toward her again in full force.
However, she didn’t conjure up another wall of ice this time. Instead, she closed her eyes to truly experience the aroma.
In doing so, she discovered that it was indeed fragrant to the extreme rather than putrid.
The entire restaurant had already fallen silent as all of the customers stared at Elizabeth with bewilderment in their eyes. They clearly didn’t expect her to withdraw the wall of ice and directly face that unbearable odor.
“What is she doing?” Harrison murmured to himself in a perplexed manner.
Elizabeth opened her eyes, and then plucked a piece of stinky tofu into her mouth with her chopsticks.